altogether just they were commanded to follow Deut. 16.20 But thou dost not so 1. Consider then that thou hast not only done injustice both in the eye of the Law and of the Lord but also thou hast done the same by colour of office First in the eye of the Law thou hast done it because thou presumes to pass the sentence of Death upon the bodies of men and women as a pretended Judge and hast no certain outward known Laws as a rule of Direction to guide thee in the ways of right Justice to give judgement upon them nor can produce no commission to put any known Law in execution or impower thee so to do and are therefore no competent Judge in that matter And secondly injustice in the eye of the Lord thou hast done and also by colour of office under pretence of chief Judge in the world and by a pretended commission of the Spirit pretended to be received from a God without thee that spake thou saist by voice of words to the hearing of the ear 2. Consider the nature of thy offence how far it extends it self and that is to pass the sentence of eternal death and damnation both upon the bodyes and souls of men and women and that to Eternity 3. Consider that thy injustice done by colour of office deserves to have a punishment proportionable to the offence and can the offence in the eye of the Lord be any less then sin against the Holy Ghost because thou hast pretended to do it in the Name of the Holy Ghost and so wouldst make the holy Ghost the Author of thy offence which it is not And seeing thou art guilty of sin against the holy Ghost there is a punishment already proportioned for such an offence and also thou art punishable by the Law of the Land for presuming under pretence of a commission and as a Judge to pass the sentence of death upon the bodies of men and women and pretends to go by as certain a rule in so doing as the Judges of the Land do when they give Judgement according to Law which thou hast no cognizance or right unto neither hast thou done so as before I have proved and I had not medled with the outward Laws of the Land but that I have such a pretended chief Judge to deal with to shew him his folly and injustice done by colour of office as I have done thee which thou Lodowick maist for ever be ashamed of for presumptuously doing as thou hast done who hast also erred in thy judgement and hast given it contrary to truth and against the Law of the Land And it 's said That if any Judgement be given contrary to the points of the great Charter it shall be undone and holden for nought 25 Ed. 1 2. and by a Statute made Anno 25. Ed. 3. it is declared That if any thing be done against the Law it shall be redressed and holden for none as thine is and is therefore reversed undone and holden for nought Take notice of that And whereas thou saist That in obedience to thy Commission thou hast already cursed and damned many hundreds of people both soul and body to eternity I say the greater is thy presumption and sin who hast no Right nor Authority to do the same thy judgement is contrary to truth and is against the Law of God and the Law of the Land and is therefore reversed and holden for none as aforesaid Whereas thou saist That no infinite spirit of Christ nor any God can or shall be able to deliver from thy sentence and curse I say That is false or no less then blasphemy and there is a punishment due to the nature of the offence Thou hast hereby denied Christ as he is the Advocate with the Father and the propitiation for the sins of the whole World 1 John 2.1 2. What a miserable condition art thou in And how great is thy sin of presumption and folly Wouldst thou have the great King of Heaven the Lord who is a great God and a King above all Gods Psal 95.3 and Christ Jesus who is the Prince of the Kings of the Earth Rev. 1.5 to commit their whole power solely to thee who may abuse it as thou hast done under pretence of a Commission and reserve no power in the Eternal God-head to pardon offences committed against them and preserve and save poor penitent offendors by shewing mercy unto them and forgiving of them And wouldst thou have no power reserved in the Eternal Godhead to correct and punish thee and such as thou art for abusing the Power and People of God as thou hast done Wouldst thou make the Eternal Power and Godhead inferior to the Kings of the Earth Do not they reserve a pardoning and punishing power in themselves besides what they give to their Judges by their commission But notwithstanding thy pretended Commission false Judgement and Doctrine This I affirm on the behalf of the Lord and the Eternal God-head That there is a pardoning and a punishing power in them reserved beyond thy pretended Commission First as to the pardoning power it is declared by them that were sent of the Lord God and his Spirit saying Let the wicked forsake his ways and the unrighteous his thoughts and let him return to the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God and he will abundantly pardon Seeing it is so it remains certainly true that there is a pardoning power reserved and remains in the Eternal God-head and it also remains true That the unrighteous and wicked upon the forsaking of their evil thoughts and wicked ways and returning to the Lord according to his requirings are objects of mercy and pardonable as aforesaid which is contrary to thy false doctrine and judgement Secondly As to the pardoning power that remains in the God-head is manifested in Christ whom God the Father hath exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins and we are his Witnesses of these things and so is the Holy Ghost whom God hath given to them that obey him Acts 5.31 32. Thirdly Christ Jesus who is the chief Judge ordained of God to judge the quick and the dead Acts 10.40 41 42. he hath manifested the pardoning power that remains with the God-head by shewing of mercy and forgiving offences The Scribes and the Pharisees sought an occasion against him because he was merciful and forgave sins and they took a woman-sinner and brought her to Christ and set her in the midst First They brought her before Christ and set her as an offender before the Judge Secondly They accused her unto him of the act of Adultery John 8.1 2 3 4. Thirdly They pleaded both Law and Fact to make their case good and to have shut up Christ's mercy and compassion against her to have moved him to give judgment upon her who it's like thought he could not otherwise have done
for so great glorious a work 7. That the deceit ought to be silent or that the Deceiver thou Lodowick ought to let Truth stop thy mouth like a false Prophet as thou art whose mouths must be stopped according to Tit. 1.11 Postscript Or Concerning Error c. IF none know the Scriptures but thy self then not those that are appointed by John Reeves and thee to the work of the Ministry And as Christ said to the Sadduces when they came to ask him whose Wife she might be in the resurrection which seven brethren had had to wife because they all had her in answer thereunto he said Ye err not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Matth. 22.23 24 25 26 27 28 29. So say I to thee That those who are appointed by John Reeves and thee to the work of the Ministry they err not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God because thou saist No man knows the Scriptures but thy self Therefore inasmuch as they err not knowing the Scriptures they must needs err in their expositions meanings pretended preachings and interpretation of Scriptures so that their pretended preaching of Scriptures is error 2. Their meanings and conceivings of the Scriptures is error 3. Their expositions and pretended interpretations of Scriptures is error And inasmuch as they err not knowing the Scriptures they also err not knowing the power of God from whence the holy Scripture is given by inspiration of God 2 Tim. 3.16 And so their whole work about your pretended Ministry is no better then error and must needs therefore be very unprofitable and not fit to be owned Lodowick IN thy pretended Answer bearing date May 8.1663 to a Letter of mine to thee entitled False judgement reversed and against testified thou saist Thou shalt first commend me for setting my name to it And secondly For setting down thy words so truly and punctually that it makes thy Commission and Authority to shine the more bright and clear In answer thereunto I say It may appear unto all that hears of the same That I have not perverted or wronged thy words or writings and also That thou owns thy sayings and hast not repented of thy errors and blasphemies but still persists therein and rejoiceth in the same and therefore all to whom this may come to be heard seen and read may take notice what thou art and be aware of thee and thy deceit Thou saist That thou art as true an Ambassador of God and Judge of mens spiritual estate as any ever was since the Creation of the world thou only saist it but leaves it as proofless as the rest but I do deny it therefore prove it if thou canst And whereas thou saist If you Quakers and others can satisfie your selves that there never was any man commissionated of God to bless and curse then you shall all escape that curse that I have pronounced apon so many hundreds and I only shall suffer for cursing others without a Commission from God I say in answer unto thee What is all this to the purpose Admit that we grant that God did commissionate under the Law to bless to curse what is that to thee must it necessarily follow that thou art so commissionated We are satisfied by the Lord and assured to the contrary and we know that we shall escape that curse which thou hast pronounced and are satisfied That thou shalt suffer for cursing so many hundreds without a Commission from God as thou hast done And whereas thou saist That thy Commission is no pretended thing but as true as Moses the Prophets and Apostles Commission was I do deny it prove that if thou canst or else let it be granted for true That thou hast taken upon thee to lye in the Name of the Lord that thy pretended Commission is but a counterfeit thing as doubtless it is and therefore thou maist expect a punishment proportionable to thy offence And whereas thou saist That no man can come to the assurance of the favour of God now in these dayes but in believing that God gave this power unto John Reeves and thy self As first That thou hast power given over all other Gods and infinite Spirits what soever 2. That thou hast the pardoning power and the damning power 3. That thou hast the keys of Heaven and of Hell and that none can get into Heaven except thou open the gates 4. That thou hast power to remit their sins who receive thy doctrine and to retain and bind their sins more close upon their consciences for their despising or not receiving of thy doctrine 5. That thou hast power to bless and curse men and women to eternity 6. That it is not the Light of Christ within nor the Scriptures no nor God without that shall deliver from under thy sentence and curse 7. That thou art single in doctrine knowledge judgement and power above all men either Prophets or Apostles since the beginning of the world or that shall ever be hereafter whilst the world doth endure 8. That thou art the only Judge of the two seeds now in these last dayes 9. That there is no true Minister Messenger nor Ambassador of God in the World at this day but thy self neither shall there be any sent of God after thee to the worlds end 10. That God will have men and women justified and condemned no other way but by man like themselves And 11. This power saist thou hath God given unto me and in this regard I am the only and alone Judge what shall become of men and women after death neither shall those that are damned by me see any other God or judge but me I say if these be not errors lyes and blasphemy what is Let God and his people by the Spirit of his Son sent into their hearts judge in this case whereby it may appear what spirit thou art of and what thy pretended Commission is made up of even of pride presumption lyes errors false judgement delusion and blasphemy as is apparent And through the assistance of God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ I hope I shall ever be ready to testifie for the Lord against thy deceit whilst I have breath as thereunto moved directed by the Lord. And though thou say That a God without thee spoke to thee by voice of words to the hearing of the ear when he gave thy pretended Commission unto thee yet thou saist That no person condemned by thee can make his appeal unto God neither by himself nor by any other and why thy reason is Beâ—ause saist thou God is not in this world at all I say if it be true That none can make their appeal to God neither by themselves nor by the Lord Jesus that are condemned by thee because thou saist God is not in this World at all where was he then when thou received thy pretended Commission seeing thou saist thou received it from a God without thee that spake by voice of words to the hearing of the ear Or is it not a fiction on imagination of thy brain that thou hast received and art so confident in and therefore a strong delusion And whereas thou saist That because I am not under the sentence of thy Commission by verbal words or writing thou shalt give answer unto my Letter for saist thou I never give answer in writing to any one that is under the sentence of my Commission I say That 's a ready way to shuffle off a sound answer or passe by with a lame Reply or passing false judgement at a distance instead of vindicating making good what thou art charged withall and it seems to the end that thou maist slip off and leave thy matter as proofless as before thou sends me a Bill of Excommunication or Execration and passeth sentence to exclude thy self from writing any more in answer unto me A shuffling trick of deceit indeed But this I am bold in the Lord to testâ—fie unto thee That thy judgement is false and erroneous both as to matter and manner and is a sign and token of a false Judge that never was sent of the Lord for who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect seeing it is God that justifies And it is apparent that thou art a false Judge because thou condemns God's Elect under pretence of judging the Serpents Seed Thou art a Deceiver indeed and I am bold to tell thee of it and do testifie against thee and thy judgement I value not it is but like ashes under the soles of my feet and will never trouble me because it proceeds from an Antichristian spirit and will never be laid to my charge by the Lord. Therefore silence Deceiver and give over thy deceit for what I have said in vindication of the Truth and in opposition to thy deceit shall stand over thee in the sight of God and his people that are guided by the Spirit of his Son sent into their hearts And truly I admire that Dorothy Carter or any that are sober and consciencious people should not abhor thy delusion and wicked abomination for assuredly it is not of God but of the Devil and this is my faithful Testimony concerning the same and I am not ashamed to own it under my Name R. Farnsworth THE END
Truth Ascended OR The Annointed and Sealed of God defended IN AN ANSWER Written by Richard Farnsworth AS A TESTIMONY AGAINST A Conterfeit Commission And all Injustice and false Judgement done and pronounced under pretence of the same LONDON Printed in the Year 1663. Truth ascended or the Annointed and sealed of God defended c. Lodowick Muggleton THough thou pretend to be the chosen Witness of the Spirit and the last that ever shall speak by Commission from God and to be the chief Judge in the World ordained of God to give sentence upon men and women spiritual and eternal and what shall become of them after death and saist That in obedience to thy Commission thou hast already cursed and damned many hundreds of people both body and soul from the presence of God elect men and Angels to Eternity and pretend'st to go by as certain Rule in so doing as the Judges of the Land do when they give Judgement according to Law and saist That no infinite Spirit of Christ nor any God can or shall be able to deliver from thy sentence and curse c. as appears in a Sheet of paper dated Aug. 10. 1662. written by thee in answer to Edward Bourns to Dorothy Carter and also four sheets dated Novemb. 3. 1662. written by thee and directed to Thomas Highfield in Nottingham for Samuel Hooton and W. S. I am bold on the behalf of the Lord once again to bear my Testimony against thee and against thy pretended Commission and the Doctrine thereof and shall make it appear that it ought not to be entertained by any man or woman upon earth because it is contrary to truth and that thy judgment ought by all to be reversed undone and made void because it is contrary to truth and that thy judgement ought by all to be reversed undone and made void because it is erroneous and false for thou art no chosen Witnesse of the Spirit of Truth neither hast thou received any Commission from Christ to whom all the Prophets gave witnesse as hereafter appears 1. That there were chosen Witnesses of Christ to whom all the Prophets gave witnesse is certainly true Acts 10.38 39 40 41. Acts 5.31 32. Acts 1.8 2. That they had a Commission from Christ to whom all the Prophets gave witness or that he Commanded them to preach to the people is as true Acts 10.42 But that thou either art or dost so I do deny 3. They who were chosen Witnesses of Christ whom God the Father annointed sealed and sent and had a Commission from the Spirit and Power of Christ to whom all the Prophets gave witness in testifying on the behalf of Christ their Testimony stands as an evidence against thy pretended Commission and the Doctrine thereof because they say on the behalf of Christ that he commanded them to preach to the people and to testifie to them that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead Acts 10.42 To him give all the Prophets witness that through his Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Acts 10.43 But thou dost not so by thy pretended Commission and the Doctrine thereof who instead of preaching to the people and testifying to them that Christ is chief Judge ordained of God to judge the quick and the dead thou wouldst dis-throne him to set up thy self in his stead whereby it appears That thou art not a chosen Witness of the Spirit of Truth and that thy pretended Commission is a counterfeit thing by which thou presumes to give judgement contrary to Truth which makes it evident That thy doctrine and judgement is false and being so it ought not to be entertained or received by any but to be denied and against testified by all that love the Lord Jesus 4. By their Commission they were to preach to the people and by the same Commission and the Doctrine thereof they were to testifie to them that Christ was ordained of God to be the Judge both of quick and dead but thou art not Christ to whom all the Prophets gave witness therefore it is evident that thou art not chief Judge ordained of God to judge the quick and the dead though thou presume to say that the dead after death shall never see any other God or Judge but the remembrance of that sentence which you the pretended Witnesses of the Spirit did pass upon them in this life which is a false Doctrine and contrary to the Doctrine of Truth left upon record in Scripture where it is said That the Father hath given authority to the Son to execute judgement and all that are in the grave shall hear his voice and shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of Life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation as it is written John 5.26 27 28 29. and Christ shall give judgement upon them Matth. 25.31 32 33 34.41.46 And as thou wouldst exclude Christ from that great office and work and assume it to thy self so thou wouldst exclude his Officers and deny him of them to set up thy self alone in their places and stead because thou falsly saith No man knows the Scriptures but thy self and that no man can truly interpret the Scriptures but thy self and that none ought to officiate the Office of a Minister Messenger or Ambassador of Christ but such as are appointed by John Reeves and thy self which assertions or doctrines of thine are false and not true for this I say That the only knowledge and right of interpreting Scriptures belongs not to thy self but to the Lord Jesus and his blessed Spirit who is the true Judge and hath power to open mens understandings and can give them the true knowledge and right understanding of Scriptures Luke 24 32. 24.45 And the Gospel is preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven as it is written 1 Pet. 1.11 12. and the holy Ghost hath a true power and right Authority without John Reeves and thy self to make overseers over the Flock of God to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood Acts 20.28 and to appoint Ministers Messengers or Ambassadors of Christ and to call to the work of the Ministry Acts 13.2 4. And they who by the Holy Ghost are called to the Work of the Ministry may with the Holy Ghost sent down from Heaven preach the Gospel without the appointment of John Reeves and thy self Take notice of that for as every man hath received the gift even so minister the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God if any man speak let him speak as the Oracles of God if any man minister let him do it as of the ability which God giveth that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ as it is written and left upon Record in Scripture 1 Pet. 4 10 11. 5. The chosen Witnesses of Christ who had a Commission
from his blessed Spirit they were anointed 2 Cor. 1.21 and sealed of God 2 Cor. 1.22 but so art not thou therefore thou art nothing like unto them and they who are annointed and seal d of God as such were they may be Ministers Messengers and Ambassadors of Christ now without the appointment of John Reeves and thy self neither art thou at all owned by the Doctrine of their commission to do as thou dost and pretendest to do under pretence of thy pretended commission it takes no notice of thee and such as thou art to appoint to so great and glorious a Work though thou presume in thy imaginations to be greater then either Prophets of God or Apostles of Christ yet thou never approved thy self to be a Messenger Minister or Ambassador of Christ as they do and did who are and were annointed sealed and sent of God as aforesaid 6. For the Ambassadors who had a commission to preach and were annointed and sealed of God 2 Cor. 1.21 22. and had the Ministration of reconciliation given unto them 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. a glorious Ministration 2 Cor. 3.8 9 10 11. which is the Ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.5 6. their sufficiency was not of any like John Reeves and thy self but of God who made them and hath the same power now without John Reeves and thy self to make able Ministers of the New-Testament they approved themselves as the Ministers of God not by reviling cursing and damning but on the contrary in much patience in afflictions in necessities in distresses in stripes in imprisonments in labours in watchings in fastings by pureness by knowledge by long-suffering by kindness by the holy Ghost by love unfeigned by the Word of truth and by the power of God See 2 Cor. 6.4 5 6 7 8 9 10. And the Messengers of Christ whose sufficiency is not of John Reeves and thy self but of God who by virtue of his blessed power and spirit are made able Ministers of the New-Testament and are spiritually annointed and sealed of God they stand approved to God as the Ministers of God according to Gospel-order and the dispensation of the Gospel which is the Ministration of the Spirit but thou hast not so approved thy self who fled from Chesterfield to Bakwell for fear of a few stripes or a whipping when the same was but threatned against thee for thy false Judgement and Doctrine in reviling cursing and damning whereby it is evident that thou art nothing like an Ambassador of Christ and very unfit to appoint to that work and that thy pretended Commission and the greatnesse of thy pretended power is nothing worth Take notice of that 7. The Ambassadors of Christ who were annointed and sealed of God and had the Ministration of Reconciliation given unto them that glorious Ministration of the Spirit wherein they approved themselves as the Ministers of God which thou hast not done they were so far from reviling cursing and damning and rejoicing therein as thou dost that they forgave in the person of Christ 2 Cor. 2.10 and by manifestation of the Truth commended themselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God 2 Cor. 4.1 2. but thou dost not so who art so full of reviling cursing and damning whereby it 's apparent that thy pretended Commission Power and Doctrine thereof is nothing like unto theirs though thou falsly saist it 's as true and of a more higher nature then theirs was in their time thou hast lyed therein and hast born a false Testimony which makes it evident that thou art no chosen Witnesse of the Spirit of Truth 8. The Ambassadors of Christ who were annointed and sealed of God and had the glorious Ministration of the Spirit given unto them by virtue of their commission of the Spirit and the doctrine thereof they commanded for to prove all things and hold fast that which is good and to try the spirits whether they be of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the World 1 Thess 5.21 1 John 4.1 to the end that they might not entertain the Doctrine of any false Prophet nor bid such God spead as abide not in the doctrine of Christ lest they become partakers of their evil-deed 2 John 9.10 11. but by the Doctrine of thy pretended commission thou denies that viz proving of doctrines and trying of spirits saying That neither the Light of Christ within nor no man upon earth can or ought to judge of the Doctrine because thou saist that neither the Light within nor no man upon Earth can or ought to judge of the Doctrine of a Prophet who hath a Commission from God and saist That there neither is nor ever shall be any such Prophet but thy self whilst the World doth endure which is a false assertion or doctrine of thine but hereby it is manifest that thou art against trying of spirits and proving of Doctrines and so art against the reception thereof because Judgement in point of Doctrine is in order to the reception of Doctrine And for want of judgement in that respect they may be deceived who take doctrines upon trust without judging trying thereof how should spirits be tryed and doctrines be proved or how should the Doctrine of Truth be performed which commands to try and prove them if none can or ought as thou falsly saist to judge of the same Whereby it appears that thou art not the chosen Witnesse of the Spirit of Truth and that thy doctrine is contrary to the doctrine of truth and ought not to be received by any man upon earth and it is evident thereby that thy pretended commission is a counterfeit thing invented to beguile and deceive withal and not at all owned by the commission and doctrine of the Ambassadors of the Lord Jesus who were and are annointed and sealed of God 9. The Ambassadors of Christ and chosen Witnesses of the Spirit who were annointed and sealed of God they were workers together with God 2 Cor. 6.1 and did pray in Christ's stead 2 Cor. 5.20 but thou dost not so who instead thereof goes about reviling cursing and damning the beloved people of God who preach from the Scriptures and Light within and by virtue of the power which they have received of God Devils are cast out and as thou saist much good is done by them who ought not to be reviled and cursed by thee as they are whereby it appears that thou art no chosen Witnesse of the Spirit of Truth nor an Ambassador of Christ neither art thou annointed and sealed or sent of God to go about reviling cursing and damning the beloved people of God as thou dost for they who were the chosen Witnesses of the Spirit and Ambassadors of Christ did not so but thou hast exceeded Balaam in that who refused to curse those whom God had blessed And the Ambassadors of Christ annointed sealed and sent of God they approved themselves as the chosen Witnesses of the Spirit annointed and sealed of God