of mans belief not belief the cause of mans redemption for so should men deny Christ and be his own redeemer but Christ is a redeemer before man be a believer for what should man believe if not redemption and who should he believe if not the redeemer As a man cannot own Christ the Saviour and deny his redemption so a man cannot own redemption and deny the Saviour But thy Queries plainly testify thee to be a denyer of both In the next place thou hast broken in thy blindness thy fore-head against a rock that lay full in thy way for thou art forced to confess that I say something to the proof of Baptisme of Repentance in alledging Acts 7.59 If I and my freinds can witness such a condition as those convicts did in the four last verses Answ My freinds and I witnessing the condition required verse the 38. do manifest conversion which is more then conviction which conversion doth not only witness by the gift promised thereunto that condition in the four last verses upon the like or any Gospel occasion requiring but the condition Acts 7.59 60. Rom. 12.11 Heb. 10.34 For my freinds and I do witness against thee and all who deny to follow Christ in the Regeneration or Baptisme of Repentance that if we follow not that conversion to do as Gospel need requireth to the loss of what we here enjoy and life and all if we be thereunto called for Christ and his Gospel sake we violate our Baptisme and destroy our faith but to leave any of these and not for the Gospel sake or it requiring and calling thereunto but presently from an idle notion to seem to have what is not within 't is a denyal of faith and is hypocrisie turn thy eyes to those of thy own generation and see if thou can spie none who are so far from parting from their own estates that although convinced yet are not converted to restore that which others complain against them for as taken from them by Exaction and Violence while garments will not cover Extortion the righteousness of the Saints is the cloathing of the regeneration If my freinds and I could not witness the condition of the four last verses or the 38. verse of which thou canst not accuse us in a Gospel language is it right therefore for thee to deny Baptisme call the wise in heart to Judge if this be from a conscience rightly enlightened and they will tell thee that rather thou ought to stand up in the right use and practice thereof according to its faithful institution and not deny Baptisme because others who profess it are not rightly qualified for it and when the Hypocrite hath cast out the beam in his own eye he will see more clearly any mote that is in ours till when if thou make use of thy own words let the babler be silent it will be more wisedome and that lying pride and passion which here and so often thou would perswade the world of against me would not so plainly appear in thy self and then blindly boldly callit perfection Thou tellest me water sprinkling is not once named there Acts 2.32 To which I answer that neither would it be named here but that thy low light looks thee out that bubble to prevent thy obedience to that baptisme which is named there after thy forced confession of the truth thereof as afore is manifested and for a further occasion against that truth thou askest me if Christs Baptisme consist of outward water I answer if it did Martin Mason were a Baptized man for he hath had outward water but wanting in ward repentance and faith in that Christ whose ordinance Baptisme is therefore he is not Baptised but denyeth that council of God against himself as his predecessors in denyal thereof did Luke 7. I also will ask thee a question whose Baptisme was it that Philip Baptized the Eunuch with Acts 8.38 And that Peter commanded Cornelius to be Baptized with Acts 10.47 48. If thou acknowledg it Christs Baptisme thy fable is answered If thou say it was not Christs Baptisme whose seavants were they in the doing and commanding it to be done lay by thy lewd language and let me have an answer to this who never receivest answer from thee yet to any thing that I desired an answer to in meekness and moderation but in unreasonable railings and when thou knowest what the Baptisme of repentance is by a right conversion wrought in thy self thou wilt know what it is to suffer with Christ and what the Baptisme of the holy Ghost is till when the Serpent that is so quick in thy mouth stops it from confession to Salvation Thou should answer Ephes 1.13 Which thou callest my last proof and was brought to prove that the Spirit of promise is received by believing as also Gal. 3.2 was alledged to prove the same but thou having no mind to acknowledg the truth though so plainly appearing before thee and wanting answer against it asks me what was this word of truth if not Jesus the word of God the sure word of Prophesie which shined in the Ephesians dark hearts which they knew not Answ Is there any thing in this worthy to be called an answer to defend thee in thy denyall of the Spirit to be received by the hearing of the faith preached and believing the word of truth and Jesus the word of God being alone the Apostles preached that word of truth and Jesus the word of God to work faith in men by which faith the Spirit of promise was received what help for thee in this but to throw thee backward that word of truth and Jesus the word of God did not shine in the Ephesians dark hearts before the Apostles preached to them as thou falsly and ignorantly would perswade but after the Apostles preaching they believed and after they believed they were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise as that text saith Ephes 1.13 but thou thrusts away the word after which the text delivers that thy darkness might be placed before the Apostles preaching of Christ Jesus but Christ telleth thee John the 10.8 that all such forecomers are thieves and robbers compare this thy saying with the sure word of Prophesie which shined in their dark hearts which they knew not with what thou sayest before that the unction the womans seed the Christ within is that light which is in all consciences before faith and without before the Apostles preaching so that by thy Doctrine the Apostle preaching the word of truth or Jesus the word of God brought nothing to the Ephesians but what they had before for if they had the unction the Christ within which is the Spirit of promise before then were they Sealed before but the Apostle telleth them Ephes 2.12 that before they believed they were without Christ so that I must either deny the Ephesians conversion by the Apostles preaching of faith and the Apostles saying that after they believed they were Sealed
many foul words for it let that charity now begin at home and deal such words rightly where they do belong would any but one who is blind in heart publish himself in print in such poor pettish spirited things as thou dost I am ashamed to have to do with such silly stuffe neither would I but that I knew my silence would make thee boast and be wise in thy own concent therefore I chuse rather to answer thee as I am advised Prov. 26.5 Thou bids Jonathan tell thee if he did not a little before own the light of the conscience to be the inlet of the Spirit Answ Jonathan by writing hath told Martin before and tells him now that he dis-owns his false fained light but he owns the light of the conscience enlightned by the preaching of faith according to the Scriptures Thou askest me if I will be a Lyer whether thou wilt or no as though thou had the making and disposing of Lyes as a Child belonging to the Father of Lyes but though thy will like thy Fathers be to have all Lyers like thy self yet thou must want of thy will in me for I neither love or make Lyes neither canst thou prove any Lye against me though thou call me Lyer but it is a small matter to find a Lye in a foul mouth I am willing to refer what is said to the wise in heart to judge who is the Babler and bond-slave in Babylon and sayes and unsayes which is the esteeme thou would have me in with those to whom thou publisheth so against me and whom thou askest if I do not place water and beleeving in the Letter in the room of Christ by making them the way and the door or inlet to the Spirit of promise Answ It would agree better with right reason if thou shewed where I said so least they that find not any such saying of mine must needs say thou art a Lyer whether they will or no I deny thou hast them words from me water administred upon repentance and faith in Christ Jesus I would have where it should be according to Gospel teaching that is the Baptisme of repentance which I have so much spoken to thee and against which thou and thy generation deviseth so many cross opposings to wind out and shroud your selves from the appearance of truth but your coverings are too scant which makes your nakedness be seen of every passer by Who ever saist thou are not Spiritually blind will see the blasphemy of the beast for Christ the light of the world is the door and the way John 10.9 and 14.16 and so the inlet to the Spirit of promise Answ Doth Christ being the door and the way to Salvation deny faith to be the inlet of his spirit of promise is not entrance into Christ the door by faith and is not receiving the Spirit of promise by faith then faith in Christ is the inlet to Salvation and the inlet of the spirit of promise into the heart therefore though Christ be the door and the way Yet those who have not but denies faith in Christ Jesus have no inlet or entrance therein then surely thou must needs be without Christ and hath no entrance into him calling it the blasphemy of a beast to alledge the plain Testimony of Christ to prove faith to be the inlet of the Spirit of promise surely all that hear thee will see thy spiritual blindness in such faith-less grace-less deliveries Thou askest me where the Creature must look for Christ if not within Answ The Creature must look for Christ as he doth openly manifest himself to every Creature according to the Scriptures thou nor any other are not like to find him within in your faithless condition till you hear the Scriptures direction and obey the teaching of Christ therein and so become new Creatures according to the Gospel for none but new Creatures have Christ within them and no new Creatures in the denyal of the Baptisme of repentance the denyal of which is manifested in thee in thy hot words of contempt against it being thy self so fouled in foul water without repentance even since thou received thy Romish washing and not purisyed from that by the lavour of regeneration remains in thy old unclean condition not obeying the truth thy self but railng upon those that do And though Christ stand at thy door and knock and call upon thee to open thy door and amend thy life and be Baptized in the Name of Christ Jesus for remission of thy sins yet thou wilt not hear him and open thy door to receive him but hast received a stranger called false Imagination who because he acknowledgeth whoredom and drunkenness and murther is sin yet because he tells thee not that disobedience to the command and teachings of Christ in reference to his Law of faith is sin is Spiritual Whoredome and Drunkenness and Murther and Theft and the like therefore thou cryest out against the Ordinances of Christ to outface thy disobedience thereunto but if an evil Spirit should not come with something to deceive with the possessed therewith must be a professed Devil in maintaining its Motion But the man of sin comes in all deceivableness of unrighteousness to perswade those who are deceived that they are Saints when they are the quite contrary and now to give our Audience a right knowledg of what we contend for and the difference thereof that so they may make right application of truth or falshood to which of us it belongs let them know That what I have declared and do contend for is for the maintenance of the faith once given to the Saints according to the Scriptures and preaching of Christ and his Apostles which is the light and way of God to direct all men to everlasting life as the Scriptures do plainly witness John 14.6 Mark 16.16 Rom. 10.9 10. John 3.16 Thy declaration and contending is without and denying the Scriptures and preaching of the man Christ that dyed at Jerusalem for the sins of the whole world or the Apostles sent of him so thine is a thing in secret not according to the open declared will and command of Christ or teaching of his and therefore must needs be a deceit and not to be received but accounted accursed Gal. 1.8 9. John 9.10 11. Rom. 16.17 If I must receive thee as in the truth for saying thou hast a light within thee which thou callest Christ when thou walkest contrary to and denyest the declared will of Christ Jesus in the Scriptures then from the same ground I must receive another that saith so and then the Pope and his Prelates and theirs or any such who are as able to declare what they say they have of Christ within as Martin Mason or any by whose hand held forth he hath been led into this Condition and they are for no other cause to be excepted against but for their walking contrary to and denying the declared will of Christ Jesus in the
Pagan-like to frame right reason or deny it without reason let thy friends judge Thou biddest me consider in the cool of the day that which is born of the flesh is flesh but that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit Answ In the cool of the day I do consider and in that coolness tell thee that this is sufficient to discover that notwithstanding all thy hot words against me about perfection in the mind through faith but not perfection in the flesh till Mortal have put on Immortality that outward man is born of the flesh and is flesh therefore not perfect the inward man or mind in the state of faith is born of the Spirit and therefore perfect in which perfection of the mind Paul saith he serves the Law of God but in his imperfect flesh the Law of sin Rom. 7.25 All thy following words about perfection at the end of which thou writes the word Queries is a repetition not proving any thing for thee for the Tabernacle of God with men and dwelling in them and walking in them and the like is all included in that afore alledged of the Apostle Paul his having the holy Ghost in him yet the same Apostle saith that in his flesh dwells no good thing this thou shouldst answer too and prove perfection in that which Panl denyeth or acknowledg thy error or speak plainly that all may hear thee as one of thy generation did to me alledging that Scripture to him who adorning his speech with thy manner of language of beast and lyer and filthie creature and such like Said Paul was no Christian when he wrote that thou askest me why I deny that to be the true Spirit or true unction which is not received by the letter Answ That Spirit which denyeth the Apostles teaching in the Scriptures and is not received by the hearing and believing their preaching of faith I deny because 't is a lying Spirit and cometh but to deceive Had not saist thou Abraham Isaac and the rest of the holy men of God who lived before Moses writ the Letter had not they the Spirit of truth within them were there not many deceitful Serpents and filthy Spirits like thine in their dayes and had they any outward writing given them c. Answ What though Abrabam and the rest thou speakest of in their time had the Spirit of truth within them before the Law written by Moses doth that give cause to any in time of the Law to deny the writing by Moses or thee or any now to deny the writings of Christ and his Apostles if there were such Serpents and filthy Spirits as thou speakest of who opposed the cammand of God yet that doth not excuse the deceitful Serpents and filthy Spirits that now deny the written verities as thou and thy generation do that Spirit which led men to obey the commandements of God or Law of faith before Moses writ the Law which if it were not by writing yet it was by voyce which is all one for that which was given to Abraham by voyce was written for our learning and what was given to the Apostles by voyce was also written for our learning Rom. 15.4 That we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope that Spirit I say that led men before the Law written to obey did also lead men to obey the Law written by Moses and whosoever denyed and despised that Law was led by an evil Spirit and it was death without mercy Heb. 10.28 Even so now that Spirit that led men before the Law and in the Law to obey the commandements of God by faith the same Spirit now doth lead men to obey all the commandements and teachings of Christ Jesus in the Law of the Gospel preached and written by the Apostles as 1 Cor. 14.37 But whosoever denyeth obedience and would trample that down as thou and thy fellows they are led by an evil Spirit and their sorer punishment is told them Heb. 10.29 did Paul and the rest of the Apostles saist thou receive the Spirit of truth by vertue of reading or hearing any writing or book without them Answ All the Apostles did first hear the voice of Christ who was their Book or Writing without them before they received the Spirit of Truth within them Produce if thou canst any of the Apostles who had the Spirit of Promise within them before Christ had first called them with his voyce without them Thou saist That which thou broughtest out of 1 John 2. as to the annointing stands unshaken and cannot be removed by all the Brats of Babylon Answ That which thou broughtest is not like to be shaken by the brats of Babylon except against their wills as the foolish woman destroyes her own house for 't is their own bringing but if that 1 John 2. and all other declarations of the holy Ghost in the Scriptures could be shaken they had been ere now for thou and thy generation lay all your bones and sinews to shake it but it is grounded on a Rock and hath its being and protection from the Lord of Power and therefore is it that like your predecessors you are so marvelously beaten back in your assaults against it what hast thou to do with the annointing spoken of 1 John 2. it doth not belong nor is it in the denyers of Christ 't is onely the Saints Seal and Assurance of the love and favour of God to them which those know not who are in the state of disobedience against the Law of Faith for without Faith no promise or sealing in the New Covenant And no Faith where no Obedience to that Teaching is denied Thou publishest this to the World to make them think thou hadst said something but it is a plain testimony to all that hear thy former Paper with my Answer of thy conviction here not being a word in answer to any thing said to thee but Repetitions weakly as well as in thy amazement thou couldst Thou talkest of the Pope but thou canst not free thy self with all the skill and strength thou hast of the comparison I made betwixt you You both boast of Christ to be come in the flesh and both deny that Christ who came in his own flesh for you both deny his teachings and commands given while he was here in the flesh and set up your own inventions against him and therefore are alike Antichristian and so as is Prophesied of you in Daniel though you seem to war and contend one against another yet you talk of deceit at one Table talking of Christ come in the flesh by which he cals himself Christs Vicar or Christ on Earth and thou and thy generation so many as there are of you would be so many Christs like another of your Predecessours Henry Nicolas the Father of the Familists whose breath some years agon hath blown these swarms that thus darken the Sun and infect the Air He denied Salvation by Christ who died at Jerusalem as
The Quaker Quasht AND HIS QUARREL QUELLED IN An ANSWER to a Railing Pamphlet written by MARTIN MASON of Lincoln INTITULED THE Boasting Baptist DISMOUNTED AND The BEAST DISARMED and Sorely WOUNDED Without any CARNAL WEAPON Whereunto is added Eighteen several MEDITATIONS usually Received by the QVAKERS at their first Enterance into that Delusion By JONATHAN JOHNSON a Servant of Jesus Christ To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Isa 8.20 But there were false Prophets also among the people even as there shall be false Teachers among you which privily shall bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that hath bought them and bring upon themselves swift damnation 2. Pet. 2.1 There be some that trouble you intend to pervert the Gospel of Christ but though that we or an angel from heaven preach unto you otherwise then that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed Gal. 1.7 8. LONDON Printed for Francis Smith in Flying-Horse-Court in Fleet Street near Chancery Lane End 1659. TO THE READER AS Books are censured according to the judgement of the Reader so I expect no other from thee whomsoever thou art it is my satisfaction within my self that I have no other end in sending this forth into the world but to maintain that which I know to be truth against those who grossly and absurdly do oppose it as I hope will be plainly seen and manifested to right Judgement As for Martin Mason the man whose railings slanders and unparaleld evil speakings against me are sounded abroad in the Nation and for no other cause that I know of for my love to the truth of Christ Jesus his Gospel and for desiring to draw him from that thick cloud of darkness under which I see him lie by the deceiveableness of unrighteousness suggested into him by that power that darkens the Son and the Air and which a long time have striven to hide that light and Spirit of truth which is received by the hearing of faith preached and believing according to the Scriptures and now as much as ever so farr as their power serves in this generation called Quakers who bouldy and audatiously deny Christ and his Apostles teaching to be the Word of God or Rule of righteousness or power of God to Salvation contrary to the plain testimony of the Scripture and calling the Scriptures teachings dead letter and lifeless book with innumerable suchlike wicked reproachful tearms as in the Pamphlet that I am now to deal with is manifested and in many others and as they are in their writings so they are in their words as I can witness and have others to witness with me the one of their generation to my face told me I was a filthie creature a lyer and a beast with more such foul words for saying Christ had a body was like unto us in althings save only sin for said he Christ had not a body of substance but the form only of a body And when I alledged the Apostle Pauls complaint of his infirmity in the flesh against their pretended perfection he using the same language of Beast and Lyar and like tould me Paul was no Christian when he wrote that But I say as for Martin Mason I did expect to hear of his acknoledgment in his evil in what he had written agaist me for declaring the truth which would have stayed me from sending this into the world which I have had allmost two years by me but failing of my expectation I sent to him now at least to know if he were come to a sight of his follie and evil therein and if he were that he would acknowledge it if not I must send into the world to vindicate the truth against him for said I many blind ones boast of thy folly and my silence and many who clearly see thy ignorance and evil therein wonder why I will let such stuff pass unrebuked but no retnrn had I from him but persisting in the same mind using his old language without any acknowledgment at all I therefore thought my self further engaged to send this forth which I had written The Scriptures do abundantly foretel of the coming of these who in the name of Christ shall deceive many As there is no Name given under heaven whereby men shal be saved but by the Name of Jesus Christ Acts 4.12 So the Enemy of the Salvation knows there is no Name but that only to take up to deceive by and under pretence of that to bring in his low devices which are destructive to the Soul there is no other way then to be sure of safety in these dangers when truth and falshood hath taken both one name but to look only to the Sriptures where the Name of Christ is fully made known with power and by which whomsoever comes to right knowledge shall deserue all false cryars of lot here and loe there and truly know the Name and voyce of Christ from strangers who take up that name to deceive by and will not stand to the true tryal of the Scripture but by false glosses and evil interpretations pervert the plain and manifest truth and when all that will not serve bouldly deny the life and authority of Scripture and labour to pull them from mens hearts and minds that their own falshood may be set above them as is plainly seen in this generation called Quakers like to their predicessors the Papists all which are alike denyers of Christ as he hath revealed himself in the Scriptures Therefore whomsoever thou art that truly desirest to bear the Name of Christian weigh what thou readest in the right balance and whatsoever thou findest to hold weight with the Truth approve and receive it and if any thing fall shorte of that impute it to my weakness for my desires are unfainedly to own the Truth although it be found against me To the true tryal I comit my writing who am a lover of all those who love the Lord Jesus in sincerity Ionathan Iohnson Truth Triumphing NOT yet dismounted Martin from that Station That dwelling place of Gods beloved Nation Nor sorely wounded with the windy push Of Martin Mason with his quaking Rush It is no Satyrs Apish Babel-frown Can pull the least of Gods beloved down How canst thou think thy Scrith-Owl nightly skriking Can from Gods Truth take any Saints good-liking Can those who in old Babels ruine dwell Reach up to Sion or her Towers tell Can Owls and Bats that flutter here below Mount up like Eagles Sions strength to know Or there dismount from of the Fort so strong The Lambs Beloved singing Sions Song The more thou strivest those sacred walls to scale Greater thy losse the more thy strength will fail Martin keep thou below reach not too high Till thou be cleans'd from thy impurity Thy false conceited Wisdom void of Light Lays op'e thy folly unto wise mens Sight Thy boasting brags
to Wound and to Dismount Doth shew thy shallownesse all men account But night ey'd bats thy railing Pamphlet foolish And thy hot zeal to true Religion coolish Vain are thy thoughts thinking to strike Truth down With railing words it never yet was known That Truth was overcome by railing foes Tho' many times she in her Covers goes With bloudy face and Martered sore by such As ather beautious hold appears think much Leave thou these bould assaults ' gainst Truths rich Palis Think not that Truth can be ore ' come by Malis The more thou strivest the more thou'lt have the foyle And sorrow'l be thy wages for thy toyle Shut not thy windows at the glorious light Which in the Gospels day doth shine so bright Were it not madnesse in the brightest day To light a candle to shew men their way What use for candles where the Sun doth shine As little use for that dull light of thine Thy light within more sit for secret place Then where the sacred Sonlight shews his face It must in Dungeons be and caves below Where Heavens bright Lamp his face doth never show There where the nightly dancing Satyrs dwell Who likes no light but what 's within their Cell Pleas'd with the light themselves there kindled have And will no Son light let into their grave Happy for thee if thou couldst thrust away That darkning skreen which hides thee from the ray Of Gospel Son light which would let thee see Those glorious things which from thee hidden be Leave thou those foolish fancies of self-teaching And ope ' thy ear to Scriptures sacred preaching Obey those truths that therein written be 'T will make thee of Gods holy City free And bring thee to a right regenerate mind And let thee know that now th' art deaf and blind J. J. THE QUAKER QUASH AND HIS QUARREL QUELLED IN An Answer to a Railing Pamphlet written by MARTIN MASON of Lincoln c. Martin THOU canst not leave thy old way of boasting as in thy former Paper so in this thou criest up thy self a man of valour strength it seems thou fearest thy own Works or Neighbours will not praise thee therefore thou contrary to Wisdoms advice Pro. 27.2 wilt praise thy self I told thee in my former Paper That wise men will not boast till the putting off their Armour but thou notwithstanding wilt cry Victory before Conquest or touching thy Adversaries with any blow to give the cause of encouragement thou Bragadotio like saiest thou wilt not give one intch of ground or turn thy back on the uncircumcised Philistine by which thou wouldest have the world to think thy Davids heart and engagement will conclude in Victory But if David had taken thy way of railing and boysterous braging the room of combate or without blow he had never overcome May not I fitly compare thee to a whore taken in her whordome yet rails on those who take her and cryes whore first I took thee in thy Boasting as is witnessed in our former papers thou runest out into the world and cryes me for the boaster But I am so far from Boasting that knowing my own infirmities and weakness I would rather keep silence let thee spend thy breath in vain the wage words to maintain any such right but I knowing that thy railing is against the Truth which thou serest thy self to oppose I am mooved through mindfulness of the Lord not to keep silence But to declare against thy deeds of darkness presumptious words against the most High his Saints let this my engagement be compared with David and thypresumptions words with Goliah and it will make known who is the uncircumcised Philistine The more thou strivest the more thy weakness within is manifested and thy strokes throws thee backward Thou saist the weapons of your warfare are not carnal yet all thy defence or offence is by carnal foul and filthy words of which but disposesse thee and thou wilt be left without either words or shields And though thou talk of the conquering Sword of the Spirit saying it is thy weapon it is little manifested in thy denial of the word of God for the conquering Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God Ephes 6.17 Therefore although thou steal these words of weapons not being carnal and Sword of the Spirit that which thou callest the dead Letter yet art thou far from the exercise of spiritual weapons or knowledge of them for if thou wert not thou woulest testifie more purity and peace If thou say thou hadest these words the Sword of the Spirit or Spiritual weapons from the light within thee without the Scriptures which thou callest dead Letters all that hears thee Impartialy will say thou speakest not Truly And so will thy own conscience if thou open that Book And will also let thee see how asuredly evil it is for thee to call the Scriptures dead Letter and yet fetch those words which thou deliverest for spiritual Declarations from thence Thou saiest among other things thou askest me hath every one that comes into the world heard and read the preaching of Christ and his Apostles as they are transcribed in the Bible and thou saiest I answer they have all heard thou replyest must the Lyer in thee be received for the Oracle of God Answ Thou hear dealest falsely with my answer not delivering as I did I said have they not all heard thy error in this is because thou knowest not the Scriptures which will tell thee Mat. 28.20 Mark 16. 15. Act. 2 5 6. Rom. 10.18 Whether this be my Lye or the Scriptures speaking let the hearers Judge as also who is the Lyer whether I for alledging plain Testimonies of Scriptures or thou for delivering my Answer otherwise then thou receivest it may not Millions of Men and Women saiest thou who dwell in those parts of the world not counted Christendom wittness against thee if an Egyptian mist had not blinded thee thou couldst not have been so besotted as to back thy Lye with those places of the Letter Mat. 28.19 20. Mark 16.15 Which in effect prove Christs Command to his Disciples when they were upon earth to go preach the glad tydings of the Gospel to the generations they lived in Answ Couldst thou fetch those Millions thou speakest of for thy defence yet could they not witness against me the Word of the Lord is a sure witness against thee and all opposers of the universal precahing of faith or sound of the Gospel of Christ in all the world and to every creature therefore as formerly so I say now as the Apostle doth demand Rom. 10.18 Have they not all heard but they have not all obeyed as verse the 16. Therefore those Milions which thou saiest are not counted Christians if they be not Christians 't is not because they have not heard but because they have not obeyed read Act. 1.8 and Luke 24.27 Which tells thee the Apostles shall be witnesses of Christ Jesus to the
uttermost part of the earth and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached to all Nations Now let all who have ears to hear judge whether an Egyptian mist and besottedness be not rather in thy self to aledge these whom thou never sawest or heard but by the report of others to be thy witness against me and the Scriptures There is two many nearor hand who if their non obedience must witness against the Scriptures that they have not heard the preaching of Christ and his Apostles do witness fully of which namely Martin Mason is one who is too full of fury and wrath against the preaching of the Gospel by Christ and his Apostles to yeild obedience thereunto Thy saying that Mat. 28.19 20. Mark 16.15 In effect proves Christ command to his Disciples when they were on earth to go preach the glad tydings of the Gospel to the generation they lived in Dothplainly shew how desirous thou art to out short the Commission of Christ and stop the mouths of his Apostles in their preaching by that Commission in these times whose power and promise with that Commission as it was to all the world and every creature so it is to the worlds end as is manifested in the Scriptures verse the 20. By which is discovered what relation thou hast to Christ or love or aquaintance with his truth If thou didest know Christ as the truth is in Jesus thou wouldst know that though the Apostles be not personaly upon earth yet their word by which beleif in Christ is wrought John 47.20 and by which the world shall be judged John 12 48. Rom. 2.16 and by which the word of God is manifest Tit. 1.3 and which is a witness to all Nations through the whole world Mat. 24.14 yet remaineth notwithstanding thine and Millions of opposers and denyers thereof And thus that Egypian mist and sottishness which thou saiest is in me is manifested in thy self who as thou goest about by London way to speak with me who lives by thee in Lincolne so thou runest to the unchristianed world as thou callest them who live many thousands of Myles from thee to be thy witness against me that the Gospel is not preached by Christ and his Apostles and against the Scriptures also And our own knowledge who have their preaching sounding in our ears continually Would any but a misted blind man bring a candle to witness against the Light of the Sun Thy confusion is further manifested In thy acknowledging the Scriptures in effect proves Christ command to his Disciples to go preach the glad tydings of the Gospel For thou denyst and opposest that Christ which they preached and also in his Ordinances and therefore most miserable is thy condition in that to acknowledge it the Command of Christ and the glad tydings of the Gospel and yet fight against it Thou saiest thou never questionedst Christs Comission or their execution thereof yet thou thy self denyst obedience thereunto and wouldest bring Millions of non Christians to witness against it what greater question can be against that Commistion to all the world and every Creature in the world or the execution thereof then to say Millions of people in the world have never heard of that Christ Thou bidest me see my foolishness and be ashamed but if that blend which befottes all sences that oppose the Truth were not it thee thou wouldest see thy self amongst these Owls and Batts whose nightly noyse is heard in the ruines of Babylon But that wine being in thee 't is hid from thy Eyes Thou repeatest thy question How is the Gospel preached to every Creature under Heaven if not by the Principal of light in the Conscience Answ And I answer thee again In the preaching of Christ and his Apostles which worketh the principle of light in the Conscience which is the light of Christ that lighteth every man that cometh into the World And whatsoever pretended light in the Conscience that is not enlightned from thence and leads not to the obedience of that preaching 't is darkness and not light it is two secret and desart for the Saints and Diseiples of Christ to go out to it Mat. 24.26 and lead but where the foolish Woman brings her dead guests Prov. 9.18 Take away thy Letter saiest thou and by this mans Doctrine there would be no principal of light arising in thy Conscience Answ Take away the preaching of Christ in the Scriptures which thou callest dead Letter there would be the same in the Conscience in relation to light that would be in thy tongue for hadest thou not their speakings to still thy mouth with what Name of Christ or Spirit or Spiritual weapon or Gospel or Conscience or Light it self wouldst thou have all that hear thee knows that thou hast none of these expressions but from thence Those who spake by thy Spirit when Christ was personally upon earth might likewise say take away this Carpinter Marys Son and there is no Mesias or Son of God or Light and Saviour of the world for as they contemned and despised Christ Jesus because of his seeming meanness or outward manly estate so thou dost contemne and dispise his Word therefore his Word shall judge the in the lay day John 12.48 Shall men despise the way and means that God hath given for teaching and correcting in righteousness and which is able to make men wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 3.16 17. Because 't is brought home to them in words and writing such dispisers shall wonder and vanish away at the beholding the work of God by that which they so dispise Martin take this further with thee to consider of in way of answer that whosoever takes away or denys that which thou callest dead Letter shall find no light of Conscience but what leads to distruction the Scriptures are either the voyce or speaking of God or nothing or worse if they be nothing or worse why dost thou sometimes say thou ownst them or why dost thou speak by them and steal their word to fill thy mouth with and aledge them And if they be the voyce and speaking of God as even they are thou that wouldest take them away and callest them Dead and Life-less wouldst take away the voyce and speaking of God and call it Dead and Life-less and so art a plain opposer and set enemy against God which manifesteth thy dead and dark mind Thy swelling words against me of gross darkness and calling me Babylonian and Lyer and shame cover thy face and the like I slight them as Big words of wrath for want of matter Thou askest me If there was not a Principal of Light in people before Moses writ the Letter Answ There was the preaching of the Gospel the word of Faith which is the sure Principle of Light before Moses writ the Letter witness Abels offering and Abrahams believing compared with Gal. 3.8 and Heb. 11.4 As also the preaching of the Gospel or righteousness by Noah to the
everlasting life through faith in him The other evil is it makes men listen to the false imaginations and deceitful perswasions of their own hearts which hath been the cause of all Idolatry superstition and disobedience to the Law of faith that hath been for men leaving the spiritual teaching and commands of Christ in the Scripture and following their own Invensions and heart Imaginations run themselves into several false practises and bould disobedience of which this of yours is not the least for the greater pretence of light in disobedience the greater evil And this bouldness of thy heart by following its Imaginations is further manifested in thy saying how should the seed of the woman break the Serpents head if the seed of the woman the unction or Christ within and the seed of the Serpent the man of sin be not within By which all may plainly see who are in the light thy denyal of the death of Christ who by his death and blood-shed in that once suffering at Jerusalem did break the Serpents head according to Gods decree and appointment but thou in denyal of that and to give him a plaister for his his broken head tellest the world or unbelievers that their light within which is their heart imaginations and vain fancies without that which is preached by Christ and his Apostles to give light is the seed of the woman that breaks the Serpents head no other breaking of his head wouldest thou have them to believe and thus wouldest thou if thou could save the breaking of the sepents head and give him a hellmet rather Thou runest on with a many words some stollen from Scripture and some thy own Imagination and to conclude what sayest but this is a mystery Answ To which I answer 't is a mystery indeed but it is the mystery of Iniquity for it denyeth Christ Jesus and setteth up false devices in his room but the righteous desires not to know the deepness of Satan as thou speaks in thy former paper thou saist to me poor man how hath thy father befooled thee hath not the God of this world blinded thy mind 't is so or else thou wouldst see thy nakedness and be ashamed of thy ignorance with more such big words And this was because I had said the light of Christ is manifested by the preaching of Christ and his Apostles hearing and receiving of which said I is the inlet to the Spirit of promise and for proof I alledged Gal. 3.2 Acts. 2.38 the truth of which thou not being able to gainsay smitest me thus with thy tongue for reveng in thy offence at truth but when thy passion was somewhat over and thou hadst forgot why thou wast angry thou saidst the very same thy self which thou condemnest in me thy words were these Did not the Galatians receive the Spirit by the hearing of faith that is sayst thou by believin that Christ which Paul preached also thou saidst that is the word of faith which we preach saith Paul and hearing of the word of faith the light in the conscience is the inlet to the Spirit of promise In answer to all which I said what cause hast thou thus to complain against me when thou art forced to say the same thing with me thou hast in this disarmed thy self and yeilded the victory 't is in vain for thee to take up for another charg Let the wise Reader now judge if there were not just cause for thee to lay thy hand upon thy mouth in silence or confess thy folly for exclaming against me for saying what the Scripture saith when thou sayest the very same with me and with the text of Scripture alledged save only thy addition the light in the conscience which is to be thrown to thee being thy own Idol and not belonging to the text But thou for want of a gracious humbled Spirit to acknowledg the truth when it is so plainly laid before thee continuest thy old corrupt language like Balaam to curse where thou knoweth the Lord hath blessed but thy mouth is ordered contrary to the desires of thy heart Be it remembred saist thou that thou hast owned the light of the conscience to be the inlet to the Spirit of promise There is no cause Martin to forget that being remembred that thou sayest with me that light is by the hearing of faith preached by the Apostles Then in thy former paper touldst me of Juggling the which I called upon thee to prove but thou not being able returnest to ask me if I have not saved thee some labour and done it my self Answ Martin this is just like thee to shew so little cause for so large accusation thy labour hath been great enough were it known to prove that thou cannot but I will shew how with male labour I have opened Martin Masons Juggling Box who cried condemnation against me for that which I found he himself had and I also found that when he had called the people together pretending to shew them Christ the Saviour and light and truth there I discovered all to be nothing but a crucifix and false fained lights and tryfels of self-dinying Thou mayst have spared the labour of telling me I one while own the Letter to be the inlet to the Spirit of promise and another time own the light of the Conscience to be the inlet sometime calling the Letter sometime the Spirit the Rule Answ For I never owned to thee any light of Conscience but that which is the preaching of Faith in the Scriptures which Light or enlightning thy self hath before owned though fore against thy will and for thy pretended light that hath not ' its original from that faithpreaching power of the Apostles I deny it as a deadly darkness where hast thou that word Letter from me calling it the inlet or rule is it not a word of thy own divising against the Apostles preaching or to use thy own termes a Brat of thy own begetting why wilt thou father it upon me charge it not upon me but chalenge thy own Is not thy foundation saist thou built upon the Letter dost not thou account that for the word of God Which Paul and Petter preacheed Answ I do account that for the Word of God which Paul and Peter preached and I am built upon that foundation which they have laid which is Christ Jesus as 1 Cor. 3.10 11. And this is denyed by none but the raiging Heathen and disobedient denyers of Christ to be come in the flesh the Apostles Paul saith to the Thesselonians 1 Thes 2.13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing that when ye received of us the word of the preaching of God ye received it not as the word of men but as it is indeed the word of God which also worketh in you that believe let this be compared with thy denyal of that to be the word of God which Paul preached and those who hear thee will account thee as Paul wileth Gal. 1.8 Art thou not
deny him to be risen from the grave ascended make right application of this or let the wise of the nation that hears thee do it if Christ be still slain for me as thou saist he is it must be bodily for so was his dying for sinners then is he in the grave and not risen or ascended but thou saist the heaven which contains Christ is a mystery to my dark mind But I answer 't is rather thy dark mind which to set up thy mystery of iniquity would cloud the Heaven that contains Christ according to the Scriptures Acts 3.21 and 1 11. Thou returns a slender account of my counsel given unto thee to leave thy false luminaries and turn thy feet into the testimonies of the true light in calling me lyer and false Prophet blasphemer and such like but those who were but in doubt before will now be fully satisfied what light is in thee compared with the pure peaceable Spirit and mind of wisedome John 9.8 the Leopard saist thou cannot change his spots and 't is hard for thee to leave thy lying thou saist I kill the Scriptures can that which is dead be killed Answ I did not say thou killed the Scriptures dost not thou tell a lye then to say I said so I said thou would kill the Scriptures if thou could when thou should obey them and have them alive again to defend thee against others and this was because sometimes thou said the Scriptures thou owned and that they were yours and that thou owned that which gave forth the leaves and would bring them forth to condemn others and at other times when thou art called upon to obey them thou calls them dead letter and life-less books and saist it is a damnable doctrine to say the Spirit is received by the hearing of faith preached and believing according to the Apostles preaching in the Scriptures let the reader now judge whether this loud out-cry against me of lying be not justly returned upon the head of the cryer Martin I have told thee and many of thy generation that you cannot kill the Scriptures but that they are and will be a continual living against you and all opposers of truth and though thou say can that which is dead be killed yet dost thou and thy fellows make all the vile warr you can against them in which you find them so living that it is a torment unto you and makes you rage against the remnant of woman-seed who keep the commandements of God and faith of Jesus according to the Scriptures Thou asks if in two several places I do not call the Scripture dead letter Answ If I do 't is where I call thee a Saint see if thou canst find that in my paper thou tells me I run on in lying because I said thou runs for shelter amonst those thou accounts thy enemies who knows no other burial with Christ but burial in water calling them the cheif Princes of Meshech and Tubal Answ Had not I good cause to tell thee of running for shelter to thy enemies when thou runs to defend thy self against Baptisme with the word sprinkling a word begun and used in way of contempt by those whom thou and thy generation are against as much as against me yet art forced to make use of their weak weapons having none of thy own in this case and now to make them more of thy side and to rise with thee against me thou saist I call them the cheif Princes of Meshech and Tubal but let my paper be looked on with impartial eyes and it will be told thee 't is applyed to thee and thy generation and all who are found to band themselves against the Baptisme of repentance I not nominating any particular but him I writ to though thou say I mean those called dippers yet thou hast not the word dipper from me Thou saist I have invented an abominable lye besides non-sence in two lines and this abominable lye and non-sence is because I say thou bids me prove whether Christ commanded Baptisme to his Disciples yea or nay and did the Lord require it of his people to this day yea or nay Answ Was not the matter we had in question Baptisme see my answer to James Naylors sixt position set down in thy former paper my words there are these it is not faith but a fancy to run to other helps then the Spirit received by the hearing of faith preached by Christ and his Apostles all other teaching or Spirits are but lying vanities leading to the denyal of obedience in that faith required as in the Baptisme of repentance and the like thou undertaking to reply to this said 't is indeed thy darling thy Diana which must down is thy sprinkling with water the Baptisme of Christ did the Lord command or require it of his people to this day Now the reader thy cloak being taken off may see the abominable lie non-sence whether in me who answers thee according to the matter in question or whether it be not rather in thy self who to flie the answer talkest of sprinkling which is from the matter and is neither darling or Diana of mine but that thou must dandle such babbles to delude the spectators surely thou art not so blind in thy self as thou seems to be to think that any who can hear right from wrong will not hear thy guiltiness of Lying and non-sence to call upon me to prove Sprinkling which belongs not to our question to avoid thy answer in denyal of Baptisme But though thou canst not say any thing in answer thou can tell how to give the lie it s an observable thing in thee that when thou hast the least to answer thou makest the greatest noyse in railing accusations thinking thereby to take off the Reader from seeing thy folly but the wise will soon descern thy poverty and miserable nakedness Thou thinks it not enough to tell me I vent an abominable lie nonsence for speaking truth but fearing that insufficient to effect thy will thou tellest me thou never knew of one pretending to more piety then I that excelled or equalled me in the devillish art of lying Answ Surely the violence of thy evil disease through delusion will appear to all men I cannot but think thou speakest contrary to what thy thoughts are of me what a miserable condition is thine in this to accuse me not only to them who knows me not but also to them who knows me of that which in thy thoughts thou dost not think is so but thy denyal of truth in me is to cover thy denyal of truth in the Scriptures as in the matter in question the Baptisme of repentance which yet remains a Conquering truth over all thy Sprinklings and Lyes and non-sence which paper-walls thou patches together to defend thee from answering what was charged upon thee in the point of Baptisme Thou saist in the art of Lying I am a noble servant to my Master Answ That doth but
shew the pride of thy fathers child who would have a servant under him In which pride thou saist for the simples sake thou wilt peruse those Scriptures my father sends me with to fight for his kindgome which Scripture is Mat. 28.19 20. Act. 2.32 41 42. Answ Let the Reader take notice that these being the Scriptures of God and weapons given by him to those he sends for their defence and safety against the enemy thou must either acknowledge God to be my Father agianst thy will in bringing these Scriptures or say they are not his but the Scriptures and weapons of his enemy which Blasphemy being lodged in thy calling it dead Letter will be laid open that all may see whose Child thou art But howsoever this is certain that it is not God whose the Scriptures is that sends thee with these low weapons of self devices to fight against the sender of those Scriptures and those sent of him but all thy labour will be in vain and destruction will be the wages of such Imployment thy promise to the simple is spoken in thy mother tongue Prov. 9.16 They must be simple ones indeed that gives ear to thy Doctrine and perusal of Scripture Thy first perusal is thou tellest the simple thou cannot find Sprinkling there Answ This is a simple instruction he must needs be a blind guide that can but tell those he undertakes to teach that he cannot see or cannot find and so produce nothing thou canst not find Sprinkling and thou wilt not find Baptisme there though the Scriptures plainly declare it the simple will soon have enough of thy perusal of Scripture from whence thou runnest stumbling to me in thy blindness and asks if Act. the 22.16 make for my purpose and if Sprinkling with water is once mentioned there or did Annanias bid him be Baptised with outward water Answ That Scripture is for me in the matter in question which is Baptisme Annanias bid him arise and be Baptised and he arose and was Baptised Act. 9.18 as for thy words Sprinkling with water and outward water being no Scripture Language but thy own having thy tongue dipt in the Egyptian Sea and but trifles and babbles of thine to shift off the answer I shall leave them see if thou can produce any thing from thence that will answer thy rejecting that counsel of God against thy self in not being Baptised as thy brother Expounders and perusers of Scriptures did Luke the 7.30 Thou saist as for Act. the 10.47 48. is it not clear the Holy Ghost was received without outward water then where is the necessity of Sprinkling Answ No necessity of Sprinkling but where Martin Mason wants an answer In his denyal of Saptisme with water upon confession of faith and for the necessity of that Baptisme the Apostle Peter in that Text gives full satisfaction both in asking who could forbid water and also in commanding them to be Baptized it appears none of thy Spirit was there for then there would have been a denyal of it but there was no denyal or forbidding but submistion and command for it both in Peter and the rest and for the Holy Ghost being received before that Baptisme that is nothing to thy denyal thereof for none in denyal of Baptisme either then or since did receive or have the promise of the spirit Gods love to these in the State of submission obedience to that Ordinance as Cornclius and the rest were is no president for thee or any in opposing and denying it but to condemne your disobedience Cornclius did manifest as much and more light then thee and thy generation do now before Peter was sent unto him yet had he not the spirit of promise till he had heard the Apostles preaching the Lord Jesus in whom he believed and after that there was no slighting water but it was administred in the name of the Lord Jesus In which Name any thing commanded and practised by the Apostles and beleevers was accounted necessary and still is but where the Spirit of errour doth Blaspheme and deny the Lord in his Ordinances Did Christ himself give an example of righteousuess in being Baptized with water upon which the Holy Ghost did witness the good pleasure and love of God and shall men now be heard or accounted as righteous in opposition and denyal thereof surely none will give eare to such strangers and enemies to truth but such as know not the Lord and have no acquaintance with his voyce Thou saist Act. 8.36 37. intimates that it is but a thing indifferent if thou beleevest saith Philip thou maist as much as if he had said if thou beleevest outward water to be necessary to Salvation thou maist be Baptized Answ Take away as much as thy prologue to proceed falsely the remainder is if Philip had said if thou believest outward water to be necessary to Salvation thou maist be Baptized but Philip said not so 't is Martin Mason that saith so in which he hath manifested himself in a Lye as much as if he had saâ—d Philip taught the Eunuch not to believe in Christ for if Philip had taught the Eunuch that to believe outward water was necessary to Salvation to fit him for Baptisme he must deny belief in Christ which only is necessary to Salvation and to fit for Baptisme for there is nothing can fit for Baptisme but only faith in Christ water administred upon that faith is necessary to obedience which the Eunuch observed from Philips preaching desiring water but Philips preaching and the Eunuch beleeving was in that Christ only as vers 35. doth manifest according to Christs command Mark 16.15 16. Mat. 28.19 20. Of whom should the Eunuch know and why should he desire Baptisme if Philip had not preached it to him and for thee to say that Philip who preached and was sent by the power of the Holy Ghost preached things in relation to the Gospel so indifferently as thou saist as to be done or not done thou dost in this disable what thou can the Spirit of the most high God to say he commands and sends his servants to practise things of no value or that are unnecessary and things indifferent to be done or undone which is blasphemy or say that Philip and the Apostles did contrary to commandment or the Spirit teaching and so make them Antichristians like to thy self This indifferent Spirit of thine which would take men off from the commands of Christ practice of his Disciples is a Spirit of errour and Doctrine of Darkness and none but those who are led by such en evil Spirit would or durst so grosly oppose the plain teaching of the Scripture and bring their own lye against it The next proof thou faist I clap in is no better then the rest which is Acts the 8.12 They were all baptized both men and women but water was wanting Answ There is no want of water where the baptisme of repentance is truly ministred as there it
you do and said That the state of Perfection is the Man Christ or any power in man whereby he can keep the Law without Faith in the Man Christ Is not this the Doctrine taught by thee and thy generation all which is to set up your selves to be the coming of Christ in the flesh denying that Christ that came in the flesh which the Apostle John teacheth confession of 1 John 4.1 2. thy exposition of which to pervert the Truth doth manifest no lesse which is that the Apostle meanes Christ come in the flesh of others though all the Apostles in their preaching doth preach belief in that one Christ that came in his own flesh or person in which he suffered at Jerusalem for the sins of all men and not in the flesh of others as thou expoundest for that is the coming of those who say loe here and loe there which are false Christs forewarned of Matth. 24. Who to set up themselves and throw down Christ Jesus by false Expositions pervert the Scriptures by which is manifest who rules in the fleshly tabernacles of such Children of disobedience It is but the Lyer saist thou that tels me my Master hath not commanded me to judge Answ Martin thou wilt not seem to take notice because the world should not know that I told thee there is difference betwixt a Judge and a Malefactor I told thee thou shouldest answer thy own Maker at the Bar and stay taking upon thee the Judges place till thou be a Saint and then thou wilt know that thy Master whom thou now callest the Singlo Person that died at Jerusalem and is alive for evermore bids thee judge not Luk. 6.37 1 Cor. 4.5 to bear off this blow thou bringest Christs words John 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my word hath one that judgeth him but this is no defence for thee but wounds thee deeper for Christ tels thee there what one that is that shall judge which is the Word that he hath spoken which thou callest the dead Letter But thou to deceive by thoughtst to keep this out that thou mightest take the Judges place thy self and so to exalt thy self above Christ and then sayst he is thy witnesse O bold presumption was ever a greater exaltation in a cative so low Christ came not saist thou to send peace but the sword to the Man of sin whom thou servest Answ And yet I am farre from serving thee or any such exalters of themselves against Christ if thou understoodest those words of Christ Mat. 10.34 35 36. part of which thou hast stolen to speak proudly with thou wouldst not have placed them thus but wouldst have known that they are nothing for thy purpose Thou talkest of the Saints Judging the World and the Spirituall man judging all things Answ As I have told thee Stay till thou be a Saint and then thou wilt not be so hasty to be a Judge but wilt better know how and when such Judgement shall be and that the Spirituall mans judging is discerning all things not judging or censuring persons and then thy manifestation of Faith and obedience to Christ and his Gospel will be a judging and reproof to unfaithfulnesse and thy tongue will be taught more tamenesse then to smite others therewith for then the Spirit of God will tell thee that thou hast nothing to do to judge another mans Servant he stands or fals to his own Master Rom. 14.4 then thou wilt learn to speak with a new tongue and that old blasphemous cursing presumptuous tongue that runs without guide will be pluckeâ— out and be no more the loud belman to a corrupt heart Thou askest me By what authority I judge thee for an enemy of righteousnesse and why I judge the People called Dippers calling them the chief Princes of Meshech and Tubal and by what authority I judge the Priests of the Nation for Antichristians I judge thee not I leave that to him to whom thy judgement and condemnation doth belong the Word of God tells thee of thy enmity against righteousnesse in warring against that Word Where have I judged the people thou callest Dippers or called them the chief Princes of Meshech and Tubal shew it if thou canst Or where I have named the Dippers in my Paper upon any such account It is with thee as I told thee formerly thou wouldest shelter thy self amongst others thou seest thy want and wouldst have help in the defence of thy cause which maketh thee cry also to the Priests of the Nation as thou callest them telling them I judge them Antichristians Thou art driven to a great straight surely thou takest me for some forraine enemy that wilt thus claw thy domestick enemies to engage with thee against me but thou dost trouble thy neighbours with such a false alarm when I have occasion with either those thou callest Priests or Dippers I shall stand up in the manifestation of truth according to what I have received from the Lord and shal leave the judging or censuring them and all men to him to whom all judgement doth belong and my self shall not judge or passe sentence on any man Thou tellest me I shame not in one of my Arguments to affirm that the Letter under the Name of the words of Christ is Spirit and Life in it self Answ What cause have I to be ashamed of affirming the very word of Christ himself John 6.36 but thou hast cause to be ashamed of thy ly saying I affirm the Letter which is a word of thy own and not of mine In another place saist thou thou concludest the Spirit of God in the Apostles who were Saints is the Rule to try and discern false Spirits Answer If I do t is no contradiction of the former seeing the word of Christ and Spirit of God in the Apostles were one and spake one and the same thing The truth is Martin thou wouldest gladly say something to my Argument but thou canst not thou knowest that way of arguing was begun by thee in which if thou hadst dealt faithfully with those to whom thou hast so generally divulged our difference they would plainly see where the right of reasoning is and who hath most cause to be ashamed of their Argument Thou saiest the Spirit of God in the Apostles at their death returned to God that gave it them but saist thou wouldst thou have me as sottish as thy self to say and unsay and own their Writings to be the Spirit of God This thou writest to deny the Apostles preachings and teachings to be the infallible Rule to try the Spirits whether they be of God Answ That Spirit which the Scriptures speakes of from whence thou hadst that saying the Spirit returns to God that gave it though thou quote it not Eccles 12.7 is not that Spirit by which the Apostles did preach Christ and work miracles but of the Spirit which is the mooving and acting in the bodily being of all men which the Apostles had before
their Diana satisfie a hungry Soul Answ To which the poor hearts reply that it were better for thee to sit down and rest thy self after thy great labour and hot chace except thou findest thy self so tyred that thou desirest the refreshment of those waters to which they are wedded to cool thy heat of bloud and in good earnest they answer thee they have not Ephesian Diana which they worshipped walking by thy light of self-invention or any other Idol that may have written upon it light of Conscience quaking or baptisme but they have that Christ the Bread of Life which the Ephesians believed in after the preaching of the Apostles unto them they feed not upon hid Bread nor are they wedded to stolen waters they abhor the secret devices and self-inventions that oppose the open Declarations of Gods mind and will in the Scriptures of Truth They drink of Shiloh the Fountaine open to the house of David They feed on Manna the Bread that came down from Heaven their souls love and are continually refreshed therewith Which Manna thou and thy genaration loathes and calls it light bread and prize your Garlick and Onions above it the art of sowing and growing of which you learnt in Egypt Thou talkest of washing the body with outward water and the answer of a good Conscience towards God and who saist thou can witness the answer of a good conscience towards God that is not guided by the light of God in his Conscience Answ And what answer of a good Conscience canst thou have that is not enlightened by the preaching of Christ and his Apostles fighting against their Doctrine of Faith and denying all obedience thereto Doth not thy own Conscience when thou considerest of thy answer before Christ at the day of Account condemn thee for opposing and denying the Command of Christ and Practice for discipling all Nations is not thy iniquity there Thou tellest them they are not come to yea and nay in their dealing Answ Thou talkest like a tyred man in Spirits Produce if thou can that in any of them and they will acknowledge t is against the Baptism of Repentance which they plead for and thou deniest But thou not proving that against them where is thy yea and nay in thy dealing thou must needs want the uprightnesse of yea and nay in thy dealing thus falsly with us accusing us without ground or proofe They deny with formall words of yea and nay to cover the deceit of wrong dealing within neither do they put on white breeches without to cover the black breeches of bribery and extortion Look nearer home let not thy eyes be scattered in the corners of the World yea and nay in the tongue when wrong and falshood is in the heart is not the language of Saints Thou thy felf art farre from that yea and ney in thy dealing or communication with Christs commands Mat. 5.37 dealing such foul and filthy words to those against whom thou speakest or writest Thou tellest them of respect of persons and vain customes and fashons of the Heathen and art not yet brought to the bridling of the tongue Answ These words are thy own and better applyed to thee then from thee the Customes and Fashions of the Heathen are self-divices against the God of Israel and Saviour of all men they own no such soul fashions or evil Customes but deny them and therein deny thee and thy generation and your Groves and Alters and Calves at Dan and Bethel And for an unbridled Tongue running at randome cannot be more manifested then in what is breathed from thee in which all that hear thee with right understanding will say t is not the Language of Sion or new tongue speaking of a Saint but the Language of Babel and speaking like the Draggon Thou saist Paul told the people he had not shuned to declare unto them all the Counsel God but where did he mention water Baptisme as a branch thereof if it had been of the Counsel of God certainly Paul durst not have concealed it Answ Whose Counsel was that which Peter gave Act. 2.38 wilt thou denyest that to be the Counsel of God it being the Counsel of God Paul did declare it according to thy own Confession And whose Counsel was it for Paul to Baptize Crispus and Gaius and others and into whose name did he Baptize them into his own name or into the name of Christ if into the name of Christ as openly thou darest not deny and not into his own name as himself testisyeth 1 Cor. 1.13 14. 15. Then must it needs be the Counsel of God which doth condemne and confound thy abominable denyal thereof may not the question be rightly put to thee that our Saviour put to the Scribes and Priests Mark 11.20 Concerning that Baptisme whether it were from Heaven or of man will it not dazle thee as it did them thou not only denying that Counsel of God against thy self as they did Luke 7.30 But also denying it to be the Counsel of God which is a degree of evil exceeding theirs in that report of them But if thou say thou dost confess it from Heaven which thy predecessors opposers of truth durst not deny dost thou not then condemn thy self in denying it to be the Counsel of God and thy saying t is of men makes John Baptist a transgressor in doing mans divices in Divine service and Christ a consenter with him in it and so the Apostles teaching and practise in that Baptisme to be all transgression and vanity hadst thou not better never bring these Scriptures that are so plainly against thee were it not a great folly to alledge the second Commandement to prove the worshiping of Images is it not as great folly in thee to alledge Scriptures to deny Baptisme that is so plainly for it thou must as the Papists do and as thou and thy fellowes follow them either maintain your divices by unwriten very lyes which you call verities and so make men believe as the Church believes or the Father of yourfamilies or the more you alledge Scripture to hold up your Idol the more it fals and is broken apeices Did not Paul saist thou foresee that thing to be Idolized in his dayes Answ No Martin that is the false device of thy generation from whom thou hast received it witness James Naylors Book tituled a Hand held forth to the help-less to lead them out of darkness c. where he delivers it plainly and grosly in the point of Baptisme in which he deliver a palpable lie as thou dost here after him both against the Corinthians and against Paul for neither did the Corinthians Idolize Baptisme neither did Paul complain against them or deny it upon any such account the Apostles rather complains of them for neglect of that esteem which they should have of that Baptisme in relation to Christ and given it to men 1 Cor. 1.12 13 14 15. And for further Satisfaction I shall give thee something