all other people doth not pluck them down from their excellency it is not a wretched wordly spirit but the spirit of God by which they overcome the world and this spirit was in the Saints and Church of Christ of which the Scriptures of truth doth witness and they had received that Grace which taught them to deny ungodliness worldly lusts and had escaped the pollutions which are in the world through lusts they did witness that Faith which overcomes the world and knew him to live in them by whom the world is overcome and were directed and commended to that Grace which was able to build them up and they were built up together and became a habitation of God through the Spirit even a spiritual House an holy Priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices unto God 1 Cor. 2. 12. Gal. 6. 14. Tit 2. 12. 2 Pet 1. 4. 1 Ioh. 5. 4. Acts 20. 32. Eph. 2. 20 21 22. Iude 20. 1 Pet. 2 5. Isa. 28. 5 6. Isa. 61. 3. By all which it appears how much you differ from the Church of Christ insomuch that the absolute contrary marks fruits and effects doth appear in you and amongst you as was in them and amongst them but you are of those who turn again with the dog to the vomit and with the Sow that was washed to the wallowing in the mire who were indeed once more excellent while you were little in your own eyes before you were thus setled on your Lees there was a time when there was breathings in some of you after the Lord and something which did hunger and thirst after righteousness and there was then some tenderness amongst you and a sensibleness of something that was oppressed and held captive as under the power of a strange King and then there was some groanings for deliverance and some desires raised in you after the Lord and after purity and holiness which did render you comely whilst you abode in that state but you have lost that condition and the cry of the oppressed is not regarded by you but you are joyned and become one wiâ—â—â—he oppressor and that which oncâ— breathed to be delivered from the bondage of corruption you have even choaked strangled and so you never knew that born or brought forth which is heir of Gods Kingdom but an untimely birth is brought forth and you are sate down by the way in an empty form wanting the life and power and have taken up a false rest but the true rest you have not known And thus a wretchedworldly spirit hath overcome you accompanied with many other evils of the like nature by your own confession and hath pluckt you from that excellency which you once had and hath defaced that comeliness which was once upon you and hath left blackness and deformity upon you and those desires which once appeared amongst you are forgotten and the tenderness quite lost and hardness of heart got up and nothing remains but deadness and dryness and emptiness amongst you according to your confession and thus the seed even rots under the clods and you dwell in a Land of darkness where the presence of the Lord is not found to refresh you nor the dew of the lasting Hills falls not on you but you remain dry and barren bringing forth no fruit to God but deceit and abomination rules in your hearts and the man of sin is exalted in you above all that is called God and great clusters of the sowre Grapes of Sodom appear amongst you and is plentifully brought forth by you to the dishonor of God So your latter end is worse then your beginning Again you say in your said Epistle You have been as in a great measure without the sence of the work so without the true travel of soul which this work should have pat you into So hereby you utterly exclude your selves from being a Church of Christ and are manifested in a great measure to differ from them for if you are insensible of the work of God amoâ—â—sâ— you and in you and if it be not he that worketh the will and the deed and that works all your works for you and in you then you are doing your own works and your righteousness is your own and not the Lords so your righteousness is the same with that of the Scribes Pharisees who were not the Church of Christ but those who crucified him But the Church of Christ were sensible of the work of God in them and amongst them as the Scriptures of truth doth witness and they gave a particular relation thereof how it wrought in them saying That patience worketh experience and experience hope and hope maketh not ashamed and these were the works of God in them of which they were sensible they said Lord thou wilt ordain peace for us for thou hast wrought all our works in us So they were sensible of the work and of him that worketh and they knew that they were of God and that the Son of God was come who had given them an understanding to know him that was true and they were in him that is true and they testified that this was the true God and eternal life and those were not insensible but had their sences exercised in the knowledge of the Work of God and they had known the terrors of the Lord and therefore did perswade men and so were not insensible of the Work as the Scriptures witnesseth Rom. 5. 4 5. Isa. 26. 12. 1 Ioh. 5. 19 20. 2 Cor. 5. 11. Again the Church of Christ had known the true travel of soul and witnessed the birth which is born of the Spirit which inherits the Kingdom of God of which travel it seems you are ignorant and therefore never came to the birth which is immortal but they had cryed as a Woman in travel and felt the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child and every man was seen with his hands upon his loins as a Woman in travel and they have also known the deliverance and forgotten the anguish and the pain for joy that a Man-child is born and the Minister of Christ said That he travelled in pain until Christ was formed in them And they were born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever as the Scriptures doth witness Ier. 4. 31. Mic. 4. 10. Gal. 4. 19. 1 Pet. 1. 23. But you who are without the sence of the Work and have not known the souls travel are not born of the seed which is incorruptible and so not heirs of Gods promise for the promise is to the Seed in which all the Nations of the earth are blessed and those who are not born of the Seed wch is incorruptible they are under the curse in the transgression alienated from the life of God strangers from the Common-Wealth of Israel out of Gods Covenant with whom the Church of Christ can have
no fellowship You further say in the said Epistle The world as a Canker doth eat out your affections to the Lord Jesus Which doth also prove you to be no Church of Christ but to differ from them For the Church of Christ had their affections set on Christ and the Minister of Christ said If ye be risen with Christ seek those things which are above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth And he saith If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema maranatha And such who are accursed are no Church of Christ And he said Who shall seperate us from the love of Christ And he was perswaded That neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature should be able to seperate them from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus And the World had not eaten out their affections to Christ Jesus and this was their confidence That nothing could alienate their affections from him And Iohn said Love not the world neither the things that are in the world if any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him and he saith Every one that loveth him that begat loveth him that is begotten of him Col. 3. 1 2. 1 Cor. 16. 22. Rom. 8. 35 38 39. 1 Iohn 2. 15 1 Iohn 5. 1. But you say your affections to the Lord Jesus are eaten out by the World as by a canker therefore the love of the Father is not in you but the god of this World hath blinded your eyes and being in love with the World you are in the enmity against God for the friendship of the World is enmity to God And the World being thus set in your hearts you cannot find out the beginning nor know the end of the Work of God but are without the true sight and sence of his Majesty and without the sence of his Work in your souls and in your Churches and although you may think you are rich and encrease in goods because you call your selves Churches of Christ and because you have heaped up together a bundle of unprofitable carnal Ordinances according to your own imaginations in imitation of the Church of Christ wch you call the Ordinances of Christ which you plead for and follow yet in as much as your affections to the Lord Jesus are eaten out by the love of the World and you pluckt down from your excellency by a wretched worldly spirit you thereby appear to be no Church of Christ neither do you nor can you partake of his Ordinances which are spiritual but are upon tryal found to be miserable and wretched and poor and blind and naked Likewise you say in your said Epistle That this Iniquity hath been apparently written on your fore-heads To which I say You are thereby apparently known to be no Church of Christ but to differ from them For their Father's Name is written on their Fore-heads not Iniquity And the Lord caused his mark to be set on the fore-heads of all that did sigh cry for the abominations that were committed by them whose iniquities were exceeding great and the servants of the Lord Church of Christ did receive the seal of the living God in their Fore-heads upon them is written the Name of God and the Name of the City of God and the new Name and such see his Face and his Name is written in their Fore-heads and not Iniquity Ezek 9. 4. Rev. 7. 3. 3. 12. 22 4. And these are redeemed from iniquity and their garments washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb For where Iniquity is apparently written there the Fathers Name is not written and where the Fathers Name is not written and his mark received they are not the Church of Christ For Holy and Reverend is his Name and holiness becomes the House of the Lord which is his Church for ever and his mark is Christs righteousness with which his Church is covered and adorned and his Seal is the holy Spirit of Promise by which they are sealed to the day of Redemption But you on whose Fore-heads Iniquity is so apparently written your gathering together is not into the Name of the Lord which is a strong Tower to the righteous who run in thither and are safe neither are you covered with Christs Righteousness nor sealed with his holy Spirit neither is his mark upon you or his Name written on your Fore-heads but your iniquity is marked before the Lord and Iniquitie being your Mark thereby you are plainly known to be of that number that worship the Beast and his Image and his Name you bear and his mark is on your Fore-heads and whilst you bear this mark so apparently on your Fore-heads to wit Iniquitie you ought not to make mention of the Name of the Lord for he that nameth the Name of the Lord should depart from iniquitie else it would be said unto you Depart hence I know you not ye workers of Iniquity although you may say with them We have eaten and drunk in thy presence and we have pleaded for and followed thy Ordinances Yet I say Notwithstanding this plea if Iniquitie be your mark you must depart with the workers of iniquitie Also you say in your said Epistle That this sin eats out all the divine sweetness of regenerating and sanctifying Grace And by this also it appears that you are no church of Christ For if that be eaten out by sin which should regenerate you then are you unregenerate and if unregenerate then no church of Christ For the church of Christ are regenerated and born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God and saved by the washing of regeneration and by the renewing of the Holy Ghost and sin had not eaten out that which should regenerate them wch was the Grace of God for they were quickened together with Christ and saved by Grace Tit. 3. 5. 1 Pet. 1. 24. Eph. 2. 5. Again if that be eaten out by sin which should sanctifie you then are you unsanctified and if you are unsanctified then surely you are no church of Christ for the church of Christ were washed sanctified justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus by the Spirit of God they said they were sanctified by the will o God through the offring of the bodie of Jeâ—us Iude did write to them that were sanctified by God the Father c. 1 Cor. 6. 11. Heb. 10. 10. Iude 1. And thus you being unregenerated unsanctified you cannot enter into Gods Kingdom for except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God but he which is unregenerate is not born again and therefore cannot enter into the Kingdom of God And without holiness no man can see the
whilst sin doth reign in you all that you practise is but the Ordinances of the Man of Sin and those Ordinances are weak and unprofitable and can never make the comers thereunto or the practisers of them perfect and in this state the Spiritual Man which is Christ you know not neither of his Ordinances which are spiritual can you partake for this I affirm That the Ordinances of Christ which are spiritual are onely used and practised in the Church of Christ and amongst the Saints and not elsevvhere and for any other to say that they either follovv them or plead for them I say they are intruders into those things vvhich they have not seen and are talking of those things vvhich belongs not to them neither vvere they ever intended or ordained for such to practise and it vvill be said to all such Who hath required these things at your hands And therefore notvvithstanding your profession and your great boasting of the Ordinances of Christ except it may appear that you are the Church of Christ and that his Spirit leads you to and guides you in the practise of those things they are not the Ordinances of Christ to you but a Worship set up in your wils in imitation of others who were thereunto led by the spirit of God for he that hath not the spirit of Christ to lead him and guide him is none of his and then no member of his Church such cannot partake of his Ordinances And he that hath received that spirit is thereby made a Member of the Church of Christ and by it led and guided into all truth and so into the practise of those Ordinances of Christ that are spiritual and this is agreeable with and according to the Scriptures of truth and therefore I say except it may appear that you are Members of the church of Christ and led and guided by his spirit in the exercise performance of those things which you practise which you call Ordinances of Christ all that you do is but imitation at the most and not withstanding your boasting of the Ordinances of Christ and that it is his Ordinances you plead for and follow yet it will appear to be but will-worship and voluntary humility and the foolish inventions and imaginations of your own hearts which wil never make the comers thereunto perfect and so your Faith of which you speak will appear to be vain and as by your own confession it appeats it hath not so it will not purifie your hearts nor give you victory over the world but you will stil remain in your sins and the Law stil have dominion over you if you are not Members of that church whereof Christ is the Head and so Members of his body and that his spirit leads you to and guides you in your Worship and your Practise then you are of the Synagogue of Satan and so the man of sin is exalted in you above all that is called God and his voice you obey and his servants you are and his Ordinances you practise and him you worship and of the true God and his Worship and the true Christ and his Ordinances you are ignorant and therefore you shall be tryed whether you are the church of Christ or not or wherein you differ from them and thereby it will appear what those Ordinances are and whose they are which you say you follow and plead for herein you shall have just measure for you shall be tried by your own confession and the Scriptures of truth shall be witness which said Confession is recorded in a printed Paper directed to all the Churches of Jesus Christ as you call them from a meeting of the Messengers of the Churches in Tiverton the 18. day of the 7. Month 1657. Signed in their Names and by their appointment as the Subscribers say who write themselves Thomas Collier Nathaniel Strange Thomas Glass And so this Author with all the rest of the people called Anabaptists are concerned in it which said Tiverton-Writing or printed Paper was the occasion of T. S. his directing his Epistle to you called An Epistle to the Churches of the Anabaptists so câ—lled Which ought rather to have been received by you in love then for any of you thus to reward him evil for good but his reward is with the Lord and whether you hear or forbear whether you believe or perish in your gain-saying he will be clear of your blood and be a good savour to the Lord And amongst many other particulars contained in your said Epistle you say You have made confession of those reigning abominations in your own souls and in the Churches To wch I say Hereby you appear to be neither Ministers nor Churches of Jesus Christ but very much to differ from them for if abomination reigns in your Churches then abomination is the Head of your Church for that which reigns in the church is the head of the church and if abomination be the head of your church then is not Christ your head but the church of Christ did witness Christ to be their head and not abomination and they were exhorted to grow up into him in all things which is the Head even Christ who is both the Head and the Saviour of his church which is his body according to the Scriptures Eph. 4. 15. Eph. 5. 23. Coll. 1. 18. and thus it 's evident that you are not the church of Christ which is his Body because Christ is not your Head Again that which reigns in your churches hath dominion over your churches and you say abomination reigns in your churches in your souls therefore abomination hath dominion over your churches and over your souls and this proves you to be no Church of Christ because you are subjects to another Prince and other Lords hath the Dominion over you and you are not subjects of Christs Kingdom but the Church of Christ were in subject on to Christ and he did reign over them and had the dominion over them as the Scriptures declares which saith He shall reign over the house of David for ever and of his Kingdome there shall be no end who is set far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named c. to whom they ascribed praise and dominion for ever and ever Luke 1 33. Eph. 1. 21. 1 Pet 4. 11. Again Abo nination is that which God hates and his wrath and displeasure is against such in whom abomination reigns for the fearful and unbelieving and abominable c. must have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone but the Church of Christ are beloved of God and have their part and their inheritance and fellowship with the Father and with the Son and with the Saints in light as the Scriptures doth witness which saith For the Father himself loveth you because ye have loved me and the love of God was shed abroad in their hearts and
Lord but he that is unsanctified is without holiness and therefore cannot see the Lord And so though Grace hath abounded towards you yet it seems your sins hath much more abounded in so much that sin hath overcome you and eaten out all the Divine sweetness of regenerating and sanctifying Grace but with the church of Christ it was otherwise for though there was a time in which sin had abounded yet Grace had much more abounded in them so that by Grace they were saved from sin and were become dead to sin and alive unto righteousness and had their fruits unto holiness and the end everlasting life And so by all these particulars of which you have confest your selves to be guilty it is evident that you are neither Ministers nor churches of Christ but on the contrary it plainly appears that you very much differ from them And also there are many other particulars exprest in the said Tiverton Epistle of which you confess your selves to be guilty which time would even fail me to insist upon whereby I could further and more fully and largely prove that you are neither Ministers nor churches of Jesus Christ some of which are as followeth That coldness and deadness is upon your selves and upon the churches formality in holy duties indifferencie and a Laodicean spirit is sallen in upon you that you have been drawing iniquitie with cords of vanitie that there is amongst you personal iniquitie congregational iniquitie national iniquitie familie iniquitie closet iniquitie that you are without soundness from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot full of bruises and putrified sores and the crown is fallen from your head by reason of your iniquities that you have but as it were played with God and not trembled in his presence but have been wanton before him and without the terror of his Maiestie and â—â—at you have delighted to confess and to word it out with the Lord and being gone away presentlie forgot what manner of men and women you were thought no more on your prayers and so confess that you have often mocked God that the World doth eat out your time your strength your zeal and that in the lap of this Dalilah whilst asleep your locks have been cut off and you are but as other men that Satan hath shewed you the Kingdoms of the world and this hath bewitched you and alienated your minds from the Lord that you are remiss in meetings and that you neglect the poor Saints Ministers of Christ whose dailie complaints and addresses you say are living monuments of this reigning abomination That you are cruel to servants and children exacting all their labours and takes no time to counsel or instruct them whereby their souls might be the better for you that slavish fear hath stopped your mouths until the mouth of this Iniquitie hath almost devoured your poor churches That these evils are so deeplie rooted in your hearts that it is hard to get them out that they have wrested all weapons out of your hands that have been formed against them so that you have laboured in vain and that which you have brought forth hath been to little purpose Several other such like things as these you confess your selves and your churches to be guilty of in the said Tiverton Epistle To all which I say If you are indeed guiltie of all these reigning abominations and apparent iniquities according to your confession then assuredlie may I conclude That you are neither Ministers nor churches of Christ and that the Ordinances which you practise are not the Ordinances of Christ but the Ordinances of the man of sin which is exalted and bears rule in you for of these abominations and apparent iniquities the church of Christ was never guiltie as hath been proved And if you say you are not guiltie thereof according to your confession then is this confession of yours a most abominable piece of hypocrisie wherein you have even mocked God as you say you have done often which will render you no less culpable of his fierce wrath and heavy indignation then the former And thus are your skirts discovered your deeds brought to light you weighed in an Equal Ballance â—nd true judgment pass'd upon you and therefore although you call your selves churches of Christ Ministers of Christ yet your presumption is hereby discovered who call your selves churches of Christ and are not as their blasphemie was known who said they were Jews and were not and you with them are found lyars And although you boast of the Ordinances of Christ and say it is his Ordinances you follow and plead for according to the Scriptures and would seem to deck your selves with precious Stones and Pearls yet whilst these abominations reign in you and such iniquities so apparentlie written upon you your Name is Mysteris Babylon the Mother of Harlots and Abomination of the Earth a Synagogue of Satan a habitation of Devils a hold of every foul Spirit and a cage of every unclean and hateful Bird And therefore though Joab flie to lay hold on the horns of the Altar yet from thence he must be taken because he is a man of blood and so on his head must the blood of Abner be charged and rest for ever that Davia and his house may be clear before the Lord for ever And thus the Spiritual Man which is Christ the true light with his Ordinances and Administrations which are spiritual are exalted above the man of fin and above his Ordinances which are weak and unprofitable and which doth not make the comers thereunto perfect and above that imagined false Christ which doth not save his people from their sins and above that Justification which justifies people in their sins and above that blood which doth not reach to the purging of the conscience from dead works and above that faith which doth not purifie the heart and give victory over the world and above that baptism which is not by one spirit into one body whereby sin and transgression reigning abominations and apparent iniquities are washed away and above that Church-fellowship which is not with the Father and with the Son and with the Assembly of the first-born and with the spirits of just men made perfect and above that Bread which is not the Body of Christ and above that cup which is not the cup of blessing of consolation and salvation even the Communion of the Blood of Christ the spiritual Rock of which the Israel of God drunk And above those Prayers which are but lip-labour which are so soon forgotten and no more thought upon and wherewith God is so often mocked which comes not from a pure heart and holy hands lifted up without wrath and doubting and above that Worship which stands in the will of man in conformity to a Rule or Law without them not being thereunto led by the Spirit of the living God whose Worship is spiritual and who will be worshipped in the
nothing was able to seperate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus And they had known and believed the love that God had to them John 16. 27. Rom. 5. 5. Rom. 8. 39. 1 John 1. 3. 1 John 4. 16. And thus you in whom abomination reigns are proved to be no church of Christ for where abomination doth reign there Christ doth not reign but such were they who sent a Message after him saying We will not have this man to reign over us who must be brought and slain before his face And where Christ doth not reign there his Statutes and his Ordinances are not known but every one walketh and worshippeth according to the imagination of his own heart and every one doth that which is right in his own eyes even as they did when there vvas no King in Israel and the Statutes and Ordinances vvhich you follow and plead for are the dictates of the man of sin vvhich bears rule in you yea even from the abomination vvhich is set up where it ought not to stand vvhich makes desolate do you receive them and not from Christ vvho is the Head King and Law-giver to his Church and People and in this state vvhilst abomination reigns and is head in you vvhat ever you profess or vvhat ever you practise it is all abomination to the Lord For the prayers of the wicked or those in vvhom abomination reigns are abomination to the Lord and vvhilest that vvhich is abominable in the sight of the Lord rules and is head in you all that proceeds from you yea even your best performances though they may in outward appearance seem to be the same vvith the people of God or Church of Christ and like that vvhich the people of God and Church of Christ did practise according to Scripture-Testimony yet it all stinks in the nostrils of the Lord and is an abomination in his sight for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean not one And surely you in whom abomination reigns are unclean in the eyes of our God for he is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity And therefore vvhilst abomination reigns in your Churches and in your souls call not your selves Ministers of Christ nor Churches of Christ nor do not say you plead for and follow his Ordinances for the Church of Christ hath an Altar whereof you have no right to eat neither can you taste of the Supper of the Lord neither have you any part or lot in this matter for your hearts are not upright before the Lord neither into the City of our Solemnity may you enter for into that City can in no wise enter any thing that defiles or worketh abomination or loves or makes a lye You complain in your Epistle of a light Spirit living short of the true sight and sence of Gods Majesty in his Churches and among his Saints By vvhich also it appears you are not the Church of Christ neither is that light Spirit of vvhich you complain the Spirit of God but it was otherwise vvith the Church of Christ of vvhich the Scriptures declares for they had received the Spirit of Truth vvhich vvas not a light spirit by which they were led into all truth and had the true sight and sence of Gods Majesty amongst them and did not live short thereof but beheld his glory and were made glad with the favor of his countenance which was lifted up upon them Psal. 89 15. Psal 21. 6 Acts 2. 28. John 14. 16 17. 1 Cor. 2 12. Gal. 4. 6. 1 Ioh. 3. 24. your spirit is a spirit of blindnes by your own confession so that you cannot perceive the things that pertain to the Kingdom of God but you are without the true sight sence thereof so you are walking in the dark paths and going on in the broad way which leadeth to destruction but the church of Christ did walk in the light of the Lord the spirit by which they were led and guided led them out of darkness into the marvelous light of the Lord and guided their feet into the paths of peace as the Scriptures doth witness 2 Cor. 4. 6. Ephes. 5 8. 1 Thess. 5. 4 5. 1 Pet. 2 9. And thus you who are led and guided by a light spirit that lives short of the true sight and sence of Gods Majesty in his Churches and among his Saints are not the Church of Christ but are under chains of darkness and the god of this world hath blinded your eyes Now you seem to confess that Gods Majesty is to be seen in his Churches and his presence to be enjoyed by his people and among his Saints and if so then you who live short of the true sight and sence of his Majesty which is seen in his Church and do not behold the glory of his presence which his Saints doth see and behold and which is amongst them I say Then you are not of that number who are indeed his Church and Saints but you live short of the true sight and sence of that glory and excellency which they behold and are made partakers of and in this state of ignorance and blindness you are groping but cannot find the door and you call evil good and good evil you put darkness for light and light for darkness you call your own fancies and imaginations Ordinances of Christ and the light of Christ which is spiritual and shines in the hearts of his people by which they have the true sight and sence of Gods Majesty amongst them this you call fancy and imagination and your own inventions you set up as an Altar to the unknown God and you worship you know not what but of the true God and his Worship you are ignorant for his voice at any time you have not heard nor his shape you have not seen and of the true Christ and his Ordinances you are unsensible and his body which is spiritual you cannot discern and therefore though you boast that it is the Ordinances of Christ you plead for and follow as Church-fellowship in breaking of Bread and Prayers c. yet you are discovered to be of that number that are unworthy to partake of the Supper of the Lord and of the Ordinances of Christ for you being out of the true sight and sence of Gods Majesty in his Churches and amongst his Saints you are out of the discerning of the Lords body which is spiritual and therefore instead of partaking of the Ordinances of Christ you eat and drink to your selves damnation not discerning the Lords body Again you complain in the said Epistle of a wretched worâ—â—y spirit which plucks the Saints down from their excellency and leaves blackness upon you which renders you uncomely c. Which doth also manifest you to be no Church of Christ for the spirit which is in them doth build them up and not pluck them down and doth beautifie them and not render them uncomely and it causeth them to excel