the works of the devil and his servants ye are to whom ye obey and this light must be owned before he be owned Wherein ye cry out Ye cannot hold your peace for the deceit we seem to lay upon Christ and his Spirit which is but the light of nature not the light of Christ as a mediator Ye blasphemers who calls the light of Christ the light of nature which Jesus Christ is the light that enlightneth every man and is the Mediatour wherein ye are found to be them that draw back to perdition and not to the saving the Soul in drawing from the obedience of the light which is the light of Christ in man which shews him his natural condition which the Apostle exhorteth to take heed unto until the day dawned and the day-star did arise and such experienced ones as you are lives in jealousies which are as strong as death who stumbles at the light of Christ and calls it natural O high blasphemers You shew along that you are them that hates the light and hate them that walk in it who are troubled at them you call Quakes who saith That the light of Christ doth discover their thoughts and sin and yielding to it power is given from God to stand against thoughts and sin And this you call free will And as it is written They that waited upon the Lord their strength was renewed and here let all the children of light which be in the light contrary to their own wills and contrary to the will of man you judge and therefore it makes you stumble at it and here in this you have denied all the waiting upon God in the light and watchings with the light which hath declared that all your watchings and waitings is without the light an imitation which is to be condemned with the light and many derisions and reproaches have you given forth in your book but these we wave because they do not touch us And whereas you say While you change the Name and call the light Christ Here you have declared you are not Ministers of the letter Christ saith He is the light of the world so say we so it is you cannot own his name but stumbles at the light stumbles at the Mediator so if the babes of Christ should be silent the stones in the walls would cry out against you And whereas you say Reformation reaches not the work of regeneration O ye blinde Hypocrits and corrupt Judges doth not the same that reforms regenerate but you are without both And whereas you say By his disobedience not obeying the light he may fall from that eternal salvation which began to work in him by the power of light And this is your implies and so you interpret our words as you do the Scriptures you that oppose the light you oppose your eternal salvation and as touching eternal salvation you that stumble at the light are for eternal destruction and condemnation with the light which you stumble at and who turnes from the light turns from the salvation and draws back into perdition And whereas you say There is no mention made in any of your papers of eternal salvation from the wrath to come or condemnation of hell by any atonement or price of blood or sacrifice from the dominion of evil by Jesus Christ Eternal salvation from the wrath to come and condemnation of hell I witness by the price of blood of Jesus Christ which is without you and from the dominion of evil by Jesus Christ which your fathers crucified you their children seek to crucifie him where he is made manifest which stumbles at the light and thou ands do begin to confess That they are made free from the wrath to come the dominion of evil by Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday to day and for ever which witness the price of blood by which they are redeemed which makes them clean from your generation which hate the light Priest And now you come to declare your own belief you speak of the promise of the power of the Father and the Gospel and the lost sheep and Faith But to you I answer which stumble at the light you stumble at the promise at the power of the Father at the Gospel and at the Spirit as you plainly make it appear which scorns them you call Quakers which in the Scripture there is a cloud of witnesses against you And whereas you say If they can tell how the bones grow in the womb of her that is with child they may come neer to trace out this work of God We who are in the second birth know the first and how things genders and works and so with it we discern where you are And whereas you say You are children born not of blood nor of the will of man nor after the will of the flesh but of his own will hath he begotten us by the word of truth O ye thieves and robbers I charge in the presence of the living God to be so for these are John's and James's words who speaks of being born not of blood nor of the will of man but of his own will hath he begotten us what have you to do with these things that stumble at the light so you stumble at the truth and how can you glorifie God the Maker who stumbles at the light and so it 's you that deny the resurrection for we do witness the worst sort of men turned to God with his light so we witness the Scriptures fulfill'd Publicans and Harlots enter in before you Priest 2. You are speaking of waiting on Christ for renewing of strength morning by morning Ye enemies of God how can ye wait upon Christ who stumble at the light and writes against it for if you waited upon Christ according to the Scriptures you would own the light and there would be unity in the light but this light which ye stumble at shall condemn you to be no waiters upon the Father nor Christ And whereas you are speaking of the Saints assemblies Reply You that stumble at this light stumbles at the Saints assemblies as you make it appear in this book and the Sons of God and the children of Faith and as you say You are tied to all means so you would tie all to your means and the Lord is tied to none Here you shew you are not of the Lord for who are of the Lord are freed from ties and from the Ordinances of men and outward means which you finde your spirit is tied to contrary to the Spirit of God for where the Spirit of God is there is liberty And whereas you say The children of God all their life-time are found groaning under the burthen of sin Here your Spirit and experiences are tried again to be contrary to the Scriptures and all the Saints for the children of God born of God doth not commit sin and he that is born of God overcomes the world and as he is so are we in this
was made manifest but you are made manifest what generation you are of the day is come that declares it You say Why may not Satan help on mortification for such an end as to take away the death of Christ without you For Christ is without you we witness but your mortification that the devil helps on we deny and the plain Scriptures without any private interpretation we own and all your sences meanings interpretations and disputes we deny and you to be in Babylon in the state of the Pharisees Sorcerers and among dogs swine some in the lust and some in the mire are not some drunk and some as proud as they can go let you conversation witness it and all your arguments and consequences we do deny for you say You are not sent immediately as the Apostles were therefore ye are to be declared against that leads people with the mediate into the earth the lust and mire envious proud and covetous like your selves and the plagues of God is to come upon you all who live not in the doctrine of Christ Priest And whereas you slander and say That many writings of the the Papists are applauded and used by them of this way Reply Your writings and theirs we abhor which are contrary to the doctrine of Christ And whereas you were speaking of Jesuits books we put you all together Jesuits and Priests for you Priests have had their Law to maintain your Ministery and guard your Pulpit for with one Law of men have and are you Priests of England and Jesuits upheld so we that cry against Popery doth and must against you all and with the Spirit of the living God for it was before her Law was for where some have spoken in their time have been imprisoned and many lyes in prison now so he that sits in heaven laugheth at you the Lord hath you in derision and them that dwell in the light are on the watch have seen what your books have brought forth your folly and that the truth is exalted above all your lyes and slanders And they are at the battering of error who are in the commandment of the everlasting God who witness the everlasting Gospel the revelation of Jesus and the life of the Prophets and are in the obedience of the Faith who doth warn all to take heed of all seducing Spirits which draws from the light within which enlightens every one which comes into the world there is every one of your teachers in particular there is every one of your condemnation that hates it whose deeds are evil Priest Whereas you slander and say That some of them you call Quakers do expose themselves to be persecuted to sufferings Reply O ye persecuters and slanderers would you justifie your selves in destroying the innocent and make this your cloak and say They expose themselves to it when many are almost murthered in your steeple-houses but God is the strength of his people Priest And whereas you say That they put no difference between the Papists and the Protestants Reply Are they not both in a nature which are not in the power of God and who hath one law of Queen Maries for your protection for you have had that Popish Law of Queen Maries to defend you and doth not the Scripture say Every one that cometh into the world is enlightned with Christ which light is your condemnation that hate it which light searches the secrets of every mans heart Priest You say God who commanded light to shine out of darkness Reply This is not your condition it hath not shined forth of you which stumble at the light which hath enlightned every one that comes into the world Priest While you have been in your sinful silence you say Some privily have brought in damnable heresies denying the Lord that bought them Relpy This shall stand for your selves who saith You are found all your life time groaning under the burthen of sin Here I take all people in the light to record by whom I see you deny the Lord Jesus who came to save his people from their sins and to destroy the works of the devil which you say They must all their life time groan under and the Apostles said They were made free from sin and here your doctrine is contrary to theirs as in p. 15. and I take all people to record and let them read 2 Pet. 2. if you be not those Peter spoke of Which denies the Lord Jesus that bought them and hath brought upon your selves swift destruction many doth follow your pernicious wayes by whom the way of truth is evil spoken of and through covetousness and fained words you have made merchandize of the people who have gone in the way of Cain after the error of Balaam as you now have made it appear to the children of light who beguiles unstable soules eyes full of adultery sporting your selves in the day time evil beasts made to be destroyed speaking great swelling words of vanity through the lusts of the flesh promising your selves liberty but the mean while your selves are the servants of corruption and they that are escaped from you through the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ comes to be entangled again among you their latter end is worse then the first and they had better never have known the way of truth but it is happened to such as the old proverb is The dog to vomit and the sow to the wallowing in the mire Therefore a warning to all you brethren that are in the light and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ that you may be kept unspotted from the world and to reign over all such who are in the lusts of the flesh and out of the doctrine of Christ that serves not the Lord Jesus Christ but your own bellies Queries 1. And whether the Gospel you speak of be the four books Matthew Mark Luke and John and if those be the Gospel then every one that hath these books hath the power of God to salvation and then that Gospel is preached and printed and that Gospel may be carried under their arms or in their pockets the Gospel we know and are established in it and we do not aske you this question because we would know it for your knowledge we deny but answer it to them you call your brethren 2. Whether that light that gave forth the Scriptures which enlightens every one that cometh into the world shall be every ones condemnation that hates it or the words of the Scriptures declared from it or this light which Christ hath enlightned withal when Christ saith This is the condemnation the light And whether there is any condemnation but this 3. And whether ye do own and believe in that one offering which hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified 4. And whether they are not in unbelief and not believe in this offering which say Men shall never be free from sin while they are upon earth and say They shall never come to perfection upon earth 5. And whether they that say so be not in the state of the Pharisees which brought no fruit to perfection though these professed a Christ to come yet they would not own this offering 6. And whether they that say Man shall not be sanctified throughout and shall not be made clean from sin while he is upon earth be not them that trample the blood of the new Covenant under foot and make the blood of Christ of none effect and denies Iesus Christ that bought them 7. And whether Christ Jesus doth not save his people from all their sins and set them free to reign as Kings upon the earth all these things we know and witness but to you Priests about Beverley and thou Priest Feak and the rest that subscribe to this book that saith They must lie groaning all their life long under it These queries are for you to answer that gave forth this book so here it is manifest that this everlasting offering that perfects for ever them that aresanctified is not owned amongst you Priests but onely to talk on as the Pharisees did of Christ From them whom the world scornfully calls Quakers who is in the power of God which shall make all the world to quake and tremble FINIS
A short ANSWER To a book set forth by seven PRIESTS who call themselves MINISTERS of the Gospel of Christ but are plainly discovered to be lyers and slanderers and envious of them who are the true Ministers of Christ who abide in his doctrine With A vvord to the Reader To read with understanding and let the light of Jesus Christ within judge for to that in the conscience it is spoken LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the black-spread-Eagle at the West-end of Pauls 1654. A Reply to a book set forth by some Priests about Beverley whose names I do finde subscribed to it who saith The light in man before faith is not pure Answ. The law is just holy and good and what is holy is pure what is just is pure what is good is pure what is perfect is pure which Law is the Schoolmaster until faith after faith is come we are no longer under a Schoolmaster and this is witnessed amongst as And this you Priests about Beverley say is not pure Jos. Bellet Joh. Pomrey Paul Glisson Christoph Feake Jo. Simpsom Geo. Cockin Law wyse I charge you command you give over deceiving the people you seven who are perfect in iniquity without the Law of God And Moses saw Christ wrote of him that which saw him was pure and is pure And here you have shewed forth your ignorance and blinde judgement and not knowing neither Law nor Faith for the truths sake have I replied to your book of errors who is in the light of Christ which lets me see the Law and the Schoolmaster both And you which say you were not sent immediately as the Apostles were with the immediate which sent them are you all judged Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson Christopher Feake Jo. Simpson George Cockin Law Wyse which is seven perfection perfect in the mystery of iniquity acting against the mystery of godliness you are the beast which stands upon the sea with your seven heads and upon your heads the names of blasphemy who are out of the Apostles doctrine and life that say the light before faith is not pure whose mouths are opened with blasphemy against God and his Name and his Tabernacle which is with men the light which discovers sin and evil you are seen that such as you might be more manifest with it which are manifest now to all the children of light and the children of the day praises praises be to the Lord God for ever for that which shews sin is eternal and is pure and that which is before Faith is perfect just holy good and pure and it is written The Law is the Schoolmaster till Faith and that we own in its place which is just holy good and spiritual and you which owns not God owns not Faith nor the Law to be pure for the Law hath dominion over a man as long as he lives which you Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson Christopher Feake Jo. Simpson Geo. Cockin Law Wyse have cleared your selves to be without Law and Faith and both and so you are not fit to teach others so it is you that have slandered the innocent to have laid waste the Scriptures when you are they that have laid waste the Scriptures your selves Christ the Church Faith and Hope and the Law which stumbles at the light so the righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth doth return a righteous judgement upon you unrighteous judges so in righteousness doth he set the innocent free To you all this is the word of God This is the word of the Lord to you that have subscribed your names to the book whose folly in it out of you hath appeared and to be viewed with the children of light it is seen and your nakedness and where you are who doth conclude the Light before Faith is not pure and who doth say God doth not send Teachers and Pastors and Elders immediately forth now as he did the Apostles And here you are concluded to be without the immediate life as the Apostles were in who were sent immediately from God See the miserable estate and condition you are in and with the immediate life you are judged who have professed your selves to be teachers to others and guides to others which hath gone on in such strains and presumptuously judgeth the innocent but God who is immediate sees you all and from him you all have your reward and your judgement which is eternal to that light in your consciences I speak which shall be your condemnation eternally which hate it and stumble at it and it will witness me when the book of conscience is opened and it you have condemned And to all people that have a love to Christ which love this light that those before mentioned do stumble at it is it that will lead up to witness Faith it is it that will lead you up to witness the Anointing it is it that will lead you to witness Hope it is it will lead you to witness Christ the Head and to know all the Saints which have unity in the light and so not to stumble at the words that proceeds from the light but with the light waiting upon God the Father of light with the light the Scriptures will be opened to you there is your teacher The light if you walk in it you will not stumble but have the light of life and if you hate it it shall be your condemnation eternally You shall witness what I speak for to that in every mans conscience I speak which if you love the light that Christ hath enlightned you withal it will guide your hearts together to hold the Head which if you hate this light you hold not the Head and all that ever you act or speak is in the invention of your own work so you are condemned with the light To the light in every ones conscience I speak which shall witness me when the book of conscience is opened and all things judged with it and out of it This is to all them that the Priests calls brethren to take heed to the light within them which Christ hath enlightned them withal that with it they may see all them that stumble at it and hate it which are to be condemned with it To you this is the word of the Lord Priest Somthing in reply to that which you do conclude as first to awaken your souls that are apt to slumber to take heed of the evil of the times pride covetousness formality which these clamour against which you call Quakers Reply Here you own their doctrine you call Quakers and with it you see your selves and what state you live in and yet in Page 52. you say Go not after them hath their doctrine stirr'd you up and let you see your pride formality and oppression and slumber and that which declaims against these you say go not after Priest Another false slander that you Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson and the rest charge upon them
you call Quakers that they bring an odium upon the glorious affairs of Christs kingdom Reply This shall stand for your selves who live in experiences which the Minister of Christ taught to forget the things past and to press forward and there you do shew that you are raced out from the life of the Apostle and layes waste his words Priest Another of your lying slanders is that you say They lay waste Churches Graces Scriptures Principles Reply And in these I charge you Joseph Kellet John Pomrey Paul Glisson to be lyers for the Churches of the Saints Graces Scriptures Principles we own but you slander us because we deny the Steeple-house to be the Church and the Grace of God we own which teacheth to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and so it is in the first lesson That they do come to see with the light of Christ to deny your Church your Principle your Experiences and so are not to taste of their doctrine which perish with the using of it for you have been the proud and coveto us that have led silly women captive which have been ever learning but never able to know the truth of you And some are moved to come and cry against you therefore slander them not Priest Another lying slander you bring saying They hinder the progress of the Gospel by weakening the hands of faithful teachers Reply These are more of your lyes for the progress of the Gospel we own and the faithful teachers we own but such as you Priests who say you are not sent immediately as the Apostles were we deny Priest You are making a Pharisees confession you Priests and are learning your lesson how you are apt to slumber and how you should be stirr'd up and doth confess that your people are in deadness of their hearts occasioned by formal duties Reply Here you have uttered where you are which makes people forsake you and where one doth ten shall and see your prayers empty without the Spirit and this is to your Pharisees confession of your selves and the people and many doth see that the Lord is gone out of your publick assemblies and that Ministery he doth not own for you are such as the Lord cried wo against as stood praying in the Synagogues c. Mat. 23. and there you are all openly shewed to be none of Christs sending neither your Church none of his Body for when the Lord hath moved some to come to speak after the order of the Saints Churches and the Scriptures Some have been stocked some stoned and beat and prisoned And how can you say This is a Church of God but blaspheme God but it is as the Scripture saith Become a cage of unclean birds And as touching the Saints conditions Hope Faith I charge you let them alone and meddle not with them for them you know nothing of for your Faith is vain and your Hope shall perish and to you this is the word of God who stumbles at the light Priest And again you say Take heed of judging Ordinances as unnecessary or indifferent things Reply And here I charge you to keep people in blindness who put no difference between the Ordinances of Christ and the Ordinances of Men Priest And again you cavil because they say Minde the light in you which is Christ and is pure and that it discovers every evil and your Answer to this is Whether makes not this the Scripture unncessary and casts off all outward teachings Reply O you blinde guides this light which is to be minded which is Christ stablisheth the Scriptures and it doth bring to deny all outward teachers which is made by man for What is the chaff to the wheat Priest And again you Query Whether this brings not down the glorious mystery of the Scriptures and from every rule of duty Reply Here you have declared you know nothing of the mystery of the Scriptures but are in your own duties for the light within which shews him sin and every evil it doth teach him how to pray and watch and oponeth to him every mystery of the Scripture and without it you are all blinde and know nothing of the mystery as you make it appear and you slanderers do not incense the people that we deny the Scriptures for the Scriptures is ours Priest And in your p. 2. whereof you are tormented and saith We sit inthe chair of judgement I answer Reply God hath given us an understanding and judgement that we are able to distinguish praises to his name We were in your state and kingdom but the Lord hath brought us out of it therefore we are able to judge it and you who hath no judgement but what is false Priest And you are querying Whether leaving you to be guided by the conscience and to have no standing rule whithout you you say Whether this be not to establish Heathens and Philosophy and you conclude that the Light is not pure before Faith Rep. Here you have declared that you neither know Faith nor Light and are afraid that that in your consciences should give you that standing rule which all the Prophets and Apostles had we have Christ Jesus saith I am the light of the world and enlightneth every one that cometh into the word and you conclude this light is not pure And Christ saith He doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world and one he loves the light brings his d deeds to the light and doth not stumble and the ohe hates the light and stumbles at noon as you do which stumbles so much at the light of Christ which enlightens every one that cometh into the world But it is that you might appear that you are them that hate the light and so hates Christ and that you might be judged with all the children of light and you that stumble at this light you neither know God nor Christ nor Faith nor Hope and cannot preach the Gospel nor the Gifts nor the Words but onely death hears a fame as Job said and destruction for â—n your p 4. you leave it to the spiritual to judge and here you conclude you are not spiritual and here you are concluded to be judged by the authority that gave forth the Scriptures for the spiritual man judgeth all things and the Saints shall judge the world and you that deny this light denies the Father of lights and the Apostles exercise who exercised his conscience towards God and man and you deny the Scriptures and growth and the watching and waiting upon God for you question Christs words do you who stumble at the light wherewith Christ hath enlightned Priest For you say If every one that cometh into the world hath a light sufficient to salvation that makes the Scripture the Testimony of God unnecessary a revelation of his minde and love which are nowhere to be found but there Reply And here I charge you again to set up the Scriptures before Christ who is the love of God to
lusts you shew where your hearts is without pitty or compassion who wilt not cover thy own flesh but it is that you may be made manifest and you have shewed that you are out of the doctrine of Christ you have been pleading for your interest in the earth there is your God and with the doctrine of Christ you are judged and your community we abhorre but the communion of the Saints we own and servants in their places diligent serving the Lord and children obeying their Parents in the Lord and forsaking all for the Lord and he that doth not is not worthy of him This we witness Whereas you are slandering and saying We are breaking marriage bonds and wedlock because we question what Scripture the Priests have to marry people and take money for it O ye enemies of God where do you read in all the Scriptures that the Priests are to take money for marrying of people such trades we deny if you call that wedlock Marriage is honourable in all things where the the bed is undefiled and that we own but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge and such we deny and all the Priests practises which they have no Scripture for and therefore we question them with authority and deny them both Whereas you are speaking of some that are not free to be Tenants Is the Lord drawing his people from under you taskmasters as from under Pharaoh which are proud and oppressors which you Priests have been examples of and taught the people And this torments you now you Priests because you are against it who have been the oppressors of the creation and are but the Lord is gathering his people from under you now as he did from under Pharaoh and doth proud Pharaoh begin to rage if this torment you you shall see more come with everlasting songs upon their heads singing over Pharaoh and his host The song of Moses and Lamb is begun to be heard in our land and the children of Israel which had their land-marks What 's that to you Egyptians proud and covetous who are for destruction as your father Pharaoh was who was an oppressor proud and a taskmaster Therefore wo to you bloody Cains which are compast under the wo you are of the stock of them that build Babel who are Babylon harlotted from the living God and your Mother hath sit as a Queen deckt with her colours but now the time of her widowhood is come and loss of children and she hath lost many children and that many Kings and Merchants of the earth laments crying Alas alas Whereas you are speaking of tumults and attempts put this not far from you for this may be seen in some of your generation this shall stand for your selves as it is made manifest what tumults are in your congregations And your boasting as giving up your bodies and estates But let these words return upon your selves again and see where your bodies are where your lives and estates are for many lies in prison because they will not pay Priests Tythes which is contrary to the Lord Jesus Christ and his doctrine which the Apostles ever lived in for he never sent you for you confess you are not sent immediately as the Apostles were You say There is not a prophesie in all the Scriptures that takes away all outward teachers Here I am full of the Spirit and power of the Lord to declare against you for in John he saith Ye need not any man téach you There is mans teaching outwardly denied and in Heb. 8. he saith Ye shall not teach every man his neighbour saying Know the Lord for all shall know him All who are in the new Covenant witnesseth this and who witness the new Covenant witness the Son of man and Jeremiah prophesied That they shall no more teach every man his neighbour saying Know the Lord And here you enemies of the God are raced out of the Covenant and are ignorant of the Lord And Ezekiel saith Thus saith the Lord I will deliver my sheep from their mouthes that hath devoured them such as you that have sought for the fleece and for the wool and I will search out my sheep and finde them out and feed them upon the top of the mountaines saith the Lord of hosts he that hath an ear to hear let him for he feeds upon the top of the mountains of Israel And Isaiah saith All the children of the Lord shall be taught of the Lord and much peace shall they have and in righteousness shall they be established And here let this prophesie judge you to be out of the new Covenant and contrary to the Prophets and Apostles which say You are not sent immediately as the Apostles were so how can you witness their conditions so here you have brought your selves under the chain And Jeremiah saith The Lord speaks in him Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will make a new covenant not according to the covenant I made with their fathers but this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel After those daies saith the Lord I will put my laws in their inward parts and in their hearts will I write them and I will be their God and they shall be my people And all these Scriptures I charge you all ye Priests of England to have laid waste and have brought none into the new Covenant neither are you there your selves who stumble at the light and denies the first principle They that need no man to teach them such you write against and speak against and so deny the new Covenant and bring the conditions of those that were not come to the Covenant to oppose the new Covenant them that are in it And for quoting many Scriptures of the Epistles and bringing the conditions of the Saints written in the Epistles and not knowing what condition they were written to let the readers of the book examine the Scriptures which you bring in your book and then they will see how you wrest the Scriptures to oppose the truth and how ignorant you are of the Scriptures You are bringing the Apostles which said If we minister unto you spiritual things it is least if you minister unto us carnal things This was spoken to them that denied the Priests the Saints and would not hold up such Priests as you Priests of England which seek for your gain from your quarter and have Balaams wages which is a horrible filthy thing and which the wo is upon and seeks for the fleece and makes a prey upon the people and if they will not give it you sue men at the law did ever the Apostles so Here O England let thy teachers who are in their whoredom from the life be witnessed against by all the Prophets and Apostles life and let all thy whoredoms testifie against thee in thy face for with the eternal life of them all thou art judged eternally You are speaking of Christs sending forth his and say