be the Saints rule and you goe about to prove they reject the Scripture because they deny it to be the Saints rule then nothing more plain then this that they reject the whole Scripture However we will take your own words with your own interpretations by which you give us to understand that they whom you call Quakers doe not reject the Scripture in generall But forasmuch as you grant that they doe not reject the whole Scripture and yet have not mentioned any one particular Scripture they doe reject untill you charge them with particulars I shall take your indefinite charge for no other then a slander You proceed from this to charge me with censuring because I doe affirm that they doe deny the Scripture who say in word it is the Saints rule and yet they themselves deny it to be their own rule by violating it in their practise T. S. If speaking plain truth without complement or flattery be censuring I shall study to be more a censurer And whereas you take your selfe as concerned in that which you call my censure as reflecting in particular on you it seemeth there is something in your conscience cryeth guilty you took my words as they were intended neither would it be an unjust censure but a true charge if I repeat what I said in my last Viz. That while you talk much in word of the Scriptures being your rule you disown and deny them by your practise in doing many things for which you have no rule in them at all And let me say farther that you that pretend your selves Ministers in the Nation crying The Scriptures the Scriptures doe of all men most abuse them by serving your lusts upon them Where you have no Plea for your Coveteousnesse Pride and Formality there you wrest the Scriptures to plead for you putting such Interpretations on them as will best serve to Patronize your lusts and where they doe condemne you or crosse you in your wickednesse there you strive to divert the stroak of them either by silencing them or fathering your own corrupt meanings upon them And that you and all that shall peruse this my Reply may see that I doe neither passionately nor groundlesly but justly impeach you of playing fast and loose with the Scripture I shall particularly scan your answer to two Queries I put you the first was this T. S. By what rule in Scripture doe you pretending to be a Minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ receive Tithes for preaching W. T. Faithfull Ministers neither preach for Tithes but for soules neither doe they take Tithes for preaching as if that were a fit exchange or as if they would leave preaching if that were not T. S. The plain English of your Answer is That you have no rule in Scripture by which you take Tithes Will any save those whom the Lord hath given up to believe lyes any longer credit you when you shall avouch the Scripture to be your rule in words and yet being asked what rule you have for your practice you can quote none Would you be esteemed such a valiant Champion in behalf of the Scripture and yet doe that for which no rule is to be found therein Is this lesse then plain hypocrisy to goe into your Pulpit where all men lye at the mercy of your bitter tongue and there powre out damnation on those that deny that the Scripture saith it is the Saints rule and yet your selfe in practise disown it for your rule But since you wave the Scripture as that which cannot speak for you we shall a little examine what it is that you have to speak for your self Faithfull Ministers you say doe not preach for Tithes but for soules T. S. Then from your own lips I may conclude That they that doe preach for Tithes are not faithfull Ministers and how few are there of those many you make mention of in the Nation which can escape this sentence A father putteth his Son to the University for some certain years to learn the Trade of Sermon-making and when he cometh thence what is the first thing in the eye of the father and Son why this where is the best vacant living the richest Benefice to be had When that is found out then the young Divine must come and give the people a Sermon as a sample of that ware he intendeth to sell them when he is setled The people they like not either his person or his wares and refuse to trade with him Away goeth father and Son hasten to some Committee or Superior power and there by bowing and faire speeches and by the helpe of some old Practitioners in that art they gaine that by power which they could not obtaine by the peoples consent Being once in to work he goes for the Tithes of all their graine cattle garden fruits and for smoke pennies summoning such as refuse to satisfie his covetous appetite before Magistrates suing others at the Law recovering of them treble dammages casting them into Prison in case of non-paiment and is this Preaching for Tithes or for soules If for soules surely it is onely to lead them down into the pit by such wicked examples as these and to make them seven fold more the children of the Devill then they were before Besides this how few are there of you that call your selves Ministers that are not as ready to chop and change your livings as men are their cattle for outward advantage If any man die posessed of a rich Parsonage how many of you have presently a call to it especially if there be more plenty of Tithes and more acres of Glebe land then in your own Parish then dayes of fasting and humiliation must be kept pretending to seek God to know who hath the clearest call and though you are all resolved in your hearts before hand to get it if you can yet the name of God and the prayers of some well-meaning people must be made use of by every one of you as a cloke least your deceite should be too plainly discovered I know you will call this clamor because I speak plaine truth but for all that I shall not spare to tell you that it is damnable hypocrisie for a man to resolve first to remove from a mean to a rich Benefice and then seem to consult with the Oracle whether he shall remove or no. I shall not positively charge you in particular with trading of this nature but if report be not an egregious liar you did strenuously endeavour to shew your selfe a faithfull Minister by your Preaching rather at Wells for Tithes then at Vbley for soules You say farther W. T. Neither doe they take Tithes for Preaching as if that were a fit exchange or as if they would leave Preaching if that were not T. S. They take not Tithes for doing nothing and is not Preaching the consideration for which they take them Then either confesse plainly that more then four parts of five of those called Ministers
the Ministers of Jesus Christ preach't for Tithes or sprinkled Infants The next thing that I asked you in my last was this Where is it written that the Scriptures are the ground of Faith W. T. That the Scriptures are the ground of faith is necessarily deduced from the ensuing Scriptures John 3.33 34. T. S. If the Lord hath not given you up wholly to disingenuity and blindnesse I appeale to that of God in your conscience whether this be an Answer to the Question propounded and whether it be not manifest huxtering and falsifying the Scripture to offer your own deductions for Scripture What shifting and shuffling is here to support the vain imaginations of your own heart Either it is written that the Scriptures are the ground of faith or it is not if it be written why had you not quoted the particular Scripture in which it is written If it be not written why had you not given a plain Answer to my Question and have confessed that it is no where so written However taking your Answer as you have laid it you thereby grant that which I said Viz. That it is no where written that the Scriptures are the ground of faith Notwithstanding which you labour much with your dead deductions and dark reasonings and all to force the Scripture to speak that which it never spake in which paths of cloudy confusion and horrible absurdities I shall not spend time to follow you for the folly and ignorance of your lines will be sufficiently discovered to any enlightned eye by the bare reading of them I shall only point at some of your most monstrous abuses offred to the Scripture and horrible blasphemies against the Lord Jesus Christ by your setting up the letter of Scripture above him and the testimony of his Spirit How wretchedly doe you abuse that place 1 John 5.10 in saying that the record witness there spoken of is the Scripture when as the very Scripture it self giveth you the lye saying that the witness and record there spoken of is within the Saints which record the very next verse there expresseth to be eternall life which God hath given to the Saints And is paper and Ink within the Saints or are they eternall life To this you add W. T. I must first believe and ground my faith on that written word and I must first believe and rest upon that written word and I must believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God because the written word tells me so T. S. If your conscience be not seared with a hot iron can you read over these lines again and not see the blasphemy that is in them stare in your face Was there not faith and was not Jesus Christ before the written word and yet must that be first believed on and be the ground of faith Is rest only to be found in Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God and yet the written word must be rested on first Did not Abel Enoch Abraham and other holy men of God believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God long before the written word was and could they then believe it because that told them so What starved soules have those Sheep whose Shepheard handeth to them no better food then this Doth not the witnesse of God in your conscience condemne you for horrible iniquity for receiving so much money yearly of your Parishioners and give them in exchange nought but such unsavoury husks as these From this you proceed to put another Scripture upon the Rack to make it confesse that which is neither expressed nor was ever intended in it Ephes 2.20 Yee are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone W. T. There it is said in terminis that the Scripture is a foundation T. S. Was the fear of the Lord before your eyes when you pen'd this Assertion so manifestly contradictory to the truth Is the Scripture so much as mentioned in that whole Chapter and yet is it in so many tearms called there a foundation Is not the foundation there spoken of that same Jesus which was both preach't and believed on by the Prophets and Apostles and had you the impudence to say that it 's the Scripture Could you so confidently give Paul the lye who saith expresly that other foundation then Jesus Christ none can lay and yet you would make Paul himself to lay another Doth not Calvin * Intelligit Jesum Christum cui Testimoniū tulêre Apostoli Prophetae Cal. in locum one of your Comentators with whom you trade for matter to sell to the people as manifestly conclude you to be a lyar who saith in terminis That the Apostle doth in that Scripture intend Jesus Christ to whom the Prophets and Apostles did bear witnesse Nay which is more see the heighth of your deceit doe not you your self say but a few lines after that the foundation on which the Prophets and Apostles built and we build is Christ You tell me in your last papers of my Out-cryes But let me say to you That I shall never cease to cry aloud against such horrible falshood and deceit as this Can you without a blushing conscience accuse others for denying the Scripture and yet you your self in the mean while thus trample it under foot by averring that it saith that in terms which it doth not once mention You proceed labouring in the dark seeking by a coyned distinction which the Scripture knoweth not to prove your own conceptions You say W. T. There 's a double foundation 1 Personall or reall that is Christ 2 Doctrinall or declarative that is the Scripture T. S. If the Scripture be no reall foundation is it then imaginary for that which is not reall is imaginary Is not the Scripture beholding to you for calling it a foundation and yet opposing it to that which is a reall foundation Is the Scripture acquainted with this distinction when you shew it me there I shall speak more to it W T. Now enquire again whether I have made the Scriptures assert that which they no where doe T. S. I am not now to make enquiry touching that a little enquiry will serve the turn to find you a notorious falsifyer of the Scripture in saying it is written so and so when as no such thing is written And I doe still say that were you not past blushing you would cover your face through shame when you reflect on your wresting of the Scripture endeavouring to produce it as a testimony to your false assertions You goe on to distinguish between Gods Testimony and Gods Truth T. S. Have you at once lost your honesty as well as your understanding that you should create an opposition betwixt Gods testimony and Gods truth Is not his testimony truth Thus you jumble things together to fill up your papers just as you multiply words to fill up your houre in the Pulpit whether you speak things true or false
nay therefore in the second because it is alone to be had in the first Is not this as good reasoning to say That salvation is alone to be had freely by Jesus Christ and therefore by the works of the Law we must pray alone to the Lord that made us and therefore to graven Images Minde feriously if the Lord hath not given you up to a spirit of slumber that you should write such barbarous contradictions in stead of Doctrine whiles you fight against the truth The Reason you give for your bold assertion is this W. T. Because the Scripture setteth forth Christ alone as the person in whom life is to be had T. S. That the Scriptures doe testifie of Christ is true and that there is no other Jesus but that onely begotten of the Father of whom they testifie is as true But is life therefore to be had in them Is a declaration touching any thing the thing it selfe Old Jacobs sons made a declaration to their Father of the great plenty of corne in Egypt to keep them alive and will you therefore say that food and sustenance were to be had in their declaration Many Philosophers have given a description in their writings of the nature of bread and doth it thence follow that bread is to be had in their writings Plinny and others since him have declared the nature of that sweetnesse which is in honey and was ever any man so ignorant to conclude that therefore honey with its sweetnesse is to be had in the declarations of Plinny For shame doe not assume to your selfe the name of a Divine nor undertake to teach others the way to life whilest you are not able to put a difference betwixt a declaration touching a thing and the thing it selfe and so put the Scripture for Christ and the letter for the life In the next place you speak of men that cannot or will not put a difference between word and word between the Essentiall word and the Enuntiative word and so accommodate themselves for the shaking off of Scripture as if nothing were the word but Christ T. S. Must he presently be sentenced for a shaker off of the Scripture who cannot adore every School distinction as an Oracle from Heaven Where doe the Scripture make mention of the Essentiall word and the Enuntiative word and if the Scripture knoweth not any such termes pray tell us when you received your commission from Heaven to coyne distinctions and father them on the Scripture and then accuse men for shaking off the Scripture because they shake off the vaine imaginations of your own brain W. T. I would ask you this one question whereupon must I believe that Christ is the true light that lightens every man that comes into the world c. T. S. I ask you againe whether that all the holy men of God from Abel to John who spake those words did believe that Christ was the true light If they did then I demand on what ground did they beleeve it and on what ground did John himselfe who spake the words beleeve the truth of them W T. Suffer the Scripture then to be the ground of faith T. S. I say to you and the rest of those that call themselves Teachers in the Nation doe you suffer the Scripture to abide pure as it was spoken and doe not darken it by your corrupt glosses nor raise imaginations of your own upon it which you call Comments and so make the Scripture to swell into so many volumes that a great part of a mans life time must be spent in perusing them suffer the Scripture to be that which it declareth it selfe to be and speak not that of it falsly which it never spake of it selfe You proceed hence in your Papers to descant on my testimony that I gave touching the Scriptures and because you can therein finde no matter of quarrell taking my words in that plainesse they were spoken therefore you fly to making of meanings on them and say if I mean so by this and that expression then there is truth in it but if so then there is danger in it T. S. Are you troubled because my words were so plaine and so spend time to seek a knot in a bull-rush what would you have would you make me speak what I intended not Let it suffice that I tell you that I spake as I mean't and did mean as I spake Therefore you may forbear to impose your drousie Interpretations on what I declared in words sufficiently intelligible by any man whose minde is not darkned with ignorance or passion What Lordly spirit is that which lodgeth within your brest that your Probatum est must serve for a stamp under which my testimony must passe for truth and without which it must be of necessity erronious Much more stirre you make about meanings and sences in your discourse but I shall not trace you in all your wilde divinations but leave them to be burn't up as stnbble with the fire of truth W. T. But such words as these will serve a turne being very taking with poor mistaken and seduced soules T. S. You told me but even now of deceit and danger that were in my words but it seemeth there is no great danger in them if they are like to take with none but those who are already seduced for there is little danger of hurting them that are already under deceit and seduction When as in my last I declared my disowning of any mans testimony that was found contradictory to Scripture You answer W. T. For ought I know then you must leave the most or all of your new Religion which is upheld by a pretended inward light that will never abide the tryall c. T. S. For ought I know unlesse you prove me to have taken up some new Religion you may expect your portion among those that are shut out of the new Jerusalem for lyars and false Prophets I own no Religion but that which teacheth a man to fear the Lord and work righteousnesse to visit the fatherlesse and widowes in their affliction and to keep himselfe unspotted of the world Christ is the light of the world which I own as the foundation of my Religion who is within me unlesse I am a Reprobate and dare you be so impudent as to call him a pretended light You would be very angry if I should disown you for a Minister of Jesus Christ but did he ever make such Ministers or did ever any of the Apostles that were sent forth by him in scorn call him a pretended light If false Prophets may be known by their fruits then let all that know the Lord and walk in his fear judge what you are who doe bring forth such sowre Grapes as these And whereas you say my new Religion will never abide the tryall as may appear in part by what hath been already said I answer If wresting and belying the Scripture if contradictions and confusion be that
it matters not W. T. If the Scriptures be corrupted they must be purged cleared and the true words and sense held forth and maintained which is the Churches Office 1 Tim. 3.15 T. S. Would not any man be ashamed but he that is past shame to offer this Scripture to prove that the Scripture must be purged and cleared by the Church when it 's corrupted Is the Scripture or the corruption purging or clearing of it mentioned or so much as intended in that Scripture This is just such a wild proof as you use to bring for the dead Doctrines you raise from Scripture in your Pulpit But the ground of faith you say may be corrupted nay you say further that faith may be lost T. S. Let all that fear the Lord judge whether you speak like a man acquainted with the faith of Gods elect Is the faith of Gods elect bottomed upon a corruptible foundation and may their faith be lost The Scripture saith that He that believeth shall never be confounded but if the ground of faith be corruptible shame and confusion will certainly cover the faces of those that believe When I tell you that the Scripture could not be the ground of Abel's Enoch's and Noah's faith because they were before the Scripture was c. You Answer W. T. Though they had not those Scriptures which now we have yet the word of God was made known to them then and that word of God is the ground and was the ground of their faith T. S. I hope you own no other Scriptures then those we now have and if they had not those then they could not be the ground of their faith And thus are you constrained to Answer and confute your self out of your own mouth for whereas you have spent much time and produced many blind Arguments to prove that the Scriptures are the ground of faith now you confesse that they were not the ground of Abel's Enoch's and Noah's faith and if they were not the ground of their faith then neither were they the ground of any of the Saints faith since them for that they and all the Saints since have the same foundation and are built on the same Rock which can never be removed nor corrupted as you doe most absurdly assert And whereas you say the word of God was made knowne to them then and was the ground of their faith what need you have said this for whoever denyed it was this the thing in controversie betwixt you and me or did ever any of those called Quakers say that the word of God was not the ground of Abrahams faith and still is of the faith of all Saints Did you not in your first Letter to me accuse them for denying the Scriptures because you said they denyed the Scriptures to be the ground of faith and now doe you confesse that before the Scriptures were there was a ground of faith Let all that are wise-hearted judge what horrible confusion you labour in for if there were something that was not the Scripture because it was before it which was the ground of Abells faith and Abrahams faith and still is the ground of faith then what more manifest then this that you doe most ignorantly accuse those called Quakers for denying the Scripture because they assert that which you your selfe doe here grant and acknowledge to be a truth You proceed hence to tell me of my Out-cryes and why Out-cryes because I tell you the plain truth without falttery I trust I shall never be ashamed to cry yet louder against all Idol Shepheards that eat the fat and drink the sweet and cloath with the wool but feed not the flock When you say that the word of God was ever the ground of faith even before it was written I ask did you by the word of God intend the Scripture or not If you did then that which I said to you thence doth justly fall upon you if not then to what end did you spend half a sheet of paper to prove the Scripture to be the ground of faith calling it all along the word of God And yet now to save your self out of the mire of confusion and contradiction you create an opposition betwixt the Scripture and the word of God Thus you write as you Preach say and unsay in the same houres discourse assert a thing and contradict it T. S. In what Scripture is it written that Christ directeth us to look for life in the Scripture W. T. In the present Scripture John 5.39 Search the Scriptures for in them you thinke you have Eternall life T. S. You will call it rayling if I say again that it 's a shame for one that pretendeth himself to be a Minister of Jesus Christ to be found with so notorious a lye in his mouth But esteem it as you will I must not forbear telling you plainly of so great a wickednesse To what a height of wickednesse are you arived who durst belye the Son of God who is truth it self in saying he saith that which never proceeded out of his lips Have not the dayes of * Jer. 6.15 Jeremiah overtaken us in which he complaineth that from the Prophet to the Priest every one dealeth falsly and when they had committed abomination they were not at all ashamed neither could they blush Because Christ saith to the Jewes that they though they had eternall life in the Scriptures did he therefore 〈◊〉 to look for life in them Christ telleth his Disciples that the time should come that whosoever killed them should think he did God service and will you thence gather this Doctrine which is as true as the former that Christ in that Scripture directeth men to kill his Disciples that so they might doe God service if you have not a conscience past feeling how can you consider of this injurious dealing with Christ and the Scriptures and not blush and bewaile your folly From your abuse of Christ and the forementioned Scripture you proceed to your reasonings and arguings such as they are but since they are all grounded on that which is fasly premised Viz. that Christ directeth us to look for life in the Scriptures I shall not spend time to examine their strength for that they fall of themselves having no better foundation then a grosse untruth of your own invention T. S. Is not eternall life to be had in Christ alone and is the Scripture Christ W. T. Eternall life is to be had in Christ alone and therefore in Scripture T. S. If you did not esteem your selfe licensed to blaspheme the name of Jesus Christ could you thus impudently derogate from his glory in saying that eternall life which is alone to be had in Christ may yet be had in that which is not Christ Can that which is alone to be had in him be yet had in another whence had you this rare peece of Logick that that which is alone to be had in one thing may yet be had in another
he exhorted them to be (l) Mat. 5.48 perfect even as their Heavenly Father is perfect and that the same Christ spake truth when as he bore witnesse of Nathaniel that he was an Israelite (m) John 1.47 in whom was no guile as also that Paul did not designe that which was impossible when as he laboured to present men (n) Col. 1.28 perfect in Christ Jesus 4. They doe not blush to say that Christ and the Apostles spake as they mean't in the Scriptures and therefore they deny our meanings and interpretations as needlesse especially because we differ among our selves in our own meanings and are fallible in our interpretations we give of them by which means a great part of our craft and imployment is like to fall to the ground 5. They assert that Christ did not speak one thing and intended another when as he (o) Mat. 5.34 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A prohibinon so universall that it admitteth of no exception command men not to swear at all but to let their yea be yea and their nay nay whereas we that are Orthodox doe both swear our selves and teach men so to doe otherwise we may haply go without our maintenance for want of swearers in Courts of justice against those Hereticks that refuse to pay us tithes 6. They are bold to assert (p) Deut. 14.29 that in taking tithes for preaching we are true neither to the old Covenant nor the new Not to the old because tithes were the maintenance peculiarly appointed to the Tribe of Levi of which Tribe we cannot say we are and also the tithes of old were by command to be put into a store-house whether the (q) Numb 18 21. stranger the fatherlesse and the widow were to come and eate of them and be satisfied which we practise not Not to the new Covenant for that Jesus Christ hath put an end to the Leviticall Priesthood and consequently to all the maintenance and apurtenances thereunto belonging 7. They call us hirelings because we preach by indenture first made with the people for our maintenance and doe not go forth trusting our Master Christ as his Ministers of old did carrying neither (r) Luke 10.3 4. purse nor scrip with us which should we practise we are doubtfull we should be reduced to one of these two straights viz. either to work or beg the first of which we cannot doe and to doe the second we are ashamed 8. They call us greedy dogs because we doe not walk after the example of those whom Christ sent out to preach the Gospel viz. eate and drink such things as the people (Å¿) Luke 10.7 give us but in stead thereof doe force that by Law even from the poor and needy viz. the tenth of all they get by the sweat of their browes which by faire means we should never obtaine A thing they say which the true Prophets and Ministers of Christ mentioned in Scripture never practised 9. They call us hypocrites pretending these as the reasons 1. Because we preach the things we practice not accusing us for preaching against pride and yet living in it against covetousnesse and yet being greedy of filthy lucre c. 2. Because often times in the close of our Sermons we tell the people we should have proceeded farther if time had not prevented us when as indeed we had no more to say 3. Because in our Prayers before Sermon we frequently beg of God that he would put words into our mouths and teach us what to say whereas even then we have our Sermon notes either in our pockets or our Bibles or the platforme of our discourse prepared in our heads 10. They call us thieves and robbers because we spend six dayes in the week to gather together the words of the Prophets and Apostles the words of Jerom Augustine Calvin Luther c. and then come forth on the first day and speak to the people saying Hearken to the word of the Lord when as indeed we received it not from the Lord but from the writings of other men with whom we converse 11. They have the confidence to advise us see the boldnesse of these deceivers to Preach no more to the people then the Lord hath spoken to us and then we our selves witnesse the life and power of within our selves which if practised would be of sad consequence to us for that whereas most of us are ingaged by contract to Preach weekly some once some twice some three times if we should Preach no more then we witnesse the life and power of either constant silence or rare speaking would be found in our Congregations and then what our Sheep would doe for Shepheards or what we Shepheards should doe for hire let all that are in Authority judge 12. They say that the minde of God is not to be known by study in a University but by revelation of the Spirit who alone knoweth his (t) 1 Cor. 2.11 12. minde And that Paul and Peter and other the Ministers of Jesus Christ in Scripture did not serve an apprentiship in any University to learne the trade of Preaching but did Preach that Gospel which Christ by his Spirit (u) 1 Cor. 2.10 Gal. 1.16 revealed in them and therefore they charge us to be Ministers of the letter onely because we Preach the Saints words but doe not witnesse their condition 13. Their blasphemies doe not end here but they proceed on and declare both to us and our people that all our talking and profession of Christ his death resurrection and righteousnesse in the notion though never so Orthodox shall nothing availe us or them unlesse we witnesse the life of Jesus in us and his eternall power raising us up to newness of life 14. They doe not spare to publish it as truth and practice accordingly that he that (w) Jan. 2.9 respecteth persons doth commit sin And therefore it is hereticks as they are that will no sooner bow down to the rich man wearing the Gold ring and the goodly Apparell then to the poor man that 's clad with vile raiment Of which if permitted O ye Rulers and Magistrates this will be the sad consequence that you will neither be stiled honourable or worshipfull nor we be called by the well pleasing titles of Doctors and Divines 15. Lastly they doe avouch it to be proper as in (x) H. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou Gr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thâ—â— Lat. Ta. 〈◊〉 Hebrew Greek and Latin so in English to say Thou and thee to any single person concluding see what it is to be illiterate that because Adam Abraham Moses and we our selves doe say Thou and thee to the great God that made the World therefore the same expressions may be used to mortal men And though we do esteem the impropriety proper for great men and rich men to say Thou and thee to a poor man and a mean man yet we cannot but condemn the same though proper
by which you prove my Religion I must confesse my Religion will not abide that tryall but teacheth me to bear my testimouy against all such Romish filth and Babylonish rubble But that you may know that my Religion will bear the tryall of a greater then you I doe hereby declare my selfe free and willing on seasonable notice given me to appear in the midst of your Congregation or in the presence of the whole County where you live to have both my Principles and practises tryed by the Scriptures of truth which if you shall refuse to doe then take shame to your selfe for a false accuser W. T. In this testimonie you have given concerning Scripture you know your own meaning and the sincerity of your heart in the declaration of it I am afraid it will come to little else if all were known then the owning of that Spirit that breathed it forth and that 's to own the Author not the Scripture or the living the life of Christ and that 's to expresse the effect and work of Scripture knowledge rather then to owne the Doctrine T. S. You told me ere while after you had made a comment on my plaine expressions that if I meant so and so then my words did require my second thoughts sure I am here are expressions that require your second thoughts and if you are not past blushing you will finde in them matter of great shame to your selfe Dare you say that you are afraid that my testimonie touching Scripture will amount to little else then owning the Spirit that breathed it forth or living the life of Christ Can any man be said to own the Spirit that breathed forth the Scripture and living the life of Christ and yet disowne the Scripture which is the testimonie of that Spirit and that Christ Doth not he that disowneth the Scripture disowne the Spirit that breathed it forth and disowne the living the life of Christ and yet whilest you confesse that my testimonie amounteth to the owning of that Spirit and the living the life of Christ is it matter of fear to you that I should yet disowne the Scriptures doe not call it insulting if I ask you whether ever such a parcell of language dropt from any sober mans pen and withall tell you that if you and others that take the Scriptures of truth to make a trade on and get a lively-hood by did truly own the Spirit that breathed them forth and the living the life of Christ you would not Preach and write as at this day you doe For close of this I shall repeat what I said in my former Viz. That I own the Scripture against all whose sayings and practises are found contrary to it such are those who say in word it is their rule but deny it in their works that Preach it in the letter and have a forme of godlinesse but deny the power thereof that talk of Christ with their tongues but abide not in the Doctrine of Christ that own him in outward profession but persecute him where he appeareth in life and power Against such and all others that live not the life of those Saints and holy men of God that spake them forth doe I own the Scriptures T. S. For the Supper of the Lord the Scripture maketh expresse mention of it but for the word Sacrament the the Scripture knoweth it not W. T. The Scripture knoweth such words as come very near it as the word signe calling the old Testament Sacrament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a signe or token of the Covenant Gen. 17.11 2. The word seal 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 4.11 1 Pet. 3.21 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 8 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 T. S. I spake not of words that come near it but of the word it selfe And because it is not there to be found therefore you spend time to prove thence some words that come near it May you not as well prove a false Prophet which is a ravening wolfe to be a true Prophet because he is in sheeps cloathing which cometh near the true But if you never come nearer the truth then the words you have mentioned doe to the word Sacrament you will dye very great strangers each to other What Scripture is there that calleth circumcision the old Testament Sacrament if you did not indeed esteem your selfe priviledged to write any thing without controll you would not so confidently offer the inventions of men for Doctrine and avouch the Scripture as your Author What if circumcision be called by Moses a signe and by Paul a seal doth it therefore follow that the Lords Supper is by them called a Sacrament Or what though Baptisme be called an Antitype and the Priests offering gists according to the Law be called an example of Heavenly things will you thence conclude the other called a Sacrament Sacramentum Anglice a Sacrament you doe or might know principally signifieth that oath by which souldiers of old bound themselves to be faithfull to their Captaines and is there such affinity betwixt this word and the words signe seale Antitype and Example W. T. What you speak therefore of adding to and substracting from the Scripture savours more of calumny then of charity and hath in it more of censure then of convincement T. S. Is it not a manifest adding to the Scripture to attempt the fathering of the word Sacrament upon it when it knoweth no such terme doe not you your selfe confesse that it is not there to be found and therefore doe labour to being forth words that are nere it Is it calumny and censuring to charge you with the truth I have not so much charity as to call falshood truth or darknesse light and if telling you the truth be an offence to you expect that I doe more offend you You are very angry for my speaking concerning those guides that go with the proud envious coveteous to eate bread and drink wine And you tell me that he had need be of more understanding and judgement then my selfe that shall undertake to determine what is to be done about Sacrament admission T. S So far am I from boasting of my own understanding and judgement that I shall esteem it rich grace to be content to be yet much more a fool then I am And yet you will doe well to call to minde and consider what Solomons judgement is of a man that is wise in his own eyes And as understanding as you and others are whom you call godly guides about Sacrament admission as you call it a terme that Christ and his Apostles never knew yet this I know and am well assured of that it 's no hard thing to finde many Congregations in which Pastour and people come together to eate bread and drink wine with their hands full of wickednesse a proud heady high minded Pastour and like people coveteous Pastour and coveteous people envious Pastor and envious people and is this to eate the flesh and drink the blood
of Christ or is this to discerne the Lords body After this having spoken something touching the Lords Supper you tell me W. T. Your modesty is good in regard of the mystery but the full answering of your Queries requires more leisure then I have and more willingnesse to be informed then you have T. S. What a pittifull lame shift have you found to cover over your ignorance withall had you not better have ingenuously confessed you knew not what to say to the Queries then offer that for an Apology for your silence which will never gaine credit from any that doe examine the truth of things before they receive them will any sober minded man beleeve that you that had leisure to write me three large sheets of paper had not then or have not had since so much spare time as to answer six short Queries And as for your assigning my unwillingnesse to be informed as another cause of your not answering them this is as manifest a pretence as the former for if my unwillingnesse to be informed were a sufficient bar against your answering of my Queries why did you answer severall other of my Queries proposed to you before and after these since I have manifested as much unwillingnesse to be informed in those as in these and that 's just none at all You glance at one of my Queries and say W. T. All Saints witnesse Christ to come though not come T. S. Did not Paul and other Saints witnesse Jesus Christ come when as he lived in them and was in them their hope of glory their strength their-life and their peace From hence you proceed to speak to what I said in my last touching Ministers My declaration touching whom beginneth thus T. S. The Ministers of Jesus Christ who have received their Ministry from him as the holy men of God of old did I own c. W. T. It were some comfort if you would tell us who they be that you judge to be made Ministers according to the will of God in Scripture and that are so pretious to you T. S. By what I have said before touching Idoll Shepheards you might well understand whom I judge to be the true Shepheards But since it will be matter of comfort to you to know more of my mind in this particular I shall be plain in making a discovery thereof unto you I judge those Ministers of Christ who run not before they are sent of him and doe abide in the doctrine of Christ who have received that gift not by expence of money in a University but freely from the Lord by which they are made able Ministers of the New Testament not of the letter but of the Spirit who preach him in words and owne him by their works But I doe not judge those Ministers of Jesus Christ who abide not in his doctrine who instead of being found carefull Shepheards to guard the Sheep are themselves found Wolves persecuting and devouring the sheep who make gaine their godlinesse who covet other mens silver and gold catching those by the throats who put not into their mouths who maintaine themselves and families in pride by the sweat of other mens browes who sue those at the Law that refuse to pay them the tenth of all their labours who take Christs words and the Saints words to gaine a livelihood bypreaching to others what they themselves practise not who tell the people that a heap of stones is the Church and call those things the Ordinances and that the worship of Jesus Christ which never were of his institution These I say I judge and that according to the Scripture to be such as have not received their Ministry from Jesus Christ but are Ministers of Antichrist builders of Babylon but enemies to the glory of Zion and the new Jerusalem T. S. Where is it written that one was made a Minister by ordinary Call and another by an extraordinary W. T. The thing is written Gal. 1.1 Acts 14.23 T. S. Is there so much as mention made in either of those Scriptures of a Call ordinary or extraordinary and have you notwithstanding the confidence positively to assert that it is so written in those Scriptures Must your dreams and drowsie meanings passe for Scripture and then dare you falsly say that it is so written You told me ere while it would be some comfort if I would tell you who they were that I judged Ministers of Jesus Christ Truly not such as belye the Spirit of truth that spake forth the Scriptures by the mouths of the Saints wresting them any way to serve their owne ends and to patronize such practises as have not truth for their bottome Which thing if you did well weigh would be to you no great ground of comfort And whereas you bid me consult my own reason touching the tearms of ordinary and extraordinary Call I answer My reason is not the Scripture nor judge thereof and withall let me tell you that to fly from the Scripture which you would be thought zealously to assert when no foundation can therein be found for notions of mens creatings and instead thereof to advise me to consult with my own reason is plain shuffling Further you say that this distinction of ordinary and extraordinary Call doth not make two doores but two wayes of entring in by the same doore In answer to which I ask you Doth the Scripture know two wayes of entrance into the Sheep-fold Doth that testifie of any more then one way and that the same that is the way is also the doore even Jesus Christ the Righteous And although you passionately deny that distinction to be of your own creating but say that it hath ever been of use in the Churches of God I answer That forasmuch as the spirit of truth hath no where made mention thereof throughout the Scriptures it is but just that you should be charged as the creator of it And if to use your own language you knew and cared what you said you would not proceed in your wonted boldnesse to say that it hath ever been of use in the Churches of God when as it was never used among any of the Churches mentioned in the Scriptures Neither are the words so much as to be found through all the writings of Christ or the Apostles But it doth behoove those that dare not pretend to that Call which they had who were sent by Christ of old to tell the people they have yet another as authentick as that that so though they enter not in by the one true doore yet they may save themselves from the sentence of Thieves and Robbers by erecting a back-door which the Scripture never knew and then stile it with the name of another way through the same doore Hence you proceed on labouring by many words to prove your Call but all to little purpose for when you have said all the Tree will still be known by his fruits and they that are not found doing Christs will
the Beast in the Nation have onely changed their task-masters and whereas of old they had but one in many miles now they feel the scourge of one almost in every Parish And if the Devil did play his part in these changes he acted like himselfe viz. very subtilly in making a great noyse about the taking away of names and offices but leaving the things and power still standing Neither need you fear the Devils designing the rooting up your Ministry for he was never found lesse then a friend to that which is a support to his own Kingdome and whilest that the works of the flesh are practised and patronized his work is not hindred Certainly the Devil will contribute the help of both his hands to the upholding of that Ministry that can cover over the filthiest lusts both in themselves and others of pride envy coveteousnesse and bitter persecution with the spetious vaile of humane infirmity W. T. I shall wish you so far a Quaker as to fear and tremble to act this designe T. S. Doe you wish me evill or good in wishing me a Quaker if evill you break the law of Christ in wishing that to another you would not have him wish to you if good then it 's a good thing to be a Quaker by your own confession to fear and tremble to act that which is evill And how much doe you contradict your selfe in striving to make it matter of reproach to me that I close with those called Quakers when as I close with no other then those that fear and tremble before the mighty God of Jacob which you cannot but own as a good thing But what is the designe I must fear and tremble to act is it to endeavour the rooting out of your Ministry And why fear and tremble at it Is your Ministry such a precious plant that it may not be pluckt up under the same penalty as was in eating the forbidden fruit are you such holy things that you may not be toucht but it must be esteemed a prophanation This is a fine scar-crow to affright ignorant soules from taking up the skirt of your covering and viewing your hidden abominations that lye under But as for my selfe know that my trust is on the Lord for power to be made able and willing to seal my testimony with my blood against the horrible wickednesse of those that calls themselves the Ministers of Christ but are not who under their faire vizards are full of filthinesse and polution who Preach in words against what they approve by their works and whose hearts are full of blood and violence which they manifest by their bitter persecution of Christ in his innocent lambs W. T. And let me tell you further that if God love this Nation and intend to shew us mercy you shall finde that he will hold these stars in his right hand c. T. S. Stars full of filth and polution that shine not with the pure light of the Lord that serve rather to set the Nation on fire then to lead it to peace and rest the Lord holdeth not in his right hand for he is of purer hands then to touch such unclean things Neither can it be esteemed the fruit of his love and mercy to this or any other Nation but of his sore displeasure that such stars are and doe multiply in the midst thereof And let me also tell you that were not the fals Prophets held faster in the hand of the beast then in the hand of the Lord they would soon drop down from the firmament of this worlds pomp and glory into the bottomlesse pit out of which they did at first arise From hence you proceed to mention five Queries proposed to you in my last to which you returne no direct Answer but instead thereof you offer a heap of impertinent words and many groundles distinctions to which being not to the things spoken to I shall not spend time to make Reply onely by the way I shall note two things with which you falsly accuse me 1. The first is that I inveigh against humane learning To which I answer that I neither did nor doe inveigh against humane learning Let it stand where it should and I am very well content If any man say a tile-stone is not fit for to make a foundation stone for a building must it presently be concluded that he denyeth the use of tile-stones The greatest measure of humane Learning cannot render the carnall man spirituall which you your self are constrained to acknowledge but doe leave him still carnall who is shut out for ever from discerning the things of God The Mysteries of the Kingdome of God are hid from the wise and prudent and revealed unto Babes Paul with all his learning persecuted Jesus Christ as many doe at this day neither did all that which he had gotten at the feet of Gamaliell advance him one step nearer to the knowledge of the Son of God of whom he was as ignorant as the most unlearned person under heaven untill the Lord revealed him unto him The knowledge of the father and the Son to know whom is eternall life can never be gained by study For no man knoweth the Son but the father neither knoweth any man the father save the Son and he to whomsoever the Son will reveale him There is nothing more manifest then this that many in this and the by-past Ages which have pretended to seek Christ by much study have and doe imprison and crucifie him where they find him 2 You accuse me with seeking to justifie absurd Tenents To which I shall only say That I seek to justifie no Tenents but such as also the Scripture doth justifie And if you call such absurd Tenents I doe then indeed seek to justifie Tenents that are absurd It 's no rare thing with you that pretend your selves Leaders to the people to esteem any thing an absurd Tenent though never so clearly owned by the Scripture that crosseth your gain or your glory And therefore untill you can prove that whereof you accuse me I shall passe it over as a scandal that you have ready to throw upon any man that hath so much honesty and courage as to bear Testimony against all your false wayes and worships Many more expressions you add touching Learning which doe not at all Answer my Queries repeating again that distinction of an ordinary and extraordinary Call to which the Scripture being wholly a stranger I shall passe it over as that which deserveth no other Answer but to be disowned After this you come to speak of the light within its leading to Justification those that are taught by it upon which you come to suppose a meaning and say That the light they speake of they make to be a light enlightning every one that comes into the world To which I Answer That if they make no more of that light then the Scripture maketh of it they are not therein found erring from the truth Now
whether doth not the Scripture testifie that Christ is the true light that enlightneth every man that cometh into the world And also that he that followeth that light shall not walk in darknesse but shall have the light of life And whereas you quote that place Rom. 10.14 How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard You might have found an Answer if you had looked a little further viz. in the 18 Verse where it 's written But I say have they not heard yes verily their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the end of the world To which I shall only add these foure following Queries and close this 1 Querie Whether had not the Lord his witnesse in the Hearts of those of whom Paul speaketh in his first Chapter to the Romans convincing them of and condemning them for sin though it was kept under and held in unrighteousnesse 2 Querie Whether that which left them without excuse did not also reveale to them the way to life which if it had not done whether had they not been excusable 3 Querie Whether were they condemned because they knew not God or for disobedience against the light they had in that they glorified him not as God according to the measure of light they had received 4 Querie If they had obeyed and glorified God according to that measure of light and knowledge they had received whether had they been condemned And now I am come to your last Dart you shoot at me which you discharge with so much passion as if you had reserved the very bottome of the rancor of your spirit as the sharpest stone to throw at me in conclusion accusing me of rayling and using groundlesse and insolent exclamations with many other expressions savoring of much fury and bitternesse Now whether I am become thus your Enemy for telling you the truth or the contrary I shall leave to be determined by all that live in the fear of the Lord from what followeth The thing that I charged you with was the denyall of Jesus Christ to be within us which charge I grounded on these words of yours viz. The Scripture saith That we are justified freely by the grace of God through the redemption and righteousnesse of Jesus Christ which is not within us but without us Now the thing in controversie betwixt you and my self is in which of these two orders these words must be read either thus Which redemption and righteousnesse is not within us or Which Jesus Christ is not within us You would have them to save your self out of the mire to be read in the former order viz. Which redemption and righteousnesse is not within us Which being supposed I demand of you two things 1 What number is the word Which the Singular or the Plurall The Singular you cannot say unlesse you will destroy your Grammer which saith That many Antecedents singular having a conjunction copulative coming between them will have a relative Plural This being granted that the word which is the Plurall number I demand 2 What is the Nominative Case to the Verb Is for whom you can find no other but the word Which and that being the Plurall number and the Verb Is the singular number pray produce me some Rule in your Grammer that alloweth any Concord betwixt a Verb of the singular number and a Nominative Case of the Plurall So that I doe appeal to all that are sober-minded whether any man taking your words plainly and honestly as they lye without altering or wresting them could or can read them any otherwise then as I did in the second order Viz. Which Jesus Christ is not within us but without us All which being considered had you in your last Letter upon a serious perusall of what you had written and of what I had charged you with acknowledged your error to have proceeded from your forgetfullnesse of your Syntaxis or the scape of your pen I should have been contentedly silent as knowing my selfe not exempted from all mistakes but since you stand to owne the expression as it lyeth and doe throw much dirt of reproach and false accusation upon me for taking your words aright according as they are written let me tell you again that whatever you intend yet your lines as they are written doe blasphemously deny Jesus Christ to be in us And therefore you might well have spared your following words which are these W. T. Whereby it clearly appeareth that I never said that Jesus Christ is not within us but only that the redemption and righteousnesse of Christ by which we are justified is not within us but without us and against that you say you can say nothing T. S. Whether you did say that Jesus Christ is not within us or not I shall leave to all that are serious to be determined And also whether your repetition of your owne words be not sufficient evidence against your self And therefore I shall spare to speak ought more touching that and shall admit your expression to be according to what you say you intend viz. That the righteousnesse and redemption of Jesus Christ are not within us but without us Against which you say that I say I can say nothing Of which your expression I would gladly make the best interpretation And therefore shall not take it as intending thus much That I said I could say nothing against those words of yours for that never proceeded out of my lips and consequently it would have been a false Charge But I shall take it as importing thus much That I neither did nor could say any thing against what you spake concerning the righteousnesse and redemption of Jesus Christ Which most favourable Interpretation of your words doe yet argue that you speake rather from a spring of presumption then knowledge for because I did say nothing against them doth it truly follow that I could say nothing Is it faire or sober reasoning A non esse ad non posse because a thing is not therefore it cannot be This I can say that in vain doth he talke of or professe Christ in notion that doth not witnesse him a destroyer of the works of the Devill within him And if you preach Christ in word all dayes of your life and doe not witnesse cleansing and redemption within you you will dye polluted and no unclean thing shall ever enter into the Kingdome of Heaven It 's a very pleasing Religion that helpeth a man only to talke of a righteousnesse beyond the Stars and he in the mean time live in filthinesse and pollution I know no swearers drunkards covetous or prophane persons but will embrace that as very Orthodox doctrine which teacheth them to pretend to a righteousnesse and redemption a far off from them when as they cannot witnesse a washing and cleansing from their mire and uncleannesse within them And since you are so confident that I can say nothing against what you did so peremptorily assert I shall
further offer to you by way of inquiry as followeth 1 Qu Whether Christ be separable from his righteousnesse if not whether he being within the Saints his righteousnesse Be not there also And consequently whether he that denyeth the righteousnesse of Christ to be within the Saints doth not blasphemously deny Christ to be there also 2 Qu Whether Christ be not made of God unto the Saints Wisdome Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption and whether is he so made to them within them or without them 3 Qu Whether redemption and righteousnesse must not be there witnessed where the seat of sin and uncleanness is And whether is that seat of sin and uncleanness within or without 4 Qu Whether doth not the Scripture witness that Christ gave himself for his that he might redeem them from all iniquity and purisie them unto himself And whether is that redemption and purisying from their iniquity and polution within them or without them As you draw nearer the conclusion of your Papers you wax more fierce and furious casting out a great deale of folly and froth from your unsavoury spirit charging me with laying foule hands on you and reviling of Protestant Ministers c. T. S. To which I Answer That it was never my Principle neither is it my practice to lay violent hands upon any man And as for that spirit that teacheth men to revile I doe abominate it as such betwixt whom and the Spirit of the Lord which is the Spirit of meeknesse there is no fellowship If I were inclined to be led by example I must needs say that I might ere this perfectly have learned how to practice both these from the example of your brethren of the Clergy and their enraged Disciples who are at this day very frequent in laying their bloody hands on the innocent beating in and casting out of their Synagogues and haling before Magistrates and Rulers those that bear testimony against the same deceit and hypocrisie in them that Christ bore testimony against in their Predecessors the Scribes and Pharisees crying out to those in Authority Crucifie them trucifie them for they are not fit to live foaming out mire and dirt speaking all manner of evill causlesly for the truths sake And are these the Protestant Ministers you say I revile because I speak the plain truth of them You pretend the Scripture for you rule then let me ask you and let that of God in your own conscience judge betwixt you and me Doth the Scripture judge those to be true Shepheards or Wolves that worrie and persecute the poor sheep Are they ever numbred among Christs sheep that devoure his innocent Lambs Is it the badge of the Dove-like Disciples of meek Jesus to be Persecutors or Persecuted Christ before he left the world foretold what should be the Portion of his Ministers and Disciples viz They should be beaten and scourged in the Synagogues be brought before Rulers and Magistrates be cast into bonds and Prisons hated of all men nay be killed by those that zealously intended the service of God thereby And if this be the portion of Christs Ministers and Disciples to be thus evilly entreated by others can they be other then the Disciples and Ministers of Antichrist who doe themselves beat and scourge or cause others to be beaten and scourged in their Synagogues who doe bring before Rulers and Magistrates who doe cast into bonds and into Prisons who doe hate nay who doe for want of power in their own hands stir up the Magistrates to proceed to take away the lives of those whom they condemne for Hereticks because they cannot bow down and worship the golden Calf which they have set up Now then judge if you can righteous judgement the Tree by his fruits and say if such as these be your Protestant Ministers for speaking truth of whom without flattery you accuse me of reviling and tell me if these be Ministers of Christ who doe not abide in the doctrine of Christ who never persecuted any man nor gave any such Commandement to those that were his but instead thereof did strive to fore-arm them against all the sore persecutions they should undergoe from the hands of the false Teachers and their zealous Proselytes And therefore whatever the doctrine of these your Protestant Ministers be sure I am their deeds are evill and may expect the reward of those that say and doe not Thus have I traced you even unto wearinesse through the dark and crooked paths of your arguings and assertions conteined in your last Papers And now a few words by way of Reply to your Satyricall Monitorie added in your conclusion and I shall close all In which you charge me very highly but prove nothing Specifie some of those wayes of practice or opinion in which I live contrary to the truth and I shall soon disown them Otherwise you beat the wind in making a great noise with your Rhetorick touching dangerous Practises and Opinions but neither have quoted nor can prove any upon me With comfort and confidence shall I dye living in the fear of the Lord and being found faithfull to the teachings of that Jesus whom you persecute That many are found passing from one fancy to another in these changing times as you call them is no wonder for they learn it from the practice of their Teachers who own and preach some one fancy some another I know no seducers in the Nation but such as draw men from the light love and fear of the Lord to listen to their own fond dreams stilling him who is the only sure Teacher of the Saints a pretended inward light And therefore by way of retortion let me advise you not to trifle in those things that are of eternall concernment calling darknesse light and light darknesse Put not far from you the Son of God because of the meannes of his Garb. Stumble not at his coming because not attended with the pomp and splendor of this decaying world The worldly-wise Jew expected him from the Pallace but the great God whose habitation is in the contrite spirit called him from the Manger This was the stone which the wise builders refused this was the Rock against which the learned and the mighty dashed themselves in pieces What the Religious Scribes and Pharisees esteemed the Deliriaor mad whimsies in the lives and teachings of the Saints in those dayes the same doe you judge now but the persons and things which they judged base the Lord hath made honourable and what proud man would root out of the Earth or shut up in the grave of silence he hath caused to flourish as a branch of renown which shall out-live all the Idols set up by the wisdome of the World Therefore look well to your standing and build not on that Religion which consisteth only in outward profession crying The Temple of the Lord The Temple of the Lord lest you be found in the great day of the Lord to be of no Religion but that which must be burned up as Hey and stubble I desire you nor to become a Disciple to any practice or opinion because mine but unto the truth turn not unto me but return unto the Lord against whom you are now found fighting You utterly mistake me in judging that I endeavour the bringing you over to any opinion for I disown that Religion that consisteth in opinions and doe desire in singlenesse and seriousnesse of spirit to wait for that power to which all Opinionists are strangers Therefore doe not esteem me studious to prevaile with you to be of this Opinion or that Sect no my hearts desire unto the Lord is that he would prevaile with you to come down from the heighth of your vain imaginations and wait to be made wise with the Wisdome of God to live low in his fear which is the beginning of that Wisdome to become a foole that you may be wise and finally to abide faithfull in that measure of light which you have received which would lead you out of the by-paths of deceit and hypocrisie and bring you to witnesse singlenesse of heart which leadeth unto that peace which the world knoweth not and to that joy which none should be able to take from you I wish eternall good to your precious soule and rest Your Friend as you owne and walke in the Truth as it is in Jesus T. SPEED FINIS