I ght within a thing by me never spoken or written Secondly thou sayes That nothing is said by me of Christ manifest in flesh or his crucified body or righteousness that way Poor man how hath wickedness over-run thee to add lie to lie Are not these my words That Righteousness that God accepteth is but one which is his own perfectly fulsilled and manifest in the world in Jesus Christ the Light and Savi ur thereof and that none inherits it surther than they receive the Son of righteousness And is this nothing of Christ but it is no new thing to me to see the refuge of lies with that spirit which now opposeth nor for me to be called a Railer because I will not either say they are truths or find out some finer name to call them than lies But to leave them and go on to thy doctrine thou sayes We are justified without works onely through faith which is as false as the Scripture is true for faith the Apostle Ye see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith onely James 2. 24. And Christ faith By thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned Math. 12. 37. And not the hearers of the Law but the doers are just before God Rom. 2. 13. Now if these Scriptures be true then thine is false but such is thy blindness that because the Scriptures doth exclude the works of the Law for justification therefore thou wilt exclude the works of faith which are wrought in God also A fine easie way to salvation and well pleasing to you that love your lusts but that neither God nor Scripture knows it nor the Saints practise Further thou sayes He that can but beleive this is perfectly purged and there is no more conscience of sin though yet the feeling of sin I say what is thou now intends feeling of sin but make no conscience Is not this plain Ranting to commit sin and feel it and make no conscience of it this indeed is the ready way to murther the Witness to stop the ear at his reproof and to make shipwrack of a tender conscience and so in time to get it seared and so no more conscience of sin do what you will do but imagine all is pardoned past present and to come let the light in the conscience say what it can hope against hope sayest thou The Righteousness of Christ is a covering upon sin c. I say I know who repents and turns to him he doth But doth Christs Righteousness cover sin to come and whilst men are committing it one day thou wilt find that it is not covered but thou that hast seared thy conscience it will appear when thou shalt cease to deal treacherously with the witness that would have dealt truly with thee but how is Christs Righteousness a covering on thy sin when thy sin is in thy heart and thy cover no nearer than above the Stars If ever God look down upon the earth thou wilt be found naked and the day is upon thee look to it thy Ranting faith hath not long to last and thy cover will be but deceit wo to thee that art covered and not with the Spirit Concerning the word IN this like the rest thou enters with a lie saying That we say the light within all men is the word not minding at all to speak truth thou tels of sin being covered but the liar is openly seen and shames not And when thou hast made one lie thou infers another from it If the Light within every man be the Word then all ages have had the Gospel in equality c. Then thou adds another as false as the rest saying That Truth sayes the Light is the remaining sparkles of the Law and represents God onely under a vail When Truth saith the Life is the Light of men and this is that true Light that lighteth every man that comes into the world John 1. And Christ saith I am the Light of the world he that follows me shall not abide in darkness but shall have the light of life John 8. 12. And the Saints came to the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus by the light within and this was not onely under the vail which was in the face of Jesus 2 Cor. 4. 6. though vailed to thee who denies the light of the Spirit and sayeth truth sayes it when truth denies thee therein nor hast thou one Scripture that saith so And when thou hast shewed thy Spirit by thy works then thou art forced to confess him to be within his in spirit the word of revelation yet would make two words a word of Reconciliation and a word of Revelation and in dividing this word in to two thou confounds thy self First thou sayes these two are not one without the other then thou sayes the one must finish his work before the other could come and such blind muddy stuffe thou art bewing in but what I write in my book stands as it was Yet thou adds two lies more the first is That we beleive not the word of Reconciliation which thou cals thy first word which is false for though we beleive not two words yet we beleive that one word which is the word of Reconciliation and Revelation and there is not another Thy second lie is of the Light in saying it knows Christ in neither Concerning worship IN this thou sayes that I affirm that the Spirit of Life from God wherein is the mind will and love of God the name power and wisdom of Christ wherewith alone God can be acceptably worshipped is in every man A thing that never entred into my heart but surely friend thou matters not what thou sayes thus to add thy wickedness and false accusations because I say none must follow the traditions of others but as every creature is moved by the presence of the living God do I therefore say that the spirit of God is in every man this conclusion is more wickedness than weakness But to thy doctrine Thou sayes The word of faith sayes that the Law without or Spirit in every man that sayes do this and live are the vail c. I say where doth the word of faith say that the Spirit within is a vail or where doth it call the Spirit within the Law without thou must find a new word for this for the true everlasting Word saith not so but faith There is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding Job 32. 8. but doth not say that that Spirit of God is the vail of which Spirit I am speaking whatever thou pervert it to but is all thy spiritual teaching come to this that the Spirit in which God will be worshipped becomes a vail and that to abide in any law or light whatsoever either from within or without and to be exercised therein as to be redeemed or perfected thereby this they say is to worship God as in
should be loath to have to do with any one of thy opinion I am sure no Ranter hath a larger Thou tels a story of being dead in Christ unto the first Adam with all his deeds and all the evils that came in by him And as thou beholds Christ thou art changed into the same Image from glory to glory I say if lying and deceit be a deed of the first Adam then I say thou art alive to that and it raigns in thee And whereas thou sayes As thou beholds him thou art changed into his Image c. I say even so for thou who hast denied him in thee never beheld him and so art the same thou wast and deceit is thy glory and from one deceit to another is thy charge And thou that was pure before thou wast born and sayes that is thy state thou stands in what needs thou any more changing Another way thou would take to defraud the Scripture that thereby thou mayest keep any from looking for washing or justifying now sayes thou When it is said we are justified by God and by Grace by the name of Christ by the Spirit of our God we are to understand that these went out against our sins in the bloud of Christ and so would make all these of no use now in our age as to sanctifie now but who reads the Saints testimony 1 Cor. 6. 11. may find that they was washed sanctified and justified after they had sinned and not before as thou imagins thou wast before thou was born and so thy washing so far before hand leaves thee filthy still but they was washed from their filthiness and knew no liar nor false accuser must enter into the Kingdom of Heaven how clear soever they was before they was born and before they were a washing and justification thou so much boasts on but its clear they and thou art not of one justification for theirs was present thine before thou wast their 's by faith thine before faith their 's by the spirit thine by imaginations without either spirit faith or knowledge Concerning Christ Jesus THis is the first Charge that is made up of truth And thou sayes my faith is That Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death that he might become a living example c. And this thou opposes as an error which are the words of Scripture And though thou have said true in thy first charge yet it must not pass without a lie in thy answer that is as though I had said That the mystery of faith is become no more with us than a lofty imagination of reason when there is not one word by me to that purpose but thy own vomit cast out upon us to make the truth odious which thou canst not otherwise disprove So thou adds a confusion or two and leaves what I have said as it was First thou sayes Not the light within is that which leads to Christ Jesus and so would make Christ a liar like thy self John 8. 12 And then thou sayes It must be known by the Spirit and so makes thy self a liar if the Spirit be light within which none that ever knew it will say otherwise of it Thou sayes also That the Scriptures are the Image of Christ A thing they may beleive that will for ought thou proves of it Thou asks Would the light within have shewed you the Atonement c I say the true Atonement it will and no other thing can shew it to every particular person but thy atonement that was before thou was born and is yet in thy sin it will not it shews no such lies but blind man may not all that have any experience of atonement see what thy atonement is that is not seen within hadst thou been reconciled to God in thy heart and spirit the liars mouth had been stopt but if thou should own such an atonement thou would lose thy Masters service But didst thou know what atonement or unity with God is thou could not feed thy self with lies taking conceits for atonement while that of God within in thy Conscience condemns thee but thy atonement would be to see the light of his countenance shining in thy heart in the face of Jesus and see him speak peace who wounds Concerning the Ministry of Christ THis Charge is true also That I say The Ministers of Christ have the word in them that they preach not for hire that they are persecuted c. and this thou likes not for truth And to oppose it thou sayes first I say rightly but Ministers of Righteousnesness are of Satan or of Christ zealously to affect to preach frecly suffer labour stripes imprisonments c. I say Are Ministers of Righteousness of Satan and do the Ministers of Satan preach freely c Then take notice that thou liar and hireling never yet came so far as a Minister of Satan in thy own account and thus instead of weighing us thou hast weighed thy self and all thy brethren the Parish Masters with thee and art found wanting of Ministers of Satan for shame now cease calling your selves Ministers of Christ if by your fruits you may be known and Christ hath said you must Math. 7. 16 20. but this thou denies and sayes Nay by their spirits they must be judged and their spirit by their words So the Devil would come in for a Minister who can get words enough but fruits he cannot therefore he loves not that trial Thou further sayes Thou art jealous that we are Ministers of darkness Yet not so dark but we can through the light of Christ see the Devils deceits and that 's thy punishment at present Concerning Free-Will THis Charge is falsly made up not as I have spoken all the words in it yet somewhat of truth there is in it First The light within which reproves the evill deeds is the will of God by which will we are sanctified That in every man which shews sin and reproves for it is free grace This light in every man is Free Will Which is utterly false for I have not said that every man that sees this light hath Free-will but with the light he may see the will of God which is free from his own will but none hath Free-will but who denies their own wils Thy answer is That if the first be so then is the death of Christ of none effect So that by thy doctrine if it be the will of God that men should be reproved of sin by the light of Christ and if it be by the will of God that we are sanctified and saved for that is the thing I affirm then Christ died in vain this is thy consequence so I shall prove what I affirm and then see all men what thy doctrine of consequence is That it is the will of God that all men should be reproved for their evil deeds by the light read Ephesians 5. 13. John 16. 8. And that by the will of God we are sanctified and saved Hebrews 10.
conscience and not in a book without which mystery thou that denies all in the conscience art void on who falsly sayes The light in the conscience is the same with the Law in the letter Concerning Baptism c. ANd thou sayes my profession herein is That the baptism of Christ thou understands the light within all men But from what dost thou understand it for by me it was never spoken nor thought so that its from thy dark spirit that cannot understand to speak true and so given to lies was there ever such a pack of lies heaped together as though thou hadst resolved not to speak a true sentence in whatever thou speaks of me for this shall appear that not one of thy Charges hitherto are truth or what I spoke but thou hast made lies and then disproves them shewing thy art and trading to be onely there for the truth I write stands still untouched And notwithstanding all this filth thou tels us of a mystery we know not that is That you were washed sanctified and justified before you were Which indeed is non sense and a lie to say that which is not can be washed or sanctified or justified and in that sense it is a mystery indeed But whatever was before thou were thou art now a servant of Satan and his work thou dost and art not washed from thy wickedness And if the washing and justifying of a thing that is not can justifie thee in thy wickedness this is a large faith it s no wonder though thou be so bold in thy wickedness Yet this I say it s a late invented faith to wit that washing nothing will make thee clean For the Saints washing sanctifying and justifying was when they had forsaken their sins and without washing from their sins which they had committed they could not enter into the Kingdom of God read 1 Cor. 6. 9 10 11. And their way to washing was to walk in the light 1 John 1. 7. a thing the devil and his dark born brood loves not above all that can be named any other conjurations or imaginations they will own but away with the light that 's an error that deserves not to live But the beleiving of this thou sayes sprinkles from your hearts an evil conscience that is indeed though you sin it troubles not your hearts you beleive that you was washed and justified before you was begotten or born and once justified alwayes justified and so you make no conscience what you do that is the evil that troubles your conscience when you sin but your faith hath sprinkled you from that evil conscience and now you have no more conscience of sin for that in the conscience that is pure and testifies against sin is but legal and you are not under the Law but under Grace and this is a mystery that tender consciences knows not and so are but weak and foolish and under bondage but you are grown Christians grown in the faith above such folly when indeed it is but the Ranter that is got up and joyned with the Devil in a design to cast off the yoak and get liberty for the beast that cannot endure the cross and so hath devised away with the old Murtherer to slay the Witnesses and then make merry over them You have a mystery none know but your selves other fools that knows not your faith stands to repent of their sins if they sin and cannot be at peace till God speak peace in their conscience but your sin was pardoned before you was born and you are not so foolish to make conscience of it now you will have no more of that conscience for sin you was once purged from sin when you were not and can sin now under that which God once did in Christ to think so was to deny the person of the man Christ Jesus who hath done all that belongs to you one thousand six hundred years since And now to fear that any thing you can do in your persons can make that ineffectual were great unbelief and legal and bondage of spirit and if this be not your faith and the effects of it let both thy judgment in thy book and thy practise witness Concerning the Lords Supper ANd in this I must not escape thy tongue charging me to say that I have not spoken yet not so quite contrary to my intent as in the others yet things that are utterly false hast thou cast on the truth As that we esteem the eating the flesh of Christ but a moral thing And that the Gospel-mystery is with us become a doctrine of bare morality c. Things devised in thy own heart And thou sayes To see God in all things to discern him as the body and vertue of all Creatures and to use all things in moderation is no more than Pagan divinity Is this all the effect and end of the bloud of Christ I say that is not all the end and effect of his bloud but it is one good effect and a great deal more than yet it hath wrought in thee thou doest not yet see God in all things unless thou wilt say thou sees him in lying slandering and cursed speaking And that thou and thy Prosclites are not come to use all things in moderation let your pride covetousness and excess be witness against you he thou a vitness against thy self and the rest of thy Ranting crew who use the bloud of Christ for an occasion to the flesh and a cloak for your liberty therein that Pagan divintiy is better than yours and if the Pagan divinity bring forth these fruits which your divinity doth not I shall say as Paul said concerning the Gentiles They are the beleivers who bring forth the fruits of faith and you are the â—fidels who justifie your selves before either faith or works and without them But did the Apostle teach Pagan divinity when he said Let your moderation be known to all men the Lord is at hand Phil. 4. 5 And did Christ teach Pagan divinity when he said Take heed least at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness and cares of this life and so that day come upon you unawares Luke 21. 34 Was these Pagans that taught this or are they Pagans who see God in all things I shall rather chuse to be numbred amongst those Pagans than to be one of thy Beleivers self-justified without either faith or works Thou sayest Whoeuer looks into the mystery of Christs death may see the first Adam with all his deeds and the world with all its works all old things done away I say be witness against thy self that thou never saw that mystery in whom the first Adam with the worlds works and old things are yet alive Thou sayest The Lord ordained the Supper for a rudiment to all that should have need thereof It seems thou judges some to have no need of it but was not thou condemning me even now for saying discerning him to be the body
A VINDICATION OF TRUTH As held forth in a Book ENTITULED LOVE TO THE LOST From the Lies Slanders and Deceits of T. HIGGENSON in a Book called A Testimony to the true Iesus But he is discovered to hold forth another Iesus then what the Scriptures hold forth or the Saints witness I. N. LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert and are to be sold at the Black-Spread-Eagle at the West End of Pauls 1656. A Vindication of Truth as held forth in a Book entituled Love to the Lost Friend THou sayes thou shall present a veiw of that Spirit that is in the Quakers having obtained a more perfect understanding of that way and sum of our faith and profession which thou sayes is come forth signed by James Naylor And this thou sayes thou wilt do in love to us To which I say that which is come forth by James Nayler was presented already and hadst thou been able to have said something against it as by me presented and proved it in plainness not to have been the faith and spirit that was in the holy men of God then hadst thou done something to purpose But in that thou hast left what truth I presented and instead thereof hast presented a heap of falshoods and deceits out of thy own bosom as like my words as thou well could make a lie to the truth And hast made people beleive thou hast disproved something of mine when thy work hath but been to fight with thy own falshood and so confound thy self instead of confuting me This makes it appear that thou art not perfect in thy understanding of our way and spirit the sum of our faith and profession or else wickedly ignorant that thou mayst take occasion to cast thy reproach upon us and the truth and faith we profess Indeed who reads my book and thy slanders gathered from thence as thou pretends will say the later is the more like seeing thou hast so often repeated over thy own wicked slanders fathering them on me which hath no footing at all in my book As that I deny the person of Christ the death of Christ the bloud of Christ the once offering of Christ for all c. that I say the light in every man is God and Christ and Redemption is the baptism of Christ is Gods Righteousness and many such like abominable lyes never spoken by me which thou often over accusest me that I say so that any moderate man may wonder that ever any who have but a shew of religion should be so void of the fear of God or have so little bridle for the tongue as thou hast shewed in this thy work But that conceit thou hast of being justified before thou wast born and before either faith or works hath given thee such a dispensation as that thou matters not much what thou sayest being justified beforehand nought thou dost can condemn thee Christ hath born away all thy sins before thou was begotten or born and thou shalt never bear them nor they be charged upon thee a principle of wickedness called faith to cheat the soules of people and keep them bold in their sins at which all that knows the righteousness of God and his terrors against sin may weep to think on And in all which instead of discovering our spirit thou are discovered thy spirit and foundation but what is come forth signed by James Nayler stands as it was thy lies being taken away which some of them I shall lay open with thy confusions thereupon as to the later part of thy book which pretends an answer to my writing in Love to the lost The other part though a heap of confusion I shall not much meddle with as to answer the substance thereof falling within the other part nor shall I write much to any of it truth is tryed and stands not by words So to the first particular as followeth First Concerning the fall of man ANd in this thou tels of the sum of things spoken by me but sums up thy own lies amongst it not having matter from my words to accuse me with Doth my words say that Gods own Wisdom and Spirit remains in faln man but as a captive and that that was his fall or do I say that by looking and turning not to any thing without but to that of God lying under and covered within him and that that is the bloud of the Cross and his redemption Art not thou ashamed instead of answering to my words to become an accuser openly had it not been thy wisdom rather to have been silent if thou durst not have entred upon my words as they stand then to have made thy self way with lies and then to disprove thy lies thy self And not any thing that I have said dost thou appear against onely in thy seeming answer or mist which thou casts thou adds more lies saying that I say that there is that in the natural man which being turned into and followed can redeem and make attonement a thing never spoken by me nor never entred into my heart for it is in the spiritual man that the attonement is made and not in the natural Thou further sayes That the obedience of Christ was not the righteousness of one which is as false concerning Christ as the other concerning me as whoever reads Rom. 5. 18 19 shall read there in plain words Other things thou sayes As that we are not made righteous by looking back and turning to the first Adam c. A thing never spoken by me nor intended onely thou dost disprove thy own deceitful slander cast on my words and so in the most places of thy book which I shall not much mention seeing they touch not my words as he that reads my words may see not one sentence of mine hast thou disproved in this answer Thou adds a piece of false doctrine which I shall discover Thou sayes by looking out of everything in man to the second Adam I say he whose eyes is without and not within cannot see the second Adam for he cannot be seen but by revelation and in spirit he is known and seen since his ascention and hath been to all his as these Scriptures will plainly prove Galat. 1. 16. Col. 1. 27. And I demand of thee and all thy generation to make it appear how the second Adam is now seen but in the spirit by faith within till then blame me not for saying this of thine is false doctrine I know there is a sort of you who have conceited a carnal sight and have run in your carnal expectations from year to year therein till you are become spiritually blind but if that be it thou here intends thou must reckon thy self for the present amongst those who have neither seen him nor known him who denies his revelation in spirit and so being intruding into that which the eye hath not seen no marvel though thou speak so darkly of him as thou dost in this thy book and would lead men from the
the flesh hast thou not here wholly excluded the light of Christ as to be exercised therein for freedom and perfection before thou did but deny it Within but now thou hast denied all light whatsoever both from within and without for bringing to freedom or perfection so that henceforth all that will own thy doctrine must beleive to be perfected in the dark for all light whatsoever thou hast excluded so that a Christ without light must now be beleived by all that own thy faith or doctrine and indeed it suits well with thy practise witness thy many lie in thy book which are not works of the day Further thou sayes That the light within every man is not the way to the Spirit of Christ which I need not think strange seeing thou hast denied all light Also thou sayest That the works of the Law and the waiting of the Light within are all one if any man will beleive thy blind testimony Thou sayest That principle may lead to a spirit of activity for God in the contemplations of him as a pure and holy God but it is a far other principle that is Christ crucified for us and the faith of him that leads unto that Spirit of peace And so by thy doctrine there are two principles that leads to God the one far off the other But must we beleive this because thou sayest it when not one of the holy men of God thou canst instance who ever said that that Spirit that led to contemplations of the pure God was a far other principle than that of Christ that leads to peace Christ saith No man knoweth the Father but he to whom the Son reveals him Math. 11. 27. But thou sayes It s a far other principle that brings to contemplations of a pure God That blind spirit of thine clearly showes what thou knows of contemplations with God who denies the principle of Christ to lead thereto but it is like the rest of thy blind stuffe who would make people beleive that the light of Christ leads to blot out the the healing in the person of Christ surely a blinder peice of work hath not been seen but it must needs be so with thee who hath denied all light and art fighting against it Concerning error heresie c. HEre thou tels us thy former lie over again saying that I say That the light within every man is the spirit of truth and then thou tels how thou hast disproved it before and so flaidly fals into another discourse not at all to the purpose as to my words yet adds another lie saying That we beleive in God as by the light in men redeeming from sin but not as in the man Jesus having done it already and that we deny the witness of the Son and that we have neither Son nor Father which is but thy threefold cord of wickedness Thou adds another in thy conclusion and sayes It is not an errour to divide from the light within so by thy doctrine we may divide from the spiritual light of Christ and not erre but how shouldest thou count it an error to divide from the light within who hast excluded all manner of light within and without also whatever to be exercised in as the way to perfection If it be not an error to divide from the light then it must be an error to divide from the darkness for there is but these two and the one must needs be an error But it is easily seen whose word thou drives who art set to oppose the light such a work as none of Gods was ever found in wert thou not blind thou might suspect thy self who cannot produce one of thy faith in the Scripture Concerning Faith IN this accusation also is two lies first that I say that the light in every man is Gods righteousness perfection Secondly thou sayes I say not a word of the faith in the person of Christ or the operation of God in him for us The first never spoken of by me To the second my words are these That the living faith is in Christ Jesus and that true faith layes hold on Gods Righteousness and by it comes to be created in Christ Jesus unto good works Gods workmanship Is this not a word of the person of Christ nor the operation of God in him Can one own Christ Jesus and deny faith in the person of Christ Or can one witness Gods workmanship in him and not one word of the operation of God in him Oh shameless man how doest thou bend thy tongue for lies and slanders Further thou sayest that the scope of our doctrine in the height and depth of it seems plainly this that a measure of the eternal divinity is in every man by turning where unto out of all sayings operations Scriptures or Christ without the same doth purge away sin and redeems unto God All which is no more but thine own wickedness heaped up from thy foregoing lies Then thou comest to thy doctrine And that is to look away from all voice of conscience within and from all things in the heart whether good or evil and to look to Jesus with out though we be in bondage and this thou sayes is to receive the righteousness of Christ by faith But where doest thou receive this righteousness or with what is it seen or what effect hath it seeing thou hast denied all voices in the conscience all things in the heart and conclude the creature in bondage they are blind indeed who cannot see this righteousness of thine thou lookest too without any thing in the heart or conscience to be but meer imagination a talk of righteousness which thou hast not in thee And in thy next having forgot thy doctrine sayes That by him all that beleive are justified from all things by the Law of the Spirit according to the Conscience from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses And also saves That the answer of a good Conscience in the resurrection of Jesus will be found to be that which saves before God and brings forth the true glory within What confusion is here Must all voices of the conscience be denied and yet justified by the Law of the Spirit according to the Conscience and saved by the answer of a good Conscience and must we be justified by the law of the Spirit and the works of the Law written within be denied and called the flesh and must we be set free and justified from all these things by the Law of the Spirit and the answer of a good Conscience and yet in bondage And after thou hast said We must be justified by the Law of the Spirit according to the Conscience and saved by a good Conscience then thou confutes that again and saith The Law in the Conscience which is holy just and pure is the same with the Covenant of works and sayes how holy and pure soever it be it shall not preserve blameless Was there ever such a heap of
and salvation and that he will judge the works of the Law as well as the lusts of the flesh and that the spirit of Christ in his people shall judge both Angels and mens spiritual and fleshly wickness To which I say Some of this is truth and we shall try the rest First What work of the Law is it that God will judge doest thou intend that law by which thou confessed before all that believe are justified from that from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses If thou intend that Law I deny thy doctrine for the works of that Law of the Spirit of life by which we are justified are the works of Christ where with he fulfils the Law in his Saints and so are works of the Spirit and shall never come into judgement and if thou mean not that Law to me it matters not I shall not contend with thee about any other of thy imaginations And whereas thou tels of Christs coming forth in this age in righteousness and salvation and to judge and that it is the Spirit of Christ in his People that must be the Judge both of Angels and men in this his appearance Hast not thou in the rest of thy Book as much as in thee lies done what thou canst to oppose this his appearance who hast all along denied any thing within to be looked unto for righteousness salvation and judgement yea and ere thou get out of the same thing thou art contradicting it again and sayes Law or form or light within are the principles of judgment with most But sayest thou It is a small thing for the spiritual man to be judged by any of these What confusion is this of thine thou bringest forth in opposition to the light Must the Spirit of Christ in his people judge both Angels and men spiritual and fleshly and yet thou speaks scornfully of the light within and thrusts it in with law and form to make it odious It seems thou canst not endure that the Spirit of Christ should be called light in his people it must be darkness there it seems or else not owned by thee Another lie thoutels of John saying That he did not call to the light within every man and sayest no Prophet spake of him by the light c. But it seems thou hast not much read the Prophets or else art wickedly ignorant for all that read them may find them prophesying of a Covenant of light and John saith who saw him this is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world Concerning Perfection ANd after thy usual manner thy first work is a lie saying That my principal matter is that perfection is that gift or light in every man Another lie is that I say Imperfection came in by the ministry of Antichrist When the matter of my words are That God and Christ is perfection and doth not say the gift is perfection yet I own that every gift of God is perfect yet God himself the perfection of all I also say that imperfection came in by the Devil and maintained by his Ministers who uses all means to supplant truth where it is and to keep up imperfection in the world And thy lies being taken away the truth stands untouched though many words thou usest yet dare not deny what I have written in the least particular Onely thou asks some questions which thou hast raised out of thy own brain not at all what I say Thy Questions are first Was Christ in the flesh no more than a Preacher or example of perfection 2. Was that fulness of the Godhead in him no more than such a light as God hath set up in every man 3. Or was his bearing of our sins and the wounds for our iniquities no more but to shew how we should bear them in our selves I say Yes He was more than all these three for he in himself alone wrought redemption broke through all difficulties opened the way of life for all Creatures became a Sacrifice acceptable to the Father and triumphed openly over death the grave and hell and much more that may be spoken of him which he did in his own person and not onely so but is now an everlasting offering from generation to generation an everlasting light preached in every Creature whereby they may receive the faith which without it they cannot whereby to see him in themselves appearing from heaven in Spirit as Leader and Teacher Judge and Law-giver and in his light to lead and his life to strengthen all that beleive in the same way wherein he walked in his own person who left an example when he ascended for all to follow which will be saved which none can follow nor be saved but who are led by his light and quickened by his Spirit within them though they talk never so much of him at Jerusalem without them And this is that which the Devil is an enemy to to wit that Christ should be owned in the hearts of any as Leader Teacher King and Law-giver and with his light to enlighten every dark part thereof so that every motion of God is seen and received and every motion of the Devil is seen and resisted even unto blood here is little hope for the Devils Kingdom where this light is received and followed there the soul is redeemed from the deeds of the devils darkness therefore he sets on work all his instruments wherein he hath any interest to cry out against this light within for if this light shine in the heart then his seat must be discovered and the knowledge of God seen in the face of Jesus and as any come to know God in the light they will be led out of his service so you stand up from all Quarters who wear his dark livory crying out against the light of Christ within charging all not to hearken to any voice within nor mind any thing there good nor bad that he may keep that place for his kingdom And to him you are faithful to the uttermost of your power who are all gathered together in this day of battel to fight against the Light of which thou art not the least who cryest out against all light whatsoever either from within or without for any to be exercised in for freedom from sin But are you not blind above all that ever was before you who have so many Scriptures declaring the Lambs war against all sorts of Spirits yet never find them warring against the Spirit of light but with that Spirit of light in them did they make warr against the Prince of darkness and all his dark principles in his children Foolish men how long will it be before you look at your feet and what way you are going and try your selves whose message you carry who are preaching that which none of you have seen for salvation The Saints message was the light both for fellowship and to lead to the bloud of cleansing John 1. 6 7.
will serve to heal the heart deceitfully as the false Prophets ever did who cried peace where God cried not peace but that peace will break out again when you stand in most need it will onely serve you while you can please your selves in the things of this world and forget your later end but if ever you remember Christs justification spoken on Math 12. 36 37. it will marr yours to wit that for every idle word you must answer for at the day of judgement and then by your words you must be justified and by your words condemned you that live and die in your sins will find it in vain at that day to plead your justification before you was born or had committed sin so to that day I leave you who will not be reconciled to God but chuse your own delusions And from thy own words these following Quaeries are propounded and left with thee Quaer 1. SEing thou affirms that Christ hath quite taken away sin before people are born then Whether doth any come into the world without sin or no 2. If Christ took away all sin before you were born as though it had never been how is it you say you expect his appearance again to salvation must you be twice saved and when there is nought to be saved from 3. Whether he that believes that all his sins are taken away before he be born as though they had never been as thou sayest and yet commits sin and hath the root of it in him doth not believe a lie yea or no 4. Whether he that hath his sin done away as though it had never been needs to repent of any thing he doth as sin or grieving of the Spirit of God yea or no 5. Whether he that believes his sins are washed away before he be born and after he be born doth commit sin whether he doth stand in need to be washed again and if he be not washed again whether he shall die in his sins or no st Suppose thou that cals thy self a Believer should commit a sin as covetousness which is idolatry or the like if one thou cals an unbeliever do the same whether is thy sin as great as his and stands need of washing as he or else perish with him without repentance or what is the difference as to the root matter and offence 7. Whether did not Christ wash sanctifie and justifie all mankind in the same manner he did thee before thou wast and if not what is the difference and the cause and the ground of it 8. Is there any Creature living that if they mind the light of Christ and so come to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus improving what power God hath given but they shall be saved And on the contrary is there any though they pretend faith yet commit sin and die there in without repentance and washing that shall be saved And whether the purpose of God doth not stand with the Creatures as they own or disown the righteousness of faith in Christ Jesus can any be condemned that receives it or can any be saved without it yea or no Again seeing thou sayes page 18. That this false conception or resemblance of Christ as a Law-giver and Worker is an Idol and the root of idolatrous Religions Hence I quaerie 1. Whether thy Christ thou speaks on be the same with that which the Scriptures speak of If the same where is thy Testimony from Scripture for such a Christ as is no Law-giver If another as in truth it is then why dost thou begin thy book with a lie calling it A Testimony to the true Jesus 2. Whether dost thou own this to be a prophesie of Christ Deut. 18. 15 16 17 18 19. which the Apostles applied to him Acts 3. 22 23 where it s said I will raise up to thee a Prophet from the midst of thee c. unto him shall ye hearken according to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly saying let me not hear again the voyce of the Lord my God neither let me see this great fire any more that I die not And the Lord said they have well spoken I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him And it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken nnto my words which he shall speak in my Name I will require it of him If thou own these words to be spoken of Christ whether dost thou not see them to hold out him as a Law-giver to his people and such a Law giver as that whosoever did not hearken to his words should be cut off or the Lord would require it of him Whether dost thou own the new Covenant the Law to be put in the heart and writ there instead of giving it forth in tables of stone on Mount Sinai in thunder and lightenings and fire which the people could not bear And whether dost thou own Christ to be the Minister of that new Covenant or new Law promised which the people were to hear or be cut off Or whether dost thou own Christ to give the Spirit into the hearts of his people to be their Law and Teacher to teach them all things and to lead into all righteousness In a word Whether dost thou own him to give forth either Precept or Spirit seeing thou denies him to be a Law-giver For the giving forth of either makes him a Law-giver 3. Whether dost thou own these sayings following to be Precepts or Laws given out by Christ or disown that Christ that gave them forth namely Math. 5. 29 30. If thy right eye offend thee pluck it out and cast it from thee c. and if thy right hand offend thee cut it off and cast it from thee c Again I say unto you swear not at all I say unto you that ye resist not evil but whosoever shall smite thee on the right check turn to him the other also Lay not up for your selves treasures upon earth where moth and rust doth corrupt Fear not them which kill the body but are not able to kill the soul Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart and such like Are these Precepts or Laws given forth by Christ yea or no seeing thou disowns him as a Law-giver 4. Whether dost thou own this to be Scripture Or this Christ that gave this commandement John 13. 24. A new commandement give I unto you That ye love one another as I have loved you that ye also love one another 5. Seeing thou disowns Christ a Law-giver Whether dost thou own him to be King and Lord and Master If so Whether onely titular or in truth and power If in power where lies it if he cannot give forth a Command or Law and so be a Law-giver to his people 6. Whom hast thou hitherto served and whom hast thou hitherto obeyed seeing thou owns not Christ to be thy Law-giver Art thou lawless and disobedient or hast thou thy law from thy self or from Satan or some other Whose Law followest thou seeing thou owns none from Christ And seeing thou disowns Christ also as a Worker Quaer Who is it that works all our works in us Isaiah 26. 12. and with out whom we can do nothing John 15. 4 5 and who was it that wrought in Paul mightily Col. 1. 19. FINIS