and by the eternall infallible spirit we ijudge it to be false judgement and of the living God of heaven and carth shalt thou be judged for thy false judgement which thou hast given of the Spirit of Truth and this thou shalt eternally witness one day when thou art arraigned at the barre of Justice as thou saith and we judge and bids stand off all unclean spirits all lying dark Satanicall Spirits which knoweth not the living God nor joins not to the living God for who is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit and this is that Spirit which we speak from which leads and guides up to God And thou that speaks of trances and quakings and humbling and confessing and Originall Sin and vileness and casting down and such like which thou hast gathered out from the Letter and speaks them with another spirit then spoke them in the Scriptures thou that hath not the same Spirit as spoke these words in the Scriptures we deny thy spirit and judg it to be the Spirit of Error by the same spirit as spoke forth the Scriptures we do try thee and know thee and we deny all false Doctrine and contradictions and rediculous and foolish things which thou mentions and all thy confusion which thou haft uttered forth in thy Paper not worthy mentioning and the Spirit that spoke it we do utterly deny and the Spirit of the living God we own and witness and cleave to which proceeds from the Father and the Son which is the judge of all unclean dark fallible lying Spirits this is our Leader and Teacher and Guider Judge and Law-giver and King Glory and Praises be to our living and powerfull God for ever And after that thou hast judged the Spirit of God to be the Spirit of the Devill thou confesseth that thou hast not waded very deep into the matter Here thou hast made manifest thy shallowness and sinfulness of Truth indeed and uttering forth thy folly and ignorance of God But thou art comprehended and the depth of thy deceit is known and seen and the bottom and foundation on which thou stands is sandy and the words thou hears but doth them not and therefore art thou likened unto the foolish man that hath built thy house upon the Sand for when the winde blows and beats upon thy house it will fall and great will be the fall of it And thou speaks of Iesuits which was known in London to quake and to speak in the Congregations and thou saith These men no doubt might make a Covenant with the Devill and by the finest way of witchcraft and sorcery convey it unto others by an implicit Covenant seducing men thinking no such thing but rather as though God had more abundantly declared his love to them then to any people in the world when as the matter is nothing else but Satan transformed into an Angel of Light and so then thou goes on to tell thy story Answer Here let all who reads thy words and hath any measure of Justice Equity or Honesty in them behold thy blindness and ignorance of God and of his Truth who hath given such a manifest lye as this is under thy hand and yet hath the boldness to judge the Spirit of Truth to be the Spirit of Satan at that very instant when thou art found in the Devils work venting and vomiting lyes and slanders upon the pure Truth of the living God which shall be found clear and pure and innocent and guiltless of all these false slanders which thou hast cast upon it God and his Truth shall be found true and all such men as thou found lyars as hundreds in London from whence thou fetcheth this lye shall witness that this which thou hast spoken to be a lie and slander and all lyes is of the Devill and he is the Father of all lyars and I do beleeve that thou wilt not finde one in London of so many thousands as there is in the same nature as thou art in that will say they saw Jesuits quake there but I am sure that hundreds there are that are convinced of the living Truth of God which will testifie against thy lyes and bear witness for the Truth against thy false slanders And those men which thou saith are seduced by witchcraft and sorcerie and an implicite Covenant Answer but those men whom thou speaks as being contemptible will quickly see thee to be a poor deceived seduced creature who utters forth thy confusion and darkness and ignorance and makes thy folly manifest And thousands there are at this day who have not come so far up to the Truth of God as to own us yet will see thee to be a dark ignorant deluded besotted spirit who knows nothing at all of God but what thou knows it is naturally as a bruit beast which Iude speaks of And thou that doth ground and raise such scandals as thou hath done in thy Paper upon such lyes and untruths as these that thou tells let all honest hearted judge what spirit it is that guides and leads thee for I am sure that hundreds will set to their hands and seals that this which thou speaks is false and yet from this ground dost thou raise thy Exhortation thou saith to the Church of Christ so now whether any Church which hath but the name and profession of Christ will receive such reports and lyes and slanders and give it under their hands as thou hast done let all the professed Churches though there be many that can talk of Christ and God as thou doth and serve the Devill as thou hath done here I say Let all the professed Churchches as thou calls them both in New-England and elsewhere blush and be ashamed of thee who hast given such manifest lyes and slanders and scandals of the pure Truth for a testimony of thy Faith which thou confesseth thou hath but by report But thou hast made thy self manifest to be a defamer of the Truth of God who saith Report and we will report it And so thou goes on with thy Report and Story which thou saith is credibly reported to be in or about Bristol There was a mans wife that desired to go to one of the Quakers Meetings her husband was unwilling but after importunity he gave her leave but she was so wrought upon in that Meeting that when she came home again she was fill'd with Revelations and spoke as though she had spoken with the tongue of Angels to admiration far above her self her husband told her she was bewitched but she was far enough from beleeving that but he could not satisfie himself but would search her body to see what tokens he could finde about her arm he found a silk thred he inquired how that came there she serious professed she knew nothing of it wel saith he this shall not remain here and he took it away and then she returned to the same woman that she was before she went to the quakers Meeting and saith thou
if this be a true Story as I credibly beleeve tell me if there was not witchcraft used in this quakers Meeting yea or nay Now let all honest hearts who reads this thy Story read thy Spirit and thy envy who hatcheth Cockatrice-Eggs and weaves Spiders-webs and he that eateth of these Eggs dyeth and that which is crushed breaketh into a Viper Now if thou be not blind thou may read thy Spirit in this Scripture but for this cause God hath sent thee strong delusions that thou should beleeve lyes and I know assuredly that thousands there is about Bristol from whence thou fetcheth this lye that will witness and testifie that this is a gross lye also and that there was never any such thing done or acted there by those people called quakers And therefore let all who have but any moderation or dram of honesty in them judge thy boldness and impudence in lying who should send such a lying pamphlet as this is into another Nation which thou professeth love to but thy hands is defiled with blood and thy fingers with iniquity thy lips hath spoke lyes and thy tongue hath utterd perversness and thy trust is in vanity and lyes thou hast conceived mischief and brought forth iniquity and this is the fruits of thy Profession which thou tells such a story of in the beginning of thy Paper and of so many Generations which thou calls Churches of Christ but there was never any Generation but might have such a Church as this is whereof thou art a Member which is grounded upon lyes and reports and stories the Pope and Iesuits which thou speaks of can have no worse Foundation then thou hast Therefore let all that profess this Faith that thou art of be ashamed of thee and the fruits that thou brings forth who hath made lyes thy refuge and with falshood hast thou covered thy self as with a garment And thou goes on and saith no doubt the devill can very wel paint men to come to the Lords table and to preach Christ for thou saith he hath sometime been a Preacher of Christ himself Answer At that Table where thou sits the Devill may paint men to come to and the Devill may preach Christ as he doth in thee talk of a Christ and yet the Doctrine and Foundation and Ground from whence thou speaks is lyes and untruths and all lying comes from the Devill And so let all who have any thing of God in them to guide their mindes judge and try thy Spirit and what Scripture thou hath to prove thy words or when it was that the Devill preached Christ but though in words he might speak of him as thou dost and thy preachers that thou speaks of but the Apostle saith that there is none can preach except they be sent and wilt thou say that God sent the Devill to preach Christ or thou wilt deny the Apostles words and Doctrine or thou wilt blaspheme God choose which of these thou wilt taste And the Apostle said they could not sit at the Lords table and the table of Devill And thou saith the Deville an paint men to come to the Lords table Now wilt thou deny the Apostles Doctrine there or wilt thou confess thy self be at the Table of the Devill feeding among lyars and envious persons which holds the Truth in unrighteousness Therefore expect the wrath of God to be revealed from Heaven upon thee which is against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who are back-biters haters of God despitefull proud boasters inventers of evill who have changed the truth of God into a lye Here read thy self and thy spirit and thy practise and thy portion for God is the same he changeth not and according to thy works shall thy reward be So thou goes on in thy accusing and back-biting and slandering and thou brings up Grimdleton whom thou sayes came up to Trances and Revelations which thou saith fell at last to Popery and prophaneness But this which we have only from thy own mouth which is so stuft with lyes and slanders who is set on back-biting and slandering and accusing and thy ground is but by hear-say we shall give little credit to what thou speaks either of Grimdleton or any else for we know thy ground is falsity and lyes and so there can no truth spring from that Root But I do beleeve that thou does accuse Grimdleton falsly and belye them in that thou saith they are turned to Popery but thy throat is grown so wide that thou canst swallow any thing and thou never heeds who thy Informers are so that it feed that Root which grows in thee which brings forth bitter fruit And thou saith It is the main thing that the Devill drives at now ' because Jesuits have been the chief Fomentrrs of this quaking Religion Let all behold and see now thy gross ignorance and emptiness and shallowness that thou should speak things that thou hast no president not ground of truth for where can thou say or where hast thou heard that ever the Iesuits quaked Oh that thou should not be ashamed of such idle groundless untruths that all who reads thy words may read thee to be a lyar and slanderer Thou cannot produce any that ever knew a iesuit quake and so let all who reads thy words read thy gross error and ignotance of Scriptures who talks of Iesuits quaking which they never did and art so blinde that thou cannot see who they were in Scripture that quaked Was Moses a Iesuit who said I exceedingly fear and quake And was the people of Israel Iesuits who came in the morning to the Mount where there was thunders and ligntnings and thick Clouds upon the Mount and the voice of the Trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people that was in the camp exceedingly trembled was this Trumpet sounded among the Iesuits Oh thou miserable creature who art thou contending against And was Ezekiel a Iesuit to whom the Word of the Lord came saying Son of man eat thy bread with quaking and drink thy water with trembling and carefulness And was Daniel a Iesuit upon whom fell great quakings and tremblings Now see and read thy ignorance of the Scriptures which thou saith is thy Light Now see if thou be not blinde who yet knows not that which thou looks upon to be thy guide who casts a Reproach upon that which thou never came to know nor never was made partaker of But to an account and reckoning thou shalt come for all thy hard speeches And whereas thou saith That thy hearts desire is that they may be established in the Faith of Gods Elect. Thy heart is deceitfull and desperately-wicked nor the Faith of Gods Elect thou nor them that thou writes to never know for the Elect of God is pure and none can lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect So concerning that Faith be thou silent for thou art here charged with many lyes and slanders and false accusations which Gods Elect was
AN ANSWER TO A SCANDALOUS PAPER Wherein were some QUERIES Given to be answered And likewise Therein is found many Lies and Slanders and false Accusations against those people whom he and the World calls Quakers Dated from Dorchester in New-England August 17. 1655. subscribed Edward Breck which was directed to a People at Rainforth in Lancashire which he calls A Church of Christ The Truth is cleared of his Scandalls Lies and Slanders and he found to bee a Reproacher of the Church of Christ His Paper and Quaeries answered by those people called QUAKERS Rom. 15.3 The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on mee Isa 52.14 15. His visage was so marred more than any man and his form more than the sons of men So shall he sprinckle many Nations Kings shall shut their mouths at him for that which had not been told them shall they see and that which they had not heard shall they consider Matth. 5.11 12. Blessed are yee when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evill against you falsly for my names sake Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in heaven for so persecuted they the Prophets which went before you London Printed for Giles Calvert at the Black Spread-Eagle neer the West end of Pauls 1656. Edward Breek to the Church of CHRIST at RAINFORTH DEerly beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ I have sundrytimes had a mind to salute you in the Lord but partly my own rudeness and partly other obstacles in the way I have not yet communicated any thing to you as to the Church of Christ since my departing but because God hath removed me so far distant by reason whereof I am never like to see your faces and age and weakness coming upon me putting me in minde of my end that I might do something at last whereby to testifie my love dear respects to you and that in all this length of time of absence you might perceive that I have not wholly forgotten you but with many secret desires breathed after your eternal welfares I have therefore for your sakes pressed my self to break through many difficulties presuming upon your kind acceptance notwithstanding you finde in me much weakness in expression matter argument c. But not to trouble you with a long Preface where my work is small little I have to say and slenderly I shal deliver it unless God make known his power through weaknes that which I have to say is a friendly exhortation to continue in the grace and faith of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and not to be carried away with every winde of Doctrine whereby you should be spoiled of your faith and hope which you have in the Lord Jesus Christ Oh Beloved Remember the dayes of old and the yeers of ancient times when after the Marian-times that Religion began to spring God honoured Rainforth with many godly pillars men famous in their days for faith and holiness and the profession of true Religion when the Country was overwhelmed or greatly clouded with Religion or Superstition yet these men whose names are not yet worn out of memory cleave fast to the truth the face of opposing jeering scorning and reproaching enemies their reproaches did not dant the spirits of these men but they patiently bare it with joy and prest on forward in the waies of Truth of the Gospel for the price and high calling of God in Iesus Christ The next Generation I was a little better acquainted with whose names are fresher in your memories divers godly people God raised up to do him some Service and to profess and defend his Truth maintain his Ministery which was a great thing they laboured after these men gave not their mindes with Balaam to look out for visions to curse Gods People nor to rail on Magistracy nor Ministry but humbly and in the feare of the Lord submitted themselves to Iesus Christ in the use of his owne Institutions so farre as he gave them liberty and ability thereunto And now what the present Generation is since I left the Countrey I do not so well know many of the old stock being dead and removed yet I hope there is some breathing of Spiritual life amongst you and men bolding forth the faith and profession of faith and true Religion in sincerity notwithstanding what may be otherwise found among you My Exhortation therefore is To hold forth this Faith and continue faithfull therein untill Death never leave it forsake it not lest God forsake you and cast you off for ever but Truth is Beloved and that which is my griefe that I have been informed and dare not but believe it that there are men among you who are departed from the faith and purity of the Gospel to depend upon Jesuiticall and Satannical delusions I mean such as go under the name of QUAKERS who depend not upon the Scriptures for Light but on what they receive from a Spirit which casteth them into a Trance what these Trances are let men of understanding judge for I am weak onely tell you what I think they are either from the good Spirit of GOD as hee spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets in Visions c. or from the DEVILL if they bee from the good Spirit of GOD then they are like to that Spirit which spake by the PROPHETS they accord with all the writings of the Prophets and most of all with all the doctrins and sayings of Jesus Christ his Ordinances and Institutions Secondly they bring a man that receive them into a humble low and meane esteeme of HIMSELFE so that he will be ready to fall down with the Prophet Esay 6.5 and to cry Wo is me I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among men of unclean lips for my eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts his neer approach to God laid him low but for brevities sake I give you no more Arguments but let the spirits of these Quakers be tried a little by these briefly Doth that spirit which casts you into your trances make you like the old Prophets Doth it accord with the Law and Testimony with Moses and the Prophets with the Writings of the holy Apostles and the Doctrines of Christ his Orders and Institution then something might be favourably spoken in defence and excuse thereof but if on the contrary the spirit which bringeth you into your Trances when your bones quake and you think you hear the voice of God if the revelations and visions of this spirit speak contrary to the Prophets and Apostles yea sometimes contradict and blaspheme yea and sometimes amongst your selves be contrary to your owne visions yea if this spirit when you speak teach you to speak non-sense idle rediculous and foolish things bee said false doctrine and contradictions if it provoke you to speak blasphemously against the Lord Jesus Christ crying downe his Institutions as Magistracy Ministry Sacraments Sabboths
the Story in their holy record of the new Testament I trust you will not deny this neither 3 Qu. If Christ be the Saviour and that the light and knowledg of him do spring from holy Scriptures I ask whether the Scriptures be any rule of Faith and Life in these days Or are they abrogated and put an end to by Christ and hath he appointed another way for bringing his Elect to eternal life and salvation This Question I must leave you to answer your selves onely for my part I know no other way whereby to come to Christ my Saviour then the holy Scriptures which he hath commanded me to search and which hee promised eternal life Iohn 5. and whereof he curseth all men that addeth to them or detracteth from them Revelations 21. What you have to say to these things I know not but these things I know and this I know that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus execrable and what they do less that vilifie and slight his Word and Ordinances and upon a Spirit which crosseth and contradicteth Christ and his Word and Ordinances but I weary you too much I shall leave this Quaking Religion to its tottering untill it fall to its utter Ruin which will be in Gods due time accomplish't onely one word more my Dearly Boloved as I earnestly desire you to take heed of this Quaking Religion so also of all other Sects and Schismes Errors and Heresies whatsoever and to settle your selves in the Faith and holy Order of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to worship and serve him according to his appointment but what that is I determine not but whether Presbyterian or Independant as many use terms which are better forborn as God shall guide your Judgements so walk in holiness of life and beware of corrupt conversation I have heard of too much that way sundry if not many given up to lasciviviousness Covetousness Drunkenness Drinkings Tiplings dayly to the wasting of their Estates and Ruine of their own souls Take heed take heed O beloved take heed I shall not need I hope to oppress you with many words you have the LAW of GOD ingraven upon your hearts which convinceth your Consciences here and will Judge you at the last Day if Repentance prevent not But I shall say no more but commend you to GOD and to the WORD of his GRACE which is able to build you up further and to give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all and alway Amen Your old Friend and Brother in the Lord Iesus Edward Breck Dor chester in New-England Aug. 17. 1655. AN ANSVVER TO A SCANDALOUS PAPER Wherein were some QUERIES Given to be answered c. APAPER we have received in which we finde much Confusion Lyes and Slanders and false Accusations which hath come from the dark carnall minde which is enmitie with God which knoweth not the living God who is a God of Truth Therefore for the simple ones sake which maybe deceived by believing such Lyes and Slanders which is cast upon the Truth by the Enemies of God and for the clearing of the pure Truth of God we who are witnesses for the living and true God against all the deceit and powers of hell and death are made free to answer this Paper according to the Eternall Truth as it is in Jesus And first Thou Writes to the Church of Christ as thou calls it in Rainsorth and thou confesseth thy own Rudeness and weakness and other Obstacles c. We answer That thou who art in Rudeness and weakness art not fit to communicate any thing to the Church of Christ For the Church of Christ is pure without spot or wrinckle and will receive nothing from thy rudeness and weakness and so thou might have spared thy breath and thy pen. And whereas thou saith that age and weakness is coming upon thee putting thee in minde of thy end Here thou may be a Witness against thy self that thou art not fit to communicate to the Church of Christ when as thou doest no better consider in this thy old age thy own account that thou art to give at the Throne of Grace where thou must give an account for evere idle word and every lye and every stander and false accusation which thou hast cast upon the innocent in this thy Paper for which the Lord God will plead with thee for all thy hard speeches which thou hast spoken against the harmless and innocent people which thou knows nothing by nor of but what thou hast from lying Reports therefore under the wo thou hast brought thy self which Iude speaks of who speaks evill of the things which thou knows not and therefore hath in these things corrupted thy self And this thou saith is the Testimony of thy love which thou wilt do at the last for the Church of Christ and now here thou hast treasured up Wrath against the day of Wrath which thou shall finde recorded never to be forgotten when thou cometh to reckon with the just and righteous God who can by no means clear the guilty And whereas thou exhorts them to continue in the faith c. I ask thee what faith that is that thou would have them to continue in if it be thy faith it is to beleeve lyes as thou confesseth in thy Paper which is come so far as London and Bristol to thee to New-England which is a publique and generall Faith such a Faith as never any suffered for in the Marian-times which thou speaks of Therefore thy Faith which is founded upon such a foundation as a refuge of Lyes is not fit to exhort the Church of Christ neither will the Church of Christ receive thy Exhortation but turn it back upon thee from whence it came and the Church of Christ exhorts thee to beware of beleeving lyes and casting Reproaches upon the Truth of God which went ever under Reproach and Scandall which Christ Iesus who is the Captain of our salvation gave the blessing to those that were reproached whom all men spoke evill of and persecuted which now we who are the Church of Christ witness fulfilled at this day but Reproaches is our Riches and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution by this Generation which thou art of who are given up to beleeve lyes And herein we follow him who is gone before us who was hated and rejected of men a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief this is he whose steps we follow who is made perfect through sufferings and therefore are we willing to give our backs to the Smiter and our cheeks to them that pulleth off the hairs and to him that smiteth us on the one cheek to turn the other and he that taketh away our cloak to let him have our coat also and this is thank-worthy to suffer for righteousness sake for it is better if the will of God be that we suffer for well doing
and cry Peace Peace and he that putteth not into their mouth they even prepare war against them which the Lord sent Micah to cry against And those that seduce the people saying Peace and there is no peace and one builds a wall and another daubs with untempered morter those whom the Lord declared against by Ezekiel And those whom the Lord saith he is against who prophesie false Dreams and cause the people to erre by their lyes and by their lightness and say the Lord saith it when saith the Lord I never spake to them These are they whom we testifie against which all the true Prophets of the Lord were sent to bear witness against and therefore by them did they suffer and were called before Magistrates and Rulers and persecuted and hated of all men and made as the off-scouring of the world and accounted not worthy to live The same Testimony and the same Effects and Fruits of it in this Generation we who are of the world in scorn called Quakers do witness at this day in these Nations as many prisons and stockings and scourgings and whippings we have suffered which is our joy and riches which suffering is not worthy to be compared to the glory which is to be revealed And blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ who hath found us worthy and given us power not only to beleeve on him but also to suffer for his sake and the Scriptures of everlasting truth is fulfilled which hath said He was numbred among the transgressors and counted as Sheep for the slaughter and killed all the day long and this we witness to be out portion from this generation which goes by the name of Ministers and for no other cause that they have against us but for bearing witness for the living God and his Truth as it is made manifest in us by the same Spirit and Life and Power as all the Holy Men of God were sent Prophets and Apostles who were made Ministers of the Eternall Spirit these were alwayes sent to speak against those who had the form of Scriptures and the profession but alwayes persecuted the Life and Power that spoke them forth and as he that was born after the flesh ever persecuted him that was born after the spirit even so it is now And by this Generation of Priests and Elders and High-Priests was Christ and his Apostles persecuted and accused and hailed and arraigned before Magistrates as ye may read throughout the Scriptures and all the righteous blood that hath been shed since Abel hath been shed by this Generation and so the Scripture is fulfilled which saith As a Troop of Robbers waits for a man so doth a company of Priests murther in the way by consent And for Magistrates we own such as Rule for the Lord who are a terrour to the evill doers and lay the Law upon the Transgressors who bears not the Sword in vain such as are for the praise of them that do well such we own and honour in our souls and are subject to for conscience sake but all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men we bear witness against in Magistrates Priests and people which act contrary to that of God in the Conscience for God is no respector of persons but of all sorts of people he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him and we honour all men in the Lord and he that ruleth well is worthy of double Honour and this we stand for and bear witness to and this Testimony we are willing if we be called to it to seal with our blood as many who have gone before us have done And so here thou may see and read thy Accusation to be false who saith we rail against MAGISTRATES and MINISTERS And whereas thou saith Truth is Beloved and that which is my grief that I have been informed and I dare not but beleeve it that there are men among you who have departed from the Faith and Purity of the Gospel to depend upon Iesuitical and Satanicall delusions I mean such as go under the name of quakers who depend not upon the Scriptures for Light but on what they receive from a Spirit which casteth them into a Trance what these Trances are let men of understanding judge for I am weak c. Answer Let all who reads thy words try thy beloved Truth as thou calls it which is that thou dare not beleeve lyes that which many hundreds can witness to the contrary of this that thou hast spoken which though thou saith there is men among us whom thou saith goeth under the name of quakers that depends upon Jesuiticall and Satanicall Delusions this we utterly deny and a Cloud of Witnesses we have which will stand against thee in this thing and witness it to be an untruth which thou confesseth thy faith dare not but beleeve and among many thousands which is convinced of the everlasting Truch of the everlasting God we do not know one Priest or Jesuit or Papist that owns us or joynes with us And so let all that reads thy Truth and thy Faith as thou call it see how far thou art from the Truth neither is there any among us that is brought into the Ministry to Preach the everlasting Gospel that ever did profess that Faith of the Romish Church And so whether thou be not found here in a Satanicall Delusion who is thus bclying and slandering and accusing falsely the innocent contrary to all Truth whether lyes and slanders and false accusations be not of of the Devill let all honest hearts judge And now let any who hath the least measure of God in them to guide their mindes unto Justice and Equity judge what Faith this is that thou art exhorting to who art found in such delusions of beleeving lyes thy self how thou can exhort to the Truth who art found quite contrary accucusing reproaching scandalizing and defiling the Truth thy faith which doth not purifie thy heart from this uncleanness we do deny and thy Hope which doth not purifie from these filthy accusasations we do deny and the Church of Christ wil deny it where ever it is and doth know and see that no lye is of the Truth And so this thy Faith which thou art exhorting to when the just and rightcous God cometh to plead with all flesh by Sword and by Fire thou and thy Faith which dare not but beleeve lyes wil perish and the hope of the Hypocrite doth perish when the over slowing scourge cometh Therefore take warning and now thou hast time prize it for the Judge stands at the doore who layes Judgement to the line and rightcousness to the Plummet and thy refuge of lyes will be swept away and thy Covenant with Hell and Death will be broken For the tryed Stone is risen the sure Foundation who judgeth with righteousness and reproves with equity Therefore turn thy minde to that which is just and equall and righteous that is of God which tells thee thou ought not to
and then thou wilt be sure to partake of their plagues And so in love to thy soul we have answered this thy Paper and quaeries and for the clearing of the Truth of God which is innocent and clear of thy scandalls and lyes and slanders the Lord God is our Witness who will plead our cause with our enemies and clear the innocency of those that suffer for him to whom alone we commit our cause and to him alone return to be judged and tryed who alone judges the secrets of all hearts who judgeth righteous Judgement and gives unto every one according to their deeds to him alone we commit our cause for whom we stand witnesses in sufferings in tryalls in buffetings in scourgings in whippings to whom we owe our lives and whose Testimony we are willing to seal with our blood if we be called to it To him who is our Strength and Rock our Preserver and Deliverer be all Glory and Dominion over all to Reigne and Rule and have Dominion who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords Blessed for evermore So now to thee who hath confessed thou hath none other Light nor knows none other way to Christ thy Saviour then the holy Scriptures a few Quaeries to thee and all those thou calls Minister in New-England and elsewhere Quaery 1. WHether God was not the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob yea or nay 2. If so How they did know him to be their God seeing there was no Scriptures written then 3. How Moses knew God and what God had wrought in so many Generations before him seeing there was no Scripture before Moses writ 4. Whether did the Prophets of the Lord speak from a Scripture without them seeing that they said thus saith the Lord or what they spoke they received immediately from the Lord yea or nay 5. And whether Christ Jesus who is the Saviour of his people was before Abraham yea or nay 6. Whether the Apostles had their Testimony and assurance of salvation from the Scriptures without them or from Christ Jesus whom the Apostle said was within them the hope of glory yea or nay 7. And if so what ground or testimony have you that the Scriptures without you is the Light and the way to Salvation seeing that those who spoke forth the Scripture had a witness and a testimony within them 8. What assurance or certain testimony hast thou or you that Christ that was crucified at Jerusalem so many hundred years ago how do you know him to be your Saviour since that you have no testimony but the writings without you 9. And whether he be not the Saviour of his people from their sins and what sins ye are saved from who knows him not but as you have writings and records of him that he was crucified so many hundred years since at Jerusalem and how you would have known him if you had not had the Declaration of the Scriptures 10. And whether you do not lay wast Scriptures and deny Christ who saith they are the Way and Rule of life whenas the Scripture saith Christ is the way the truth and the life and that there is none that cometh to the Father but by him yea or nay 11. And whether you do not deny Christ Jesus and the Scriptures also who saith the Scriptures is the Light and that you know none other way to salvation whenas Christ Jesus saith I am the Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world and he that walketh in this Light shall have the Light of life and whether you do not deny Christ and the Scriptures in this yea or nay seeing the Scriptures saith the same 12. And whether God in the Scriptures hath not promised a new Covenant which he will make with his people that he will write it in their hearts and put it in their inward parts and whether ye do not cross this Covenant who looks for salvation in outward writings yea or nay 13. Whether God hath not promised that he wil teach his people himself and that they shall not need to say know the Lord but they shall all know me from the least to the greatest yea or nay 14. And whether the Teacher which the Lord hath said shall be no more removed into a Corner by which the Lord teacheth his people whether this be the Letter of Scripture yea or nay And whether the Scripture may not be removed into a corner yea or nay 15. What voice that is which calleth behinde saying This is the way walk in it and whether the Scriptures be this voice yea or nay 16. And what way that is which shall be called the way of holyness which the unclean shall not pass over but it shall be for the waysaring man though fools shall not erre therein and whether this way be the Scriptures yea or nay 17. And whether there may not be errage where there is no way known but the Scriptures yea or nay 18. And whether the Apostle did not speak truth when he said to the Romans That which may he known of God is manifest in them for he hath shewed it unto them and whether that which God did shew to them was Scripture without yea or nay 19. And whether the Scriptures without be the Word of God which was in the beginning yea or nay 20. And whether that Word which Moses taught Israel and that which the Apostle speaks of to the Romans which is nigh in the heart be not the same Word by which the Lord teacheth his people yea or nay 21. And whether that VVord which was in the beginning and was with God and which VVord was God by which all things were made and without him was not any thing made that was made and whether this be the Scripture without yea or nay 23. And whether this be not him in whom is life and the life is the light of men and whether thou and you do not deny the Scriptures and Christ Jesus who is the word and the light and the life and the way who saith that the Scriptures is the light and eternal life and the way to come to salvation yea or nay 24. What right or title or interest hast thou or you to the Epistles which the Apostles writ to the Saints who received his Ministery and followed and was begotten by him who was a Minister of the Spirit which quickneth and maketh alive 25. And what is this to you who knows not the ministration of the Spirit but all that you know is from the letter without you whenas the Apostle saith The Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life and the ministration of the Spirit turneth from the darkness to the light and from the power of Satan unto God and what light are you turned to who know no other light but the Scriptures without you which a great part of the world hath and yet lives in darkness and under the power of Satan 26. Whether you do not deceive your own souls who takes these words which the Apostle spoke to a people which was made partaker of the same spirit which he spoke from and was gathered into the light which he spoke from And these words which he spoke to a people in another condition ye take to your selves who knows no light as you confess your selves but the Scriptures without you and what this will avail you to take these words which was spoken to another seed whenas the Apostle saith The promise is not to seeds as to many but unto one seed which is Christ who is the light and the way and the Saviour of his people and what is this to you who have the Scriptures without you for your way your light and eternal life 27. Whether the prophesyings in the Churches of Christ which we read on in the Scripture was from the Letter without or from the Spirit within and whether you can judge of their conditions then or now who are come to the Spirit of Prophesie who have no testimony of Christ but from the Letter without The End