in which ye make sore complaint people will rather continue than remove to you since your skirts are discovered 5. That ye are offended with me for using bitter and violent expressions towards you in which ye say nothing of the spirit of Christ appears but the contrarie And that ye are otherwise taught then to render evil for evil and railing for railing but rather to blesse having the example and precept of Christ for it yet notwithstanding your book abounds with â—ayling reviling and evil speaking And where ye cannot amongst your selves frame and make up enough ye endeavour the best ye are able to take up something from others whom ye do not name and perhaps I never saw and cast the reproach of it upon me telling me of Luciferian pride folly impudencie malignity untruths c. All which is the proper fruit of the corrupt fountain from whence it came to which it is again returned But by this the sober Reader may take notice how directly ye are found in the steps of your fathers the Scribes and Pharisees who crucified the just one and said and did not c. And what use it is ye make of Christ his precepts and examples that is to say to make them a veil or covering under pretence of which to hide your selves in your ungodly and wicked practices whiles in words ye would seem to condemn it just â—e the harlot whose words are smooth and pleasant but her pathes lead to the chambers of death and how can ye say nothing in my book appears like the Spirit of Christ when so much of it is the very words of Scripture which ye say is the word of God and the Scripture saith the father the word and holy Ghost are one are they one and not a like are they one and yet contrary or are not ye rather in blindness and confusion understanding neither what ye say or of what ye affirm To your Reader ye expresse your trouble and griese that I a man once famous for professing the truth did upon the coming of the people called Quakers own and plead for them and by so doing drew many a poor soul out of the wayes of Christ as ye say into the wayes of those miserable deluded people To which I reply that I did upon the first publishing of the glad tydings of salvation by the Ministerie of righteousness obtain mercy to own and embrace the same and by it was turned to God out of the wayes of miserie delusion and deceipt in which ye yet abide is true But that I drew any out of the wayes of Christ is false and from your father by whom the eyes of your minds being blinded ye wander and by him are led in the dark and blind pathes of lying deceipt and delusion towards death and destruction And therefore ye tell the Reader I prepared a letre with this inscription for the people called independents and by my subtilty engaged two of your brethren to present it to the Church which is an absolute lye at which ye could not but blush had ye not a whoores forhead for no such inscription at all was upon any letter of mine But for the hands of Robert Simpson and Robert Purnel c. Neither do I know any subtilty used to engage them farther than in plainnes and honesty to read it in their hearing and demand their freedom to comunicate it to those who sent the charge by them to me and this ye term subtility and deceipt when the subtilty and designed deceipt is among your selves who kept my defence from being communicated to those for whom it was intended fearing as ye confesse it might draw away more from amongst you And this was no disappointment at all of my ends neither was I enraged at it as ye say But it is another lye and your torment thereby is encreased because opportunity was thereby administred to discover your skirts and lay open your shame which otherwise its like had not been And whereas ye tell your Reader ye cannot without being guilty of my sin let my folly go unreproved but have set forth these plain words of truth and sobernes c. This is like the rest a refuge of lyes for neither true nor sober it is but full of lyes and deceipt of which I know no page free And so ye need not trouble your selves with the guilt of my sin ye have enough of your own And it is plain and true that the lyers are without and for the lake c. which is your portion from him who will clear the innocent c. with whom ye are not companions in tribulation nor are grieved for the afflictions of Joseph nor sensible of this day of Jacobs trouble nor know the welfare of Sion nor the faith of the Gospel nor the testimonie of Jesus which is the Spirit of prophecie And so I come to your book it self In the first line of which ye demand Did I never read that the Church of Christ in Scripture is resembled to a natural body wherein are many members united each to other and most of them to one head and by one Spirit and say that as in the natural body there may be many infirmities so in the mistical bodie c. I answer nay I never read such a thing in Scripture but can read you who put this queston as blind as the men of Sodom that saw not the way for where in Scripture is the Church of Christ resembled to a natural body I say a natural bodie in which are many infirmities Again where doth the Scripture say that in the Church of Christ there are many members united each to other and most of them to one head and by one spiritâ— Is there any unitie in the Church of Christ and not by the Spirit And are not all who are by the Spirit united together by the same Spirit united to the head And is not the Lord that Spirit in which the vail is removed But Babilon is your Citie your first building is confusion and had ye not thus exprest your selves ye had not so clearly manifested your gross ignorance both of the true Church her members the head and the Spirit But having thus done ye apply your selves to your blind mistaken conclusions drawn from what before ye had ignorantly propounded And say that as in the natural bodie there may be many infirmities so the mystical body also may be subject to distempers c. To which I say In your tittle page ye stile your selves the Church of Christ though ye never proved it but your language is the harlots and not the Churches In Scripture I read of a natural bodie and a spiritual bodie but never of a mystical bodie so exprest that comes from the Harlot But if by mystical bodie ye mean your selves then I easily grant it is indeed subject to destempers enough which ye number up and say is undigested humours want of closing with truth and receiving untruth windie
humours of pride high-mindedness and giving heed to lying Spirits violent headiness in stead of well tempered zeal for God and godliness c. All which it's like ye speak from good experience and if ye had added much more of that kind to which ye are subject I know and bear testimonie that it is true But if by mystical bodie ye mean the Church of Christ of which he is head and hath washed from all her sins in his own blood and redeemed from all iniquitie and presents holy and unblamable without spot or wrinkle then do ye speak falsely and wickedly blaspeming the bodie of Christ which is holy in which dwell no lying spirits nor windie homours as ye call it of pride and high mindedness c much lesse is it subject to those things but is more than Conqueror over it and is subject onely to Christ who is the head where other Lords have not dominion but being made free by the Son of God is free indeed while such as you are subject to such distempers and wicked spirits and humours by which ye are overcome and in bondage and never came to witness redemption and freedom by the Son of God who gave himself for us as Paul saith that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people Now if Pauls words be true as indeed they are then is your mystical distempered surfeited windie humorous proud high minded feavorish bodie which gives heed to lying spirits no Church of Christ but an absolute Harlot And so have ye your selves manifested your own bodie as filthy as ever I declared it And so what wrong have I done ye ye say in my former book there is contained many things too low and beneath you to read peruse or answer thereby manifesting your Pride for his soul that is lifted up is not upright And the Harlot sits as a Queen and counts it beneath her to answer what is spoken to her in truth But I perceive ye are making good the title of your book covering your selves with such filthie stuff where ye cannot answer and yet he that reads and understands would think ye little regard what ye say or into what confusion ye run so ye can but think to hide your heads for notwithstanding ye said but now it was below and beneath a Christian much more a whole Church to read or answer my book yet presently ye say ye shall take the Lords Counsel and answer the Author Is it beneath and too low for you to read or answer and yet doth the Lord Counsel you to answer or doth the Lord Counsel you to answer what is beneath you to read Why should ye thus take the Lords name in vain to cover and hide your deceipt Know ye not that ye cannot be by him held guiltless But this is pitiful stuff to come from a whole Church as ye call your selves need enough ye have to seek a covering to hide your folly Ye say my Pamphlet is stuâ—t in the middle and both ends with many unsavoury and unchristian like expressions and speak of vain boastings absurdities and untruths but mention not the particulars nor make it appear and so I shall let it pass as one of your lying refuges Ye say how sadly is that Scripture Acts 20.30 fulfilled both on us and you c. I answer nay not on you who are far from the condition of the elders of the Church of Ephesus to whom Paul spake whom the holy Ghost had made overseers of the flock of God which he with his own blood had purchased and they did feed who were turned from the darkness to the light but I say this belongs not to you who love darkness and hate the light of which they were children and came to see with open face as in a glass the Lords glorie which condition is witnessed in measure by thousands at this day of those whom ye call miserable deluded people Neither is it fulfilled in me who do not speak perverse things to draw people from the truth which is the light but have declared the truth concerning you Ye say when ye had read the title of my book and considered the people included and intended by me ye could not but stand amazed c. I answer yea and well ye might and be ashamed and confounded that ever a people professing themselves the Church of Christ should be so notoriously found in the Harlots steps without so much as a shew of a true covering in which to hide themselves from the rebuke of what was spoken of them as in your book the Reader may perceive but are driven to so many lying refuges to vindicate your selves and all in vain for your covering is short Ye say Is it not an high degree of Luciferian pride for a poor Creature to set his foot upon the neck of all the assemblies and Churches of the Saints calling them the wâ—ore And then put your silly interpretations upon my words us some of you use to do upon the Scriptures and draw your mistaken meanings thereon and then tell me of Shimei's cursing David and of your resolutions c. To which I reply The assemblyes and Churches of Saints oh how lovely are they unto me because the living presence and power of God is there manifested In which I have chosen rather to be a door-keeper and to suffer reproach with the people of God which was Davids portion than to dwell with you in the ungodly Tent where Shimei that Curser is But the voice of the Lords thunders being heard in the earth and his lightenings gone forth and his just visitations come and coming upon the Harlot or great whore whose judgement is now come I doe according to my measure bear testimony against her your surfeited bodie though she call her self a Church and cover her self with scarlet as with a veil yet upon her neck do I tread and all her glorie do I despise and upon all her pride and Luciferian spirit do I trample for just and true is he that hath judged her And notwithstanding ye begin to wail and lament like them Rev. 18. whose merchandise was destroyed saying O how do the daughters of the Philistines rejoyce and the uncircumcised triumph will not every prophane person that seeth us go in the streets say Lo there goes one of the skirts of the whore one of the synagogue of Satan one of the cage of unclean birds c. And if we reprove them will they not say one of your selves have written and published it And then tell how your enemies will scourge you with the tongue and condemn you c. Reply If this be so and the Philistines and prophane persons in whose nature ye are and with whose spirit ye agree do thus behave themselves towards you yet know and see the Scriptures fulfilled and as ye have loved cursing reproaching or reviling so it is unto you and the measure which ye have meted is measured
he writ and all that are faithful to the light I may have fellowship and know him that was from the beginning before the Scriptures were given â—orâ—h For John and those to whom be writ had fellowship in the light and so that vvhich they had heard and seen and handled that they declared and that vvhich they declared was that God is light and those that vvalk in the light as he is in the light have fellovvship c. And they that vvalk in darkness and say they have fellovvship vvith God are lyers He that keepeth â—is vvord in him is the love of God perfected The annointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same annointing teacheth you of all things and is true and is no lye c. He that committeth sin is of the Devil and the Son of God vvas made manifest to destroye the vvorks of the Devil and whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and iâ— this the children of God are manifest and the Children of the Devil This vvas their condition and the doctrine vvhich they preached vvho had an unction from the holy One and knevv all things from and out of vvhich the Antichrist vvent into the vvorld because they vvere not of them for had they been of them they vvould have continued vvith them But novv vvhat is this to you vvho knovv not that vvhich vvas from the beginning And so are declaring that vvhich others have heard and seen but never heard savv nor felt it your selves vvho vvalk in darkness and knovv not God but hate the light condemning that in vvhich their fellovvship stood that cry dovvn the annointing and true Teacher vvithin opposing those that declare that by committing sin the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devil pleading for the kingdom of the Devil vvhiles ye are here and declaring that your mystical bodie may be subject to distempers and vvindie humours of pride headines high mindedness and giving heed to lying Spirits I say vvhat is this to you vvho are as far from the condition of vvhich John vvrites as the East is from the West manifesting your enmitie thereunto And might not the Pharisees vvhose righteousness exceeds yours more fitly applie those vvords to Paul to John and all that turned to the light and by it gathered from amongst them testifying against them that their vvork are evil Or might not the Parish Masters as rightly applie it against you and say you went out from them because ye were not of them as ye do it to me But in this also your covering is too short and your shame appears And vvhereas ye tell me of spreading before the Lord taâ—nts scorns false accusations c. of vvhich ye say my Pamphlet is full but name none I shall not â— need take notice of it farther than to tell you it is a lye framed by you to cover your shame and that taunts scornings and false accusations are denied by all the children of light vvho by the annointing vvithin vvhich leads into all truth are taught and guided and it is to be found vvithout vvhere the God of the vvorld rules and the unclean and cruel beasts inhabit and are distempers of your mystical bodie In page 8. Ye seem to tell me of some absurdities in my proceeding begging the question and drawing inferences c. Which also is but your refuge of lyes c. But ye say I stile you a Synagogue of Satan and then heap up threatâ—nings against you as such Repl. I truly stiled you a synagogue of Satan and proved you so by vvhat lodged in and amongst you vvhich vvas by your ovvn messengers acknovvledgâ—d as in my former boâ—k I declared and from which ye have not vindicated your selves but over your heads it stands and the judgement thereof ye cannot escape except ye repent But to your refuge of lyes ye again betake your selves saying I do like the persecutors of old who first wrapt the Saints in skins of beasts and then set dogs upon them to â—ear them Repl. This is your own case and the work in which ye have been employed by your Master some yeares past as well as in your present book in which ye speak of wretched Quakers a title of reproach used by you and others of Ishmaels seed at which the dogs of Aegypt open their months and would rend and â—ear if not by the power of the Lord restrained and with a sheeps skin have I not covered you but aâ—â— laying open and manifesting your wolvish nature though ye would cover your selves with sheeps clothing as with a veil And why should I set dogs and persecutors upon you who are of the same nature and Spirit with them And the world loves its own And because ye are of the world and speak of the world the world hears you and in it you glorie And whereas ye tell me of heaping up Scriptures against you which concern you not and how like it is to Raâ—shakâ—h c. I say it is your own it is your portion from it ye cannot flie nor have ye at all acquitted your selves but over your heads it stands and your vail covers not your shame who by the King of Babylon are employed to reproach and revile the servant of the Lord whom he hath redeemed out of kinreds tongues and people and through the regeneration brought following himself who judgeth the false Prophets and deceivers who are seen and witnessed against thoroughout the Nations wherâ— the voice of Gods thunders is heard and the well-â—avoured Harlot is discovered upon whose neck do I trample who shall never the Church of Christ be found In which I am not mistaken but from his presence your sentence is come forth to whom ye say ye will make your application as David did And whereas ye speak so much af applying prâ—mises to those to whom they belong not c. It is your own case who being proved an Harlot and have not proved your sâ—lves a Church would have that applied to you by others and do apply iâ— to your selves which belongs to the Church and that which is the Harlots portion and Proper to you ye love not to hear nor receive In your 9. page ye pretend three reasons why my defence which ye call my letter could not be received and read amongst you c. But whether it were indeed reasons why ye read it not or else a feigned pretence and lying shift since found out to veil your deceipt that of God in your own Consciences will bear testimonie for ye say your first reason was because it was not directed to the Church but as it were in a deriding manner to the people called Independents Which is an absolute lye for it had no such direction at all upon it but For the hands of Robert Sympson and Robert Purnel c. And how then could that be
ever they did those actions But if I should go about to gather up the actions and expressions contrary to truth which I have known and heard passe from some of your vvay which is a very broad way how abominable filthy would it appear But I forbear farther then it may be for your advantage Yet let me aske if none of your way which is the broad vvay leading to destruction did tell me it vvas the pride of Mordecais heart that bovved not to Haman And another that the Rulers and Elders had sinned if they had not crucified or put Christ to death because they judged him a blasphemer And another that the Pope and Jesuits do believe in Christ But this I cast not upon you vvhom I knovv not particularly guilty but that ye may see the unjustnesse of your ovvn accusations and that the guilty ones may see it and be ashamed Ye fall a vvondring at my shamelesnesse as ye call it in mentioning that some of you did beate in your meetings like the enemies of Christ in the synagogues And say yee will declare to all the world the truth of this story To vvhich I say if ye can at last declare truth it 's vvell and fit ye had done it sooner But ye tell hovv Sathan hath raged at your vvomens praying in vvhich its like ye mistake and that it vvas the vvitnesse of God that strives against your hypocrisie as it did of old against your fathers vvhen their vvaies vvere corrupt before the Lord And vvoe unto you vvhen it shall strive no more Ye say Two wretched women came rushing into the roome one of which had been an old Ranter the other a late member of this Church Whereas they had been one as much a member vvith you as the other and neither are Ranters but in sobernesse do vvalk and so came into your meeting and as ye say told you the prayers of the wicked is an abhomination to the Lord With vvhich you vvere disturbed and the Woman forced to give over reply It s like then there was power in what was spoken and its manifest the very words of the Scripture are your disturbance And therefore like the Gadarens who in this are your pattern ye desired as ye say these disturbers to depart your room as they did Christ to depart their Coasts But when they departed not ye exceeded your pattern as ye your selves confess and would have put them out its like by force which ye say is all the beating and occasion of it Which is an absolute lie for down the stairs yee would have thrown them as your fathers would have thrown Christ down the brow of the hill which to do ye did attempt haling beating and pinching them till their bodies were sore in which your marks they did bear a long time after So that here appears no truth nor ancient godlinesse but the contrary in them that did it and this wickednesse do I not justifie being condemned by the light to which it is abhomination and a more wicked thing than for two sober women to come soberly into your meeting and declare amongst you the truth whether ye hear or forbear In page 23. ye endeavour the best you can to veile your selves from the stroak of truth contained in Psalm 83. and in the Prophesie of Obadiah But all in vain for it is your portion and ye must bear it from him who with righteousnesse doth judge the poor and your demanding what grosse darkness is upon my minde that I should be crying out against you that are innocent will not veile you Nay notwithstanding ye demand again whether I be not joyned with all the Papists Atheists Ranters and all the ungodly rabble of the world in this one great designe of the Devil to break in pieces the Churches of Christ c. And then mention under the name of Anabaptists Independents Sectaries Schismaticks c. To which I answer nay with the Harlot I am not joyned for then must I be one body with you But from among you all am I separated by the power of the Lord to witnesse his presence And therefore your selves with all Papists Atheists Ranters and ungodly rabble of the world who in the great designe of the Devill are joyned to hate the light and persecute and oppose the life power of God do I deny and stand a witnesse against And although ye are the many-headed Beast in divers forms sects and opinions under the name of Papists Atheists Independents Anabaptists c. and upon a like ground pretend to Christs person Gospel and Ordinances as before I said and with one mouth and with one shoulder cry out against and oppose his light and living presence for which ye associate and take counsell together of one and the same lying spirit yet ye must be broken and as a new threshing instrument is the Lord making the worm Jacob to thresh your mountains as chaffe and your little hills as dust And the day of your distresse and visitation is begun in which all that see you shall wag the head who with the most embittered enemies are joyned against the light and life of God and with Atheists Drunkards and prophane persons who live in scoffing scorning reproaching and deriding in slandering falshood and lies do ye assemble teaching the wicked of the world your wayes and the Children that have not understanding to blaspheme the light and living way to the Father which is your own returned But can ye be honest and own what ye say and novv flie from it If so then I demand Is it indeed the great designe of the Devil to break in pieces the Congregations in England under the names of Independents Anabaptists Sectaries c. as ye pretend it is If nay then are ye false and deceitfull in what ye have written If yea then is there a false Prophet and Minister of Satan to be found amongst you in whose mouth he hath been a lying spirit to which ye ought to give no longer heed For Robert Purnell in his book entitled Good newes to sinners great joy to Saints declares the contrary And in pag. 65. undertakes to be a Prophet and saith a few words by way of prophesie of the downfall of Presbytery Independency Anabaptisme c. And then he calls upon all the servants of the most high and mighty God heirs of promise and sons of Zion to look for great alterations and changes and to see what desolations God will make in the earth and for nothing but the Lord to be revealed from heaven which saith he will be mighty in his dispensations exceeding glorious in his revelation and strong and powerfull in his operation and will bring to passe his determinations and destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people and the veile that is spread over all Nations which veile he saith is knowing Christ and Christians after the flesh which Paul did not do after his eyes were opened
c. And so he goes on to manifest how Presbyterians Independents Anabaptists c. are all vailed with the same veile And therefore saith he what I say to one Sect I say to all ye shall speedily receive a totall rout Yee have gathered your selve together but ye shall be scattered yea yee shall be broken in pieces Ye all have built your outward house of externall discipline upon the sand and it must fall because it is not grounded upon the Rock Christ Ye have made your communion the ground of your union and that must fall because it is not the Lords but mans building And himselfe puts the question how he knew Presbytery Independency Anabaptisme and the rest of the Sects must down and answers if Abraham by faith did see the day of Christ coming in the flesh many years before he came why may not I saith he and others see the day of Christ coming in the spirit to destroy all fleshly forms some few years before it be finished And again saith he I have by faith seen all these opinions fall and have heard from many others that they have seen them fall also Therefore that which I have heard and seen declare I unto you that ye might have fellowship with the father and the son in the spirit for then saith he and not till then ye will give over saying as in effect ye do I am of Paul I am of Apollo Then ye will not so much cry up the forme but endeavour the power of godlinesse These with many more are his words as the Reader may see in his foresaid book Now therefore if it be true that all these formes are fleshly and are not built upon the Rock Christ but upon the sand are not the Lords but mens building and therefore must fall and be broken to pieces and scattered and speedily receive a totall rout And that he by faith hath seen it all fall and hath both heard and seen what he declared that is to say Christ Jesus coming in spirit to destroy them that people might have fellowship with the Father and the Son in the Spirit Then are Robert Purnell and you found directly in the steps and practice of your Fathers the Scribes and Pharisees who when Christ came in the flesh according to the Prophecies that went before said It was the Devil a blasphemer a friend to publicans and sinners c. For ye now that Christ in spirit in life and power is appeared mighty in dispensations glorious in revelation and very strong and powerfull in operation making great alterations changes and desolations in the earth and revealing himself from heaven breaking down and scattering what he hath not built nor gathered destroying and breaking in pieces those Forms and Sects of yours which he saith are fleshly not built by the Lord but men not upon the Rock but upon the sand and speedily receives a total rout c. I say since Christ is thus appeared against all those Forms that his people may have fellowship with the Father and the Son in the spirit and not cry up the Form but endeavour to know the power of godliness according to the very words himself hath said both Robert Purnel and you agree to call it the design of the Devil asking if I be not joined with all the Papists Atheists Ranters and ungodly rabble of the world in this one great design of the Devil to break in pieces the Churches of Christ And say hath it not been the attempt of one power after another to rent break and scatter the Congregations in England under the names of Independents Anabaptists Sectaries c And hath any party gone so far in this wicked practice as you c Nay say you was there ever any partie in England or the Nations adjacent that have offered the like violence to the Lord Jesus Christ his person in his Word in his Gospel his Ordinances his Saints his wayes c. as you and your partie have done c Notwithstanding it be the very thing and no other which he in his said Book saith By faith he saw Christ in spirit coming to perform a few years before it was finished which few years its like are now accomplished it being about eight years since the said Book was published so then that which Christ cometh in spirit to perform ye call the great design of the Devil and a wicked practice and those who with Christ in his work are joined bringing to pass his determinations ye say are joined with Papists Athiests Ranters and the ungodly rabble of the world But why do Robert Purnell you now call Independent â—nd baptized Assemblies the Churches of Christ when he had before declared them fleshly Forms and Sects not built by the Lord upon the rock but by men upon the sand and must fall and be broken and scattered and receive a total rout and that he saw Christ in spirit coming to destroy them that his people might have fellowship with the Father and the Son by the Spirit and that what he declared he had both heard and seen manifesting to all the world against your wills that that which ye call and cry up as the Churches of Christ and Assemblies of Zion are indeed but fleshly Forms and Sects not built by the Lord upon the Rock Christ but by themselves upon the sands which Christ comes in spirit to destroy and therefore must fall and be broken routed and scattered and that notwithstanding among your selves it is known and manifested to be so by a spirit of faith as R. P. sayes by which it was seen Yet ye hold the truth in unrighteousness and do erre from the spirit else might ye know that the Churches of Christ which are in God the Father are not fleshly Forms and Sects like yours but is a spiritual house an holy habitation for God by whom it is built upon the rock of ages the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Christ being the corner-stone against which all the gates of Hell and powers of darkness shall never prevail to break scatter destroy or cause to fall but as mount Zion shall it stand and a burthensom stone shall it be against all fleshly Forms and Sects that fight against it in this day of the Lords appearing in the power and glory of his spirit to break in pieces scatter and destroy all your fleshly Forms and Sects which he never built upon the Rock but your selves have built upon the sands and so are no Churches of Christ but the strong holds of Satan in which he having blinded their minds keeps his goods in peace and under pretence of beating up the form the power of godliness is there denyed and not known But the desires of the flesh and of the mind are there served equally as among other people and this I do see and know otherwise had I not declared it unto you And so into the pit that ye have digged are ye fallen and
in the works of your own hands are ye snared and not I but ye are found joined with the ungodly rabble ye mention in the great design of the Devil opposing the truth blaspheming and offering violence to the Lord Jesus Christ and well may I return your vain words into your bosoms and say Ah pour deceived people what gross darkness hath now seized upon your minds Where are your eyes and may add what blind guide hath misled and bewitcht you thâ—â— ye should be crying out against me for that in which I am innocent and your selves so notoriously found to practice And this from amongst your selves and out of Robert Purnels mouth are ye judged But if what Robert Purnel hath said be not true but a lying spirit hath led him and that by faith he did not see Christ in spirit coming to destroy the fleshly Forms of Independency Anabaptism and other Sects there mentioned and so declared a false vision which he neither heard nor saw notwithstanding he saith he had heard and seen it Then is Robert Purnel a lyar a false Prophet a deceiver that causeth the people to erre by his lies and by his lightness and his faith by which he saw is vain and he to the true faith found reprobate and the reward of a false Prophet must he receive that hath seen vain visions and spoken lying divinations Ezek. 13.8 9. Because ye have spoken â—â—nity and seen lye therefore behold I am against you saith the Lord God and mine hand shall be upon the Prophets that see vanity and divine lyes they shall not be in the Assembly of my people neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel And his Cabinet richly stored in which he proclaims a remedy for every malady and a ready way to attain salvation as is said its like is filled with deceit and all kind of venemous filthy stuff such as comes out of the mouth of the false Prophet the dreamer that speaks a vision of his ovvn heart and not from the mouth of the Lord and therefore eâ—res in vision and stumbles in judgement vvhich vvhosoever believes and follovvs is like to find the ready vvay to destruction and not to salvation of vvhich let all people bevvare and since you proclaim your selves an Assembly of the Lords people and boast of your obedience to all his Commandements and Ordinances vvritten as you say in his Word and that your feet hath held its steps and not gone back from the Lord nor declined the Commandments of his mouth and tell of your readiness to deal vvith them that are evil c. You are charged every particular of you to look to it and approve your selves faithful and obedient to vvhat is vvritten and as you intend to ansvver before the Lord Dâ—cline not the Commandements of his mouth vvho hath said Woe to the foolish Prophets that follow their own spirits they have seen vanity and lying divinations saying the Lord saith and the Lord hath not sent them c. Because ye have spoken vanity and seen lyes therefore behold I am against you saith the Lord God and my hand shall be against the Prophets that see vanity and devine lyes they shall not be in the Assemblies of my people neither shall they be written in the writings of the house of Israel Ezek. 13. Novv if Robert Purnels Prophesie aforesaid be not true but a lying divination and a vain vision then is he by an express Commandment of the Lord not to be in the assemblies of the Lords people and therefore look to it be not deceitful nor false in what your selves have published for in it you will be observed and your obedience and faithfulness to what you say is your Rule will be tryed and if you are found false and treacherous your iniquity will be marked for you have made your selves publick and must be manifested and remember you are warned of it in time and Robert Purnel is advised to consider it and repent throughly if place for repentance to the false Prophet may be found and with shame and confusion let him manifest the same owning his just condemnation for so horrible a transgression But if his said Prophesie be true and Independency and Anabaptism so called together with other things there mentioned be but fleshly Forms and Sects not built by the Lord but by men not upon the Rock but upon the sand and that Christ is come and coming in spirit to destroy it and therefore must fall and be broken as he declares then let both Robert Purnel and every one of you look to it and repent in time of your horrible wickedness in blaspheming the work of Christ which he in spirit is come to perform in this his mighty day calling it the great design of the devil c. otherwise the just judgements of our God whom we serve who is the Creator of the ends of the earth ye cannot escape who is near to be revealed from heaven in power and great glory taking vengeance of all blasphemers and disobedient ones and will render tribulation and anguish upon every soul that doth evil and in this am I seriously under fence of your condition and therefore do warn you of these things whether you will hear or forbear and as for any other false Prophets and Deviners amongst you to whom the mysteries of Gods Kingdom which to the Saints is given to know is not revealed nor opened and so have seen nothing but vanity and lying devinations revealed The Lord hath said he is against them and they shall not be in the Assemblies of his people and it concerns you to take notice of it least you manifest your selves to be those that flatter with your mouths and lye with your tongues when your hearts are not right with God nor you stedfast in his Covenant And your own words ye may take to your selves O stand still smite upon your thighs and blush for shame at what ye have done for though man Harlots have played the harlot yet thou excellest them all who upon a lofty and high mountain hast set thy bed and speakest loftily and that it is beneath thee to answer many things contained in the skirts of the Whore fulfilling the Scriptures Pro. 30.19 There is a generation oh how lofty are their eyes c But the day of the Lord is dawned in which the eyes of the lofty must be humbled and your lofty looks abased Yea the day of the Lord of hosts is upon every one that is proud and lofty and by him who shall be alone exalted in this his day shall all those be brought down that dwell on high and by the feet of the poor and the steps of the needy is he treading down the lofty Citie to the ground And with you have I no kindred part nor inheritance who inherit lies and falshood and with it would be veiled But a witness against both it and you I stand and the harlots
abide in its paths And in your own darknesse are joyned every one against the servants of God who bid turn to the light which is pure which lighteth every man that cometh into the world which is no pernitious but sound Doctrine for if it be good to watch and good to walk in the true light then it is good to turn men to that light And if the Lord would have all men to come to the knowledge of the truth then it is good that all men be turned to the light which shines in the heart to give the knowledge of it in the sace of Christ and to bid people to take heed to that light to walk in that light and believe in the light which lighteth every man that is sound doctrine and those that love not the light nor walk in the light nor believe in the light are left without excuse and the light come is their condemnation and by the light are they already condemned who believe not in the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world and whatsoever the false Prophets and Ministers of unrighteousness say to the contrary is of little weight Again Robert Sympson in pag. 33. declares that that light which is in me and in all men if not put out would tell me that that thing which he there asserts is true Now here is light confest to be in me and in all men and that light to be in all men which is in me and the Scripture saith that was the true light which lighteth every man which should answer that which he affirms and minds to be truth if not put out And if so then that is a good Ministry which opens blind eyes and turns from darkness to light Then it being so what have those servants of the Lord done for which thou so highly chargest them who are sent of the Lord to bear witness of his name and to declare his truth and bids take heed to the true light and turns to it to the opening of the blind eyes that people may see the way to everlasting life and have their feet guided in the way of peace with whom the Lord of a truth is though Thomas Ewins with the rest of the deceitful workers and Ministers of Satan who love darkness and hate the light do reproach and belye them he uttering his confusion and envy against the innocent telling the world the Quakers as he calls them have done such mischief and their doctrine is pernicious they bid all men turn to the light thereby to draw them from believing in the person of Christ and he is no Preacher of that thing they call Gospel and calls them miserable deluded people Oh vain man who boastest thy self in thine evil way how is night come upon thee and darkness overshadoweth thee And how art thou reeling and staggering like a drunken man who hast spoken and written so of the light thy self as is before mentioned yet art not ashamed to belie and reproach the servants of the living God as thou hast done for labouring to turn people from darknes to the light who having received a Ministery from the Lord as all the Ministers of Christ did not from men as the false Apostles and deceitful workers and Ministers of Satan did they labour not accompting their liberties nor lives dear unto them so that they may finish their course with joy and the Ministry which of the Lord Jesus they have received and therfore in much patience in afflictions in necessities in distresses in stripes in imprisonments in tumults in labours by knowledge by long suffering by kindness by the holy Ghost by love unfeigned by the Word of truth by the power of God by the armour of righteousness by honour and dishonour by evil report and good report as deceivers and yet true c. do they approve themselves the Ministers of Christ and witnessed it is in the consciences of men And Thomas Ewins words being honestly considered with what is replyed thereunto may not his own sayings be justly turned upon his head pag. 49. may he not blush to speak or write such things Will Jehovah the great and glorious God ever own such railings and revilings to which I add lying and deceiving to be a testifying from him Or will he ever justifie him in what he hath written and published Oh! be ashamed and confounded poor deluded man for how hath he manifested himself a blind guide They that is the Anabaptists think he is too large in his principles and he thinks them too straight in theirs and yet they do not differ but can bear with each other in love Truly the Devil may love his own work which is to lead people in darkness and blindness and there have his instruments fellowship But will any man that fears God and weighs his words believe or own him in what he saith How can it be that they should think one thing and he another he have large principles and they streight they in their light and he in his and yet not differ And may not he be justly reproved as well as the Authour of Satan enthroned in his Chair of Pestilence in that they both agree to charge mischief done in Bristol on those called Quakers And Tho. Ewins is in that joyned with R. F. one walking in his light and the other in his yet they differ not but are both opposers of the true light and the children thereof who in the same do walk as were their fathers in all generations But in it are they both discovered to be out of the right way and the children of light who walk in the light stand witnesses for the Lord against them both and that principle of darknesse blindenesse and deceit in which they walk and from which their corrupted works of reviling and persecuting the innocent without a cause proceeds But the day is come in which the Lord is gathering his people from such to give T. E. his own words an ignorant ungodly lazy proud scandalous soul-murdering ministry who deny the light and with the God of the World are joyned to blinde the eyes of peoples mindes least the light of the glorious Gospel should shine unto them I say least the light which God commands to shine out of darknesse should shine into the heart to give the knowledge of the glory of God of which light and no other the servants of God declare and your folly is manifesting apace glory to the Lord for evermore for although he that preacheth the Gospel witnesseth the new covenant where the law is written in the heart and the spirit put into the inward parts and although the scripture witnesseth that the law is light and written in the heart and that the word is within in the heart and in the mouth Prov. 6.23 Rom. 10.8 Deut. 30.14 the anointing which is true and is no lye and teacheth all things so that the saints need no other teacher abideth with in the
that if ye returned an answer ye take care it be to some purpose and not a parcel of weakness and confusion c. yet I find the conception and birth which by you who call your selves a Church of Christ is brought forth into the world is the same in which you have given so much advantage to lay open your shame and discover your skirts beyond and above others yea many of the Parish Assemblies of which you speak that I know not how to let it pass without rebuke 2. I take notice that that little book entituled The skirts of the Whore discovered hath been made effectuall through the power of the mighty God of Jacob so that the dart is struck through the liver and the arrowes of the Almighty stick fast in the hearts of the Kings enemy and torment is upon you on every side because your skirts are discovered that passers by see the shame of your nakedness and that instead of turning unto the Lord who hath smitten and wounded you whose tender mercies are towards you and therefore hath often warned you with foolish Ephraim of old you are running to the Assrians for help and into Aegypts land a place of darkness are ye gone seeking to recover a vail to hide your selves from the face of the Lamb who is the Light of the World and of the Temple in whose light ye are seen and comprehended and the deceit of your Religion and powerless profession known and manifested against which the hand of the Lord is lifted up though ye see it not nor are ashamed but under your traditional and deceitful forms and waies seek to hide and cover your selves as with a vail making lies your refuge and under falshood hiding your selves bringing the wo and the wrath more and more upon your selves who cover with a covering but not of Gods spirit rebeling against the light not knowing its wais nor abiding in its paths 3. That notwithstanding according to the prophesies that went before the true light is now come and the glory of the Lord is arisen and the children of the Lord are walking in the light of the Lord and calling others thereinto yet darkness hath covered the earth and gross darkness the people and therefore thorow the blindness of your minds whilest ye go about to vindicate your selves from the stroak of that which was justly and truly declared of you in The skirts of the Whore discovered ye manifest and prove your selves to be the same that is to say no Church of Christ but an harlot c. And this ye do in the very Title of your book which is The Church of Christ in Bristol recovering her vail out of the hands of them that have smitten and wounded her and taken it away a practise never heard of among those that were the Churches of Christ in whom the vail is done away Col. 2.19 for the Churches of Christ were all baptized by one spirit into one body and united to one head even Christ from which all the body by joynts and bands having nourishment ministred encreaseth with the encrease of God And where Christ is witnessed the vail is removed and done away I Cor. 3.13 14 15 16 17.18 yea though it was over the heart in the reading of the old Testament that the people could not see to the end of that which is abolishëd yet in Christ it is done away and his Church who witness him their head and from him have nourishment ministred comes with open face to behold the glory of the Lord and by it are changed into the same image c. But to this are you strangers and aliens who are recovering the vail out of his hands that hath taken it away that with it ye may be covered Gen. 38.14 like Tamar the harlot sitting by the way whiles the witnesses of Christ and Ministers of the new Testament do not as Moses cover their face with a vail that the people may not see to the end of that which is abolished but use great plainness of speech directing the minds of the people to the light to the annointing to the unction which is in them which guideth them into all truth shewing the father and things which are to come to which agreeth the Prophet Isay who speak as he was moved of the Lord and said The mountain of the Lords house shall be exalted above the mountains c. and in this mountain the Lord will destroy the face of the covering cast over all people and the vail which is spread over all Nations c. and to this also do agree those that speak as they were moved of the holy Ghost Isa 25.7 But ye who know not that one spirit nor the Baptism nor the body nor the unity nor ever came to witness the head from which nourishment is ministred to the body and in which the vail is removed and taken away but are recovering it out of his hands who hath smitten and wounded you I sâ—y ye are hereby manifested and proved no Church of Christ but an harlot a Synagogue of Satan a cage of unclean spit it s upon whom the Lord hath stretched forth the lines of confusion and stones of emptiness and made you an habitation for dragons and a Court for owles in which the wild and cruel beasts of the earth who have no habitation in God inhabit 4. That notwithstanding you would seem to reprove me for vain boasting c. though ye know in your own Consciences I speak very soberly of my self without boasting and far beneath what I was in yours and centers account till I told you the truth yet have ye published a book and a pretty big one too mostly to commend your selves and on the other And although ye seem among other things to boast of your stability c. yet let me tell you I well remember the time when but few amongst you stood stable to your own principles of Churches and ordinances as ye call it but were like children tost to and fro with winds of doctrine embracing a Religion which consisted in great swelling words of vanity without power At which time Robert Purnel as stable as he is undertook to prophesie the down-fall of Independency Anabaptism c. and said by faith he saw it full by the comming of Christ in spirit and this he published in his book entitled Good tydings for sinners Great joy for Saints And besides if ye were indeed so stable as ye would have the world believe how commeth it to pass that at this day ye are so rossed with blasts and winds and know no stability but so many of you are of late turned Anabaptists which formerly was so odious and so sad a principle that Hannah Taylor was near casting cut from amongst you for entertaining it But it is true ye hold fast deceit and refuse to return in which ye are as stable as most that I ever knew and equal with those Parish Assemblies
to you again the day of the Lord is upon all the. Heathen and as thou hast done it is done unto thee and thy reward is turned upon thy own head Lock back call to mind and remember how over your high places and in your meetings before these whom ye call uncircumcised Prophane Philistines with which your assemblies are filled ye have not spared to blaspheme and to speak evil of that ye understand not some of your mouths being full of cursing and bitterness equal with others of Jacobs enemies with whom ye became as one in the day of his calamitie when he appeared small and descised foaming out your owne shame greatly provoking and enraging the evil spirits in the mindes of your evil hearers against the innocent and harmles who dwelt peaceably in their Tents amongst you moving onely as the Lord moved them for which mount Esau where the prophanenes is the Philistines uncircumcised in heart both Rulers Priests people of all sorts and sects combined to repreach abuse persecute and devour with whom ye have joyned as if your tongues had been your own and no Lord could control them But being a little rebuked by the power and spirit of the living God ye begin to crye out and say who hath his tongue unteid and doth not speak to vindicate the undeceived innocencie c. As if in one hour your glorie becautie and costly attire were laid in the dust and that if it had been a Turk a Heathen or an open enemy that had done this ye could have born it and so tell of sifting up my heel against Christ crucifying him a fresh and putting him to open shame c. All which being your own conditions uttered forth from your fountain of blindness and arrogancie I shall onely return it into your own bosomes from whom it came who cannot look the Lord in the face nor stand in the least of his appearings but with the rest of the untoward generation have set your selves and taken Counsel together against the Lord of life and glory Ye say Little did ye think I would have acted so well like Judas as first to betray you with a kiss calling you friends and then deliver you into the hands of your enemie to scourge you with the tongue c. Reply Did I therefore act like Judas and betray you because I called you friends and in faithfulness told you the truth Know ye not that it was the word of Christ to Judas who was the betraier and never the word of the betraier to the betrayed one And do ye not by this justifie the guilty betrayer and condemn the innocent betrayed one How well may the passers by as ye say clap their hands and wag their heads and say is this a Church that men call an assembly of Zion And are these your gathered Churches about which there hath been so much contending Truly the very heathen amongst you may easily discern you as far from an assembly of Zion as is betwixt Zion and Aegypt And how much more seen and known are ye by the Children of Light who never can believe your self separation to be the way of God nor the Separated Congregations as ye call them the Churches of Christ but the harlot whilest they are only in the outward Separation not separated within the precious from the vile and from that which makes a separation between God and them living in pride and high mindednesse receiving and embracing untruth and rejecting and not closing with truth but give head to lying spirits to which with the rest of the World the heathen who know not God ye are subject Ye seem offended that I stile you the mingled people and call you the Independent Baptized c. To which I say I stiled you as ye were and if ye count it a reproach to be termed so is it not a greater reproach to be so But is it not manifest you can be in covenant with that which is truly a reproach to any people But it is as death to have it published which is the harlots property who sports and pleaseth her self in her evil wates but shames to have it known Ye seem to bewail my condition and labour to perswad the Reader that I spake reproachfully of some blessed institution of Christ which he in his own person practised when he was about thirty years of age and left as a standing ordinance of the new Testament to all generations till his comming again Reply By it I suppose ye mean a commanded or an appointed thing and then I take your meaning to be that your outward washings in rivers of waters which ye call Baptism is a blessed appointment of Christ practised by himself and left a standing Ordinance of his and of the new testament to all generations till his coming again To which I reply Baptism with water was Johns Ministry who came to prepare the way of the Lord and said he shall Baptize you with the holy Ghost I come baptizing with water and how then doth it appear that it is a blessed command of Christ and left by him as a standing ordinance of the New Testament to all Generations it is true Christ was Baptized of John and so it became them to fulfiill all righteousnesse I say to fulfill it and did he by that leave it a standing ordinance of the New Testament to all Generations c. Christ was circumcised and fulfilled the Law and did he by that appoint and ordain Circumcision the Law of Moses to be a standing Ordinance of the New Testament to all generations And Paul who was a Minister of the new Testament made after the death of the Testator when the new Testament was in force said Christ sent me not to baptize but to preach the Gospel c. But ye do alwaies eâ—re not knowing the Scripture nor the power of God But friends in the four and twentieth page it is said it was signed in the name and by the consent and appointment of the whole Church by Robert Purnel Thomas Ewine Robert Simpson Richard Moon John Andrews and Bryant Hanson Now if they signed it not by the consent and appointment of the whole company then have they recorded themselves a company of liars who say and publish that which never was But if they did it by the appointment and consent of the whole â—hen are many if not the greatest part of your company recorded to all Generations a company of hypocrites and deceitful workers of rebellious and disobedient Children who knowing the institutions as ye cal it of Christ which ye say is bles'd which he practised and left as a standing Ordinance of the New Testament to all Generations do neglect and disobey it and are out of the practise thereof To which give ear O earth and hear O heaven and be ye astonished what a people professing themselves the Church of Christ boasting of their abilities in giving account of their faith and of walking
will dispute your power but are proved an Harlot But I must tell you ye must prove your selves a Church of Christ by other manner of Arguments and Demonstrations of power then your meer saying it iâ— so or else no child of Light who walks in the Light and by it is guided can believe it whiles your fruits manifest the contrarie And what if ye that the Scripture may be fulfilled do hate reproach and separate me from your Companie and cast out my name as evil for the Son of mans sake who is the light of the World and hath enlightened every man that cometh into the World Is not this a blessing to me and am I not in that day to rejoyce and leap for joy my reward being great in Heaven Your fathers in like manner dealing with the Prophets Luke 6. And truly ye may spare your labour and save your threat'nings for your powerless pretences are to me as light as vanitie and not worth the mentioning And by the powerful arm of the good shepheard whose voice is heard am I eternally separated and gathered from amongst your ignorant and crooked waies never to return to Egypt again nor have fellowship with you in your unfruitful works which by the light are reproved Ye confess it is a sad sentence and spotted garment with which ye are cloathed and say ye durst not proudly boast as do others and presently justifie your selves and boast that ye never observed so much of the eviâ—s before mentioned in those now together as ye have seen in me and some of those that went away c. To which I say are ye not then wâ—ful hypocrites to profess your selves a Church of Christ and to walk according to his rule and boast of your faith and obedience and yet acknowledge ye saw pride hipocresie slandering envie back-biting railing lying c. which 〈◊〉 the evils there mentioned to break forth more in us then it did in any of you which truly is too too much and never reprove it nor manifest dislike thereof tell now that we are absolutely by the power of the Lord separated from amongst you and have born witness that your works and waies are evil and now ye tell the word those things which are but your lying accusations else why had ye not put them into your pretended admonitions It is like ye are hard put to it that to vail your selves ye must so commonly betake your selves to those refuges of lies And how can one believe a word ye speak who will seem to speak so solemnly and profess as ye say ingenuously things so absolutely false and untrue that by it ye may be vailed c. Truly ye want a bridle for your tongues and the pure fear of the Lord placed in your hearts which might prevent these distempers windie humours and Lying spirits c. In page twelve ye come to the five things in your admonition a coppy of which 〈◊〉 having by you therein ye insert verbatim and yet in numbring ye forget one and make but four In page twenty four ye say ye doubt not of the faithfulness of your Messengers and in page ten do commend Robert Simpson who was one of them for his integrity and godliness and in page thirty four Robert Simpson saith he did engage himself to write out a coppy of what ye did by them charge as sin upon me which he did truly and deliver to me so then since ye say ye insert it verbatim according to the copy and he saith he writ out and delivered to me a true coppy If what ye published and what he writ out and delivered agree not in every particular then is he or you or all together proved not the Church of Christ the pillar and ground of truth but an Harlot and a company of Hypocritical lyers and false asserters But what ye have published and what he writ out and delivered do not agree in many particulars Therefore are ye no Church of Christ but an Harlot For besides some small difference in the first particular which I shall not mention Robert Simpson saith Secondly your contemning and neglecting some of the Ordinances of Christ and this he saith is a true copie c. and ye say Secondly your contemning of some and neglecting of others of the Ordinances of Jesus Christ and this ye say if ye could be believed is verbatim c. And yet how much it differs let the Reader judge one saith your neglecting of some and contemning of others c. which is much different the one saith of Christ the other adds sayings of Jesus Christ But how comes this to pass that one saith it is a true copy and the other that they insert it verbatim and yet no better agreement The Reader may understand that after I had answered Robert Simpsons copie in my former book and manifested and laid open the deceit and Hypocrisie of this people and reproved them faithfullie and sharplie for pretending to admonish me for that of which themselves are guilty they betake themselves to the refuge of lies to be vailed publishing to the world another thing and say its verbatim And that they sent not to admonish me for neglect of water baptism but for speaking contemptuously against it and that I spake falsely and did them wrong in calling them hypocrites c. for charging me with neglect of water baptism which they say they did not but onely for contemning of it when under the hand of their messenger it appears as before that they sent to admonish me for neglect and and contemt of some of the Ordinances of Christ which said their Messengers were baptism in water and breaking of bread so that it appears evidently to be a plain and studied untruth and feigned thing and not verbatim according to the coppy and yet so impudent and void of the fear of God are they that they dare say they shall leave it to the God of Ordinances to judge c. O horrible falshood and deceit Oh impudent and hard-harted people not onely to speak and publish lies under your own hands one contradicting the other but to entitle the Righteous God to judge c. Thereby thinking to vail themselves and hide their shame but all in vain for the Lord is destroying the vail and the covering cast over all faces c. And ye are seen and comprehended who may read that he that speaketh lies cannot escape and that the lying lips and double tongue cannot stand in the presence of God And how dare ye then contrive and publish such filthie faise things and leave it to God to judge Do ye think he is altogether such a one as your selves c or is the scripture fulfilled upon you and there be none amongst you that understand it c. but are all gone out of the way the throat being an open Sepulchre and their tongues using deceit destruction and miserie being in your waies who the way of â—â—ace have never known
and no fear of God is before your eyes And to you may I return your own words that I stand almost amazed to think unto what an height of impudence and wickedness ye are allreadie come and whether may not poor fallen creatures run if God stop them not since ye arâ—â—â—â—eady so hardened 〈◊〉 Simson saith Thirdly your extream censoriousnesse and rash judgiâ—â—â—…nely of men abroad but also of the Church Mat. 7.1 Rom. 14. 〈◊〉 the Church of Christ an Harlot And ye say Thirdly your extream â—…tiousnesse and rash judging not onely of persons abroad but also of the â—â—urch contrary to Mat. 7.1 Rom 14.3 also your calling the Church an Harlot leaving out the word Christ in which the strength of all did lie But why were these words left out being ye say ye inserted them verbatim the Reader may take notice that after I had received the copy from Robert Simson of what ye had charged upon me viz. rash judging and calling the Church of Christ an Harlot I replied the charge was false and from the father of lies for I never called the Church of Christ an Harlot but do own it dearly but the Harlot is an Harlot and not the Church of Christ and so demonstrated by the spirit that acted you that ye were not the Church of Christ but an Harlot from which ye not being able to vindicate your selves betake yourselves again to this refuge of lies and say ye insert the charge verbatim when ye did it not but left out the main thing therein contained without which your charge hath little weight for though I never called the Church of Christ an Harlot yet I have both said and proved that ye who call your selves a Church are an Harlot and not the Church of Christ and do again plainly say and declare it so and might farther prove it were it needful which it is not since my former proof stands good and not controlled by you nor you giving proof that ye are a Church of Christ And I do once more say and affirm that your charge is false and from the father of lies who was a liar from the beginning And your labour might be saved in using arguments to prove that I said ye were an Harlot and not a Church I had so plainly published it But here ye would perswade the Reader I came in with mental reservations and ask is it honestie or any thing but deceit and hypocrisie because I said I did not call the Church of Christ an harlot but the people in Bristol c. To which I say were ye not quite blind and full of deceit and subtiltie ye might easilie see and know that I spake plainly and truly without your mentals and other carnal stuff when I said and manifested that I dearly owned the Church of Christ which were all living stones c. and did clearly bear testimony against you that ye were not so but an Harlot and herein I appear both just and honest towards the Church of Christ and towards the Harlot in hearing testimony to the former and against the latter in which no deceit nor subtilty appears but just dealing and all your equivocations and mental reservations as ye call them together with your shamelesse unchristian-like practises in which ye appear one with the black spirit of Ralph Farmer is denied together with all lies and the father thereof but the Church of Christ is lovely c. Robert Simpson saith Fourthly your asserting in the Church principles contrary to Truth as first That faith is an eternal thing Secondly That Christ and saith is all one Thirdly That Christ Jesus is not the object of faith And ye say Fourthly Your asserting in the Churches doctrines contrary to truth as first that we did not know what faith was and that faith was an eternal thing Secondly That Christ and Faith is all one Thirdly That Christ is not the object of faith Fourthly Your speaking reproachfully of the blessed scripture affirming they were blind and a plaâ—â—â— to souls and further saying that they were not the word of God nor the rule of life and this ye say is verbatim and therefore must be examined And first I find that the copy saith principles contrary to truth and ye say doctrines contrary to truth and that 's not verbatim But I take notice that I having given true answers to each particular aforesaid contained in the copie and published it in The skirts of the Whore c. which stands in sound and wholsome words unanswered by you by which your shame appears of which being sensible ye labour to recover your vail to hide your falshood and having given heed to lying spirits ye again betake your selves to your wonted refuge and say having the copie by you ye publish it verbatim And say First That we did not know what faith was every word of which is forged and feigned and not in the copie delivered to me and therefore well might ye say whether may not a poor fallen people run if God stop them not And it is no wonder ye began your book pleading for the kingdom of the Devil saying that as in the natural body there may be many infirmities so the mystical body by which its like ye mean your selves who are not a spiritual bodie as the Church of Christ is may be subject to distempers and among many other things make mention of windy humors of pride and high mindedness and giving heed to lying spirits c. It s like ye had some sence what spirit ruled you to which ye intended to give heed and with what filth and falshood ye intended to fill your book and the lying refuge to which ye intended to betake your selves before ye drew such false conclusions in the beginning thereof But this is not all in the copie delivered to me in this fourth branch were inserted but three particulars which are before mentioned to which ye adde a fourth viz. your spâ—aking reproachfully of the blessed scriptures affirming they were blind and a plague to souls and farther saying they were not the word of God and ru'e of life and this ye say is verbatim notwithstanding that which here ye make as a fourth particular in the fourth general is in the copie a fifth general including three Particulars and so do your selves afterwards reckon it notwithstanding in the wisdom of God ye are lest to ensnare your selves and manifest it to all the world saying it is verbatim when ye have left one of your five things mentioned but the line next before It s like the pangs of a traveling woman are upon you who have so long cryed peace and safety to your selves that the sword of the Lord is upon you and your eyes utterly darkened that ye cannot see But the blind have so long led the blind that ye are all fallen into the ditch and under pretence of recovering a veil have manifested your shame and published things which ye endevoured to perswade the
general and yet ye say it s verbatim But in this also not onely your falshood but also your confusion is so fully manifested that I need say no more but leave it to the Reader to judge But ye say It is for speaking against the Scriptures affirming they were blind and a plague to souls and that they are not the Word of God nor rule of life and this ye would have understood to be verbatim though like the rest it will easily appear to be a parcel of falshood hypocrisie and deceit for besides your own confusions before mentioned in the Coppy delivered to me by Robert Simpson which he saith is true and ye 〈◊〉 testimony he is faithful it is thus Your speaking reproachfully of the pretious Scriptures of truth as first affirming that it was a blind to souls and secondly one of the greatest plagues of the Land and thirdly affirming farther that it is not the Word of God nor rule of life Now let the Reader whose eye is opened judge how these agree The person sent to admonish at the same time or thereahouts gives it under his hand that what he writ out and delivered to me was a true Coppy of what he received And the whole company after they received an answer thereunto deviseth and publisheth another and say it is verbatim though it much differs from the former The latter saith the charge there mentioned was verbatim in these words Speaking reproachfully of the blessed Scriptures affirming they were blind and a plague to souls c. the former in these words Speaking reproachfully of the precious Scripture of truth as first affirming that it was a blind to souls and aly one of the greatest plagues of the land The one puts both together The Scripture is blind and a plague the other divides them into two particulars and saith first a blind to souls and 2ly one of the greatest plagues of the Land the one that the Scriptures were blind the other that it is a blind the one that they were blind and a plague to souls and never mentions the Land The other that it is first a blind to souls and 2ly a plague yea one of the greatest plagues of the Land and mentions not souls The one saith The pretious Scriptures of truth The other the blessed Scriptures and mentions not the words of truth And yet if any man is given over to believe lies ye will perswade him all this is true and verbatim that is word for word according to the copy And that notwithstanding this lying spirit which is found in your mouths to which ye give heed ye are a Church of Christ or a mystical body a word of deceit from the bottomlesse pit which may be subject to this spirit as it plainly appears to all beholders ye are by what your selves have published And truly the day hath manifested you very much and ye cannot be hid but by the light your deeds of darknesse are and will be reproved and your pretended admonition farther manifested to be but studied accusations and from your father the devil who was a liar from the beginning and abode not in the truth Now as that which ye call your admonition and say ye did insert verbatim as a bundle of lies and confusion as hath been manifested so is that which ye call your proof for in page 13. ye say because I said those things that is to say your charge are studied accusations and from the father of lies c. ye shall therefore prove every tittle to be true And in page 18. ye say ye have proved every tittle to be true and clear and in page 26. your 3 Messengers who boast that they received their Commission from God to this work say that the things that they charged me withall are all true in every sillable of it as doth appear by the foregoing answer of the whole Church Now then if ye have not proved every tittle of your charge to be true and if it do not appear by your foregoing answer that every sillable of that with which your Messengers charged me is true then are ye proved both those that did send and those that were sent no Church of Christ but a company of lyars and false asserters But ye have not proved every title and every sillable thereof to be true and therefore are ye no Church of Christ but a company of lyars for first ye charged me for leaving the Church and now ye say that I have left the Church is true but no proof thereof have ye given neither is it true which ye say for the Church I have not left but to witness the Church I have left the harlot and that I have absolutely forsaken left and renounced fellowship with you in all your idolatrous heathenish wayes and worships which stand in the will and time of man and not in the will and power of God and by the mighty arm and power of the Lord am I separated from amongst you never again to have fellowship nor communion with you in those unfruitful works of darkness which by the light are reproved is granted else could I never know nor witness the Church of Christ which is in God the father But that ye are the Church of Christ is denyed and was denyed and by your fruits and what lodged in you were ye proved an harlot a synagogue of Satan c. which stands vvholly unansvvered by you And therefore it is not true but a lie to say I left the Church when I was separated from the Harlot that I might witness the Church But suppose it had been true that I had left the Church by vvhat have ye proved it Why onely your selves say it is so but that is no proof and yet this is more than tittles and syllables it is vvhole sentences ye a general charge not proved except vvhat the harlot speaks to save her head vvhen to judgement she is brought is to be believed and admitted as a proof But ye go on and say that my so doing hath drawn away some grieved others and opened the mouehs of many to speak evil of the wayes of Christ which is clear and plain and not a studied accusation but a real thing which hath been grief and sadness to the Church To which I reply if the Harlot or Synagogue of Satan might be believed in her own case when she speaks not truth then what ye say were of some value But from the Church have I drawn none nor been a grief nor sadness that I know to her with whom in some measure I have unity Neither do I know of any whose mouths I have justly opened to speak evil of the wayes of Christ which are pure and spiritual So that the whorish and adulterous harlot cannot see it who is grieved and sadned at my departure whose judgement is come and her torments from the living God are pouring and therefore hath she opened her mouth very wide and from her unclean fountain
To which I say There was a time in which many false witnesses were brought against him who was the truth and the light but they agreed not And when by the truth ye are examined it will be found that ye also are far from agreeing in testimony for proving what your selves affirme if your own testimony were admitted in your own case which it is not Ye say ye will again affirme and set your hands to it that I spake those very words And what words are they Not the same in the charge which ye say is verbatim but is much otherwise and so the charge is fall'n and false as the Reader may see And who are they that will affirme and set their hands to it Are they the whole company or but a part If it be the whole then many or most of you will affirme and set your hands to that which themselves have confest they never heard If it be but a part and not the whole then that which yee have already said is altogether false and untrue and your testimony invalid For what is said is said by the whole or else those that signed it are in this as in other things abhominable lyars Again in what ye say ye will affirme and set your hands unto there appears much uncertainty for ye say I clapt my hand on the book or table but on which I perceive ye are ignorant And ye say I said that booke or Scripture Now if ye so well remember the manner of speech as ye say ye doe it is much ye cannot remember the matter But having before accused me for saying the Scriptures were a blinde to soules and a plague to the Land Now ye say It was the booke or Scriptures that I said was one of the greatest blindes and plagues to mens soules this day in England Manifesting your selves to be at a losse and in confusion not able to say whether it were the Book or the Scriptures or what it was for indeed it was neither And so the charge or accusation is quite fallen and by your selves brought to nought And why are these words viz. one of the greatest plagues c. in England now added being left out in the place where ye say ye did insert verbatim Is here no designed subtilty and deceipt Is all proved Are here no tittles nor syllables neglected in the proof Or is what ye have published like to be true or fit to be believed Let the Reader consider it But ye say some of you sitting over against me it's like at the Table do well remember c. But why had ye not told me who these some were that sate over against me and do remember it For I know but four that were wont to sit with me at the Table and with three of them have I spoken neither of which could to my face say or affirme they ever heard me speak such things and then the some is but one and that is an hireling too a Diviner a deceitful worker that daubeth with untempered morter and cries peace peace to that to which the Lord speaks no peace and his testimony is little worth for if ye say he sate over against me at the Table when I spake such words Jane Frye contradicts him who is the only person besides himself that ever I heard or could learn had the shamelesse confidence to say she heard me speak these things with whom I had conference in the presence of other witnesse and demanded where it was spoke she replyed in mine owne house at a meeting I cold her it was much many others heard it not as well as she To which she replyed it was after the meeting was done and I was risen from the Table and stood out in the roome and there clapt my hand on the Booke and spake as before And that her selfe with her sister Hassard and her sister Anne Davis went out into the streets and bewailed it which I knowing not to be true sent to Anne Davis to enquire the truth of it by a relation of hers who answered that she never heard me speak such words nor any thing like it So that it is evident false witnesse do not agree for ye say some of you sitting over against me which must needs be at the Table upon which or upon the book ye say I clapt my hand when I spake But she saith it was after the meeting was done and I was gone from the Table in which is no agreement She said Anne Davis with her selfe and another went into the streets and bewailed it but Anne Davis denies that ever she heard it She said standing out in the room I clapt my hand upon the booke and said the Scriptures were a plague c. But ye say I clapt my hand upon the book or table and said the book or Scriptures were blinde and a plague but cannot agree whether it was a Book or a Table a book or Scripture And so are all in confusion being led by a lying spirit and able by agreement to prove nothing Besides ye say the book or Scriptures but in the copy delivered to me it was said the Scriptures of truth in which is no agreement Besides all this one of you being asked if ever he heard me speak those words answered that hee heard me speak to this effect That the Scriptures as men goe to worke with it making it a pattern of all manner of vice and wickednesse was one of the greatest plagues c. And being demanded then why ye had not laid the charge in the very words that were spoken he was silent as to that and said he had already purchased jealousie from some in the Church as one that was in danger c. And this I have under the hand of him to whom it was spoken Now let all to whom true judgement is known judge what differing testimonie here is and how like it appears to that of old in which no agreement could be against the innocent And how desperately-wicked ye appear under a cloak of Religion accusing for something but cannot manifest for what but in it contradict your selves And in some things Jane Frye is nearer the matter than the other 59. or thereabouts who false witnesses are found because after a meeting was ended in which Thomas Ewins had been speaking about that Idol called Divinity and the people mostly gone and I rose from the Table and standing neer the middle of the room did there say and declare that that accursed thing called the body of Divinity was a plague to the land or words to that effect of which I told you before though ye wickedly shut your eyes and not observed it because it was the truth And were it not so it had been one with that spirit to which ye have taken heed But suppose credit vvere to be given to such a generation vvho in testimony do not agree but are proved as before c. yet to the Reader vvould I say vvhat
nakedness must I discover and her advice to the contrary is rejected because it is her portion from the Lord and by her to have my name cast out as evil for the Son of mans sake is a blessing at which I may rejoyce and leap for joy And whereas ye wish me to take notice that ye desire your three Messengers to answer for themselves that their faithfulnesse may appeare c. This is a piece of deceipt like the rest for Robert Purnell Robert Simpson and Richard Moon who were the three Messengers to desire themselves to answer and presently put their hands to their own desires with three more two of which were never of the people with which I walked and the other long since removed his habitation near thirty miles distant But however being by themselves desired because they had none else to desire it of them they like themselves begin to answer and after many vain and idle words they say they received their commission from God to this worke and met together and considered the particulars of which they were to admonish their backslidden Brethren and Sisters Reply Here they blaspheme the holy and dreadful name of God by entituling it to their lies and slanders who never gave commission to false Prophets lyars and slanderers to admonish any of his but reproved such saying They run and I sent them not therefore they shall not profit the people And so it is with you But from what did your brethren and sisters as ye call them backslide more than from your deceitfull wayes and practices which to God are abhominable If ye say it is from your outward fellowships wayes and worships Then the Parshes from which ye have separated your selves have the same thing to admonish you of And ye justifie those filthy polluted Priests who cast out the names or persons of some from amongst them â—â—t John â—â—l guilty of 〈◊〉 because they separated themselves from their polluted worships Besides one of the three said by faith he saw the downfall of all these Sects and Forms and that it was not of Gods building and that he saw Christ coming in spirit to destroy it And then how is it that ye are not ashamed to say that to get out of that which God never built is backsliding And that God gave you a commission to admonish any for departing out of that vvhich Christ in spirit came to destroy But your God vvho is the God of the vvorld that gave you such a commission and put you upon those vvorks of vvickednesse is denied together vvith your selves vvho his Commissioners are vvith all your pretended admonitions inventions and deceitfull stuffe vvhich to the children of light are manifest and seen to be as light as vanitie They say They knew much themselves and what they knew not they were fully satisfied by the mouths of many faithfull and true witnesses Reply Where were they found in many particulars sithence ye are already proved an unfaithfull company of lyars and deceitful workers They say In the name of the Lord and in obedience to his command and in a filial feare to God love and pity to our souls they did admonish c. Reply Did they know the name of the Lord which is dreadfull to all deceivers false prophets and hypocrites they would not dare to name it whiles they live in iniquity but out of his name are ye all shut and have no portion in that which is a strong tower to which the righteous run and are saved Who for your rebellion and disobedience against his name who live out of his feare which is the light of the world are by the light judged and condemned who in your vaine mindes talk of love and pirty to soules but never came to witnesse the living soul nor the quickning spirit where the true love and pity comes to be witnessed But did your three Messengers in the name and in the fear and in obedience to the Lord admonish How then came it to passe that they came to a near relation of mine and told her in the name of the Lord c they were sent to admonish her also of something as sin To which she replyed to Robert Simpson that spake Hast not thou something in thee that tells thee thou dost lye in the name of the Lord For what sin do I live in which thou knowest To which he said Dear sister I doe not say in practice but in judgement To which she replying What is my judgement Canst thou tell He appeared confounded and said Doe not you heare those men meaning those called Quakers Now is not here deceit and wickednesse to pretend to admonish people in the name fear and obedience of God and at last know not for what but aske if she did not hear those men which Robert Simpson himself had often done it's like more often than she at that time Now have ye not read that God is not mocked but what ye sowe the same yee must reape Why then doe yee thus to the flesh sowe corruption falshood lying and deceit and make mention of the name of the Lord as your covering To what they said to me in particular I need not say much because what I said before stands unanswered and in power over your heads only they say the things they charged me withal are true every syllable as appears by the foregoing answer of the whole Church which is false and those they call the Church proved lyars And whereas they say they did not feare me neither did their consciences accuse them In this they presently gave themselves the lie and say the reason they staid not was because they found my spirit the time before as a boyling fornace boyling over and scalding all that stand near it which made them resolve not to stay the second time Now what deceit and wickednesse is here Who can believe a word that comes from amongst you who are out of the feare of God and therefore regard not what ye say For I having charged them in my last that they fled as men surprized with feare or accused by their own consciences They deny it and say it is false and that they neither feared me nor were accused c. And yet in 6. or 8 lines have fully granted what I said saying the reason they staid not was because they found my sprrit as a boyling fornace boyling over and scalding c. Now is it not evident they feared lest they should be scalded and what was there that scalded but the witnesse of God within themselves Poor men I knew they were wounded tormented and scalded by the witness of God in their own consciences testifying against their hypocrisie and deceit so that they could not stand nor abide it for the day of the Lord is now great and who may abide it for it is like refiners fire yea it burns as an oven and all that doe wickedly are as stubble and not onely scalded but burned
must ye be and neither root nor branch shall be left And the false Prophets that see vanity and divine lies and all that imbrace and receive them who must not be in the assembles of Gods people are not in a capacity as they say for those that feare the name of the Lord to converse withall Neither is dried stubble in a capacity to contend with those in whom the spirit of judgment and burning is left thereby they be both scalded and burned But Robert Purnell and Robert Simpson were it not meet for you to take liced beware lest whiles ye pretend a Commission from God to admonish others for backsliding who are not at all drawn back but are of those that believe to the salvation of their souls who for the hope set before them doe endure the Crosse despise the shame and with much patience through many tribulations the race doe run and through good report and evil report as deceivers and yet true do passe pressing on if by any meanes they may attain to the resurrection of the dead and to apprehend that for which they are apprehended of Christ Jesus Ye your selves be not found in Satans work and indeed gone back by many degrees into the world and the pollutions thereof being intangled and overcome by that which once ye seemed in a measure to have escaped and so your latter end become worse then your beginning And therefore to you or to one of you I say do not eate and drinke with the drunken do not fill your selves with wine and ftrong drink nor spend the creation of God upon your lusts Do not spend your time out of the feare of the Lord in pleasure and wantonnesse in lightnesse and vanity abusing the servants of the Lord For he is at the door and ye know him not that will cut you asunder except ye repent and all your inventions traditions foolish customes and carnall washings will not hide nor help you And this is a warning to those of you that forget God and cast his law which is light behinde your backs to consider lest he teare you in pieces and there be none to deliver you who as unsavourie salt are become whose ill savour is gone abroad from Alehouses and Taverns too much frequented sporting your selves with the enemies of God with which ye now begin to appear as one rather than to be grieved for the afflictions of Joseph or to become companions of those who for witnessing the power and life of Jesus do suffer by the world the generation of Vipers as ever they did of old And this is all the fruit I know that your invented washings have brought you to and yet for this time I do very much spare one of you But why are Robert Simpson and Thomas Ewins so much troubled that my letters to each of them are made publique for what is published was written to them many moneths before without an intent to publish it and in all that time which one of them acknowledgeth was above a yeare no answer was given in word or writing nor any word spoken to me about it by them testifying dislike as if all were quiet and well But now it 's made publique and brought to light and their deeds seen and openly reproved how angry do they appear crying out of wrong lies c. and after me pour their floods of contempt reproach and scorn notwithstanding under their hands it may appear I was before called their honoured Brother and when of worldly honours I could accept though I did not as others seek it and when into his mouth I could freely put Thomas Ewins to me cryed peace and in my absence declared he had little or no encouragement to abide in Bristol were it not for me But since to the light I have been turned and by it convinced of the blindness and falseness of your minds and worships and could not put into his mouth as before hovv doth he bite with the teeth and prepare war against me though his weapons appear too weak and carnall to prevail against which the bowe is in strength and the Reader whose eyes are opened will easily perceive that had not the things been true which to each of them I writ and not at all to be gainsaid nor contradicted they would in all that time either in words or writing plead their own innocency against me who had so much wronged them as now they pretend But being very true and not to be gainsaid the subtilest beast in the field it's like perswades them to be quiet that it be not noised abroad but in oblivion kept But since beyond their expectation it is come to light and they cannot prevent it some course if it be possible must be taken that it be not believed And therefore how falsly soever accused it must be of lyes falshood and folly though themselves feel the power of it standing in truth and wisdome and have not told the Reader in what the folly and falshood lies But by all the means they are able labour to recover a veil though but little have either they or you done more then to ensnare your selves in your own vvorks whose webb is not become a garment neither do your works profit for your works are works of vanity But how comes it to passe that my letters were true and not to be contradicted before they vvere published but are not so novv Why onely thus our skirts are discovered our sepulchre is opened and our nakednesse is novv made manifest that people as vve passe the street point us out Notorious and at us vvag the head so that before the people that are not vvilfully blinde vve and our povverless hypocritical profession vvhich stands in vvords and forms not in spirit and povver are like to receive but little honour Novv because they have vvritten severally I shall reply particularly And first to Robert Simpson in vvhom me thinks I see most honesty though it be clouded and covered vvith much deceit and hypocrisie vvhich the light reproves And had I not a desire very much to spare him for the honesties sake the second stroak vvould exceed the first And because I perceive his main vvork as vvell as yours is to seek a veile of deceipt under vvhich to hide himselfe from the stroke of truth and to attain it spends himselfe in many light vaine and angry words which have little weight I shall not trouble my selfe nor the Reader in speaking much to it for of it selfe it falls yet I would not that he should so often take the name of the Lord in vaine as he doth in the beginning of what he speaks for the Lord will not hold him guiltless But in page 29. he saith If the charge I laid upon him were so indeed how sad were his condition Well might his countenance be changed and his thoughts trouble him To which I reply That though he hath laboured till he saith he hath forgotten himselfe to
vindicate or cover himself from what was truly laid upon him yet from it hath he not delivered himselfe but the charge stands good in sound and sober words in the power of truth and whiles he covereth his sin be cannot prosper And whiles he addeth one iniquity to another he cannot come into Gods righteousnesse And oh that he would consider it and lay it to heart whiles he hath time that in the day of the Lords anger which is at hand and as a destruction from the Almighty shall come he might be hid and find mercy of the Lord with whom his vain speaking of a witnesse he hath in heaven brought from thence into his heart and confirmed by the Spirit of Truth and of his being taken up into the Mount to confer with him who hath all power given him and of a Warrant sealed and given forth from him that hath al power c. is of little accompt whiles he understands not what he speaks For the Kingdom of God cometh not with observation but the kingdome of God is within and in his Kingdom he is who dwells in heaven where the Father the Word and Spirit agree of which all blind Pharisaical Professors are ignorant and cannot know it till in the light and by the spirit it be revealed and made manifest And whereas he saith All that he with the rest laid at my door was to a tittle true and that neither he nor his brethren have any reluctance for it This is all fals for I have before proved it lies and deceit and themselves have confest they found that which boiled like a furnace and scalded all that stand near it and they were near it and so resolved not to stay another time And judgement is now laid to the line and righteousness to the plummet and all refuges of lies and deceit are to be swept away and by truth and soberness such hiding places are overflown and in soberness do I stand and so much to my self am I come that I see many of his words there mentioned to veil and cover himself to be light and vain and not worth answering and that what I writ was both sober and true without fawning and flattery in which many among you are too much exercised who love to have smooth not true things spoken and would have me peaceable gentle and full of mercy to hypocrisie deceit and wickedness all which is for judgement and no peace from God is spoken to it And therefore without partiality do I declare against it in him and you as well as in others and to my self am I not a stranger And this is pure wisdom from above and moderation known unto all that receive and believe in the light by which that spirit appearing in my former book is justified though to you that hate the light and by the light are condemned it is as gall and worm-word And for sporting my self and insulting over him I did it not but it is another refuge of lies for I told him before I did not insult over him nor delight in his wo and misery but was sorely grieved as still I am to see how the wicked one whom the Lord would destroy was exalted in him and you and what I writ is true And whereas he saith I was not a in a sober mind but at a distance from it and true speaking when I mentioned to him the portion of lyars and that not any thing he said was a lie but what he said I had not his hand to as his particular affirmation and so goes on speaking many words but to what purpose I cannot see except it be by words to darken the Readers understanding But if I mistake not that which he would do is to vindicate himself from being a lyar with what else I charged upon him in my former Letter by telling me he said I had not his hand to it as his particular accusation And if this be his meaning then is it gross deceit for I never said or thought it was his particular accusation but a general accusation delivered by him in which himself and each other particular was included and so I spake to him in soberness and pitty my very howels moving towards him knowing my self innocent and that it was a dreadful thing for him in the Name or the Lord to speak a false vision or thing I asked him how he durst come to me and in the name of the Lord tell me I said the Scriptures of truth were one of the greatest plagues of the land when I never spake nor thought such a thing To which he replyed he never spake it nor laid it to my charge though out of his own mouth it came and when I told him I had it under his hand he denyed it When I told him I could shew it him he replied if I could he would acknowledge himself a lyar upon which ground I charged him for it as before and so I do still and good were it for him if he owned the judgement and repented for otherwise he cannot escape But if he forgeting that his hand was to his paper did run himself into the evil of denying it as is before exprest yet if when he came to the sight of his error he had clearly acknowledged it and owned his condemnation and repented to which in love he was advised there had been mercy for him but being convinced and reproved of the evil hardened his neck and labours to hide and cover his sin adding one iniquity unto another here he cannot prosper but brings himself justly under not onely the judgement and condemnation mentioned in my former Letter but more and more misery due to those that rebel against the light by which they are reproved and to those that add iniquity unto iniquity and must not come into Gods righteousness And from it all the waters in Jordan can never wash him not the Rocks and Mountains cover him nor all your outward observations imaginations and will-worships preserve him till he own the light by which he is convinced and reproved and the just condemnation thereof pass upon the rebellious and the transgressor which hath sinned and he brought to repentance and the acknowledgement of the truth and so his soul come to be saved in this mighty day of the Lords power And this is not from a violent heat of wild-fire as he calls it but from a spirit of soberness soundness and truth and is true love to his soul and the time is near in which he that rebuketh plainly shall find more favour then he that flattereth with his lips and my end is not to make him a transgressor before all as he supposeth but according to my measure to advise him into the way the light the life and the truth which leadeth out of transgression into the inheritance of the Saints in light and in this I do not equivocate nor evade as he falsely chargeth me but do speak plainly and truly though at
and of the great unworthiness and unfitness he saw in himself of so glorious an employment but saith that he hath been and is though the unworthiest upon earth a Preacher and a publisher of the glorious Gospel of the grace of God both in Wales and now in Bristol he hath no need to seek a proof of me or any other man To which I say his own proof is too light and empty to prove him a Preacher of the Gospel and in it self sufficiently discovers him no Minister of Christ but in confusion for the Ministers of Christ were called but he confesseth he was neither called constituted nor ordained a Minister in Office which I take for granted and then is he to prove that they who were no Ministers either called constituted or ordained were preachers of the glorious Gospel and likewise that they who were preachers of the Gospel were not Ministers But in this his ignorance folly and confusion are made manifest for can a man be a Preacher and publisher of the glorious Gospel and yet no Minister either called constituted or ordained and can he that is no Minister either called constituted or ordained as he hath confest he is not be a publisher and a Preacher of the glorious Gospel Was not he a Minister And did not he make full proof of his Ministry who preached the Word who did the work of an Evangelist Paul was appointed a Preacher and he was called to be an able Minister but Thomas Ewins hath not been able by the Scripture to maintain that he is a Minister but enforced to deny the same and now hath given it under his hand that he was not called constituted nor ordained therefore being no Minister he is no Preacher of the Gospel but in confusion And it is much to see what poor shifts the children of darkness are put unto now in the day of the Lords power wherein light is risen out of obscurity and they that hate it are discovered and to the least child of light made manifest and denyed Besides the Gospel is the Gospel of the kingdome and to those who were Preachers and publishers thereof it was given to know the mysteries of that kingdom which to others was in parables and dark sayings that seeing they might see and not perceive c. And the Gospel is a great mystery which hath been hid from ages and generations but is now made manifest to those to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of that mysterie which saith Paul is Christ in you the hope of glory whom we preach And by revelation saith he God made known unto me the mysterie and the hidden wisdome of God we speak in a mysterie which God ordained before the world unto our glory and that which none of the Princes of this world knew nor eye hath seen nor eare heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man hath God revealed unto them by his Spirit who were the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the mysteries of God But Thomas Ewins hath confest that he did question whether he had received the Spirit to open and reveal the mysteries of the Kingdome unto him and so to him the vision of all is but a sealed book and to him it is but in parables and dark sayings as it was to ages and generations past to whom God revealed not the mysteries of his Spirit but seeing they did see and not perceive And how then can he be a Preacher or publisher of the Gospell yea the glorious Gospel which is the Gospel of the kingdome to whom it was never given to know it neither hath he received the Spirit to open and reveale it as is manifest under his hand Poor man were he not very blinde he might be silent and not boast to the world that he needs not a proof of any man that he is a Preacher and a Publisher of the glorious Gospel of the grace of God in Bristol who is so notoriously ignorant of it that by his own confession he hath not received the spirit to open the mysterie of it to him as the Saints had in the Primitive times and so is intruding into things he hath not seen vainly puft up with a fleshly minde and would needs be a Teacher but understands not what he saith nor whereof he affirmes but confesseth he questions whether he hath received the Spirit to open and reveal the mysteries of the Kingdom and yet saith he is a Preacher of the glorious Gospel which is a mysterie hid from all but those to whom it is revealed by the Spirit But he saith his reward is on high and that God hath given him a seale of his Ministry in Bristol and he trusts hundreds can say the Lord hath been and still is with his Ministry quickning comforting teaching c. To which I say whose work is this or of what is it a seale In page 52. he confesseth he questions whether he had received the spirit to seale c. and yet here saith God gave him a seale of his Ministry c. He hath before denied himselfe a Minister and now given it under his hand that he was neither called constituted nor ordained c. and yet saith his Record is on high and that God hath given him a seale of his Ministry Is he no Minister and yet hath God given him a seal of his Ministry What Babylonish confusision is here Hath he a seale of nothing or of a lye Can he have a seale of that which is not Or hath he a seale and not of the Spirit Is not the Record he saith he hath of this on high even with principalities and powers and spiritual wickednesses where the powers of darknesse rule But how shall one trust or in what can one believe such a man who would seem to speak with so much solemnesse and seriousnesse when he speaks so much confusion contradiction and falshood And well were it that not not onely he but ye all would learn to dread the name of God and feare to take it so commonly as ye do into your mouths in vain to veile and cover your deceitfull pretences lest by him ye be not held guiltlesse But he saith It is true I am no preacher of that which you and some of your way call the Gospell namely to bid every man turn to the light within neither did I ever read or heare that any of the Prophets Apostles or holy men of God did preach such a Gospel To which I say he being no Preacher of that thing as he terms it which my selfe and some of our way call the Gospel he is no Preacher of the Truth of God nor the Gospel of God which is the power of God to salvation to every one that believes And so out of his own mouth let him be judged that he is no Preacher nor Minister either by call or practice who doth not preach that which we call the Gospel which is
it he may once finde it a swift witnesse against him it may prove as a fire in his bowels and as a candle to search his in most parts and the condemnation it is of all those that hate it as the Scripture witnesseth And Christ exhorts to believe in it and in it did the Saints walke and in it had they fellowship which condemns the unbeliever But of it he is no Preacher and therefore do we confess he is no Minister for God for though in words he seems to confesse something of the light yet like a man filled with confusion speaks he knows not what but uttereth his owne folly and speaks of a two-fold coming of the Spirit into the hearts of believers The first is that by which the eyes of mens understandings are opened and they turne from darknesse to light faith and repentance wrought in the soul c. Upon which I demand were they believers before they were turned unto the light in which they were to believe or had their eyes opened If yea prove it If nay then by his own confession there were eyes of mens understandings to be opened and light to be turned unto and yet he saith he never read nor heard that the Prophets Apostles or holy men of God preached such a Gospel namely to bid people turn to the light c. Now how shall we trust him or which of his words shall we believe who confesseth he is no Minister but uncal'd unconstituted unordained c. No Preacher of that thing we call the Gospel namely to bid men turn to a light within them and yet the eyes of mens understandings must be opened and they turned to the light and yet saith he to bid men turn to the light within takes them off from believing on the person of Jesus Christ He saith He administers the Lords Supper to this people in Bristol as they are a Church of godly sober Christians believing in Christ though some of them mis-baptized not having light to see right Administrations but reckon infant-baptisme sufficient yet as further light comes in they are willing to walke up in it In the meane time we can beare with them in love as we desire them and others to leave with us in other things But to it I say Though ye be joyned hand in hand in darknesse and deceit agreeing to bear with one another therein Yet the children of light plainly and clearly see your folly and confusion and bear witnesse against it Tho Ewins declares himselfe against bidding turn to the light within yet his mis-baptized people as he calls them have not light to see the right Administrations of Baptisme but reckon Infant-baptisme sufficient yet as further light comes in saith he they are willing to walke up in it So then he acknowledgeth they want light to see And that as light comes in I say as it comes in they are willing to walk up in it yet he says he is no Preacher of this thing to wit the light within It is pernitious doctrine It shuts up the Kingdome against men and takes them off from believing on the person of Christ Poor blind man how is he made to condemn himselfe in that which he in words is forced to allow But these mis-baptized people who have not light to see right Administrations but reckon Infant-baptisme sufficient are his believers and with one another can ye beare in love in your darknesse It is like he knows in his own conscience that infant-baptisme is not sufficient being neither he nor you can prove it an Ordinance of Christ and so follow traditions for Doctrines And it s no wonder that they want light who follow such a guide who hath so plainly denyed the same and would fain be a Teacher but understands neither what he saith nor whereof he affirmeth But he saith truly I know no thorough-paced godly man Anabaptist or others in Bristol but do shew love and respect to me in their way onely in this they walke according to their light and so do I but they thinke I am too large in my principles and I thinke them too streight in theirs Yet saith he we doe not differ but can beare with each other in love Reply Here again is his confusion manifest He denies them who bid turne to the light and he is no Preacher of that and yet his mis-baptized people want light and those he calls thorough-paced Anabaptist or others who shew respect to him in their way They walk in their light and he in his and yet to bid turn to the light is to deny believing in the person of Christ Now let all who feare the Lord consider his words who saith he is no Preacher of that we call Gospel namely to bid every man turn to the light in him And the Quakers doctrine is pernicious they shut the kingdome of Heaven from men they take people off from believing in the person of Christ by bidding them turn to the light in them saith he and yet himselfe acknowledgeth the first coming of the Spirit is to open the eyes of mens understandings and to turne them from darknesse to light and to work faith and repentance in the soule Now according to his own words are not they in darknesse and unconverted who are not turned to the light And is it not good to turn to the light that the eyes may be opened and the soul converted And yet he is no Preacher of this Again he saith the mis-baptized people want light but as further light comes in they are willing to walk up in it Here is want of light confessed and the coming in of light acknowledge and the turning to the light was before granted and yet to bid people turn to the light within is pernicious doctrine By this is the Kingdome shut Oh miserable blinde guide and Idoll shepherd how hath grosse darknesse overspread thy face and thy Sun gone downe at noon-day Again Them he calls thorough-paced Anabaptists they walke according to their light and he walks according to his they think his principles too large and he thinks theirs too streight Here is acknowledged their light and his light and before want of light and coming in of light And yet Quakers have done mischief in Bristol and their doctrine saith he is pernitious how so why they bid men turn to the light within them Poor man what is become of his rule now for turning to the light that is pernicious doctrine To try things by the light were to deny Scripture to be the rule But now with him here is their light and his light streight and large principles and mis-baptized ones that want light to see right administrations c. But now by what are ye guided and where and what is your rule Have ye not all lost it and are all gone out of the right way wandring ye know not where in your imaginations who rebell against the light and know not the way thereof nor
witnesse as within the Kingdom of God is within the light which gives the knowledge of the glory of God shines within even in the heart 1 Joh. 2.27 1 Joh. 5.10 1. Cor. 4.6 Christ is within God is within who dwells and walks in them whose bodies are his Temples yet this blinde ignorant and unlearned man is not ashamed to publish that he is no preacher of that Gospil viz. the light within but declares it pernitious doctrine and that he never read or heard that any of the Prophets Apostles or holy men of God did preach such a Gospel c. And for his speaking of Sarah Latchet asking how I can stile her a Servant of Jesus who is an Apostate and an excommunicated person going on in such rayling and calling him a deceiver Another time saying the prayers of the wicked are an abhomination to the Lord. And another time let fly at him with a multitude of rayling and reviling terms such as he saith they use to give to the Ministers of the Nation c. To this I say In that she did bear true Testimony against him I own it as a service in the Truth and her being excommunicated as he cals it by those who deny the true light proves nothing to the contrary nor her calling him deceiver or saying the prayers of the wicked are abhomination to the Lord for so are their services and sacrifices and to deny and bear Testimony against it is no Apostacy upon a true account and to be hated and separated by such from their company and by them to be reproached and to have ones name cast out as evil for the Son of mans sake who is the light of the World is a blessed thing rejoyce ye in that day and leap for joy for behold your reward is great in heaven for in like manner did their fathers unto the prophets Luke 6.22 23. and his word excommunication is turned back into his bundle of Popish or Heathenish ignorance as that which was never used by the Ministers of Christ And if Sarah Latchet be excommunicated as he calls it then it s like those that did it are ashamed of their work for she knew it not but saith he she let flie at me with such railing termes as they use to give the Ministers of the Nation To which I say why should not he be testified against as well as they being at least in many things found in their steps and practices But for reviling speeches let him look at home He saith she called him Deceiver and said the prayers of the wicked were abhomination to the Lord and this by him is termed rayling and reviling though it be according to the Scriptures which proceeded from those that spake as they were moved of the holy Ghost But he in his answer to Ralph Farmer saith the in-let and out-let the fore-door and back-door of much of Englands misery and consequently of Bristols is an ignorant ungodly lazie proud scandalous soule-murthering Ministry who have made themselves contemptible and base in the eyes of all good men and in the consciences of many bad Now if this be so the Quakers as he calls them did not all the mischief in Bristoll as he falsly saith they did for now he saith the in-let and out-let the fore-door and back-door of much of the misery of England and Bristol is an ignorant ungodly lazie proud scandalous soule-murthering Ministry And so hath he proved himselfe a lyar and a false accuser which the Ministers of Christ were not But who is the rayler and reviler now They that bear true testimony against him and his generation according to Scripture or Thomas Ewins in speaking his own corrupted words out of his polluted and unsanctified fountain who by his own confession questions whether ever he had received the Spirit to purge and purifie cleanse and sanctifie believers and make them holy But if it be so that the misery of England and Bristoll is such a Ministry as he hath before exprest and which he terms the Ministry of the Nation ought they not to be testified against and he also so far as he is found in their condition And may it not well be said that it is the great misery of many poor souls in Bristoll that such ignorant and blinde guides as ye are are followed which is the in-let and out-let the fore-door and back door of so much confusion as is at this day amongst you one bearing with the other in your darknesse and in your streight and large principles till ye become all quite blinde and stark drunk in your imaginations reeling and staggering so that many poor people are even at their wits end and have followed you so long till their soules are even famished and they fallen into misery But glory to the Lord God of life who hath caused light to shine out of darknesse and out of obscurity by which the deceitfull veiles and coverings of the soul-murthering Ministry are made manifest And were those savoury words for Thomas Ewins to say It were fitter such an idle huswife were whipt and sent to Bridewell to worke then to goe about rayling at people as she did Let shame cover his face for ever when he looks back on his own words which are so well like the words and deeds of the Ministers of the Nation which himselfe calls the soul-murthering Ministry that he which reads may easily perceive them to agree and that one and the same spirit leads and guides them all And did not Thomas Ewins let flye at her in envy when he spake such words and hath thus confest it to his shame among those that are not willing to joyn hand with the wicked and to take part with evill doers And for his saying that she cursed and rayled that is but the invented refuge of his lying spirit for the words he sets down as hers are no such things And for his charging her to be idle that is from the same root of lying she having been known to be diligent in an honest employment and lives not by others labours as do the soul-murthering Ministers as he calls them who preach for hire and divine for money and against those that put not into their mouths they prepare war And take liberty to themselves from their high places to reproach revile slander and belye them that feare the Lord and are obedient to Christ the light of the world But if any who feel the burthen of the word of the Lord and witnesse it as a fire in their bones and being weary of holding it in are made to pour it out against the soul-murthering Ministry c. For this they must to the whip to prison to Bridewell c. And in this Thomas Ewins is discovered And for his saying ô be ashamed and confounded poor deceived man because I said she testified from the Lord I say his own words are turned upon his own head and to bear witnesse in truth against his
for religious meetings which they called Conventicles and for opening shops upon Popish Holy-dayes which themselves popishly idolized and suffered Ryots Tumults and Insurrections to be made upon the people who then were up stirred to bear testimony against those abhominations And how wickedly fierce and cruell they were in the time of the late Wars persecuting imprisoning and destroying the lives liberties and estates or those called flound-heads contriving and imposing pernicious oaths upon the people to ensnare the innocent as by their own Record it may appear which if any through tendernesse refused how crully they were persecuted and tormented is not easily forgotten And although for a season the people of God were delivered from the jawes of the oppressorâ— and the oppressed ruled over them yet since by the change of times wickednesse is exalted and opportunity is administred for the oppressors to appear how soon and how zealously are they acting as before against an innocent people who feare the Lord and in obedience to him cannot how to their wills and lusts but as they are moved of the Lord do declare his Counsell and assured judgements against false worships and worshippers and other abhominations bearing true testimony for the name of the Lord against it â—â—ld the world that the works thereof are evill yet how cruelly they have for this persecuted them under the name of Quakers as formerly they did under the name of Round-heads Puritans and Sectaries is not forgotten nor the numbers that have been imprisoned to satisfie their wills and lusts when no lavv of the Nation vvas broken nay nor the shedding the righteous blood of severall of them by cruel whippings in their Prison houses c. like the enemies of God in former ages Who eate up the Lords people as bread and accounted them as sheep for the slaughter And whose Minister then is he like to be who by such a generation is sent to preach a Gospel And whose servant is he like to prove that glories in his Call by such a people And where is his rule or example for this except in Balaam the false Prophet and Diviner vvho erring from the Spirit by vvhich he savv the goodly Tents of Jacob and blessed Israel being sent for by the Rulers of Moab the enemy of God for the love of promotion the revvard of divination and the vvages of iniquiry out of severall high places endeavoured to curse the people vvhom God had blessed And vvhereas he declares his consenting to and helping on the accusations vvhich he cals admonitions sent to me and others I say Alas poor man hovv vvilling is Diotrephes to have prâ—-eminence and therefore meddles in things in vvhich he is not concerned prating against us vvith malicious vvords not receiving the Saints but forbidding them that vvould And according to your ovvn principles vvhat hath he to do in consenting to or helping on admonitions in the Independent Church so called in Bristoll vvho is himself an Anabaptist and a member as he saith of another Church in London and vvas never admitted a member by those of Bristoll onely by them vvas sent for to preach for hire And by the Mayor some Aldermen Councellors Gentlemen and Commissioners as he calls them had the revvard of Divination promised vvhich as I remember vvas a 100 l. or 120 l. a year vvith promotion to the honour of a publique Lecture so called in the middle of the City But I say what hath this man to do being a meer hireling and never admitted nor received a member to trouble himself in helping on accusations against â—hose who have denyed him and never approved his carnall observations nor large principles only like Balaam his elder brother being sent for as aforesaid hath a minde to comply with the Rulers of Moab in cursing those whom God hath altogether blessed And blessed shall they be of the Lord whose living presence they know and feel in the midst of them And neither the Rulers of Moab nor all the false Prophets in Bristoll nor England shall be able to reverse it and this may you all know in the day wherein ye will desive to ayâ— the death of the righteous and that your latter end may be like thens And whereas he tells of many who can say the Lord is with his Ministry comforting refreshings and quickning their souls c. I say the blinde may lead the blinde till they all fall into the ditch But how can it be that the Lord is with his Ministry who himself is no Minister as he hath confest And how can there be comforting and refreshing administred from him who hath not received the Spirit to comfort and chear drooping souls and fill them with refreshment as he gives it under his hand But this I say I knew many poor souls who before he came had some sensibleness of their conditions moving in them by which they began to be awakened out of that security and deceit in which they had been aâ— ease who after they had suckt in and embraced his deceit he dawbing them with untempered motter strengthning the hands of evill doers by promising them peace healing the hurt of the people lightly crying peace peace to them while they walk in the imaginations of their hearts perswading them to believe lyes and that their sins are pardoned forgiven and blotted out when their lives and conversations declare the contrary quenching and grieving the good spirit of God and crucifying afresh the Son of God who is the faithfull and true witnesse who is come and doth convince the world of sin and bears true testimony within against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousness of men which by him was called the temptations of Satan I say after this wofull Doctrine came to be received and embraced they again fell asleep in ignorance and security and now live in pleasure and much wantonnesse whose last estate is worse then the first And this is for some amongst you to observe for your good And how well might he save his labour in many pages in which he so vainly boasts and commends himselfe for a Preacher and publisher of the glorious Gospel that needs no proof of man c. And the many hundreds that can say the Lord is with his Ministry c. I say how well might he be silent in this his own commendations who presently gives it under his hand that he much questions whether he hath received the Spirit of the New Testament to open and reveal the mysteries of the Kingdome which to the Saints is given to know For that Gospel which the Ministers of Christ did and do preach and is indeed glorious is the Gospel of the Kingdom and that Gospel was and is a mystery hid from ages and generations but was and is manifested and revealed to them by the Spirit which Spirit he having not received the mysteries of the Kingdome and of the Gospel thereof to him are not opened but are hid as it was from ages and
but why doth he call it his Lecture but because for hire he preacheth it and so the hire of about 24 l. a year being his he calls it his Lecture But was it not good counsel she gave the people namely to beware of him that by him they might not be deceived Let the Reader but consider and justly weigh what himself gives forth from pag. 51. to pag. 55. and he may easily see how needful and necessary it was for her that knew him well to give such warning being thereunto moved for if a man will take upon him to be a Preacher and a leader of others who hath not received the Spirit of God to open and reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of God nor to comfort refresh drooping souls nor to strengthen and encourage them with boldness to do and suffer for God to purge purifie cleanse sanctifie and make them holy and fruitful and grow in grace and fill them with meekness and love and make them spiritual and unite them together and to adorn them with spiritual gifts and grace nor to fill them with a spirit of faith and prayer yea if he hath not received that spirit without which he can do nothing well how exceeding needful is it that people be warned thereof and how great is the love of the Lord in giving them warning in time for what can any soul receive from such a blind unholy unsanctified Ministry that can do nothing well except it be by it to be led into the ditch and caused to wander in the dark and blind paths of deceit and delusion towards death and destruction which is your own words to the Reader And if Thomas Ewins be not the man whose condition this is and hath published himself so under his own hand let the sober Reader judg and so Mary Prince is clear of the blood of them that received not warning and Thomas Ewins his accusations turn heavily on his own head but her they cannot reach who hath delivered her own soul by giving them warning And whereas he saith I tell in my Letter I was warned from invisible lights to beware of him and that by visible light he discerned his speaking was but little acceptable to me and others after he began to oppose though before he was the excellentest man that ever I met with I say what high and excellent thoughts he had of himself may be perceived and because he accounted himself so excellent 't is like he perswades himself that I accounted him so too in which he is mistaken for I was so far from it that himself declares that his speaking had so little acceptation with me and others that we were observed often to go out of the meeting when he was to speak which is an absolute lye too though by reason of his flattering daubing and deceit there might be cause enough and grief it is to see men of corrupt minds to oppose the truth And for several years his preaching and devining to me appeared so dry and empty like other of the worlds Teachers that is was truly a grief and burthen to me to sit under it And for what he speaks of my saying I was warned from invisible lights to beware of him it is a visible lye in which he is too much exercised and no such word was published by me but that I was long since warned from invisible sights or manifestations to beware of him is true something of whose woful condition was then manifested and may be accomplished towards which he hastens apace But his enmity and hatred against the light which is the glory of Gods Israel is such that he cannot but belye it And to him I say that which God hath prepared before the face of all people a light to lighten the Gentiles hath discovered and manifested him no Preacher nor Minister of Christ but a persecutor of the life and power of God And in the day of his distress and anguish which is coming from afar in which the men of war shall not find their hands but weep bitterly in which the strong shall be as tow and all hands be weak and all knees be feeble and all faces gather paleness in which our God shall roar out of Sion and utter his terrible voice from his holy Temple before which all the earth shall tremble in which the Lords salvation shall be manifested for his people in the destruction of all his enemies I say in that day which is at hand and as a destruction from the Almighty cometh shall he see and know that by the same spirit of Prophesie which was of old in the Prophets and holy men and promised in this day to be poured out upon sons and daughters is hiâ— condition seen and known and of it hath he been truly warned And that it is not for nought that the Lord hath sent his servants in his dread and power to warn the wicked though they turn not from their wicked wayes And also that it is not for nought that those servants of the Lord that stands in his counsel and receive his will from whom God hides not the things he is about to do in the world have not loved their lives unto the death but given their backs to the smiters and their cheeks to them that pull of the hair nor hid themselves from shame and suffering for their reward is before them and their God is with them whose acceptable day to them is manifested though the Aegyptians cannot see it glory to his name for evermore And whereas he tells of his success and prosperousness in his work and the large room he hath got in the peoples hearts since I left him and the use he is of to the desolate Church I say in his work of deceiving souls doth he prosper among you more then whilst I was there to withstand his daubing work who now leads captive a company of silly people laden with sins and lusts enough who hath none to withstand him or tell how long and woe for you was the day in which the Lord left you to such a guide in whose hearts that which makes desolate hath room enough and is of use to lead on towards perdition which is the work of that which is neither called constituted nor ordained to minister for God And now Thomas Ewins whereas in thy conclusion thou sayest thou expectest many sharp arrows of bitter words to be shot at thee both by me and others and that thou matterest it not much having written in plainness words of truth and soberness rather for vindication of the truth then of thy self c. I say Thou hast sorely mist in both and hast written lyes falshood and confusion as is plainly proved to thy own shame and for it must thou come to judgement and no veil of deceit can hide or cover thee And that which I do is plainly to lay it open and manifest it that thou mayest blush and be ashaâ—ed without shooting
sharp arrows of bitter words against thee that being the practice of the men of thy generation the soul-murthering Ministry of which thou declarest who do not only speak bitter words but also act cruel actions against the innocent and thou helpest it on so that if thy counsel were taken some must to the whip some into prison and into Bridewel for testifying against vain and deceitfull worships which thou canst not prove to be according to the Scriptures but are traditions of men And indeed you are plainly manifest to be not onely out of the power of godlinesse but also out of the true forme in which the Saints were One sort following your strait principles and another your large till ye become drunk in your imaginations and have quite lost the right way setting up your own inventions which the Lord our light and life is come to discover destroy and confound glory and honour to his name for evermore And with thy flattering severall persons that little regard thee and the badnesse of thy spirit therein appearing I shall not meddle nor yet declare how much thou contest under the black spirit of Ralph Farmer But as brethren in wickednesse and lying I shall leave you together Onely I must a little correct Ralph Farmer whose book entituled The Impostor dethroned c. I have seen and part thereof have read and finde it so like the former that a man might wonder how you that differ so much in some things being in your streight and large principles and various lights should agree so well in the works of darkness to oppose the true light but that ye all having given heed to the same lying spirit in your distempered humorous bodies are by it led in the self-same way of lying deceit and wickedness which is the Devils work And although I am not willing to trouble my selfe much with the filthy spirit of that worthlesse man nor to take into the loathsome channell of his monstrous birth Yet seeing how abhominably filthy wicked and impudent he is in the businesse of Constant Jessops removing out of the Parish of Nicholas in which I know he was a chief Actor or Sollicitor notwithstanding by shameless lying in his foresaid book he labours to cover his deceit and excuse himselfe I cannot let it passe but for the information of all those that are concerned therein who can believe and receive truth and for the manifesting the wofull deceit and false-heartedness of this loathsom man declare that notwithstanding he there affirmes that all he spake to me of that business was that the opposition in publique was not fit to be suffered to hinder a settlement and to alienate mens affections c. And that this was occasional by his coming to my house and staying for the coming in of Mr. Cradock as he called him who he was informed lodged there and that what he spake had respect to another brother as well as to Mr. Jessop he saith of whose casting out he did not know nor had any hand in one way or other by writing speaking or suggestion to any person whatsoever and that outing and banishing from the City was so far from his expectation and seemed to him so rigorous that he publiquely taxed and declared against it and that he never spake with me at any time after that occasionall discourse aforesaid which saith he was before Mr. Jessop preached that Sermon for which he was cast out And that he never used that argument to me that till Mr. Jessop was removed the City would not be in quiet c. Yet after Constant Jessop had preached that Sermon for which he was cast out and after the Committee of which I was a member had questioned the same and after the businesse had there lyen still a while and little or nothing done in it by reason of his many friends therein that pleaded his excuse did Ralph Farmer come to my house and after his wonted complement set his back against my Chest and looking hard upon me said to this effect Mr. Hollister what do you intend to do To which I replying to this effect what do I intend to do why what 's the matter why said he about Mr. Jessop To which I replying to this effect what have I to do with Mr. Jessop he said he heard I lay still and did not prosecute him or words to that purpose To which I replying that I was no prosecutor of him neither did I hear him But if any man had ought whereof to accuse him and brought it before the Committee when I was present it was like I might do what was just or as became me or to that effect With which he not being pleased used many words to provoke and stir me up against Constant Jessop and at length something passionately or zealously said these very words or to the same effect Mr. Hollister I shall seriously tell you my judgement If you neglect to take the advantage of this present opportunity for casting him out I profess we are never like to have peace nor quiet in the City And in many other words declared against his Presbyterian spirit and the bitternesse of it and spake of his subtilty by reason whereof another opportunity might not be gained if this was lost with much more of like nature So that I may truly say that to my knowledge I was not so much nor so earnestly prest and sollicited by any other man whatsoever against Constant Jessop as I was by this fals hearted and deceitfull man though he is so impudent and void of shame to deny it and publish it as aforesaid And I say again all this was after Constant Jessop had preached that Sermon for which he was cast out and not before as he falsly pretends neither do I know nor can believe he had any other business in the world to me at that time but only to endeavour to provoke and stir me up against his brother that he might be cast out And that what he speaks of his coming and staying for Walter Cradock is absolutely false for in many years together he lodged not at my house but at the Governors and else-where Neither can I remember or do think that at that time he spake a word to me against any other of his brethren besides Constant Jessop against whom his sole businesse was thinking him not prosecuted vigrously enough And of this his coming to my house and speaking as aforesaid or to the same effect other sufficient testimony that then were present and heard and observed it may be produced And what I have said is true in substance and as near as I can remember in words and syllables And it 's true that when the effect of his own solicitation vvas accomplished in his brothers remove I was informed before the people he declared against it as if he vvere innocent and had been no actor against him vvhich to me appeared so loathsome a piece of hypocrisie deceit and double-dealing
Christ who saith But I say unto you swear not at all and choose rather to obey God then men The said Vicar occasioned a Warrant of contempt to be procured and all the said four persons to be apprehended and cast into the common Goal of Gloucester among Thieves and Murtherers where two of them are yet remaining the relations it's like of the other two having satisfied the lusts of the covetous Vicar they are released And now are not those blinds that cannot see from whence this comes And will not all in whom any honesty rules blush when they read it especially when they understand the circumstances or aggravations thereof as the time when they were cast into prison viz. just in the beginning of harvest whilst the fruits of the Earth with which God had blessed them were in receiving that was the time in which they were taken away by which means the fruits of the Earth had perished and they in their outward estates been much ruinated had not the Lord otherwise provided contrary to the wills of this viperous generation who knowing the season that some of them had little or no help to manage the affairs of the whole harvest with a pretty large stock of Cowes and other Cattel yet were so desperately wicked that at the very beginning of the said Harvest was the Master carryed away and cast into prison where he hath remained above a yeare and for ought I yet know may there end his dayes as a witnesse for God against this wicked and adulterous generation of persecuting Priests and Tyrants Yet this is not all but the Master being cast into Prison means was used with his Land-lord so called being another Priest to cast him out of his Living and his servants out of the house which accordingly was soon effected And although there was a desire from some of his friends that for money or moneys worth the house onely might be kept for halfe a yeare no other place being found at present in which to put the stuffe yet was refused An engagement as was said being made to the contrary to Westerleigh men which it's like were the Vicar or his generation But at last another house being procured for present necessity onely for halfe a year in which to put the goods for which a Covenant was made and possession delivered and part of the money paid and the goods preparing to be sent thither The man that let the house as himselfe told me was sent for to the Vicars house and perswaded not to suffer the servants of the man so cast into prison to come there with their goods using many arguments to that purpose which not prevailing the Vicars wife as he told me told â—him if he suffered them to come there she would buy no more meat of him he being by occupation a Butcher whereupon he brake his Covenant took away the key of the house and kept it by force being but about three dayes before they were to remove out of the other house and so both his servants and goods became scattered into severall places as liberty could be got otherwise must it have layn in the open fields And after a friend of his beholding the unrighteous actings wretched dealings of this miserable generation against the innocent had bought and purchased a house for the present benefit of the imprisoned I shall not now much mention the unjust endeavours of this evill people both by offering to corrupt the seller thereof with large money and with the same to provoke the wife against her Husband not to surrender with other such like deceitfull wicked practices of which I have been informed but leave it to the witnesse of God in their own consciences to reprove But these are the actings of Richard Fowler Vicar of Westerleigh and his Elders against some of his Parish and particularly Richard Hollister whose father was the chief if not the only procurer of him to the said Parish upon whom with his generation of Priests that they call preaching he freely spent much more of his outward estate besides much labour and travail for many years together in getting and gathering his hire c then he left to his Wife and Children when he dyed And yet this is the wofull recompence his posterity do receive from the hand of this wofull degenerated man even in the very place and habitation in which the deceased Father shewed him so much kindnesse yea and Richard Hollister himself to him hath voluntarily contributed for many years over and above his Tythes well neer as much as they came unto besides other kindnesses though by Richard Fowler all is forgotten and he become come like a ravening Wolfe that for the lucre of about 10 s. per annum claimed for tythes that but for about 2 or 3 years And a great question Their feet run to evill and they make hast to shed innocent blood their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity wasting and destruction are in their paths the way of peace they know not they have made them crooked paths whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace if not altogether out of question whether by their owne Law it be due to him or not hath not onely cast him into prison but strives as aforesaid to devour him And these are the fruits of his and their Religion and Ministry of which let all that fear the Lord beware And that the evill spirit of envy blood and cruelty in the Chief Priest and Elders may the more fully appear The Warrant for apprehending and carrying the aforesaid persons to Prison was committed to the hands of common Bayliffs whose prophaness and wickedness I need not mention yet they being conscious of the honesty of their prisoners promised them liberty to go to their houses and order and settle their business and meet them at a place appointed the next day But having been a little absent its like with the Priest or Elders or some of their evill generation their minds were changed and cruelty raised so that with much harshnesse and threatning they carryed them away not suffering them to go to their houses to exchange their cloaths nor abide where they were till their servants brought them But Richard Hollisters servant hasting after with necessary apparel the greatest kindnesse he obtained was liberty to shift himselfe and exchange his apparell under a wall or hedge notwithstanding the Bayliffs themselves when out of the view or oversight of the Priest and Elders with their persecuting crew offered themselves to be bound for them if they would accept it professing their shame to carry such men to prison And coming into Gloucester City desired them to meet them at the Prison house professing their shame to go with them as prisoners through the streets And so into prison being cast their bonds became famous to the advantage and honour of truth And they suffering in patience and meekness do in quietnesse rest their inward consolation abounding
proportionable to their outward sufferings which to their adversaries and persecutors addeth torment And one of the Elders out of the abundance of his heart hath spoken They shall lye there till they rot in Goale or to that purpose And Richard Fowler in his wrath hath said They shall there abide these seven and seven yeares ere be release or fetch them out not considering how many thousand talents must be forgiven him or he under it sinke into perdition for ever who for apples and eggs tythe pigs geese ducks and hens occasions the people of God who to the Lord stand more faithfull than he to be cast into prison Read Matth. 18.24 to the end for not complying vvith him to his covetous ends in breaking the Commandements of Christ But the Scripture must be fulfilled Hos 6.9 And as troops of robbers wait for a man so the company of Priests murther in the way by consent working lewednesse And yet for pretence doth be make long prayers 〈◊〉 23.14 〈◊〉 â—8 4 5 and with his Elders and Proselyte keepe a monethly fast so called a day to hang down the head like a bull-rush But to them all I say Ye fast but your lusts remain still Ye fast for strife and debate and to smite with the fist of wickednesse 〈◊〉 5.11.3 Yee should not fast as yee do this day for the Fast which God hath chosen is to loose the bands of wickednesse to undo the heavy burthens which 〈◊〉 lay and fasten to let the oppressed go free which yee imprison and that yee breake every yoke And therefore to what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices oblations and fastings whose new Moons and Sabbaths whose solemn assemblies meeting and feasting are iniquity and a trouble of which the Lord is weary and his soule hateth them and when ye make many prayers he will not heare whiles your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity whose lips have spoken lyes and tongues muttered perversness none calling for justice nor pleading for truth but conceive mischiefe and bring forth iniquity whose feete run to evill and make hast to shed innocent blood whose thoughts are thoughts of iniquity wasting and destruction are in their wayes and the way of peace they know not Who have made them crooked paths whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace And therefore is judgement so far from you and justice overtakes you not But you look for light but behold obscurity for brightness but ye walke in darknesse yee grope for the wall like the blinde as if ye had no eyes Ye stumble at noon day as in the night and are in desolate places as dead men yee looke for salvation but it is far from you For your transgressions are multiplyed before the Lord and your sins testifie against you speaking oppression conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falshood and cruelty by whom judgement is turned away backward and justice standeth afar off Truth is fallen in your streets and equity cannot enter Yea truth faileth and he that departeth from evill is made by you a prey And the Lord hath seen it and is displeased and is putting on the garments of vengeance for cloathing and is clad with zeale as with a chake and according to their deeds accordingly will be repay fury to his adversaries and recompence to his enemies till they feare the name of the Lord from the west and his glory from the rising of the Sun whose spirit hath lifted up a standard when you with the rest of his enemies are come like a flood And why do ye garnish the sepulchres of the righteous and think if ye had been in the dayes of your fathers ye would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Martyrs and servants of God When truly ye bear witnesse that ye allow their deeds and are filling up the measure of their iniquities That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the foundation of the world who are plainly found in the very steps of the former Persecutors and at this day do hate persecute and imprison the Lords people for that for vvhich among other things the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury the Bishops Doctors Priests and Vicars did hate persecute and imprison the Martyrs and servants of God in former days viz. refusing to swear at all and declaring against payment of Tythes of both which the Reader may finde instances enough in Foxes Histories commonly called the Book of Martyrs And because every Reader may not have the advantage of reading those Books being of so large a volumn and price I shall give a touch of what I finde therein recorded touching the testimony the Martyrs did beare against the Priests Tythes and swearing referring the Reader to the Histories themselves in vvhich he may finde it more at large In the first book pag 621. the fourth Article against Walter Brute a famous Martyr is That he hath laboured to inform men and companies that no man is bound to give Tythes or Oblations And that if any man will give them he may give them to whom he will excluding thereby their Vicars And in page 622. another Article against him is That Tythes are meer almes And in case the Curate be evill they may lawfully be bestowed upon others by the temporall owners And in a publique instrument brought forth and published against the said Brute mentioned in page 623. it is said and declared that the sald Brute before the Bishop of Hereford did say hold publiquely and affirme that Christian people are not bound to pay Tythes neither by the law of Moses nor of Christ And that it is not lawful for Christians in any cause nor in any case to svvear by the Creator nor by the Creature And in pag. 632. Walter Brute having before his persecutors declared against Tythes manifesting hovv they belong to the Tribe of Levi and were not promised to the Tribe of Judah out of vvhich Christ came And of the change of the Law by vvhich Tythes vvere once claimed c. saith I marvail that you learned men do say that Christian folk are bound to this small ceremony of payment of Tythes c. It 's plain saith he that the Tythes were given to the sons of Levi for their serving in the Tabernacle and in the Temple of the Lord as the first fruits were given to the Priests And since the labour of those sacrifices did cease at the coming of Christ how should these things be demanded that were ordained for that labour And since first fruits are not now demanded of Christians why are Tythes demanded except it be because Tythes are of more value and worth then first fruits And besides saith he why are the Lay people bound to the payment of Tythes more then the Priests from having possessons of realities and Lordships among their brethren And again saith he If we be bound to Tything we are debtors to and bound to