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A90808 The holy scripture clearing it self of scandals: or, An answer to a book written by Richard Farnworth, who is commonly called a Quaker, bearing this title, Truth cleared of scandals. In this answer, you have the substance of a dispute at Harliston in Staffordshire, between Richard Faruworth [sic] and the author, in the yeer 1654. Written by Tho. Pollard, a member of the Church of Christ, gathered in, and about, Leichfield. Whereunto is added, Certain considerations and queries concerning those people called the Quakers; with desire of an answer. As also, a postscript, manifesting their folly in pretending a necessity of using the terms thee and thou to a single person. / By Henry Haggar, a servant of Jesus Christ, and of the congregation of his saints. Pollard, Thomas, fl. 1655.; Haggar, Henry. 1655 (1655) Wing P2775; Thomason E857_8; Thomason E842_10; ESTC R206619 43,888 64

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words of one Foster to me at Coulton in Staffordshire who said It was all one to them if all Bibles were burnt as many of the Lord's people can witness But O you Saints of God! minde the progress of the Lords people how they followed after righteousness godliness faith love patience meekness as Paul exhorts 1 Tim. 6.11 12. Again let us consider how patient Job was under the hand of the Lord saying The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be the name of the Lord. And he is brought in by the Apostle James 5.10 Take my brethren the Prophets for an example of suffering affliction and of patience and how they are accounted happy that endure Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy to all them that wait patiently on him And so we finde David an excellent patern for obedience he made hast and delayed not to keep God's Commandments Psalm 119.60 O saith David how I love thy law it is my meditation all the day Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser then my enemies yea I have more understanding then my teachers for thy testimonies are my meditation I understand more then the ancient because I have kept thy precepts I have refrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep thy word Thus dear Friends mind David and these men and you will finde they as far differ as light and darkness and if David had so much wisdom in this way of keeping God's Commandments and Ordinances of Christ Jesus are proud men and fools because they consent not to the wholsome words of Christ and to the Doctrine which is according to godliness he is proud or a fool as saith the margin 1 Tim. 6.3 4. O what will these scorners do when the Lord comes from Heaven with his Saints to render vengeance on all that know not God and obey not the Gospel minde that and you may easily see that all them that deride the Word and Ordinances of Christ under what term and title soever called whether Quakers Ranters or other Reproachers of God his Son his Saints his Ordinances and trample the Blood of Christ under their feet and do despight to the Spirit of Grace and sadden the hearts of his dear Ones and cause the Truth of God to be evill spoken of O to such I say it had been better for them that they had never known the way of Truth then after they have known it to turn from the holy Commandment delivered unto them but it is happened unto them according to the true Proverb The dog is turned to his own vomit again and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire as saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 2.21 22. But O ye Saints and spiritual Christians who are troubled to hear the Truth of Christ abused by such men See what Paul's counsel is 2 Thess 1.7 To you who are troubled rest with us abide in the doctrine of Christ quit you like men be strong in the Lord labour to be stedfast unmoveable alwayes abounding in the work of the Lord for you know your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Rom. 1.15 58. The Lord hath promised to you such a reward that all these evil-speakers cannot rob you of And seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation on them that trouble you be incouraged to run the race that is set before you Follow the holy Commandments and the pattern of the Apostles as they followed Christ you may be born up above all the discouragements you meet with by such as speak evil of the holy Scripture and Ordinances which you own as a Rule to walk by for whatever is done against any of the Lord's people that are found doing his Commandments Jesus Christ will take all that is done against them as done to himself as you may see in that Acts 9. by the words Christ said to Saul for you are dear in his sight and are continually before him and his delight is with you his heart is towards you there shall be no want to them that fear him Rev. 22.14 Blessed are they that do his commandments that they may have right to the tree of life and may enter into the gates through the city But O Farnworth and those with thee that so impudently boast of perfection and judge all to be in darkness that throw not away the rule of Truth as you do O call to mind your self-conceitedness Had you ever such ground of boasting as Job David Paul and John The Lord never said so of you or any that ever went your way as he saith of these men that you were after his heart as David or his chosen as Paul or his beloved Disciple as John or such a one for doing that which was good and hating that which was evil as Job that the Lord saith There was none like him in all the Land of Uz 〈…〉 Yet we do not finde any of these men thus justifie themselves as you do and they never judged so rashly of others as you do of all men that are not of your minde calling them carnal and saying that they are devils as I can shew under some of your hands surely you are coming on apace to them that say they are God but your glorying is not good for you glory in appearance having a kinde of voluntary humility but this will not stand you in stead because you go about to set up your selves and not the Lord your own way and not his way and therefore you are the greater Hypocrites And see what Iob saith of all such Iob 8.13 The hypocrites hope shall perish And Job 20.5 The joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment And Solomon saith Prov. 11.9 An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbour And do not you with your deluding tongues and out-side holiness throwing dirt in the face of Truth and as much as in you lies destroying all men by your Doctrine which had its rise from Hell and darkness and now raigns in the children of disobedience such as you who minde nothing less then the holy Commandments and Ordinances as they were delivered to the Saints and committed to faithful men and are of great use to all the Lord's people which word discovers all your wayes to be from Hell and darkness as in the following discourse it will be manifest that your Opinions are hatch'd in Hell and never came from above Whence Iames saith every good and perfect gift comes and then it will plainly appear that all that follow you are in the error and are under a great delusion to take your bare word for what you affirm yea though it cross the Scripture never so much But O consider ye poor deluded ones first The heart of man is deceitful above all things Jer. 17.9 Secondly He that trusteth his own heart is a fool Prov.
I said then that eminent Apostle John had And therefore thou dealest wickedly to say I brought it in to plead a continuance in sin surely that light which thou sayest is in thee is darkness else thou wouldst not have spoken thus falsly but having treated on this before I pass it by Again I said Where was your proof that you was in this condition Then he laid his hand on his heart and said I witness this Then I said to the people That to trust his own bare testimony without Scripture we should leave the word of God and trust the word of a man and so bring our selves under that curse Jer. 17.5 Cursed be he that trusteth in man And also said as Jeremiah saith in that 17 chap. The heart is deceitful And therefore it was good for us to try our own and others by the Scripture Read Prov. 28.26 Then thou Farnworth saidst I told thee of a Church in the world Answ Yea Christ had a Church in the world though not of the world but gathered out of the world and for the gathering of it did not the holy Ghost say Act. 13.2 Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them And I am sure that Paul makes this good by many Scriptures that he was a Planter of a visible Church But thou sayest in thy book That the Officers and Overseers of the Church of Christ were invisible and why because made by the holy Ghost which is invisible And here the Reader may plainly see thy folly for as I have already proved a visible Church so I will prove visible Officers as what was Paul and Barnabas but visible men else their enemies could not have persecuted them And read Acts 6.2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them By which it is plain this Church were made up of a visible company And the Apostle said unto them Look you out among you seven men of honest report full of the holy Ghost And the saying pleased the multitude and they chose Stephen with others who are said to be full of the holy Ghost So that it is a clear Truth That visible men were here found in this Church made visible Officers But Farnworth take heed of scorning so clear a Truth But one thing Reader I pray you observe if it be so as Farnworth saith That the Officers of the Church of Christ be invisible then by his own grant he is none because he is a visible man And here is his folly made manifest And also he denying a visible Church you may as plainly see from whence he is sent and whose errand he goes on not of Christ's errand for then his work would he do but it is plain he is of his Father the Devil who was a lyar from the beginning else he would never say that Christ had not a visible Church and say all Ordinances ceased when Christ ascended and that the Scripture would never bring a man to the knowledge of God and say that all Ordinances contained in the Scripture are carnal Again Farnworth saith in his Book That I said the Letter and the Spirit was inseparable I do not so wonder of his taking boldness to lye of me that dare so impudently lye of Christ and of his Word and Ordinances as he hath done But to answer to this thou chargest me with this I then said unto thee as I now say That the Word and Spirtt were one or inseparable and this I said I will prove by the word of God 1 John 5.7 For there are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one And further when I said this then thou Farnwarth pulledst out thy Bible and not before and laid it on the ground and saidst to the people If that be Spirit and Life it would rise it self I told thee at that time That what was contained in that book which it declared of and held out to us was Spirit and Life And here Reader take not my words but the words of Christ John 6.63 The words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life minde that which Christ spake they are and compare this with Job 12.48 The words saith Christ that I have spoken minde that the same shall judge you at the last day which word is established in heaven and written for our learning and is a perfect rule for us to walk by and see what Paul saith Rom. 15.4 For whatever were written ofore time were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope And minde what Paul said to the Church Act. 20.32 at his departure Now brethren I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to make you wise to salvation and to build you up to give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified And Paul commends Timothy that from a childe he had known the holy Scripture and which is very observable Paul presseth Timothy to continue in the things he had learned 2 Tim. 3.13 14 15 16. For saith he evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived And Farnworth it seems you have not learned to distinguish between Law and Gospel for I demand of thee where any of the words of Christ or his Apostles are called Letter see what Paul saith 2 Cor. 3.6 Our sufficiency is of God who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the letter that killeth but of the spirit that giveth life Now I am sure if Paul the other Apostles were alive you would call them Pharisees and outward Jews Ministers of the Letter and call Christ a Water-ma 〈…〉 r outside-washer as you call me for I am sure that they that carry on this work they have their rules from Christ and they are the onely wise men And this I say That for Baby-sprinklers and Tythe-takers and Parish-men we own no such thing and therefore let them runne in your number and ranke as men refusing and rejecting the holy Commandments and Ordinances of Christ as you do onely this I believe that many of them do what they do ignorantly but I fear you do wilfully speak against Truth But O you Scorners how long will you delight in your scorning to call the Holy Scripture a dead Letter and carnal as you do But to all of you that are contentious and do not obey the Truth of what ranke soever you be or by what name so ever called see your portion Rom. 2.8 Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that is contentious and doth not obey the truth And see what Paul saith 2 Thes 1.9 where he speaks of some men that shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power and minde who they are vers 8. Them that know not God and obey not the
take heed of such an opinion that will be judge himself in his own cause and will not be tried by the Scripture accounting it dead and carnal and of no use to bring men to Christ As when I asked Farnworth how he would witness the truth of what he affirmed in that he denied the Scripture he laid his hand on his heart and said I witness this Now minde this delusion as I said before what Jeremiah saith Chap. 17.9 1. The heart of man is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it 2. He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool Prov. 28.26 And now dear friends let us take counsel of the Lord to try the spirits whether they be of God for many false prophets are gone out into the world 1 Joh. 4.1 And vers 6. We are of God he that knoweth God heareth us and he that is not of God heareth not us Hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error From whence we may honestly argue that if they and they onely be the friends of God that walk in obedience to the commands of God then they must needs be enemies that oppose But the first is clear Joh. 15.14 Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you with Joh. 14.23 If any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him And 1 Joh. 5.2 3. For this is the love of God that we keep his commandments and his commandments are not grievous And further dear friends let us embrace that advice that Peter gives 2 Epist 3.17 18. Beware lest you being led away with the errour of the wicked fall from your own stedfastness And to prevent you from falling his counsel is But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Now is the hour of temptation for if these be not wicked errours I know not what is I mean these which are laid down to your view which Farnworth did stand by to vindicate if his own testimony may stand O then what need have all the Lords people to be upon their watch now Satan by his instruments is sifting poor souls out of the Truth if he can It is high time to look to our foundation that we be built on the Rock Christ that you be firmly knit to him and made one with him and then the gates of hell shall not prevail against you And you strong Christians help the weak Lambs of Jesus Christ that they may grow in that good way of Christs commandments that the Saints of old have walked in O be stirring up one another by way of remembrance of the good path of Christ which discovers fully all the by-paths of iniquity Oh I say let there not be a want of care among you in your several Societies to watch over one another lest any be entangled by these seducing spirits and overcome I say by these that throw aside all the Laws and Ordinances of the Lord Jesus as they were delivered to the Saints and ought now by us to be observed for you know what the Scripture saith of them that turn from the way of Truth It had been better for them that they had never known it then after they have known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them 2 Pet. 2.20 21. O then I say to all you that are employed in the Lords work whether by Office or Gift that are faithful Stewards diligent in feeding the flock of Christ remember what the Lord saith to such When the chief Shepherd shall appear ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away 1 Pet. 5.4 And saith Daniel Chap. 12.3 They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever And if these men be so forward in pulling down the Ordinances of Christ you have greater encouragement to follow Christ in his way 1. You have his own presence promised Matth. 2820. in the work 2. See your reward after the work Joh. 10.27 28. Fourthly Farnworth affirmed that Christ had not a visible Church in the world and scornfully said to me What a Church in the world I answered Yea in the world though not of the world but gathered out of the world And 1. See what Paul saith 1 Cor. 1.2 Vnto the Church of God which is at Corinth sanctified in Christ Jesus called to be Saints with all that in every place call on the Name of Jesus Christ Reader pray you minde this must needs be a visible Church 1. Because this Epistle is directed to a visible place Corinth 2. It is as clear that here were men and that under this general term brethren vers 10. I beseech you brethren by our Lord Jesus that you all speak the same thing and that there be no division among you but that you be perfectly joyned together in the same minde and in the same judgment 3. Paul makes mention of housholds vers 11. the house of Cloe and Stephanas vers 16. 4. He speaks of persons by name as Crispus and Gaius and others By all which it is clear this poor man is much beside the Rule of Truth Again see what Paul saith unto the Churches of Galatia Chap. 1.1 Vnto the Churches of Galatia And mind Rom. 16.1 Commend unto you Phebe our sister which is a servant of the Church at Cenchrea Minde how full the Scripture is to prove this thing and makes manifest the blindness of this mans understanding that will thus oppose the Truth that is so full of wintnesses And how doth the holy Ghost write to the seven Churches in Asia And how I pray you Farnworth will you answer that place in Acts 8. when Steven was stoned and the Church at Jerusalem all scattered 1. This must needs be a visible company because they were visibly scattered 2. They were at Jerusalem which was a visible place the Scripture is full for 3. See whither they were scattered some into Judea and some into Samaria And Saul he made havock of the Church vers 3 But here we may see your subtilty and cunning craftiness whereby you lie in wait to deceive for if you can bring poor souls to this That God hath not a visible Church in the world then you may easily perswade them to throw aside all the visible Rule of Scripture and so make all Doctrine and Church-Discipline of none effect and thus you would put out the eyes of poor souls and then bring them to see with your eyes and then your words they may quickly learn which are onely thus to say they must hearken to a light within but if the light in thee be darkness how great is that darkness And here thy darkness doth appear in denying a visible Church which is so plainly proved But Reader by these men the Rule of tryal to try the Spirits withal is thrown away and become of no
28.26 The second thing that this Farnworth affirmed That when Paul spoke those words in the seventh of the Romans where he cries out of a body of death and of the warfare he had in himself he said That Paul was not converted To which I answered O man minde thy error what Paul a Messenger of the Gospel and so eminent an Apostle of Christ and unconverted Here let us try by the Scripture whether it be so or no first see Acts 9.5 6. When the Voice from Heaven which Voice was Christ that said to him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me He trembling and astonished said Lord what wouldst thou have me to do The Lord sent him to Ananias and when he had manifested his Faith in Christ by his obedience to Christ he straightway preached Christ in the Synagogues to be the Son of God And further see vers 27. of this ninth Chapter where it was made plain to the Apostles And he was with them coming in and going out at Ierusalem and he spake boldly in the Name of Iesus Christ and disputed against the Grecians And this whole Chapter makes it evident both in what he did and suffered that he was converted And further see Rom. 1.1 Paul a servant of Iesus Christ then sure converted else no fit Servant for so great a work and not onely so but called to be an Apostle separated unto the Gospel of God And pray you minde who called him to this great work not himself but the Holy Ghost Acts 13.2 The Holy Ghost said Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them By which it is plain he was converted before as I at that time told thee Then thou wouldst turn it and didst say that he spake of his condition before conversion in that Rom. 7. And this is as false as the other if the words be weighed vers 22. to 25. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man Pray you minde at that time he did see a law in his members warring against the law of his minde Nay further if all this had been before conversion then how could he have said as he saith vers 25. that with his minde he served the Law of God for it is evident that his minde before conversion was onely to persecute the Church and people of God And here we will bring his own words to witness 1 Cor. 15.9 I saith Paul am the least of the Apostles not worthy to be called an Apostle minde the reason Because I persecuted the Church of God By all which we may plainly see how contrary to the Scripture and unfound this opinion is Therefore take heed poor souls of following men any further then they follow Christ and keep his way And you deluded ones that speak against the holy Scripture in the whole it is no wonder that you make such tearing it in pieces as you do And though you use the Scripture so frequent in your writing it is out of subtilty to ensnare souls as that great deceiver did to Christ Mat. 4.6 But one word to the Lords people Take Scripture-arguments to fight against Deceivers and for your progress in the Lords way take Jeremiah's counsel Chap. 6.16 Stand ye in the way and see and ask for the old paths where is the good way and walk therein And then minde the promise Ye shall finde rest for your souls And how we may find the way of the Lord read Isai 8.20 To the law and to the testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Compared with Gal. 1.8 9. The Third thing Farnworth affirmed that where John spake those words If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves he said John did not here speak of himself but the people to whom he spake these words were unconverted In answer to this minde the Apostles words 1 Iob. 1.3 That which we have seen and heard that we declare unto you that ye may have fellowship with us and truely our fellowship is with the Father and the Son And These things we write unto you that your joy may be full and this was joy to them Chap. 3.2 Now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is And in Chap. 2.24 25. Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning if that shall abide in you ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father and this is the promise he hath promised us even eternal life And John saith vers 21 of this chap. 2. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth but because ye know it By all which it is plain they were built on the foundation for else it had been absurd for the Apostle to have exhorted them to abide in Christ and his commandments if not converted for then the exhortation was of no use and beside it is very improper to advise any man to keep that which he never had Again 2. The Apostle doth here press them to persevere and to go on and to walk in the light then they must know it before 3. I do not finde any Epistle written to any but to the Saints as Rom. 1.7.1 Cor 2.2 Cor. 2. By all which it is plain To the Saints at Rome To the Church at Corinth To the Saints at Ephesus To the Church at Galatia Saints at Philippi Saints at Colosse Saints at Thessalonica 4. The Apostle put himself in If WE say WE have no sin WE deceive our selves Here he puts himself one of the number Not that I go about as Farnworth falsly saith to plead a continuance in sin for I do own that believers as they are in Christ are justified from sin and God is satisfied with his Son as Isaiah saith he looked on the travel of his soul and was satisfied But that which I say is this That believers do see some defect in themselves in their outward man as they carry about with them an earthly tabernacle but through grace they overcome all defects by degrees And we will see what the Scripture faith from the mouth of other godly witnesses See Solomon 1 King 8.46 There is saith he no man that sinneth not with Prov. 20.9 Who can say I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin With Eccl. 7.20 Saith the wise Preacher There is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sinneth not Now then I say with the Apostle Let God and his Word be true and all men lyers And I do appeal to every godly soul for to witness this who are sensible of flesh and self appearing in them at one time or other But dear Saints look up to the Lord for strength and let us be sure if we would conquer to fight with spiritual weapons and let us
the cause of mens believing for saith Paul vers 14. How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard O then Reader minde how far this Opinion will plunge a poor soul whose condition is such that he cannot please God without Faith Heb. 11.6 Without faith it is impossible minde to please God And in Rom. 14.23 Whatsoever is not of faith is sin so then to deny the Ordinance of preaching by which Faith comes must needs tend to destroy Faith and then please God who can But let us weigh the design of these men a little if they can once bring a poor soul into this condition to disown the Scripture when he most stands in need of it that is to say to bring him to Christ and to shew him how he ought walk so as to please God I say if once the poor creature be brought into such a condition then he knows he can easily keep him from prising it at all But let us see how this crosses the end of God's sending his Son into the World John saith chap. 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son into the world that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life Again Luke 1. witnesses that Christ was sent of the Father to be a light to them that sit in darkness and are in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace And how should we know this great love of the Father much less believe it without the Gospels preaching Again Christ saith He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance and he came to seek and to save that which was lost By all which it is plain that the end of the Gospels preaching to every creature was not because every creature did believe this but that they might hear and believe Again if those three thousand Act. 2. were converted by the Gospel then not without it and them of Samaria by the Gospel then not any other way Act. 8. and the believing Thessalonians were called by the Gospel and so were all the Churches called to be Saints how I pray you if not by the Gospels preaching Nay how should we poor sinners of the Gentiles have known of a door of hope open to us but by the preaching of the Gospel nay should we have known of a Christ that died at Jerusalem but by the Scripture or how should we know sin to be sin and righteousness to be righteousness but by the Scripture Again see what Paul saith 2 Tim. 3.2 last vers All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness minde not that man is perfect but that he may be perfect and thereby throughly furnished unto all good works By all which it is plain that the Scripture is of greater use then these men will have it And Christ saith The words that I have spoken the same shall judge you at the last day and this word shall not return void but shall be to all that entertain it a savour of life unto life but to them that put it from them and say it is useless it will be a savour of death unto death But to you who are through Grace members of the Church of Christ who were once sinners of the Gentiles and without God in the world but are now made nigh by the blood of his Son as Paul witnesses Ephes 2.11 It is good for us that we have often in our meditations the great use that the Scripture hath been to us in helping us to know what sin is that so we may avoid it and it also hath shewed what righteousness is that we may be in love with it And I pray you let your former experiences of what good we have received by the word and Ordinances not to be forgotten And further we finde and are made sensible through Grace that the Scripture is and hath been a sweet and perfect Rule for us to walk by and we thereby have been led and guided into the way of Truth and Peace And we know that all those that are found faithful in obeying the commands of Christ and continue therein they shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away And therefore let us alwayes look unto the Law and to the Testimony and imbrace that sweet counsel for the tryal of all doctrines for saith the Prophet if any speak not according to this minde when they come from hell and darkness for saith he they have no light in them Isa 8.20 O! then all those that go about to destroy this Rule they are so in darkness that as the Scripture saith They know not at what they stumble or whither they go John 12.35 And though these men say That they are the onely men that know God and love God yet if we see what John saith it will be found otherwise 1 Epist 2.3 4 5. Hereby saith John to the Church we do know that we do know him minde if we keep his commandments and he that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments what follows he is a liar and minde such a liar that the truth is not in him And he that saith He abideth in him ought himself so to walk even as he walked Now this was Christ's walk to do the will of him that sent him then these men go not Christ's way but their own and walk by the imaginations of their own heart rather then by the holy Commandments of Christ Jesus And also see who they are that love God John 14.23 24. and see who they are that are related to Christ Matth. 12.50 He that doth the will of my Father the same Man or Woman is Christ's Brother and Sister And now having given you his Principles as he then at the meeting in Harliston did stand by to maintain which before the close you have them weighed which those Principles he saith he ownes in his Book and see how they stand together But now in the second place I come to answer to those false slanders he charges me with in his Book First he saith That I came on purpose to that meeting to cavil and oppose the Truth To which I answer That the ground of my coming with other Friends was to oppose all doctrines whatsoever that was not warranted by the Word of God and in so doing I have one greater with me and for me then all you that so maliciously speak against me But O Farnworth take heed of boasting so of perfection until you shew better fruit and when you come to cease lying I shall hope some better things of thee Now the substance of thy discourse before I questioned thee was That you did witness you were free from sin and in the possession of the second Covenant Then did I bring in those words of John and told you That if it were so with you then you had attained higher