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A40227 The papists strength, principles, and doctrines (which they are sworn to preach, from the Councel of Trent, by the Popes authority, and after confirmed by the last General Assembly at Rouen, 1571, all which they have sworn to perform) answered and confuted furthermore their principles and doctrines answered and confuted, as they were laid down in two or three severall papers, by R.W. papist, lately sent from Holland : also a challenge to the pope and all his adherents to choose out of all his dominions some cardinals, fryers, or Jesuits to try their bread and wine, after consecration (by watching on their side and on our side) to prove that if afterward they have consecrated it, whether the bread and wine doth not loose its taste and savour, and so not the body and blood of Christ : also a paper to all them that fast and afflict themselves who are in the will-worship and voluntary humility : also some quæries to all the papists upon earth to be answered in writing and sent to them, which all sects upon the earth call Quakers / by George Fox. Fox, George, 1624-1691.; Howgill, Francis, 1618-1669. 1658 (1658) Wing F1877; ESTC R3577 83,037 105

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against whom you and all the sects upon ea●th appears that are come up since the dayes of the Apostles whom they comprehend and will tread to dust and to powder The seed of God is risen and the top-stone is laid glory to God in t●e highest Come out all Sects and S●ctaries to the battel and you are all in the vanity contenders and pretendeders got up since the days of the Apostles the marks are appeared not to be the marks o● the S●ints who hath the Fathers name written in their foreheads but you have the mark of the Beast upon you and without the true ground and the true reason of the Apostl●s ●re you out of For inst●nce the true Church taught not to persecute and the true reasonable men that was in the faith for faith gives victory over that nature in particular that would persecute and so doth not lead to kill the Creature for the sake of the nature in it in general And fafth teaches not this D●ct●ine but denies it and brings to suffer all things through which mountains are subdued Thou further saist They that are of a wicked life may have a right faith and reproves others that cannot believe it Answ. A wicked man he hath not faith of the el●ct of God for faith gives victory over wickednesse and faith purifies and faith makes reasonable and who are of the faith are of Abraham and come out of all these adulterous generations the mystery of Fai●h is h●ld in a pure conscience Now here you are in the errour you Papists and all Apostates from the Apostles like the Jewes and the Devil that hath a belief but is out of the truth yet may get a belief in the Letter as the Jewes held a belief long in the Letter but kill'd the Son And you have had the Letter and form of godlinesse long but killed the Saints and Martyrs who are reprobated Devils Jewes Apostates Papists from the elect of God for who are of faith ●re of Abraham and who are of Abraham are of the elect of Christ which doth not pertain to Idols And here is the mystery of the Church known the body of Christ which is a top of your flesh and Idols both which is not of the fl●sh of Abraham nor of the Church All you are but the pretenders of the Spirit of Christ in the apostacy from it since the dayes of the Apostles as your fruits declare your names and Images So I confesse to you it is the ancientest form that hath been since the dayes of the Apostles but had I never known the Papists nor none of these Sectaries we had know● truth We came not through the Popes channels but are come to that which all Apostates ravened from and so you your selves must be put to silence and your mouths stopped which are the evill beasts that tears one another worse then the common beasts which the Apostles speak of which was coming up before his decease How are you learning one another about your meat and husks and worships and images and helps and Teachers and Scriptures which was not the work of them that gave it forth with your horns And how many Images have you upon you and names and marks and what are all these Images and marks but the marks and Images of the beast which is risen since the days of the Apostles Whereas thou Queriest what be all these but sect as Independents Anabaptists and other Sectaries which sayest thou was first of the Church of Rome and thou s●yest the Church of Rome cannot be said to be sectaries because it hath been constant since the dayes of the Apostles and all Sectaries springed from it and not you from them Answ. The Roman Church was the first made up of Hereticks Schismaticks and Apostates and Reprobates and Antichrists and false Prophets which Christ said should come Matth. 7. and John said was come and as you may read in Timothy and Titus Reprobate from the faith and erred from the faith and had the form of godlinesse and denyed the power and kept the form and as John said was come and they went after Idols before his decease and he writ to the little children to keep themselves from Idols And Jude saw them crept up before they were aware which went in Corah's Balaams and Cains way that were Murtherers And are not you Murtherers that murther one another as Cain about his sacrifice And Jude saw they turned the grace of God into wantonnesse which should be their teacher and salvation So all these self-separations Apostates Reprobates which went after the doctrine of Devils and forbid meats and marriages and the spirit spoke expresly should depart from the faith and ●ll these have made up the Church of Rome and there 's your visible Church held up by Cains weapons Then as for all these Sectaries springed from you you were like to beget no other children but bastards which is but a false conception brought forth by the will of man which is applyed that God got it and fathers it upon God And as for all these Sects which are sprung of you are like no other wayes but like to a Sea and burst into names which went from the spirit of God you are not like to be kept in unity who ravened from the spirit of God the life of Christ and the Apostles was in and to that which you ravened from are people come and coming which stands a-top of you all They that worship God must worship him in spirit which mortifies all sin and corruptions and they that worship God must worship him in truth in that the Devill abode not in To all the Papists upon the Earth TO come out and try their faith and strength without Cains weapons for there was two that did sacrifice and the one killed the other about the sacrifice and whether of these two was excepted can you read your selves and which was the vagabond It 's said that the Pope and the Church of Rome hath the Key and it 's left to them and ye are the keepers of the Key Now if you be keepers of the Key ye are to open to Nations about you and to render a reason of the hope that is in you if the Lord be sanctified in your hearts you will Are you according to the Scriptures Is the practice of your Church according to the Scriptures Is the spirit of the Lord powred upon you and all flesh Doth your sons and your daughters prophesie And if any thing be revealed to another that sits by you and bids another hold his peace that is speaking for you may all prophesie one by one Or are you not like others and the rest of the Sects that will put them in prison and say they have disturbed you and so shew your selves both Reprobates and Hereticks from the Church and the Spirit that the Apostles were in And can you say Christ is in you male and female Or are you not reprobates and say you
sutable proofs for the Pope and sutable examples First the Priest-hood is ended they were never in that latitude neither are you to be measured with them neither do any true Christians As for Esau and wicked Magistrates the fruits of this amongst you has appeared and the wicked must bow before the just and Esau the elder must be a seruant to the younger and salvation is come out of Sion who judges the mount of Esau and is gathering the elect Jacob who rides over the high places of the earth which have set up your Images but you have shewed the fruits of Esau who are slaying and killing the just But who be in the power of Christ who hath all power in heaven and earth given unto him be out of Esau's and be o' th top on his mount and answers the Elect. Pr. He saith that Purgatory is a temporall punishment to faithfull persons after death who have not done due pennance for their sins in their life time so must do pennance after death Answ. The faithful persons that be in the true faith of Gods Elect which is the mistery held in a pure conscience which gives victory over the world purifies the heart by which men are justified and please God This gives them victory over death sin hell and all that which you do pennance for Now they that be reprobate concerning this faith are doing pennance all their lifetime and say they must have a Purgatory to do pennance when their life is ended and so all poor people you have a pittiful thing to passe through a fire before you be purified And as for Christs and the Apostles and Saints sufferings you are found in that nature that caused the just always to suffer and as for your Doctrine of Purgatory it is come up since the days of the Apostles amongst the Apostates the Devill has set it up who is out of the truth by his power since he set up his Synagogue but who be in the faith be over his Purgatory and synagogues and the Doctrine of it which is come up since the dayes of the Apostles for which there is no Scripture for the Saints which believed had passed from death to life and so from the Purgatory For purgatory is in the death he that passeth from it comes over Purgatory and death both to reigne with Christ here you shew your selves you are not believers Pr. The receiving of the Sacrament thou saist is not for the cleansing of you from sin but for the nourishment of your souls the body and blood of Christ being in it Answ. Why do you and the Protestants kill one another about such things seeing that you say the body and blood of Christ is in the Sacrament the bread and wine And the Protestants say in it is the spirit of Christ as you may look in a book called the Scotch Principles and in their Catechisms and is it not the same blood that cleanseth which nourishes How are you confused in this and put to your shifts I have heard talk of Papists and Jesuites were witty men but I see it is at an end and that which nourishes the immortall soule is not the mortal creatures ye are deceived in thinking so and the Protestants both that which nourishes the soul is Christ the power of God who is the Bishop of it the life the truth the power of God which is the immortall souls food and not the bread that will perish and things that will perish which those looked after that followed Christ for a time which was in the perishing minde which laboured after the perishing things and laboured not for the bread which comes downe from above which indures to eternall life which who eats of it hungers no more And so that is the Devils doctrine and the apostates which is got up since the days of the Apostles which tels people after they have consecrated the bread and wine it is the body and blood of Christ which Christ said bread would perish for his flesh saw no corruption Nor his body would not perish nor his blood that cleanseth from the dead works through which blood they overcome death and the word and power gives every creature its being without the consecration but that which nourishes the immortal soul is the mortal and man lives not by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God and this is Christs doctrine and the others is the Devils and apostates out of the life and power of Christ that saith men must live by bread alone Pr. Christ useth the Priest in the hands of a workman to make the Sacrament which is the body and bloud of Christ he saith that the formes of bread and wine which will corrupt cannot take away sin And after consecration it is not bread and wine but the very body and bloud of Christ Answ. In this you have shewed your confusion and unestablished state was it the very body and bloud of Christ that made the Corinthians drunk and in this thou hast confounded thy self in saying that the formes of bread and wine which is the very body and bloud of Christ will corrupt after consecration then the Ministers work in this thou hast spoyled who are the consecraters for the body and bloud of Christ will not corrupt nor perish which bread and wine will but that which gives bread and wine their being will never corrupt for bread and wine is a thing that is seen and though the Apostle said what he had received of the Lord that did he deliver to the Corinthians how that the same night the Lord Jesus was betrayed he took the cup and the bread when he had given thanks saying as oft as they did eate that bread and drink that cup they shewed the Lords death till he came and the Apostles delivered this to the Corinthians then in the second Epistle he brings them off from the things that are seen to the things vvhich are not seene which were eternal for bread and wine were things seen and temporal and bids them prove and examin themselves whether or no Christ was come know you not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except you be reprobates and he is the living bread that came down from above who gives life unto the world and he that eates of this bread lives and abides for ever And as for thy word Sacrament we do not find that word expressed in Scripture nor where the Apostles spoke by Mary as you do who adore your own words that are Apostatized from the life them that witness Christ the substance in them they see the end of all things is come Christ Jesus him by whom all things was made who is the end of all things him is possest Such are not reprobates but reprobates and Judas may stick in the outward things as the Jewes did whose table was a trap and eyes blinded as you do who are inwardly ravened from the
heresies and lying signes which is your crosse who are gone from the power of God which is the cross of Christ who are them which the Spirit spoke of expresly before the Apostles decease that should depart from the faith forbidding eating of meats and marriage which is the Divels doctrin who has given heed to seducing spirits now you may see it is your Mother which you call the Church which is the Mother of Harlots which your Mother harlotted from the true Church the Apostles doctrin for the true Church of the Apostles did never command that men should abstayn from meats or set up a crosse of wood or stone or worship Images or Saints or names or bow down to them but worship God and worship not the Angels Now these things hath been sett up since the dayes of the Apostles in the Apostacy from the true Church which has made war against the Saints and over-come them but now is the Saints and the Lamb come to have victory and now the Lamb and Saints will have victory who is come to reign and the holy Prophets and the Saints shall rejoyce over you sing and rejoyce ye heavens and rejoyce ye Saints and holy Prophets over her That 's your Church which is inwardly ravened from the spirit of God and has reigned over the Kings of the earth and all other that hath had the name of Christianity out of the life of Christ found in your skirts the Lamb will tread you together in the press without the City of the living God the Church which is the Pillar and ground of truth against which the gates of hell cannot prevail though they may fall all on heaps one among another about their worships And we say that your Mother the Church so called hath commanded and laid the foundation of tythes amongst the Protestants and all their observing of Saints dayes holy dayes and you have been them that has taught them to give the names yea to their Schooles Colleges Steeple-houses which were your mass-houses which the Protestants has made their Churches of them you were the first root and layer of the ground and Author of them you and they are all judged with the Spirit which is not Apostacy which was before Apostacy was Pr. I say again that Christ is not without a body and the same body which is in the Sacrament is that which was born of the Virgin Mary which dyed for us and now sitteth at the right hand of God and none other Answ. Heaven is above and earth is beneath there is an earthly body and there is a heavenly body a naturall and a spirituall and if that which was born of the Virgin Mary be your bread after consecration which body saw no corruption though put in the grave Now see if your bread which you call the body of Christ will not corrupt after it lye a while though you have consecrated it then how can you say that is the body of Christ at the right hand of God and outward bread which will corrupt which the body of Christ saw none which was born of the Virgin the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world yet he did not corrupt nor saw no corruption Pr. And to say is Christ to be looked for in the Saints is so profound that he cannot reach the depth of the meaning the Roman Catholiques use no such manner of speech Answ. I do believe you Since the dayes of the Apostles amongst you that are got up in your likenesses and Images that sayes its so profound you cannot reach the meaning of it to ask you whether Christ be in the Saints and amongst the Roman Catholiques you have no such manner of speech I do believe you And so you put him in the Sacrament without you and call the bread and wine his body and blood so this is to prove your selves to be reprobates so are judged by the Apostles doctrine and the Scripture Know you not in your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates Priest The more honour we give to Saints the more honour we give to Christ Indeed to give godly honour to Saints is to commit idolatry Answ. If that you do not give godly honour to the Saints it is ungodly and here in this you have again confounded your selves and that honour which belongs to the Saints is of God and godly and not idolatry but that honour which you give which is not godly is given to such which are not Saints which is idolatry and so that honour which you should give to God you give to Images in kneeling to them and so in that you are as the heathen and are found idolaters which never did any of the Apostles kneel before an Image but you that inwardly ravened from the Spirit of God and so lost the image of God and fallen down to Images Pr. A Crosse a Crucifix or an Image of Christ or any Saint whether they be made of silver stone or wood are according to our doctrine but dead creatures neverthelesse are profitable and honourable memorials of them and do much help our devotion and demonstrate our love and affection to them and they are not Idols but they represent unto us Christ and his Saints Answ. So then they being but dead things and you bowing to dead things is to Idols for bowing to a dead stock or a stone is a bowing to Idols as saith the Prophet and dead images Now you having them as you say to represent unto you Christ and to put you in minde of him and the Saints shews that you have not Christs spirit in you nor him in you nor his mind in you so are reprobates and are none of his for those that have Christ in them and his minde in them need no such representations as to put them in minde of Christ or to fall down before Crosses Crucifixes Images dead things to stir up the love towards Ch●ist which the blood of Christ purgeth the conscience from dead workes and not to bow down to dead Images but thi● shews the love of God is not in you Dead things do not stirre up the love of God in people but the faith which works by love this stirs up the love towards Christ who is the Author of it and the Saints to make Images of the Saints and observing of dayes shews that you are not come to just mens spirits which who are need no other thing to put them in mind nor observe dayes for they see over dayes and so in these principles I see ye are reprobates concerning the faith which works by love for the love of God is not in you you are not come to the j●st mens spirits so not to the Church of the living God the mind of Christ you have not his spirit ye have not and Christ is not in you and so in the reprobation in the apostacy and are fain to have dead Images and pictures and crosses dead
and hath showed himself and hath put on strength who treads the wine press of the wrath who travels in the greatness of his strength out of whose mouth goes a sharp two-eged Sword which shall dash all to pieces Consuming fire is before him ten thousands of his Saints is vvith him and he in them they go on in his strength Conquering and to Conquer Arme your selves cast up your Batteries come all to the battel of the great day of God and see if you be able to stand against the Lord for he hath manifest his wisdome from above which will confound all your deceit For we esteem no more of your Arguments then straw nor of your devised Fables no more then rotten wood For you are all rounded as with a hoop and measured as with a line your beginning is in the Apostacy your rise in the night of darkness your strength lies in ignorance and your end will be utter darkn●sse and this shall stand true when your place shall be no more found nor one stone left upon another which shall not be thrown down And now I come to the answer of the substance of thy Arguments and Principles First thou says This is good Catholique Doctrine that a man may have the true faith and yet lead a sinfull life And further that a wicked man and a godly hath true faith and it doth not differ a whit in matter or substance in the godly and ungodly Now to say one hath faith and not the other is against all sence and reason thou saith Answ. I do believe thee that this is thy Catholique doctrine but I cannot call it good for then I should erre like thy selfe for this Doctrine is contrary to the doctrine of the Gospel for true faith is that which the just lives by Hab. 2.4 And that which the just lives by is pure the matter of it by it he is cleansed and the faith of the godly stands in the power of God and that is a pure thing And he that hath the true faith hath the faith of Christ who is truth from whence it comes and it leads out of sin and a sinfull life gives victory over sin This is the victory even your faith By faith the godly stands 2 Cor. 1.24 And by faith the godly walks 2 Cor. 5.7 But on the contrary a wicked mans faith if thou call it faith is called a feigned faith and a dead faith and is centred in him who hath the power of death which is the D●vill and this is another thing for matter and substance and is a distinct thing and by the fruits and effects the true faith is ●nown from the reprobates in the different operations and so this is a devillish doctrine thou hast laid down to wit that they are one in matter for this is contrary to Scripture sense and reason and is an unreasonable position laid downe and ●●●firmed from thy unreasonable minde which is erred from the true faith And again the faith of the godly and ungodly differs in effe●ts but not in regard of the faith it self thou saith and here is thy confusion manifest and thou saist all the five senses will teach you That a man may be chaste in his minde and yet be angry and he may be temperate and yet want patience Thou that hath no other thing to teach thee but the five S●nses art sensual and knows not the spirit For a man to be chaste and yet angry is a false thing he that is angry and intemperate is not chast but joyned to that which adulterates for these are the Devils conceptions and works they and in whom these are brought forth is not chast but is in Cains way and in Dives way and thou saist if you can conceive this that a man may have true faith and yet want godlinesse of life and conversation thy conception is false For he that is temperate and chaste and lives in that which makes him so wants not charity nor patience for the true faith of Gods elect purges from all sin and that faith is reprobate where ungodlinesse is brought forth and contrariwise thou saith a man may be of an honest and godly conversation and yet want faith utter darknesse is thy dwelling place and thou speaks out of thick darknesse Is there a conversation godly or like God lived in where there is no faith or honesty where there is no faith that 's utterly false for these are the fruits of faith of a lively faith for honesty and a godly conversation is the works which proceeds from a true and living faith as the Scriptures witnesse and these things thou saith thou thought good to commend to consideration Thou that thought these things good cals evill good and good evill and art in blindnesse and I have considered of the things and I never heard of so much blindnesse uttered by one who would seem to be a teacher of others And now I come to that which follows 2 P●●n That the people or Church of Christ hath been alwayes visible not only in the beginning or in the Apostles dayes But also since the Apostles dayes even untill now and shall be to the end of the world And for this thou saist Christ hath promised that the gates 〈…〉 shall not prevail against it but that he will be with them till 〈◊〉 end of the world and for this end thou saist the Apostle said Ephes. 4. That he hath given some to be Apostles some Evangelists for the worke of the Ministry till we all come to the unity of faith and unto the stature and fulnesse of Christ Answ. The Church of God in the beginning in the Prophets dayes Christs dayes the Apostles dayes and since the Apostles hath always been in God and hath always been invisible as to the eye of the world which could never discern them nor wherein their communion stood with God yet notwithstanding there hath always been men and people who feared God and believed in the invisible God whom the world never knew to be such but always did persecute and they that did persecute have named themselves to be the Church of God Yet notwithstanding all this there hath been in all ages some that hath born a visible testimony against the world that lyes in wickedness and against the false Prophets Seducers Deceivers and Antichrists and these that bore their testimony against all these before mentioned they were in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ and declared against their Idolatry in all ages and these Christ promised that the gates of hell should not prevail against them And although the gates of Hell did not prevail against their bodies or outward man yet never prevailed against the rock Christ upon which they were builded but hath always been with them in the deepest suffering and greatest ffli●ction and hath preserved them faithfull unto death so that they have not denyed his testimony nor the word of his patience for they have not loved their
of many generations is raised up You may fast from meats and drinks for dayes and observe meats and afflict your selves the envious man the man-slayers do thus which would kill and murther and slay in the heart Now this is not the Fast which is required of God but of men while the bond of iniquity is standing whilst strife and debate is do you not make vowes from the Marriage Is not then the cause you so do in the doctrine of the Devils and the forbidding of meats which ought to be used with praise and thanksgiving The Fast of the Lord is coming to be known that he requires which break● the bond of iniquity which is the foundation of many generations and the marriage of the Lamb many are come to know and enjoy the presence of the Bridegroom where they do not fast where they come into the wisdome of God by which all the creatures were created with which they come to use and order the creatures of God to his glory and sees the Kingdome out of meats out of drinks out of the observation of dayes above meats and drinks Your leaders have caused you to erre envy and wickedness hath been in them strong which is by the power of the Lord God comprehended and judged whose sacrifices God hath no respect to who be in envy in Cains way man-slayer● therefore haste out of the old life and come to witnesse the chast Virgin which follows the Lamb that to him you may be married and joyned all ye poor captivated ones for the Lord is come and coming to exalt the kingdome of his Son whose Standard shall stand over all the earth and Nations shall be ruled by his Rod of Iron come to know strife ceased and envy ceased and selfishnesse ceased and pride ceased and wickednesse and wilfulness ceased and envy and plots and murther ceased and the bond of Iniquity for this is that which will and doth deceive the simple-hearted for the Lord God with his power is come to redeem Who inlightneth every one that cometh into the world that all men through the light might believe whose day is appearing and glory is revealed So now every one of you that be come into the world having a light from Christ the Saviour of your souls from whence it comes Now this you that be enlightned withal it lets you see your sins you have done as thoughts you think and words you speak and actions you act and wayes you walk with the same light that lets you see this which comes from Christ the Saviour of your souls who hath all power in heaven and in earth given to him the same will give you power to come out of your sins And there you come to receive the Covenant of God Christ Jesus who hath given you the light to see sin he it is that takes away sin and blots out sinne and transgression And now every one of you this is the word of the Lord God to you all heed the light that you are enlightned withall with that you will feel your Saviour for the light lets you see sin the same blots it out the same is the covenant of God the same gives power for all power in heaven and in earth is given to the Son who is to rule and subdue to himselfe all the powers of darknesse and wickednesse The light which you be enlightned withal lets you see your deeds you have done your words you have spoke your ways you have walked in your actions you have acted the same will give you power to stand against your sin and there is the teacher and the same will condemn all of you hating the light which is Christ which hath enlightned you withal and if you go on still in wickednesse the same will become your condemnation at the last Remember when you are in your wickednesse and upon your death beds you were warned in your life-time and this light will let you see when evill thoughts get up in you and evill affections and evill desires and check you and reprove you if you love it and heed it when you are walking up and down when you are fitting still by your selves secretly it will bring you to think upon God and when you are walking up and down abroad yet it is present with you there will be your teacher there will be your condemnation if you hate it The light of Christ who saith Learn of me I am the way the truth and the life This is my beloved son heare you him And there is no way to the Father but by him who doth enlighten every man that comes into the world him by whom it was made all the sons of Adam drove from God in transgression Christ the second Adam the way to God who is the way and the life But man being drove from God from life and from truth so Christ is the truth man being drove from God from Gods righteousness so Christ is Gods righteousnesse drove from God from his wisdome So in a wisdome that is below earthly sensuall and devillish drove from God from his glory there is the first Adams state in the disobedience but Christ the second Adam the obedience the Lord from heaven who doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world The light that shineth in his heart which Christ enlightneth him withall it must give him the knowledge of the glory of God and this brings him from things that are seen that are temporall the light that shineth in his heart that gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God with it brings to know all things that be eternall And the Lord is coming to teach his people himself and to bring them of all the worlds teachers and ways to Christ the way And the Lord is coming to break all in pieces that are gathered and are a gathering but not with the power of his Son and with the life of his Prophets and his Apostles such will he break to pieces and dismiss the assemblies who is come and will gather his people with his spirit into the life the Prophets were in Christ and the Apostles were in they shall come to live in the power of an endlesse life and the world where there is no end is known where there is the hungring no more and the thirsting no more the government of him is manifest where there is no end and the Kingdome and the Throne of Christ is exalted So all that afflict your selves and torment your selves and fast and observe days and meats by the commandement of men and not by the commands of God and doctrines of men and wills of men Consider the power of the Creator and come to the witnesse of God in you to the light which Christ lighteth you withall which is the covenant with you A God which breaks all other covenants when you come to the Light all the covenants you have made with men with Death must be broken and will be broken
your hard speeches against him who be the filthy dreamers defiling the flesh speaking evill of the dignities of the dominions that goes over all transgression which lets see the first transgression that was befo●● transgression was this is dignity and the higher power Now are you not in Cains way and lost the patience that kills slays and murthers let all the world bear witness that be in the fear of God Are not you fallen into the deeds of the Nicholaitans and so like them which said they were Jewes and were not but synagogues of Satan and so do●h not your fruit declare you that you are synagogues of Satan murdering killing And was there not such before Johns decease which said they were Jews and were not which John told should cast into prison and try and many of the faithful Martyrs were slain Have not you held the doctrine of Balaam your Idols and do you not here commit fornication with them and is not this the stumbling-block you here lay for all people Balaam-like and is not the fruits of your Church made up of such And was not the woman Jezebel beginning to teach before Johns decease teaching to seduce the servants of God and to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to Idols and was not all this separated from the true Church these Idols Balaam this Prophetess And hath not these made up your Church which hath the stumbling block the word of the Lord doth try all this Hath not he promised and the Church doth know that he was the Lord that tryeth the reigns and searcheth the heart For is not Jezebels mark upon your fore-heads and your Idols your Church is full of them which defiles the land And do you not kill and slay Jezebel-like and betray and after fast your hands full of blood your heart full of deceit strife and murther Is not this Jezebels teachings Jezebels fast and your Idols Balaams stumbling block And was not this coming up before Johns decease creeping up among the true Church If a true Church fall into these things God removes his Candlestick from them so are you them the Candlestick is not among Therefore you set up great outward Candlesticks among all your Idols and so you have a name of Christians but are dead Thou hast a name of a Christian to live but art dead and so deceives Nations by your name but now you are proved your Church your Ministers all Jezebels mark Balaams stumbling block your Idols you have not repented of your fornications all your Idols God will cast you into your bed of sorrows And now your day of tryal is come and he that overcomes shall be a pillar in the house of God And so you have lost the key and are shut up in darknesse for was not Jezebel a murtherer a slayer and yet did she not fast Did not the Apostles fast and yet were no murtherers nor slayers And at the opening of the 5th Seal was not the cry of the souls heard How long Lord how long wilt not thou be avenged on them that are put to death for the testimony of Jesus and dost not thou avenge our cause O Lord And was not the answer again They should rest a season till the rest of their brethren were killed Now who are the killers who are the murtherers have you not been the killers and murtherers one of another and so out of the true Church and all along apostatized from the true Church Revel. 6. And so are not you them that are brought to poverty among all the earth for want of the vertue of God among all people and choaks them with your Idols and so the bottomless pit hath been opened which hath no foundation your smoak and your locusts hath swarmed abroad so are you not them that fell the Star that fell that fell from the Apostles that fell from the truth Is not your Church made up of locust and have not you worshipped Devils Idols and gold and silver brass wood iron and stone that can neither see nor hear And doth not Iohn speak of this in the Revelations which was distinct from the true Church And is not your Church here found your Idols of brasse of silver of stone and can neither see nor walk Revel. 9. And hath not the two Witnesses been killed which was called the two Olive trees and Candlesticks the Olive trees fruits is the oyl and what doth oyl do Hath not this been killed and the Candlestick which stands before the God of the earth and the great City Sodome and Gomorrha where Christ was crucified and them that crucified him was the professors of Scriptures and you the professors of Scriptures where is the Olive tree now where is the Candlestick How is spiritual Sodom full of your Idols and Images now there is none turnes from the Olive tree and the Candlestick but who are become spiritual Sodome and Aegypt in themselves and consider was not the Dragon cast from Heaven to the Earth and did not he persecute the Wom●n and is not all persecutors of him did not the Woman flee into the Wilderness where hath she been all this time of Idols where hath been the Church was not the man-child caught up to God did not the Dragon make war with the seed which keep the Commands of God did not the Beast rise out of the Sea which had his power and authority from the Dragon who have been like Bears and Lions and Leopards and all the world wondered after the Beast and they wondered after the Dragon which had power from the Beast Now mark where hath the Church been now who is like to the Beast which rose out of the Sea which all the World worshipped which ravened from the Spirit of God which went out from the Apostles in Corahs Cains Balaams way erred from the Spirit of God they like a sea out of truth so here came in the Dragons power which gave the Beast his authority which all the World worshipped which dragon had made war was that which persecuted the Woman And the Beast made war with the Saints and had his power from the Dragon which all that dwelt upon the Earth should worship and over-come the Saints then power was given to the Beast over all tongues kindreds and Nations over all kindreds your tongues your Teachers which saith tongues is the originall Orthodox men which have their learning from tongues hath the Beast power over and all that dwelt upon the Earth should worship him and he should deceive them that dwelt upon the Earth by reason of his miracles he should make Images to the Beast and they should worship the Beast and they should neither buy nor sell but who had the mark of the Beast and his Image now it is the Beast that sets up the Image now here is the Image the Beast here is your Church and here is the Beast that hath his power over all kindreds tongues and Nations and the
such which Peter speakes of to be in Corahs Cains Balaams way so your fruits declares and thus you are contrary to Christ and the Apostles and true Church separated from them and such as the Apostle declares against hath made up your Church Have not you been the first birth of the Devil since the dayes of the Apostles Murderers and killers about formes and traditions and Images and outward Churches and Ministers made by mens wills is not Cains fruits the vagabond from God appeared among you murderers destroyers Did the Apostles kill slay and burn had they their Inquisitions like you and do not you all wear Cains mark and Balaams mark on your foreheads and the Devils colours the murderer that is out of Truth has not his flagge been hung out among you All that denies your Religion and worshipping your Images Crosses and all your Ministers made by the will of men and Temples made with mens hands its death by fire Inquisition or Wracks and the devil is he that destroyes the creatures but the power of God destroyes him lets up the soul and brings the creature into liberty Christ saith My body I will give for the life of the World And Christ saith He is from above and he is not earthly The first man is of the earth earthly So after you have consecrated your bread and wine if you will come to an open tryall and proof that may openly bee proved and seen whether or no your bread and wine is not below after consecration and will waste and consume which Christ his flesh sees no corruption his body is the Church and is bread and wine after you have consecrated it the Church or do you call your selves the Church at Rome or do you call your selves the body of Christ do you call the very bread and wine the very body and blood of Christ after you have consecrated i● and so the very Church and then where are you the Church and have you not set bread and wine over you and you s●y Christs body was humane that 's the first Adam earthly the second is the Lord from heaven and after you have consecrated Bread and Wine if it be humane that signifies earthly that shews the creatures as they were before your consecration and so not the body of Christ and as oft as you do eat this bread and drink this cup y● do shew forth the Lords death till he come That signifies that he and his body was not present for where his body is there needs no representation for it was in the night in which he was betrayed that he gave them the cup for remembrance and do you take it in the night and follow the practise of Christ and his Disciples which is in remembrance of him which is the cup of the New Testament in his blood This do as oft as ye do it in remembrance of me This was in the night Now the Apostle bid the Corinthians that the end of the world was come to examine themselves and prove their own selves that they might know their own selves how that Jesus Christ was in them except they were reprobates and if Christ was in them what need they to have bread and wine to put them in Remembrance of him Friend 1 WHo was the first Author or setter forth of all your Pictures your Crosses your Crucifixes your Images and what was their names seeing that the Apostles and Teachers and Ministers did not set forth such things in the Church but witnessed against Idols and that they might keep themselves from Idols and that they were not to look at things that were seen as in the Epistles of John and to the Corinthians And are not images pictures crucifixes crosses things that be seen And the things that are seen are temporall but the things that are not seen are eternall and is not it which set up these things that which denyed the power of God 2 How is it that you set up Tythes seeing that the Apostle witnessed against the Priest-hood that took tythes and said the Law was changed and the commandement disannulled that gave them And though Abraham gave tythes to Melchisedeck the similitude the son of God is come the end of the similitude and likenesse and who was the first beginner of them amongst you 3 Who was the first Author that gave ye the commands for the observing of dayes holy dayes Saints dayes seeing the Apopostle and the Saints which were in the true Church brought the Saints off days yea the days which God had commanded to Christ the substance and said there was not any name under heaven by which a man should be saved but his name and what they were to do they were to do in the name of Christ And when they cryed Paul Apollo or Cephas he rebuked them are not all you come under rebuke now that are crying up names days meats drinks which the Kingdom of Heaven stands not in and so has lost the power and the substance 4 Where did Christ or the Apostles command in the Scripture or the Church practiced that such things forementioned should be done or come after them shew me by Scripture Now if you say that Solomon had a Temple and there were images and an Ark and an Altar those were but figures they were not the substance and when the substance came they ceased Now what does all your dayes crosses crucifixes tythes type forth and who commanded them shew by Scripture where ever Christ or the Apostles commanded any such thing as a Crucifix as a Crosse as Tythes as a Temple as an Altar outward or to pray by Beads shew by the Scriptures where ever the true Apostles true Church or Christians practised any such things or that any such things were amongst them or said that any such things should come after them answer me by plain Scriptures 5 May not a man give all his goods away to the poor and his body to be burned and what will that profit him if he have not love yea love to enemies And how can you love them when you bring them to your Inquisitions or burn or imprison them kill or banish them Now mark are not you of that sect that the Apostle speaks of that may give all your goods away to the poor and your bodies to be burned and yet nothing not having love And what differs your love from that love that may give your goods away and bodies to be burned and yet not have true love And do not you think that you gain by that now and do inherit some righteousness for it and is not that all out of the true righteousnesse which is out of the true love Now the love of God and Christ which was in the Apostles was to love enemies Now if you love your sect and them that be of your worship and observes your customes and burn and prison and kill others that be not of your sect and judgement and observes your customes