Henry Wood and William Holden not before the people to make good thy Assertion that thou boasts so much on which thou hath no cause to boast on but to be ashamed of for this is manifest of thee already in that thou hath not Answered Old H. W. Queries yet nor cannot do and what dost thou talk of G. F. meeting thee there are thousands in England that would turn and overturn thee and thy Assertions and thou art grieved that old H. W. and W. H a Blacksmith should engage with thee to Answer thy Challenge for I believe they are of ability for did not old Hen. W. stop thy mouth before the people that thou could not answer him and now thou goes and calls for G. F. to shuffle it of thee thou sure thinks that would be an honour to thee and by that thou thinks thou could shuffle of answering H. W. and W. H. of making good thy Assertion it 's an easie matter to overthrow thee and thy Assertion any babe in the truth may soon manifest thee that never was in the truth and so never mention G. F. coming to thee before thou has done with others that thou art engaged with for there is a cloud of witnesses against thee all the Saints in the Scripture bears testimony against thee and all that knows truth or ever will know it doth and will witness against thee and all of thy spirit and principle and before thou make any more boasting see if thou can clear thy self of what is here charged against thee and proved upon thee and by the Scripture of truth that is to say 1 of being a Blasphemer against the Holy Ghost 2 of being a minister of darkness 3 of being an Idolater 4 of being an Antichrist See if thou canst cast this of thee before thou talk and boast that thou chiefly desires to deal with G. F. and such others as say they are Apostles that their Doctrine and deeds being brought to the light it may be truly known whether they be true Apostles indeed or false Answ Poor conditioned man what wilt thou try with with thy dim dark Natural created light thou art tryed and proved already and weighed and found too light and so thy trying is little worth the false Apostles know more of the truth then ever thou did and yet thou art so impudent that thou talks of trying true Apostles but this is like thy former folly but all has been to manifest and bring to light thy rotten hypocrisie with which thou has deceived people but thou will proceed no further thy folly is so manifest and thy filth is so uncovered that now people will see thee and thy deceitful wickedness that with thy lying tongue can speak of Regeneration and new birth and of trying true Apostles and false with many other words which thou has stoln out of the Scriptures or else thou could not have spoken them who denies the first Principle of truth Christ Jesus the Light of the Truth and the life and the way to God and therefore he stands upon thy head thy condemner for ever for I have heard many Ministers and Teachers and seen their Works but I never saw nor heard such a humble jumble confused piece as this of thine of dividing God and Christ and such distinctions of the Light and Word but proves nothing of what thou intends but leaves it confused like thy self and sits as Judge upon the Son and sits as Judge upon the Saints and sits as Judge upon the World c. And now J. W. since thou has taken upon thee withal thy might and main to push with thy horn against the Lamb and his Followers and has engaged open war with him and has boasted as though thou would remove him out of his place and that in a publick testimony let us now prove and try thy foundation and let us see how thou will demonstrate thy strength and manifest thy ability to performe this that thou has undertaken that is to say to wit to remove our Foundation or we thine which may be manifested to the Reader by thy Answering these following Queries 1st Query Whether the Light that is in thee be not darkness but thy asserting to wit that the Light in every man is not a saving Light as also considering what is here proved before for the confuting of thy Assertions 2dly Whether thy eye be not evil and so thy whole body full of darkness since that Christ hath said that the Light of the body is the eye and by thy Assertion thou hast denyed that eye and put it out 3dly Whether dost thou believe that thou thy self has the Light of Christ in thee since thou has asserted that he has not inlightned every man yea or nay 4ly If thou have the Light of Christ in thee how comes thou by it or where had thou it more then other men and if thou was one of the World and now is not how came thy change and when and where didst thou receive that which makes thee to differ from other men 5ly Thou has taken upon thee to teach people how was thou called to it or by whom was thou made a Minister didst thou ever hear the voice of God hast thou the Revelation of Jesus as the Apostles had 6ly Dost thou turn people from the Darkness to the Light and from the power of Satan to the power of God art thou no Minister of the Letter but only of the Spirit as the Apostles were 7ly Where is thy Flock that thou has gathered from the power of Darkness unto the marvelous Light as the Saints in the Scriptures were is thy Flock in unity and fellowship with all the Saints in Light how is it then that thou denyes Christ Jesus the Corner Stone and Rock on which all the Church of God is built 8ly And how came thou and thy Flock to be Saints since yee deny Christ Jesus the Foundation which is the Stone is laid in Sion and how came you to differ from the rest of people since God is no respecter of Persons and what has made the difference betwixt thee thy Flock and the rest of all other people of the World shew it and manifest it forth wherein yee differ and how yee came by that which makes yee to differ 9ly Thou saith in thy Book thou would have us to return to the true Christ and thou lookes upon our Christ to be an Idol and has left us without direction to the true Christ thou speaks on so my Query is where this Christ is thou calls the true Christ and what he is since thou has denyed him to be the Light 2ly Thou has denyed him to be the New Covenant and Law written in the heart 3ly Thou has denyed him to be the Word in the Beginning 4ly Thou has made a separation betwixt him and his Father so what is this true Christ of thine being thou saith who worships all these before mentioned worships an Idol being thou
his only begotten Son into the World to save the World and not to condemn the World as he doth who saith they have not a light to save them and they have not the spirit of God but that the World through him might be saved and moreover Christ saith I am the light of the World now he doth not say I am the light of the Saints only as John Wiggan saith but of the World which be in darkness And Christ saith believe in the light whilest ye have the light shewing that they have the light before they are believers that they may be children of the light John 12. and also he John Wiggan makes void the grace of God as may be seen in his Book which hath appeared to all men as the Apostle speaks to Titus which brings salvation and this grace is sufficient and so his work is to prove that the World and wicked Men have not a saving-light nor have not the Spirit of God contrary to the Scriptures of Truth as will be proved hereafter and so â—â— makes people believe through this that Christ did not come to save the World so is of that race that would frustrate the grace of God and of them that forbid the Apostles to speak to the Gentiles but hath not John Wiggan had one Hundred pound a year of the States and taken Collections of such as he looked upon to be wicked people and had not the Spirit nor a saving Light yea and preached the Scriptures to them which are the things of God and all people you know that no man can know the things of God without the Spirit of God you know the Scriptures saith so And whether all men will not judge whether this man is not grown sensless or he hath cracked his Brain through his foolishness Nay would not this John Wiggan preach if the Powers would give him two or three Hundred pounds a year to preach the Scriptures which are the things of God to the World which he saith hath not the Spirit of Christ nor a saving Light hath he not the conscience to take this and bless them though the World did not understand the things of God and what do you think of all the Independants that he preached too and hath left and now turned Baptist it may be he thinks that is a better Commons and Pasture to maintain him in for hath John Wiggan restored that which he had of them at Manchester and other places for we say that it is but just that he should do so For to preach to a people that hath not a saving light nor the Spirit the things of God they that cannot understand them without the Spirit and to take money of them is it not a robing of them and a cheating of them and ought he not in justice to make restitution for we do not know a greater enemy to Christ and his Apostles and plain Scriptures this day in England then he is as his practice hath made it manifest and as for all his slanderous expressions in his private papers we shall not send abroad but let them lie upon him together with his lyes nor lay open his nakedness we need not for he hath laid it open in his own Book sufficiently as will be manifest to every impartial Reader First That Paper which was sent unto Thomas Hardy by Thomas Curwen it was not sent up and down in the Country as his was but if he had sent for a Coppy of it he might have had one so we did not serve him as he hath done us and if there had been any errors they should have been made manifest but he hath not that the Reader might have read them for we are not afraid of our deeds coming to the Light And our Paper was neither partial nor confused as it will manifest it self and it is to the honour of truth And it s he that swallowes up the simple in errors as he speaks of and hath vomited out the same again how many hath he vomited out about Manchester but swallowed them up but for gain and that which he hath vindicated is error And whereas he saith he was provoked to this debate with the Quakers that is false for it was his own Challenge for friends would have discoursed with him in a Christian way in his own Chamber which he denyed and bid them depart his Chamber and when Friends have come up in a Christian way to him he hath threatned them by calling for the Jaylor and another time when Thomas Curwen came up in a Christian way he shaked him by his Coat as though he would have tore it from off his back to thrust him out of his Chamber though often he came into our Chamber and we never served him so but discoursed as long as he would But this is the thing Major Wiggan in calling the Jaylor he wanted his Magestrates Sword like a persecuting Jew Help men of Israel against the Apostles for these are the men that turnes the World upside down And this is John Wiggans patience and Christian spirit as he calls it and he being a Prisoner we would never have brought him to publick shame but he himself hath brought it therefore he may blame himself And whereas he speaks of being provoked to the debate in defence of truth Nay John thou art out of love that art so soon provoked and its truth that torments thee because thou canst not defend thy errors thou canst not chop and change with truth as thou didst with the people at Manchester And what thou hast set down afterward will appear And the contention of the Meeting was through thy self for thou wast the first man that brake the order which was that all might speak one by one and burst out into a laughter when others were speeking of the things of God in an uncivil and immodest way which begot thy own people into the same and so raised up the rude and uncivil spirit in thy own people that some was fain to rebuke thee who were speaking of the things of God for the things of God are weighty and as the Scriptures saith the fools heart is filled full of Laughter and that is the mark of a fool and thou wast too hot and passionate to talk soberly And dost thou not remember what a passion thou was in when thou discoursed with Richard Hubberthorn at Manchester when one of thy own people did reprove thee and doest thou not remember what violent hands thou laid upon John Abrams when he and James Harrison came to discourse with thee of the things of God in a Christian way and what a rage fury and passion thou wast in is not this a mark of a Novice soon angry and are not these unclean hands lifted up to God will God accept them And whereas thou speaks of Boasting that is thy own the Principle that thou would discourse upon was thy own chusing though nothing thou hast cleared to this
thou ever hear Christs voice at any time or hast thou seen his shape for if thou hadst known him the way thou would not have deny'd his Light to be saving to the World And hast thou not read Collos of some that intruded into these things they never saw which neglected Christ the body and head who is the way and Light c. And whereas thou sayes it is not possible to teach the way and know it not Mat. 2. 4 5. 27 28. 12. the Pharisees and the Priests preached Christ to come to Herod and told when he should be born by the Scriptures and yet knew him not to be the way when he came but persecuted him when he came as thou may know by the Scriptures when Christ rose and yet thou knowest him not to be the Way the Truth and the Life but denies him to be the saving Light spoken of in Joh. 1. And my words was not harsh nor rash censure but in plainness and truth as thou hast made it appear And as for me William Wilson I know nothing else thou livest in but beggarly Rudiments who denies Christ to be a saving Light who enlightens every man who shuts up the Gates of Heaven against men and will neither go in thy self nor suffer others to go in And shew me by plain Scripture where Christ calls taking of Bread and Wine an Ordinance for we do drink of the Vine and and eat of the Bread that comes down from Heaven And my words were neither harsh nor rash therefore thou dost us wrong to say so and to blame us and exclaime against us These Queries as followeth were sent to John Wiggan to answer by me Thomas Curwen and are unanswered to this day and he complaines he wanted time and hath had them above halfe a year when such a man as he is looked upon might have answered them in halfe a day 1 Query Whether thy way never fell 2 Where be all the daubers 3 Whether all the Ministers of Adam's house in the fall daubed not with untempered morter 4 Whether a man while he is upon the Earth shall be made free from the body of Death and sin while he is on this side the Grave 5. And whether Christ doth not enlighten every one that comes into the World with a saving Light 6. Whether is Bread and Wine Christ the substance yea or nay 7. And how long hast thou taken Bread and Wine in Remembrance of Christs Death till he come 8. And whether or no when he is come thou will take it in Remembrance of him 9 And which is the nearest to take a thing in Remembrance of his Death or to come into his Death 10 And whether or no thou thinkest to come any nearer to Christs death then taking Bread and Wine in Remembrance of him 11 And whether or no doth thou think to come any nearer to Christs death then to take Bread Wine in Remembrance of his death and so keep alive in the old nature and is not this the deceiver 12 Hast thou known the death the pangs and the sorrow and art thou become a fool for Christs sake and is the wisdom of the world become foolishness to thee and in what place boundest thou thy own 13 And how comest thou to receive that which is foolishness to the world and how was thou awakened out of sleep and when did the Grave open and when did the Prisoner shew himself forth 14 And when did the tongue of the Dumb sing 15 And when was the tongue of the first birth silent 16 And when was thou come to thy wits end 17 And how hast thou watered thy Couch 18 And what is the tongue of the Learned 19 And what is the Gray Hairs 20 And what is it that Anti-Christ and the false Prophets ravened from and where was it 21 And when did the Keepers of the House tremble and the strong man bow himself 22. And hast thou the same power and spirit to baptize and give Bread and Wine as the Apostles had and hast thou heard the voice of Christ as they did 23 And seeing thou took offence at me for calling thee a deceiver what is the true way where is it whether all Mankind be enlightened by it and whether it be within man or without 24 And whether or no thou hast seen it or hear it or heard the voice of God at any time or seen his shape Answer these Queries in a Scripture way in writing and bring forth thy deeds to the Light or else I do intend to stick a Coppy of them on thy Door tomorrow From thy friend Thomas Curwen the fifth day of the first Moneth 1664. directed for John Wiggan these And these Queries were sent to John Wiggan to be answered by him and because I said if he would not answer them I would stick them on the door tomorrow he sayes he has but a short time and yet in this half year he hath not answered them but he hath published them in his Book to his shame without an answer manifesting his insufficiency to resolve doubts and Questions in weighty matters to shuffle them off to the Reader he calls them frivilous and they stand still unanswered by him for if he had told us that he had been uncapable or unable of answering them we would so have taken it but he being a man so much looked upon and professing such high things he was able to resolve doubts and questions which if he had been a man as he is looked upon he would have been ashamed to have published them to the Reader unanswered and we did not boastingly send the Queries to thee nor sought advantage against thee but that the plain truth might have been manifested by thee if thou hadst had it but its manifest to the contrary and the Queries are pythy and full and some of them Queries about mans Salvation but thou scornes and scoffes at them and calls them frivilous and sayest thou had some weighty matter which we do not know any thou hadst without it was to study something against the saving Light to preach to thy people which was not a thing of so great weight who runs one while to thee and another while to other Priests who are unestablisht like thy self And in thy Letter to my first paper thou seems to be offended because that I said that thou was offended for calling thee a Deceiver of the people c. it manifests thou art offended by thy speaking of it so much abroad And as concerning my saying thou taught the way to others and knew it not thy self that is answered before and I did speak forth the words of truth and soberness to thee as being often burthened with hearing thy strange voice savouring thee to be out of the Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures And for making it appear whom thou hast deceived that I have done before and whom thou hast deceived and how in drawing them from
of Jacob which it is said at a full stop by Balaam there shall come a Starr out of Jacob and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel Now how could he prophesie of it if he did not see it and this overthrowes thee and thy Assertion who never saw so far as Balaam did And whereas thou sayest they shall see him when every eye sees him by this thou confounds thy own assertion for none can see God or Christ without the Light of the Spirit and thou confesses every eye shall see him and we may help thee a little further for every tongue shall confess and every Knee shall bow at the name of Jesus if thou knew what his Name is then thou mightest know that the Light of the body is the Eye which sees God And whereas thou brings Job who said when I see for my self and with my eyes and this thou brings to prove that Israel and Balaam should not see till the latter day and thou maist read Job and confute thy self Job 42. who saith I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare but now my eye seeth thee here Job was a true Prophet for before he said he should see him now he sayes he did see him and thus thy ignorance knowes not Scriptures appeareth and we know what the Believers saw and are satisfyed and we believe thou hast not come so far as Balaams Asse nor heard the voice of God as he did though thou would sit as a Judge of the World and in the Saints conditions And whereas thou sayest that the Spirit of God dwelt no more in Balaam then the Angel of the Lord dwelt in the Asse and one of thy people said which thou say'st is no Baptist that Balaam had no more spirit then his Horse he was one of thy followers and took thy part and thou didst not gain-say him then and now thou say'st in effect the same that he did And that the spirit of God dwelt no more in Balaam then the Angel did in the Asse then let all people read Numb 22. Numb 23. Numb 24. did Balaam's Asse praise the Tents of Jacob and bless Israel and prophesie to many people and will God bring Balaam's Asse to Judgment as he doth Balaam for Balaam erred from the Spirit but thou cannot say his Asse did so and loved the wages of unrighteousness and hast not thou been there to run greedily after the error of Balaam for gifts and rewards does not thou remember a difference bewixt 40 l. and 100 l. for preaching about Manchester and who should have had this John and God testified against the error of Balaam but not against the Asse as in Jude and here it s proved Balaam had more spirit then his Horse as you called him which overthrowes the assertion of thee and thy fellowes And whereas thou makes a great transgression because we said he was a Baptist if thou be a Baptist he maintained thy Principle and was one with thee and why dost thou deny him now And whereas thou sayest there is a Light or Law in every man which convinceth and reproves of sin and this made Judas bring the money back again and this thou sayest doth not reprove of unbeliefs Judas was made a partaker of the Ministry and had he no more then a natural man is this according to thy knowledge of the Scripture did this which convinced Judas not reprove him of his unbelief did it not make him confess he had sinned in betraying the Innocent blood did he not see his unbelief and wickedness here Mat. 27. and to prove thy assertion thou brings Rom. 2. 14 15. which sayes the Gentiles that have not the Law do the things contained in the Law shews the work of the Law written in their hearts their consciences bearing witness c. and if thou read the 16. vers thou may see that this witness speaks in the day that God shall judge the Secrets of Men by Jesus Christ hereby it plainly appears that in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ this spirit which lead the Gentiles to do those things contained in the Law will justifie them and this uncircumcision the Apostle saith shall be counted Circumcision as vers 26. and doth not this Light which judges the secrets of all hearts by Jesus convince of unbelief so here thou hast belyed the Apostle and whereas thou sayest this was before that promise in the 16. of John we know that and whereas thou sayest that this spirit of truth was to convince the World of Sin as in the 16. of John and unbelief here thou hast overthrown that which thou asserted in the publick meeting for therein thou asserted that none had the spirit but Believers and this Scripture was to convince thee for that which convinced the Gentiles was within by which they knew God and was not that by the Spirit else how came they to be baptized in the spirit and circumcision in the spirit and thus one while thou confesses and another while denies and so is in confusion and goes about to bring one Scripture to overthrow another to thy own destruction for when the Holy Ghost was come when the Apostle preached to the Romans and the Gentiles which he spoke of and preached to was become the true Circumcision in the spirit and the Holy Ghost was come then which was promised And in all thy Answers it doth not disprove the Scripture which saith the World hath the Holy Ghost to reprove them but Christs words which is our assertion stands and thou and thy assertion by thy former arguments is shaken and so it is proved that the wicked and unregenerate hath the Holy Ghost which thou confesses is the spirit of Christ though they grieve it and all the Scriptures thou brought proves nothing to the contrary but overthrowes thy assertion and John 14. 17. is answered before for the World and thou art unlike to receive the spirit of truth when you reject and oppose the Light and will not receive it which you should believe in for if you receiv'd it it would not reprove you but you would have fellowship in it why dost thou judge the World hath it not when thou confesseth thou hath it and is in the same nature of the world in envy malice and revenge and Rom. 8. 9. proves nothing to thy assertion but saith the Saints was not in the flesh and they that quench and grieve the spirit of God and will not have the spirit of God but it reproves them for their sin c. how can they be said to be Christs when they will not have the spirit of Christ to lead them and Jude 19. is clear against thy assertion which speaks of such as had the spirit and erred from it and so became like Sodons and Cain and Core and Balaam these thou brings to prove that wicked men has not the spirit of God over and over Balaam had the spirit
thee that thou hates the light and when thou said the Plagues of God was upon Thomas Curwen this is not rayling with thee and said the spirit of the Devil spoke in him when he spoke truth to thee and this was thy fury and madness who art not fit to talk of the Saints conditions and so it is manifest thou knows not what spirit thou art of who dost not know the light of Christ to be saving neither hast thou shewed forth the fruits of the spirit of Christ with its workings And whereas thou would know where any of the Ministers of Christ or Christ called any strange birth of the flesh c. it seems thou art ignorant of the Scriptures as well as others as long as thou hast been a Merchant for did not Christ tell the Pharisees they were of their Father the Devil Iohn 8. and the Apostle said to Elimas the Sorcerer thou full of all subtilty who perverts the right way of God as thou dost hindering people from believing in the light Ioh. 12. Acts 13. and so we speak truth to thee as thou art we do not falsly accuse thee and now see thee where thou art who long deceived us but praised be the Lord we are come to Christ the saving Light which thou denyes and its manifest what thou art and what thy suffering is in the darkness against the light and thou proves thy self a Thief and a Robber who enters not in by the door Christ the Light but climbes up another way and therefore the sheep knows thy voice to be the stranger Iohn 10. and we know what thy compassion is but thou wants power thou hast manifested in this Book and the Letters thou hast sent up and down to Manchester and Stopperd and thy deeds are manifest in the light which thou hates so much and the Lord is rebuking the evil spirit and judging it and thou wilt feel the weight of his hand for thy maliciousness to his people and it is thou that hath mislead and misguided the simple who brings forth arguments to no purpose to strike at the Corner-stone Christ the Light it being fallen upon thee therefore thy Arguments is manifest to be to no purpose and therefore thou art thus tormented and whereas thou savest our Corner-stone being struck at then the building must needs fall to the ground but I say our foundation is Christ the Light Ioh. 8. which we know that thou and all the Generation of Priests have struck at till you are all tumbled down your selves but Christ our Corner stone and Foundation and Light never fell but thine is fallen and therefore thou ragest And we do affirm in our words and printed Books that Christ who says he is the Light in Joh. 8 he is the Dore Joh. 10. he is the quickning Spirit and he is the Corner stone which God hath laid in Sion he is the Truth and he is the All and in all and above all according to Scripture and to be believed in And hath enlightned every man that comes into the world and he is the Redeemer and the word and this thou denyest Christ the Light the Quickning Spirit the Way the Truth the Corner stone the Word the Foundation the Redeemer and the All And here indeed thou hast denyed the Corner stone and Christ Jesus which the Prophets Christ and the Apostles testified of so thou hast manifested thy self against them So never take their words to make a Trade of any more And thou canst not call Christ the Light a Quickning Spirit the Way the Truth the Word the Foundation the Corner stone the Redeemer this thou canst not call the True Jesus thou sayst We do believe thee and that thou art an Enemy to him and them that walk in his light are manifest and therefore have I Richard Gubbam proved thee a false Prophet and Antichrist according to thy own-words and we are come to Repentance and the knowledg of the Truth and thy ways be detected whereby many simple hearts be turned from them and so now we are many of us undeceived from such deceivers as thee who calls Christ the Light the Word the Way the Truth deceiving but the Lord rebuke thee who strives to keep Ignorant simple people from the Light and in darkness thou wouldst aspire up as a Judge of all conditions and knows not thy own to be miserable blind and naked Rev. 1. yet thou tell'st the Reader what the Light is and what it can do and what it cannot do and of what use it is when thou in the darkness cannot comprehend it And whereas thou tellest us of the Light of the first Adam and the Spirit of man is the Candle of the Lord Proverbs 20. and Genesis 2. Adam was made a living soul 1. Cor. 15. and thou sayest this Candle of the Lord or Light in every man is inferior to other Lights and is lower than the Angels and is limited and bounded c. And now would not this Light have justified the Jews and Adam and the Candle of the Lord would not that have directed them in his way and did not David call the word of God A Lanthorn to his feet and a Light unto his path And is this thy Spirit which is under the Bonds and Limits for where the Spirit of God is joyned to there is liberty and we do not tell thee of the Light of Adam thou art gone from the matter but we speak of the Light of Christ Jesus the second Adam the Lord from Heaven For our dispute was not about the earthly Adam the Spirit of a man but our discourse was about Christ the Light of the world the Saviour and thou tel'st us of the Light of Adam this is thy dark Wisdom and like thy knowledge and experience of Christ And whereas thou say'st the Spirit of a man or Light in every man is understood to be the Reason or the understanding of a man whereby he is adopted to know his Creator viz. who made him according to David Psalms 59. 6. Answ Here thou hast confuted thy self for can man be adopted to know his Creator with his own Spirit and Reason and his own Light which thou call'st Natural For the Natural man knows not the things of God and the Spirit of man knows the things that be of a man even so the Spirit of God knows the things that be of God and if all Nations must know the Lord God that made them and serve him and they are his people and the sheep of his Pasture and they must worship and kneel before the Lord their maker and keep his Laws then they should have the Spirit of God for natural men cannot discern the things of God nor hear his voyee nor worship him as thou said'st before so these Scriptures over throws thy assertion Psal 95. 6. And whereas thou say'st of this Light we may understand Christ to speak Mat. 6. 23. Therefore if the Light in thee be Darkness how
speaking as in Tim. c. How ignorantly dost thou apply the scripture and wickedly but this Manifests thy Judgment of them but thou art more ignorant than some of the Baptists for some of the Baptists would allow women to speak but thy envy hath eaten out thy sight and the least of our Disciples sees thee to make lyes thy refuge and who lives in the truth sees thee And whereas thou saist We say the Scriptures are not a rule of Faith and Conversation to walk by hence it is that Christs Water Baptism and Supper and his Censures are rejected Ans If the Scripture be thy rule for thy life and Conversation then why dost not thou obey it For if the Scripture be thy rule then thou must burn offerings and sacrifices and if but part of it be thy Rule why didst not thou set down what part it is But we say Christ is our rule which doth also the Scriptures Math. 2. 6. Where it is said he shall rule the people and he is the author and finisher of our Faith And give us that Scripture that saith the Scripture is the Author of mans Faith and mans rule And as for thy Bread and wine and outward washings thou knowst little more than that nor hardly that for if thou didst thou would'st have answered my queries but thou darest not confess to the power the Apostle was in And we look at things that be Eternal 2. Cor. 4. And not at the things which are seen And such as are risen with Christ seek those things that be above Col. 3. And as for the outward things we know them where they be and do not deny nothing in its place but our life is in Christ but thou shelters thy self in outward things to keep alive in thy old nature out of the Baptism into the Death of Christ Rom 6. 3. And as for thy Censures you have censured one another till you are broken to pieces And where doth the Scripture speak of Christs Censures And Christ being within he is the Rule and Ruler and King this is Scripture within the Saints 1 Col. 27. Christ in you 2 Cor. 4. Canst thou not see this Scripture within but thou hast made a trade of them so long that thy gain hath blinded thee and was not all the Scriptures given forth from the Spirit of God within by inspiration of the Spirit 2 Tim. 3. and is not the new Covenant the Law written in the heart the Scripture within Heb. 8. Jer. 31 30. and this Scripture within thou makes a mock and scoff at And the same Gospel as ever was the power of God we own and are not ashamed of Rom. 1. 16. VVhich Gospel of Christ is the power of God to Salvation And Christ saith the spirit of truth should lead them into all truth And was not that their Rule and if the Scripture be the Rule what was the guide into the Rule to know the things of God for thou sayest the Natural man know not the things of God for they are spiritually discerned then the Spirit must be the Rule and they that are the sons of God are led by the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2. and Joh. 14. And is not the Law written in the heart the perfect Law of liberty the Law of Love the Law of faith in the heart dost not thou see this is a Scripture Jam. 5. 25. Heb. 8. Rom. 3. 17. And is not this faith within to be obeyed Rom. 10. dost thou not here manifest thy darkness to all people and is not this faith held in a pure Conscience which the just lives by 1 Tim. 1. 19. Thou mightst be asham'd to scoff at the practice of the Saints and at the Scriptures but in thy dead faith thou calls Light darkness and darkness light as in Isay Who makes such an outrage against the Light because we say the light is in the heart and the Spirit of God to guide us is within according to Scripture which speaks of the Rule of Faith Let Christ Rule in your hearts by faith Thou hast put him out of his place preferred the Scripture before him And what Rule had Abraham and the Saints in the old world before the Scripture was written And whereas thou speaks falsly accusing and speaking untruths and persecuting with the tongue and Acts of injustice and thou sayes this we do in obedience to God and to our Guide Ans Thus thou further vents thy lies and malice for the Lord God who is pure and Christ our Light leads us to no such thing but we speaking truth to thee and tells thee what thou art without flattery therefore makes thou thy complaint of persecution with the Tongue but thou hast the persecuting tongue and when thou proves thy other slanders against us then may thou have a further Answer for we own no injustice And whereas thou saist we say the Light in every man is the object of faith and a common sufficient Light that it is Salvation to all that obey it and that we teach free Will c. Ans Here again thou adds lye to lye perverting our words as thou dost the Scriptures and speaking thy own for we say Christ is the Light of the World and his Grace is sufficient for all and hath appeared to all men Tit. 2. and believe in the Light saith Christ Joh. 1. 8 12. and Christ the Light is the Author of faith and we say it is not he that wills or runs but that God shews mercy which none is to abuse And whereas thou saist We teach and set up an inherent legal Righteousness denying the imputed Righteousness of Christ wrought in his own person without us that Christ fulfilling the Law in us or his spirit mortifying or sanctifying and fulfilling the Law in us is Justification therefore no coming of Christ but that within and so deny the 2d coming of Christ contrary to Scripture these many more Arminian Popish long since profligated errors is laid upon their sandy foundation Ans Here thou adds more lies for Christs second coming we do not deny and he the Righteousness of God we own and never denyed and it is a false slander of thee to say otherwise and our foundation is Christ which thou wickedly calls Sandy Isai 28. who is a tryed stone 2 Tim. 2. and the legal Righteousness is thy own it s none of ours 1 Cor. 1. and the Righteousness of Faith which saith the word is nigh thee in thy heart and in thy mouth we own which thou enviously calls an inherent legal Righteousness Romans 10. And that which Christ wrought and did in is own person and suffered without the Gates of Jerusalem for Mankind we own and never denyed which thou maliciously slanders us with the contrary and he is revealed within us and that makes thee to rage and all our Books which thou speaks of are according to the Scripturea of Truth and to Christs and the Apostles Doctrine but thy
and Law and Spirit of God and also of his Idolatry who has made and framed another Image which he calls a Created light and a natural light and a dim light and the spirit of a natural man And whether this Law and Spirit of God which was given unto the children of Israel into their hearts be natural and also hath been the guide and teacher of his people in all ages for Christ himself saith unto the Jews It is written in the law you shall all be taught of God and the prophet Isa said That all the children of the Lord should be taught of the Lord. And how should they be taught and be established in righteousness but by the Light of righteousness the righteous Law of God written in their hearts and this is none of J. W's Molten Image which he has set up which he calls created and naturall and dim Light and spirit of a naturall man c. And so here the reader may read by what is here proved by plaine scripture J. W. first to be a minister of darkness by his denying the Light of Christ to be the law of God the pure new covenant which he hath lighted every man with and his law which is written in every heart since the new covenant and also he may read him an Idolater in that he has made a molten and graven Image which he calls created and natural and the spirit of a Man which is neither Light of Christ nor Law of God nor new Covenant and now I. W. thou hast raced thy self out both from the knowledge of the Law and the Law-giver So thou art proved by the plain Scriptures of Truth 1 A Blasphemer 2 A Minister of Darkness 3 An Idolater 4 I am now to prove thee an Antichrist which was to come in the last time which denyes Christ come in the flesh And that is to say 1 Thou goes about to prove and has laid it down in thy Book as though Christ which lighteth every Man that comes into the World were not God and the new Covenant or Covenant of God which was before the Foundation of the World 2 Thou laies down that Christ is not that Word and Light which John Beares witnesse of but saith it is the word Creator And 3 Thou makes a difference between the Father and the Son and so sets up two Lights and two Words and so two Gods except thou denyes Christ to be God Answ And first in answer to that thou dost oppose which is that Christ the Light is not Gods Covenant was not the Covenant which God made with Abraham in Christ Jesus did not the Apostle say the same Gal. 3. 16. Now to Abraham and his Seed was this promise made he saith not unto Seeds as of many but as of one unto thy Seed which is Christ and this I say that the Covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ c. here the Aposte doth not say as thou dost that Christ is not Gods Covenant of Light and also the Apostle saith that Christ hath redeemed us from under the Curse of the Law that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles here Christ brings the Gentiles into Covenant with Abraham and the Jews but this is a mystery thou never saw and is he not the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob in his Everlasting Covenant Christ Jesus And is not the Covenant of the Lord with David his Seed for ever in Christ Jesus And hath not the Prophet Isaiah said in the 42. and 6. I the Lord have called thee in Righteousness and will hold thine hand and will keep thee and give thee for a Covenant to the people and for a Light to the Gentiles to open blind eyes and to bring out the Prisoners out of Prison and them that sit in darkness out of the Prison-house who is this that should do this if it be not Christ Jesus whom wilt thou have it to be and again Isa 49. 8. It is a light thing that thou should be my servant to raise up the Tribes of Jacob and to restore again the preserved of Israel I will also give thee for a Light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the Earth who is this thinkest thou this torments thee this that reaches unto all the ends of the Earth Light shining in all this torments thy dark spirit thou makes accompt in thy Book this is a created Light as thou saist in thy Book where thou quotes 2 Rom. vers 14 15 16. who hath the Law written in their hearts which accuses or excuses them in the day when God shall judg the secrets of Men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel Let the Reader judge whether this be a natural created Light which judges the secrets of Mens hearts by Jesus Christ Is not this Gods new Covenant of Light to the Gentiles which he has written in their hearts and doth not the Apostle say in Hebr. 8. 6. speaking of the old Covenant and Priesthood but now hath he obtained a more excellent Ministery and by how much also he is the Mediator of a better Covenant which is established upon better promises is not this Christ for the Jews broke their Covenant and their Law that was written in Tables of Stone which gendered to bondage and there was then a Law added because of Transgression until the Seed Christ came Gallat 24. 25. yet the promise and Covenant that was made to Abraham in Christ Jesus stands still and is the same and cannot be disanul'd as the Apostle saith Gal. 3. 19 16 17. Hebr. 8. 10. The Law that was added 430. years after the promise was made could not disanul it for the Apostle saith if the first Covenant had been faultless then there had been no place found for the second and so this is the Covenant of God writing his Law in their hearts and puting his spirit in their inward parts for the Jewes had outward Laws written in Tables of Stone which Laws they broke but now Christ Jesus the everlasting Covenant of God which is Light made unto Abraham never can be broken but is an everlasting Light in the hearts of his people and an everlasting Law written in their hearts and an everlasting Covenant of life and peace and so brings all into unity and fellowship for there is neither Jewes nor Greeke there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for they are all one in Christ Jesus and if they be Christs then they are Abrahams Seed and Heires according to the Promise Gal. 3. 28 29. And so here thou art proved thus far an Antichrist and a denyer of Christ Jesus the Light to be Gods Covenant who according to the flesh is the Son of Abraham the Son of David Rom. 1. 2 3 4. and according to the spirit the Son of God Paul was made a Minister of that Gospel which was promised But
him is no darknesse at all 3ly Thou saist I said Thou hast manifested thy self to be out of the first step that leads to Christianity and art a Priest of Darknesse These words are true upon thee for the Light Christ Jesus the VVord which thou hath denyed is the entrance into life and Christ is the VVay the Light and the Truth and the Dore which thou hast denyed and so by Christs own words thou art a Thief that enters not in at the Dore the Light but climb'st up another way Jo. 10. And so thy Prayers and all thy fleshly performances must need be abhominable who art without the Dore Christ the Light amongst the Theeves and Robbers and of thy commiting Sacriledge that is proved before sufficiently and also thy blaspheming against the holy Spirit of God There needs no more to be said to that it is sufficiently proved before And in my second Letter thou saith 1. I said thou begins with a lye and ends with the Devil and sets J. W. next to him Thy own Letter which thou sent to me which I sent thee back again will testifie that to be true as it is there written And is thou offended that I should mention thy own words to thee art thou ashamed of them now and art thou offended at me because I writ of that which thou had writ with thy own Pen thou art so muddeld that thy own actions torments thee 2ly Thou saist I spoke of thy black defiled heart and conscience Answ They are so and blackness and darkness thou art filled with who doth deny and gain-say the Light of Christ in thy own conscience and that is the cause thou art such an inveterate enemy against Christ the Light in every man but his witness in thy own conscience will be a Worm that will gnaw thee and Fire that will never be quenched one day though thou make slight of it now but did not thou say in a Letter to me thou had received my blacke Lines not that I writ these words to thee rendering railing for railing but my words are true upon thee in thy present condition 3ly Thou saist I said thou was a Child of darkness what hast thou to do to take the name of God and Christ in thy mouth thou enemy of God Answ My words are these Thou enemy of God that knowes him not whom none knowes but the Father and none knowes the Father but the Son and whom the Son reveales him to and thou that hath not a Revelation of him art a Thief that takes his name in thy mouth but the cause of my writing these words was that thou had writ in thy Letter to me That I ought not to judge before Christ Iesus be revealed 4ly Thou saith I said Thou art no Believer in Christ thou art yet in thy sins c. Answ But my words are these thou said thou was in the light of Christ that enlighteneth all Believers and my Answer to those words was Thou art no Believer of Christ that abides not in his Doctrine for they that believes abides not in darknesse where thou art but is past from death to life which thou art an enemy to and therefore do not deceive thy self for thy hope will perish and thy faith is vain thou art yet in thy sins and art thou offended because I said thou art yet in thy sins and is it not thy Doctrine that none can be free from sin while they are upon the Earth and art thou not a sinner that 's proved a blasphemer against God 5ly Thou said I said Thou was a man separated from God Answ By his Light which thou art an enemy to 6ly Thou sayes I said Thou never knewest nothing of the worship of God Answ My words were these God is not worshiped but in his spirit which reveales him and so thou that has not the Revelation thou never knew the worship of God 7ly Thou sayest I said Thou envious poysenous heart Answ But my words are these And for thy uncivil termes that thou has invented out of thy envious poysenous heart as calling me the VVhore of Babilon and a Woman drunk and Iessabel with many other such like termes as these and so now the Reader may see thy deceitfull and theevish dealing though thou would hide and cover thy self this manifests thee to be a Child of darkness indeed Thou art ashamed of thy own words and conceales them for these forementioned termes Thou writ to me in thy Letter when thou was drunk with fury and takes mine in peeces and perverts them and belyes them if thou had had any dram of honesty thou might have set some of thy own foule words down which thou writ to me or at least have set mine down in order as they were writ to thee but to wrest and pervert and lye for thy own ends and advantage has been the Trade thou has followed all thy life time with the Scriptures 8ly Thou saist I said Thou art under the Chain of it it is over thee a fighter against God and his Truth and the Reward thou will be sure to have and never look that that which is cursed will be blest But thou hast left these words out and thou hast preached another Gospel then the Apostles did this thou hast left out Thou art accursed and no other portion can thou have and this is Scripture and Truth to thee In my third Letter thou saist I said Thou can do something in writing a Book of thy own Dreames and thy Imaginations and brain studies and telling of lyes which thou hatcheth out of darkness but thou art a meer sot and Ignoramus thy evil and unclean heart thy malitious darke envious spirit thy weakness inability and ignorance in the things of God But my third Letter began thus J. W. Thou has now made a poor end of thy boasting words and thy Assertion thou hath very meanly proved Thus far and thy way of Answering thus far for what is written to thee manifests thy weakness and ignorance and darkness sufficiently thou can do something in writing a Book of thy own Dreames and thy Imaginations and brain studies and telling of lyes and stories which thou hath hatched out of darkness when there is none to contradict thee but to Answer any thing which is plain Truth and Scripture thy spirit and doctrine and practice is so contrary to the truth and the spirit of God that gave forth the Scriptures in this thou art a meer sot and Ignoramus and so framed thy Answers of lyes scandals and reproaches and foule language which comes out of thy evil unclean heart for if any man should but read my two Papers which I have written to thee and thy Answer of them they may thereby read thy malitious darke envious speeches and also thy weakness inability and ignorance of the things of God And again thou saith I having told her that if she called the Light that is in every man that comes into the
for thou Challenged us first or give over Challenging for we would have discoursed with thee privately in a Christian way in thy Chamber but thou in great rage denyed it And another time Thomas Curwen came into thy Chamber in a Christian way and thou took hold of him and shook him by his Coat and like to have torne it off his back and laid violent hands on him and would have thrust him out of thy Chamber for it s very well that the discourse be before a Magistrate to keep thee civil for thy carriage in the last dispute was not so hansome So provided that thou keep thy people in order and thy self also that you may speak one by one and so speak as many as will on both sides that the spirit need not be limited in any for thou was the first man that broke the order in the last Dispute and spake when another man was speaking which was taken notice of by all the wise and sober And also provided that thou keep down that foolish spirit of Laughter and be more modest and civil then thou was in the last Dispute when we were discoursing of the things of God and answer these things by Scripture according to thy Challenge before the Sheriffe and in the strength of the Lord we will meet thee if liberty may be had and when thou hast made good these things by Scripture if thou have any thing to say to any else they will answer thee These Principles he hath laid down and spoken to friends and some were in Books which his brother Evan Price sent to us and Iohn Wiggan was offended because we did mark them for errors which you may see how contrary they be to the Scriptures of truth William Houlding Blacksmith Henry Wood who is a daily Labouring man who cannot read a word on a Book and Thomas Curwen Husbandman and VVilliam VVilson Taylor dointend to give Iohn VViggan a meeting before the Sheriffe according to his Challenge if the Lord will And these things and also worse things in the Book we desire to be brought forth to the light at the Dispute and there they may be proved for he did Challenge us first though our Lives be out of disputes yet we shall give him a meeting and for him to make these things good by plain Scripture And also besides all the scandals slanders and villifyings and lyings and unsavory sawcy language and scornful reproachful speeches in a jearing scoffing and villifying way against us and these be some of his notorious Principles which he could never make good by plain text of Scripture which he has long made a trade upon to get his living by and in a feigned carriage and humility to go up and down and insence and sow discord and to make the minds of the simple envious against such as honours God and loves virtue but his rage and violent hands hath been known upon Richard Huberthorn Iohn Abraham Thomas Curwen and others who may seem to be simple and in an outward appearance to be a humble man to those who swallow down all without any question proof or tryal but when he comes to be tryed his rage and passion and violent hands comes to be felt and seen by such as Reasons with him in a Christian way We desire thee I. VV. that thou would send for the Book which thou and thy brother Price was grieved because we marked them for errors which was so contrary to Scripture Here followes some Queries for J. W. to Answer 1. WHether I. VV. is a fit man to preach the Gospel of peace that layes violent hands on people 2. And whether or no that he can preach the Gospel of peace and be not in the peace himself to all men 3. And whether or no this was the spirit of Christ in I. VV. when Thomas Curwen went to reason with him of the things of God in a Christian way and like to have torn his Coat off his back that T. C. was faine to cry out what a Minister of Christ and fight And also Iohn Abraham when he went to him to be satisfied in the things of God he laid hands of him and thrust him away Whether or no these be the fruits of a Minister of Christ and whether or no these be not the fruits of a Natural man and whether or no this spirit can give satisfaction in the things of God but only with his Natural spirit make use of the Scriptures for his own end 4. And whether or no such a persecuting spirit both with tongue and hands be not alwaies blind 5. And whether or no the blind leads any whether but into the Ditch so whether or no he that leads into the ditch doth know the things of God that leads to Heaven 6. And whether or no this blind spirit may not give forth many Queries for others to answer and yet answer none proposed to him and lay down many Assertions and make none good by the Scriptures of truth as you may see Henry VVoods and Thomas Curwens Queries lyes unanswered yet and his own false Assertions not proved by the Scriptures without adding or diminishing 7. And so whether a striker a railer a fighter Christ sent such to preach the Gospel of peace and such as disdaines and scornes Tradesmen and calls them Mechanicke men as Iohn VViggan doth 8. And whether or no he doth not go in the high Priests rode scorning the Apostles as being Tradsmen Fishermen unlearned 9. And whether or no these simple Tradesmen did not bring more Glory to God then all the wise men such as Iohn VViggan in the Earth or Pilat with his Greek and Latin yea I say Abel Iacob and David Keepers of Sheep and Elisha called from the Plow and Amos a Herdsman and Peter and Iohn Fishermen and Paul a Tentmaker Nay did not the Iewes mockingly call Christ a Carpenters Son And what think you now of Iohn VViggan who has called and Challenged us Mechanick men twice to meet him before the Sheriffe that he would make good his erronious Assertions and when we laid down his Assertions and said we would meet him he now disdaines us as Mechanick men 10. Whether these hands that will thrust and pull and hale and like to pull peoples Cloaths off their backs be the holy hands that are lifted up in Prayer 1 Tim. 2. 8. or the fifts of wickedness spoken of in Isa 48. 4. Thomas Curwen William Houlding Henry Wood. William Wilson ERRATA Page the 3. line the 2. for some read so p. 6. l. 10. f. the r. thy p. 24. l. 22. f. thing r. things p. 25. l 22. f. not as r. as not l. 32. f leght r. light p. 43. l. 4. f. the spirit of a man r. the spirit of a natural man l 27. f. is r. not p. 52. l 3. f. springing r. spring p. 54. l 16. f. deserve r. discern p. 64. l 8. for knows the things of God r. knows not
This is An ANSWER TO John Wiggans BOOK Spread up and down in Lancashire Cheshire and Wales who is a Baptist a Monarchy-man Wherein may be seen how he exalts Himself against Christ the Light that doth enlighten every Man And also some of his and his Peoples erronious Principles and assertions which he and his People held in a Dispute with some of the Quakers And also an Answer to his Queries in his Book And also some Queries which was propounded to him which he would never Answer to this day and also some of his assertious which he could never make good and likewise an Answer to a second Challenge which Book we would have all in patience and meekness read over with a single eye wherein you may see the wicked according to Scripture is grown worse and worse who with fair words and fained speeches deceives the hearts of the simple who are wise discernes these things From the Prisoners at Lancaster whom he then opposed being then a Prisoner Thomas Curwen William Houlden Henery Wood William VVilson Also here is an Answer to his Appendix annexed to the Book by Margaret Fell. LONDON Printed in the Year 1665. To the Reader READER HEre is something in Answer to John Wiggan's assertions and also to his Book which thou art desired patiently to read over and to read the Scriptures which we have quoted and also his and also his words and our Answers for simple peoples sakes was it answered that they might be no longer deceived for we were all satisfied before with Christ who is the light of the World the way the truth the life and he is our satisfaction Never-the-less John Wiggan hath taken some of our papers and private letters writ to him but left out the occasion wherefore they were written and so in this he hath not done honestly neither as he would have been done by and as for all his bad letters he hath writ to us we shall not set them down all nor part for some of them are out of the bounds of Christianity Our Book is somewhat large the most of the heads and strength of his Book being spoken too particularly but take it throughout and I believe thou will find such a pack of confusion as thou hast not heard and malicious spitefull words against God and Christ the light which may be found in his Book we have not wronged it but he hath not paged his Book therefore we could not quote it here And these things which he hath asserted and laid down he is to make good by Scripture without ading or diminishing for we will have plain Scripture also an Answer to his Challenge for him to make good all his assertions by Scripture without ading to it and also some Queries here is for him to Answer and to clear himself if that he can by Scripture which we believe it will not clear him and so farewell From them that loves truth and peace to all Mankind For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour who will that all Men should be saved and come to the knowlege of the truth 1 Tim. 2. 34. and this is contrary to John Wiggan who saith God denies faith to some Men. You might have had an Answer sooner but it was long before we had his Book and when we had it was fain to take it in pieces and many perticuler Persons were concerned in it who some of them lives 60. miles one from another and the Book being called for so hastily again he boasted that we could not Answer it but that was but little to us for it was truth that we mind The 2d of the 5th Month 1664. This is An ANSWER To JOHN VVIGGANS Book c. WEE hearing of a Book that John VViggan had given forth against us in which are many lies and scandals and he the said John Wiggan directing one of them to Randal Hunter and Thomas Hardy Deputy-Goalers as he calls them but he might have said to the Head-Keeper and Under-Keeper And also this Book being disperced abroad in the Country through him it was hard for us to get a sight of it but at last it was given to us by the Under-Keeper and after a while fetched it away it concerns many Friends some that are 60. miles of and some above 20. yet this John VViggan nor none of his Company who sayes he give it forth to convince us of some of our errors and also a Challenge in it were not so civil as to give us ever a Copy of it or the thing it self and when that friends asked him for the Book he replyed if we would pay for writeing it over we might have a Copy of it who hath not forgot his old Priest tricks to make people to pay him for his lies and by this all sober people whose minds stands without partiality may judge of this Mans works who pretended to convince us of our errors as he sayes and gives forth a Challenge and publisheth part of a private letter and what he pleaseth and never directs it nor his Book to the Authors and whom it doth concern And now whether or no this man hath not lost the very common civility and understanding that is amongst Men and boasts of his works which he kept hid from us though through great difficulty we have gotten a Copy for a little time wherein all Men may judge by this carriage and practice of his in boasting of his works abroad and keeping them from them they do concern they may see it is the work of darkness and of error and one that is afraid of the light and a great part of his Book as the Reader may read and see is against the common salvation to all Men contrary to Jude and to be one that denyes the Lord that bought them as in Peter and all his force and strength is to the denying of John's Doctrine and Testimony and that which he came to be a witness of the true light which enlighteneth every Man that cometh into the World John the first And also the force of his matter is to throw away the prophecy of the Prophets concerning Christ the salvation to the ends of the Earth to Mankind to poor lost Man and also to deny the promise of God to poor Creatures which saith God will give him for a Covenant of light to the Gentiles speaking of Christ who shall be his salvation to the ends of the Earth and a New-Covenant to the House of Israel and the House of Judah and this was to all people both Jewes and Gentiles and this light and Covenant is by him denyed but to some as he sayes and so he is one that makes Sects amongst the Creatures of God and divides being in the errour and darkness himself being void of the mind of God his Prophets and Apostles and also denying the love of God to the World who so loved the World mark take notice poor people that God gave
day by the Scriptures of Truth but manifested thy self further in error and as for detecting our persons and carriages thou canst not but thy own carriage is detected and so thou maist take shame that pleads against Truth but God will honour his Truth and them that stands for it and happy would it be for thee if a place of repentance were found for thee though thou maist have had many Esaus Tears proceeded from thee through thy Agonies And the unsavory fruits thou speaks of is thy own by which thou deceives the Ignorant and the least that is simple in the truth discernes thee thy spirit and principle and are reclaimed from the error of thy way and that makes thee so rage against them And as for thy additional accompt thou hast given forth by discourse concerning the Light in every man and thy interpreting the Scriptures which indeed is perverting the Scriptures by thy addition as will be further manifested and proved And as for thy saying if any of them shall yet persist to maintain their error here you will find an offer further to debate the difference betwixt us before any person in Authority Answ It 's Truth we maintain against thy errors as we have done to all thy Brethren before thee till this day who are all come to nought who have made such havock upon us and our Goods we have maintained it and shall maintain it with our Lives to Death against thy errors before what Magestrate thou wilt as after will be manifest or when thou wilt or where thou wilt for its truth we stand for and suffer for And as for the perticulars that thou wilt suffer for as well as we and art not in the same Principle Bower and spirit as the Saints be in in that thou suffers but as an evil doer And whereas thou talkest of a measure of the Spirit of God given unto thee this is but to cover thy lies and errors and to deceive withal for if thou wert in the measure of the Spirit of God thy self thou wouldst not deny it in others and so in this thou art an enemy in thy Spirit to every thing that we stand for because thou art not in the Spirit And whereas thou sayest This is a relation of the occasion manner of a debate had in the Castle at Lancaster the 17. day of the 1. Moneth â—â—â—monly called March 1664. between me John Wiggan and George Fox John Stubbs and many other of the people called Quakers about the Light within Answ The dispute was not George Foxes nor John Stubbs but Thomas Curwens and William Wilsons but George Fox and John Stubbs liberty being granted George Fox hearing such gross errors laid down by John Wiggan he spake something to contradict them by Scriptures they being so gross and manifest and so this Book of Wiggans is not only a relation of that but of many other things of his own addition and private things sent-abroad by him and the truth of it all may be seen in the following answer And what I Tho. Curwen said to thee as thou passed through the great Hall thou being a deceiver of the people I bid thee leave of thy deceiving as yet thou couldest never clear thy self of being a deceiver nor hast not done in thy Book And whereas thou sayest thy answer was mild to this purpose said thou so Consider well what thou hast said and whether thou canst make good thy words and tell me as I come back whom I have deceived and wherewith I have deceived any or how thou canst prove me a deceiver Answ Here thou praises thy self of thy mildness if another had done it it had been better for thee what was thy mildness to me in thy Chamber when I came to discourse with thee of the things of God thou laid violent hands upon me and like to have torn my Coat off my back to haile me out of thy Chamber and this was not Christian like and whereas thou lyer bid me tell thee as thou came back that is a lye and thy voice I knew to be the voice of a stranger and now thou hast made it manifest who denies Christ the Light to be saving and whereas thou wouldest know whom thou hast deceived there came a Woman from London to thee to declare against thee whom thou hast long deceived And there came a Man from Stopphed whom thou had deceived to cry against thee and there came James Parke to cry against thee and to discourse with thee of thy deceivableness who saw thy deceit and turned away from thee when they came to the light of Christ Jesus which manifested thee and saw thee to be a Preacher against Christ the light and all may see herein what is the end of thy Preaching when thy work is to bring people from the Heavenly light of Christ Jesus within them and lead them into imaginations and whimsies and fancies of thy own brain and many others about Manchester which might be instanced which some of them hath been with thee here which thou long kept from the light of Christ Jesus within them who now praise the Lord that they are come from under the bondage and have found Christ their Saviour and Leader and Light which thou denyest And whereas thou sayest that I was rash my censures groundless in saying thou taught the way and know it not thy self Answ Thou hast manifested thou dost not know the way for there is but one way to God who is Christ the Light that doth enlighten everyman who doth enlighten the Gentiles is the glory of Israel and the Salvation to the ends of the Earth and Christ saith I am the Light and I am the way to the Father and no man comes to the Father but by me And this Light in every man thou denies to be saving which we say it is saving or condemning to them that love it it 's saving and to them that hate it it 's condemning and so it 's manifest that thou art a confesser of him and a teacher of him in words as other Sects are and the Devil could preach Christ in words without him and said thou art the Son of God as thou dost who denies him to be a Light in all men savingly and so doth all the Sects in Christendom that preaches Christ in words for an end and their gain as thou did at Manchester at thy Chapels and preached up thy Independant way and thou left the people in delusion didst thou know Christ then though thou preacht him in words and so doth all these before mentioned know Christ the way and such as held forth the Doctrine of Devils Commanding to abstain from Meats and forbiding to Marry who went about to deceive the Christians and people of Christ the way in words for some end but not in truth and Antichrists are not they such as pretend to preach Christ in words and yet knows him not who is a mystery Answer me plainly didst
the pure Light of Christ which is saving which enlightens every man and for thy saying there will be but little truth found in saying thou taught thy way to others and it will be hard for me to prove or any of my friends thou hast proved it thy self and I have proved it sufficiently here before and also it was proved in the dispute but that thou art more minded to cavil then obey the truth and it s no matter of thee saying my words are improper when thou wilt not believe plain Scripture when as thou bids me tell thee where the Apostle said some preached the way the truth and the life and yet knew him not such as professed him in words and denyed him in life such as the Apostle calls evil doers evil beasts and slow bellies and teaches for filthy lukre as thou hast done who is a sayer and not a doer and such as preacht Christ of envy as thou dost and added afflictions to the Apostles bonds those knew not Christ the way and the life neither was in it for they were in the envy and strife as thou art and those are unlike to know him though they may preach him in words for envy blinded them as it hath done thee Philip. 1. 15. but did not those false Apostles deceitfull workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ preach Christ in words as thou doest how could they have gone about to deceive the Saints which believed in Christ and were they not despisers of the Apostles and Ministers of Christ as thou art nay did they not boast that they were Ministers of Christ as thou doest and denyed his life as thou doest 2 Corinth 11. from the 13. to the 23. and did not Christ speak of such who preached in his name and in his name cast out Devils and I do not believe that ever thou came to see so far as these did and yet he said depart from me ye workers of iniquity and the false Prophets in the 24. of Matthew who said loe here is Christ and loe there these was Preachers of Christ in words under a pretence to bring them to a false Christ and Christ said go not forth after them for he would come and dwell in them and this thou cannot abide to hear spoken on of Christ being in men a saving Light and dost thou not know that many has a form of Godliness Tit. 3. 4. and what form is that is it not the Scriptures that speaks of God and Christ and denies the power wherein I feel thee to be one who are to be turned away from who withstand the truth and many of thy Hearers turned away from thee whom thou led away Captive And what wise man cansay I have wronged the Apostles words in this for I have not wronged the Apostles words but thou wrongest me and thou dost not preach the Love of Christ who denies the Light Christ to be saving that enlightens all men and Christ is the way the Truth and the Life who ever preach him or for what ever end they preach him for and we set up the Christ Jesus the Apostles preached and set up the Light of the World which the Prophets prophesied of but thou preachest another as was said before who denies his Light to be a saving Light in all men though some men neglect their Salvation as thou may read in the Scriptures and we have the same Gospel the Apostles had and preached to wit the power of God which I do believe thou was never yet in for if thou had thou would not have changed so and have left thy people for what hast thou left that Christ thou preached to the Independants or hast thou restored the Money which thou got amongst them so confess the truth for I never changed since I knew the Truth the same Christ the Apostles preacht and the true Religion I believe thou hath to seek it who denies the Light and so in meekness and fear I declare to thee we own no other Christ Jesus then the Apostles preacht and set up and this Christ Jesus I am not ashamed to confess before all who is the Light that enlightens all men that comes into the World who is the Salvation to the ends of the Earth who tasted death for every man and this is Gods Love to Mankind And whereas thou sayest thou will not answer my Queries nor satisfie me nor any Querist in this thou hast manifested thy self and spirit what it is and hast denyed a Christian Spirit who should be ready to give an answet to any that asked them a reason of the hope that was in them and my questions tends to edification and not to strife and confessing the working of God in their hearts and what they past thorow and the acquaintance with God hearing and seeing of him and things concerning Salvation and Scripture words that declares of the same and this is not edification to thee and yet thou contradicts thy self and sayest thou would give a reason of the hope that is in thee and yet doth not answer my Queries concerning-Christ the hope and other workings of the Spirit of God Truly John this manifests thy emptyness and shallowness of the things of God and that which concernes mans Salvation And thou sayest thou hast in readiness to answer in love those Queries was in Love sent to thee but this is but a shift and a boast for if thou hadst not answered them in love to us who thou accounts thy enemies though thou hast called us thy friends thou might have answered them for their sakes thou sent thy Book too if thou hadst no love to enemies John Wiggan thou sayest that the Light wherewith every man is lighted that comes into the World is not a saving Light and this thou say'st thou shalt thorough the strength of Christ be ready to maintain against me or any of my friends who hold the contrary when and where a meeting may be had in a peaceable and quiet way before competent Witnesses Answ Thee and all thy Witnesses at the meeting by all your opposing the Scriptures and us that stood for them could not make good that Christ was not the saving Light that enlightens every man that comes into the World though yee broke out into a rage and broke your own order which was that none should speak while another was speaking and thou was the first man that brake it both when G. F. and W. W. was speaking and neither love or humility proceeded from thee but abundance of pride rage and envy when thou was plung'd and could not make good what thou hadst asserted which was contrary to Christ and the Prophets as in Esaiah and John the 1. 8 12. And that which moved me to stick the Paper on the Door proceeded from the Holy Spirit which hath caused thee to vent forth so much against the Light of Christ and hath brought that forth which hath been so long hid in thy heart
under a feigned humility and now is brought to light Praises to the Lord God for ever for thy disputing is against Christ the Light c. to be saving so thou art not like to be a true Preacher of Christ And Thomas Curwens second Paper wherein he shewes John Wiggan he has not answered his Queries and how that he would come into his Chamber to discourse about one Query which John Wiggan had chosen out that Query which speaks of Christ being the saving Light that doth enlighten every man that comes into the World and this Christian way of discourse John Wiggan denyed though before he had spoken of a meeting betwixt him and our Friends when and where a meeting might be had in a quiet way and when we came into his Chamber he having put it to us before when and where which we looked upon his own Chamber to be the best and civil'st he contradicts his own words and again challenges us down into the Shire-Hall and thou disputing about this Query did not satisfie me concerning all the other I stuck the Paper on the Door according to my word which thou hast neither answered in Writing nor word to this day and my word is made good to thee or any rational man Concerning such as get the form of Godliness and preaches Him and knowes him not and thou geting the Apostles words and out of their life and power thou art he that wrongest the Apostles and whereas thou sayest the Apostles useth no such words that is cleared before And my second Paper which was brought to thee was not with that purpose to disturb thee but that thou might have seen thy self if thou would not have shut thine eyes and here I clear things over again to thee if thou wilt not hide thy self from the Light thou may see and that I neither wrong the Apostles nor thee but am one with the Apostles against such as thou art And whereas thou faith thou art not inclined to multiply words to occasion strife and yet thou contradicts thy self and multiplys many words to no purpose against the saving Light of Christ and which is saving who said he would give for a Covenant of Light and is the peace between God and man and that which thou multiplys is against him which occasions nothing but strife and confusion and not peace for the Peace is in Christ the Light which thou canst not abide to hear on that every man has a saving Light because it marrs thy trade and thy great Diana would be taken away to wit thy Gain for preaching Christ the Light mar'd the great Diana and all the Workmens Gain as thou may read in the Acts And thou said thou would meet us in a spirit of Love and meekness but it proved otherwise when thou appeared at the dispute And whereas thou sayest in thy Answer to Thomas second Letter that thou wouldest treat with Thomas about the Light and any other point and saith I was over confident in saying I was mistaken if thou thinkest I should leave it to thee to appoint time and place and had left it to me before both when and where as may be seen in thy Letter and here is thy contradiction and when I had appointed the Meeting when and where according to thy own Challenge when now thou say'st after thou had left it to me when and where and we appointed thy own Chamber then thou deny'st us coming there except thou hadst invited us thou camest often into our Chamber without inviting and thou denyed us for appointing the place and said we were over confident and so forsook thy own proposition and appointed another place and so this is no honour for to publish abroad such things and this is thy seeking after truth which was but a pretence and not in reality and friends did meet with thee and did discourse with thee and when the day came thou stood not to that neither but found some excuse and when thou didst come Friends spoke to thee concerning thy own words and promises and how thou didst not stand to thy words promises and time in thy Challenge but shuffled and altered and as thou sayest falsly that thee was challenged by us first that is false for the Queries was sent to thee to answer in Writing or else we would stick them on the Door and thou vapoured and challenged and left it to us and then denyed it again said this day and the other day and brake thy own word and promise which caused many to come out of the Country to see thy own folly and thou was the occasion of the Dispute for we would have discoursed with thee in a Christian way which thou denyedst it in thy Chamber which we would have granted thee to have come into Ours if thou hadst desired it and all thy dayes work was to stand in opposition against Truth Christ the Light that enlightens every man and instead of bringing people to the Light thou turns them to darkness from the Light And whereas thou say'st because I did not set thy Letter by mine upon the Door therefore I savour of a fleshly spirit in divers Circumstances That which thou has particularized I answer for not setting it upon the Door because it was not an Answer to my Queries therefore thou savours more of a fleshly spirit who did not answer them nor convinc'd me wherein I had done wrong And whereas thou sayest Thomas Curwen and William Wilson when we came to conferr with thee about the Meeting according to thy former Challenge which thou villifies us and sayes we came to provoke thee and with many heavy censures as John Cowert can witness now ye people of Lancaster may see what a sufficient witness he hath brought to be a witness for him who is a common Drunkard this you may judge what spirit his Book came from for thou at that time in thy Chamber didst lay down for Doctrine and Principles that the Scriptures was the Author of thy faith who art ignorant of the Scriptures and of the Ministers who taught the Christians that Christ Jesus was the Author and finisher of their faith and as for hard or heavy censures we deny them for we speak the truth in plainness and thou wouldst not meet according to thy own Challenge but puting us off from time to time that was the occasion of our coming unto thee to thy Chamber but thou should have set down thy own carriage and behaviour in envy and malice towards us in thy Chamber who sweld and puft and bid us go out of thy Chamber why did we come there after thou had challenged us for we came to thee about thy Challenge and the Meeting and thou in a fury cryed get you out get you out of my Chamber what do you do here As though we could not be admitted into thy presence thou was so high and scornful and for thy saying thou was forced to intreat us to go out of
God and our asking the questions was to have thee make good the thing in hand which thou could not do and this is thy shift to say thou was obstructed but tell me who obstructed thee for not answering T. C. and old H. W. their Queries this half years time but thou would have had all the talk to have held what errors thou would and none to oppose thee and it seems M. F. and G. F. the truth that they spoke there tormented thee and where thou say'st G. F. coming in about that time thou was replying to J. S. this is false for thou was speaking to M. F. and held the debate a good while after G. F. came in with her and then G. F. many people standing upon the Formes upon which he stood up upon and set one foot upon the edge of the Table for thou was gotten to the uppermost end of the Table in the highest place Priest like and what a great advantage hast thou taken here because G. F. stood up upon the Forme did not thou and the other Priest stand upon the Table before George Fox and was so unruly not to be gotten off the Table and thy own people stood upon the Formes scoffing and revileing and because that G. F. stood but the one foot upon the Forme and the other upon the Table leaning upon his Knee this thou could publish in thy Book as a great transgression And whereas thou sayest thou was standing that is false for thou was siting and when G. F. spoke to thee thou cockt up thy Hat more like a Ranter and a Player in a Tavern then one imployed in the service of God and G. F. reproved thee and told thee the things of God was weighty and that thou must not be leght and all the serious people beheld thy vanity and weakness and perverting the Scriptures And whereas thou sayest where thou and others were standing on the ground that is false too for many of you were siting we did not see you so reverend though some its true were standing and stood there where thou should not have stood and G. F. did take off the strength of the Scriptures alledged by thee and made it to appear contrary to that end thou brought it and made it to appear that thou confounded thy own assertion and did prove that every one that came into the World had the spirit of Christ according to their measure and thou falsly belies G. F. for he neither used undervaluing or taunting expressions and I believe that none will say so but thy self except it be some scoffers or scorners like thy self and G. F. needed not undervalue thee for thou under valued thy self in speaking against truth and against the plain Scriptures of truth And as for G. F. as thou saidst went several times from the Table and said the least Babe there was able to answer thee the dispute being not his liberty being granted upon which occasion he spoke something to thee who spoke that thou couldst not make good by the Scriptures as after will be manifest and it did appear there that one of the least babes in the truth thou could not answer to wit H. W. and F's presence who is in the truth was not so needful whom thou scoffingly termes their Leader or rather their misleader but the weakest amongst us saw and doth see thee that thou was art and hath been a misleader to many of our Friends who now see thee who has Christ now to be their Leader Praises to the Lord God for ever and G. F. did not miserably wrest nor abuse the Scriptures as thou say'st but spoke them as they were but thou makes no conscience of lying who sayes he miserably wrested them but that which he spoke was in defence of the Truth against thy error and he would have the people to understand the Scripture thou brought to oppose thy self and the meeting was to that end that truth might be manifest to them for we were satisfied before and we are very well acquainted with these Scriptures that thou brought to pervert the Truth And thou was seen long ago for what end thy Preaching was And whereas thou say'st that which G. F. spake was not to the purpose then the Scripture thou brought was not to the purpose and herein thou hast confuted thy self for that which he spoke was to the Scriptures thou brought to oppose the Truth but it seems thou art offended because G. F. spoke to the people and opened the thing to them which makes thee complain manifesting that thou would keep and lead them in blindness and darkness that thou might make a prey upon them still And the thing that thou laid down before the people was that some men that comes into the World hath not the Spirit and thou would prove it out of Jude and when the Scripture was read there was no such words and yet he affirmed the same thing though he could not prove it perverting many Scriptures and yet could not make any to suite his purpose and when G. F. let him see the same he broke out into a rage and fury and spoke when he was speaking and so brake the civil order of speaking one by one and whereas he saith that in the Corinthians the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit withal was spoken to the Saints or Church of God at Corinth and not to the wicked The Apostle doth not say it was to the Saints only but to every man and Christ saith what I say unto you I say unto all men watch and pray and how can they pray without the spirit and people you know it was the false Prophets that limited the Holy one and if the Corinthians every one had a manifestation of the spirit here is an If it seems thou questions this whether they had or no and say'st thou Every man that cometh into the World hath not a manifestation of the Spirit as before it s proved out of Acts 2. and John 16. and the Apostles words was every man and not every Saint dost thou not pervert the Apostles words here and also them that were Baptised by one Spirit into one body which were Saints and this thou brings to prove that the world that quenches and grieveth and rebelleth against and errs from the Spirit of God hath it not to reprove them which any that reads but Scriptures may see thy ignorance and darkness and whereas thou gain-sayest that the Apostle speaks only that the manifestation of the spirit of every man that was Baptized by one spirit into one body and made to drink into one spirit and not to every man that comes into the world Now people look this Chapter thorow 1 Corinthians 12. whether ye do find these words of Wiggan's in it or no that it is onely to them that believe and are Baptized and whether the Apostle has these Limits as he hath and whether his words be onely to them that
as be without God in the World and strangers have not the spirit of God in themselves to grieve and vex thou saith for that which may be known of God was manifest in them and when they knew God they did not glorifie him as God but became vain in their imaginations and changed the truth of God into a lye such becomes strangers to the life of God Rom. 1. so these Scriptures overthrowes thy assertions and proves that wicked men grieves the spirit of God in themselves as well as in others And whereas thou saist Joh. 16. 7 8. if I depart I will send the Comforter c. thou saist by this promise Christ makes is to send the holy Ghost after his departure it is evident enough that this Scripture can be no proof of thy assertion to wit that every man that comes into the world hath not the holy Ghost for if every man had him when he came into the world what need was there he should be sent to them after Christs Ascension nay rather this shews they had him not before he was sent and so not till after Christs departure which destroyes thy opinion yet thou grants the holy Ghost is come after Christ ascended to the Apostles and to reprove the World so by this thou hast overthrown thy own opinion and assertion and we say that Christ doth enlighten every man that comes into the World and is a Saviour and the Light is saving and the holy Ghost is given to reprove the World and lead the Saints and it s proved before that the wicked resisted the holy Ghost before Christ came in the flesh and the holy Ghost was given to the Disciples after Christ was ascended and he should reprove the World but thou denies it and sayes they have it not and so demes plain Scripture and perverts our Words for our Words is That Christ doth enlighten every Man that comes into the World and sayes believe in the Light and the holy Ghost reproves the World for their unbelief in the Light which leads the Saints unto all Truth Secondly Thou sayes this promise is made particularly to the Disciples of Christ I will send him to you and not unto the World Answ Why dost thou wrong the Scriptures doth it not say when he comes He shall reprove the World of Sin Righteousness and Judgment of Sin because they believe not in him was he sent then only to the Disciples and not to the World read Iohn 26. 7 8 9 10. over again and see thy own ignorance and darkness and it s sufficiently proved that the wicked resisted the holy Ghost before Christ came as also they that killed the Prophets and also it s proved that Christ did send the Comforter to his Disciples after his Ascension which Spirit should reprove the World and though the Disciples were led into all truth by the Spirit by which they was to preach the Gospel to all Nations that the name of Christ might be spread over all this doth not disprove the spirit of reproving the World which thou in thy ignorance brings to prove that the World hath not the spirit to reprove them and in the 17. of John Christ saith that they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in them that the World may believe that thou hast sent me Now how can the Worldbelieve if they have not the Light and the Spirit in them to believe in seeing Believers hath the witness in themselves and as for Christs Miracles and signes which some believed and some gain-said for some said he did Miracles by the Prince of Devils such stop their eares and closed their eyes least they should be converted as Acts 27. And thou sayest the holy Ghost was poured upon none but who repented and believed this is thy saying who art ignorant of the Scriptures which saith God would pour out his Spirit upon all Flesh Acts 2. Joel 2 Joh. 16. and such as repented and believed received the holy Ghost and others resisted it and quenched it so that here is a difference betwixt the Believers and Unbelievers for the one receives it the other rejects it though it be powred out upon all as Christ saith The Word was sowne in the Field which is the World it was sowne upon all Grounds upon the Thorney the Bryrie the High-way and the stony Ground but who brought forth fruit but the good Ground Mat. 13. and this sufficiently proves that the spirit is powred upon all flesh and Heb. 6. which speaks of such as were once enlightened and had tasted of the Heavenly gift and was made partakers of the Holy Ghost and tasted of the good Word of God and if they shall fall away it were impossible to renew them again to repentance seeing they crucify the Lord of Glory the Son of God afresh and put him to open shame and now Priest Wiggan sayes these wicked men had not the spirit nor was not enlightened yet they crucifyed Christ afresh and put him to open shame and thus with his wisdome he abuses the Scriptures though he hath long made a Trade of them And whereas thou makes a preamble upon our words wherein we replyed to thy assertion to wit that no wicked man had the spirit of God but only the Saints and thou did affirm that Balaam had not the spirit of God and we proved that Balaam had the spirit of God and heard the word and voice of God as Numh. 24. and now thou hast overthrown thy own assertion and confesses that Balaam and Saul had the spirit of God which thou confesses was wicked men and thus thou hast split thy self upon the Rock and overthrown thy Foundation for before thou affirmed none had the spirit of God but believers and Balaam prophecyed of great things to the Jewes and God spoke to him and we know there is a difference betwixt those that grieves the spirit and those that walks in it and before thou was ignorant of these Scriptures as Balaam and Saul having the spirit of God and now thou confesses that wicked men may have it upon some occasions but sayes all wicked men hath it not read over again Joh. 16. Acts the 2d That the Holy Ghost should reprove the World and God would powre out his spirit upon all flesh which before thou would limit only to Believers with thy dark imaginations and how darest thou preach the Scriptures which are the things of God to wicked people who sayes they have not the spirit of God and here again thou overthrowes thy assertion and thou sayes it is the spirit of God in the Ministers of Christ that must convince the World and when as we bid thee who lookes upon thyself to be a Minister of Christ convince us of any evill we have done thou shufled it off and said God must convince us and so confuted thy Assertion and whereas thou wrests and perverts the Scriptures and sayes Balaam did not see the Starr
Saints having the Light for because Believers had it and was grown to such conditions this doth not make out that the Unbelievers had it not for God sends Rain both upon the just and unjust and God so loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son into the World to enlighten the World that whosoever believed in him should not perish and such as do believe in him have faith and comes to be Sons and comes to receive Christ to dwell in them and rule in them but those that hate Light will not have this man to rule over them and hath not God dealt to every man a measure of faith through the Grace that is given and doth not the Grace of God which appears to all men bring Salvation which is sufficient and justifies read Timothy Tit. 2. Rom. 12. and had not the unprofitable servant a Talent to improve and was not that Talent saving as well as the talent of the other two that did improve them if he had improved it and doth not some that 's wicked make shipwrack of Faith and of a good conscience and turn the Grace of God into wantonness 1 Tim. 1. 19. these departed from the faith and erred from the faith and cast off their faith and Tim. 5. 8. and the 16. 10. now by thy assertion thou sayes these had not faith c. And whereas thou sayes We brought nothing to weaken thy arguments but that Scripture in the first of Iohn 9. which saith That is the true Light that enlightens every man that comes into the World which we say is saving but many other proofes we brought but thou regarded none out of Iohn and Esaiah to prove that Christ was the Light and Salvation to the ends of the Earth and so thou are not only ignorant of Scripture but darker then the Common-Prayer Book for it saith Almighty God which sheweth unto all men that be in error the light of thy Truth to the intent they may return into the way of Salvation c. and as for thy accusing us for wresting the Scriptures and hard censures we speak them as they were but it was thou that wrested Scriptures to maintain thy assertions but could not and when thou manifested thy ignorance M. F. told thee of thy ignorance and as it did and yet doth appear and by denying and opposing the light thou manifested thy self to be a miserable Creature and an enemy of God and denyed the Lord that bought thee and Rich. Cubam proved thee out of 2 Peter 2. 2. and Jude to be the man that denyed the Lord that bought thee and to be that false Prophet that brought in the damnable heresie and through covetousness and feigned words made merchandize of people and by such as thee the way of truth was evil spoken of and then ye were all in a noise and disorder and went away in a tempest and that which thou didst assert in plain words that God denyed faith to some men which error thou hast left out of thy Book it is like thou was ashamed of that and when thou was put to prove it and give us Scripture for it thou seems to bring many perverting them but would not make it good by any which yet it stands unmade good on thy head and it is proved before that the Righteous had the faith and such as was wicked had made shipwrack of it which by the Scriptures overthrows thy assertion and one of thy Brethren said in the open Dispute that Christ did not shed his blood for all men which is contrary to the Scripture that saith He tasted death for every man and is a propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for the sins of the whole World 1 Fpist Joh. 2. and as in Adam all dyed even so in Christ all shall be made alive which thou hast denyed 1 Cor. 13. 22. And thou manifested that thou was not a rational man as George Fox could thee both in thy practice and carriage in the Meeting who brake the Order amongst us which was that all might speak one by one and thy laying violent hands upon Tho. Curwen and what Margaret Fell spoke of thou hast made manifest that to the full and my words Io. Berley will stand over thee for Drunkards and Swearers will not deny the Light as thou dost it was the Pharisees and the Chief Priests that were most against Christ the Light as thou art as thou may see in the Evangelists and when it was put to thee to make good that Christ did not shed his blood for all Men thou didst not then nor yet make good but the Scriptures is against thee and thy Disciple Heb. 2. 9. That he by the grace of God should tast Death for every Man The Love of Christ constraines us because we thus judge that if Christ dyed for all then all were dead and he did dye for all that they that live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him that dyed for all 2 Cor. 5. 15. and here thy judgment is contrary to the Apostles as thou may see what error thou and thy People are in contrary to the Scriptures And whereas thou hast Published some part of I Iames Parkes Letter what was thou ashamed to Publish it all that the People might have seen the whole Letter but thou serves my Letter as thou dost the Scriptures take part and leave out part as thy Father the old Deceiver did Mat. the 4. and my Letter is true to thee for thou long deceived me and led me Captive in Error and blindness where thou art thy self and also many others from the Light of Christ Jesus and I told thee and writ this to thee in private which thou hast made publick and it is well thou hast that others may see thy folly and madness who keepest people from the light and salvation but praised be the Lord I have escaped thy error And it seemes thou art offended because I Henry Wood called thee Priest Wiggan was thou not Chapel Priest about Manchester doth not the Country know it I must not call thee Captain nor Major for thou hast not thy Belt and I cannot Master and Sir thee as thy hearers does and it is like thou will be offended if I call thee John Wiggan and art not thou a Priest still hast thou not many Collections about Manchester dost thou not live better now than thou could do out of Prison for many of your Priests have but bad Tradeing and are broken Merchants and whereas thou sayes thou art taught not to strive nor to render railing for raileing 2 Tim. 2. 24. but to be gentle to all men how was thou gentle when thou laid violent hands on John Abrams and was ready to tear Curwen's Coat off his back so that he cryed out to thee what a Minister of Christ and wilt thou fight and yet thou praises thy self thou art gentle and will not strive when thy actions testifies against
against the Light of Christ as thou dost who art fallen in the dark that the very words in the Common-Prayer may judge thee who in thy pride looks to be far above that Before thou saist that the Light would lead people to see much of their Creator and of his Eternal Power and God-head and bring people to seek and feel after God And now thou saist it is an Idol and an Image of jealousie and worse then that of Jeroboams and the Papists and leads into pernitious wayes and into the City Tohu and into a Babel of confusion and errors How now John thou hast sure forgotten thy former words was there ever the like confusion heard it could not be believed that ever such wickedness had ever been in a man covered under a feigned Humility And whereas thou saist VVe Pray and Sing and teach all or many together with loud voices contrary to 1 Cor. 14. 33 40. Ans Thou makes no shame of lying and to publish them abroad to villifie the Truth for all people that knowes us knowes thou art a lyer for neither thou nor any hath heard us speak or pray all together in words with loud voices neither hath any of us in our Meetings been heard speak seldom but one by one but if others have praised the Lord when they heard others speak and sung praises to the Lord God which thing torments thee and if others have lifted up their voices to the Lord God when others have been praying together shewing the lively power of the Lord God amongst us which torments the deadness of thy Assembly and makes thee thus rage for in the 1 Cor. 14. they might speak two or three and the rest might judge and this is decent Order but it is disorder in thy dark Assembly thou would say 24. Elders that fell down together and praised the Lord was a confusion Rev. 4. and make a joyfull noyse as David saith often but these Corinthians were in a confusion about their Bread and Wine as thou and thy Priests are but thou art like to the Jewes at Pentecost that said the Apostles were drunk And Acts 24. in a Meeting when they lifted up their voices with one accord and said Thou art worthy Lord God of Heaven and Earth who hath made the Heavens and the Earth Sea and all things that is in them but this thou will sure say was confusion And whereas thou saist we call our selves a Meeting not a Church and the particular Members Friends not Brethren and Sisters Ans Here thou hath manifested thy self to beignorant of the Scriptures Isa 1. 13. which calls the Assemblies of the Church a Solemn Meeting and the Lord gives it the name of a Solemn Meeting the Church was met together and the Brethren met with the Apostles Acts and Amos 4. 12. prepare to meet thy God and they met with Jesus crying Hosanah with Palm-Trees and Branches in their hands Joh. 12. 13. and thou would say this was a confused Multitude And further thy ignorance is manifested in the Scriptures because we call one another Friends thou art troubled Acts 29. 3. Paul had liberty to go see his Friends And Christ saith ye are my Friends and I have called you Friends Joh. 3. Epist ver 14. our Friends salute and greet the Friends and so because we say Friends and Meeting this is to set forth a new Jesus thou maliciously saith but thou art a manifest lyar both by our words and Writings for we call our Meetings Churches and our Friends Brethren and Sisters and so here it will be seen that we do not characterize our selves by new Names which thou hast falsly and maliciously charged upon us But thou hast given thy self up to forge lies and work wickedness for no other Jesus but him who is the same to day yesterday and for ever do we own who is the Light of the World and enlightens every man that comes into the World which hath been proved before whom John was sent of God to bear witness of that all through him might believe and as many as receives him he gives power to become the Sons of God which thou blasphemously calls Christ the Light an Idol and Natural light And whereas thou saist VVe cannot find the Names or Offices of Pastor Elder Deacon Teacher which Christ set in his Church Ans Here the very common people will witness against thee that thou lyest for the work shewes it by the care and order that nothing is lacking for we have more in our Church then the Names of those Offices we have the fruits of them for nothing is wanting amongst us we have the Great Bishop are taught of God do know the Lord from the greatest to the least Heb. 8. But what is become of your Teachers and Pastors and Deacons who made such a noyse against us a few years ago who had the Name but out of the life and power And whereas thou saist VVe do not alledge Scripture for our Doctrine for proof but VVomen speak in our Meetings Here again thou adds lyes to lyes and delights in lyes Psal 62. 4. and art a deceitful witness speaking lyes Prov. 14. 25. and hast bent thy tongue like a Bow for lyes Jer. 6. and so speaking lyes in hypocrisie 1 Tim. 14. for we had never meeting nor discourse with people but we prov'd our Doctrine by Scripture and at the last dispute thou had Scripture brought to prove the truth against thee and out of Peter and Jade proved thee to be the man that denyed the Lord that bought thee And as for thy denying Womens speaking thon has herein manifested thy ignorance of the Scripture for Christ seat Mary Magdalen first to declare his Resurrection unto his Disciples Marke 16. and that the Daughter of Phanitel she declared of Christ to all that looked for Redemption in Jerusalem Luke 2. And. Phebe a Servant of the Church which in some Translations is a Pastor And Priscilla and Aquilla Instructor's and Philip had four Daughters Prophesied And women were Labourers with the Apostle in the Gospel Read Acts and Romans 16. Women prophesied 1 Cor. 11. And Acts 2. Joel 2. Sons and Daughters prophesie And thus John Wiggan can make no distinction between those women that are forbibden to speak and those who are incouraged and commended his envy hath so blinded him but limits the holy one that his folly might be manifest to all men for Christ in the male and female was not to be limited nor prophesye to be despised 1 Thes 5. but thou hast manifested thy self to be contrary to Christ and his Ministers and so proved thy self to be a false Minister and one of the false Teachers that puts no difference between the pretious and the vile and a walker in lyes Jer. 23. And so it is thou that teachest lyes in the name of the Lord And was Mary Magdalen a Jezabel and Priscilla Phebe Anna the rest of the Women the Apostle forbids
false Prophets steps 2 Tim. 3. Tit. 1. 10. 2 Pet. 2. Art thou not here in these steps Evil beasts slow bellies c. all that read the Scriptures may see thee And whereas thou saist Thou hast had Converse with several Christians in several Nations this thirty years Answ This thou may speak to thy shame who knows no more of God and Christ then now to call him an Idol and where did any of all these Christians teach thee that Christ was an Idol I do not believe that any sect in all Christendome would say so but thy self no not the Papists whom thou likens us to and saith we are as bad and so thou art like unto them in the Revelations Who blasphemeth God and his Tabernacle and them that dwell in Heaven And that which thou did affirm in thy assertion was contrary to God Christ Scripture and Truth and all people might see them if there were no answer to them if they could but read Scriptures And whereas thou saist It behoved some of them at least G. F. who was called as Margaret Fell affirmeth c. Answ Margaret Fell said G. F. was called from his lawful Calling as thou reports thou thy self didst report it That was the occasion of her words which if it was so if his Calling had been meaner it was better then Butchering people as thou hast done with the sword any of these trades had been better then thine for thou hast been both a Priest and a Butchering Major so thou might have two Trades and has lost them both which makes thee â—ail so Alss for answering thy book it did not so much concern G. F. but many particulars which were some of them 60 miles one off another and thy book which we had with much adoe from you which ye were afraid should have come to the light it was such a work of darknesse and it was but a few dayes time in our hands which they were not likely to answer it in so short a time besides called on often to be taken from us it was an uncertain thing for us to come to answer it or go about that work but at last we were fain to take it in pieces and get it Copyed over in pieces there was such haste with you and this shews you were afraid to have it answered whereof John Wigans Wife and some of his mis-led people made a boast as though we could not answer it before we could have it which he hath small reason for as they that reads it in mecknesse sees his folly 2 Tim. 2. And that which we writ was true to thy condition thou hast proved it And whereas thou art grieved because the Goalers and Prisoners should see thy fruits laid open because we sent Letters to them to give unto thee when thou thy self would not take them of us and we did not send for our Letters again as thou didst thy Book or some through thy means not being afraid who see them or read them And herein thou condemns thy self for thou directed thy book to the Goaler and sent it into the Towne before it came to us so in this thou hast judged thy self for thou didst not so much as direct that a Copy of it should be given to us and so thou renders thy self both obnoxious and odious in thy Book and practice And what thou hast been is known and there is things yet to be manifest which is a shame to mention and so thou hast thy self begotten in many men a true opinion that thou art a hainous offender in speaking such words and writing such things against Christ the Light And we know none that hath sent thee any Letters sealed but there hath been a name subscribed to them And as for scorning jearing and frothy expressions that 's thy own condition John and not ours and why didst thou not put those letters sent without names into thy book that the wise Reader might have seen them if there were such and have judged of them And as for me Thomas Curwen who sent several papers to thee being burthened with thy wickednesse who had published thy lies abroad in the Name of the Lord and wast ashamed and afraid that we should have them though thou promised often we should have them in words and now that we have it it must but be a fortnight being a short time for them who are above 60. miles from one another and thou hast done unjustly in that thou hast not put down my whole letters and the occasion of them for there is no wise man will judge but that there was some reason why I should send such words to thee And did not froth and rage and fury appear in thee when thou laid violent hands on me and pull'd my coat like to tare it off my back and canst thou lift such unholy hands and fists of wickednesse unto the Lord in prayer and will God accept thy sacrifice which is like Cains And when I did peruse thy book I found it did not prove thy assertion viz. That Christ the light is not saving It therefore is but as Chaff and dirt and thou perverts and wrests adds to many Scriptures seemingly to prove thy assertion good which thou couldst not for which I say the plagues of God shall be added unto thee according to the Scriptures Rev. 22. To which John Wigan in his wonted fury and rage said The plagues of God was upon me and we all spake from the spirit of the Devil yet this man before his companions would seem to be humble and a meek man through his feigned words would seem to Justifie himself And for thy sawcy language and ill-bred behaviour and unmannerlinesse if thou had put all my letter down the Reader might have seen why I charge those things upon thee And therefore I had good ground to speak these words through all thy words and carriages towards me and also thy abusive and slanderous and sawcy expressions to my Esteemed friend in the truth M. F. which if thou hadst had either civility or the reason of a man or any regard to virtue thou would have been ashamed to utter or have written such things as thou didst but thou hast abused her letters as thou hast done mine and taken that which thou thinks may be for thy advantage and wrests our words as thou hast done the Scriptures and left out that in our letters which was the cause we spoke those things unto thee and plainly shew the cause which if any desire to know the cause we have them to shew for if we should put them in our book they would make it too great a volume too great together with thy slanderous letters and that thou should vomit so many slanders in thy book which thou would not let us have but only a few dayes and then thou glories and boasts in which time thou knew we could not answer them the particulars concerned in it being so far distant one from
another And John if Thomas Curwen Husbandman which is a better Calling then thy Trade who hath often been moved of the Lord to write to thee is able to indict letters having been often burthened with thy hypocrisie and vain deceit and fleshly performances which thou hast charged falsely upon me in a letter And here thou publishes that which thou knows not slandering us both with that which thou art ignorant of not knowing but another might do it and so hast published thy ignorance Dost thou think this will stand amongst wise men And thou hast said thou will never learn in my Masters School which is Christ the Light nor come to the Law which is the Schoolmaster until Christ which thou art ignorant of both And within all this time thou might have answered my Queries if thou had been in the meeknesse but it is manifest thou art choaked with evil and envy and possest with a bitter spirit that thou hast not power to do good And as for thy dreaming it is manifest if thou hadst been awaked thou would have answered my Queries and cleared thy assertion and convict me if I had opposed my self but thou hast denyed this office and work and in stead of giving satisfaction herein thou hast published thy own shame I would not have thee to envy me so much for the good I have to thee for which of those things dost thou thus deal with me Is it not because I have told thee the truth for which of those good deeds dost thou rail of me so fast Was it not a good deed to tell thee thou was a Deceiver knowirg thee to be so for now thy fruits makes thee manifest to be a deceiver and whom thou hast deceived 2 Pet. 2. Mat. 7. 24. And whereas thou hast picked a few lines out of James Parkes private letter sent unto thee whom thou seems to pretend love to and now publishes them and this was thy love was it not time for me to forsake thee being long deceived by thee and has known thy Principles and thee long and thy feigned love but should thou not have put all my letter down that the Reader might have seen it and judged with thy words which was the occasion of it and the words which thou slanderously spoke in secret but thou wilt manifest thy self that thy solly may appear which cannot abide plainnesse but my letter is true to thy condition and thou wilt find it so And I tell thee it was a fraudulous part of thee to publish a part of my letter and not all or other Friends letters either and far off the truth and below a wise man but it is well that thou hast published so much as thou hast done that people may read thy book and see the words come true upon thee John Wigan this in Answer to part of thy Appendix WHerein thou mentions Margaret Fells Letters and has therein falsifyed my words as it is the usual manner of thee and such deceivers as thou art for you do so with the Scriptures who makes a trade of them and teaches for filthy Iucre you take here a piece and there a piece such as will make for your own ends and for your advantage and for the setting up of your Image you make and so leaves poor people dark and ignorant of the Scriptures and also of your deceitful dealings with them and so keeps them in darkness and preaches unto them that they must carry a body of fin with them as long as they are upon the earth and they are no other like so long as they that are blind follows thee and such like that are blind and so you all go into the ditch together which is your place and shuts the kingdom of heaven against men and neither enters in your selves nor suffer them that would go in to enter Mat. 23. 13. But thou hast intended in taking pieces of my letters here and there to make them seem more odious to the Reader and also thou has intended thereby to cover thy own nakednesse and ignorance of God and his truth in leaving out the cause and ground of my speaking those words which is nothing but truth to thee according to the Scriptures where they stand written to thee though thou endeavours by thy overskipping and taking words here and there to make them non-sense to the Reader yet as they stand and as thou hast set them any rational man of truth and honesty that knows what thou hast written and spoken to me and others will judge them to be truth to thee Therefore for the further manifestation of thy wickednesse I shall by plain Scripture convince the Reader that reads with an impartial eye and prove thee a blasphemer against God and his truth as it is in Jesus and when I have done so then let the Reader judge whether thou be not guilty in truth and reality and of all I have writ to thee The cause of my first writing to thee was from thy blasphemous book which thou put out against Christ Jesus the Light our corner stone which thou boastingly saies thou strikes at and I can truly say and the Lord that judges all hearts knows that I had no delight to meddle with thee seeing thee a conceited man only in deceit and ignorance but I was moved of the Lord in the vindication of his truth to bear my testimony for his truth and to write to thee and to leave thee without excuse 1. In thy Book thou saith Whoever calls and worships this the Light in every man as the Redeemer worships an imaginary and fictious Christ and indeed an idol and in another place of thy book thou saies That the Light in every man that comes into the world set up and worshipped in prayers and praises All the Honour and Attributes due to the true Redeemer alone being ascribed to it which is an Idolatry so much worse then that of Jeroboams or of the Papists In a third place of thy book thou saiest Admit this grand lie for the Corner stone and the whole super structure will consist of lies These with many other such blasphemous speeches thou hast uttered forth in thy book which I shall forbear to trouble the Reader with they being answered before Again in thy second letter to me thou hast sent writ these words its likely thou hast never been so plainly told that thou sets up an idol if thou call the light that is in every man that comes into the world Christ the Redeemer and if thou worships that light as the Redeemer that thou art an Idolater It seems by these words that thou hast writ these words in thy former letter which I sent back with the answer and so hath not the words there written here to produce but here is enough and sufficient to manifest thee an absolute blasphemer against Christ and the holy Ghost Answ The Light of Christ Jesus which we bear witnesse of which hath lighted every
the Saints from them both thou hast committed Sacriledge indeed who has denyed the great work of Salvation and Redemption of Mankind which the Apostle admired at that God should send his only begotten Son into the World that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have Everlasting Life But this Christ thou has gain-said and resisted and denyed and so is never like to have benefit by him but he will be thy condemnation for ever And here thou hast fulfilled old Simeons prophesie in the 2d of Luke Vnto whom it was revealed by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before be had seen the Lords Christ who took him in his Armes and blessed God and said Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people a Light to lighten the Gentiles and the Glory of thy people Israel and behold this Child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel for a signe which shall be spoken against And here thou art the man that has set thy self against him and is fallen and so has denyed Christs coming in the flesh and also has denyed God being in Christ reconciling the World unto himself which the Apostle said 1 Tim. 3. 16. Was a great mystery God manifested in the flesh justified in the spirit And so thou that denies the Light of Christ and his Spirit which opens and reveales the mystery thou art not like but to be ignorant who has denyed Christ in his God-head Ioh. 5. 7. for the Apostlesaith There are three that bear Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one and this Record thou has denyed for first thou has denyed Christ to be the Word and secondly thou has denyed Christ to be one with the Father and so thou has denyed Christ to be God except thou will have two Gods for thou has created already two Lights and two Words thou will neither have Christ to be the Light of the World nor thou will not have him to be the Word which was in the beginning with the Father nor thou will not have him to be Gods Covenant of Light with Abraham and his Seed and also the promise of God unto Adam where the Lord said The Seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpents head And now let the Reader judge whether thou be not a perfect Antichrist who hath denyed Christ come in the flesh both in his Light wherewith he lightens all people that comes into the World Secondly he denies him to be the Word which was in the beginning by which all things was made and created which is the Word the Apostle directed people to in their hearts Rom. 10. 45. Thirdly He denies him to be come in the Covenant of God which is light by which he reconciles all things to himself both of things in Heaven and of things in Earth Ephes 1. 10. And fourthly thou has denyed him to be one with his Father and so I believe here the Reader will confess that J. W. is perfectly proved an Antichrist for the Apostle saith Joh. 4. 3. Every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and this is the spirit of Anti-christ whereof you have heard should come and now is in the World And again in the 2 Ep. of John and the 1. Many Deceivers are entred into the World who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh this is a deceiver and an Antichrist And so as for I. VV. he doth not only not confess Christ but hath denyed Christ to be come in the flesh as hath been manifestly proved and so is he of whom the Apostle saith VVhosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God but he that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ hath both the Father and the Son Here the Apostle joynes them together and puts them not asunder as I. VV. doth And therefore we are not to receive him into our Houses neither bid him God speed but deny him as he hath denyed Christ and has proved himself an Antichrist compleat And whereas thou speakes in thy Book That multitudes are ensnared for want of dividing or making distinctions between God and Christ and brings the 2 of Peter 2. 2. many shall follow their pernitious wayes Answ Let the Reader read the portion of Scripture in his own judgment and truth of his heart let him judge whether this Scripture be not a true Character of thee and thy Generation of Priests or whether he can judge the Quakers to be such a People as this Scripture holds forth and by this he may judge the falsity of thy judgment and thy envy and malice which breaks forth in lying The next words following are Many shall follow their pernitious wayes by reason of whom the way of truth is evil spoken of and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandize of you who is this the Quakers or it is I. W. and his company of Priests thou breakes off betime if thou had written any further in Peter it would have come upon thy own head But there is a verse before which saith That there would be false Prophets that would bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction Here thou art perfectly set forth for I believe never any denyed him more wickedly then thou hast done as is manifestly proved and so art that false Prophet there spoken on But again verse 15. They were such as followed the way of Balaam for the wages of unrighteousness Art not thou one of these Again there were such as walked after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness must not thou needs be he who denyes the Light that manifests sin and uncleanness thorough the obedience of which they may be preserved out of it but they were to receive the reward of unrighteousness and so wilt thou who art reserved unto the day of judgment to be punished And now thou being thus manifested and proved to be what is before mentioned that the words in my Letters will fall of necesity upon thee though thou have endeavoured to cover thy self by thy setting my words in thy own frame and thereby to make them seem as if they were railing Speeches and spoken without ground And 1. Where as thou saith that I writ in my Letter to manifest thy gain-saying Spirit Core like Let the Readers judge whether this be not manifestly proved upon thy head before in gain-saying the Truth Christ who is the Light that lightens every man c. 2ly Thou saist I said Thou art without God in the World my words are thus The Light in every one as it is obeyed makes the separation from the World which Light thou denyes and so art without God in the VVorld who is Light and in
VVorld Christ she set up an Idol and if she worshiped that Light as Christ she was an Idolater She answered thus I never heard such words but from an Infidel and an Idolater and a Blasphemer against God and Christ Thou art an Enemy of God thou art worse then the Jewes thou art a fit man to joyne with the Turk to set up Mahomet oh thou Infidel oh thou child of darkness My Answer to his was thus I did never hear such words but from an Infidel and a Blasphemer against God and Christ and I do not know that ever I heard any that ever owned the Scriptures to be true that ever denyed so much of the truth there written as thou hast done never take Christ Iesus into thy mouth who hath said Himself he is the Light Thou enemy of God thou art worse then the Jews that denies he is come thou art a fit man to joyne with the Turk to set up Mahomet dost thou think that Christ hath many such enemies as thou in England Oh thou Infidel who wilt thou have for thy Redeemer wilt thou not have him that is come a Light who hath said while you have the Light believe in the Light that you may become the Children of the Light Oh thou child of darkness what dost thou believe in where will thou appear when the Righteousness of God is revealed in flames of fire upon the head of the wicked then thou will know Revelation which thou dost not yet And again thou saith speaking of Christ She saith I am a witness for him against all such Antichrists and deceivers and blasphemes as thou art thou art a Minister of the night and of the darkness in the Apostacy thou art a night Bird the curse and the judgments that 's written therein speaking of the Scriptures Christ Jesus and the Apostles hath pronounced it upon thee thou art the man My Answer was and is thus where thou saith in thy Letter to me If ever I was of good savour I have lost it by the abuse of the 〈◊〉 Jesus and miserable wresting of the Scriptures My Ans was I am a Witness for him he hath raised me up from the death to the Eternal Life which is the Record and Image that I bear of him and for him against all such Antichrists and deceivers and blasphemers as thou art which John saw was entring into the World in his day and time which spirit of Antichrist hath lived in you and amongst you untill this day and hath descended upon you from Generation to Generation in this dark night of Apostary and thou that art a Minister of the night and of the darkness in the Apostacy thou art now tormented that the Light is come and the day hath sprung from on high upon thousands Glory be to the Lord for evermore so that many can say that the darkness is past and the true Light now shineth and this torments thee who is a night Bird. And whereas thou saist in thy Letter to me I wrest the Scriptures My Answer was and is my Paper where it stands will testifie against thee to be a lyer where the plain Scripture is set down without any wresting and the curse and judgment that is therein written Christ Jesus and the Apostle hath pronounced it upon thee and thou art the man which is guilty of the same which they are pronounced against and thou cannot hide thy self from them thou wilt be sure to find them true upon thee one day when thou cannot cover thy self as thou hast endeavoured to cover thy nonsence with my name And again thou saist because I asked this question thou asked me what Parish Priest in England had got more money with his Tongue then George Fox had done since he was Journey-man Shoomaker in Manchester and where thou saist my Answer was Thou art a wicked proud disdainful spirit a heathenish spirit which torments thee and many more such night Owles as thou art Let the Reader judge whether thou be not a wicked lyer in these words thou hast set down and whether my Answer in my Letter was as thou hast set them down for in thy Letter to me thy words stands thus I think thou would not take it wel that thy friend G. F. should be call'd a Priest and yet what Parish Priest in England has gotten more money with his Tongue then he Where thou said I would not take it well if my friend G. F. should be call'd a Priest My Answer was thus he was never of such a deceitful trade as to cheat people of their money or to make people believe that he would bring them to God and yet keep them in darkness and sin and preach down the Light of Jesus which they should believe in Joh. 12. as thou and such deceivers hath done for he was of an honest true Calling according to thy Report and he was called from it of the Lord into his work and service as the Apostle was and to lay open and manifest such deceivers as thou art c. And here I charge thee to be an open and manifest lyer to all that reads these foregoing words who hath set down in the first page of thy Appendix That M. F. affirmeth that G. F. was called from the Shoomakers trade Now let the Reader see whether ever I mention that G. F. was a Shoomaker for if I had I had spoken that I did not know and has thou that boldness and impudence as to say I affirm when I do but Answer to thy Words and according to thy Report he was of an honest Trade and that he was called of the Lord unto his work and service I am a witness and many thousands more Glory be to the Lord for evermore which is the cause of thine and many such night Birds of your torment and makes you fret your selves and curse your King and your God and looks into the Earth but beholds nothing but trouble and anguish Isa 8. 21 22. and this is your portion that is come upon you And whereas thou saist I said thou was an impudent a wicked ungodly lyer thou lyer a proud disdainful spirit a heathenish spirit which torments thee and many more such night Owles as thou art My Answer is this Thou said G. F. is not as he was when he first came to Lancaster My Answer was thou lyer make it to appear wherein did thou see him then what he is not now is this the Answering of the Letters that was sent to thee to turn into lying and slandering and villifying this is like thy frothy spirit indeed that instead of Answering my Papers thou tells of G. F. that he is not as he was before as above and why art thou so envious and malitious against G. F. whereas thou saist I call'd thee a Heathenish Spirit thou said in thy Letter thou hadst read of a Monk and tells a story about him my Answer was further such things is the fittest for thy
hast told us of a true Christ and has left us without knowledge of him and without direction how to know him thou wilt be in danger here to be one of the blind Leaders except thou manifests to us what he is and where he is which thou has not done in all thy Book but all thy work has been to strike at ours and called him an Idol and yet has found us no better 10ly Thou seems by what thou hast writ in thy Book as though thou were a tryer of Spirits and makes distinctions of Lights and speaks of two words and also thou speaks as though thou could judge of Regeneration or new birth and who has the spirit of God and who has it not and not only so but as though thou could try true Apostles from false and true Doctrines from false so thou has taken upon thee a high seat of judgment when thou has taken upon thee to divide the Father from the Son Therefore I charge thee in the presence of the Living God and as thou wilt answer it before the Lord and his Elect Angels to answer to these things when and where and how didst thou receive the word of Life which was from the beginning when did thy eyes see it when did thy hands handle it that word of Life that was with the Father which the Apostl did see bore witness of Jo. 1. 1 2. 11ly When and where didst thou receive the power of God which is the Gospel the Apostle preached which is Salvation to every one that believeth 12ly When and where and how was it that the Son of God was revealed in thee when he was revealed in the Apostle he was to preach the Gospel to the Heathen didst thou receive thy Ministery by the inspiration of God and conferred not as the Apostle did not with flesh and blood yea or nay 13ly Was thou not made a Minister of men neither by men neither was thou taught by men but only by the Revelation of Jesus Christ 14ly When and where was the Holy Ghost poured upon thee as it was upon the Apostles when they were met together as also Peter bears witness Acts 5 30 32. who were faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ that he was a Prince and a Saviour and so also saith the Holy Ghost whom God hath given Heb. 10. 14 15 16. Whereof the Holy Ghost is a witness to us c. Now if thou hast received this Holy Ghost manifest when and where and how if thou dost not stop thy mouth of thy tryings and of thy distinctions of God and Christ and shut up thy treasures of darkness and sorcery out of which thou hast blasphemed against God and those that Worships Him And in thy Book thou saith speaking of the Priests and of the World being cloathed with guilt were never able to this day to look this people in the face to wit the Quakers Answ Prove and quit thy self of being one of these Priests and people by answering of those Queries above written as also Curwen's 24. Queries and also Henry Woods Queries which all stands unanswered and thy Assertion stands false yet and unproved and thou stands proved and charged a Blasphemer a Minister of Darkness and an Idolater and an Antichrist by plain Scriptures of truth which never can be broken thou art proved to be all these so see if thou and all thy flock and confederates can wipe this away off thee that is laid upon thee And answer all the Queries that is sent to thee by plain Scripture without wresting or turning or adding or diminishing left the plagues of God be added unto thee and if thou dost not thou and thy followers and all thy companions will be found amongst those that are not able to look the Quakers in the face for thou has as much guilt upon thee as ever man had which may well cause thee to turn thy back and stop thy mouth And so this is but an Answer to a part of thy Appendix which concerned me Margaret Fell. AND whereas thou saist another writes thus thou opposes the truth art an enemy to Christ an opposer of the Gospel the power of God and several other truths the substance whereof is plain truth and to thy condition every word as thou hast manifested in thy Book And whereas thou writes that another writes thou art in thy Will-worship carnal Ordinances thou hardens thy self against the truth thou art an enemy to God and his truth c. Ans But if thou hadst been an honest man thou would have put in all my words to thee in thy Book and their names who they were but they have hit thy condition therefore art thou tormented And whereas thou saist this is William Houldings Paper thou speaks falsly for it was mine Henry Wood and as for mine William Houldings Paper thou hast not put it in thy Book which speaks about George Foxes Leather-Breeches which thou having lost Religion God and Christ hast made such work about his Leather-Breeches but G. F. likes them better then thy cloak of Hypocricy and so its like thou was ashamed to put my Letter in thy Book or thy own Letter either in which thou made such work about them now this is Wood's Reply I put thee in mind first that Thomas Curwen and I Henry Wood did write some Queries to thee expecting to have them Answered by thee which were the occasion of the Dispute as the record of the Dispute will make manifest and whereof there was no end made of the assertion which was put forth has caused many Papers to pass and repass and according to my freedom I passed thy Paper upon this account because I had been an eye witness and an ear witness of some proceedings there and of thy joyning with William Barret a Cheshire man and this was about nine years ago at Manchester at John Maddocks House in a Dispute with our Friends another time there was a Dispute held at the same House between thee and Richard Huberthorn at that time thou made thy self manifest for thou broke into passion and said he was a publick person so that thou was reproved by one of thy own Auditors Edward Gaythorn by name but not withstanding thou rose up and went away uttering these words That if thou had known that so many would have been present thou would not have been there that time although thou had said before that thou was a publick person I knowing these proceedings gave forth this Paper that the Reader may know the ground wherefore I thus write because I had known thee thus long to oppose Christ the Light therefore those Queries sent by old Henry Wood and Thomas Curwen were as Pills to thee sent for this end that they might work out that old leaven of bitterness which I have known lying so long within thee as I have made mention of before and this I may say truly was done in love to thy Soul now this not being so
Light to the Gentiles that thou mayest be my Salvation to the ends of the Earth and God is Light and he is a Saviour and here thou may see how thou denies the Scriptures 4. Query Whether this people do not censure all Men and Women in the World as well as the Author of these Papers to be out of the first step that leads to Christianity to be Infidels and to be accursed if they deny the Light that is in every man that comes into the World to be saving and whether is not this as much as to say that they only and none besides themselves are Christians and whether is not this a great appearance of pride in them thus highly to esteem themselves above all others Ans There is few people of the World will deny that the Light of Christ which enlightens every one that comes into the World is saving but thou and such Priests as thou art who contends against the truth and it is not pride to confess Christ the Light to be saving and deny them that denies it and say they are out of the first step for Christ being the Light Life Way and Salvation thou and those that denies him to be saving are out of the first step to God for Christ is the way to him 5. Query And whether are not all those censures directly contrary to the Saints and such as make them lyable to greater Judgments Mat. 7. 1 2. Jam. 3. 1 2. Answ That which hath been spoken to thee hath been truth and Mat. 7. speaks to thy own condition who judges unrighteously of Christ and us and thou art in that condition where many masters is Jam. 3. 12. from the one Master Christ Mat. 23. 6. Query Whether do not these clamorous and evil speakings for which there is no Scriptural warant manifestly flow from bitterness anger wrath and malice as the Apostle intimates Eph. 4. 31. Ans We do not know of any that hath spoken more clamorous and evil speeches against Christ and his people then thou hast from thy Earthly sensual devillish wisdom below Jam. 3. 16. Eph. 4. 31. in the malice wrath envy clamor and evil speaking that thou art in against Christ the saving Light c. 7. Query Whether any wise experienced Christian can judge of this people to be in a perfect sinless state who appears with these open sinful railings cursings judging in their mouthes nay since this they boast and glory in this their shame whether is it not evident that they are the servants of corruption Ans Railings Curfings Boastings and Glorying and such like we deny but we speak the truth to thee as in Rev. 22. as the plagues added to them who adds to the Scriptures and our rejoycing is in the Truth and the Apostles did not Raile when they told such false Teachers as thee 〈◊〉 what was their properties and its manifest by thy Railings against us that thou seems corruption 8. Query Whether this hath not been their manner all along to strive to overcome with these carnal weapons threatnings censurings cursings revilings c. and since no Scriptural weapon is yet imployed in the management of their cause supported thereby Ans Our Weapons are Spiritual and by Scripture weapons we have overthrown thy Assertion as may be seen in the Book and the rest of thy fellow Priests And censuring and revilings c. hath not been our Weapons to overcome with but Truth hath been our weapon by which we answer that of God in every one but railing revilings and persecutions hath been your weapons against us the Nation knows it when you were not able to resist the Light of Chrisi Jesus and the Spirit by which we spoke And here thou belyes us in saying we use no Scripture weapons but it hath been by the Scripture and the Spirit of God all along we proved you to be deceivers our Writings and Bookes will witness against thee 9. Query Whether it be not abominable wickedness to father all their evil speeches upon the Holy Ghost and to say where they curse raile revile speak falsly and frothily that it is by his inspiration and command Ans This is thy own condition when Christ and the Apostles spoke to the Pharisees they did not flatttr them nor smooth them up as the false Prophets did Ezek. 13. 14. and the Holy Ghost leads us to speak truth to every man according to their conditions without flattery read how many woes Christ pronounced against thy generation in Mathew 23. so in this thou hast wronged us and belyed us as thou hast done before 10. Query Whether can any man rationally conclude that these people bear any true love to that person whom they judge to be the enemy of God and accursed and whose sins shall never be forgiven in this world nor in the world to come or rather when they profess love and say they desire his welfare is there not just ground to believe they speak lyes in hypocrisie as its said Apostates should do in the latter times 1 Tim. 13. Ans Our love is to all Mankind and we would not have had thee to have run into such sins against the Holy Ghost telling thee plainly what would come and relating to thee the portion due to thy condition as in Rev. 22. And herein stands our love as from the Lord who rains upon the just and unjust and causes his Sun to shine on both and herein we do shew the Mark of our Father and that we are the Children of our Father which is in Heaven and so our love is not partial like thine which thou enviously and maliciously termes to lyes in hypocrisie which was spoken for loves sake to thee But bray a fool in a Morter and he will not forsake his folly as Solemon saith and 1 Tim. And an enemy to God thou hast proved thy self and for that cause we cannot flatter thee Acts 13. 2 Thes 2. 3. Phillipian 3. 18. Psalm 7. 5. Psalm 80. 6. 11. Query Do they not plainly discover a persecuting spirit in the aforementioned reviling and may not any man in reason conclude that whom they judge an enemy of God and accursed they would use as such if that they had power Ans Cain is afraid where there is no fear and thou being in his spirit manifests the same for when did any of us lay such violent hands upon thee as thou didst upon Thomas Curwen and John Abraham when they came to discourse with thee of the things of God so that hath been spoken to thee in love and kindness as was told thee before that thou might have turned from thy wickedness that was the cause why thou thus accuses us and as for the persecuting spirit and reviling that is thy own 12. Query And last I leave it to be considered by such as will take the pains to read the account which I have given of the Light within whether they do not speak all this evil of me meerly because
the true Rock which the Prophets prophesied of should come whom the Apostles witnessed was come and for thy false saying that we grow weary and before thou complained we urged thee on how stands thy confusion together with reasonable men let them judge and we do not shuffle with thy assertion neither are weary of our cause which thou saist we are for we need not for we know what thou art who is wholly bent against Christ it is thou which is weary of thy cause and shuffles as thou hast reason for we relate some other of thy Assertions which thou hast laid down art thou now ashamed of them and yet saist thou will hold us to it and yet answers nothing to the purpose and it is Christ the foundation which thou strikes against as the Jewes did but to no purpose and thus thou and thy fellow Priests hath strucken at him who is our foundation till you be all fallen into the ditch and leads the people thither too it is manifest to the Nations Thou saist in thy Appendix again Thou art willing to debate the point in controversie before the Sheriff or others in Authority and saist let not G. F. thinke to shuffle himself out and put his taske upon others for he must know because it is affirmed that he was called of the Lord from his Trade as the Apostles were my desire is to deale with him chiefly in this matter and such others as say they are Apostles that their Doctrine and deeds being brought to Light it may appear whether they be true Apostles indeed or false and preach another Gospel then Jesus and Paul did as I have cause to suspect them and doubt not to prove them to be if they adhere to the Principles laid down in their Printed Books and maintained in their late debate Answ This is thy shuffle and base charge whereas thou saist G. F. would shuffle from it and lay it upon others that is false it s thou would shuffle from those which thou hast begun withall it seemes we gave thee enough the last time thou needs not call of G. F. for the least of us in the Truth is able to Answer thee and to see if thou can make good thy assertions which thou could not make good in the last Dispute nor hast not done yet which we yet call on thee to doe which by the Scriptures of Truth thou canst not prove without adding or diminishing and the same Jesus and Gospel whom Paul preached whom we own which thou saist thou will prove an Idol and prove us Antichrists who affirme this and as for all our Books which are given forth from the Truth we own and our deeds are brought to the Light and by this thine are seen and thou too to be one of the false Teachers and thy deeds to be deeds of darkness and why dost thou pervert M. F's words in saying G. F. was called from his Trade when her words was he was called from his Calling as thou reports and thou talkes of trying Apostles and denyes the Light Christ in thy dark spirit and calls Christ an Idol and natural Light and as for G. F. whose name thou hast publisht abroad in thy Letters up and down beyond the Sands and towards Manchester and to M. F. and sometimes scoffing at his Leather-Breeches sometimes at one thing sometimes at another and never was so civil as to write to him so we do look thou should make thy assertions good to us before thou medle with him for they concern us and we are the Men that will encounter with thee as before mentioned according to thy Challenge whom thou in scorn calls Meckhanike Men and as for me Thomas Curwen I nor none of us are no more Mechanicke then thy self nor never had collection yet John Though I have been a Prisoner above four yeares canst thou say so John and as for me G. F. I never spoke with thee but three times since thou came hither and once at London and I heard such euil language from thee as I never heard from man I coming into the last dispute with friends and then there being liberty granted I hearing thee lay down thy Assertions and affirming them together with thy people first That some men that came into the world had not the spirit of God which was put to thee to make good being thou was the mouth for them by plain Scripture without adding or diminishing which thou seemed to prove out of Jude which thou couldst not and that God denyed faith to some men and that Christ did not shed his blood for all men and that Balaam had no more spirit then his horse and that wicked men had not the spirit of God These things with several others which you asserted was put to thee to make good which thou hast not done to this day Nevertheless thou hast challenged to meet me G. F. and having disperst my Name in several Papers in a slanderous way and thy brother Price which came down to Fell's Chamber and Challenged me out which I presently came up and sent William Houlding to thee and bid thee come down to me in the Hall but thou would not come at me And whereas thou challenges me G. F. to meet thee before the Sheriffe My Answer is send me word when thou wilt and that thou will make these Assertions good by the plain Scriptures without adding or diminishing which thou hast laid down to me for I am ready to meet thee through the power and strength of Almighty God and if I have liberty according as thou hast challenged and many things more I have of thine for thee to make good which I shall not here put to Ink and Paper by plain Scripture for truth remains over all deceit G. F. And why dost thou flatter me William Houlding dost thou now own Mechanicks but thou owned none when thou writ to M. F. but jeared at G. F. in this report and lost thy Religion to talk of his Leather-Breeches and thus Fools will be medling with that which doth not concern them busie bodies in others matters And when thou had abused M. F. in thy Papers she sent for thee to speak with thee about the abuse but thou would not come at her and manifested herein thy guilt and uncivility and dost thou not make a noise abroad against us amongst ignorant people and keeps them from the Light that so thou maist get some Collections of them for thy Letters to M. F. signifies something of a false fear and jealousie that something should have gone besides thy mouth cruly I think that is the cause of thy rage against us who owns Christ Jesus the Light W. H. Here followes a Coppy of a Paper which was given to John Wiggan of his Assertions FRiend John Wiggan we hearing of a Book thou hast given into the Town before we had a Coppy of it another Challenge to us to meet before some publick Magistrate and the Sheriffe we
William Houlding Blacksmith and Henry Wood a daily Labouring man who cannot read on a Book and Thomas Curwen Husbandman and William Wilson Taylor who in the strength of the Lord desire to give the said John VViggan a meeting before the Sheriffe as he hath challenged us and hath sent his Challenge into the Town and not to us with many villifying and slanderous words in the said Book which he hath sent amongst the people so let all the wise in heart judge of this man whether he hath carried himself like a Rational man yea or no. The Assertions are as followeth 1. For John VViggan to prove and make good out of the Scriptures of truth 1. that Christ doth not enlighten every man that comes into the World with a saving Light contrary to John 1. 9. 2. That the Light wherewith every man is enlightened that comes into the World is not a saving Light 3. To make good that which thou hast laid down that there is some men that comes into the World hath not the spirit contrary to Iohn 16. 8. Acts 2. 7. 4. That Christs blood was not shed for all men contrary to the 1 Epistle of Iohn 2. 2. 5. That Balaam had no more of the spirit of God then his Horse and which was held forth in the dispute against us contrary to Numbers 24. 17. 6. That Balaam did not see the Starr of Iacob contrary to Numbers 24. 17. 7. And that wicked men hath not the spirit of God nor the Holy Ghost contrary to Gal. 2. Neh. 9. 8. That the Light before faith is not pure contrary to Rom. 7. 12. 9. And that Christ the Light that lightens every one that comes into the World is an Idol contrary to Ioh. 1. 9. 22. 13 46. 10. That the Grace of God is an Idol contrary to Ephesians 2. 5 8. 11. And that there is no mercy with God contrary to Psalm 13. 6. 12. That Christ is not the Word contrary to Revel 19. 13. 13. That the Light is a false Christ contrary to Ioh 12. 33 46. 14. And that Light doth not shine in darkness contrary to Iohn 1. 5. 15. And that God who is the Word doth enlighten every man that comes into the World is not saving 16. And that the Light Christ that enlightens every man that comes into the World is a Natural Light 17. That some are in the flesh and hath not the Spirit This is he to make good and prove how they can quench it and grieve it that hath it not 18. That some that comes into the World have not a saving Light 19. Some there are that are in the flesh and never had the spirit contrary to Rom. 10. 20. That the time must come that men must break their Plow-shares into Swords and Speares which his brother Price justifies in a Book and John Wiggan was offended because we marked it out for error and these things we would have the said John Wiggan to stand to and make good before the Sheriffe as he challenged by plain Scriptures of truth in the New Testament For both the Scriptures and Common-Prayer testifies against thy Principles Some more of John Wiggan's Assertions which are not many of them in the former above written 1. THat the Light in every man that comes into the World is not the Door nor the Mediator Saviour nor Redeemer nor the Way Truth the Life the Lord that bought them nor the Corner-stone nor the infallible spirit 2. That it is not the true Jesus but an Idol the Light wherewith every man is enlightened or the Light that lighteth every man 3. To follow Christ the Light is to follow a pernitious way 4. That the Light was natural and spirit of a natural man and was that in Adam which let him see his sin 5. That Light which is darkness spoken of in Math. 6. 22 23. le ts man see his Creator 6. And this Light looketh upon every thing done or to be done of man and yet this Light maketh not any thing that is done to be good or evil and yet this Light sheweth the Creator and this Light in man will render God Righteous in his Proceedings against man 7. That Christ doth not give his spirit to every man that comes into the World 8. That they in Iude spoken of as Cain and Cora and Balaam had not the spirit 9. And this Light with which every man is enlightened is Natural and its gross to say that the Light which enlightens every man is Christ 10. That the Light in every man is but the spirit of a man the Law written in the heart 11. That who so worships that Light that enlightens every man that comes into the World as Redeemer worships an imaginary and fictious Christ and an Idol denying the person of the true Jesus 12. That whosoever saith that he that is the Light in every man is Christ is a deceiver and an Antichrist and Iohn Wiggan will prove them so 13. And it is the subtle deceiver and adversary Satan that saith the Light which doth enlighten every man that comes into the World is the Lamb and the Lord and the object of faith 14. And the Light that doth enlighten every man is the Word and before he said it was the Natural man's spirit and an Idol c. 15. That the Light the word God which enlightens every man is natural and man by it knows nothing of Christ though he confess by it he knows the Eternal power and God-head the fulness whereof dwells in Christ bodily 16. And the word God the true Light which doth enlighten every man that comes into the World he saith is darkness Mat. 6. 22 23. 17. And the word God doth enlighten every man that comes into the World by setting up a Light and spirit in man which is called the Candle of the Lord and writing a Law in his heart and the Light which doth enlighten every man is not the word which was in the beginning 18. And Christ came a Light into the World not to enlighten every man that comes into the world and this light is able to seek and feel after God his Creator and by it man may know his Creator and the Eternal power and Godhead it is a created Light a great Light it is but a Candle Light but it discovers man's transgressions and this Light springeth up with mans spirit and this Light is the Spirit of a Natural man which doth not know the things of God and this Light discovered Adam's sin and this Light is Natural and not Spiritual 19. But this Light knows nothing of the Gospel mystery hid in God nor Redemption by Christ nor of Gods good purpose and Grace nor of the Law of faith 20. This Candle-light to wit that Light wherewith every man that comes into the World is enlightened is not able to discern the mystery of God in Christ And so make good these things by Scripture or stop thy mouth for ever