319. Some of the Principles of the Priests of Bishoprick p. 321. Daniel Roberts teacher to the baptists in Reading his principles p. 323. Timothy Trevers his Principles p. 324. The Doctrines and Principles of the Priests of Scotland p. 327. The Principles of 15. Priests of the Isle of Weight p. 361. W. S. his book called the Parsons guide p. 369. Thomas Hodges of Soldren in Oxfordshire his book called a Scripture Catechisme p. 369. Several Scriptures Corrupted by the Translators p. 373. An ANSWER to many Principles held forth by some of those called Ministers Teachers and Professors in England taken out of their severall Books with their names at them And also several other Sayings and Writings of the Priests and Professors of this Nation gathered up together and Answered Samuel Eaton who calls himselfe a Teacher of the Church of Christ at Stockeport in Cheshire In his Book called THE QVAKERS Confuted sent to the Parliament SAITH in his Epistle to the Parliament then sitting at Westminster That they are not to judge of Saintship according to the large charity of some who are truly good c. Ans So here is another Doctrine then Christs was who said The tree is known by its fruits and by their fruits ye shall know them And the fruits of the Spirit is known from the fruits of the flesh Again in the conclusion of his aforesaid Epistle he begs a pardon of the Parliament for the thoughts of his heart that he hath spread before them and so puts them in the Popes place Likewise in his Epistle to the Reader because Richard Waller witnesseth his Teacher within and bids others to minde the Light within them and that he was come off of all other Teachers c. he judgeth this to be delusion Contrary to John the Apostle who saith Ye need no man to teach you but as the same anointing doth teach you which is truth and is no lye John 2.27 And again in Heb. 8. Ye shall not teach every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know him from the least to the greatest for the Lord will write his law in their hearts and put his spirit within them c. Prin. He saith he doth not believe that there is any substantiall essentiall or personall union betwixt the eternall Spirit and believers Answ Although the Scripture saith the spirit dwels in the Saints 1 Cor. 6. and he that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit 1 John 1. As though the Saints had not union with God which the scriptures saith they have Prin. He saith It is palpably false and blasphemy to say that Saints know all things and have power to work miracles to the glory of God Answ Contrary to the Minister of Christ John who saith But yee have anoynting from the holy one and know all things 1 John 2.20 And Christ said Greater things then these shall yee do that believe in me Prin. He saith Though we believe that the spirit of Christ dwells in the Saints yet we assert the spirit of Christ to be distinct from the Saints c. Answ How are they led by the spirit how are they led into all truth And how are they sanctified by the spirit and their unity in the spirit by which spirit they have unity with God by which spirit the Saints worship him And he that is joyned to the Lord is one spirit He that hath not the spirit of Christ is none of his And so they are distinct from it but they are not so that have it and be in unity with it and one with another with God Prin. He saith Although there be the same spirit in all the Saints that gave forth the Scriptures yet all Saints have not the same inspiration of the spirit that the Prophets and Apostles had so as that they should be able to give forth infallible truths and immediately discover the pure and clear will of God as the Prophets and Apostles did Answ In this his Ignorance of the spirit he hath shewed and of the holy Ghost And himself is the false spirit gone out into the world For the spirit of truth shall lead into all truth and bring to memory Christs words and doth inspire into them the things of God and doth reveal to every one according to their measure Pr. The Spirit doth not communicate according to the capacity in the creature Ans Then there is none can divide the word aright and God gives to every man as he will and reproves the world and leads the Saints into all truth Prin. He saith they had not known the signification of the words of Christ but by the Evangelists c. Ans I say he nor none knows the signification of Christs words by the Evangelists words but by the Evangelists spirit and the same inspiration which thou saist thou looks not for Pr. He saith The Scriptures do give their own sense and is a standing Rule c. And yet thou said a little before in page 4. They are darke and are left to you to give a sense Ans Here then thou confoundest thy selfe and the spirit of God is the standing rule which leads them to speak forth scripture and not others words and the Prophets and Apostles words did not lead to speak forth scripture but the spirit Pr. He saith They that have the anointing within them had not an infallible judgement c Ans And John saith They know all things and bid them try the spirits whether they were of God And said they had the spirit of God which spirit is infallible and gives an infallible judgement which spirit was to try the false Prophets that was gone out into the world Pr In some places thou said the Scriptures were dark and hard to be understood Ans And here thou saith it is plain and easily to be understood page 8. Mark thy confusion for the Scripture is not understood without the spirit Pr. He saith there is an infallible judgement which may be made from the Scriptures without the spirit page 9. Ans Who can judge infallibly without the spirit Christ told the Pharisees who had the Scriptures They were of the Devill and judgement they had neglected and he did not own their judgement to be infallible And the Apostle saith what they knew who are separate from the spirit they knew naturally as bruit beasts Jude 10. 19. â—hough they may speak high words in hypocrisie And there art thou with thy infallible judgement as thou said without the spirit which is proved fallible and there is no infallible judgement to be given that stands without the spirit they that judges without the spirit will judge amisse and not infallible as the Jewes did of Christ and as the naturall bruit beasts did which Jude speaks of there art thou Pr. And he further saith there in the same page That the Scripture is to be judge of the spirit and a light sufficient to
from me to imagine that the spirit of God moved the Apostles to preach when they did onely and not at other times and that they always waited in silence till then c. See same page Answ So he would make it that the Apostles preached when the spirit moved them not and run without the moving of the spirit and so would make them like himselfe And Peter said they spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost And they that are the sons of God are led by the spirit of God And the spirit shall lead them into all truth And the spirit should tell them what they should speak and shew them things to come and that was their guide and rule and thou who speaks and not the spirit moves thee art no Minister of the spirit and sayes far be it from thee to imagine the Apostles preached onely when they were moved and so doth not own the Apostles were the Ministers of the spirit with thy imaginations Pr. And the singing of the Saints in the spirit and grace is not like the ungodly singing without the spirit Ans And saying the grace of God hath not appeared unto all men and all have not the spirit which is contrary to Scripture It saith the grace hath appeared unto all men and I 'le powr out my spirit upon all flesh And the spirit that reproves the world leads the Saints and you that sing Davids quakings and prayers is not in the understanding nor grace but distinct from the Saints which must be turned into howling How can ye give them the Psalms to sing then that have no grace Pr. And the Priests of Scotland say Cursed is he that sayes grace is free These are the Scottish principles c. Answ And yet ye give the Psalms to all to sing and yet ye say all have not grace and all have not the spirit of God and then can they not sing in the grace and sing in the spirit Is there any prudent reason or good understanding without the spirit Pr. He saith We deny the Scripture to be the Word of God Answ The Scriptures are the words of God and Christ is the word in which the words end Pr. And he speaks these detestable words and sayes Is not our tongues oyled with a spirit of confused delusion which is his own c. See page 5. Ans Because we say such as pray or preach it must be by the moving of the spirit of God which they be not in that are in the spirit of delusion Pr. And he is opposing the commands of Christ who said be not of men called Master for ye have one Master even Christ who conquers death and hell And he saith Why may they not be called Master Ans It is his Master that teacheth him to be called of men Master that is gone out of the truth but Christ said be not of men called Master and wo be to them that are Matth. 23. And you are them that are made by the will of man that breaks his commands George Willington's Booke called The Gadding Tribe Reproved A right Title to his condition in his Book who like a wilde Beast is gadding up and down but the Lord rebuke such spirits His PRINCIPLES follow c. Pr. HE himselfe falls a judging others and then he cries Oh man who art thou that judgeth another c. page 9. Answ And doth not see the worke that he is doing himselfe But bids others they should not judge and falls a judging himselfe which is like all the rest of his gadding Tribe and how they run with their horns at the righteous and push at the upright in heart But the Lamb is above them all and the wrath of the Lamb is kindled therefore the Beasts rage who against the Lamb makes war And where judgement is come through into victory he may judge and the hidden things of darkness is brought to light and the counsel of the heart made manifest and the Lord is come and the spirituall man judgeth all things which shews the counsell of his heart is not made manifest nor his hidden things of darknesse brought to light and the Lord is not come to him and so cannot judge And George Willington hath judged before his time with which he is charging others therefore his words shall be his burthen Pr. And his principle is That he is justified by faith alone without good works c. See page 10. Answ What without the faith that works by love hast thou concluded those works the works of Popery which are the works of faith that works by love that gives the victory How dost thou gad now whether art thou gadding now Know faith that works by love is owned and he that believes is ceased from his works as God did from his and hath entered into his rest And faith gives victory overall the Popish murthering spirits and thine both and your works which gives to have accesse to God and their works is wrought in him Pr. He saith Whilst the upstart sect of Quakers do looke after the light within he saith we have a more sure word of prophesie c. and so would make the sure word of prophesie not the lihgt within See page 12. Answ Whose spirit he hath made manifest where it is amongst them that are gone from the Apostle who stands against the light within For they that draw from the anointing within are the seducers and they went forth from the Apostles that went from the anointing within Art not thou and you all gadded and the world from the anointing within you and so seducing one another therefore have you so many heaps of Teachers and arming your selves and making lies your refuge against them that are come to the anointing which you are all gadded from given judgement against your selves who will not have people to own the light Christ Jesus who doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world and none owns the anointing within who owns not the light which you deny which have apostatized from the Apostles and the Quakers are risen up in the night of apostacy and discovers you all what you are in and what you went from and what hath been lost since the dayes of the Apostles and an Earth-quake is coming upon you that hath not been since the foundation of the world out of which Earth-quake we are come into that which cannot be shaken As the Quakers are not the Gadding tribe but they have the anointing in them and as it shall teach them they shall abide in the Son of God and the Father But it is manifest that thou and the whole world is gadded from the anointing within you which should teach you and so are turned against the Saints and the Lamb And have been the Harlots the mouths of the false Prophets blaspheming God in his Tabernacle and drunk the blood of the Saints and the Martyrs and the Prophets and made war against the Saints to overcome them
These comes under the judgements of the Almighty Gods decree is against them and the Spirit the holy Ghost doth lead into all truth and doth reveal and the Apostle bids the Saints wait for the revelation of Jesus And the grace was brought by the revelation of Jesus and the secrets are revealed to them that feare God and the spirit reveals the things of God and thou saith it reveals no more which shews thou doth not know Scriptures nor God nor spirit Pr. Whereas thou saith Ye have the Scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles Christs words and so are not to look for new Prophets and that would be a question to the Church and that would shew mutability in Christ See page 6. A. In this thou hast shewed thy self of what generation thou art For there hath been the Mother and the Harlot that hath drunk the blood of the Prophets and the Martyrs and the Saints and such as drink the blood have the forme and get the sheeps cloathing but cries prophesie is ceased and revelation from heaven is ceased onely they have a standing rule the Scriptures without and so there they have their cloathing the sheeps cloathing but ravened from the spirit and so hath denyed the Church in which there is prophecy and the spirit of God for where that is there is prophesie amongst sons and daughters but not amongst you apostates Pr. He finds fault with a man that will not believe except he see as instance a man will not believe they are Ministers of Christ except they worke miracles c. And a man will not believe there is a Parliament or Holland or France or Spain except he have been in them c. See page 6. 7. Answ Thou and thy wits are compassed for Revelations and Prophecies are now spoken forth and witnessed and thou cannot believe because thou dost not see and thou art finding fault with others that do not believe because they do not see Thou art seen and disapproved and so now in that thou judges others thou art judged thy selfe who art blinde and out of the life and many may see there is a Holland and other Countreys though they have not seen them with an outward eye And we believe the Ministers of Christ though they do not work miracles but from them are you apostatized we do believe and see Pr. He saith The Saints were not to forsake the assembling of themselves together as the manner of some was c. See page 8. Answ That was in the time of the Apostles before the aposâ—â—cy But since the apostacy the Beast and the false Prophets and the murtherers of the Saints are got up which assemble themselves together and deceive the Nations and are breaking the Saints meetings which gather â—ther that keep the testimony of Jesus and the spirit of prophesie and overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the testimony of Jesus And Christ who is the Rock and his Church doth continue but that which Christ said should come is come the false Prophets that should get the sheepâ— cloathing and John saw was come which went forth from them which made war against the Saints and the Lamb but the Saints and the Lamb shall get the victory And we are come to the assembly of the Saints before you were apostatized for your assemblies hath forsaken the Saints your fruits declare it Pr. He saith Because they have the peoples consent and the Magistrates allowance therefore that is true ordination c. See page 11. Ans Balaam he had the peoples consent and the Heathenish Magistrates allowance when he should have cursed the children of Israel and so this is no proof of ordination And the chief Priests had the peoples consent and the Magistrates many of them which turned against Christ this is no ordination to be Ministers of Christ And the Beast and the false Prophet shall rise against the Lamb and the Saints and yet they shall have sheeps cloathing this is no proof of their ordination from God but all this proves it from man But all who have their ordination from God are not owned neither by people nor Magistrates in their wills but who feare God and are come to the spirit of God by that to which they minister and never went to the Magistrates for their allowance and here again you are apostates from the Apostles and in the steps of the false Prophets whose ordination is by the consent of the people and your allowance from the Magistrates who are from the allowance of Christ that he gives to his Ministers and the ordination of the Apostles that was not from man nor by man Pr. Thou bids us marke the Canon of the Holy Ghost in Timothy See page 11. Ans And there is no such word as Canon in Timothy and thou tells us of a Catholique Church and we cannot finde any such word in Scripture that it speaks of any such word but we perceive whom thou hast learned these words of what center and stock thou comest of from the Pope and not from the Apostles Pr. He saith They have an un-interrupted succession drawn from the Apostles c. See page 13. Answ For your succession is from the Pope apostatized from the Apostles ye are out of the Apostles Doctrine in all your whole worship corrected and reproved by Scripture Did the Apostle set up a Temple set up tythes set up your Schools and Colledges Is not the Pope the Author of all this Are not yee his Successors Pr. Thou sayes Ye are the Ministers of Christ because ye have the Scriptures and books and such like and you are not usurpers of the authority c. See page 16. A. Now there is never a one of you all that ever durst say ye have heard Gods voice immediately from heaven or Christs voyce or have the same spirit as the Prophets and Apostles and Christ had or immediate revelations from heaven as they had So then you be in another ordination then they was in and usurpers of authority into your ministry and intruders into those things you never saw And cannot any one be as good a Pastor or Minister as you seeing all your teaching is but from books and other mens writings Why may not others learn the same books and writings and so come to be Teachers and Pastors as well as you seeing you have nothing but from Books and Writings and old Authors Why may not all that read those be Pastors and Teachers and so then where be the hearers and so with the life are you all judged The spirit of God which gave forth Scriptures which was before your old Books and Authors were Thomas Higginson his Book called The Testimony of the True JESVS His PRINCIPLES follow c. Pr. HE saith The Word is not righteousnesse without the flesh c. See page 3. Ans The Word is righteous it selfe and the flesh righteous as it became Pr. He saith Men are presented perfect to God and
and then hold them in his memory Pr. He saith Every man that cometh into the world hath not the light of Christ in him c. page 16. Answ This is the true light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world and it shines in the darknesse and the darkness comprehends it not Now this light reproves where it is come to where it is hated and their deeds be evill and not loved it is their condemnation and so is not that which reproves them in them which doth make manifest the heart and are not those that do quench the spirit the wicked and those that are led by the spirit are not these the good And is not here both â—ood and bad Thou art that darknesse that John speaks of that cannot comprehenâ— the Light which shines in darknesse like the Pharisees Pr. He saith There may be a light to convince people of sinne and yet not within them Ans There is no people convinced of sin but they are convinced within themselves and with the light within them and it is the light that makes manifest to a man when he is convinced It answers to something and reacheth to something in their particulars though the words be spoken without them from the Light Pr. That every man in the world should not have his sins pardoned c. page 17. Answ Christ gave himselfe his body for the life of the world he was the offering for the sins of the whole world and paid the debt and made satisfaction and doth enlighten every man that comes into the world that all through him might believe and he that doth not believe in the offering is condemned already Pr. He saith It is an errour to say that every man hath a light within him to teach him to worship God c. page 18. Answ Every man that cometh into the world having a light from Christ Jesus the truth Every man that cometh into the world being in the light which Christ Jesus the truth hath enlightned him withall and walking in it he shall worship God aright in the truth and come into that the Devill is out of and worship God in the spirit But none worships God aright but who be in the Light which Christ hath enlightned every man with that cometh into the world For who is in the light is in the truth for it is truth And all other worships out of the Light is as the Devill is and there thou art condemned with the Light Pr. He saith That is the errour that he chargeth us with that the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world it is an errour to say it is within every man c. page 19. Answ Which he is ignorant of the Scripture I will give him a covenant of light to the Gentiles a leader unto them and a new covenant to the house of Israel and Judah and this Covenant was written in their hearts And as I said before the light shines in darkness and the darkness comprehends it not And where the light shines out of darknesse it shines in the heart He that hates the light is enlightned and he that loves it and that reproves the evil deeds of him that hates it which is within him and it is in the Saints heart Pr. He saith It is miserable darkness to direct people to the Light within them c. page 26. Answ Which was the Apostles doctrine he was sent to turn people from the darknesse to the light And he told people that the light that shined in their hearts would give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus And Christ bids them walke in the light and believe in it and they be in miserable darkness that doth not Pr. He saith It is a known errour to say that a man was in hell and in heaven c. page 21. Ans Who in this shews his ignorance of Scripture for it gives testimony of men that did witnesse that they had been in hell in the nethermost hell and witnessed again they were in heaven and sate in heavenly places in Christ Jesus and such were in heaven as is spoken of in the Revelations Pr. It is an errour to say they have perfection and they themselves not perfect c. And to say they have communion with the body and blood of Christ at the Gentiles Table c. page 23. Ans There is many of the servants and children of God whose meat and drink is the body and blood of Christ that comes among the Gentiles and their Tables to witnesse against them yet neverthelesse they have communion with the body and bloâ—â— of Christ And many may witnesse Christ the perfection in words though they are â—ot in it as the whole world doth yet who are in Christ are in the spirit and are perfâ—â—t So that it is one thing to be in the thing and another thing to have sight of the tâ—â—ng and another thing to professe the thing without the sight Yet I say the sight that â—eeth Christ is perfect and sees perfection and the faith is perfect whereby he comâ—th to the knowledge of the Son of God and to the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ Pr. He saith The writings of the Scriptures may be burned but the Word of God contained in them cannot be burned c. page 34. Ans If he had said the word that it speaks of or testifies of he had spoken proper like Scripture But to say the Word is contained in the writing and the writing saith it testifies of Christ the Word And there is a proof to thee that the Quakers are sent of God who speak to thee of the Scriptures right as they are Pr. He saith It is a lye to say every man hath the light of Christ c. page 44. Ans Contrary to John who saith every man that cometh into the world is enlightned And as many as receiveth him to them he gives power to become the Sons of God And he that believes in the light shall not abide in darknesse but shall have the light of life and so it is sufficient And he that doth not believe is condemned already and he hath it to believe in or to condemn him Prin. He saith Thousands stumble because they have no light in them c. Page 44. Answ They are such as hate it and doth not receive it which hath enlightned them and not walking in it and so is their condemnation and it shineth in the darknesse and the darkness comprehends it not And so they are in darknesse and there is the unregenerate state Pr. He saith The Pharisees were farre enough from having the Kingdome of heaven within c. page 45. Ans Contrary to Christs words who said it was within them Pr. He saith It is a notion to say the light of Christ is in every one c. page 47. Ans Which is contrary to Johns
These he calls Errours Ans All your Temples set up imitating the Temple of Solomon built since the dayes of the Apostles are Idols for God never commanded them And have not the Papists had them And have they not been Masse-houses Beast-houses and are they not Is God worshipped in Temples made with hands Is not he worshipped in the spirit and in the truth And the Scriptures are words of the Prophets and Apostles and Christ they are words and so called in the Scripture they are not called the written word but words and Christ the Word cometh to fulfill them And all you that doth not speak from the Word if your Declaration be not from it you are the spirits gone out into the world apostatized from the spirit that was in the Prophets Christ the Word and the Apostles that doth not speak from Christ the Word in you And the Letter written in paper and inke now paper and inke is not spirituall but that which it speaks of is spirituall And thou to a single and you to a single makes it appear that neither thou nor you never learned your Accidence yet neither are perfect of the Bible what it saith For neither the Bible nor the Accidence teacheth to speak any such language as you to a particular Therefore ye are pittifull men to go to instruct the Nations cannot endure sound righteous words and simplicity of speech but stumble at it And again God will dwell in you and walk in you and your bodies are Temples of the holy Ghost And Christ is in you except you be reprobates saith the Apostle And again God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soule For that which came out from God was the cause that man became alive a living soule and is not this of God And God who hath all soules in his hand and Christ the Bishop of the soule And is not that of God which comes out from God Is not that of his being the soule which he hath in his hand and so divine and is not Christ in man And doth not Christ say they must eate his flesh And so if they must eate his flesh is not his flesh in them and have they not the spirit And how can any eate Christs flesh if his flesh be not in them And doth not the Scriptures say that he was manifest in the Apostles flesh And how can ye call him Christ in man without the man be there And sprinkling Infants which the Scripture doth not hold forth but a thing got up since the dayes of the Apostles not witnessed by Scripture they cannot shew by the Apostles that it was one of his marks but a tradition of men an invention of men and then they may all see such as say they have not a command to do it if it be not a mark of that beastly spirit that is erred from the Apostles who is out of the power And Christ saith be not yee of men called Master it is his command for yee have one Master even Christ and ye are all brethren So thou that opposest the commands of Christ and teacheth men to practice the contrary thou and you are Antichrists and shew your spirit of errour from Christs spirit Now let all read and see if this man divides the word aright to people Pr. He saith They have an unction need not that any man teach them And waiting for the Spirit to come down upon them by inspiration and give them utterance And he saith they sit silent and not whisper among them And they do not own Davids Psalms to be sung See page 12 13. these are errours saith he A. Was it not the Apostles Doctrine that they need no man to teach them but as the same anointing teaching them that abide in it And was not they seducers that drew from it 1 Joh. 2. And did not the Apostles wait for the receiving the Holy Ghost the Comforter the Spirit of truth And did not the holy men of God speak as they were moved by the Holy Ghost and so the Gospel and the things of God was revealed to them what they had heard and seen and was revealed to them and spoke as the spirit gave them utterance and prayed for a door of utterance and others was to pray that they might have a door of utterance given to them when they was to Preach And to sing Davids Psalms without Davids spirit people sings not with the understanding now in all these things have not ye shewed and made manifest your spirits to be all the false spirits gone out into the world from the Apostles Spirit holy-mens spirit that spoke forth the Scriptures as they were moved and waited for the Spirit which led them into all truth and revealed to them the things of God so you that be out of this Revelation and Preach against this you have Preached up your spirits out from the Apostles and declared your folly to all the Nation And then because they wait in silence and not a whisper among them Is not that agreeable to the Apostles Doctrine and the Prophets Is there not a learning in silence And was not whispering forbidden by the Apostle And doth such things as these offend thee and so thou hast shewed thy spirit Pr. He saith they meet in the night and they make their object of their teaching of Ministers and Tithes and of the pure light that is in every man that cometh into the world And for any man for to know what is in him by looking at him or upon him or discern his soul this he suspects to be an evil eye And he saith that the learned men and Ministers and Physitians to be in the power of Satan c. page 16. 17. 18. Ans Here again ye have made manifest your power who are gone forth from the Apostles into the mystery of Iniquity which hath wrought long since their dayes And now is the power of God made manifest which breakes down the mystery of Iniquity and raiseth up the mystery of godliness that of this power neither the learned men Physitians or Ministers are able to Judge of it but as they do own Christ the power of God Formerly in the dayes past as the learned Rabbies Judged of Christ so do they Judge of the power now so not strange to us And the Saints met in the night yea till mid-night And we do deny the Ministry that takes Tythes and say the Priesthood is changed and the Law is changed by which is was made and the Commandment disanuled that gave tithes and the Priesthood changed that took them Heb. 7. And we say Christ is come a Priesthood after the order of Melchisedeck the similitude and likeness who ends the similitude and likeness in Christ is the end of similitudes and liknesses and wars in whom is peace So no tythes paid to the similitude and likeness But all is to come to the Son and to hear the Son and honor
degrees of obedience and conformity to it in this life before death hath drunk Antichrists cup. page 144. Answ The Saints after they witnessed the body of sin put off and made free from sin they glorified God in their bodies souls and spirits And so the body of fin is not the creature for that causeth the creature to groan before it cometh into the liberty of the Sons of God that causeth the body of sin the cloathing that comes upon the Creature the old man which cometh by transgression the first Adam that leads out of transgression brings the creature into the liberty of the sons of God and so who is in Christ is a new creature And old things passe away and the body is the Temple of God a holy Temple And the living soule is immortall yet many of thy generation say it is humane that is earthly yea that Christs soule was humane as ye may see in this Book in the rest of your Principles of them that call themselves Teachers and Pastors whose soules are in death and life And immortality not come to the Light through the power of God which is the Gospell and so have shâ—wed your ignorance of the soule And whosoever witnesse the perfect holinesse and preacheth up that they come from under Antichrists Kingdome They that preach up Imperfection they weare Antichrists livery and his colours and sounds the Trumpet of Antichrist and who be in the righteousnesse are in the perfection it selfe without a thing meritted by man in his will And who loves God keeps his Commandements and to him and them they are not grievous And this was the seed that kept the Commandements of God that Antichrist Beast mother of Harlots and false Prophets made war against as you may read in the Revelations But this seed is a burthensome stone unto yoâ— all tâ—at keeps the commands of God that loves God and they that be born of God doth not commit sin And the naturall body which is flesh blood and bone is not the body of sin it was never read so in the Scripture that that was the body which was to be put off for the Saints had bodies after they witnessed the body of sin put off and made free from sin Pr. He saith That R. F. is against the doctrine of sin continuing in the godly till death page 148. Answ That doctrine of Sin was never preached up by the Apostle that it should continue in the godly till death I say it continues not in the godly for the godly are like God out of sin it continues in the ungodly that is not like God And he that is in Christ is at the end of the Law and the Precepts and the Statutes and the Ordinances and the Commandements and is in the substance Gods righteteousnesse Pr. He saith The Letter is no dead letter and it hath life in it selfe And if there be but this letter or Ministry it is Christs two-edged sword page 153. 155. It serves unto his designe of searching hearts And the Apostle would take people off from the conceit of perfect attainments pag. 162. And may not filthy hearts transform themselves in the fancy of perfection as the Devill into an Angell of light Answ The Devill transforming himselfe into an Angell of Light or into a similitude is like unto all the filthy hearts who fancy perfection without them not within thâ—m and speaks of Christ without them not within them as the Devill did But the Doctrine of the Apostle who preached Christ the Covenant of God and brought people off of that which made nothing perfect to that which was perfect and bid them be perfect and of one minde and he spoke wisdome among them that were perfect so he did not bring the people from it but to it And the Letter it selfe is dead as it is of paper and inke And all Ministers of Letters and Books written in paper and ink and speaks from letters of paper and inke and have not received from God what they preach are Ministers of the Letter and they are the Ministers of death though they minister all the Letters written in the Scripture and have onely but the sheeps cloathing and begets not to God but only making Proselytes as the Ministers did in old time as the Jewes did But they that were Ministers of the Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures they have the sword of the Spirit which the Jewes the Ministers of the Letter had not Nor they that be out of the spirit though they have all the Scriptures given forth from it they that be out of the spirit be out of the spirituall weapons And that which searcheth the heart is that which gave forth the Scriptures which led all the holy men of God to speak them forth who is the Lord the searcher of the hearts which spirit owns all the words of the Scriptures of truth declared forth from the spirit but the spirit was before the Scripture was given forth Pr. He saith Men that are redeemed from all earthly worships perfectly justified before God sincere in their sanctification yet they are in concupiscence and blemishes and conflicts page 166. And the Word of God doth not abide in them that say they have no sinne page 179. Answ Who are redeemed out of all earthly worships and sanctified they are redeemed from the blemishes from the conflicts from the concupiscence and by their redemption they come to witnesse the Kingdome of God that stands in righteousnesse peace and joy in the holy Ghost out of the conflicts and who are in the spirit they are in that which mortifies sin And the Word of God it makes clean where it dwels they are sanctified by the Word and made clean It comes and finds the sin and takes it away and makes clean and hammers it down cuts it down burns it up reconciles to the Father which sin and iniquity separated from Pr. He saith Sacramentall water and sprinkling Baptisme and water c. shewes our being ingrafted into the body mysticall p. 176. 178. which consists of a signe of a thing signified Answ Sprinkling Infants is a signe of your own making and Sacramentall water which the Scripture doth not hold forth but it is a thing presumed above what it written And that signe a tradition doth not bring into the body mysticall but leads from it neither doth any elementary thing But that which baptizeth into the body is the spirit whereby all cometh to be one And that baptizeth not into an elementary body but into a glorious body the spirituall body For there is lying signes come since the dayes of the Apostles which is out of the Apostles practice You can shew nothing for your sprinkling with your Sacramentall water but the Baptisme that the Scripture declares of and the spirit is owned in its place Pr. He saith Bread and Wine are spirituall Institutions and is not carnall in a sense as set in opposition to spiritual Institution and that
mouth goes the unclean spirit But that is stirr'd and stirring and rising in people which ye all ravened from and went from with which ye are all comprehended And the judgement of the great Whore is come and her garments shall be plucked off and that which ye all ravened from high and low shall answer the judgement and it is set a top of you all For such as ravened from the spirit of God inwardly got the sheeps cloathing but turned against the Saints and the woman fled into the wildernesse but now the Lamb and the Saints shall get the victory Though now the Beast and false Prophets and mother of Harlots and the Devill and the Kings of the Earthâ—â—ake war against him He that was dead is alive and lives for evermore The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world who rides on conquering and to conquer who slayes with the sword and kills with the sword which is the words of his mouth Now wo to the Dragon and false Prophets Beast and mother of Harlots and them that worship the Beast the unclean Spirits Woes Vials Thunders Plagues Earth-quakes is come and coming upon you And he is manifest and come that treads the Wine-presse alone without the City who is the Wonderfull Counseller the Prince of Peace whose name is called the Word of God With him are the Saints singing victory over the Beast and the false Prophets great Whore mother of Harlots Babylon Antichrists Babylon is fallen the Lamb and the Saints shall have the victory The body of witch-craft in it thou art found that all that reads thy Book that be in the spirit of discerning may see whose body is redeemed and reigns over thine in the glory and victory Ralph Farmer his Booke called The great mystery of Godlinesse and Vngodlinesse In which these PRINCIPLES are following c. Pr. HE saith The soule is of an immortall and spirituall nature And GOD hath made man to serve him in an outward and visible way of worship Answ Christ saith God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth and is the Spirit without and visible the Spirit that makes all that is contrary to bend in that is God worshipped And others that say they are Teachers as ye may see in this Book say that the soule is humane yea the soule of Christ and thou saith the soule of man is immortal and a spiritual nature Now the soule that gives the sense and feeling of all things is spiritual and immortal as it comes out from God which is in Gods hand whom Christ is the Bishop of the noble Principle that guides it is the light and life Prin. He saith the eternal word enlighteneth all men with the common light of nature Answ The light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightened withall is not natural For the light was before any thing was made and all things that was made was made by it which lighteth every man that cometh into the world though he be in the first Adam in the sin and transgression which light to him doth make it manifest which cometh from Christ the second Adam the way to the Father who was glorified with the Father before the world began to restore that which the first lost and this is the obedient Son and the other the disobedient one which brings the death upon him and all his posterity and all his house So the sons of Adam in the transgression may say and do say that the light which Christ the second Adam the Redeemer and the Restorer the salvation to the ends of the earth doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world withall say this is natural And so that is to deceive people to keep them from the light with which they might all see their salvation and come to receive Christ by which they might have power to become the Sons of God Pr. The measure and degree it must be without thee And it is a cheating to tell people of God within and Christ within and a word within and they are without which he calls a mystery of meer confusion and emptiness Page 27. Answ The degrees and measures was in the Saints which spoke forth Scriptures and knew the Scriptures But those that have the Scriptures and are from their degree and measure in themselves are without them And Jesus Christ is within except ye be reprobates And where Jesus Christ is within the word is there and God is there And this is the great mystery of godliness And where the power of God is set the Crosse of Christ is felt for the Crosse is the power of God And if it be not the same Christ as did ascend it is Antichrist it is against him and false which now many hundreds and thousands do witness Christ within him the Apostles preached who have their Joy and reward who do possesse that which they long looked for And all that stands against Christ within and God within and the word within and the Crosse within the power of God they be reprobates and in the mystery of confusion Pr. The Apostle bid Timothy to Preach the word in season and out of season c. not immediate Revelation pag. 32. And the time will come they will not endure sound Doctrine but after their own lusts they will heap up to themselves teachers having itching ears turning to fables immediate Revelations Page 35. Answ There is none can Preach the word in truth but who Preach it immediately and by the immediate spirit and knowes immediate Revelations And all that be in the Faith as Timothy was they be in the immediate Revelations the gift of God But the Apostle seeing such as would not endure sound doctrine would get up teachers after their own lusts as covetous and minded earthly things and evil beasts that serve not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own bellies Such the Apostle bid Timothy and Titus examine before they Ministred prove them and lay hands on no man suddainly and keep himself clear not preferring one before another And such as went into their own lusts got up heaps of teachers lost the immediate Revelation and the immediate word of God and erred from the faith that purifies the heart and gives victory in which people have unity And such now that are got into the lusts that cannot endure sound doctrine lost the Revelation and speaking the word immediately have ruled and reigned of whose generation thou Farmer art And people have heaped to themselves teachers after their own lusts and that is the cause of all the strife and wars amongst them and teachers denying the immediate Revelation and Preaching the word of God immediately have declared your selves to be the false prophets openly to the Nation that never heard the voyce of God nor Christs voyce nor the voyce of the spirit nor Ministry of the spirit which all sâ—eak immediately And the Apostle saw them come up before
for it is the earth shall help the woman Answ The courtesie the Saints received which was from them whose hearts was opened that the Lord had opened by his power that is not condemned But your taking Tythes of people you do not work for and casting into Prison till death for not giving it you How are you like the Apostles or like the Ministers of Christ or like the woman thou speaks of the Church that was persecuted Now you persecute this signifies she was persecuted And you persecute for meanes and hale up and down in Courts and Sessions and will take treble damages treble tythes of them you do no work for and so you will not stand to the courtesie of people nor wait for the power to open their hearts but are in a power that will take it by compulsion and by violence away from people So you have given judgment against your selves and are not of the number of them the Lord opened their hearts that ministred to their necessities and so unlike the Ministers of Christ that received the courtesies of the people whom the Lord opened their hearts Pr. Thou saith When people have no guide but what is within and that this principle be rooted it will turne all into Babel And thou questions whether it be not a principle of sedition to say that every man hath a light within him Answ All people in the world runs into Babel and Babylon and are building up and throwing down and so goes into confusion about Law and Gospel Prophets Christ and the Apostles words when they be from the spirit within of truth to lead them into all truth and up to God the Father of Truth of whom they learn that gave them forth and with that spirit are they seen in which spirit is unity which is the bond of peace And the light which doth enlighten every man that comes into the world leads all men out of sedition and they be in the sedition that denies it and sayes to the contrary and in darknesse and cannot comprehend it as John sayes which says this is the true light that enlightens every man that cometh into the world And Christ says Believe in the light And the Prophets said God gave him for a Covenant of light to the Gentiles and a new Covenant to the Jewes and he shall be the Leader of the people and salvation to the ends of the earth and every man that comes into the world is enenligtned He that believes is saved and he that believes not is condemned already Pr. Thou queries When the Act of the Commission for the Ministry was repealed since Christ said he would be with them to the end of world And thou saist It is not said simply they shall teach no more every man his neghbour but it is added Know the Lord. Thou saist that every man is enlightned onely with a naturall reason and the elect are enlightned with a saving knowledge Thou saist I bring John 4.23 to overthrow all outward worship Thou saist You can praise God with your bodies and spirits Answ The 7th of Matthew Matth. 24. Christ said false Prophets should come and should be inwardly ravening wolves having sheeps cloathing and John said they was come Chap. 2. Chap. 4. And in Revel All that dwelt upon the earth went after them and such killed the Saints When they had gotten a head they killed the Saints and the true Ministers and they that were of the false killed the true and since those dayes the false hath reigned which hath wrestled with flesh and blood prisoning killing the creatures and warring against them and not with the Principalities and spirituall wickednesses and powers of darknesse and such hath been out of the power the Gospell the Apostles were in hath killed them that kept the testimony of Jesus the spirit of Prophecy And it is said plainly Heb. 8. They shall not teach every man his neighbour nor every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me from the greatest to the least saith the Lord And so thou perverts the Scriptures and art judged by them for it that belies them And the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world is the same Light that the Elect lives in which the world not believing in the Light Christ Jesus the Elect and covenant of light and life and peace promised to the world they are condemned already but he that believes in the Light is saved so that saving is sufficient And Christ sayes they that worship the Father must worship him in spirit and in truth Not at Jerusalem not at Samaria nor at the Mountain So say I not at your Masse-houses with a Crosse at the end of them which the Popes set up and you since the dayes of the Apostles So they that worship God must worship him in the spirit and in the truth Truth doth not change neither doth the Spirit and these be them the Father seeks to worship and hath found many And Christ overthrows the outward worship at Samaria and Jerusalem and the Mountain and so do we at your Papists Masse-houses and tell you God is worshipded in the spirit and in the truth and those are the true worshippers that God seeks to worship and that will stand when Masse-houses Samaria and Jerusalem is down the spirit and the truth that remains In the mouth of the wicked praises is not comely And as for your singing Davids conditions or the Saints conditions given forth from the spirit when you confesse you are not in the spirit as they was that gave them forth So then judged with it to be such whose mouths the praises are not comely that be in another state then they where that gave Scriptures forth And Adams state before the Fall thou knowest not but art found in the steps of the Pharisees and Papists As the Pharisees got words of the true Prophets and Moses out of the life so the Papists and you have got the words of Christ and the Apostles and be out of the life and persecuting them that be in the life as the Pharisees did and killing the just the just being imprisoned in your own particulars as it was in the Pharisees And you with your dark eyes have looked upon the Scriptures ever since the apostacy and ravened from the spirit of God the pure eye and so with that you are comprehended felt over and seen over and with that shall the principle of God in you all be answered that you are apostatized from the Apostles in life and power and doctrine and so are in heaps about their words out from that which is the ground of communion the bond of peace And all thy confusion in thy Book is thy own garments who with it is for the fire the witnesse in thy conscience in the day of thy condemnation shall witnesse it Thomas Tillam his Booke called The seventh-day-Sabbath His Principles answered as Followeth Pr. ALl
not capable of such a rest Answ In the sixe dayes thou was to do that which was just and that which the Law commanded which was justice and to do to all men as thou wouldst be done to Not to covet steale bear false witnesse nor kill the seventh day was the rest that signified Christ Jesus the end of the Law the rest If any man can receive this let him And the Sabbath-day that all servants strangers cattell son and daughter might rest upon it the seventh day the signe the shadow which Christ the body ends was a figure and a signe and a shadow of the restauration of the Creation to the rest whereby the Gospel might again be preached to every creature under heaven This is a touch of the thing more might be said in it The Sabbath was everlasting to the state wherein it was and Circumcision was everlasting to the state wherein it was through their generations and it was in the first covenant shadows types and figures but the body is Christ that came to do the will of God which ends them all and sanctifies man and brings him to rest and peace with God before dayes was Pr. And thou saith J. E. was instructed in the Old Testament which is able to make wise unto salvation through faith therefore be instant in season and out of season Now the onely morall season the Scriptures enjoynes us is the seventh-day sabbath never changed till the little horne arose And the holy spirit in the Apostles highly approves us in our fulfilling the Royall Law which as to the season of worship is none other then the seventh day-sabbath Answ They who are made able and wise to salvation they know the Scriptures through the faith they see the substance of them Christ Jesus and they see while Moses was read the vail was upon their hearts ' for the Sabbath was the signe type and circumcision and this was in Moses and this was the signe read the shadow was read the type was read and the figure read the vail over the heart Now as the seed Christ the body comes to be known the signe the shadow the type is ended the body is known that doth the will of God that brings people to the rest So who knows the Scripture that is able to make wise unto salvation mark that word through the faith that is in Christ Jesus they have salvation which are able to make wise unto salvation that testifies of it and so Christ the seed the body takes off the vaile of mens hearts that ends the types figures and shadows And such as come to know the fulfilling of the royall Law according to Scriptures he comes to the body Christ in which the Law ends to every one that believes and so they as be in dayes Sabbaths which Moses speaks of was a signe and Ezekiel and the Apostle said was a shadow they be not yet come to the body which is Christ that was before any dayes was who is the sanctification and rest of his people and who are in him that is the truth worships God in the truth and in the spirit which never changes but shadows signes of a thing is not the thing that 's signed too for signes and shadows will change but the spirit and truth doth not change in that is God worshipped Pr. And thou saith It cannot be that horne except he change your times also and that he had no time to change but the seventh-day-sabbath and the Sabbath is perpetuall a rule of righteousness Answ Christ made all things new he ends the Law and brings it in the heart he ends the Covenant and changes things as was in the old time changing circumcision offerings Priests and ends the Sabbath which was perpetuall to the Jewes in that generation among the types as the Covenant was and Circumcision and the Law was a rule of righteousnesse for them but Christ who is the end of the Law comes to redeem them that are under the Law and ends their covenant and ends their shadows and changes those times him by whom time was made and so thou that knows not the time in his hands shews thou art not in the time that are in his hands and so not of the body of Christ Pr. And vvhereas thou saith No other time but simply the seventh part must from week to week be devoted to Gods worship for whensoever the seventh part of time is altered the morality must be destroyed Answ They worshipped God that said the body vvas Christ and the Sabbath day vvas a shadovv of good things to come and so they that vvorship God must vvorship him in spirit and in truth and in that vvhich all figures and shadovvs and signes doth end in the spirit and truth before they vvas and not one day in seven a signification of rest sanctification the Lords signe he gave to the people in transgression Before transgression ye do not read it was to men given as a command to the first Adam but of the earth earthly But who comes to the second Adam the Lord from heaven he by whom the world was made comes into that that all types figures shadows ends and so doth not destroy nothing of the Law but comes to that which ends it Pr. And thou saves It 's a great stumbling block as to believers in Christ because Christians violated the Sabbath Answ Christ is the body that ends the shadows and the signes and fulfills the Law him who was before the world was made in him are the Christians the body that ends the shadows and the signes in whom the vayl is come off of their hearts and so Christ did not break the Law but fulfilled it and in him that fulfills it the Saints met who met together in him and gathers together in him Who is the body they are the members he is the head who is the Church in whom he is in the mids of Pr. And thou saith So that to produce the world of wonder manifest it is that night was the beginning of time Answ That 's false the beginning of time was God and Christ and times and seâ—sons are in his hands and God is Light read that who can Pr. And thou saith Thou supposest it will not be questioned in Moses time Answ This was while Moses was read while the body was not come Christ Jesus that ends the signe the shadow the type and blots out the Ordinances and Commandements that held them up from which vaile the Apostle brought the People to the body Christ Jesus where no shadow was nor changing Now dayes are changing but Christ doth not change which is the body And you that hold up the signe the shadow the type the figure you hold up the dead and come not to Christ the life the body the Sanctification it selfe before dayes was by whom they was made Pr. And thou sayst The unthankfull Christian ought to sanctifie the Sabbath Answ Here thou brings them into dayes
not worth mentioning but the Scriptures are owned And Iohn art thou finding fault because men wears no hatbands and eats and drinks bread and water and casts by their pride Now thou mayst see who thou hast taken part with and who is the scoffer and sheweth thy self and who is thy Master short of all good And as for all your bad names and misconstruing of Scriptures it will come upon your selves and thou hast shewed in all thy Book that thou art not able to divide the word aright nor an instructer of Babes Pr. And thou saith that Christ dyed for the sins of the elect Answ And the Scripture saith he was an offering for the sins of the whole world and who shall lay charge to Gods elect whom he justifies Pr. And thou speaks of God destroying men for their ignorance and they shall finde no favour in the day of judgement Answ Whereas the Scripture saith in the time of ignorance God winked at but now he commands all men every where to repent and every man that cometh into the world is enlightned And the spirit of truth shall reprove the world of sin of righteousnesse and of judgement which leads believers into all truth And the grace of God which brings salvation hath appeared to all men but they turne it into wantonnesse which is the Saints teacher And this shall make every tongue to confesse to the glory of God and every knee to bow at his name which is the Emanuel and so none shall plead ignorance as thou saist who art in the ignorance thy selfe but inexcusable because convicted and hast rejected the tender mercies who hast lifted up thy selfe against the Saints and the Lamb but a stone is set over thy head that shall grind thee to powder and the Saints shall have the victory and the Kingdome that is an everlasting Kingdome the witnesse in thy conscience shall witnesse against thee for all thy hard speeches and let thee know that you and thou had better have been silent then to fight against the Lord the Lamb and his Saints that 's the word of the Lord God to thee and you all When ye are judged the witnesse in all your consciences shall answer W. P. his Principles in his Book intituled according to truth that quakes not trembles not nor quailes Pr. THey say If the Apostles had been put to preach upon a short Text or methodically as by a long practice in the Church it is expected from us that they might oft times have studyed for it Answ In this you have shewed your spirits and made manifest you are voyd of the revelation from God and your ignorance of the Scriptures for the holy Ghost shall not speak of it selfe but take of his And the Apostles what they had seen and heard they declared And Christ what he had received of the Father he declared and the spirit that which speaks in the Church and it shews the fulfilling of the Scriptures and it keeps not people long in Texts as the world doth that wrests Scriptures up and down and keep people in sects and so there is the spirit leading into all truth and the spirit of the Father speaking within and the holy Ghost that moved men to give forth Scripture that teacheth to divide the word aright which is the spirit of prophecy in the Church not studying Pr. They say Every man that hath the spirit in some measure doth not attain to the great height and degree that they did that gave forth Scriptures that therefore may not lawfully and infallibly teach as they did Ans Every man that hath a measure of the spirit of God in the least measure or degree it is infallible and so far may they teach infallibly and know Scriptures but they cannot know all Scriptures but as they attain to the full measure of the spirit of the Prophets and Apostles and to the measure and stature and fulness of Christ and if they do not attain to all this they are not able to know all the Scriptures and the work of the Ministers of God was to bring people to this to the measure and stature and fulnesse of Christ and saith Let every one minister as he hath received the grace And take heed of any of you going beyond your measure and them that deny the grace of God appearing to all men cannot minister Pr. They say The greatest part of professors in the visible Church were and are always earthly minded nor can rightly value spirituall and heavenly things Ans In this you and your Ministers hath shewed your fruits like Balaams which withers and are earthly such as Jude speaks of that separateth themselves sensuall and had not the spirit but went forth from the Apostles that are got up since the days of the Apostles Church and Ministry like Priest like people and to be such as was coming up before the Apostles decease as he speaks on in Timothy which minded earthly things like Teacher like People that preach themselves thorow with many hurtfull lusts while they coveted after money they lost the faith and so came people to be all on heaps out of unity in the earth being out of the faith of Gods elect so this is all in the apostacy since the Apostles Pr. And he saith That he is not a hireling that takes wages The wages are allotted to him for his worke Ans But do not all you preach for hire and is it not for hire you preach Now the least in the truth may see you Is there ever a Priest in the Nation but he is hired to work or if he have it not he will not stay Now to prove that you do preach for hire where many Steeple-houses in many Parishes that hath no Priest thither you go not because there is but a little Benefice and they have soules as well as others and where there is agreement for so much a year thither you go is not this for hire and so the Prophets words fulfil'd the Priests preach for hire and all these great sums of money which has lifted you up and gathered a great deale of it out of poor mens labours this hath been the undoing of you all and Nations and many poor people because they cannot put into your mouths but now is God come to judgement upon you all in the apostacy apostates Pr. And thou calls the Steeple-house a Church Ans Which is the Church which is come up since the dayes of the Apostles in the apostacy for the Church is the people of God the elect seed which Christ is the head of who in the midst of this Church doth sing praises which is the pillar and ground of truth without spot or wrinkle Whereas the Steeple-house you call your Church will spot wrinkle and blemish and decay and fall down and wicked men may prevail against it but the gates of Hell cannot prevail against that Church which is built upon the rock Pr. And thou sayst Thou dost not
of glory Pr. He saith It is a Devillish doctine not to forsake quaking and trembling Answ So in this thou mayest say it is Devillish doctrine to say salvation must be wrought out by trembling and quaking so thou shewest thou never knew salvation for before men have salvation wrought out they must know trembling and quaking and so thou hast shut thy selfe out from Moses and Davids condition and such as the Lord regards and trembles at his word Prin. He saith Flesh and bone cannot be a measure in one and a measure in another Answ Whereas the Apostle saith we are of his flesh and of his bone Here thou art contrary to the Apostle and that was more then one that had the flesh of Christ and his bone and his spirit Pr. He cries Oh Luciferian pride to save souls Answ What good doth all your preaching do Here thou spoilest all the rest of the Priests and shews thy selfe to be contrary to the Apostles who watched for the soul and saved souls that turned people from a multitude of sins Pr. He saith God the Father never took upon him humane nature Answ Contrary to the Scripture who saith God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe and art ignorant of the great mystery God manifest in the flesh and his name is called the everlasting Father As for the word Humane which is from the ground it comes from thy own knowledge which is earthly and Christ took upon him the seed of Abraham and David according to the flesh and this is Scripture-Language Pr. He saith The holy Ghost is a person and that there was a Trinity of three persons before Christ was born Answ Thou knowest not him that is in the Father and the Father in him glorified with the Father before the world began And the Scriptures doth not tell people of a Trinity nor three persons but the Common-prayer-Masse-book speaks of three persons brought in by thy father the Pope and the Father Son and holy Spirit was always one Pr. He compares immediate revelation from heaven like unto the false Prophets dreams And again he saith the Scriptures is the word of God Answ Here he fights with the rest of his fellows who saith Scriptures signifies writings and writings are not God but the Scriptures of truth are Gods words which Christ the Word fulfils They are not the word of God which thou hast blasphemously affirmed but Christ is the word of God and they be out of the feare of God and the spirit and knows not the Son nor the Father that denies Revelations but are among the false Prophets and false Dreamers Pr. He saith The Scriptures are the Word except you dare to deny Christ is God And he brings a Scripture Let the word of God dwell in you richly Answ So he makes the Scripture Christ and God and he doth not say let Christ dwell in you but means the Scripture and God dwels in you And the Apostle said Let Christ dwell in your hearts by faith and God will dwell in you but thou saith Christ doth not dwell in them personally Doth not Christ dwell in his Saints as he is in the person of the Father the substance and are not they of his flesh and of his bone Pr. They that hear the Word of God do not hear the Son the holy Scriptures are the mediate Word of God Ans Now all people where ever did you read of a mediate word of God Doth not the word of God endure for ever and is it mediate And that he calls God heavenly Father and never heard his voyce nor his Sons and denies immediate teachings and he that knows the spirit that gave forth Scriptures hears the Son Pr. He saith God limits the supream holy one by the inspired writings of the Apostles and that is his third dispensation of his minde to men And he saith they are taught by inspired Scriptures which is mediate not by Letter which is litterally the Letters or Letter Answ Inspired Scriptures and yet mediate the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy and the Spirit inspires which the Letter doth not and Gods teaching is by his spirit and the holy one is not limited by the words of the Apostles who fulfils them and many words the Apostles spoke which he did not write Pr. And he calls the Devill the tutor to say not made Minister of the Letter Answ So we speak the Apostles words and he makes the Devill the Apostles tutor who said the letter killeth but the spirit gives life who was not a Minister of the Letter but of the spirit said and sayes this that makes the Devill the Apostles tutor which is a lye and his own and the Devill is the Tutor of the Ministers of the Letter and not of the Spirit who can run into it who is out of the truth Pr. He speaks of a morall Law Answ Which he hath no Scripture for the Scripture speaks no such thing but darkens counsell by his words Pr. He saith The Scripture contains the mediate inspired teachings written word of God that was and is God Ans Which the Scriptures say the heaven of heavens cannot contain him and God and Christ was before any written words was and the mediate teaching of the whole Scripture-letter he speaks of which he calls God and Christ and all the mediate teaching is carnall and the Scriptures doth not continue the immediate teachings of Gods inspiration but testifies of those things Pr. He saith The written word is the sword of the spirit And he makes another rule besides the Scripture's false Answ Which we say is the spirit that gave them forth whereby peace is known upon the Israel of God And the Pharisees had the Scriptures but had not the sword of the spirit the Scriptures testifies of the sword of the spirit Pr. He saith It is a lye to say the Saints shall judge the world Answ So he would make Christ and the Apostles lyars and would take the judgement from the Son and make Christ at a distance from the Saints so he is ignorant of the Saints and Christ both and knows not the time of the Saints judging when the Lord is come but stands in the counsels of his own heart and in the hidden things of darknesse Pr. He saith No Saint can be a judge of the world Answ Contrary to Cor. 6. where the Apostle saith Do ye not know the Saints shall judge the world And they abide not in the truth that affirms it as thou saith so hast shewed thy ignorance and one of them that is judged by the Saints Pr. He denies the Son of God to be revealed in man onely by adoption and cries against equality with the Father Answ And that is contrary to the Apostle who had the Son of God revealed in him And the Assembly of Divines gave forth a Catechisme which children old and young was to learn and said the holy Ghost and Son was equall in substance
from the spirit of God you had not known there had been a father or spirit or grace or worshâ—p if the scripture had not declared it but they that had not scripture had faith had the Hoâ—y Ghost had the Father knew the Father knew Christ knew the spirit they that had the scripture the Pharisees knew not the father knew not the holy Ghost nor the Redeemer but resisted as it was in Steven knew not father nor Christ the author of it knew not him that was borne of the spirit Now they that had the scriptures knew all these things that had the spirit that gave them forth they that had the scriptures and not the spirit knew not these things they that had the spirit of error that were in heaps about the saints words now they had the scriptures the Pharisees walked in darkenesse had not Davids Lanthorne to their feet and so could not see Christ as David did saith the Apostle their table was their trap there they struck David that had the life that gave forth the scriptures who had the lanthorne to his feet and had not they a lanthorne before the scripture was written Abraham Enoch what led them all to give forth scripture are not all they that have the scripture and out of that that they was in that gave them forth out of the light and out of the Lant-horne and they had a rule of obedience before the scripture was given forth the word of God that lives and abides and endures for ever that is the word of faith in which the scripture the words of God ends And man had the scripture and knew not Christ that was from the life that they were in that gave forth the scripture Pr. The Gospell is the scripture Answ Many may have the Scripture and deny the power of God which is the Gospel many had the Scripture and the form and stood against the Son of truth Christ Jesus the power of God the Gospel And as for thy other lies and slanders which are not worth mentioning which comes from thy drunken spirit when the spirit is awakened that suffers by it thou shalt feel every word of thy own thy burthen and thou that doth set the Scriptures above Christ and God and the spirit art a heathen THOMAS LEADGERS Antiquakers Assertions His Principles in it as followeth Pr. HE saith The Divine nature is without mixture of sin but it doth not destroy wholly the sinful nature that is in us and the being of sin dieth not until the body die and sin hath been in us to humble us Answ Sin is that which doth not humble but lifts up That which humbles people which brings down the sin Is the humilitie which bears the sin and iniquity which is Christ And the Saints were made free from sin while they were upon the earth and had the body of sin put off And the Divine nature they which have received it knoweth it and have escaped the pollutions that is in the world and the lust of it and so the Divine nature destroyes sin in its being Prin. Again he saith The Scripture is a quickening spirit the wisdom of God the power of God unto salvation the words of the blessed Scriptures every Line of it I have had saith he the righteousness of God revealed in my soul I have had the love of God the grace of Christ the Communion of the Holy Ghost manifest in me but I trample upon all attainments the highest as dung Answ Many had the Scriptures and stood against the wisdom of God and stood against the power of God yea killed and persecuted the Lord of glory of life They that had the dead Letter without the life and many got the form and denyed the power and denyed the quickening spirit and the Spirit of Christ doth not bring to trample upon attainments not the love of Christ nor the righteousness of Christ the love of Christ the grace of Christ the righteousness of Christ this was never esteemed on as the dung trampled upon as the dung such as was transgressors was as dung and they trampled upon the love of Christ the righteousness of Christ but who comes into this tramples upon their own notion Pr. He saith again that perfection is a golden dream and the Scriptures is the word of God Answ Perfection is over all dreams be they never so golden and it ends them all and is above them all and Christs name is called the word of God and the Scriptures are the words of God which Christ the word of God by which all things were made came to fulfill A Book called A serious review of some PRINCLES of the QUAKERS Pr. NO man hath reason to say that the spiritual substance is in the creature the Divine Essence is subject to change as is the soul of man and every one is enlightened that comes into the world by the light of Christ and this he cals a natural light and that some persons are come up out of the fall is an errour I do not own a perfection without sin and it is an errour to say there is any perfection without sin Answ All erring is in the fall and that which is come up out of the fall is come out of the errour into the second Adam where no errour is which many witness for all errour is in the first Adam in the fall and in him that tempted And the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world by which the world was made which was before the world was made by which all things was made and created in whom is life and this life is the light of men which men being in the light which they be enlightened withall they coming by the light to him from whence the light doth come they come into the perfection out of sin for all sin and imperfection is in the first Adam in the earth And perfection is in the second Adam Christ Jesus who bruiiseth the Serpents head the Author of imperfection And who be in him are in a perfection without sin and there is no sin in the perfection nor any errour in the perfection of Christ and all who be in the unreasonableness are â—gnorant of the spiritual suâ—stance and power of God and Holy Ghost the spirit of truth the Spirit of Christ the nature that dwels in the Saints which all this is substance and not shadow and the Divine power and the power of the Lord God and Gâ—d doth not change nor his spirit nor the soul nor his power so read thy self God doth not change in his being neither doth that which comes from him that which he hath in his hand and in his power Pr. Hâ— saith That which is imperfect can be reconciled to God and that they are poor blind creatures that say the light doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world and needeth no light and discovery to help and the Scripture doth no where call Christ
Principles as followeth Priest of Cockermouth in Cumberland Pr. HE said He would come to Christ and never own the light within him Answ None comes out of transgression to the second Adam but who comes to the light within which is the way to the Father and that is it which gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ which comes from him Pr. George Larcum said I would to God I had power thou shouldst be severely punished Answ Here thou hast shewed thou art limited and thy weapons and thy Armour and art not a Minister of Christ in the armour of God the shield of faith nor shod with the Gospel but such is the Priests and false Prophets who got the Magistrates into the forme that denyed the power of God on their side that they might be ready to help the false Prophets against the truth when ever it ariseth Thomas Warwicke Priest came to the meeting of those called Quakers on a Green and struck John Grave and plucked him off the Green and his wife struck and beat sore and drew blood of friends And the same Priâ—â—t said If the Law were rightly executed thou might not stand there it would cut off all your necks Thomas Dentham Priest called me out of the meeting to him and said he would stand to prove his practice and then he went his way and bade the people take me away hang me and at his words the people did beat me and pulled the hair off my head John Grave witnesse Answ You shew your selves not to be Ministers of Christ â—ut to be such that ever was out of the Saints life who was found in the spirit of murderers and persecutors of him you are that is out of the truth would drink the bloud of the Saints this is the mark of the Beast and false Prophets that would kill creatures and wrestle with flesh and blood Pr. That the Devill is a Minister of Christ in some sense Answ Christ the seed of the womâ—n bruises the Serpents head and destroys death and him that hath the power of it and destroys the works of the Devill and judges the Prince of this world and takes him together with the false Prophets and the Beast and casts them alive into the lake of fire that he shall deceive the the Nations no more and so he will not suffer the Devill to minister and thus the Devill and his Apostles are bound under with the Truth which he is out of Pr. The Scribes and Pharisees were Ministers of Christ in the same sort as Moses was when Christ commands to hear them though in a lower degree of manifestation Ans The Scribes and Pharisees were not as Moses for Moses was in the life and light with which he saw Christ The Pharisees had the words of Moses and the Law and Prophets but out of the life that Moses was in and the Prophets though got up in Moses Chair they stood against Christ and saw him not as Moses did whom Christ cryed woe against So they were not the Ministers of Christ but against him who was the end of the Prophets John Owen who calls himself a Minister of the Gospell his principles as followeth in his Catechisme which he gives forth 1657. Pr. ALl truth concerning God and our selves is to be learned from the holy Scripture the Word of God Ans There was truth learned before the Scriptures were written and the Scriptures of truth are the words of God which ends in Christ the Word and there is no truth learned buâ— as the spirit doth lead into all truth which comes from Christ the truth which was before the Scripture was written And the spirit of truth leads into all truth of the Scripture And many has the Scriptures but knows not Christ the Truth but as the spirit leads them and reveals them and so he hath thrown out Christ and the spirit Pr. There is one God in three persons c. Ans Where doth the Apostle tell us of three persons but tels us of Father Son and holy Ghost but thou out of the Masse-book and old Common-prayer-book who are the mutterers about three persons Pr. I am conceived in sin and borne in iniquity Answ Then thy Parents were not believers so children unholy for by nature children of wrath that is in the unconverted state in the transgression unbelievers for they who by nature are children of wrath are not borne of the believers for the unbelievers are sanctified by the believers else were their children unholy but now are they clean Pr. We have not kept the Commandements of God but are all sinners and transgressors of them Ans We do believe thee John Owen and the rest of you who call your selves Ministers of the Gospell and yet have not kept the ten Commandements and would conclude all men in with you to be sinners and transgressors of them Nay John was separated from you who said He that loves God keeps his Commandements But what are not you false-witness-bearers that calls your selves Ministers of the Gospel and coveters after other mens goods houses c Are not you committers of Adultery and stealing Are not you murdering men in holes for goods like a troop of Robbers as the company of Priests did in the day of the Law and Prophets Do not you live in dishonouring your parents and God and taking it to your selves And do not you all come short of keeping the Sabbath bearing of burdens making a fire gathering your meat when you should be at rest Are not you all taking Gods holy name in vain both in Pulpit Town house Alehouse Streets Market-houses and naming Christs name in your iniquity so not held guiltlesse Are not you all making Images and graven Images and hanging them up in your Steeple-houses and signes and houses and gardens and high wayes and things above and things that are beneath And do you think that people do not believe you when you tell people in your Catechism that you have broken all the ten Commandements when we see your fruits have declared it And are you not ashamed to set forth such a Catechisme who say you keep not the Commandements Pr. The Sacraments are the seals of the Covenant of grace Answ It 's God that seal's the Son and sent him into the the world and not outward shadows And as for thy word Sacraments the Pope was the Author of them in his Common-prayer book And as for the rest of thy work in thy book of Catechism is like unto the old Doctors of the Jewes that broke the commands of God that loves him not whom Christ cryed woe against S. Palmer and R. Hooke who say you are the servants of Christ your Principles which followes in a Book called The forme of sound words And who directs their Book to the Friends Neighbours and Parishioners of Gedling and Sowdham Pr. THat henceforth ye be not children tossed too and fro and carried about with
Prophets Abraham and Davids words and the Jewes had Scriptures but stood against the way to God Christ Jesus the light as all you doe that stand against the light And Abraham and Abel and Enoch had the way to God before the scripture was written and Christ Jesus is the way to God Christ saith I am the way to the Jewes who had scriptures Pr. That there is no perfection to be attained to while people live upon earth A Then by thy doctrine Christ is not attained to while man lives which is contrary to the Apostles and Christs own doctrine who said I in you and you in me and Christ in you the hope of glory and then none abides in the Vine by thy account which is Christ and none bears fruit to the glory of God who abides not in the Vine and who abides in the Vine abides in the perfection of God and thou art contrary to the Ministers of Christ whose work was for the perfecting of the saints Pr. That Justification and Sanctification differs Answ Justification and Sanctification is one for Christ who is the justification and sanctification is one and it is thou that differs from him Pr. That the word of faith in the heart spoken of in the 10â—h of the Romans is the Scriptures Answ The Apostle doth not say so for many had the scriptures and were under the Law and knew not the word of faith the gift of God Pr. He said the Scripture leads into all truth Ans This is contrary to Scripture for the Scripture saith the spirit of truth shall lead you into all truth this is the promise of Christ and Christs words And Abraham had his leader and Enoch to Christ and to God before the Scripture was given forth Oh that ever men should be set up to be Teachers that are so blind concerning the Scriptures and receive so many thousand pounds a year for teaching And the Jewes had scriptures and were not led into all truth as you Christians are now therefore are you all in heaps about them wanting the spirit to lead you into all the truths of them Pr. He said That Christ and the Father and the holy Ghost are not one but they are three therefore distinct Answ This is the denying of Christs doctrine who saith I and my Father are one and the holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son and he was conceived by the holy Ghost and they are all one and not distinct but one in unity that which comes out from him leads the Saints into all truth that ever was given forth from the spirit of truth and so up unto God the father of truth and so goes back again from whence it came Pr. It is blasphemy to say the Son is one with the Father and not distinct from him Answ The Father and the Son are one the Son is in the Father and the Father in the Son so that which is in him is not distinct from him and they blaspheme that say the Son is not in the Father and deny Christs doctrine Pr. He said The Father is a distinct incommunicable being from the Son and the Son a distinct incommunicable being from the Father and the holy Ghost a distinct incommunicable being from the Son Ans The Son is one and in unity with the Father and not distinct but equall and thought it not robbery The holy Ghost is in unity with the Son and the Father which proceed from them and they are one in unity and not distinct Thy doctrine is drosse and you Priests are not fit to judge in such things as they are they are too weighty and too heavy for you Pr. He affirmed That the Scripture is the power of God and that the Scripture is the Gospell Answ The power of God leads them to speak forth the Scriptures and the power of God is Christ and the power of God endures for ever but Scripture is writing and doth not and the Gospel is the power of God saith the Scriptures and doth not say that the Scripture is the Gospel for many had that and witnessed not the glad tidings and so thou art here distinct from the Ministers of the Gospell and art not a Minister of it the power of God but puts writings for it which power of God was before writings were Pr. He affirmed That the Father was the Creator and not God Answ This is contrary to the Scripture For in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth the Father and God is one the maker of all things for God the Father that made the world saith the Apostle Gal. 4.6 One God and father of all Pr. He said That Christ was not his rule but the Scripture was his rule Ans I do believe thee that Christ is not thy rule so life is not thy rule wisdome is not thy rule truth is not thy rule and so Christ not being thy rule thou art ignorant of Scriptures and knows them not for he who is the substance of the scriptures is not thy rule so thou knowest them not neither art subject to them Pr. He saith That God justifieth them that are not sanctified Answ He that is justified is sanctified for he that justifieth sanctifieth Pr. And another Priest saith That Christ was not the resurrection of the body Ans Christ is the resurrection and the life and the Saviour of the body who brings the creature into the liberty of the Sons of God The Priests of Lancashire their Principles PRiest Jacus the foreman of them said the letter and the spirit were inseparable Answ Contrary to the Apostle 2 Cor. The letter kills and the spirit gives life And we are Ministers not of the letter but of the spirit so the spirit that ends the letter was before the letter was and men may have letter and not the spirit and deny the Ministers thereof And the Apostle said they were one anothers Epistles written in one anothers hearts and not with paper and ink but with the spirit of the living God so you are contrary to the Ministers of Christ and if every one which hath the letter have the spirit what need you teach your teachings are at an end for the spirit will open to you the scriptures The Professors Principles at Westmerland Edward Briggs the leader of them said Pr. IT was heresie and deceiving the people to bid people believe in the power of God Ans Then they must not believe in Christ who is the power of God and it is not heresie nor deceiving of people to bid them believe in the power of God which is Christ and they are in the heresie and deceiving state that do not believe in the power of God and deceiving people and keeps them all in heaps under the power of the Devil and so to believe in that which is the cause of peoples destroying and persecuting one another Pr. And others of the Professors said That God had no hand in working out
of the first Adam O mystery of deceit the deceitfull unfolding by antichrist to say that Christ sayeth the houre is coming now is that neither at this mountain nor as Jerusalem shall the Father be worshipped but he that worships him must worship him in spirit and in truth Answ Thousands in the Nation may witnesse the work the Quakers hath wrought and thousands are convinced of you to be the gain-sayers of the truth and the ante-christ come up since the daies of the Apostles and all your praying reading and meditations is but the first Adams state in the fall where the mystery of deceit is for yet you are not come to own the light Christ Jesus the second Adam that doth enlighten every man that comes into the world and so you be the ante-christs standing against Christ the light the truth and so are not come into the worship of God in the truth and in the spirit but are crying up at your Masse-houses is God worshipped as the Jewes did the Temple and Samaria the mountaine at Jerusalem which Christ saith not at Samaria nor the Mountain nor Jerusalem nor the Temple but in spirit and in truth and so we say not at your Masse-houses nor at Samaria nor Jerusalem neither not the Mountain but God hath seeked us to worship him in spirit and in truth and therefore you rage that hate the light Pr. They reckon their perfection and happinesse to be deprived of all the spirit doth neither so act or so teach and I was kept from this temptation and they that are overcome by it are brought into bondage a vaine deceitfull waiting for a power when the Apostles saith ye must pray without ceasing and not quench the spirit the Thessalonians they must cease from their owne words and wait for the immediate striving and working of the spirit as they fancy it Ans This thou calls fancie who saith the spirit of God doth not teach men nor so act to be deprived of all things Yes I say to thee thou must be deprived of all things before thou come to happinesse and thou art in the bondage and in the temptation that hath not forsaken all things and come to Christ the onâ— thing and thy praying and prophesying and not waiting for the spirit and power for to pray withall art in the fancy and following thy owne Spirit and out of the perfection of Christ Pr. It is blasphemy to say we must fill up the sufferings of Christ Answ And so thou art unlike the Apostles anâ— hast not drunk the cup of the wrath and judgement of the Almighty and that you must drink before you come to know the â—eed of God come from under all the power of wickednesse in thee and that is the world And Christ who bore the sin of the whole world felt it and was under it and was offered and over it all and makes his enemies his footstool Pr. The false interpretation of the enemy he saith that every mans work must be tryed with fire what sort it is and you shall hardly gain a speech of one sort or other sometimes from the Quakers and this thou cals dumb devill Answ And thus thou shewest where thou art who hath not known a time to be silent before thou didest know a time to speak and the dumb devill hath been found amongst your selves your Priests for when many of the Quakers have been moved of the Lord to come to speak to you in your Pulpits you have proved the dumb devils turned your backs and have gone your waies and spoken never a word to them and thy works and all mens shall be tryed by the fire and that is not perverting scripture as also saith the Apostle and thou never hast past through the wrath of God but it is yet to come and the sufferings of Christ thou knowest not Pr. And it will be a lye and delusion for the spirit when it sanctifies the hearts to go about to tear their hearts out of their bodies when Davids bones was broken and his flesh would scarce to cleave it is far from me to think that this was under the apprehension of wrath shall a man think that he suffered for his sanctification Answ The spirit of God teares out the old hearts and so before men be sanctified throughout he must know suffering and his wretched state yet Sanctification that brings him peace in the end and life And Davids condition thou art ignorant of and knows not for he was sensible of the wrath before his sins were removed as far as the East is from the West and he had joy and peace but trembling and quaking is become a mock and scoffe amongst you for there is a trembling and rejoycing and there is a trembling in the sorrow Pr. When the Quakers are commanded many times to go they have not that leisure to dress them this is a hard Master surely not Christ therefore by Satan for the Lord is not wont to do things ignorantly to deceive his servants and they are brought to fast from all manner of food three nights and three dayes most feeble wretched creatures contrary to the Law of nature so they are not capable of bearing the glory of God so Ministers of Antichrist and they are made to deny their callings and possessions I would eat more then I desired because I would give no offence Answ In this thou hast shewed thy ignorance of the Scriptures and Christ for he that is on the house top let him not come down to put on his cloaths And they that went on his message were not to take two coats And when they went on his message they did not goe to dresse themselves with boot-hose-tops and double cuffs and ribbons and rings as the Priest doth and what God doth it is in his wisdome beyond the ignorance of man-kinde and they that receive it must be in his fear And Christ is not a hard Master as thou thinkst because some goes not dressing them in their apparell which goes to do his command but thou who art wicked and sloathfull hath so judged with the wrong and false judgement and many of the Saints have fasted till they might number their bones and Christ fasted and this was not contrary to the Law of nature and did not make them uncapable of receiving the glory of God Neither was it Antichrist and thou who art of him canst eat and drink more then thou hast desire because thou wouldst not offend others and that is contrary to the Law of nature And the Saints forsook their callings and possessions and the world but you Priests runs into great possessions which you get out of poor peoples labours so like the false Apostles and Antichrist not like Christ and his Apostles Pr. They have a glosse put upon Christs words to his Disciples when he bids them that they should take no care what to speak it should be given them in the same hour And of their gâ—ing naked I
the Almighty covereth us and it goeth before us and compasseth us about and the Lord is working a work in the Earth mighty and wonderful he is gathering the scattered and binding up the broken hearted and his people shall dwell in safety and none shall make them afraid and no weapon that is formed against them shall prosper nor no hand that is lifted up shall prevail For Sion shall arise out of the dust her beautiful garments shall be put on and mourning and sorrow shall flee away and her light is risen that is everlasting and the Sun shall never go down but his day shall remain for ever and the night shall not again cover her brightness nor the Sun set upon her habitations the City that hath long laid waste shall again be builded and the dwelling that hath long been without inhabitant shal be replenished for the numberles seed of Jacob is coming out of Egypt that will replenish the whole Earth and the seed of Esau shall become bondmen and wherefore are you gathered together and to what purpose have the wicked spent their strength to oppose what the Lord is bringing to passe shall not all our Enemies be broken to pieces and will not the Lord grinde them to powder will he not marr their beauty and stain their pride will he not bring down their crownes and corrupt their glory and stain it with his fire of wrath and make them ashamed of their wayes and Doctrines Hear this ye Priests and howl and lament for the misery that is coming upon you the Lord hath laid you naked and made you bare and you are seen as you are and the Elect is risen amongst us which ye cannot deceive but alass wo is me how have you caused the people to erre and how have you led the blind out of the way and how is truth fallen in your streets and you have daubed falsely with untempered morter and have cried peace to the wicked and condemned the righteous and all this hath vexed the righteous soul and the Lord will now arise and is risen and you shall not resist and escape the stroak of his hand which will come upon you and bruise you as a milstone for you have caused the wicked to rejoyce and the righteous to mourn and you have made sad his heart whom God hath not made sad have not you fed your selves with the fat and clothed with the wooll and hath not the peoples souls been starved and leanness been upon them all your plants aâ—â— dry and barren trees that brings forth no good fruit and your pâ—â—ple are like a wilderness that is untilled and unploughed and undressed and your flocks are like wild asses upon the mountains that is untamed as rude as the Horse and mule that knows no bridle and now it is seen what the end of your Ministry is and what fruit it hath brought sorth the Lord hath taken notice and he hath beheld how you have loytered and laid idle and the Nations lies yet like fallow ground that bears no fruit and mens hearts are untouched with absence of Gods word and there is no sound true and perfect sence amongst your people of the dealings of the Lord nor of the operation of his spirit but they remain in great blindness and ignorance void of the knowledge of God for ye have not caused them to hear his word but you have told your dreams and your false visions and you have spoken imaginations of your hearts and not from the mouth of the Lord neither have you stood in his Counsel nor hearkened to his voyce and therefore people remains unprofited but what they and you know it s naturally and not by the spirit of the Father but as dry trees you are not taught of the Father and as rough goats in the nature of swine that is polluted in the filth of the world and in the nature of dogs and Lyons devouring another and biting one another and killing one another which things were not in the Churches of Christ and we have a great controversie with you and that from the Lord we have tried you searched you and disovered your foundation and it s not found nor will not stand in the triall we have fetcht your Line from the first original and we have found out your beginning and we find yours of that Race which Christ prophesied of that should come which should deceive many having the sheeps cloathing but inwardly ravening and which Iohn saw was come and went out from the Apostles and true Churches which went from the truth and went into the world and had the forme of godlinesse without the power here began the Race in the Apostacie of the Churches and when they Apostatized from the true faith then came your original up and the world went after them and all that dwelt upon the earth worshiped the beast that hath reigned through all this time of Apostacie which hath been since the daies of the Apostles and we find your original goe no further then to the false bretheren and false Apostles which went out from the true Apostles and run for gifts and rewards and preached for filthie lucre and through covetousnesse made merchandize of souls seeking monie and gain to themselves I say we find your Original begins there and your Line goes no further and never came your first rise so far as the true Apostles you were not in your beginning of their life nor birth nor cannot be reckoned from their Original for you succeed not them but you truely succeed the false Apostles and fals bretheren which Christ prophesied should come after his daies Iohn saw was come and coming in his daies and we find you of this stock and generation and now you are discovered to be contrarie to the true Apostles and agreeing with the false Apostles in call in practice in maintenance and in all things and the Line of true judgement is laid upon you all and you are measured and found too short and weighed and found too light and we wil deale truely with you in judgement first we do hold controversie with you as concerning your call your Ministery it agreeth not with but is contrarie to what the Apostles call was they were called by power from on high and were made Ministers by the gift of the holy spirit received from God and their Ministrie was an absolute gift from God and not to be bought and sold for monie and they were anointed of the Father by his spirit of promise and to preach the Gospel but your call is at schools and Colledges in such and such orders which are attained through naturall industerie such and such arts and sciences and degrees having been so many years brought up in studying naturall arts and naturall Languages this is your ordination and your call having no respect to receive or to wait for the gift of the holy spirit to be made Ministers thereby and this is different from the Apostles
false worships in the Steeple-houses in the sheeps cloathing Did God let thee see the deceit of the tythes in the Priests Did God let thee see the vanity of respecting of persons and honouring of the creatures was thou turning from these things as thou confesseth And art thou now turned to them again By whom the way of truth comes to be evill spoken of Is thy latter end worse then the beginning will not all thy words be thy burden and fall heavy upon thee thy time is not past George Emmot And as for all the reviles scoffes mocks in thy Book they are not worth mentioning and raking in the dust for among sober people Hast thou turned the grace of God into wantonness which had taught thee to deny the ungodly lusts of the world and would have brought thee to salvation and so forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God the law in thy minde and in thy heart whereby thou might have been taught to know the Lord But now thou art run out to Teachers that may be removed into a corner that will poyson thee And do put some into coâ—ners and Prisoâ—s because they will not give them maintenance and then they are them that put into prisons and corners That which brought thee to leave off thy ribbons and vanities and lusts of the world waâ— the grace of God which thou hast turned into wantonnesse and published it to the Nation see page 6. And thou art turned in to that the grace taught thee to deny Pr. He saith The Steeple-house is a holy place more holy then a house see page 8. Ans The Pope hath taught thee this and his Teachers and thou art gotten into the holy place like the Pharisees and saies the Apostle defiled it and thus you and your Popes doctrine is got up since you have apostatized from the Apostles which Apostles brought the Jewes off the holy places thou speaks of and while you and them have been in these holy places you have been in the unholiness Henoch Howet his Book titled The Quaking Principles dashed to pieces by the standing and unshaken TRVTH He hath dashed himself to pieces upon the Rock as his torn Language in his Book discovers And his Principles are here as followeth which a great part of his Book is not worth mentioning but turned back upon himselfe who must bear his owne burthen in the day that burns as an oven that his works are tryed he shall remember to the witness in him I speak Pr. HE makes the Scripture to be the onely weapon whereby Christ overthrow the Devill see page 3. Answ Who bruiseth his head and was before Scripture was Yet the Scriptures is for correction and doctrine furnishing the man of God in his place and Christ the seed was before Scripture was And all them that hath Scripture and not Christ cannot overcome the Devill you and the Papists doing his work for they that overcome him it is with the power and those have the Scriptures of truth which the Devil is out of Pâ— Here he saith the Scriptures is the hope See page 4. Ans Which is contrary to the Scriptures which saith Christ is the hope and they that had the Scripture stood against the hope Christ Pr. He saith there is nothing in man to be spoken to but man See page 5. Ans How then ministred the Apostle to the spirit And Christ spake to the spirits in prison and Timothy was to stir up the gift that was in him and the spirit of the Father speaks within them and the light it shines in the heart which God hath commanded to shine out of darknesse And the Son of God is revealed in me saith the Apostle Here the Scriptures are for correction of thee and reproof of thee who said there is nothing to speak too â—n man but man when the Apostle saith that which may be known of God is manifest in man for God hath shewed it unto them Rom. 1. And the Apostle was manifest to every ones conscience in the sight of God and that was of God which the children disobeyed Pr. He calls that a darke delusive light Ans Which John calls Christ the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world which we speak of so he is fighting against the foundation of God that stands sure And thus the man is striking at the Rock and splitting himself is not come to John but is as dark as the Pharisees Heathen whose darknesse cannot comprehend the light that John saith lighteth every man that cometh into the world that shineth in the darkness that is the true light John 1. chap. So you that deny the light which Christ hath enlightned every man that cometh into the world withall be the enemies of Christ that will not that he should reign over you who are by him to be slain and so that Scripture which he mentions there in page 10. stands for himself who gets his words and calls him Lord but doth not do as he saith and ye all that be in darknesse stumble at the Scriptures which see not the light that lighteth every one that cometh into the world Pr. Hâ— saith They that deny the honour of men are Witches and Wizards page 14. Ans Wilt thou say that Mordecai was a wizard and had a familiar spirit that would not bow to Haman And the Apostle found fault with them that worshipped the creature more then the Creator who is God blessed for ever And all the familiar spirits and wizards fell down and worshipped Nebuchadnezars Image which Daniel could not bend to their Image nor inventions Pr. And again thou saith They that love God and love Christ keepeth his commandements see page 14. Ans And thou art bringing many Scriptures to oppose the commands of Christ who saith Be not ye of men called Master So thou art seen not to be of the spirit of Christ but the spirit that is gone out into the world that is Antichrist and opposeth his Doctrine who is the end of the Prophets and was before Abraham was and so hath given judgement of thy selfe thou neither loves God nor Christ Pr. And here he accuseth Paul and saith Paul saith he is not perfect Answ When Paul saith As many of us as are perfect are thus minded and brings himself in the number and speaks wisdome among them that are perfect page 15. John Timpsons Booke called The Quakers Apostacy from the perfect Rule of the SCRIPTVRES discovered A True title to his Book concerning his own condition as his Book doth witnesse himselfe in the Apostacy whose work is to oppose the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world that John bore witnesse of So opposing the Covenant of God of life and peace and the foundation of God which stands sure Christ Jesus which he may as well say nothing or do nothing But the stone is set upon his head and the foundation of God is layd witnessed by the Prophets
forth from the Apostles into the world that Christ said should come that inwardly ravened from the spirit and went forth from the Apostles and onely have had the sheeps cloathing and so are the spirits which the Apostles bids the Saints try which went forth into the world that had the true spirit the record the spirit of God and they that have found the record the spirit of God tries all your spirits and findes you fallible ravened from the spirit of God inwardly onely having the sheeps cloathing that hath covered the wolfe in you all the devourer And so we do believe neither yoâ—â—or the Pope hath the infallible spirit being the false spirits that went forth into the world and led the world after you That Nations are come to be like waters so are you broken all into heaps and sects and wants the infallible spirit in which you should have unity And so hath not the Son of God revealed among you who have not revelation as the Apostles had which we witnesse who are come to that the Apostles were in and so the Son of God reigns Pr. He saith The holy Scriptures are the temporall word c. see page 11. Answ Now see if this be not an undervaluing the Scriptures of truth and the words of God and Christ and the Prophets and Apostles which cannot be broken he calls it a Temporall word which the Scripture teacheth no such doctrine but thy lying spirit Pr. He saith The Gospell or Word is the externall light flowing out unto us from the Son c. See page 12. Ans Contrary to the Scripture which saith the Gospell is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes so not temporall not a temporal light And the light which cometh from the Son of God that lighteth every man that cometh into the world that shines in peoples hearts that gives the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus is not temporall thou that saith so art in the delusion Pr. He saith The Scriptures are able to make men wise unto salvation without any more additions and there is no more to be expected c. see page 12. Answ Contrary to the Scripture it selfe and the Apostles doctrine who saith through faith they are able to make wise unto salvation So there is an addition which the Apostles adds and all the Saints and true believers which is the faith which thou art reprobated from and so no Minister of Christ in the un-victory so in the worlds lusts Pr. He saith The soule of man is a spirituall substance c. And Magnus Byne saith the soule is not infinite in it selfe but it is a creature And Richard Baxter saith it is a spirtuall substance c. See page 13. Answ Now consider what a condition these called Ministers are in They say that which is a spirituall substance is not infinite in it self but a creature that which came out from the Creator and is in the hand of the Creator which brings it up and to the Creator again that is infinite it selfe which the hand goes against him that does evill in which hand the soule is which is immortall and infinite which hand is infinite which brings it up to God is infinite Pr. He saith Do not they blasphemously make Christ an Idoll that call our Temples Idols Temples c See page 15. Ans Christs body was and is the Temple of God who ended all outward Temples made with hands and so that is no Idoll but others are Idols held up by you and the Pope Jewes and Gentiles that prison the seed of God in your selves And Stephen was stoned to death for denying the Temple and for witnessing the substance so have you almost stoned many to death for denying your Idols Temples Pr. He calls that most ignorant and sottish dealing to own Christs commands that bids be not called of men Master c. page 18. Answ And thus he shews his ignorance and sottishnesse and doth not read Mr. Paul Mr. Peter and they transgresse the doctrine of Christ and he hath not the spirit of Christ but is gone out into the world where all the false spirits are opposing Christs commands and the Spirits commands and so no Minister of Christ Pr. He saith All the Ministers since the dayes of the Apostles was to be ordained and called which the Apostles were not c. See page 21. Answ Doth not the Apostle speak of them that usurped the authority Yes we say that all of you and the Pope since the dayes of the Apostles are called by men and made by men who are the false spirit that went forth into the world that ravened from the true so have not heard the voyce of God at any time So he hath not sent you but you have usurped the authority being made by man And as no prophecy of Scripture came by the will of man therefore all as do get the Scripture in their own wills out of the holy Ghost are made by man such are out of unity with God with Scriptures with one another and all upon heaps about words and such men make and sets up Pr. He saith The Scriptures is Gods law and a sufficient rule for doctrine and worship it selfe c. See page 22. Ans Now many may have the Scriptures and if they have not the spirit that gave them forth they do not worship God in the spirit And they that have the Scriptures and do not do the will of Christ they know not his Doctrine And the Law is light Pr. He saith But I must tell you that our Bells are not carnall if they were they would scarce sound so well or last so long c. See page 23. Ans If they be not carnal then they are spiritual and in that all the world will judge thee that they are things seen and so they are temporall and carnall and what is temporal is not eternal nor spirit The Apostle speaks of carnall weapons 2 Cor. 10.4 and carnall ordinances Heb. 9.10 And whereas thou speaks of baptizing your Bells c Have not many Bells in England been baptized And was not the Pope the first Authoâ— of it And we do say that they are carnal and not spiritual let them sound never so well and last never so long though in many Towns you have made them to tune Psalms yet we cannot say that these are spirituall that can tune Psalms neither dare we but do judge them that do say they are so For the Scripture calls those Ordinances which were Ordinances of God once worldly and carnal and the Sanctuary is called a worldly Sâ—nctuary when the substance was come And so we see and say all your sorts of Bells though they may be tunes of Psalms yet they are carnall and not spirituall that is our conclusion though indeed poor people being ignorant may well when such as thou saith they are not carnall when they be yet they stir up the fl
said It hath been said to them of old time thou shalt performe the oath of the Lord. Christ said so that comprehended time that was the end of that old time where had been the swearing But I say unto you now Sweare not at all and so it was not the frivolous oaths that was among the Jewes that swore but it was true oaths that Christ brought them off the oath that was to be performed to the Lord which Christ the oath of God ended who comprehends time and told them the danger if they went any farther then yea and nay And so your interpreting the Scripture which are the private Interpreters is but to wrest them to your own earthly wills and that which opposeth the commands and doctrine of Christ brings not honour to God is not a part of his worship nor is not divine but in that which is out of truth for none worships God but who is in Christ who sayes sweare not at all who is the end of the Law and the Prophets and Oaths and is but one of your dark consequences and so it is not mens duty in any case to swear for the duty of man is to keep the commands of Christ and there is none that is just that will swear that obeys the commands of Christ but such swears who are unjust and they be out of that which gives the last peale and ends all differences which ends all oaths and all strife and all controversie which is Christ Jesus the covenant of God for strifes controversies and differences is without the covenant of Light and Life Christ Jesus the oath of God and so thou art not a Minister of Christ that brings people back to the Law and tells them it is lawfull to sweare Here the Papists and thee art one both opposing the commands of Christ which would make people believe it was the frivolous oaths among the Jewes that Christ brought them off and not of the true oaths and says it was not a shadow I say yes it made peace and ended the strife amongst men the oath of God that was sworn by the Lord but Christ the oath of God ends the strife and ends those oaths that men were to swear by the Lord So it was typicall and ceremoniall and was to change and was mutable for Christ that comprehends time sayes in the old time the oath must be performed to the Lord but I say unto you now Swear not at all So that was to be changed and it did type forth something There you may see the substance of it Christ the oath of God in which men have peace who ends the strife between men and God who makes all things new And so they that bring men to the swearing bring men into the evill And they that bring men to the Law and Prophets that speaks of swearing brings men from Christ who is the end of the Law and Prophets into the old time Pr. The ground and occasion of Oaths yet remains and so a usefulnesse of Oaths for the ending of Controversies which must be established by Oaths for the ending of humane societies The Apostates taking for granted that the Christian Religion did forbid all Oaths it is false and ridiculous for the Prophet said every tongue shall swear And thou shalt swear by my name Deut. And men verily swear by the greater And men and Angels have made use of Oaths to confirme the truth and avenge falshood I see not how swearing by any creature can be exempted from idolatry He that sweareth must do it righteously in a lawfull just matter Those that swear falsely are highly guilty of offence against the God of truth Can a Blackmore change his skin or a Leopard his spots Answ Christ who hath ended oaths who ends controversies amongst men and brings them to peace one with another and with God and ends the Law and fulfils it and doth not break it and ends the Prophets who sware and Christ is the end of the Law to every one that believes and your humane societies which be of the earth from the ground amongst whom is the oaths the swearing be out of the doctrine of Christ and knows not the end of the Law and the Prophets and they be the Apostates and false and ridiculous apostatized from Christ and the Apostles doctrine that swear and teach men so and are not the true Christians and so you that will swear will forswear which be out of the truth for the truth Christ saith Swear not at all And the Apostle sayes above all things my brethren swear not at all So you be the false brethren apostatized from the truth and are come to be as black as the Aethiopians and the Black moors and the custome of the sin of your swearing doth take away the sense And men and Angels swearing and the swearing by the greater And to the Lord every tongue shall swear and performe their oaths to him and they were to swear by the name of the Lord. Now Christ to him the Angels must bow and as the people had sworn by Baal so the Prophet brought them to swear by the Lord to change their forme to swear by the Lord as a true oath and perform it to him But Christ the end of the Prophets and the Law as I said before and the true oath for saith he It hath been said to them of old time thou shalt performe thy oath to the Lord that was a true oath not a false oath let all take notice of that But I say unto you now sweare not at all So he came to end the true oath Christ the oath of God And so though the Angels or men in strife or Prophets or Moses the Law said swear Yet Chrst who comprehends time before the world was made who came to end that old time sayes Sweare not at all but yea and nay in all your communications and whatsoever is more then these cometh of evill And many men are undone by these false oaths and by swearing And you that call your selves Ministers of the Gospell and teach men to swear and Christ says sweare not at all have brought another Doctrine and so are to be accursed And again do not you swear by the Bible by the Prophets and Moses Christs and the Apostles words and swear by the Evangelists and Christ says swear not at all What a perverse generation of people of men are ye Professors and Teachers and people What an unchristian spirit have you And see have you not brought the judgement upon your selves to be the Idolaters For the true oath was by the Lord among the Jewes and you swear by the Evangelists and the Bible that tells you you should not swear Did ever the Prophets swear by Moses words or Moses by Enochs or the Apostles by the Prophets or Christs words Now is not this a frivolous oath to swear by the Bible which sayes sweare not at all And worse then the Jewes that swore by
and David with sin which God justified and said Job did not sin with his mouth Though Paul did cry out of the body of sin yet he found victory over the body of sin and knew the redemption which the creatures waited for the liberty of the Sons of God and said they were made free from sin in Rom. 6. and they were justified from all things and by the one offering for ever he had sanctified Because the Quakers own the light Christ and are come into the spirit that gave forth Scriptures and heard the voyce of the Son of God and denies all them that sayes they have not heard the voyce of the Son of God and Christ to be in them Therefore he saith they have forsaken the truth because they deny them that have the forme and are out of the life and despises and denies the power that shakes that which is to be shaken for no one knows salvation but by the light Pr. He said God did not come in his spirituall Essence with his Son on the earth And he saith that God the Father was not in his spirit with his son upon the earth Answ And the Scripture said the fulnesse of the God-head dwelt in him bodily and the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father I in thee and thou in me so he was not alone but the Father was with him Pr. He saith The Quakers are lying deluders in saying the Kingdome of heaven is within them Answ That 's contrary to Luke 17. which saith the Kingdome of heaven is within you Pr. And he hath not heard of any other people in the world taught immediately by Christ but the Quakers Answ And the two witnesses which he calls them he brings against truth which opposed truth in London So shewing what he and all people are taught by a mediate use of the Scriptures all may judge where that is and the Devill rules such that be from the immediate and all that are not taught immediately are not taught by God nor by his spirit Pr. This sort of people that are for immediate Revelation and it is dangerous for any man to trust to immediate Revelations and preach Christ within man and the two Witnesses preached Christ without And this he saith is a hellish snare to please every mans pallate Answ And thus he may charge all the people of the Lord who were taught and are taught of the Lord And thus he fights against them that were taught immediately and his teachings and mans teachings are mediate and they are in the snare that be out of the immediate teaching and all that know God and the Son are taught immediate by the spirit that is immediate And so it is not a very strange thing that he should give forth so many ill-favoured railing expressions which his Book is stuffed full withall against the people of God whose work in it is to charge the Elect with sin but we say the Lord rebuke him Pr. And he saith The Saints are not any time without sin even when they were borne of God Ans So not knowing the creatures coming into the liberty of the sons of God nor the birth born of God Pr. And saith Sin is in the saints for their humiliation Ans Contrary to the Scripture which saith Christ is their humiliation and bears their sins and destroys it which humility is not like mans being brought down by sin for sin exalts Pr. That the inward man and the power of God in man never brings the outward man so subject as to be without sin Answ This we say God wrought salvation by Christ alone without mans works and who believes in him are saved and who doth not are condemned and the power of God and Christ subdues the sin in man and destroys it that man becomes the Temple of God His Query is Whether God could not have saved man without Christs dying Ans God can do what he will who was in Christ reconciling himselfe to the world and Christ did not save the world without God And thou hast shewed in thy Book stuffed with lyes how thou hast been tormented and of the filthy ayre come out of thee And the Devill was in thee and thou saith thou art saved by Christ without thee and so hath recorded thy selfe to be a Reprobate and ignorant of the mystery of Christ within thee for without that thou dost not know salvation And these before mentioned be thy Principles which thou to the Nation hath published in print and all sober people may judge thee as for thy lies they are not worthy mentioning neither are they worth reading of them but upon thy own head they will fall and a heavy weight and burden thou must bear who goes about to sow discord among the brethren but the accuser of the brethren is cast out but the witness shall answer me in the day of thy judgement Christopher Wades Principle in his book called Quakery slain irrecoverably who himself hath slain irrecoverably and the same judgement wherewith he judgeth us he hath brought upon himself and the Quakers are recovered out of his snare and hath taken him in his own and hath chained him and bound him Henry Hagger's Book called The holy Scripture clearing it self His Principles in it as followeth Pr. DAvid never boasted of perfection nor Paul nor John and such as say they are free from sin it is their whole work to carry away poor souls from truth Answ There is none comes into the truth nor no soul comes out of the deceived estate but who comes out of the sin and is made free from it as the Apostles speaks of to the Romans such as served God in a new life was made free from sin and God said Job was a perfect man and eschewed all evil mark all and David said he had seen the end of all perfection and Paul spoke wisdom among them that were peâ—fect and said the life that he lived was by the faith of the Son of God though the Apostle had cryed out of a body of sin ye the saith he was manifest in his flesh to condemn the sin in his flesh and through Christ he hath victory and witnessed the Circumcision that put off the body of sin and saw where there is no condemnation Pr. The Scripture is the sure word of prophesie and the Scripture will bring men to the knowledge of God Answ The spirit is the rule that gave forth the Scripture and the Word of God gave them to discern and to savour who spoke the word of the Lord and who stole their word from their neighbour when the Lord had never spoken to them where the spirit was in the prison where the spirit was out of prison with whom they had unity and who had the form of godliness but denyed the power and who was the false spirit that went out into the world and the Antichrists and the false prophets and such as was turned from the
Perfection in the creature is Christ who destroys the Devill and his works and bindes the strong man and spoyls his goods and takes the possession of it to himselfe and the creature is a perfect creature out of transgression He that is borne of God doth not commit sin being the seed of God remains in him and that is the doctrine of Perfection in the creature and Christ makes all things new and thou that cannot witnesse any thing made new art in the old things crying up imperfection and that is perfect that brings men to confesse their sin and that is in the creature Thomas Hodges Rector in Oxfordshire Batchellor in Divinity saith Pr. THat the holy Ghost speaks in the Scriptures Ans Here all may see his ignorance whether this man be fit to be a Rector who is thus corrected with the Scriptures which saith that the holy Ghost moved in them that gave forth Scriptures which led them into all truth and did not say the holy Ghost moved in the Scriptures but said the letter was dead and did not give life And thus he Rects into darknesse in telling the people the holy Ghost is in Scripture when the Scripture never gave forth that speech but said it was in them that gave it forth for many may have the Scriptures and want the holy Ghost as the Pharisees Pr. To the Law and to the Testimony and thou shalt not make to thy selfe any graven Image that is in heaven or in earth Answ I say to the Law and to the Testimony before Matthew Marke Luke John Epistles and the Revelations were written The law is light the testimony of Jesus the spirit of prophecy as in the dayes Isaiah the 8. And you have told the people that it is Old and New Testament which the new was not written in his dayes in the dayes of Isaiah And why do you make likenesses of things in heaven and in earth and hang up in your houses and signes yet thou saith we should not make them for it is a breach of Gods command Of whom have you learned to make all these Images of things in heaven and things in the earth since the dayes of the Apostles but of them that went forth from the Apostles of whom ye are of the Popes tribe Richard Heath Priest in Shrewsbury His Principles as follows Pr. THat the drawing people to a light within them you draw them from God t themselves from the instruction of the spirit Answ Here thou art an unlike Minister to the Apostle who brought people to a light within them Cor. 2.4 and told them that the light that shined in their hearts would give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And so none comes to the knowledge of the spirit but such as comes to the light within and from themselves though they have the Scriptures as the Jewes had Pr. If we Ministers should send people from all other lights to the light within them they should then turne them from light to darknesse from God to the power of Sathan Answ None comes to God but who comes to the light within from the power of Satan and darknesse And God will dwell in man and walk in man and make his abode who is light and the end of all other lights before they were And yee that turnes people from the light turnes people into darknesse the power of Satan and there keeps people under his dominion from the light Christ Jesus that hath enlightned every man that cometh into the world with which they might see their Saviour Daniel Gaudry Priest of great Billing in Northamptonshire His Principles as followeth Pr. THat the Saints are partly sinfull and failing in their best works and subject to continuall lustings one against another Answ The life of the Saints is Christ not sinfull at all and they are ceased from their own works and are true believers and the works of faith are not sinfull nor the works of the spirit which the Saints are led withal and they come into Christ in whom they have peace and not lust one against another but live in the spirit in which there is unity in which is the bond of peace and the lusting one against another is in the transgression of the spirit of God So who be in Christ be in peace and who be in the world be in trouble in wars but who be in Christ be in him who was before Wars was inward or outward of whom thou art ignorant Pr. The blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin the guilt of it instantly and perfectly from the stain and power of it gradually Answ Where sin is there the guilt of it is felt at that instant but whoever feels the sin shall feel the guilt of it and the blood of the seed cleanseth it makes free from that which the Law takes hold of And the blood of the seed it cleanseth from sin the power and stain of it and then the guilt is gone of it and where this is known the seed that destroys death and him that hath the power of it which is the Devill the fulnesse is known which is above degrees that which degrees ends in Pr. It is the tang of Popery that a man may fall from saving grace Answ The grace of God that appeared to all men which brings salvation is saving and such thee and many Papists turns into lasciviousnesse and wantonnesse That which brings salvation is saving So you are turned to be murderers of one another about Scriptures which was not the practice of them who lived soberly righteously and godly who deny the worldly lusts and ungodlinesse but their hearts were established in grace which was their Teacher but you and Papists that live wildely and ungodly unrighteously in the lusts of the world that from the grace and the saving grace are fallen your fruits your actions daily declares and shews it and so you be talkers of grace which is turned into wantonness among you and the Papists both your unseasoned hearts and words makes it appear Pr. We shall not see Christ as he is till he comes to judgement then and not before we shall see him And then he adds Every man that hath this hope purifies himselfe which also argues that he is not pure and perfect but onely in hope Answ You where you are sees him not nor know him not as he is we do believe you but the Saints the true Church whom he is the head of whom he is in the midst and in whom he is And Christ told his Disciples they had known him and they knew the Son and had the Son and they had the Father also and he that had not had not life And they had handled and seen and hope in it selfe is pure and that is it which purifies man and makes him pure as God is pure The hope now is pure in it selfe a distinct thing and that is to make man
regard and receive but if one come in the Name of the Lord him you put out so you will not have the Lord nor his Christ to reign neither his servants to labour in his Vineyard Pr. Ministery is like a mighty tree whose fruit the Lord hath appointed for the healing of the Nations Answ But your Ministers and the Papists hath been them got up since the days of the Apostles that brings Nations all into heaps and into blood and doth not heale the Nations but wounds and burthens and kills and casts into prison as this your fruit declares it who casts into prison such as you doe no work for Pr. To the Law and to the Testimony pray to the Father of lights that he would enlighten us with his truth and shew us the way that he would have us to walke in and pray for us who watch for your soules as those that must give account Answ The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy And the Law is light and the Law and Testimony was before Matthew Marke Luke and Iohn and the Epistles were written and the Revelations which outward Books you call Law and Testimony which the Scripture saith the testimony of Iesus is the spirit of prophesie and the Law is light Prov. 6. Are you them that are the makers of Ministers and Ministers who watch for the soules of people and yet do you bid people pray to the Father that he would enlighten you with his truth and shew you the way that you may walke in it How can you present soules to God that doth not know the way and are yet to be enlightned and yet to have the way shewed so you that you might walke in it Is this your conclusion of all you Ministers in Ireland Now I say Christ hath enlightned every man which comes into the world which is the way and though your darknesse cannot comprehend it and yet you pray that he would enlighten you When John saith he doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world and that is the true light Have you the light to seek and the way to seek and truth to seek and yet watchers for souls And the soule you that are called Ministers saith it is humane yea the soule of Christ the soule of man is appetite and lust and pleasure and humane from the earth from the ground Is Christs soule from the ground and appetite lust and pleasure wars against the soul in them that be in the unreasonablenesse You that have the light to seek truth to seek and way to seek are in the earth and so gives the soule the name of that which comes from the ground Now the soule is immortall God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soule It is that which came out from God who hath all souls in his hand that 's his power which hand goes against him that doth evill And Christ the power of God which is immortall is the souls Bishop which is immortall from whence it hath its nourishment and the immortall which is able to save the immortal soul And as for all the rest of your ignorance and non-sence in your Book which comes from your confused earthly spirit who are found in the nature spirit and stock of your Father the Pope who hath apostatized since the dayes of the Apostles with all the rest of your stuffe which is but fuel for the fire in that day of your account the witnesse in all your consciences shall answer it John Stillom his Book called Margent Notes His Principles as followeth Pr. HEe calls it the Quakers adoring their own light magnifying the light of nature The Church is ashamed of your doctrine and walking saith he Ans The Quakers light is Christ the truth in whom they worship God which light was before naturall lights were and this the Church owns and is not ashamed of in which stands the Doctrine by which light the Church is gathered up unto God the Father of light but the imitated Churches in the Apostacy are ashamed of it Pr. Not any man knows him speaking of Christ to be God till he finde him in Scripture and saith as deep things as the spirit hath revealed they are all in the Scripture Ans Many knew God and knew Christ and yet had not written Scripture to tell them of those things as Enoch and Abel and many again hath Scripture speaking of God and Christ and yet doth not know God and Christ and doth not finde him in Scripture As instance the Pharisees knew not God and Christ which had the Scripture and had not life untill they came to Christ the Scripture speaks of and many things the spirit did reveal which was not written in the Scriptures and was spoken to the Saints Pr. John meaneth not that there was any substantiall truth necessary to be known to salvation which is not revealed in the written Word but the spirit that ordered the Copies and mysteries of the Gospell to be contracted within a narrow compass of lines Answ Many knew their salvation as in the dayes of Noah Enoch and David which had not the written Scriptures And though people have the Copies that speaks of the Gospel of the mysteries of the Gospel put together and compassed and contracted into lines yet they do not know the Gospell nor the mysteries of it nor the Word though they testifie of these things and the Pharisees did not that had Scripture which Scripture doth not tell us of written words but that the Word is Christ and God which was in the beginning before words were given forth And Gospell and salvation and the mysteries of it is known by the Spirit and the Light which come from Christ Jesus which none knows it but by that Pr. Stillom adds not onely heart rising prophesie nâ—r breast-prophesie in the minde but written downe in books The Apostle excludes not heart-prophesie so he includes Scripture-prophesie but till the day-star did arise in their mindes by the reading and heeding of the Scriptures that is plain meaning Answ The Scriptures were given forth by prophesie and the spirit of it and no man knows but by the same spirit and the Apostle did not exclude heart-prophesie and the Day-star doth not rise in the heart by mens reading and heeding the Scriptures in their own wills and having them in books written down but as men do come to the life and spirit as they were in that gave them forth and heed that with that they heed Scripture and knows Scripture and with that they know the Day-star and Christ who is the end of them and so men must come to take heed of the light that shines in a dark place before they know the Day-star arise For the Jewes had Scripture and did not heed that for the spirit within of prophesie doth not deny any tittle of the Scripture without And in thy Principle thou hast confounded thy selfe who saith Not heart-prophesie heart-rising
Parishioners because for conscience sake they cannot put in their mouthes Therefore are they worrying of them like Wolves and destroying of them for their dishonest gain which they do no work for And do not the Ministers of God the Apostles rebuke such as went to law before the unjust one among another and bids them set up the least in the Church to Judge such things and told them they should Judge the world yea Angels and not to go to Law one among another about such things Then where art thou and thy generation that saith it is a sin if they do not go to Law if the Ministers do not sue for outward things let the least in the Church Judge thee How unlike the Apostles you are who kept the Gospel without charge and coveted no mans silver nor gold who Preached the Gospel the end of the Law and brought people from under it And you bring people into it and your inventions but the day is come that you are seen and the night is past to many and none can you deceive but who be in the night but the Judgement is gone over your heads the Judge of the world is come Pr. He saith it was imputed to Abraham for righteousness his Faith and doubtless Job was a perfect man in Gods account and Christs righteousness is imputed to us c. Ans Yet thou sâ—itâ— none â—oth good no not one and brings that Scripture in the Rom. comparing them that were in the Faith withall them that were gone astray both Jewes and Gentiles See page 21. Now let all try and Judge thee here and see thy false measure art thou a man fit to speak of the Saints and their Faith who puts them that be a stray Jews and Gentiles Amongst them that believe putting no difference betwixt the precious and the vile and so art not a man capable of true reason Pr. He saith Gods furnace is the grave where all the remainder of corruption shall be consumed c. See page 22. Ans Now what differs this from the Papists who hold a Purgatory And the Saints witnessed and said Now they were washed now they were cleansed c. while they were upon earth and they were sanctified through the obeâ—ience of the spirit they were justified and sate in heavenly places on this side the grave whiles they were upon earth and were made free from sin and was perfect Pr. He saith That Paul disclaimed perfection in himselfe c. page 23. Ans Who said as many of us as are perfect be thus minded which wrongs Pauls words And again he saith We speak wisdome among them that are perfect Pr. He saith If a man were free from sin he would be free from temporall punishment and afflictions c. see page 23. Ans Christ was free from sin and the Saints and yet he was not free from temporall punishment and affliction And so here he doth not divide the word aright neither Pr. He saith If we attain to perfection here we should attain to a rest here and brings the Apostles words who saith doubtlesse there remains a rest to the people of God c. See page 24. Ans And the Apostle saith there He that doth believe hath entered into his rest and so he doth not divide the word aright to know what state and condition it was spoken to And the Apostle said they were perfect the Ministers of Christ and he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified and so thou art not a sanctified one and hath denyed the offering that hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified and so hath denyed the Covenant that blots out sin and transgression and the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin Pr. But he saith That doth not follow that he that is dead to sin is freed from sin See page 24. Ans So he is contrary to the Apostle who saith so He that is dead to sin is freed from sin and can live no longer therein Pr. He saith The law of God is a standing rule to the worlds end c. And thou that saith the Law is a standing rule hath denyed Christ the end of it See page 25. Answ But the Scripture and Christ saith the Law must be fulfilled who is the everlasting covenant in the heart Christ and in the minde the end of the Law which was before the Scripture was written glorified with the Father before the world began which many have the Scriptures and yet from the Law of God written in the heart and neglect that which brings into Covenant with God by which the Scriptures is fulfilled and so here again thou dost not divide the word aright and brings not people into that which doth fulfill Scripture Pr. He saith Because this light doth not lead us to close with Gods Ordinances the Sacraments he looks upon it as a delusion of Satan page 26. Answ The Scriptures mentions no such word and the light was before your invented Sacraments was and cannot joyn with them but condemns them but it owns the Scripture and the Ordinances of God Richard Baxter's Booke called A Second Sheet to the Ministry justifying our Call against the QUAKERS c. His Principles follow Because the Children of God cannot satisfie his ungodly lusts therefore he is complaining to the Magistrates So he is one of the Complainers and Murmurers Pr. HE saith That Timothy was not to hold fast that which he had immediately received from God but that which he had received from Paul c. See page 5. Answ In this thou art contrary to the Apostle who bid stir up the gift that was in him and keep the faith which Christ was the author of and that would not contradict the Apostles words that was in the faith and that which Timothy received from God he was to hold fast in which he had unity with the Apostle Pr. He saith The holy Ghost is to help us in keeping that which is committed to us and not to reveal more See page 4. Answ Timothy could not know doctrine but by revelation and doing the will of Christ How art thou exalted and would put lyes upon the Apostle and limit the holy one and set bounds to the Just and be a Teacher of the holy Ghost what it must not reveal How art thou exalted in this above all that is called God and sits in the Temple of God blasphemously who would be a teacher of the holy Ghost who must be the Teacher and who tells what it must reveal and what it must not reveal Thou must be stopt for thy presumption If ye have nothing but what the holy Ghost hath given forth the form of words the Church of Rome hath the same and all the false Prophets upon the earth and Antichrists and Seducers and the Devils they get the Scriptures given forth from the holy Ghost and holdeth these words in the unrighteousnesse and stop and resist the holy Ghost and say it must reveal no more