They made nothing of that 11. So the Time appointed came and there was prepared a good Dinner of Pork and the three came ready prepared to curse us and our God 12. So Proudlove and Remington went from us to those Men and Remington said unto them If you three will go up and curse them and their God you shall have a good Dinner of Porke 13. Then one the stoutest of the Three said unto him pray tell me what is their God that we must curse 14. Remington answered and said That the Lord Jesus Christ is their God and they own no other Father or God but he And now if you will go in they be there and curse them and the Lord Jesus Christ their God you shall have a good Dinner of Porke 15. When they heard this the most stoutest Man of them smote his Hand on his Breast and said If that be their God I will never do it if I might gain the whole World And said That he was sorry and troubled that he should conceive such a thing in his Heart So said the other Two We will do no such Wickedness So they departed without their Dinner of Porke 16. But he that repented himself could not be at quiet in his Mind until such time he had asked us Forgiveness 17. So we forgave him his Sin for that and he remained very kind to John Reeve all his days tho he did not beleive that we were the two last Prophets and Witnesses of the Spirit 18. Also this Remington was called to an account by John Reeve as one in this Plot and he told the truth how Proudlove laid the Plot and that he did but go with him being an old Acquaintance So we forgave Remington and gave Proudlove the Sentence of Condemnation to Eternity CHAP. VII Of the Dispute with Mr. Leader a New-England Merchant and of the Prophet's convincing him how that God had a Body and how God is worshiped in Spirit and Truth with Bodys and that there is no Spirit without a Body 1. AFTER this in the Year 1653 there came a certain Man a Merchant and a great Travellor into many parts of the World and he was a religious Man but had somwhat declined the outward Forms of Worship because he could find no Rest there 2. So he applied his Heart more to Philosophy and the knowledg of Nature more than Religion for he thought he had seen the utmost of Religion and that there was nothing in it 3. Indeed he was a great Philosopher and a very wise Man in the things of Nature His Name was Richard Leader 4. It came to pass when he came out of New-England being persecuted there because he could not submit to their forms of Worship and when he came into Old-England again he heard there were two Prophets now risen up who called themselves The two Witnesses c. 5. So he enquired where he might speak with these Prophets so he was brought unto us and he was very sober in his talk and he propounded his Questions with great Moderation 6. The first Question was concerning God Whether God that created all things could admit of being any Form of himself 7. We answered and said That God made Man in his own Image and Likeness And if Man have a Form then God must needs have a Form himself even in the form of Man else them Words of Moses are not true That God made Man in his own Image and breathed into him the Breath of Life and he became a living Soul 8. Mind the Form of Man was the Image and Likeness of God before God breathed into him the Breath of Life 9. Therefore God must needs be in the form of a Man from Eternity Therefore it was that God said Let us make Man after our own Image and Likeness This was the true Sense and Meaning of Moses and it is dangerous for any Man to deny it 10. Besides said we there is no Spirit can have any Being without a Body neither God Angels nor Man And further that God that is a Spirit without a Body is no God at all 11. For we that are men that have Bodies have power over all Spirits whatsoever that have no Bodies For it is the dark Imagination of Reason in man that hath created to it self Spirits without Bodies which is none of God's Creation 12. When he heard this he considered the things of Nature that no Spirit could have any being without its Body 13. Then he marvelled and said Where have we been all this while that took God for a Spirit without a Body Oh! how have we been in the dark 14. But said he doth not Christ say God is a Spirit and God will be worshiped in spirit and truth And Christ said His Words were Spirit and Life 15. We answered and said Can a Man worship God in Spirit and Trust without a Body He said No. Then said I neither can God accept of any Mans worship except he hath a Body of his own For God hath a Body of his own as Man hath a Body of his own only God's body is spiritual and heavenly clear as Christial brighter than the Sun swifter than Thought yet a body 16. But Man's body is earthly and made of the Earth in the image and likeness of God's own body only Man's body is of the Earth earthly and God's body is the Lord from Heaven heavenly Yet Man's body is the image of God as well as his Soul as Moses did truly mean as he spake 17. For this I say that if Man's Body and Soul had been spiritual in its Creation then when Man's Thoughts do assend up to Heaven his body would assend with it in the twinkling of an Eye 18. For the Thoughts of Man are swift and if his body which is earthly do but put on Immortality then his body would assend with his Thoughts up into the Aire and so to Heaven 19. These immortal bodies can do and at the last day these vile bodies of ours that doth truly beleive shall be made like unto his own glorious body 20. For now our bodies are natural bodies but when these natural bodies shall rise spiritual bodies then shall Immortality take place and these vile bodies of ours that are now mortal yet made in the image of God's own glorious body shall be spiritual and heavenly bodies even like unto his glorious body 21. And because God's body is spiritual and heavenly and cannot be seen by the natural sight of the Eye therefore it was that Christ said God is a Spirit and will be worshiped in spirit and truth 22. Observe For as a Man cannot worship in spirit and truth without a body neither is that any God at all that hath no body of its own neither is a Spirit without a body of its own any Object of Faith or Worship for a Spirit without a body hath no substance And as for those words of Christ being Spirit and Life consider they
of a people called Puritans some of these Puritans came to talk and discourse with my Master though he was no Religious Man 15. But I being ignorant did perceive they pleaded more for Righteousness and were better versed in the Scriptures then he was so that I liked in my self their Discourse upon the Scriptures and pleaded for a Holy keeping of the Sabbath-day which my Master did not do nor I his Servant 16. But I not knowing my Right Hand from my Left in Religion at that time yet methoughts I had a Love for those People call'd Puritans and could not endure my Companions should speak Evil of them 17. And when young Boys as I was and young Maids would speak Evil and lay many Slanders upon those People call'd Puritans as if they had been the wickedest People in the World with many Scoffs and Jears 18. Yet all this while my Heart did not close with their Reproaches but rather was inclin'd to love those People and to think the better of them thinking in my self Oh! that I might be so happy as them yet I knew not what Happiness was nor what Condemnation was for I knew nothing by my self why I should be Condemned 19. But the Seed of God lay hidden in my Heart which kept me from speaking Evil of things I knew not even from my Childhood which many others of my Age did 20. Like unto those Children that mocked the Prophet Elisha which two she Bares did tare in pieces so many of these mockers of Religion in that my time did come to great Poverty and Destruction in this World but the God of Truth preserved me though I knew him not 21. Also I was smitten with the Plague in that great sickness after King James dyed it was not extream tedious to me for the sore broke and I recovered quickly and hath not had half a days sickness since not this forty Years and more 22. I never bestowed Six-pence in Physick in my Life for my self but what the Kitchen would afford as Water-gruel Broth or such like and I have had my Health and hath been as perfect in Nature from all Distempers and Diseases as any Man in the World ever since CAP. IV. How the secret providence of God prevented the Expectation of the Prophet in his choice of a Wife and in his desire of Riches of the Prophet's Zeal for the Law and a Righteous Life 1. AFter this it came to pass my time of Service grew near out and my Nature had a great desire to be rich in this World that I might no more be Servant to any Man and I thought the Trade of a Taylor would not gain much Riches I having little to begin with and withal I thought I should be too much subject to the humours of People to please them which I had experience of in my Apprentiship 2. So I went to work in a Brokers Shop in Hownsditch who made Cloaths to sell and did lend Money upon Pawns called a Pawn-broker and the Brokers Wife had one Daughter alive and after I had been there a while the Mother saw that I was a good Husband and knew how to manage that way being a Workman better than they and that I was a civil and sober young Man not given to Drunkenness nor no Debauchery 3. She was willing to give her Daughter unto me to Wife and I lov'd the Maid well and thought my self too inferiour for her because she had something to take too and the Onely Child and I having nothing yet the Mother being well perswaded of my good natural Temper and of my good Husbandry and that I had no poor Kindred came after me to be any Charge or Burthen to her Daughter 4. Those things consider'd she thought I might be a convenient Match for her Daughter so she seeing there was some kind of Affection between her Daughter and me she proposed unto me that she would give me a Hundred Pound with her to set up which thing I axcepted on in my Mind but told I was not yet a Free-man of London 5. So she urged me to be made Free as soon as I could also she urged me to be made sure to her Daughter before the Father-in-law and her self 6. So the Maid and I were made sure by Promise before her Mother and Father-in Law and before I was made Free and I was resolved to have the Maid to Wife and to keep a Brokers Shop and lend Money upon Pawns and grow Rich as others did 7. And the Maids Mother had Five Hundred Pounds more then what she promised me which her Husband knew not of for he was a kind of a Distracted Hare-brain'd Man his Name was Richardson there is many alive at this Day that knew them but for the Daughter I should have had to Wife she is alive at this Day and is worth Seven Hundred Pound a Year 8. But the secret Providence of God prevented my expectation and desire of being Rich in this World in an unlawful way against the Checks of my own Conscience 9. But it came to pass in the 22d Year of my Life not being quite out of my Apprenticeship yet sure to the Maid I went to work as a Journey-man and happened to work with a Puritan in Thomas Apostle London His name was William Reeve John Reeves's Brother 10. He was a very zealous Puritan at that time and many others of that Religion came to him and disputed with me about the unlawfulness of lending Money upon Pawns because they pleaded it was Usury and Extortion and did alledge many places of Scripture against it 11. And I used all the Arguments of Reason I could for it because I had a great desire to be Rich and considering I was ingaged to this Maid and that her Mother would not let me have her to Wife except I would keep a Brokers Shop and lend Money so that I was in great strait and much perplexed in Mind 12. For I lov'd the Maid and desired to be Rich but these Puritan People being well versed in the Scripture words and zealous for Righteousness threatened great Judgments and danger of Damnation hereafter 13. They overpowered my Natural Knowledge and civil Practises in me and made me afraid of eternal Damnation and they pressed the Scriptures so hard upon me which exceedingly perplexed my Mind reasoning in my self that if I did lend Mony upon Usury and Extortion I should be damned and if I would not then I should not have the Maid to Wife 14. So that the love of the Maid and the fear of the loss of my Soul did struggle witin me and dispute within me like two distinct Spirits even as a Woman in Travail with two natural Sons in the Womb so that I was in a great strait which I should cleave unto 15. So after much dispute and reasoning in my self it came to this result I considered the Riches of this World and the Love I had to the Maid and I
weighed it in my Mind and was loath to forsake it 16. Then I consider'd my Soul was of more value and what would it avail me to be rich in this World for a Moment and to loose my Soul for I was extreamly fearful of eternal Damnation thinking my Soul might go into Hell Fire without a Body as all People did at that time 17. And after much strugling in my Mind I came to this resolution in my self that rather then I would loose my Soul or be damned to Eternity I would loose the Maid And that way that would have made me Rich and that I would be zealous of the Law of God as afterwards I was 18. Here the two Seeds of Faith and Reason did work in me but I knew them not by Name nor Nature at that time nor many Years after 19. But as I did fear it came to pass for the Maids Mother seeing my Mind so changed and so zealous of the Laws of the Scriptures and that I would not keep that way as I thought to do before 20. She would not let her Daughter have me to her Husband so the Maid was perswaded by her Mother 21. And my Zeal to save my Soul perswaded my Mind to let her go so we parted 22. Thus I forsook the World and a Wife which I lov'd in the days of my ignorance for zeal to the Law of God which I thought to be Truth and the true way and so it was 23. But I did not know it till many years after but the Lord God of Truth had respect unto my Person and Zeal at that time and prevented me from falling into that Snare of being rich in this World CAP. V. The Prophet shews his Care his Fear and Zeal in the Law of God and of the working of his Thoughts and heighth of the Puritan Religion 1. SO after I had parted with the Maid and that way that did offend my Conscience I was resolved to live so upright to the Law of God and so just between Man and Man that I thought in time I might procure favour with God and to attain assurance of my Salvation 2. For I was fully possest that there was really Salvation to be attained unto by my Righteousness and that there was a real Damnation to all those that were unrighteous or did not demean themselves so strictly as I did 3. For I was exceeding fearful of Hell and eternal Damnation The very Thoughts of it made my Spirit many times fail within me 4. But by Prayer and my Righteous Practices I did many times recover some Hope and Peace again 5. All this while I did suppose my Soul might go into Hell without a Body and that Millions of Souls were in Hell-Fire without Bodies and that the Devil being a Bodily Spirit did torment those Souls that came there and that the Devil had liberty to come out of Hell to Tempt People here on Earth and go there again but no Soul that he had gotten there could come out of Hell more 6. These things wrought in my Mind exceeding great Fear and stir'd me up to a more exceeding Righteousness of Life thinking thereby that my Righteous Life would have cast out those tormenting Fears but it did not 7. Yet notwithstanding I did continue in my Zeal and was earnest in the Puritant Religion and Practice neither did I know how to find Rest any where else neither did I hear any Preach in those Days but the Puritan Ministers whose Hair was cut short 8. For if a Man with long Hair had gone into the Pulpit to preach I would have gone out of the Church again tho he might preach better than the other 9. But we Puritans being Pharisaically minded were zealous of outward Appearance and of outward Behaviour for we minded that more than their Doctrin 10. For we took it for granted that God was a Spirit without a Body and that Christ Jesus his Son had a Body in form like Man and that he did mediate to God his Father who was a Spirit without a Body and that for Christ's sake this Spirit without a Body did hear us and speak Peace unto us 11. Also I believed that the Devil was a Spirit without a Body and could assend out of Hell when God did give him leave and sugest evil Thoughts of Lust Theft Murther and Blasphemy against God not thinking that these Thoughts and Motions did arise out of Man's own Heart but from a Divel a Spirit without a Body without Man 12. Also I thought those Souls which God did Save were carried up to Heaven without Bodies and should be with God who was a Spirit without a Body and that we should see Christ Jesus in Heaven with his Body with our Spirits that were Saved without Bodies till the Resurrection and then Body and Soul should be United together again 13. Also we did believe that the wicked Spirits should be cast into Hell Fire without Bodies where the Devil and his Angels being Spirits without Bodies should Torment the Souls of the Wicked till the Day of Resurrection and then those Wicked Souls should be United to their Bodies again and be Tormented Body and Soul together with the Devil and his Angels who were Spirits without Bodies in Hell Fire for ever and ever 14. And we did believe that the Angels of God were Ministring Spirits without Bodies as God was a Spirit without a Body so were they and could minister Comforts unto Men without Bodies 15. And we did believe our own Souls to be Immortal and could not Die but did subsist the good Spirits with God in Heaven without Bodies and the wicked Souls did subsist in Hell without Bodies 16. These were some of the Fundamental Principles of Faith and Religion we Zealous Puritans did believe and practice and there is no better Faith in the World to this day in the generality of Professors of Religion 17. These Things was I very well versed in and I grew in great Experience and Knowledge in the Letter of the Scriptures and had a good Gift of Prayer and was very strong in Disputes because my Mind was extreamly perplexed with the fear of Hell notwithstanding my exact life to the Letter of the Law 18. But the fear of Hell wrought in me much Experience so that I did exceed several other Men in that Knowledge which was in those days and tho' I was judged a very godly knowing-Man and a happy Man by others yet I could not judge so of my self but the fear of Hell was oft rising up in me 19. For I never Conceited well of my own Knowledge but thought the Knowledge of other Men did far exceed me because they seemed to be better satisfied in their Minds than I was 20. Yet I thought in my self that in time by my Prayers and Righteousness and exact Walking and hearing of Preaching that I might heal that Wound in my Soul which was made and I knew not for what 21. For I
THE Acts of the Witnesses OF THE SPIRIT In Five Parts By LODOWICK MVGGLETON One of the Two Witnesses and True Prophets of the only High Immortal Glorious God Christ Jesus Left by him to be publish'd after 's death In the latter days two Bright Stars shall arise raising up men being dead in their sins which shall resist the Beast and the Waters of the Dragon testifying and preaching the Law of the Lamb and the Destruction of Antichrist and shall diminish his Waters but they shall be weakened in the Bread of Affliction and they shall rise again in stronger force and after Truth shall be revealed and the Lamb shall be known After this shall be but a small Space Fox in his Book of Marters LONDON Printed in the Year of our Lord God 1699. THE EPISTLE DEDICATORY TO all True Christian People that do or shall hereafter come to believe in this Third and Last Spiritual Commission is this ensuing Treatise directed with love and peace to you be multiplied It being a Legacy left you by the Lords last True Porphet for your further establishment in Truth As also it is left for a Convincement of the Seed of Reason when he is in the dust that by these Acts they may see how he hath been slandred reproached and belied persecuted and imprisoned without a Cause For how many Lying Reports hath been not only flung upon them but also upon the True Believers of them saying That we own neither God nor Devil Heven or Hell and all because they see us use no outward glittering shew in fruitless Forms of Worship whilst we worship an invisible Spiritual yet personal God in Spirit and Truth which the World knows nothing of For this we know and affirm that the Doctrine of this Commission of the Spirit is of as great purity and power as to Godliness as ever any was and as they were themselves ever kept innocent from the breach of the Morral Law as to Act Even so the Fruits of their Doctrine is of the like efficacy in the knowing seed of Faith by which they have dominion over Sin as in respect of Act. And altho' this last Prophet in his Answer to the Nine Assertions hath shewed his great mercy and clemency to some corrupt Natures yet it is but to such who act not so far as the breach of the Morral Law as to borrow Money and not to pay it again or to be passionate and hasty natur'd overcome with Strong Drink or the like and tho' these are evil yet reach but to the Borders of the Law being Frailties in Nature which disturb the peace of the Mind for in such things as the Apostle James saith We offend all But where there is true Faith it prevents the Act as this Prophet saith in one place among many his Words are these Faith saith he overcomes all Sin Death and Hell within a man's self and that none but such shall be admitted into the Kingdom of Heaven And the Prophet Reevâ—s Doctrine is thus saying All those that are led by the Voice of the holy Spirit of Jesus do work Righteousness in their bodies whereby they die unto Sin Again saith he in another place The Light of Christ in man doth convert from the Ruling Power of Sin And in a Third Place which is not yet printed saith That they that are led by the Spirit of Faith are kept from the commiting of sin I do not say saith he that they have no Motion to sin but the Spirit of Faith purifies their hearts giving them power against those Motions that they commit not the Act and from hence it is that all that are born of God know the Voice of God and hath this Power over Sin as I have declar'd said he These Doctrines of the Prophets are absolute and possitive and do give great light into several Scriptures as Matt. Chap. 5. ver 28. 1 John chap. 3. ver 9. and ver 15. in these places we are to distinguish between the Motion and the Action of Sin This may also give light into Rom. chap. 7. how that Paul spake there as to his state by Nature as also of the strife and strugle between the two Seeds of Faith and Reason until the Law of Faith was quickened and power by it attain'd and then had he dominion over Sin as Chap. 8. and so came to have peace with God and with his own Conscience and Assurance of Eternal Life And from hence comes the Grounds of true Worship and flows forth all spiritual Praise as David said O how sweet is thy Law This sweet Law is the Law of Faith and he or she that is truly possessed hereof can seal to those words of the Prophet Reeve which saith That he that is born of God his Language and Practice is such as speaks forth the Power of Godliness to the confounding of all glittering Tongue Hipocrites and Faithless Formalists Now let all True Believers know that under every Commission this is made the ordinary way of Life and Salvation yet to prevent an objection this is confessed by us That tho' there is this power in Faith as aforesaid yet the Lord for the Tryal of his Creature may suffer some of his Chosen Ones to fall in the time of a Commission and for the prâ—ise of his Free Grace may grant them our Repentance or sâ—â—â—nd Free Pardâ—n for thus writes the Prophet Reeve in a Writinâ— not yet printed The Lâ—rd saith he leaves some to their own strength through which he rebels against the Light that is in him to the wounding of his own Soul to the end that he may learn that the power by which he is preserved from the 〈◊〉 of Sin and so from eternal ruin is not in himself but in the Living God that made him Therefore the Scripture here and there pâ—iâ—teth fâ—rth one that the Lord hath left for a seas n to manifâ—st his Prerâ—gative Power ovâ—r his Creatures and afterwards doth his God head Spirit move him to a second Free Pardâ—n wherein he raiseth that Soul to a highâ—r and greater measure of Grace Wisdom and Humility than it had before which fulfils that Saying of Paul Where Sin abounded there Grace did superabound And this was fulfilled both by David and Paul Here we see that if an Elect Vâ—ssâ—l should once fall after his knowledge and belief in Truth that his second Pardon doth raise him to a higher degree of Grace Wisdom and Humility then he had before This by the Prophet is made a true Tryal to know whether a repentance or conversion from the Act of Sin committed be real or fained as also that a second fail or relapse will prove dangerous because it is rare to find a Third Pardon and a Third increase of Grace to that Pardon Thus it is made clear that the Doctrine of this Commission of the Spirit it hath power of Purity in it and n ne that is truly born of God can dispute against it but
soon speak evil of a true Prophet as a false Prophet 18. So his Prophets gave Sentence of Damnation upon many to my Knowledge for speaking evil of him they not knowing him whether he was true or false 19. And I saw afterwards that his Sentence was true upon them for they would have said as much to the true Christ as they did to him So I saw his Sentance was true and efectual upon those he condemned notwithstanding he himself was false 20. For this was observed that the Elect Seed would be preserved from speaking Evil of things they knew not That belongs only to the Seed of the Serpent to speak Evil of things he doth not know For who upon Earth did know at that time whether he was False or True I say none not one CHAP. IX Of the Prophets Application conserning these wonderful things and of his Qualification 1. NOW this John Robins's knowledge in the Scriptures was more at that time than any Man in the World 2. These things had I perfect Knowledge of yet was I quiet and still and heard what was said and done and spake against nothing that was said or done 3. But shewed Kindness and Mercy to all of them Marvelling in myself what the Ephect of these things would be 4. And one of his Prophets came to my House very oft and he told me all things that was done amongst them and he had a very high Language and very knowing in the Scriptures and spake as an Angel of God 5. And my natural Temper was always merciful to Strangers and this place of Scripture run much in my Mind Forget not to entertain Strangers for some in entertaining of Strangers have entertained Angels So I never let him go without Eating and Drinking 6. And if I had nothing in the House to Eat if I had but Eighteen Pence I would give him one Shilling of it and if I had but Twelve Pence I would give him Six Pence of it 7. This I did many times though I had need enough myself for I had Three Children to maintain at that time Two Daughters by my Wife Sarah and one Son by my Second Wife Mary then alive 8. All these things never moved me to rejoyce in any Hope of any Happiness or Deliverance to any better Condition then I was then in or to be in any worse Condition after Death then I was in at present 9. But I kept close to my Integrity of Heart That is I would do nothing that should condemn my Conscience but would do what I could to justify my Conscience 10. Tho I looked for no Reward hereafter yet I would do well that Sin might not ly at the Door of my Conscience 11. And these things working in my Mind kept me from actual Sin and from the Pollutions of the Flesh 12. Yet all this while was I as one without God in this World as to my knowledge of him I had none that was true 13. But the Lord God of Truth had Respect unto my Person and to the upriteness of my Heart but I knew it not all that time as will more plainly appear in the following Discourse CHAP. X. The Prophet here showes of a Melancholy that came upon him and afterwards of Two Motions arising in him and speak as Two living Voices 1. AFter this in the beginning of the Year 1651. and in the Year of my Life 41. and better 2. In the beginning of the year it came to pass upon a Day in the Month called April I being silent all alone my Children being all abroad there fell upon me a great Melancholy upon my Spirit and I knew not for what yet I was pressed exceedingly in my Heart with Fear 5. So I began to cast about in my Mind what I had done that I should thus fear So I called to mind all my former Righteousness and Zeal which I had left thinking in myself that might be the Cause of this Fear 4. Reasoning in myself whether I had best turn again to my former Practise of Religion or not 5. There did arise in me an Answer to that and said No For thou knowest when thou did'st worship in that Zeal thou had'st no Peace but was oft tormented with fear of Hell so to no purpose to turn or go back to Aegipt again 6. Then did two Motions arise in me and speak in me as two lively Voices as if two Spirits had been speaking in me one answering the other as if they were not my own Spirit 7. But I knew afterwards they were the two Seeds strove in me for mastery 8. So my old Fears of Hell rose in me as it did formerly when a Puritan 9. So I began to reason in myself what I should do to escape being damn'd to Eternity for I dreaded the Thoughts of Eternity for I did not so much mind to be saved as I did to escape being damn'd 10. For I thought if I could but ly still in the Earth for ever it would be as well with me as it would be if I were in eternal Happiness for I believed the Soul was mortal many years before which Belief yielded me much Peace of Mind And was in hope God would never raise me again 11. For I did not care whether I was Happy so I might not be Miserable I car'd not for Heaven so I might not go to Hell but I could not be sure I should go to Heaven nor certain I should escape Hell which was a great perplexity to my Mind not knowing which way to help myself out of Gods Hands 12. Now this place of Scripture of Paul in the Romans pressed hard upon me What if God willingly make thee a Vessel of Wrath fited for Destruction And that saying What art thou O Man that replyest against God 13. Shall the thing that is formed say unto him that formed it why hast thou made me thus And that saying Shall not the Potter have Power over the Clay of the same Lump to make one Vessel to Honour and another to Dishonour 14. These things pressed hard upon my Soul even to the wounding of it Then I replyed against this and said in my Heart That God did seem to be more cruel than Man for Man made Vessels of Honour and Dishonour of dead senceless Clay that is neither capable of Honour nor Dishonour nor capable of Pain nor of Misery nor of Joy or Happiness Oh! that I had been as the Clay I tread upon rather than a living Man 15. But God made Vessels of Wrath to bear eternal Torments of living sensible Creatures not giving any reason why but it was his prerogative Will so to do and who shall hinder him 16. The apprehension of this sunk deep into my Heart and brought forth deep Sighs and Groans 17. And it was answered me again saying that God hath a Prerogative Power above and over all Life because he gave Life to Man and all Creatures else And as a Man hath a prerogative Power
Slanders and Judgments threatned against me I did not matter For this I know the Quakers do beleive that Loe and Cole's Souls is not dead but slipt out of their Bodies and gon you know not where and into a Power you know not what 10. But I said their Souls is where you laid their Bodies they both came into this World together they both dispised the Truth together they both Bodies and Souls received Judgment and Condemnation together and both dyed together and were both Soul and Bodies buried together and shall both rise again spiritual dark Bodies and Souls together 11. Every Seed it s own Body that Seed of Reason which was their Life which they thought was the divine Nature of God but it was the Nature of the Devil and Serpent 12. And the Law writen in their Hearts which you Quakers call the Light of Christ or Christ in you which is no other Christ or Light but the Law writen in your Hearts And the Light of the Law which doth accuse and excuse the Conscience of every Man you call the Light of Christ yea Christ himself 13. For this Light of the Law writen in your Hearts is that which doth cause your Thoughts to accuse when you do evil and to excuse when you do well And when God shall raise them again that Seed of Reason shall rise and bring a spiritual dark Body with it And that Law which was writen in their Hearts here in this Life shall quicken again in that new dark spiritual Body 14. And then shall they and you dispisers of a personal God know that your own Souls which you thought was the Life of God but it was the Life of the Devil and that your selves were Devils and that Law writen in your Hearts which you in this Life called the Light of Christ and that was no other God or Christ but this Light within you 15. But when this Law doth quicken again as I said before it will prove the only and alone Devil to torment you to eternity because you made the Light of this Law in your Hearts to be your only God and by this Light of the Law you do fight against the true personal God who created Man in his own Image and Likeness and hath trampled him under your Feet as Dirt. 16. These things may seem strange and as a Riddle unto you and as a thing impossible but with God all things is possible which his own Will moves him unto 17. And this I say as it was possible for God to write the Law in the Angels Natures and by his secret Determination suffer one of these Angels to become very Man and so the Angels Seed and Nature having conjunction with the Seed and Nature of Eve which was of Adams Nature and so by Generation the Law comes to be writen in every Man's Heart in that ever Man and Woman that is born into this World is partaker of the Angel's Nature of Reason and so comes to have this Law writen in every Man's Heart 18. Man finds it there accusing of him but knows not how it came writen there 19. So it is as strange for you Quakers to beleive that God will raise your Souls again that were dead how they should quicken out of Death by the Power of that God that made all Souls to live at the first In as much as he made all things by the power of his word in the Beginning 20. So by the same power of his word he shall quicken the Souls of Men and Women again out of Death to Life again at the last day and the Law that was writen in them shall quicken also and be alive again in you to torment you to eternity 21. For the Law and your Souls shall never part one from the other for as the Law is secretly writen in your Hearts but originally in the Reprobate So by Gods secret Decree and Power he will revive that Law again in that Reprobate Seed of Reason as in Thomas Loe Josiah Cole George Whitehead William Pen and many of you Speakers of the Quakers and others of your Bretheren who are under the Judgment and Sentance of this Commission of the Spirit You shall find my words to be true upon you and over you to eternity neither shall you be delivered from it 22. For if I had but any thought of Compassion towards you in my Mind it was answered me That there is a necessity that there should be Enmity between the Seed of the Woman and the Seed of the Serpent which hardened my Heart against all Dispisers of a personal God in the form of Man Lodowick Muggleton 23. After this in the same year came another thundering Letter from a Lyon like Quaker being a learned Man brought up at the University his Name is William Pen Here is the Copy of it verbatim LOdowick Muggleton having had a deep and serious Sence of thy insulting Spirt over the Death of that valiant and painful Servant of the most high God Josiah Cole as if it were the ephect of thy solely Curse who alas for these Twelve Years hath in these Nations and Iles abroad in all Straits Difficulties and hard Sufferings been an incessant Labourer for the Lord and so impared his Health that within these Twelve Months or little more have I known him Five times sick and Three even unto Death before he had ever seen thy Face I say being sensible of thy Vaunts And it now being laid upon me Therefore once more I come in the Name and Authority of that dreadful Majesty which fils Heaven and Earth to speak on this wise Boast not thou Enemy of God thou Son of Perdition and Confederate with the unclean croking Spirits reserved under Chains to eternal Darkness for in the everlasting glorious Light thou dispiseth thou art seen Araigned Tryed Condemned and Sentanced for a lying Spirit and false Prophet who having counterfited the Commission and Sceal of that God whom the Heaven cannot contain hath bewitched a few poor silly Souls But their Blood Oh! Muggleton lies at thy Door and the Wrath of the Almighty is kindled against thee and his eternal Power in his Servants the Quakers came whom thou hast past thy envious Curse shall suddenly grind thee to Powder and as formerly so again on the behalf of the God of the Quakers whom I worship I boldly challinge thee with thy Six foot God and all the Host of lucepherian Spirits with all your Commissions Curses and Sentances to touch or hurt me practice your Skill and Power behold I stand in a holy Defiance of all your Enmity and Strength And this know Oh Muggleton with thy God art chained by the Spirit of the Lord and on you I trample in his everlasting Dominion and to the bottomless Pit are you sentanced from whence you came and where the endless Worm shall knaw and torture your imaginary Soul to eternity Written Signed and Seal'd by Commission receiv'd about the First Hour