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
contrary to the Scripture which saith he is the light of the World and in the begining was the Word and the Word was with God and his name is called the Word of God and so people may see how thou would divide God and Christ with thy dark wisedome And thou saist 2ly How doth he enlighten every man that comes into the world and saist in another place the word God or God the word as Creator of all things doth enlighten every man that cometh into the World by setting up in every man a spirit and Law in his heart by which he lives which is called the Candle of the Lord Prov. 20. 27 of which Spirit and law I have spoken before Ans This light which thou callest the Law and Spirit of a Natural Man and a Created light this thou hast not proved before as thou saist but it s perverted before for by this thy proof John came to bear witness of a Natural light and of a Natural mans spirit which knows not the things of God and by that John bid people believe in this so this is thy dark wisdom and like unto thy Preaching and it is no wonder people forsakes thee and that thou shouldst be unestablished thou needst not be offended for babes seeing thee for thou caust not be hid for John came to bear witness of the true light Christ and not of a natural Created light as thou imagines but of him the Prophets testified of he that was preferred before John Joh. 1. 3. the light of the Gentiles and the Glory of his people Israel and thou may see in the 15. vers which proves and 16 17. that was the Christ John bore witness of him and cryed saying this was he of whom I speak He that cometh after me is preferred before me and called Christ the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the World and this Light by which all things was made and Created He came unto his own and they received him not some hated the Light and stopt their ears and shut their eyes and would not see lest they should be converted as thou dost But to as many as received him he gave power to become the Sons of God them that believed in his Name and his name is the Word of God Rev. 19. And John saw and bore Record that this Light was the Son of God Joh. 1. 12 15 34. So this is an unfaithful and untrue account of the Light which thou hast given of the true Light Christ that doth enlighten every man John 1. 9. And whereas thou say'st It may be further observed that Christ is not once named in all or any of the first nine Verses of the first of John but only the Word Answ See how ignorant this man is of the Scriptures for it saith the Word was with God Mark that and doth thou deny this to be Christ whose Name is called the Word of God Rev. 19. Heb. 1. how God hath spoken in these last dayes unto us by his Son by whom the World was made And so here again he would make a difference betwixt Christ and God and because the word Christ is not there see how he shuffles and how ignorant he is for Christ is called the Light Life Truth and Word c. and Christ is called the Lamb of God Joh. 1. and John doth expresly say That he is the Light of the World Joh. 8. and doth enlighten every man that comes into the World which true Light John bore witness of that all through him might believe And thou has denyed Christ to be the Word who is the Light of the World and doth enlighten every man that comes into the World There is three that bears Record in Heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost so thou hast denyed this Record in Heaven who saist the Word is not Christ who was with the Father spoken of in John the Word was with God and 1. John 552. VVe are in him that is true in his Son Jesus Christ this is the true God and Eternal Life And so thou goes about to make people believe Christ is not God and we know the VVord was made Flesh and dwells in Men which thou saist he Tabernacled amongst Men as though he did not now which we must tell thee he doth now by the light which shines in their hearts Cor. 2. 4. And whereas thou saist Christ the word being imbodied in Flesh he is thenceforth called Christ the Lord or the Lords Christ and no otherwise doth he bear that Name but as he is the word made Flesh to be seen and believed on it is not the word alone nor the flesh alone but the word and flesh in union that is called Christ and is a Light to lighten the Gentiles till then there was no such thing as a Christ or a Light to the Gentiles but only in a promise Ans Whereas thou saist there was no such thing as a Christ till he was imbodied in flesh nor light to the Gentiles but only in a promise Then what was that Light which let Nebuchadnezzar see the Stone cut out of the Mountain without hands and let Job see his Redeemer and doth not Stephen say that was Christ they thrust from them and turned back again in their hearts into Egipt Acts 7. And was not that Christ the Word which Moses spoke of to the Children of Israel that they should hear and need not say who shall ascend or who shall descend and did not the Apostle say that was Christ in Rom. 10. And this the Righteousness of Faith that Moses spoke of to the Children Deut. 30. 12. the VVord was in their hearts and mouthes and doth not David call him the Anointed as in Psal 2. 2. and is not the Anointed Christ And Daniel calls him Messiah which is Christ Dan. 9. and saw him before he came and is not the Word Christ which is according to the Law and Testimony Isa 8. And how was he a Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World and is it not said in Gen. 3. 15. the seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpents heads and is not the Seed Christ Gal. 3. 16. and Christ said Before Abraham was I am and thus saith the Lord to his Anointed to Cyrus whose right hand I have upholden to subdue Nations before him And what thinks thou by this what is Anointed is Christ no where spoken of before he was imbodied in Flesh and we believe he was made flesh and know it and are of his flesh according to the Scripture and we do know the Union of Christ and the Word that was made flesh but thou believes not in this Christ the Word which was made flesh who is the Light of the Gentiles and the Glory of Israel and he could not be Christ without God who is manifest in the Flesh which is a mistery to thee and we know that Christ thorow the Gospel has brought life and immortality to
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
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
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
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
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
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
denyed which is the Light of Christ Jesus and if thou would cast off thy evil cast off thy lying slanders reproaches mockings scoffings and if ever thou wilt learn or imbrace good thou must imbrace the Light of Christ Jesus which hitherto thou hast reproached and wilt thou learn of us which thou callest Antichrist thou manifests thy self this is but one of thy flattering scorns And whereas thou saist Through the Riches of Grace having cast out those Beams which dims the eyes of many I can better discern the meates that lyes deep in the bottom of their eye Answ Thou denying the Light of Christ Jesus and not owning the grace which brings salvation which hath appeared to all men as in Titus Thou art far off the Riches of the Grace who calls Christ the Light an Idol and instead of casting out Beams and Moats thou art fighting against Christ the Light Truth and Covenant and Salvation to the ends of the Earth And whereas thou saist Being of equal ground with them can tell them that all their sair pretences and high expressions are found to be a covering too short to hide their nakedness and deceit Ans It is Truth we hold forth and fair pretences is thy own condition in words but out of life and so thy nakedness is seen to all that fear God and thy deceitful covering which is now taken off and thou art manifest and thou art not upon equal ground with us who denies Christ to be the Light And whereas thou saist While they call others Deceivers they themselves are the more subtle Deceivers Ans In this thou hast declared thy own condition for we are saved by Christ and hold him forth and declare what we have heard and seen Iohn 1. 3. and declares aginst all such Deceivers as thou art who is an Enemy to Man's Salvation Christ Jesus the Light John 8. And whereas thou saist While they call others Babylons Merchants and charge them for selling Christs the Prophets and Apostles words they themselves do the some and that none sells more Babylonish then they nor at higher rates then they as might be instanced in several Persons that I forbear to mention Ans We are come cut of Babylon where thou art and all your confusions and have recived the Lord Jesus Christ whom we declare freely as we have received without money or price and we do abhor thy lyes and slanders as to declare Babylons Merchants and such as makes a Trade upon Christs the Prophets Apostles words then to do the same things our selves which no honest man can charge us justly with such things but such as thee who sells thy self to work wickedness and the Lord will rebuke thy spirit for charging that upon his innocent Lambs which they are not guilty of and we do charge thee to mention those particulars and their Names that hath sold such ware at so great a rate and what was the rate and who and what are their Names that bought it And whereas thou saist while thou endeavours to discover their deceits thou intends not to hurt any thing that 's good in them Ans It is the good in us that thou strikes at and in that thou hast discovered thy own deceit as may be seen all along in thy Book together with thy contradictions And thou saist Hosea 14. 9. who so is wise and he shall understand these things prudent and he shall know them for the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them But John wiggan hath fully discovered his foolishness and that he walks not in the way of the Lord which is Light for Christ saith I am the Light I am the Way the Truth and the Life and this Light he hath denyed A POSTSCRIPT How hath thou lived in sloath and idleness that thou hast not convinced those that turned from thee which was thy Heareis all these many Years that thou begins but now alack for thee they are on a Foundation above thee and so thy Sandy Foundation and darkness and enmity and making gaine of the Apostles and Christs Words has been thy own condition and keeping People alwayes in Teaching that they may alwayes be Paying thee And now that thy Goin as gone thou grumbles and mutters against those that be innocent and judgeth them in the practice of thy self and so measureth them with by own Earthly Spirit and judgeth them with Earthly judgment which cometh not near them Something in ANSVVER To JOHN WIGANS APPENDIX Wherein he Compares the Evil Language of the Quakers with the False Prophets Answ TO tell a man he is a Lyar if he find him so is not a Mark of a false Prophet for Jeremiah did so Jer. 23. And the Apostle was no false Prophet when he told them they spake lyes in hypocrisie 1 Tim. 4. And Jeremiah was no false Prophet when he said They bent their tongues like a how to speak lyes Jer. 9. Nor David was no false Prophet when he said They turned aside after lyes Psal 40. And the Apostle was no false Prophet when he said Satan had filled their hearts Act. 5. as he hath done thine else would thou not have uttered so many lyes against us but we are not afraid of thy Reproaches Psal 51. 2. neither do we matter thy mocks for fools make a mock at sin Prov. 14. 16. And knowing that mockers was to come in the last times Jade 18. Though we have undergone the trial of cruel mockings but God will not be mocked with thy Religion and vain words Gal. 6. for what thou sowest thou must reap and our words that are spoken to you are truth who makes no distinction when the truth speaks to the wickedness and unrighteous state of man which the wicked may get the words as thou dost and throw upon the righteous And whereas thou compares us to the false Prophets and the unclean spirits in the Revelations which came cut of the mouth of the Dragon and were proud boasters false accusers and incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good Answ John this is thy own condition thou hast directly read it yet before thou said thou would learn of us and thou said they were the better meaning people that came to us thus thou foamest out thy own shame like unto the raging waves of the Sea And whereas thou saist We boast of persection and sinless life and are the servants of corruption Answ This is false the Lord rebuke thy spirit for our perfection is in Christ the crown of our rejoycing who thou saist is an Idol and Christ we serve and not corruption And see if any of our Friends have spoken such words to thee as thou hast spoken against the truth and thou denying the spirit and Light in men by which they should see their salvation thou can be no otherwise but as a wave of the Sea as a Well without water and a Cloud without rain as in Jude manifest to be in the
these things is a mystery to thee and thou knows nothing of them but what thou knowes naturally as a bruit Beast for thou cannot believe the Apostles Testimony that he gives in the 13. of the Acts when he is speaking of Saul vers 22. and when he had removed him to wit Saul he raised up David to be their King to whom he gave Testimony c. Of this Mans Seed hath God according to his promise raised vers 25 unto Israel a Saviour Jesus when John had preached before his coming and as John fulfilled his course he said whom think ye that I am c. Men and Brethren of the stock of Abraham and whosoever among you that feareth God to you is the word of this Salvation sent vers 26. So let the Reader read this portion of Scripture and see whether Christ Jesus be not Gods Covenant of Light and Promise unto Abraham and unto David and also whether this be not that which John bore Testimony of and so now thou art sufficiently proved thus far not only a breaker of Gods Covenant and Promise unto Abraham and his Seed for ever in whom the Apostle saith all the promises of God are yea and in him Amen 1 Cor. 20. The next is wherein thou has denyed Christ to be that word which John beares witness to which was in the begining with God saying the neglect of this distinction of the word Creator and the word made flesh is the ground of the great mistake of many thou saist who not considering what is testified of the Word as Creator do confound that Light which is set up by him in every man with that Light which he gives as he is the word made flesh and so calls that Light saving which is but natural springing up with him in his Creation yea hence they call that Light Christ which is but the Law written in the heart Answ I desire the Reader to read over the 1st of John and seriously consider what distinctions he findes made there from the word that was in the begining and the word that 's made flesh and the light that lightens every Man that 's come into the World and whether all these be not Christ which John beares witnesse of and whether John and the Spirit of God there have separated them as the blacknesse and darknesse in J. W. hath done and let the Reader judge whether this Man be not possest with an Inchanting Spirit of Sorcery and Witch-craft and even as it were given up to work wickednesse to his own destruction being filled with envy and malice against the Truth which has overthrown his rotten and sandy foundation and causes him so to rage that he even blasphemes against the God of Heaven that he even dares to separate the God-head and would not have Christ Jesus to be the true Light and Word of God which was in the begining in whom the fulnesse of the God-head dwells and that bodily Gal. 3. 9. And so as thou hast denyed Christ to be the Covenant of God thou has also denyed him to be the Word of God and also has denyed him to be the Light that lighteth every man that comes into the world and so has denyed his God-head as he is a Saviour by which all the Fathers were saved and dyed in the faith of him and the Patriarchs and the Prophets that had his word in their hearts and thou has denyed him to be the Light of Israel and thou has denyed him to be the first fruits of them that sleep and the first begotten from the dead and the first born of every Creature thou has denyed his very life and substance and the laying of his life down thou has denyed for thou said he denyed faith to some and one of thy Brethren said that his blood was not shed for all and thus you spake despight against the spirit of Grace and counts the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing and so Christ is of little value to you and you are not worthy of him but for the Seeds sake and that people may not be blinded with thy wickedness and blindness and darkness and that people may come to an understanding of the Truth I desire the Reader seriously to consider these following Proofes that is to say first of John That Word which was in the beginning with God by which all things was made and Created which was before man was made or Created and was glorified with the Father before the World began whether this be not the word Christ the Saviour of mankind according to the Apostles words in the 1. of Heb. 2. ver and so on hath in these last dayes spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things by whom also he made the World c. And whether this Son of God by which all things was made and Created is not the Saviour and the Word in the beginning and the Redeemer of all Mankind and whether the Word which Moses spoke of to the Children of Israel Deut. 30. 14. when he said The Word is very nigh thee in thy heart mouth that thou may do it and said then he had set Life and Death before them which the Apostle in the 10. of Hebrews bears testimony to who saith Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believes And when he rehearses Moses Words he saith Who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the Deep that is to bring Christ up again from the Dead But what saith it the Word is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart this is the word of Faith which we preach that if thou shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in thy heart that God has raised him from the dead thou shall be saved Doth not the Apostle say that this Lord Jesus is the Word this is the Doctrine the Apostle preached the same Word in the heart as Moses did But I. W. denies this Doctrine and this Word and this Jesus that is very nigh in the heart that preaches Righteousness he preacheth him afar off it vexeth him to hear of him nigh in his heart for his heart is filled with hypocrisie and darkness and Gods Word and Witness lyes slain in him and so all his Preaching is of Christ without him crucified at Jerusalem but he knows him not nor where he is and so all his separation is but in the darkness talking of a Christ without him and denying Gods Covenant of Light within Isa 49. 8. and denying Christ the Word in the heart which was that which the Apostle preached and likewise the Apostle Peter Acts. 10. 36. The Word which God sent unto the Children of Israel preaching peace by Jesus Christ the Word I say you know which was published throughout all Judea after the preaching of the Baptisme of John and hew God anointed Jesus Christ c. vers 43.
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
taken it caused thee to spew out these words and to be so large in writing against Friends and the truth and for the reason of calling them dogs the Scriptures are very plain for they were called greedy dumb dogs who sought for gain from their quarter and yet there was many to lick up their vomit likewise they were called Dogs which were without as thou may read in the Revelations And for thy Challenge to us we were willing to meet thee but thou was not willing to meet us although thon before challenged to meet G. F. or any of his friends what is the cause dost thou not condescend to men of low degree for if I meet thee it is not with hoasting my self in other mens lines made ready to my hand but in the name and power of the Lord in the Light of his Son Christ for this I say unto thee if thou had not used deceit thou would have written down my whole Paper but I shall cause it to be written down my self that all may see it and do not charge George Fox with it and since thou hast given a second Challenge but hast not answered the first which we did call on thee to do and to make good thy assertions but thou shuffles off from it and names G. Fox and flees from us and will make it good to neither the Paper is as follows we desire thee with patience to read it over Oh friend John Wiggan it seems old Wood's and Curwen's Pills which they gave thee to work out that old Leaven that hath layn so long within thee but this hath wrought of the contrary part and hath caused thee to vomit and spew out upon a piece of Paper and sent forth for the Dogs to lick up and they being eager doth take so much of this thy filthy spewing that it causeth them to vomit as thou dost therefore it was high time to call for it that no more be made sick with it thou hast used so many friends names in it that by the reason that it was taken away so suddenly and unexpectedly that they cannot reply unto it thou saith thou hast answered Wood's Queries but it appears that they remain unanswered and likewise thou put down 24. Queries of Curwen's unanswered therefore Henry Wood and Thomas Curwen will meet thee to answer thy Challenge which thou hath put forth and saith thou would be answered before the High Sheriffe for we are not careful to answer thee in this matter although thou useth the name of Christ thou doth not depart from iniquity as it doth appear by thy smiting at the Corner-stone which is the Light thou art far behind the woman of Samaria for she said is not this the Christ that hath shewed me all that ever I did it appears to me that thou esteems this at a low value which shewes thee all things that ever thou did and calls it Natural although it testifie against those things that are natural and carnal where thou art worshipping the God of the World which blinds the eye of the children of disobedience the vaile of darkness is so thick that thou cannot see thorow it nor comprehend the Light that giveth the Light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ which shineth in the heart And whereas thou saist thy assertion is made good it appears to all that are wise that it is not made good at all for thou hath challenged another Meeting so appoint the place and time and Thomas Curwen and Henry Wood and William Houlding or any of them will meet thee and hear what thou can say against Christ the saving Light Now whereas thou saist not a word in all those Papers discovers the unsoundness of thy Assertion Ans Thou should have published the Papers to the Readers and then they might have judged of it whether thou hast spoken truth or no but thou art afraid to publish that which makes against thee but takes here a word and there a word thinking thereby to villifie friends but they are made manifest in the hearts of people and all thy slanders nor any thing thou canst do will hurt any of us for was there a worse word spoken to thee which was spoken in the truth then thou thy self did speak to me and other friends faisly and unjustly and why didst thou not publish in thy Book those four sheets of Paper that the Reader might have seen them and our expressions in our Letters had they been light vain and frivilous thou would have made advantage upon them and not have hid them but have published them in thy Book as thou hast done some few lines of them but they are true unto thy condition and will stand on thy head and it doth become Saints to bear testimony against deceit and there is much in thy Papers that contradicts thy Assertion and my Paper was true and overthrew it which thou publisht a few lines of and then tells the Reader of four sheets and never a word to discover thy assertion and thus thou loves thy deeds of darkness and hates the Light and thus thy folly is made manifest to all men 2 Tim. 3. And whereas thou saist thou hast not published this abroad but we have done it first which is false for we did publish nothing in the Town for the Letter which I gave to the Jaylor thou hadst but I did not send it into the Town but gave it to Thomas Hardy but thou sent thine into the Town and abroad and was not so honest as to give us a Coppy of it and thy assertion was answered by plain Scripture but was never proved by plain Scripture but is thy chaffie imaginations and wresting the Scriptures which is nothing but spewing from a child of darkness which hates the Light Joh. 3. Rev. and hath not God spewed thee and thy Religion and Worship out of his mouth Levit. 18. 28. And whereas thou speaks how we cursed thee with the plagues of God the Scripture saith the plagues of God is to thee who adds to the Scripture as thou hast done and it was thou that said the plagues of God was upon me but thy curses are causless so what we have writ and spoken to thee it was from the Spirit of God and the Lord hath judged between thee and us in this matter and his judgment is clear and thy hidden things of darkness is come to Light 1 Cor. 4. and there is no Communion between Light and darkness 2 Cor. 6. and the mist of darkness is over thee 2 Pet. 2. the darkness hath blinded thy eyes Joh. 2. Reserved under the Chains of darkness Jude 6. and Rev. 6. read that and see thy own condition Whereas thou saist Had it not been a more easie and commendable work in one sheet plainly to have discovered and refuted error if any such be in my Writings then to have filled 3. or 4. sheets with such stuffe as this surely a right spirit would have
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
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
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
are baptized and made to drink into the one spirit and doth the Apostle say to every Saint and every one that is baptized into the spirit and not to every man that comes into the World doth the Apostle say these words but are not his words every man and not every Saint and for the same words used in the 11. of Corinthians makes nothing for thy purpose that all men have not the spirit for that is spoken to them that came together into one place there the Apostle distinguishes his own words what shifts art thou put too for to pervert the Truth And whereas thou sayest this is said to every man of them and not every man that comes into the World and now people see whether the Apostle saith the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every one of you only and see how he contradicts himself with the Scriptures he brings and would pervert it for the Apostle saith the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man and not to every one of you 1 Cor. 12. 7. and it s given to them to profit withal whether they do or not and Gods spirit is poured upon all flesh and so this Scripture makes nothing for thy purpose And as for Exodus 19. 5. this doth not oppose Gods pouring out of his Spirit upon all Flesh Acts 2. and Nehem. 9. was brought how that God gave his good spirit to such as rebelled against him which thou affirmed that wicked men had not the Spirit of God and we know that the Jewes was called the Church and people of God though many of them fell for their wickedness but these that rebelled against it had it that were wicked people which thou denyed and said that no wicked people had the Spirit of God which after thou confessed and so hast overthrown thy Assertion and so thou saith and unsaith Secondly Thou saith though it be said he gave them his good Spirit it will not follow that every particular or individual Israelite had this good Spirit but such as were Israelites indeed Ans Thou hast confessed that the Righteous hath the Spirit of God so thou art to prove that the wicked hath it not and in Joshuah the first there is nothing spoken in that Chapter that God doth not pour out his Spirit upon all Flesh and that wicked men hath not the spirit there is nothing at all for his purpose all that reads it may see And as for Romans 2. 28 29. this confounds thee all that reads it may see for this brings people to the spirit of God in them that they may be Jewes in the spirit and the Romans its known they had been Heathens and wicked people yet they had the Spirit and all being not Israel that be of Israel Rom. 9. 6. we know that neither are all true Christians that saith they are Christians but are such Israelites and Christians that quench the spirit as thou dost but thou denies that all men have it and so opposes the very Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets And whereas thou say'st that saying in the 9. of Nehem. must be reserved thus Moses had that good Spirit and God promised to take off that good spirit that was upon him and put upon the seventy Elders Numb 11. 17. thus Joshuah was a man in whom was the Spirit Num. 27. 18. and had another spirit than many others had and was fitted thereby for the conduct of the Congregation Numb 27. 16. but it cannot hence be inserted that all or any of the fleshly seed of Abraham or such as were born after the flesh had the spirit but such onely as were born after the Spirit Gall. 4. 23 29. Ans This is Wiggan's conclusion and meaning upon these Scriptures which he hath brought to prove that every man that comes into the world hath not the Spirit which are not to that purpose at all and doth the 9. of Nehem. speak that Joshuah had the spirit and Moses and that it was put upon the Elders and was these them that Rebelled and slew the Lords Prophets and turned against him what Prophets of the Lord did they slay because thou sayest that in Nehem. must be reserved that Moses had the good Spirit c. and they after the flesh or any of the fleshly seed of Abraham or such as were born after the flesh had not the spirit but such as were born after the spirit c. and Nehemiah said generally he gave his good spirit unto them not only to Moses and Joshuah but such as turned their backs on the Lord which thou cannot prove that ever Moses or Joshuah slew the Lords Prophets c. and that God deliver'd them into the hands of their enemy to be vexed and troubled and as for Numb 11. 17. doth not prove that the Children of Israel had not the spirit of God nor Numb 27. 16 18. for that saith God is the spirit of all flesh that proves against thee for the Children of Israel had heard the voice of God and knew the power of God when thy came out of Egipt and knew his Law and so he was called their God and so they knew the things of God which they could not have done but by the spirit of God and Moses said they were the Children of God and were a holy people Deut. 14. and they were to hearken diligently to the voice of God c. and he had set his people the Jewes the seed of Abraham after the flesh above all Nations of the Earth Deut. 28. and yet thou fayest all Israel nor any after the flesh had not the Spirit and Gall. 4. 23 29. doth not prove that Israel after the flesh had not the Spirit because they were not born after it for those that persecutes them that are born after the spirit grieves the spirit of God in themselves as Christ said the Kingdom of Heaven was in the Pharisees that persecuted and the Jewes that stopt their Eares and shut their Eyes and would not hear nor see least they should have been converted and healed and that which they stopt their Eares and shut their eyes too plainly appears it was the Spirit else what did they backslide and erre from and quench and grieve so it is evident that all these Scriptures thou hast brought is to no purpose to prove that all men hath not the spirit And whereas thou brings Gall. 4. 6. of such as were Sons of God they may and oft do grieve the spirit of God it doth not say they may and oft do grieve the Spirit in the Ephes 4. 30. but this thou brings that the Sons of God grieves the Spirit of God and quenches it and not the wicked was there ever the like heard for we say and the Scriptures saith it is the wicked that grieves the Spirit of God and thou sayest it is the Sons of God and as for Acts the 7. 5. which we alledge which speak of their rebelling vexing and resisting
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
light And the Son of God is come And what dost thou talk of Grace and denies his Light And what dost thou talk of the love which was in the Fathers bosome for thou who denies him who is the Light of the world and that dost not believe in him the light how should thou have Everlasting life but perish in thy gain-saying And thou saist That Christ did not come to enlighten every man that comes into the world but only those that believe on him and brings Ioh. 3. 19. 8. 12. Ans This is thy saying and not Iohns thou hast wronged those Scriptures for none of them doth say that Christ did not come to enlighten every man that comes into the world but only those that believe thou hast not proved this by the Scriptures though thou hast perverted many for Iohn 1. said he was the true light that lighteth every man that comes into the world And thou saist but only those that believe And Christ says I am the light of the World and believe in the light And Ioh. 3. 19. 8. 12. doth not say there he hath only enlightned some but all good and bad such as hate the light and would not come to it lest the light should reprove them whose deeds be evil this is thy condition And the Condemnation is because that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light because their deeds be evil but he that doth truth cometh to the light that his deeds may be manifest that they are wrought in God but thou art not come to the light whose deeds be evil and so manifests that they are not wrought in God but fights against it And whereas thou speaks The word made flesh is he that was promised to be a Covenant to the people and a Light to the Gentiles who brings into the world a Life and Light far exceeding the Light that was set up in every man that comes into the world by the word Creator Answ This word made flesh and Covenant of Light which the Prophets gave testimony of as in the 1 of John thou denyes And in Joh. 8. and Luk. 2. A Light to lighten the Gentiles And this was Christ for John saith he was not the Light but came to bear witness of the Light that was the true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the World And this is above thy natural Light and created Light and made Light And doth give life And dost thou not mean the Scripture when thou speaks of the word Creator For we have good reason to suspect thee seeing thou said to me Thomas Curwen and to William Wilson in thy Chamber That the Scriptures were the Author of thy Faith for the rest of thy Generation used to tell us That the Scriptures was the word and the Light of the Creator is a Natural and a created Light and the Spirit of a natural man that knows the things of God And this is the Light that John came to bear witness of saist thou And this thy miserable darkness in saying Iohn came to bear witness of a created and natural Light and Spirit of a man and a natural mans Conscience That he should be sent of God to bear this witness For as many as received him this light which did enlighten them became the Sons of God but they that hated this light it became their Condemnation Joh. 3. Joh. 1. 12. And thou nor none will never receive Life nor Son-ship but as they receive the Light which thou hates makes such outrage against but that Light which Iohn bore witness of which thou bears witness against has ript off thy covering manifested thy deeds turned thy inside out And the Light is a stumbling block to thee and a Rock of offence for it seems it has offended thee an thou that would not have the Light will not have the Son and so has denied thy self of Life yet thou wilt bow the knee and spit in his face and say is not this the Carpenters Son the natural Light like the Jews And where doth the Scripture say which thou hast perverted that Iohn came to bear witness of the Light the Word Creator and not of Christ the Ligh the Word Make this good by plain Scripture without thy immaginations and before they be born again they must believe in the Light Iohn the 12th And so men are in Death and Darkness and hates the Light as thou dost and remains in the Natural State while they hate the Light for that which makes manifest is the Light Ioh. 3. Ephes 5. 13. And thou saist The neglect of this distinction of the word Creator and the Word made Flesh which is so plainly laid down in the Scripture as hath been shewed is the ground of the great mistake of many who not considering what is testified of the word as Creator do confound that light which is set up by him as such in every man with that Light which he gives as he is the word made flesh and so call the light saving which is but Natural springing up with him in his Creation yea hence they call that Light Christ which is but the Law written in the heart whereas Christ is the Law-giver and so cannot be the Law Ans Here thou holds forth two Words and was it not the word that became flesh and doth not John Revel 19. say that he is the Alpha and Omega and his Name is called the Word of God so here is one word but thou hath not found another word and so to make two words and here thou goes about to divide Christ when the Scripture saith I and my Father are one Joh. 17. And there is three that bear Record in Heaven the Father VVord and Holy Ghost and these Three are one he doth not say two words Joh. 5. 7. And is not the New Covenant Christ the Law in the heart Hob. 8. 9 10 11. And it is false for we do not call the Natural Light springing up with man in his Creation saving but we say Christ is the Light and Salvation to the ends of the Earth And the light which is Natural that comes from the word Creator by which they may know the Eternal power and God-head as thou saist before by which they may seek and feel after God and brings Cor. 2. which saith The Natural man doth not know nor perceive the things of God Was there ever such confusion as this for they that had that which let them see the Eternal Power and God-head was by that which might be known of God which was manifest in them for that which brings people to know the Eternal Power and God-head and to feel and seek after him and to know much of the Creator is not a Natural light as thou saist doth but it is a Spiritual Light and it is thou that confounds thy self with thy own imaginations and distinctions and wrongs and abuses the Scriptures and is
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
principles are according to the old errors thou speaks of But thou saist thou hast done with our Principles thou needs not enlarge upon our Hay Wood and Stubble being assured the removing of our Foundation which thou saist thou hast done will bring down our whole building Ans We are Gods building 1 Cor. 3. And we have a building of God Ephes 2 and Christ is our Foundation which remains and stands sure 2 Tim. And we are built upon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles Christ himself being the head Corner stone the Lord hath laid our foundation and no other foundation can any man lay 1 Cor. 3. 11 12. Zach. 8. 12. Eph. 2. 2. Tim. 2. And as for hay wood and stuble it is thy own and will be burnt up who has denyed Christ the Light the foundation and called him a natural and created Light and Idol but thy foundation and building is down together it 's hard to know where it stood And where are all your Builders and Daubers and now after all thy slanders and raylings thou wouldst make people believe thou lovest our persons And when thou hast uttered all thy lyes and malice thou in hypocrisie and feigned humility would make people believe thou pittiest us But we know what thy pitty is But we are come to the true Jesus who takes pity of our souls though thou long deceived many of us I believe that few people would hardly have believed that there had been so much poison venom in thee thou hast denyed Christ the Light the way truth life calls him natural and created and so art in the error thou speaks of and thy bowels is the belly of Hell Jonah 2. And what hast thou to do to take the Lords name in thy mouth and hates to be reformed But thou art one of them that uses thy Tongue saying Thus saith the Lord when he never spoke to thee Jeremiah 23 Thou saist Thou hast born thy Testimony against us in that which appears in us against the mystery of Christ crucified Ans Christ Jesus which was crucified which thou slanderously saist we deny but him we own it is thou that denies him to be crucified in denying his Light for we preach Christ crucified 1 Cor 1. 23 2. Cor. 2. And him that the Jews crucified who were in the same envious Spirit with thee against the light Jo. 1. Mat. 20. 19. and Mark 15. 13. Luk. 23. 23. Rev. 11. 8. we are crucified with Christ Gall. 2. 20. And if thou hadst written fewer errors it had been better for thee but praised be the Lord God thy deeds are brought to light and this is a poor shift for thee to come off so after thou hast laid down thy assertions and cannot maintain them nor canst not make them good for our questions was learned questions and tended not to strife and yet stands on thy head unanswered and thou and all which thou hast declared hath been against God and Christ so that thou art one that bears false witness against him not for him And thou hast manifested the error of thy judgment for thy understanding is error Psal 19. Mat. 22. 22. 1 Tim. 6. 10. and that which thou hast done hath been against Christ the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles and thy Commendation of us is reviling and slandering for it is manifest thou hast a double tongue unbridled Jam. 1. Tim. 3. 8. and with thy tongue thou thinks to prevail Psal 12. but a lying tongue Prov. 12. 19. is but for a moment and he that uses slanders is a fool Prov. 10. 18. but we cannot walk with slanderers Jer. 6. 20. And thou saist Our principle hath had its growth and advantage from these means from the pride covetousness formality idleness and cruelty corrupt oustomes Idolatry superstition of Parish Priests and the generality of their Hearers Ans And John Wiggan Trencher Chaplain shall be put in amongst them And thus when you were in your wickedness as thou speaks of before and mocked God with your Religion as the end of it hath manifested it self God hath overturned it and stained your glory and your pride which went before your destruction Prov. 16. 18. then the Lord had compassion upon us in your day when no eye pittied us and revealed his Son in us who is our Shepherd and leader and Salvation Ezekiel And thou with the rest Railed against us in your idleness and pride and carnality and who was mader against Truth then your separated Congregations in railing against the Light and Spiritual Teaching and who were taught of God and Christ and followed him and would not follow your pernitious wayes and when we prophesied to you of your down-fall both in your Towns and Cities and Army you abused us prisoned us and persecuted us though all the things is come to pass upon you which we then spoke and yet thou in thy envy and malice art railing against the Truth the Light Christ that it should spread but thou had rather the evils before mentioned should spread Idleness and Pride c. And our Testimony was born against your pride and hypocrisie in the truth and spirit and power of Jesus against all your false Worships and Churches and Teachers which God hath thrown down according to our Testimony and you were found treacherous to your own Principles in all things for we faithfully bearing our Testimony for the Lord God to you as he gave to us and for standing faithful to him we were prisoned and had our Goods spoyled by you and now you are murmurers against us because truth stands and your foundation is fallen to the ground and thou wickedly termes the true Christ who is Light to be Antichrist And whereas thou saist Antichrist doth never oppose Christ more then when he appears in a mystery when he comes in the name of Christ and pretends to be all for Christ reproving much that is evil and pleading for many commendable things thus our Saviour tells us many false Christs shall arise Mathew 24. 24. in Sheeps cloathing Mathew 7. 15. in so much that if it were possible they should deceive the very Elect. Ans This is directly thy own condition who appears in a mystery to oppose Christ the Light but we cannot say of many commendable things thou hast done or sins reproved and neither Mat. 24. nor Mat. 7. saith that Antichrist shall do many commendable things or reprove sins for that which reproves sin is the spirit which Antichrist is gone from Christ said Antichrist and false Prophets should come to the Disciples and John saw they were come 1 John 2. and they went forth from them into the World and as in the Revelations the whole World went after them and they inwardly ravened from the Spirit and so keeps people from the Spirit and Light within them as thou dost and these have the Scriptures the Sheeps Cloathing and if it were possible would deceive the very Elect but
John who saw they was come said the Saints had the Anointing within them to teach them and they needed not any man to teach them but as the Anointing teacheth them and the Apostles brought them to the Light within them and the Law within them and Christ bid them not to follow the false Prophets but he would dwell in them and his spirit should lead them into all truth Joh. 14. and 2 Cor. 4. Heb. 8. 1. And whereas thou saist We have cryed against the Priests and Teachers as Hirelings and deceivers coveteus scandalous c. and their Hearers as ignorant superstitious formal and that every charge hath much of truth in it Ans Here thou art made to confess something to the Truth as the Devil did to the Son of God and hath judged thy self too for thou was one that we cryed against at Manchester and our testimony stands against thee as it did who professes what thou art not dost thou not remember Elizabeth Hulme John Abraham James Harrison and what a rage and madness thou was in when they came to thee to declare the things of God and how thou lift up thy Fist of wickedness against John Abraham and could not hold thy violent hands and the guilt in you all have answered our testimony and thou yet was never able to stand to truths face nor answer the truth if thou had thou would have answered the Queries e're now And we are not of them which cries loe here is Christ or loe there is Christ but as the Apostle saith Col. 1. 27 28. Christ in you the hope of Glory whom we preach warning every man and teaching every man that we might present every man perfect in Christ Jesus and Christ was not like to be found amongst you when you denyed the Light and they that were innocent that had received the Light quickly saw you and this Light hath and will stop all your mouthes that denies it and the Light is not a shew but the substance And thou would seem to hide thy self from the carnal proud professors as if thou wert not of them but they that knows thee knows what thou hast been and what thou art yet and all thy Congregations which thou hast gathered where hast thou left them now so that which thou who denies the Light hath been doing is but to beat the Air. And all that were sober and feared God seeing you persecuting us and reviling against the Light and against the Spirit and what unchristian actions they used against us was a cause through quiring into truth to cause them to forsake you who denyed the Light of Jesus who broke into confusion amongst your selves and biting at truth and biting at one another till you were consumed one of another And so the good meaning people that did not make Godliness a game as you did imbraced the Light of Jesus and came into the fellowship of the Light and the Gospel which is the power of God Rom. 1. And whereas thou saist The well meaning people easily fell into their Net to do homage to their new God in the mean while the ignorant rash Priests and people who dealt with them lost themselves and injured the truth and gave this people ground to glory over them Ans If the well meaning people fell to us then the ill meaning people staid with you and this manifests you are fallen from truth when the well meaning forsook you And whereas thou saist they did homage to their new God Nay it s that God and Christ which 〈◊〉 ever was and will be whom you for sook and denyed as thou denies still and mocked with your words like them that opposed the Apostles and called it a new Doctrine a setter forth of strange Gods Acts and so you did injure the truth as thou dost now and it is Christs Net which they were catched in which kept the good and threw out the bad according to thy own Words and as you have injured the truth so hath God brought his judgments upon you and thou hath given us as much cause to glory over thee as ever any did but our glorying was and is in the Lord God and his Son Jesus Christ who hath dearly bought us with his Blood and thou that denies the Light crucifies Christ afresh and puts him to open shame And whereas thou saist the right course to deal with us is to distinguish between good and evil Ans This thou hast not done as is manifest in thy Book but like one of the false Prophets who follows thy own spirit and sees nothing but puts darkness for light and light for darkness and thou hast manifested thy unrighteous dealing to us in all thy Book and thou dost not own the good nor imbrace it nor cherish it how canst thou when thou denies the Light of Christ for that which doth make manifest and reproves is light and all things is manifest by the Light and this Light thou hatest and chofest the darkness Ephesians 5. and loves it more then the Light John 3. And whereas thou saist Thou will joyne issue with us to bear witness against hireling Priests against Tythes against superstitious carnal Worship against swearing against corrupt worldly customes herein joyne with them are they at least in shew for the power of Godliness as well as the forme for worshipping in spirit and truth for justice for Righteousness sobriety mercy gravity and whatsoever is excellent in life and conversation so am I yea whatsoever they can make appear to be evil that I would east off with as much indignation as they and what further good they can shew that I have not learned that would I gladly imbrace Ans When did John Wiggan bear Testimony against Hireling Priests and Tyth-takers should not John Wiggan had Tythes at Manchester to make up his Wages and was not he a Priest at his Chappels where he put off his dark Ware denying the Light of Christ and now when John hath lost his Chappels he will cry against them and their formality now when he cannot get them Oh subtilty but would he cry against them if he had 100. or 200 l. a Year given him nay would he not bless them for it and how can thou worship God in spirit truth who denies Christ the Light spirit of God to be in every man Thou art a false Worshipper thy Worship is false the Lord moved us to cry against thee and that in thy high dayes and must thou talk of crying against corrupt Customs and be in them thy self for thy evil words hath corrupted thy manners and thou art not for the power of Godliness and thou art far from the modesty gravity or justice or righteousness thy language bewrayes thee as thy lyes and slanders with mocking scoffing reproachful words and thy sawey language to Friends and especially to Margaret Fells which shames both Learning and Breeding and that most excellent thing in life and conversation thou hast
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
their hearts that was in the beginning has thou not here denyed the Emanuel God with us that the Prophet Isay testified of and so has denyed Christ come in the Flesh whereby thou has clearly manifested thy self to be an Antichrist indeed for thou hast set thy self to oppose Christ for Christ Jesus himself when he preached to the multitude he said Mat. 13. 3. c. A Sower went out to sow and the Seed that he sow'd was the Word of God and the field that he sow'd in was the World and the ground that brought forth fruit to God was the honest and good heart And he saith again Ye are clean thorow the Word c. Ioh. 15. 3. And again Sanctifie them thorow thy truth thy word is truth Ioh. 17. 17. And again Heb. 3. Who being the brightness of his Glory and the express Image of his person and upholding all things by the word of his Power when he had by himself purged our sins sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high was not this Christ But thou wilt say it may be if he be of the Majesty on high he is not in the hearts of people then Thy blindness darkness and ignorance of God looks so But the Apostle Peter his Exhortation was That as new born babes they should desire the sincere milk of the Word that they might grow thereby And the Apostle James exhorted them To receive with meekness the ingrafted word which is able to save the Soules Chap. 1. 21. And again in Peter 1 epist 2. 6. Behold I lay in Zion a chief Corner-stone elect pretious and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded unto you therefore which believe he is pretious but unto them which be disobedient the Stone which the Builders disallowed the same is made the head of the corner and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence even to them that stumble at the word being disobedient whereunto also they were appointed 1 Pet. 2. 7 8. Now I. W. thou art this man for thou has stumbled at the word and art fallen and shall never rise again this stone shall grind thee to powder this is our Corner-stone which thou sayes thou will confound but the Apostle sayes he that believeth in him and we believe in him therefore shall never be confounded and so here thou will be found a lyer And thou saith in thy Book thou will remove our foundation which is the light in every man which is sufficiently proved that it is Christ Jesus the foundation of all the Prophets and Apostles and here thou strives with that which is too strong for thee the weighty stone must needs fall upon thee And in 2 Pet. 1. 19. where Peter exhorted them to take heed to the more sure word of prophesie and to the light that shined in a dark place and to the day-star that would arise in their hearts but thy dark preaching is contrary to that and 1 Joh. 1. 1. That which was from the beginning which we have heard which we have seen without eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of life c. Let the serious Reader but read this Chapter and see if by it he may not in his own understanding judge of the wickedness of this man and also in the 2. Chap. where the Apostie saies He writes no new Commandement unto you but an old Commandement which ye had from the beginning the old Commandement is the word which ye have heard from the beginning Again a new Commandement I write unto you which thing is true in him and in you because the darkness is past and the true light now shineth Here the Apostle manifesteth the word and the light to be one in that he writes unto them in the word and in the Light that now shines glory be to the Lord for evermore which the whole power of darkness hath long mustered up and stood against but he that is upon the white Horse who is called faithful and true in Righteousness he doth judge and make war his eyes are as a flame of fire and upon his head many Crownes he was cloathed in a vesture dipt in blood and his name is called the Word of God Rev. 20. 11 12 13. Now I have done with thee as concerning this head and thou will find that this word will judge thee in the last day who hath punctually denyed Christ Jesus to be the Word of God which is his name so he stands upon thee thy condemner for ever and so thereby thou art manifest to be the Antichrist So the next head that I am to manifest to the Reader is that thou makes a distinction of God and Christ and through thy denying of Christ to be the Light that comes into the World and thereby denies Christ to be come in the Flesh and thereby art the Antichrist for thou saith that Christ is not the word and Light which John bears witness of but saist it is the word Creator and so makes a difference betwixt the Father and the Son and so art just in the Arrians Principle in dividing the Father and the Son which brought in Heresies of old into the Churches and contrary unto the Angels testimony unto Joseph and Mary who said She should bring forth a Son and shall call his name Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet saying Behold a Virgin shall be with Child and bring forth a Son they shall call his name Emanuel which being interpreted is God with us And so contrary to this thou would divide Christ and God So here thou hast denyed Christ of his propriety in the Father and hast blasphemed against the God-head contrary to Christ his own words who said I and my Father are one and so here thou has joyn'd with the Jewes in taking up stones to stone him with And also in the 8. of Iohn and the 16. ver And yet if I judge my judgment is true for I am not alone but I and my Father that sent me And again in the 14. of Iohn and the 10. ver Believes thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me the words that I speak I speak not of my self but the Father that dwelleth in me doth the works believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me And in the 2. vers before Philip saith Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us Iesus saith unto him hast thou not known me Philip he that hath seen me hath seen the Father And again Ioh. 17. 11. Keep them thorow thy own name that they may be one as we are And again verse 21. That they may be all one as thou O Father art in me and I in thee I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one And so thou that hast divided the Son from his Father and
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
Heathenish Spirit to read on thou hath more knowledge and unity with them then thou hath with the Scriptures and the spirit of God that gave them forth therefore it is time for thee to give over deceiving the people and making a Trade of Tradesmens words which was the Saints for thy belly c. This thou would shufle off instead of Answering me and whereas thou saist further in thy Letter What Parish Priest in England hath got more money then he my Answer was here thou art a wicked ungodly impudent lyer and I charge thee to bring one man in England that will say they gave him one shilling for Teaching or else let thy mouth be stopped for ever if thou do not send some particular whom he hath taken money of or else thou manifests thy self to be an envious spirited man and I shall look upon thee to be so c. and the lye remains upon thee And thou said further in thy Letter That G. F. having caught the fish is likely will cast off his Leather-cloathes My Answer was he was moved to put them on when he went to cry against such bryery spirits as thine and thou may see his Leather-cloathes yet if thy pride and envy will suffer thee thou thinks he has gotten as much with his Leather-cloaths as thou hast done in thy Chappels Shops and with thy Leather Belt he hath caught that which torments thee and many more such night Owles as thou art who hath fished long but it hath been in the night and so thou hath catch'd nothing but thy own Gain thou counts for Godliness And whereas thou said in thy Paper That the Quakers trade is a very gainful way which hath gained Multitudes to the likeing of them even for advantage sake My Answer was the Multitudes that is gained torments thee because it manifests thy dry husky false deceitful Ministry which hath beat thybrains all thy days to feed the Swine with I believ thy Flock would soon be counted that thou hath gathered for Babilon is loosing her Children dayly praises to the Lord for ever and the Spirit and the Bride saith come and see those that gathers multitudes to the Lord is like to vex and torment thee But what gain or advantage hath the Quakers got thou wicked lyar except thou counts Whippings Prisons Stockings advantage and the spoiling of their goods and rifling of their Houses and stealing their Corn as many of thy Generation hath-done and now thou art out of power now thou smitest with thy slanderous tongue with lies slanders and false accusations But thou sayes thou aimes at a greater thing then getting money in opposing the Quakers which is the glory of thy God which is the Devil the God of the World is thy God and thou hath done what thou canst in opposing the Quakers to get him glory but now is the time that both thou and he is judged and cast out blessed be the Lord and the Son of Man who is the Light and Truth and way to God Christ Jesus is lifted up from the Earth which shall draw all Men after him and him thou villifies blaspheames and speaks against and so thou is like to speak against us that beares testimony for him And whereas thou saist in thy Appendix That I said thou hast a great measure of the Spirit of envy malice and cruelty and blood And thou said in thy Letter to me Thou hath a true measure of the Spirit and aime of that envy and malice c. My Answer was thou hath a great measure of the Spirt of envy malice cruelty and blood and thou hast done well to confess it but there is none of this in my Lines but the very plain truth to thee and upon the which is thy condemnation for ever this stands upon thy head and thou canst not get from under it and so here is an end of the substance of my Letters which he mentions here a word and there one in his Appendix some of them being an Answer to two Letters he sent to me And here the Reader may read the folly and ignorance of this man how he glories in his own shame and who speaks great swelling words of vanity and has manifested his own shame J. W. so long as thou has made a cover for thy self of lyes and false accusations to hide thee under which is all the refuge thou can take to as thou hast done in thy Appendix in thy taking pieces of Sentences thinking thereby to hide the truth and verity and also thereby would cover thy own shame and nakedness but when this refuge of lyes is swept away then thy shame and nakedness doth appear and thy lying and wickedness returns upon thy own head and thy nakedness appears Thy Pen had better been still and thou silent then to have spoken and written against Christ Jesus our Corner-stone which thou saist thou will remove but thou art too light he was before ever thou or thy Father was which was a Lyer from the beginning the weighty stone that is burdensome to the Nations is too heavy for thee to shake and thy foundation is shaken and crusht and broken already for thou art here proved to be a blasphemer against him and an Antichrist against him and these things here before written are charged upon thee and proved against thee and except thou can clear thy self of the charges here charged against thee stop thy mouth and stay thy Pen and lay thee down in the darkness and stop thy boasting mouth and thou saith in thy Appendix boastingly What feeble shifts are these my Assertions strikes at their very foundation and before they make that good they would run into other matters but though they seem to be weary of their cause I must told them to it till their Corner-stone and mine be so thorowly tryed that it may undoubtedly appear whether of them is the true Rock Christ Jesus Answ Thy Rock is a poor Rock an old Image that thou hast digged and graven out of thy dark-brain and study where all the Conjurers and old divining Priests in the Apostacy ever was and is this is thy Rock a natural created Light and spirit of a Natural man and has denyed Christ Jesus which is the Rock the Church of God is built upon but thou hast split thy self of this Rock and is fallen in the pit And thou boastingly saith further in this Appendix That thou art willing and ready again to debate the point in controverse with G. F. or any of his friends before the high Sheriffe or any in Authority if they should require us to come forth for that end Answ Here is a crack indeed thou durst not have said this but thou thinks the Sheriffe would not send for thee thou puts it upon the Magistrates and the Sheriffe that thou thinks will not trouble thee or else thou durst not have ventured on this boast for I believe that on equal termes thou durst not ingage with old
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
I have told them the truth and not for any other cause c. Ans That which thou hast spoken hath been against the truth and is lyes and the Reader may see thou calls Christ an Idol a natural Light a created Light and spirit of a Natural man contrary to the Scripture and so thou being against Christ the Scriptures and Gods people therefore have we writ to thee and spoken to thee being according to thy own Challenge in love and in a Scripture way and it is for Christs sake thou hates us And whereas thou speaks of another sheet that thou will present to discover the mystery of iniquity Bring out all the strength thou hast for it will further discover thy own iniquity and thou shalt not find Christ Natural or Created nor an Idol but in his strength we shall answer thee And whereas thou saist to the inquirer and weak Take heed of the Religion that begins with a lye for it is certain a great judgment of God to be given up to believe lyes 2 Thes 2. 10. and that the first step to this peoples Religion is an abominable lye and that every one is taught and required at his enterance into this Religion to believe this lye I have shewed in my former Paper Ans It is thy own Religion which is begun with a lye therefore all people are to take heed of it who denies Christ the Light Joh. 1. 8 12. and art given up to believe lyes and utter the same 2 Thes 2. And whereas thou maliciously saith To turn people from the darkness to the Light of Christ being our first step is a lye Ans In this thou hast proved thy self a false Minister and contrary to the Scripture and the Apostles Ministry which was the same which is the first step in this thou hast manifest thy envy as all yong people may see who enquireth after the Lord Acts 2. and the abominable lye is thy own and little else but lyes in thy Book and so thou may expect the judgment of the Lord to be thy portion And whereas thou bids them take heed of that spirit that denyes Christ come in the Flesh least they be partaker of his evil deeds by biding him God speed Answ This is thy own condition thou art the Man who denyes him to be come to enlighten all Men and denyes his Light to be convincing and so has denyed John's testimony a Man sent from God John 1. And so none that feares God can bid thee God speed in thy evil work therefore thou art offended and we shall not be partakers with thee of thy evil deeds for no other Christ do we own but he who dyed at Jerusalem above sixteen hundred years since who sits at the right hand of God and is revealed in us according to his promise who saith I will come and dwell in you as in Joh. and the Cor. 1. Cor. 3. 16. Act. 3. 20. and Collo 1. 26. 27 28. and all who are called Christians confess Christ to be come but deny the end of his coming to destroy the Devil and his works 1 Ioh. 3. 68. and to take away sin but they must have sin while they be upon the Earth this is your general Doctrine and denyes Christ to be come a Light into the World according to both the Prophets and Apostles And whereas thou saist Take heed of that people who have no better weapons then censures cursings judging threatnings Answ Our weapons are spiritual and we have related over to thee thy due according to the Scripture as the Scriptures threatens thee and pronounces these Plagues to be due to thee who addes to it and we teach that people might follow Christ Jesus the Light of the World and not follow thee who saist he is a natural Light and an Idol and a created Light and James 3. 9. is thy condition and so thou art the Man that deceives people with vain words Ephe. 5. 6. and with fair speeches the hearts of the simple Rom. 16. 18. And as for giving satisfaction thou art not likely who denyes the Light Christ Jesus and any who reads thy confused Book may see there is no satisfaction given in it though thou hast perverted many Scriptures and as for thy further debate upon thy assertion we tould thee we were ready and tell thee so now again who hast challenged us twice in this thy Book to meet us before the Sheriff which thou might have spared this Challenge in thy Appendix for we had given thee an Answer before we would meet thee to wit Thomas Curwen Husbandman William Houlding Blacksmith William Wilson Taylor and Henry VVood a dayly Labourer Seeing thou art the Man who hath challenged us we shall in the strength of the Lord meet thee when thou wilt and appoint a time and place for we were the Men whom thou hadst first to deale withall in this place and what dost thou scoffingly put Shoo-maker in which was not in which is a word of thy own forging as though thou was not able to Answer us or durst not stand to thy own assertions but shuffles from them And one would have thought John Henry VVood had given thee disputing enough before when thou was so gravel'd and stopt thou fled away from the Table and now it seemes thou hast put it of till the Magistrates call us out as though they had nothing to do but to medle with thy Antichristian wayes Nevertheless it stands on thy head and do not say we provoked thee for it was thy own Challenge for thou hast taken that in hand thou canst not make good by the Scriptures without adding or diminishing we know that before hand And whereas thou saist He that saith and affirmeth the Light in every man to be Christ is a deceiver and an Antichrist Ans The Light that lighteth every man that comes into the World he that affirmed this was no Antichrist Joh. 1. who said As many as receives him he gives them them power to become the Sons of God and here thou hast shewed forth thy malice against Christ and against the Apostle who bore witness of him and in plain words calls him an Autichrist and against us who are in the same Doctrine and teach the same thing and thou hast proved thy self to be an Antichrist 2 Joh. 9. for Christ is the Light and Salvation to the ends of the Earth who doth enlighten euery man that comes into the world Joh. 1. Joh. 8. Luke 2. 32. And thou saist what feeble shifts are those my Assertion striks at their very foundation and before they make that good they would run into other matters they seem to be weary of their cause but I must hold them to it till their Corner-stone and mine be so thorowly tryed that it may evidently appear whither of us be of the true Rock Christ Jesus Ans Thy Rock which thou so calls is tryed and found to be no Rock but confusion who denies Christ Jesus
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
as it is plainly proved And God was in Christ but thou goes about to divide God and Christ By the word of God was the Heavens of old 2 Pet. 3. 5. We understand that the Worlds were framed by the Word of God Heb. 11. 3. And that by this Word they became the Sons of God according to the Scriptures before laid down what difference then dost thou make betwixt this word Creator and that which comes in by the Son as thou speaks of what can the Son do more then make them Sons So herein thou hast quite overthrown thy self what further excellency or what more Redemption can be had by Christ then to become the Sons of God And whereas thou saist that we are Adulterers but we see that thou art adulterated from the spirit which causes thee to vent forth such language as thou dost and thy hearers for whereas thou scornfully told William Houlden that he was an unfit Man to meet thee before the Sheriffe Thy Assertions are so gross and so erroneous that I do not question but in the strength of God I or any other that were named to thee to meet thee before either the Sheriff or any other in Authority in England that thou may make them good by Scripture without either adding or diminishing which thou canst not doe but over-throw thy own assertions And whereas Tho. Rushton one of thy Hearers said I was a silly Man and was not fit to Reply to what thou had written against me but I having had perfect knowledge of thee this nine yeares and how thou hast stood in opposition against the Truth Christ the Light that in his strength I stand to Reply to thee or to appear before the Sheriff or any other in Answer to thee I fear the Lord and am not afraid of your great boasting and scornful reproachful words Henry Wood. A POSTSCRIPT HOw now John Wiggan didst not thou pretend at Lancaster that thou couldst not swear because it was a Command of Christ and the Apostle which forbids swearing And why could thou not bear Testimony before the Judge but that then thou would have time to consider of it Though before thou had laid down thy Reasons and Arguments which thou intended to produce which thou shewed to John Stubs and others And where was thy Arguments and Reasons when thou came before the Judg hadst thou forgot them that they stood thee in no stead but that thou must have time to consider of it it seemes thy Arguments and Reasons did not satisfie thy self or else thou jugled or durst not confesse Christs Doctrine openly or otherwise fainted Esau like and so was ashamed of Christ and his Doctrine before men And did not John VViggan enter his Recognizance for his appearance at the next Assizes at Lancaster And what is the matter John how hast thou given the slip from under sufferings hath the heat of persecution scortched thy Blade Furthermore did not John Wiggan enter into a promise before the Judg that he would preach no more and that he might have time to consider of the Oath And so upon this condition he was set at Liberty and to appear at the next Assizes And then did not John Wiggan give the slip and goe to London And when he should have been at the Assizes he lay there in holes and corners and preached and published his lyes against the Truth But Truth hath sunk thee into the Sea and will meet with thee where ever thou goest G. F. The Copy of this last Sheet was miscarried and came not to the Printers hand till the rest of the Book was finished THE END Iohn Wiggan ove throwes his assertions John Wigans Blasphemy John Wigan proved a Blasphemer J. W. Proved a Minister of darkness and an Idolater Joh. 3. 16. Ezek. 18. 33. 11. James 1. 5. Acts 17. 26. 1 Tim. 6. 5. 2 Tim. 3. 13. Jude 4. Heb. 11. 3. 2 Pet. 3. 5. 2 Cor. 2. 17. Colos 2. 9. Joh. 1. 9. Joh. 1. 5. 2 Cor. 4. Joh. 8 12. John 12. 36. Job 42. 14. Job 36. Psal 104. Eccles 12. Isaiah 42 6. Psal 67. Ezek. 11. 36 37. 37. 14. 1 Thes 5. Isai 29. Jude 11. 1 Sam. 19. Job 27. John 4. 6. 33. John 8. 9. Chap. John 17. 3. John John 12. John 2. Acts 2. Mal. 2. 15. Colo. 1. 23. Heb. 2. 1 Joh. 2. 2. 1 Cor. 2.