beget a true Repentance in thee But like evil men and seducers thou growest worse and worse deceiving and being deceived still continuing in thy old course of backbiting railing and secret smiting the Innocent And because the Judgment of God hath reached thee in some measure according to the Word of the Lord by his Servant aforesaid in his said Answer even so as thou canst not now vent thy devilish Persecution openly in a Pulpit yet still as I have heard thou takest occasion by creeping into houses and corners when thou canst but get together a company of silly women laden with sins and led away with divers lusts then thou takest opportunity to vent thy old Lies and Blasphemies afresh against God his Name his Truth his Tabernacle and them that dwell in Heaven calling the Truths of God Popish Tenents and they that hold the same Hereticks when as it is thou thy self and thy Presbyterian Brethren that do hold such things and not the innocent People of God called Quakers As witness 1. Your denying the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles which they held forth preached up pressed after and attained unto in this life viz. A freedom from sin and Perfection As these Scriptures following do testifie and bear witness unto How shall we saith the Apostle that are dead to sin live any longer therein Rom. 6. 2. knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin for he that is dead is freed from sin ver 6 7. Being then made free from sin ye became the servants of Righteousness for when ye were the servants of sin ye were free from Righteousness but now being made free from sin and become Servants to God ye have your fruit unto Holiness and the end everlasting life ver 18 20 22. What can be more plain And then again He that committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinneth from the beginning For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God 1 Joh. 3. 8 9. And so for Perfection Be ye therefore Perfect saith Christ even as your Father which is in Heaven is Perfect Mat. 5. 48. We speak Wisdom among them that are Perfect saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2. 6. And he gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers what to do why mark for the Perfecting of the Saints for the Work of the Ministry for the Edifying of the Body of Christ till we all come in the Unity of the Faith and of the Son of God unto a Perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Ephes. 4. 11 12 13. And this was the end of the Apostles preaching to present every man Perfect in Christ Jesus Col. 1. 28. And this is the end of all Scripture even that the Man of God may be Perfect thorowly furnished unto all good works 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. For the Law made Nothing Perfect but the bringing in of a better hope did viz. Christ by the which we draw nigh unto God Heb. 7. 19. For by one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified Heb. 10. 14. What can be more plain And ye are come unto Mount Zion and unto the City of the living God and the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels to the General Assembly and Church of the First-born which are written in Heaven and to GOD the Jvdge of all and to the spirits of Just men made Perfect Heb. 12. 22 23. But your denying of this Truth sheweth you have made a league with Sin Death and Hell for as long as you live you teach others to do so too telling them they must not look to be free from corruption and sin while they live here The Consequence of which Doctrine of yours must in the end bring in that Popish Tenent of Purgatory For if Perfection and freedom from sin is not attainable unto in this life as you say on the one hand Nor no unclean person or thing can enter into Heaven the Kingdom of God in the life to come as the Scriptures of Truth say on the other hand Eph. 5. 5. Rev. 21. 27. Then tell me when and where must the time and place of cleansing be must it not be in a middle place and a middle time between Earth and Heaven and between this life and the life to come and so equal to the Papists Purgatory If this be not the Consequence of this your Doctrine let the wise in heart judge Again witness 2. Your maintaining the lawfulness of Swearing now under the Gospel against the express words of Christ and his Apostles to the contrary who saith But I say unto you Swear not at all what more full neither by Heaven for it is Gods Throne nor by the Earth for it is his Footstool neither by Jerusalem for it is the City of the great King Neither shalt thou swear by thy head because thou canst not make one hair white or black But let your communication be yea yea nay nay For whatsoever is more then these cometh of evil Mat. 5. 34 35 36 37. And the Apostle James saith But above all things swear not neither by heaven neither by the earth neither by any other Oath but let your yea be yea and your nay nay lest you fall into condemnation Jam. 5. 12. which is plain without all exception And whether is not that an Antichristian and Popish Tenent to put constructions and meanings upon plain places of Scripture contrary to the mind of Christ and his Spirit which wrote them which are so plain that none that are simple-hearted can oppose or evade Again witness 3. Your former taking and now pleading for and justifying that Popish maintenance of Ministers by Tythes which in its first Institution in the time of the Law when it was in full force was appointed for the Levite because he had no part nor Inheritance among his brethren and therefore he was not to be forsaken nor forgotten and for the Stranger and the Fatherless and the Widow that they might eat and be satisfied Deut. 14. 27 28 29. and so there was no lack among them But you plead for it now under the Gospel and that by the same Law which Law Christ hath since ended and also changed that Priest-hood and disanulled that Commandment by which it was both taken and given Heb. 7. And the Stranger and the Fatherless and the Widow have little or no benefit by it at all from your hands neither are our streets free from Beggers and besides they are taken by you who have great Inheritances in the Land and yearly Revenues besides Again in the first Institution of Tythes they were all
wantonness and then walk after their own ungodly lusts being gone from the grace of God which had appeared unto them which afterwards they turned their backs upon and fell from And the Grace of God which brings Salvation hath appeared unto all men yet all men are not taught by it my reason is not because they want a Teacher neither because Grace is not given to lead them and to uphold them in Righteousness but because they love it not or stand not in his Counsel and so falling from his Counsel fall into ungodliness And furthermore the Apostle saith as concerning Faith and a good Conscience they had put away and made shipwrack of it They could not put Faith away which had none neither make shipwrack of a Ship that never had one And furthermore Christ said unto his Disciples Except a branch abide in the Vine it cannot bring forth fruit no more can you except you abide in me So that it is evident that there is a possibility for a branch to be cut off from the Vine and to wither and also that there may be a coming unto Christ and a bringing forth fruit unto God and yet losing the Power of God the â—ight and life thereof by which they have ability to do the Will of God may wither and die and so become unprofitable Thou bidst me reade the Jesuites Writings if I had so much understanding Thou art more conversant with the Jesuites Writings than I desire to be it may be thou hast waded seven years in the old Popish Colledges in which there are great store of such and what thou hast done since the Light in thy Conscience will let thee see Yet I see before the Jesuites or their Writings and need not to search there in such blackness and darkness And then thou sayest Tell me who thou art like I say I deny them all in the root and in the ground but as for thee and the rest of the Parish-hirelings you are a stem sprung from the same root manifest clearly to thousands in England by very many of your practices which have been made evident in publick and so in that I shall forbear Thou sayest in thy rage I am given over to a mind without Judgment because I said unto thee thou knewest not what the Soul was because thou said and affirmed it was a created thing which thing I bid thee prove which thing thou did not then neither yet hast and yet most impudently hast set it down as a tenent of mine that I should affirm when only I desired thy proof but let the Serpent be blind for me I shall not feed that which is for destruction for thou art not one of those which watch for the Soul to see it brought out of the grave or out of death but for thy gain from thy quarter and for Iniquity Thou sayest Do not Souls go to Hell and can the Eternal Birth go thither I 'le ask thee a Question What was it that delivered David from the nethermost Hell that brought his soul out of the Pit and delivered his darling from the devouring Lion And what is it that tormenteth the wicked in Hell Is it not written If I go up into Heaven thou art there or if down into Hell thou art there Whither shall I go from thy Presence or whither shall I flee from thy Spirit Art thou fit to be a Leader of a Flock who art ignorant of what Salvation is preached to or what it is that wants Redemption I say thou preachest up the report of Christ without the knowledge of him and thou sayest Blessed are those that believe thy report unto whom the Arm of the Lord is revealed Many have heard thy Report and such Reporters as thou and yet know not Blessedness neither is the Arm of the Lord revealed to them or in them Thou preachest him in words but in works deniest him Thou sayest What gracious souls can but bleed to hear how the Offices of Christ are rejected and denied amongst us yea his Blood and Sufferings as to be onely report or signal thing Signal thing is thy own words and it is evident who deny the Office of Christ and who deny his Sufferings for we say He suffered once to take away sin but you say that the dearest Saint of God cannot be cleansed from sin while upon Earrh We say that the Blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin and there is no remission without blood and you say that none is to expect clensing from all sin in this life We say Christ is anointed of God to be a Leader to his People whose lips only are to preserve knowledge and the Law is to be received at his mouth who saith Learn of me and we say the Testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy and that Christ is to rule as King and where sin rules he ruleth not where sin is acted and brought forth Christ is not King over them But you say the acts of sin or the reliques or remainders thereof must never be subdued while upon Earth or done away wholly We say according to Christ's own words Believe in the Light and this is an Ordinance of Christ but this you call delusion and would make it void So thou mayest take a view of your Doctrines and let thy heart bleed when thou comest to consider how thou rejectest the Office Ordinances Blood and Sufferings of Christ and in a word deniest the very End of his Coming which is to save his People from their sins But thou sayest the Children of the Promise can by Faith glory in him and rest in him for Eternal Life There is none knows Eternal Life but who have the living Faith through which it is revealed And the Life is the Light of men but you deny the Light and so deny the Foundation of Faith and the Author of it and live in a life which is carnal and take up a rest in these things which are invented in the Apostacy by corrupt-minded men which things are polluted which all them that come to know Eternal Life must rise out of for this is not their Rest but their Rest standeth in him who subdueth and putteth under that which hath resisted him in all that believe and then they come to know their Rest. Thou sayest further What is it a cankered way to preach Repentance and Faith and to mortifie the deeds of the body and to have their conversation in Heaven I say Nay But to make people believe that they have repented and have Faith and that they are cleansed and that they are mortified and that they have their conversation in Heaven when they are alive to Deceit and to Unrighteousness and to the Lusts of the flesh and converse with the worldly lusts which make war against the soul I call this Cankered Doctrine and it eats as a Canker where it is received in What art thou out of thy wits or hast thou lost thy understanding Doest thou look that any
have their conversation in Heaven whilst they are here is it not written No unclean thing enters into the Kingdom of God And stands not this as an Article of your Faith That none is to expect cleansing from all sin here What art thou putting people upon impossibilities as to converse with God or have their conversation in Heaven What blindness and ignorance is here And further thou sayest There are many Ministers in England whom I call Babylons Merchants which cause both Hell and Rome to shake and to rage Alas what have you done The Covenant of Death is not yet broken the Agreement with Hell is not yet disanulled for many are at union with it in their rage and envy and would kill and destroy for their worldly maintenance and to set up and establish those Reliques of Popery and of Rome which yet are unpurged out out of the Nation as the Popes wages Tythes Masse-houses sprinkling of Infants and many more things which I might enumerate which the Devil keeps himself alive in and Rome hath an interest in and you rage and revile and draw out your carnal weapons to destroy unmercifully them that bear witness against those things witness of late the Conspiracy of thy Brethren in Cheshire Lancashire and divers other places who laboured to set all on a fire and to kill and destroy them who bore witness against Death Hell and Rome and so your Preaching is to stir up Sedition amongst people for your own Interest and for the Interest of Hell and Rome which is yet unpurged out of the Nation And what tellest thou of the suffering Martyrs in Queen Maries dayes to whom you are not to be compared many of them bore witness against many of those things which you are holding up and pleading for as Tythes Hire and killing for Religion and throwing into Holes and Dungeons them that cannot comply with you to the upholding of these and the like deceits which God will overthrow and confound And thou sayest When I will make it appear either by word or Writing that I have learned which be the first Principles the Oracle of God and do own the Person and Offices of Christ thou wilt answer my Queries Now I let thee know both by word and writing that I have learned and know which be they as Repentance from dead works and Faith towards God and the Doctrine of Baptisms and the laying on of hands c. and the Person Ordinances and Offices of Christ as I have proved before I own therefore see that thou fail not the second time to answer my Queries And as for the Dishes thou speakest of I have left them behind me I say they are thy own for the most part and not mine which thou hast scattered up and down the World to feed the Devil with As first That the Scriptures are neither a Light nor the Saints Rule neither is it every ones duty to search them Two parts of this is thy own forged lye but yet the Saints Rule and the Son's Rule is the Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures 2. That the Seed of the Woman is in every one Else what should bruise the Serpents head or what should destroy the works of the Devil And the seed is sown in stony ground thorny ground and high-way ground and good ground Go learn what it means 3. That the Body which worms eat shall never rise again This is thy own forged lye carry this Dish to the Table of Devils from whence thou fetcht it 4. That all who are reconciled unto God have a measure of that Seed which was conceived in the Virgins womb by the holy Ghost Two parts of this is a lye and thy own words But all that are reconciled unto God have Christ the Seed revealed in them 5. That the Soul is not a part of Man nor created This is thy own Assertion and not mine The Soul is immortal and came from God and is preserved in the hand of the Lord. 6. The Light in every one is a spiritual substance and a measure of God Christ that hath enlightned every man is a spiritual substance and that which convinceth of sin is the Spirit of God and God is a Spirit 7. That the Talent which was lost was that which Christ came to save This thou hast forged up in thy dark mind But the Sheep that were lost he came to save and they that were hid in Prison-houses he came to redeem and they that were snared in holes and were for a prey and for a spoil these he came to save from the Spoiler Go learn what it means 8. That the Clouds in which Christ is said to come are in Man and so are the Elements which are said to melt This thou must see thy self before thou see his appearing for a Cloud covers him out of thy sight and therefore thou art gazing and imagining abroad thou knowest not where 9. That we are justified by the sufferings of Christ in us and that Christ as he is the Seed of the Woman doth suffer and hath suffered from the foundation of the world They that are justified know him that hath suffered by them and in them and do believe his suffering at Jerusalem and by his Life revealed and manifested in them they are justified and by his Righteousness which he hath revealed in them and which he hath wrought for them and by receiving of the Gift Justification comes upon all that do believe And is this such a strange Doctrine to thee that Christ the Seed hath suffered in all ages by unbelievers and yet thou profess thy self a Minister of Christ Was he not slain from the foundation of the world did he not suffer after at Jerusalem hath he not been slain since in Sodom and Egypt and now suffers by thee who art an inhabitant in that City A terrible day will come upon thee before thou knowest his Life revealed or him to live in thee and this thou shalt witness to be true in the Day of the Lord. Answer my Queries and do not evade as thou hast done in forging thy own Imaginations and then send them to me as my Assertions to prove Thy things I return back to thee thy Dishes that thou mayest carry them back again to the Table from whence thou hadst them and be no more a servant to him whose work thou hast been doing lest misery and perplexity be thy end Fra. Howgill Something by way of a LETTER from another hand to the said THOMAS JACKSON c. FOrasmuch as the Private Admonition contained in the foregoing Letter sent unto thee in writing by F. H. nor the Publick Reproof by E. B. in his printed Answer to a Manuscript of thine sent in the year 1659 to a Member of the Old Parliament then sitting Nor yet the Word of the Lord therein prophesying against thee and them which hath since in a measure been made good upon thee and them hath taken no good effect upon thee to
E. B. Answers thus Page 16. and Part of the 17. Answ. Here is the concluson of thy matter which is the sum of it A running to the Powers of the Earth for help What have you Ministers lost the Lord to be your strength that you must fly for help to Men to defend you from the Spirit of God in his People Must they make Laws to establish you and set you up is not this the Whore that rode upon the Beast and that the Beast carries Is not here a description of her out of the mouth of this Author Is he crying to you to Persecute the Innocent It is true the Seed of God is risen the Elect Seed that is able to make War against the Beast and against the false Prophets even with the Word of the Lord and is he offended that Truth is risen so high And would he have some Fire and Faggots again in Smithfield and some Persecution and Banishment acted upon the People of God Is this the standing in the Gap and stopping Violence or would ye have it done this way Yea Judgements indeed are threatned to your Generation for if God will not destroy you soon enough you will destroy your own selves and Your own Iniquity will be upon you and the wickedness of the wicked shall slay him But my Counsel is not only to that particular Member but to the whole Body of them that they be wise and take heed what they do for the Eye of the Lord is over you and his Hand can dash you in pieces and if you be Oppressors of the poor People of God sand will not relieve the Opressed the Innocent and break the bonds of Oppression the Lord will break you in pieces for this is the Rock that hath broken all before you Persecuting People for Conscience sake and if you go on in this way your Destruction shall be the most lamentable of any that was ever yet before you Do you not yet see the wickedness of this Generation will you yet contend for them Surely you might learn wisdom even by their folly And if you do not shut your eyes there needs no more discovery than their own present wayes and works Wherefore consider the Day of God's Visitation is upon you make good use of your time lest the Lord break you down and never build you up and let the Spirit of the Lord have its Liberty and limit it not for if you do you shall never prosper nor never be made a blessing unto the People under your charge ☞ Remember you are warned by a lover of your Souls And Page 17 18 19 20. E. B. saith And this I say unto you in the Name of the Lord that whilst that Interest of this false Priesthood I mean is so much favoured ☞ and defended you can never prosper nor the Nations be ever happy under you for it is one of the greatest oppressions this day in the Nation the maintaining and upholding of this Ministry by Tythes and other unrighteous wages and the very Land groans under the oppression of this Church and Ministry which lieth as a heavy Burden upon both Persons and Estates and Consciences of many good People even of your dearest Friends And though the Lord doth manifestly even from Heaven shew signal Tokens of his Displeasure against them And the Servants of the Lord they also cease not to warn you concerning them and their own doings are sufficient Testimony of the Malice of their Hearts against you and all good men in the Nation yet nevertheless some of you seem to shut your eyes as if you would see no evil in them and are crying up your godly Ministers and some of you despising the man as not worthy to live that doth but speak against them And thus are you blinded and perceive not where the cause lies of your interruption to bring forth Righteousness I say it is the favouring of that Interest which stops the Issues of good things and while you oppress peoples Persons and Estates and Consciences to uphold this Ministry and Priesthood aforesaid the ☞ Lord shall never prosper you nor make the Nations happy under your Charges And this you shall witness eternally Therefore clear your selves do not any longer drink the Whores Cup neither be ye Carriers of her to execute her wickedness upon the Bodies and Consciences of People for it is written the Beast hath carried the Whore and we see it hath been thus as John saw it was to come to pass and so clear your selves from her Tyrannies and Oppressions and leave this false Church and Ministry to themselves and if God will not uphold them by his Power why should you do it If these Priests have not yet planted Vineyards that will yeeld them fruit and if their Flock will not yeeld them milk freely why should you unjustly impose upon Peoples Consciences and compel Tythes and Money from them for the maintenance of these men ye ought not to do it for while ye compel and force People by Violence contrary to good Conscience to maintain ☜ and uphold this Ministry and Church and Worship you do but cause People to drink the Whores Cup and you are but them which carry the Whore viz. the false Church And this is plain-dealing to tell you the Truth whether ye will reject it or receive it wherefore cast them off and let them not lurk under your wings c. They will cry out Heresie and Error of others that themselves may seem clear while as the same lodgeth in their own hearts wherefore I say do not make a false Peace with them neither do ye flatter with treacherous minds c. I say unto you Better were it for you to lay these men aside ☜ and their Flatteries and feigned prayers and to save your selves from their Flattery than to perish with them And one of these will come to pass for it 's decreed of the Lord if you uphold them and oppress peoples Persons and Estates and Consciences on their behalf and in their evil cause for Tythes and Wages to them ye shall fall with them and none shall be able to deliver neither you nor them c. Wherefore Take heed unto your selves and be wise and learn and do us Justice or else God will do us Justice upon you if you will not take off our Burdens and ease our Oppressions ☜ the Lord will ease us of you and the Earth shall not be oppressed with you And if ye will uphold this Priesthood against Equity and good Conscience the Lord will free good Consciences both from you and them And this is the Word of the Lord God unto you ☞ The Open Enemy hath not prevailed against you but the secret hand of the Lord will not miss you THE END 2 Tim. 3. 13. 2 Tim. 3. 6. Rev. 13. 6. Heb 10. 1 Heb. 9. 9 11. * Though the words Swear not at al be free enough from any exception yet in regard some of the corrupt sons of Adam say this was meant in our communication only that is say they in our ordinary discourse But yet liberty is left thereby for Swearing before a Magistrate being thereunto lawfully called I say the Apostle James as one foreseeing these two Cavils or Exceptions saith to put the matter out of doubt neither by any other Oath and also leaves out the word Communication so as there is no room left for any Exception at all Amos 2. 6. ch 8. 6. Read diligently and mark these places Isa. 30. 20 21. Joh. 2. 20 27. Luk. 17. 20 21. 2 Cor. 13. 5. 2 Cor. 6 16. Act. 3. 22 23. Rom. 10. 6 7 8. Luk. 20. 46 47. Luk. 11. 43. Mat. 23. 6. 7 8 9 10. Mich. 3. 11 Ezek. 13. 2 3 4 5 6 7 c. Joh. 1. 9 * Mark is he not the same man still though he be a Sufferer under a pretence of Conscience yet his Principle nor Nature is not changed to this day ☞ mark Mark is not this made good to the full at this day ☜ Yea surely a Prophet of the Lord hath been among you Mark Mark Was not this truly prophesied Mark Let this Generation beware for there is no resisting the Hand of the Lord.