Kingdome you who are called Jesuits also mark this your figure the Chamelian which lives by the Aire which according to the Law is an unclean Beast which can change himself into all colours perfect white onely excepted Read your similitude and see how you who live in your lusts can without a mock of the Truth be titled with the name of the Church of Christ Jesus in which is neither spot nor wrinkle nor blemish nor any such thing as uncleannesse or unrighteousnesse 1 Cor. 6.11 Although such were some of them but they came to be washed and were cleansed and sanctified and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Which Spirit of truth the light is this day the Leader of the Saints and servants of God into all truth Now therefore doe ye Read What is the Chaffe to the Wheate And what relation hath the Spirit of truth unto your life which is squared and fashioned in the frame of Error Deceite hath been the Master-builder of the fabrick of your habitation the spirit of Iniquitie working in a mystery the foundation of your walls and the strength of lyes and lying wonders the pillars of your house which by the gilded appearance of the beauty of the wisdome of the ancient and learned in Philosophy Rhetorick and Sophistry is covered with many painted tiles of vanitie under the shaddow whereof you bow to the Images and pictures which the unrighteous hearts of your fathers Invented whose Gods are before your eyes unto which the affections of your naturall sences are joyned whereby with the carnall and naturall according to the motion of the Spirit of Error and Deceit in you you are led to worship the workes of their hands as is manifest by your bowings and bendings to the Image and likenesse of the naturall which the naturall invented and the carnall made And this also came in in the Apostasie when that was forsaken which the Eternall Spirit did command And now through the custome of your forefathers and you in the dayly practice of their invented Ceremonies being setled on the leese of their abominable Idolatries are come in your generation Matth. 15.9 to teach for doctrine the traditions of men And therefore in vaine is your worship as saith the Lord But yet ye have also to speake in the commendation of your fathers seniority and wisdome who gave commandement for such resemblances by Images and pictures not as if they were the gods of your worship but the resemblances of the Lord Christ c. whom by these resemblances you teach the ignorant for to worship Answer The greatest blindnesse is in the hearts of your learned Fathers I speak out of the spheare of their Colledges in mine Answer to their plea for their sinfull Idolatries and over all your Nations doe cry out and lift up my voyce as one in mourning lamenting for the lost seed among you which they that should rather in righteousnesse handle the plow to break up the clods to uncover the seed have used the spade and shovel and have heaped up dirt and stones thereon to the miserable burden thereof Oh horrible Ignorance a people bound with the chaines of darknesse can any thing be the resemblance of the Lord or the likenesse of his Image who is the Infinite Eterternall a pure holy glorious endlesse living Spirit but that which he maketh in his likeness and formeth in his own Image by the power of his own Almighty hand And doth he who is a pure Everlasting Spirit of life make or fashion any whom he fashioneth but in the likenesse of that which all the world by wisdome by Philosophy or by arguments can never attaine to reach unto the sight or understanding thereof Can any make the resemblance of God who is Immortall which the mortall never saw Can the corruptible and mortall which never did nor never shall see incorruption and immortalitie make with their corruptible hands and changeable unrighteous Idolatrous hearts the resemblance or likenesse of the Incorruptible Spirit From the Lord God I say and declare unto you all your bowings to your Crosses and Images and Pictures praying upon Beads to Mary and Saints is abomination to the Lord God of Heaven and Earth and in these things you are but a stinke to the rest of the Heathen who with you doe stand Enemies to the Doctrine Gospel and Crosse of our Lord Jesus for as they in words doe hold the name of our Lord in contempt you with your deceitfull shaddowes doe make a mock of truth and his sufferings in loathsomenesse you are seated as an abomination in the sight of God who created you and in the eye and sight of the servants of the Lord who by the price of blood are redeemed and with pure water are washed from the polutions of the iniquitie and the blood and envie which is among you and the rest of the Nations kinreds tongues and peoples of the Earth and now are the followers of the Lambe whethersoever he goeth Abundantly do the Scripture beare testimony against your practices mark from the precepts and commandements of God Exod 20.4 unto Moses through the house of the Prophets and the life of the Saints search and then see Isa 44.3 might not you with as much confidence make a calfe and say to the ignorant this is the resemblance of God worship ye it and draw the picture of a Monster and say this is the resemblance of the wonderfull Spirit which was in Paul or Peter bowe ye before it Read Jer the 23.11 12 13 14 15 verses Oh miserable blindnesse and the greatest darknesse is the Priests ignorance who teach the people lyes and cause them to erre in their wayes With the light search and see how far you are from being under the power of the word of the Lord who contrary to the letter of the Scriptures Do worship in the forme of the traditions of your fore-fathers Christ said to his Disciples in those dayes Joh 4.23 The houre cometh and now is that the true worshippers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth for the father seeketh such to worship him mark such as are in the Spirit Math 23.29 having one father which is in Heaven but ye being yet in your sins and in the flesh are the false worshippers who have many instructions and traditions and observations given to you according to the wills as the product of the inventions and conceptions of your many fathers and now as ye shall turne your minds to the light of the Lord Jesus which will rip open your hearts you will finde that rule to be the equall measure of your wayes which will give you a true fight that you are not in the truth as it is in Jesus who is the truth in whom and by whom and through whom the Prophets writ their prophesies and the Apostles had their utterance whose words do stand to the bearing
Lord and the wicked shall be turned into hell But every member according to the diversities of their measures of the Spirit of life who are of the true Church can witnesse and read the Scriptures with the life in their life which is hid with Christ in God Col 3.3 but you standing only in that which hath written Annotations and which draweth Inferences Conclusions and meanings from the Scriptures that witnesseth sufficiently concerning you that you are not in the life of the first Principle of pure Religion which giveth the understanding of the Scriptures Ignorance therefore is the cause of your error Math 22.29 Math 13.34 as saith Christ You erre not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God Wherefore unto you they are parables and hidden sentences from the darknesse of your clouded understandings who is he that seeth your misery and doth not lament you who have consented to the blinding of your selves through the yeelding of your minds captives to the perverse wills of your Instructers they have trodden out paths in unrighteousnesse and you have walked in their crookednesse Verily I am as one wounded for your sakes and heavily pressed with the clods which the ploughers have ploughed upon your backs Oh where is the hand which hath holpen you Have not your watchers forgiven you your sins in vanitie and strengthened your hands with the strength of their own hearts in iniquitie In what manner have they brought you unto confession and what will that availe you if after your confessions the same and worse sins and iniquities are wrought and committed by you Are you so ignorant as to thinke that their words of absolution is the covenant of pardon and salvation Or do you thinke that bare confession of your sins only will bring you under the Condition of mercy Mark the order of the declaration of Solomon's wise sentence which maketh frustrate the expectation of your vaine confidence Pro 28.13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper but who so confesseth and forsaketh them shall finde mercy Oh people why therefore will ye thus rest and remaine in the night of slumber when will ye be awakened to come to see the works of your teachers how that they have double-girded your loynes with the cords of ignorance and have made that the strength of their renowne and praise in the Nations and your cloathing with the clouds of darknesse is your Priests garment of glory over you by this their power governes in Dominion and Majesty and you remaine as Subjects chained under the yoak of their iniquitie Oh who can declare your misery It is my sorrow for the Seeds sake to behold it and I know that it suits not with the delight of your hearts to read the explanation of it But hath the Lord a Remnant and shall he not visit for the sake thereof yea verily and this therefore in love to the soules of the simple that they may come to the light of the day each one in the sensiblenesse of his own heart and life to reade with understanding the mystery of godlinesse and Scriptures of truth which do speak one and the same thing in the word and intention and not of many things as by more then one but of all things in and by one through whom the worlds were made and the Covenant of God stands sure through whom also grace mercy and peace is come to as many as are joyned to that one in the clearnesse of the naked truth through the relinquishing of the hidden things of deceit and all the former wayes vanities customes traditions superstitions and ungodly words and works and renouncing the counsells of the many fathers and men of the world through the spreading of whose spirit and the fruits of their life delusion hath a long time reigned in the world cleaving to the only sound counsell of the living God father of truth which deceiveth nor deludeth any man but establisheth all men that come unto it in a holy way exceeding the errors of mans wayes even in that new and living way which he hath prepared wherein the uncleane cannot walke Isa 55.8 but it is unto those the way-faring men though foales shall not erre therein Wherefore all people be not any longer blinded under the perverse crooked wills of your Instructers and Pastors but examine and try truly whether they have lead you in the way of God wherein the wicked cannot walke And now in all this will you count me your enemy in putting you upon diligent inquiry and also in telling you the truth Lay it to heart oh people and you Doctors and Teachers of the Nations Come forth and consider assemble assemble the principal members of your bodyes together and call a full Councell of the Magicians of your Lands and suffer us then to prove you before all men provide your rods that you may cast them in the presence of the Nations and behold ours is ready to be cast also that it may be knowne whether God is the God of Egypt or of Israel and that all the Inhabitants of the Earth may have an understanding who are the people that have stolen the name of Israel that were never borne of his Seed and if it shall be seene that the Serpent of our rod shall eate up the Serpents of your rods then of a truth it shall be knowne that God worketh with us and not with you but against you But if the Serpent of our rod shall be swallowed up and by the Serpents of your rods utterly devoured then let not the Nations spare to publish and cry in their streets that the God whom we worship hath utterly forsaken us Againe I say assemble your Prophets and let the worke of the Lord and his word answering by fire give testimony to the Prophets whether the Prophets of your Lands are the true Prophets that the Inhabitants thereof may truly know and understand that if the Lord be God then let them follow him but if Baal whom ye worship he God then do you continue following of him no hurt will come unto your Nations through the tryall of the Prophets so that if the Lord answers our Prophet by fire and kindles the sacrifice of the oblation in your sight then shall ye know that our Prophet is the true Prophet of the Lord but if your Prophets shall cut themselves even to the drawing of blood of their bodyes and no word of answer to their supplications as the answer of the Lord by fire from Heaven but afterwards if in their madnesse and wilfulnesse they shall kindle a fire in their wrath and charge you to kindle fires in your houses to burne this testimony among whomsoever it comes then behold that shall be a signe unto you that God is not among them for if the Lord be their God then would he plead for them or if they be Jealous for the Name of the Lord God of Hosts then will they stand forth to plead
Light wherewith you are lightned even by so much you are short of the true way of the Kingdom of God John 14.6 John 8.12 John 1.9 For be it known unto you of a truth That the way is but one the truth is but one and that one is Christ the Light of the world which lighteth every man that cometh into the world Ephes 4.4 5 6. 1 John 1.5 James 1.17 Wherefore be ye not ignorant that there is only one true body one spirit one hope of the true calling one Lord one Faith one Baptisme and one communion of the Lords body one God who is Light the eternal Father of all who are children born of the Light wherewith they are lighted which cometh from God the Father of Light unto life everlasting This then is the witnesse to the whole world and the message to the whole world and the tryal of the whole world their wayes their words their works and their worships all whose deeds are wrought in the Light they in the Light have peace and their hearts doth not condemn them but such who professe God and the Truth in Christianity and yet are Swearers and Lyars Thieves Whores Whoremongers Cheaters Covetous Proud Envious Hard-hearted Mockers Scorners Drunkards Gluttons Abusers of themselves with mankind who in worse nature than the beasts nature change the naturall use of the creature into that which is against nature these walking working and acting contrary to the Light in all their consciences with the Light are judged and condemned and this is the condemnation of all the wicked world John 3.19 That Light is come into the world and men love darknesse rather than Light because their deeds are evill And such are not an honour unto God nor a praise unto Christ whose life savours not of the Truth nor of the nature of Christianity their profession shall in no wise be unto their Justification But in how much they have professed the name of Christ who is the Light and made the profession of his name the Cloak of their unrighteousnesse even by so much the more will the Light in all their consciences be the aggravation of their misery through judgement unto condemnation Unto this one therefore must all come to be made partakers of the everlasting inheritance of salvation even unto the Light which cometh from Christ by it to be led unto Christ who is the Life and Light of men John 1.4 Isa 42.6 Isa 49.6 Luke 2.32 who is the salvation of the Prophets whom they prophesied of saying I will also give thee for a Covenant of the people for a Light of the Gentiles to open the eyes of the blind to bring out the Prisoners from the Prison and them that sit in darknesse out of the Prison house that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the earth On whom also the Apostles believed who through Faith in the Light and obedience to the Light wherewith they were lightned were made partakers of the purchase of the blood and promise of the Covenant to wit the salvation of their souls And behold this is the Ensign and Standard of the Lord which was set up for the fall and is now setting and set up for the rising again of many in Luke 32.34 35. Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against by whom shall come the revelation and ripping open of all thoughts and hearts Ye people all upon the face of the whole earth unto that in all your consciences which revealeth unto you all unrighteousnesse and the prophanesse and rottennesse of your own hearts and the wickednesse of your own thoughts words and works which also is the revelation of the terrible indignation and of the wrath of God against all the ungodly and workers of iniquity even unto that light in all your consciences must ye all be joyned your hearts must be given unto it to be led and to be ordered and guided by it that you may come to witnesse a new Life begotten by the Light in you John 3.3 for except a man be born again he cannot see nor enter into the Kingdom of Heaven As your minds come therefore to be joyned to the Light wherewith you are lightned you by the witness of perfect subjection and obedience to the pure motions of it will come to know the true and everlasting testimony of the Lord and be made partakers of the hope of the heavenly calling and your confidence not as in the dayes of vanity sin and death will be gathered into the one substance of the spirit of Life in which you will come to see what is the glory of the living body which liveth by the faith of the Son of God Your baptisme will not be as in the dayes under the power of the Elements For as much as the Testimony of the life of Jesus is the fulfilling of Scriptures John he said that Christ who was the substance should increase but he who baptized with the Elements as the figure should decrease Math. 3.11 signifying also the baptisme of Christ that it should be with fire and the Holy Ghost which he testified concerning him John 1.26 27. of whom he said There standeth one among you of whom ye know not he it is who cometh after me is preferred before me the same also is he which hath been in the world John 1.11 as a stranger upon the earth who came unto his own but his own received him not whose life is manifest through the Revelation of the light wherewith the whole world is lightned which leadeth unto the knowledge and witnesse of his Baptisme Eph 4.5 Crosse Death Resurrection Life and Communion of his eternal body and this is the baptisme which the Apostle testified is only One even the baptisme of the Holy Ghost and with fire which John said should encrease through the decrease of the water Flesh and blood revealeth none of these things concerning the Kingdome of God which is a mystery unto all the world how great therefore is the ignorance of the world to administer those things which they call Ordinances unto Infants which things are Parables and altogether hidden things in the substance from the wisdome of the world which if the Revelation and Life of the substance be not unto the elder what profiteth then the Traditional washings or sprinklings which neither is by commandement or manifest example in the Scriptures unto the infancy of the younger and what can their Infancy through the figures reach fathom or feel concerning the substance let the worlds Fathers answer this for them Unto the crosse therefore of the Lord Christ Jesus ye ought to come which neither is gold nor silver nor brasse nor iron nor any other mettal nor wood nor stone nor Image of bone or any other dead creature but this is the everlasting testimony of the Crosse of Christ Jesus Luke 22.42 Father not my will but thy will be done he that hath
mouth of the deceiver and gaine-sayer but the worker of iniquitie seeketh to hide his head with a cover For the truth sake simply this is given forth by one who hath counted all things losse that he might gaine the truth Your answers will savour of the best Zeale which ye may send directed to be delivered unto Gerrard Roberts dwelling at the signe of the Flowerdeluce in Thomas Apostles in London in England for him whom men call John Perrott THough they say the Lord liveth surely they sweare falsly Jere 5.2 saith Jeremiah All Doctors Priests and Pastors that do preach and declare with their tongues Christ to be the way the truth and the life and yet walk contrary to the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world such are lyers and false swearers for Christ unto them is not the way neither in them is he the truth or the life who walk contrary to the light wherewith they are lightened Joh 8.12 Joh 1.4 I am the light of the world saith Christ which lighteth every man that cometh into the world saith John who was a witnesse of the way and of the truth and of the life who himselfe not his words was neither the way the truth nor the life for his testimony was true concerning Christ who is the way the truth Joh 14.6 and the life Paul Peter Mark Luke Mathew John and Jude they also were witnesses of the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world whose testimony was of Jesus the Christ they were not that Christ neither were their words or writings or Epistles that Christ which they by their words and writings before all men bare witnesse of who is the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world which is the way the truth and the life which is the word of God Joh 1.1 Isa 42.6 of whom and by whom the worlds were made and the Prophets prophesied of things to come to passe which are come to passe and coming to passe which testified of the light which is come into the world and lighteth every one that cometh into the world Isa 49.6 according to the word of prophesie The Scriptures do not say that they are the word but they say that by the word which was in the beginning which was with God and was God the heavens and the earth was made which was before the Scriptures was by which word the Scriptures came to be written which saith that the name of Christ Rev 19.13 who is the light of the world is called the word of God Now all that say that the words of the Prophets and Apostles is the way to life they are out of the way speaking in the darknesse of this world their testimony is false and they are Antichrist for the way is but one and Christ is that way to the father who is the light of the world which lighteth every man that cometh into the world for the Scriptures and writings of the Apostles they were not before the world was neither do they say they were written 〈◊〉 Moses was but the way and the word was unto Abel and Seth and Enoch and Noah Joh. 14.6 and Abraham Isaac and Jacob which was before the Scriptures was and the Scriptures testifies these things saying Christ is the way in witness against those which say the Scriptures is the way and the Scriptures 〈◊〉 Christ is the word in witness against those that say the Scriptures is the word and the Scriptures say that Christ is the life in witness against those that say the Scriptures is the Rule of life and truth and the Scriptures say Christ is the light in witness against those that say the Scriptures is the light and the Scriptures say Joh. 12.46 that Christ is the truth in testimony and witness against all those that say the Scriptures of truth which witnesses against all their deceits lyes which is the sure declaration of truth is the truth These things are written in the Scriptures which declare the way to be one the truth one the life one the word one all one Christ who is the one true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world A measure of which testifieth in every mans conscience against lying and swearing flattering and cheating double-dealing adultery and drunkenness pride covetousness stealing oppression and envie and murder and all sin the light hath shined in every mans conscience and this is the Law of God which was nigh unto Moses which is among the Heathen which have not the Scriptures the Scriptures is not written in their consciences but the light hath shined in all their consciences the same which judgeth the hearts which hath not the Scriptures also judgeth those who professe the Scriptures yet in their lives walk contrary to the Scriptures The light which lighteneth Jew and Gentile is the condemnation both of Jew and Gentile of as many as walk contrary to the light wherewith they are lighteneth and this is the condemnation Joh. 3.19 light is come into the world but men love darknesse rather then light because their deeds are evill Joh. 1.4 But now the light is life to all that love it follow it such as obey the light the light maketh alive the Scripture is not the Spirit which quickeneth you that can but reade the letter do you read the letter and the letter will tell you That the letter killeth but the spirit maketh alive if you believe that the letter is the life then that which you believe is the life tels you that the letter kills 2 Cor. 3.6 which is destruction of the life what profit have you 〈◊〉 by the letter Therefore to the light keep your minds waiting in it that you may be governed by the Light which cometh from Christ by it to be led unto Christ that you may come to know him to be the Captain leader of Israel unto salvation Heb. 2.10 let the light rule your hearts and the affections of your hearts and minds that you may have feeling of the rule of God the light is the measure rule of truth in all your hearts which will lead you into all truth unto life Joh. 16.13 if you love it and follow it but will stand your condemnation even unto the end unto death if you hate it and walk contrary to it Look to Abels rock to Enoch his path to Moses his way to David throne of Judgement to the Prophets hope to the Saints salvation waite to receive this as the foundation of your age 1 Cor. 3.11 12 13. for other foundation can no more lay then that is laid which is Jesus Christ the true light of the world which lighteneth every man that cometh into the world and the day shall declare every mans work whether it be gold silver or pretious stone wood hay drosse chaffe or stubble it shall all be revealed by the fire of the Lord God which is already kindled in the earth Therefore whilst you have time Repent
sin and iniquity and this hath brought blindness and spread ignorance as a thick cloud which covers the understanding part wherefore you are strangers unto and as a people not having knowledge of the seed of God which notwithstanding the hardships of your outward sufferings and the scourge of your bodyes yet the seed of the Kingdome lyes laden with your lightnesse and is heavily pressed down with the excessive weight of your numberlesse oaths and other abominable sins and transgressions Ye are blinded ye are blinded through the multitude of your corruptions your whole body is become a lump of misery You daily add murder unto mischief without respect or any regard to the life of the innocent and after your adulteries you retain not the thought of the succour of the life of the Virgin Daughter which ye have abused through the lusts of uncleannesse and so you add sin unto sin binding your selves under the perpetual oath and curse of cruelty in the bondage of your own misery and captivity Wo is me for you the love of my bowels to the seed is made a brook of bitterness in my belly For your sakes I am as one that hath eaten affliction and swallowed up sorrows as in the day of trouble Oh how hath the night been tedious to my watchful eyes which the strength of your miseries kept open when slumber had no power to shut them wherefore now I call and with a loud voice lifted over your Land I cry Come forth ye carelesse minds stretch forth your feet ye regardlesse hearts out of the Bed of the miserable slumber of your starved soules Awake awake to the mourning and arise and come forth to the lamentation for your losse O weep weep for the woe is your own for your own wickednesse Consider and lay it to heart should not the hour of distresse bring sorrows and mourning upon your hearts Oh wherefore then hath the Lord looked and behold your Land hath been filled with lightnesse and ye have not forgotten the vain words of the former Generation but with a foolish confidence have believed and trusted in their lyes as if the credit of the deceitfull words of their wicked inventions should stand the salvation of your miserable sinfull souls Seeing therefore unto this day ye have been grossely deluded and deceived under the profession of the name of the Roman Catholique Church I shall answer the vanity of your Faith with a few words of Truth God who in the dayes of old chose unto himself a peculiar people of the seed of Israel according to his promise unto Abraham also in the fulnesse of the dispensation of time sent his onely begotten Son a Light into the world that the world through him who is the Light might believe and have everlasting life by whom the Apostles and Saints in them dayes were gathered unto God and were made Members of the Heb. 12.23 Acts 20.28 Matth. 16.18 Church of the first born which are written in Heaven who is the Resurrection of the dead and of this Church of God and of his Son Jesus Christ of which Christ is now the Head as he was in the dayes of the Apostles who wrote of this Church who therefore was and is the Head Ephes 5.13 Coloss 1.18 That he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish and that in all things he might have the preheminence And of this and none other Church did the Lord speak and the Apostles write but as for the Roman Catholique Church neither have I by any testimony heard or by any writing of the true Prophets the Declaration of Christ or in the writings of the Apostles read of any such Church should be as of the Truth or stand as in the Truth or that unto the Members thereof the Truth should be only committed Allthough this I say that the Scriptures do make mention that once there was an assembly of Saints which lived in Rome as there did also in other places and parts of the earth among whom the truth was in power received in the day of the prosperity thereof untill the time of the apostacy came in and the working of the mistery of iniquity waxed great and spread over the face of the earth even among all people who received the sound of the Declaration of the birth of a Son in the City of David Jesus the Christ whom the Prophets prophesied of should come and of this apostacy and falling away Christ himself who is the sum and substance of the Law and the Prophets spake of saying Math. 24.24 There shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders in so much that if it were possible they should deceive the very Elect. And this iniquity began to work in the dayes of the Apostles of which John in this manner did write They went out from us but they were not of us 1 Joh. 2.18 19. by which he knew that it was the last time as they had heard that Antichrist should come and saith he 1 John 4.1 even now there are many Antichrists Wherefore he also exhorted the Brethren that they should not believe every Spirit but to try the Spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets were then gone into the world And Paul he testifieth his knowledge saying Acts 20.29.30 31. After my departing shall grievous Wolves enter in among you not sparing the flock and also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw many Disciples after them therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with teares And this in measure came to passe whilest John was Paul also John 1.9 10. 1 Thess 2.7.8 9 he bore further witnesse that this thing must be even the falling away else this day which is now come and coming could not come and he said then in his day also That the Mystery of iniquity doth already work only he who letteth will let untill he be taken out of the way and then shall that wicked one be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightnesse of his coming even him whose coming mark his coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signes and lying wonders and with all deceivablenesse of unrighteousnesse in them that perish and for this cause seeing they received not the love of the Truth God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the Truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse In which state and condition of vanity and unrighteousnesse I find the Roman Catholique Churches as a people miserably spoyled Coloss 2.8 through the deceit of vain Philosophy Walking after the Traditions of men after the Rudiments of
the world in the unrighteousnesse and uncleannesse thereof in fornication and covetousnesse in drunkennesse pride malice and murder lying and swearing vain jesting and foolish talking As a people through the abominable lusts of uncleanness in your lives void of the knowledge or at least wise not considering and laying it to heart how Ephes 5.5 That no unclean person nor Idolater hath any inheritance in the Kingdome of Christ and of God being as it were stupified and benummed in your senses so far degenerated from the power of Truth and mystery of Godliness that ye have lost the generall forme and do retain but the least part thereof wherefore among you and upon you the words and prophesie of the Apostle is fulfilled 2 Tim. 3.13 Evill men and Seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived And yet a little while and it shall also be shewn unto you that desire to understand wherein you are fallen below the form of the profession of Godliness as in divers particulars I shall query for the opening of your understandings that by your diligent search in the Scripture with the Light you may see which will effectually make for the manifestation of the ground of your customes and practices in your idolatrous and superstitious worships And this unto you all is held forth for the tryal of your wayes seeing the Lords mighty day is at hand which will rip open and make manifest all hearts and declare and preach that which hath been hid in secret upon the house tops Many of your Fathers were the worshippers of the works of the Philosophers untill the sound of the fame of Christ came among them whose Miracles and Resurrection confounded the depth of the working of their wisdom by which the wise men came to confesse a greater than themselves which suddenly rang through the Nation and so from Nation to Nation from the report and credit of the confession of the Philosophers and learned Doctors the ignorant also in all your Nations joyned with the humane learned and so with one consent they cryed up the name to wit of Christ whereof they had received the report who sometime before that had slaughtered the Apostles who finished their testimonies in the Life and Spirit of Jesus holding forth his name in power whose name in words as the Apostacy came and grew as the deceivers and false Prophets and false Brethren and false Apostles went forth your Fathers the Philosophers and wise men came to confesse mark the time of the coming in of this which at this time ye stand in which had not an entrance by the Doctrine or Example of Peter or life and preaching of Paul but by such as was spoken of should destroy the little flock of Christ and make havock of the Heritage of God concerning whom I have shewn you Johns witness and Pauls testimony and yet furthermore do write Judes and Peters prophesies Jude 4. For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before ordained to this condemnation ungodly men turning the grace of our God into lasciviousnesse filthy dreamers that defile the flesh murmerers complainers walking after their own lusts and their mouth speaking great and swelling words having mens persons in admiration because of advantage Such as the Apostles of our Lord spake of should come Mockers who should walk after their own ungodly lusts who are sensual having not the Spirit of Truth To the Church saith Peter 2 Pet. 2.1 There shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable heresies and many shall follow their pernicious ways of whom the way of Truth shall be evill spoken of having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin beguiling unstable souls and hearts they have exercised with covetous practices cursed children which have forsaken the right way who are the Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitations God hath reserved in the everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgement of the great day Seeing therefore that the Scriptures are true as is manifest by the coming of these things to passe according to the words of the Apostles prophesies and finding you in the cursed ground and nature of uncleanness bringing forth fruits of iniquity Hereby I know even by your fruits Matth. 12.33 into what stock you are grafted mine instrument hath reached your root And again I say all men upon the face of the earth who have the least discerning may truly understand that ye are in the Apostacy working the unrighteous works of your Fathers who were the first Apostates from the true Faith in whom iniquity wrought in a mystery who when Satan had his end in destroying to the uttermost in the slaughter of all the holy Apostles in like manner as the Jews after they had slaughtered the true Prophets garnished their Tombs in honour of their persons even so also did the Deceiver set your Fathers a work to build Idols Temples and to draw out the Saints Pictures and to do hommage to the Pictures of Christ Mary and the Apostles in honour of their Persons and those things which your Fathers built ye garnished wherein ye witnesse that ye are their children and are filling up the measure of their iniquity and thus the Devil gained his dominion in you and among you by transforming himself in a nearer shape like an Angel of Light in divers other things and Ceremonies and wrought in and among your Fathers as he did in the dayes of old among the sons of men who sought out many Inventions insomuch that the righteous soul of God was grieved with them so that God repented that he had made man for straightway after the spirit of Antichrist had so greatly wrought through the earth as that Nations came under and in subjection to the wills of the Philosophers even to the confessing of the name of Christ outward Your Fathers they entered into divers consultations and what they sought out by their Inventions were set up as Laws and Ordinances and Statutes in the forms of your worships and thus came in as I have said the buildings of Idols Temples the carving of Images the painting of pictures the making of Beads and Crosses of Wood Bone Stone Gold Silver and other dead created things and the Invention of Candles and Lamps and Altars for your sacrifices and all manner of Surplesses and deceitful coverings and hood-winking garments the observations of times and seasons and weeks and dayes and divers other heresies and damnable doctrines of Devils 1 Tim. 4.1 2.3 Forbidding to marry and to abstain from meats which God had created to be received with thanks-giving All these and many more of your customes and Idolatrous worships are neither according to the command of God or of Christ or the president or example of the Holy Apostles through the Witnesse of the Scripture In few words the root of these things was the invention and working of iniquity in
had a commandement concerning the Temple and they might say unto Jeremiah who was as a stripling and as it were a childe Art thou greater then Solomon whom God appointed to build us this Temple Neverthelesse and although Jeremiah was as one alone in that work yet this was his testimony he knew that he was of God Jer 26.15 Whether they would heare or forbeare and they having corrupted themselves in a commandement he was therefore sent to cry against them and if they were cryed against as being a people corrupted in a commandement how much more thinke ye ought ye to be born witnesse and testimony against who have contrary to the Word or any command abused your selves and dishonoured God in and through the workes and inventions of your degenerated fore-fathers much lesse therefore could you in your nature receive my testimony in the name and power of the Lord if ye were commanded as the Jewes were or had any example as they had so suitable with their time seeing ye sleight my testimony and do make a mock of my witnesse against your Temples pictures bowings beads crosses and crossings c. for which ye have neither precept president example or the least commandement throughout all the Scriptures of the Prophets Christs words and the Apostles writings that ever such things were or should in any age in the Truth come to passe What benefit therefore doe you purchase to your souls through the exercise of your tongues in smooth words and flatteries what advantageth it if you say that you believe in Christ whilest the words of Christ are not a Law unto you but the traditions of your Fathers stand the Law of liberty for your blind hearts to walk in the crookednesse of their subversion What is Christ Jesus unto you whilest you forsake his way life and council and in enmity thereunto are acting worshipping and walking in the way life and councils of men of corrupt and degenerated minds which you call the faith of the Roman Catholique Church what is the Catholique Church to the Church of Christ seeing they have not the word nor council of Christ And therefore much farther from the work life and faithfull order of the doctrine of Christ You may blind the simple and deceive the ignorant and destroy the souls of thousands that know not the right hand from the left Unto you Doctors I speak unto whom also my words in the Light and Life of the Lord Jesus is a Riddle and a Parable Ye know not the right hand from the left and therefore I write little things unto you do speak plain words concerning you that in all your Countreys and Colledges ye may be no longer the deceived and deceivers The deluded and deluders The destroyed and destroyers And therefore I further say That it is not a shame unto you whose long hairs declares seniority without in the Antiquity of your dayes to stoop and bow your necks for your backs to bear the chastisement of the Rod of your younger in years and know ye that it was prudence in as many of the aged whose faces wore a fair shew of grey hairs not to despise the youth of tender Timothy And remember that little David smote and slew the great Philistine and the glory was the Lords and in this also I give the praise and honour unto God who is arisen to smite the earth who also hath smitten many Islands thereof and his word reacheth unto the utmost end of the many continents wherein the Beasts of the field have an habitation and the Lord God will hunt the Foxes and destroy the Wolves and slay the Lyons of the Forrests which have scattered the sheep of the Fold and preyed upon the Heritage of God Oh earth where are they devourers hid they have made merry but they shall be vexed they have sported but they shall be tormented Ye men of learning what is your learning Ye men of strength what is your strength Bring forth your Books and let us put them in the Ballance Rome Rome Hide not thy Daughters but let the whole earth see the Daughters of thy pleasure and let us come and reason with you a little to see if thy daughters of delight and ease which have been born without pain are meet to make marriage with the Sons of God for whose birth Zion hath travelled Yea her children yea all the daughters of your mother Rome plead with your mother and say unto your mother if thou who hast born us without travel beest not an Harlot in thy prophane pleasure then let us know of a truth also whether it is not meet that we may be given unto a holy Nation that a Seed may be preserved to the praise of the name of the Leader of Israel out of Aegypt Oh Italy thou hast a remnant within thee which plague shall not touch although Pestilence as a Besom shall sweep thy Land Repent if peradventure ye may be spared Ye Doctors I have not yet left you having also publiquely to proclaim Gods controversie with you take to you the Officers of your two Churches number your Armyes arme your Hosts whet your swords yet behold in the day of battel God will wound you when you shall not smite the Lord. I have seen your strength and have passed by your trust and at that time the wind of the Lord God did shake the earth wherein I walked What is your Spear to the Arrows of the Lord Let Romes University answer my enquiry What is your weavers beam unto Davids smooth stones What are your Silogisms to truth What is your Philosophy to the Light What are all your critical Inventions and cunning contrivances to the word which cannot be changed You cal'd Jesuits what are your many colours to white You Priests what are your changeable Coats unto that one without a seam Oh Athens Thy Members are in my remembrance and ye the Pastors of the People mark your sheep yea your sheep do bear your own mark The Lord moved me on the 27. day of the 7. Month in the year accounted 1657. being the first day of the week the day of Greeks solemn worship Hear this ye Doctors of Athens and Priests thereof who minister in the Idols Temples and House of Rimmon The Lord moved me to read in the place of your solemnity and a witnesse went with me to the sealing of my testimony and at which time Behold your worshippers did bow to their pictures giving forth contempt and laughter in our faces and I said Gods hand is against you and he that fits in Heaven laughs you to scorn O horrible abomination Hear this ye Priests mark the fruits of your ministry ye Doctors Behold they declared you in the street and spread your name in the open places your Temples could not contain their lightness and wickednesse for afterwards in a mock of the Crosse of Christ Jesus even in the streets of your City the people would meet us and stand
openly against us and crosse themselves with many bowings and much scorn and laughter before us I saw the envy of their hearts and the murder of their minds who would have dragged us out of your Temple whilest the second time in that house we bore our testimonies against your Idolatries do not these in the nakednesse of their practices plainly preach the doctrine of your spirit and life are not these the testimony of the root of your Ministry are not these the fruits of your labours Oh blush blush and be ashamed of your profession of the name Gospel and Crosse of Christ Jesus and of your own name and authority among the people and learn first of the lowest in you if happily you may come to see the abasing of that which exalteth it self above all that is called God among you Ponder it ponder it in your Closets and shut it not out of your secret meditations and answer before the Lord in righteousnesse With what confidence can you present your selves or any one of these the fruits of your labours in the sight of God Can you offer them as an unspotted sacrifice in the presence of the Lord Will you call these Lambs of the Flock what then are the monsters of the earth begotten by an unnatural seed in the womb of a strange Beast Are not these your people and are not you their Doctors Priests and Prophets The prophesie is fulfilled Hosea 4.8 9. They eat up the sin of my people and they set their heart on their iniquity and there shall be like people like Priest Mark this you the Heads of the two Catholique Churches even unto the tails of your Tribes you that have received the councils of your ancient Fathers The ancient and the honourable he is the Head and the Prophet that teacheth lyes he is the Tail Isa 9.15 16. For the Leaders of this people cause them to erre and they that are lead of them are destroyed How long will ye stand in the subversion and not understand the word of the Lord Have ye not an ear to hear nor a heart to understand how that if you had stood in the council of the Lord and caused the people to hear his words and not to have hearkned to the councils of men who stood not in the council of the Lord then you should have turned them from their evil way and from the evil of their doings but because you have hearkned to that council which the Lord did not send Jer 23.32 and have taught the people the councils of your Fathers in the profession of the name of the council of the Lord which the Lord did not send nor command therefore do you not profit the people at all Behold the people may weigh your lightnesse and measure your vanity have you brought forth any other thing then wind Have not the people heard your preachings and prayings and partaked of your sacrifices and offerings some ten some twenty thirty forty fifty sixty years some a longer and others a lesse time and yet unto this time are as much laden with sin yea much more pressed down with iniquity than in the first day that they partaked of your offerings Is it ignorance that is the ground of your impudence in the practice of your idolatries or perversnesse that binds the people under your wills in subjection to the affections of your crooked hearts Are ye void of the understanding of the end of the Ministry of the Gospel of Christ Jesus Or do ye cover it with iniquity from the sight of the eyes of the people Paul the Apostle hath written Eph 4.11 12 13. Christ gave some Apostles some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of his body untill all come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ And to this end also saith Paul the Scriptures were given forth which ye hide from the eyes of the people 2 Tim. 3.16 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction In righteousnesse that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works to which end also he preached the mystery of the Faith Col. 1.27 28. and of the hope of salvation which was Christ in them the hope of Glory which he that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdome that he might present them perfect in Christ Jesus 1 Joh 3.3 And John also bare the same testimony concerning the Brethren 1 Joh. 4.17 wherein said he we have boldnesse in the day of judgement because as he is so are we in this present world Have not you blinded the eyes of the people and hid these things from their understandings not walking in the order of the life of the Saints Paul who renounced the hidden things of dishonesty 2 Cor. 4.2 did not hide the Scriptures from the ignorant but charged by the Lord that his Epistle should be read unto all the holy brethren 2 Thess 5.27 who walked not in craftinesse nor handled the word of God deceitfully but by open manifestation of the truth commended himself to every mans conscience in the sight of God 2 Cor. 1.23 and he called God to record that he had not dominion over the faith of the brethren Although you keep your people under your wills as slaves with their faith bound upon your sleeves and thus you starve souls in ignorance and destroy them in darknesse teaching them to say for their Traditions that it is the faith of the Church and the Church cannot erre although you are not the Church of Christ but a masse of confusion and not one unerring Member throughout all your Regions In this manner you make ignorance the staffe of your trust in the dominions of your unrighteousnesse and thus you rule in unreasonablenesse this is the complaint of the Lord against you Hosea 4.6 The people are destroyed for lack of knowledge because you have hid knowledge I will therefore reject you and you shall be no Priests unto me seeing you have forgotten the Law of God I will also forget your children Give ear give ear Oh people and hear the complaint of the Lord against Italy Greece Spain Portugall Ireland and France as a Cage is full of Birds so are their houses full of deceipt therefore they are become great Jer. 25.28 29 30 31. and waxen rich they are waxen fat they shine they overpasse the deeds of the wicked Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord shall not my soul be avenged on such Nations as these A wonderfull horrible thing is committed in their Land their Prophets
people and deceiving the hearts of the simple Awake awake to the judgement Behold the breath of the holy Apostles life is ready to utter voices in the earth as thunders against you destruction to your dwellings desolation to your habitations I have seen a dart within your doores which will wound you and when the day of God as a Thief in the night overtakes you Remember ye were warned unto repentance that you might escape the floods which shall overwhelm your Lands unto the determination of the consummation and decree of everlasting indignation and vengeance And furthermore ye Priests who say that you officiate as Peters Successors in the degree and order of your places I have both seen you your fruits and your labours and that hath plainly declared in the substance unto me that you have not the least relation unto the life of Peter being but the dirt and dust which the upright and undefiled spirit of Peter shakes from off his feet as a witnesse against your Cityes and habitations even in this day as a witnesse against the wickednesse and Idolatries of your Generation and whilst you are professing Peter's power and authority of binding and loosing on earth your manifold deceits hath blinded your hearts whereby you are so much ignorant of the word and work of Gods power that your corrupt wisdomes exercised in studies to the end of your evill dayes shall never find out the earth wherein the just life of Peter is this day entred binding the unrighteousness of your life and spirits under him as his Foot-stool everlastingly to tread and trample upon the glory of your heads and crown of your deceits Oh ye Greek Pastors Priests and people what can you plead for your Patriarch Can you not read the deceitfulnesse of his succession through the manner of his Election Dare you say that it is according to the election of the grace of Christ Jesus in the order of the truth or power of the true Faith who contrary to the word of Life and doctrine of the true faith doth purchase unto himself that Title and Degree with the price of a sum of moneys from the Emperour of the Turks whom you your selves do say is Antichrist and Reprobate concerning the faith of Christ an enemy to the life of the Saints and spirit of Peter of whom you say that your Patriarch is his successor Oh confesse confesse your blindness and blush blush and be ashamed of your impudence and obstinacy in ignorance for behold if your foundation and root concerning the remission of your sins be rotten what farther prop or post to your selves can you hew out in your imaginations and inventions for the support of the deceived walls of your Fathers buildings And again After one hath paid the price for the purchase of his Office if another of your Nation goes with his sum of moneys and gives to the Emperour he disposses the first and gives the Degree and Title to the latter Oh horrible abomination who hath a voice and hath with-holden and not cryed in the streets and published it in the open places even the iniquity and the abomination and not cryed against the loathsomnesse thereof by such desperate mockings of God through the wickednesse of their purchases Read diligently the Scripture Acts. 8.19 20 21. But Peter said unto him thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter for thy heart is not right in the sight of the Lord. Now compare the practices and see if the unrighteousnesse of Simon the Sorcerer who was in the gall of bitterness doth parralel the strength of the sealed bonds of iniquity of your Patriarchs Successors and finally touching this matter take this as the summe to your selves the original and ground of his deceivable granting and your receiving the remission of sin according to the truth of the reckoning of your own account is the Reprobate spirit of Antichrist Read also O Italy France Ireland Spain and Portugall the seat of your Father the Pope John 18.36 he sits exalted in the Kingdom of this world contrary to Christs example as King upon the highest mountain over many waters Rev. 17.15 Matth. 4.8 9. in the possession of the inheritance of the promise of Satan All these will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me The aboundance of his corrupt honour and vain glory with the abominable fruits of the worships of his children and the Priests actions in iniquity gives testimony of the oath of the witnesse that he stands principall in the ground of Apostacy Hester 3.8 c. Hamans decree which he got granted for the slaughter of the Jews and his Gallows of fifty cubits high which was prepared for Mordecai is the figure of your Fathers Inquisitions for the taking away the liberty Hos 5.13 14. and the destruction of the life of such as God sends to declare against your Traditional worships in Superstition and Idolatry Math. 11.29 How far is his life from Christs doctrine and example of humility who in the pride of his heart sitting on high in the seat and Throne of arrogancy maketh the comers to see his face to fall down before him upon their knees to kiss his foot The abomination and loathsomnesse of the nature of these few fruits are sufficient unto all that have the true sences of seeing and savouring that his succession is not in the Covenant of grace according to the election of God whom men in the flesh have elected and chosen unto the glory of the kingdomes of men in this present evil world And finally touching the vanity of your conceptions and the deceitfulnesse of the Popes practices this is the sum of the account of the true record concerning the absolutions and forgivenesse of sins which ye receive from his authorized sons Your Fathers the Priests Lucifer which sought a seat above the meek Prince of salvation is the root and ground of the issues of their grant and warrant of Remission Zach 9.9 Math. 21.5 Isa 14.12 13 14 15 16. whose figure and resemblance is the revelation of damnation He that hath an ear to hear let him hear and a heart to fear let him fear I have not in every particular remonstrated your Traditions and customes wherein you walk contrary to the truth but having the testimony shall in short shew you how that you are short of the substance in which the promise is yea and amen of eternall life Your hearts and minds are not singly and simply joyned to the Light of the Lord Christ Jesus which shines in all your consciences and that 's the cause of the foot-steps of your wayes and the birth of your words and works to proceed and flow forth as the fruits of the womb of darkness And in how much in all your wayes words and works you are short of the Life of the