with thy carnal minde to maintain thee and to hold up thy carnal gift and these things which Christ forbids his to do so who said Freely you have received freely give but here thou art not and it shews that thou hast not received it freely therefore thou sellest that which thou callest thy gift which the Apostles never did 1 Cor. 9. 18. Paul was not hired when he was refreshed with the necessaries of the Barbarians O thou Enemy why dost thou accuse Paul and would make him like thy self let him alone for thou knowest him not nor his Ministery for he was a prisoner of the Lord a traveller of the sea when the Barbarians lodged him what is that to thee to maintain thee to bear rule by thy means which Ieremy cryed against Ier. 23. 14. holdest up the horrible filthy thing that is committed in the Land to justifie thee to be a hierling and to receive thy gift and here thou hast openly shewed thy self to be an accuser of the Apostle and wouldst make him like Balaam like thy self and would have the woman to help thee and those are thy nursing fathers Kings and Queens which hold up thy gift which the Prophet cryed wo against but it is that fools may utter forth their folly and be taken in their own snare Prov. 13. 16. here thou art answered the Beast that hath held up the false Prophet and the false Prophet shall both into the fier And thou sayst thou dost not take gifts of the world but if any Prophet of the Lord come among you son or daughter you shew your selves to be of the world you shew your selves to be strikers and of the Devil halling them out of the Synagogues Matth. 10. 17. and to be no Saints nor no Church of God nor no Ministers of Christ and here thou shewest thou takest of the world and thy self to be a Lyar for thou never readest of any of the Churches of God if any of the world came in among them that they halled them out and beat them but it shews the effect of thy ministery and blasphemy which sayth ye are Iews and are not but are Synagogues of Satan Rev. 2. 9. 3. 9. we have found thee out and tryed thee Query 5. Whether the Plagues be not added to him that adds to the Prophecy of the things written in this Book Priests Answer 'T is tru the Spirit of God sayth so Rev. 22. 18 19. I do believe it yet again the expounding and opening of it by the Light of the Spirit of God given in comparing it with other Scriptures is not that which brings the curse for then the Apostle himself would have been under it 1 Cor. 9. 9 10. Rom. 4. 3 6. Rom. 11. 3 4 5. For expounding it wherein I have added or taken away is not yet discovered by any of you and that is the waight of the business when thou didst write to me or any other the Lord judg and let all the Lords people judg whether he be not more apt by far to add to the Prophecy of this Book who by his doctrine begetsiâ— slight esteem of the Prophecy of this Book and perswades his hearers that his words are as true as any Scripture and he cannot err and therefore all is to be believed that he speaks and not to be questioned though many things are contrary to this Prophecy than they that are so much blamed by them and reproached dayly A Reply to the Priests Answer Thou sayst it is tru that the Spirit of God sayth that the Plagues are added to him that adds to the prophece of this Book here thou speakest a Lye thou sayst it is tru the Spirit of God sayth He that adds or diminishes to the prophecy of the Book which hadst thou not seen the Letter then hadst known no spirit and because the Letter sayth so that is thy spirit but as I finde thee adding wresting and lying I do see that the plagues are added to thee by the same Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures and of them thou knowest nothing in that thou speakest a Lye in that thou sayst thou dost know it for thou knowest it not to be a truth though the Letter speak it as they swore the Lord lived and swore falsly Jer. 3. â— if thou didst thou durst not add nor diminish thou sayst comparing one Scripture with another is not that which brings the curse for then the Apostle would have been under it and so with thy corrupt minde dost accuse the Apostle falsly and wouldst make him like thy self and who speaks of the Scriptures fulfilling which thou canst not witness but makest a trade of them without thee and wouldst have Points and Reasons of them as thou wouldst have made a poynt of the Resurrection in thy former writing and here the plague of God is due to thee and here I charge thee again and here the Fool is out of the truth and the Rod is for the back of the Fool Prov. 10. 13. Prov. 18. 28. and here is the Scripture fulfilled upon thee and thou sayst it is not discovered by any of us whether thou addest or diminishest here thou hast shewed thy self to be a Lyar thou hast been told both publickly and privately of it and of thy deceit and now seeing thou hast openly shewed thy self to be a Lyar here openly do I make thee manifest as a Lyar who wouldst justifie thy self in thy deceit but thou harlot art made bare and discovered Nah. 3. 4 5 6. who hast sitten long under a colour and here is the Scripture is fulfilled upon thee and the Prophets words tru we finde them fulfilled Prayses prayses be to the Lord God of Heaven and Earth for ever who gives his servants victory over the Beast and the false Prophet Rev. 15. 2 3 4. such as thou art who have been ensnared by thee therefore we see that Plagues are thy porcion thou sayst that plagues are the waight that we give thee it is so 't is thy due and porcion thou sayst the Lord judg and let all the Lords people judg 1 Cor. 6. 2. the Lord doth judg and the Lord hath judged and the Lords people doth judg all such as thou art Him that thou dost accuse as to add to the prophecy in the Book he doth not but witnesses it thou having not the same witness canst not believe and neither sees him nor the prophecy of the Book thou seest the outside of the Letter with thy visible eye as they did which saw the outside of the Vision of Daniel Dan. 10. 7. But we that do believe him do believe his Doctrine not an outward testimony but we have the witness in our selves which are one with him and it doth witness that he hath the Spirit of truth which cannot err but we do know thy spirit by the same Spirit to be the spirit of error and here thou wouldst not have the Spirit of God to be believed on but here
thou shewest thy self that would question truth for there is nothing in thee born up in thy understanding to receive truth withall here thou shewest thy self to be an open Lyar to say he acts contrary to the Prophecy who is one with it and bears testimony to it and the truth of it against all such false accusers 2 Tim. 3. 3. as thou art for false accusers should arise Tit. 2. 3. and here thou shewest thy self to be one who accusest the Spirit of the living God to be more false than those that have the spirit of Antichrist who shall be consumed and turned into the Lake by the brightness of his coming 2 Thess 2. 8. the mouth of the Lord of Hosts hath spoken it Query 6. What Scripture have you that speaks of the word two Sacraments which you tell the people of and what Scripture have you to act such things Priests Answer Certainly Satan hath blinded your mindes you would never have put forth such a Question else for the substancial Word the Lord Iesus that we preach of him the Scripture speaks every where and for the Word as the Declaracion of the minde of God in and by Christ to poor sinners the Scriptures are plentifull take two or three Iohn 5. 24. Iohn 8. 31. Iohn 12. 48. Iohn 15. 3. Iohn 17. 20. Ephes 1. 13. Many more I might add but that I have a check on my spirit for gratifying your folly so far as I have done in this particular A Reply to the Priests Answer In thy Answer thou sayst that Christ is the substancial Word thou sayst so because the Letter declares he is the Word but no other knowledg hast thou but this is no answer to the word two Sacraments for Christ we know who is the Word but the word two Sacraments which there is no Scripture for which you tell people of which is an addicion to the Scripture and a thing that never was practised among the Saints as thou being one with thy fellows that holdest up those things the Query was what Scripture you have to act such things but Satan hath blinded your eys 2 Cor. 4. 4. 1 Iohn â— 11. which will not let you justifie those things which you act which shews that you serve but an ill Master that will not bear you out neither can you own the Scriptures as they are but you must give Exposicions upon them and poynts and your imaginacions and conceivings who would have the Scripture cleared but it is thy evil eye and minde that must be cleared Matth. 6. 23. for the Scriptures are as they speak thou sayst the Word you preach Alack for thee thou never knewst the Word if thou didst thou wouldst not speak of clearing up the Scriptures as in thy other Queryes thou speakest of Query 7. What Scripture hast thou to stand praying in the Synagogues before Sermon and after and where the Apostles did so or ever took a Text to treat upon Priests Answer Observe that place Matth. 6. 5. and thou shalt see that the thing Christ ayms at is not so much the posture nor the place but their end of praying in the Synagogue and that was to be seen of men for he did not before nor after condemn the dutyes of fasting praying alms-deeds but taught his Disciples how to do the same things though to avoyd the hypocrisie of others in doing of them and though another may be in the same place and posture as they were yet he may have other ends than they had which thou canst not lightly judg of as Christ did for Christians in prayer with upright hearts are not bound up to any place 1 Tim. 2. 8. And for praying in the publick meeting place and among the Assembly it was so common and usual that the place even had its name from it it was called the House of Prayer Matth. 21. 13. Isai 56. 7. and the hours of prayer were known by the Apostles Acts 3. 1. And that it was so in the times of the Gospel may be seen by Pauls Doctrine about it in the 1 Cor. 11. from the 9. to the 18. verse and in 1 Cor. 14. 13 14 15. For the times of prayer before Sermon and after the Apostle gives a general Rule 1 Cor. 14. 26. Let all things be done to edifying now what way is more edifying and building than for the servants of God to wayâ— on the great Builder God in Christ for help in the beginning of their work and in the close after mercyes received in speaking or hearing to speak good of the Name of our God in blessing and prayses the thankfull heart shall not want goodness from God but more fully the Apostle is clear in it 1 Tim. â— 1. That first of all prayers must be made to begin with that and that the thing is noâ— without example to conclude our speech with prayer see that in Acts 20. 36. This was likewise his manner in the close of his Epistles as may be seen in seven of his Epistles which I could never see in any of your Letters you like not prayer so well it seems And after that comes in thy frivolous and simple Question this is all I see thy hand to and therefore I call it thine Or ever took a Text to treat on I may well answer thee as Christ did the Saduces Thou errest not knowing the Scriptures for look Acts 8. 35. whether Philip took not a Text to treat on to the Eunuch out of Isai 53 7. Acts 10. 34. where Peter took a Text out of Deut. 10. 7. Acts 13. 17. out of Exâ—d 3. 14. and above all we have the example of Christ in this in his Sermon Luke 4. 17 18. who took his Text out of Isai 61. 1. in the Synagogue and he took a Book to reade it too though I believe he had the Scripture more in his heart than any of your Teachers thus having answered this Query I have one word to say to thee or the Inditer of it before I go on and that is this you have in this to me discovered a profane spirit that findes fault with our often seeking and calling on God and blessing his Name I am jealous that you are acted by the spirit of Satan amongst you you are so like those spoken of in the 3 of Mal. 7. 14 15. Reade and God give you to understand it well for to me it appears that the Spirit of God is quite of another nature that says Pray continually and without ceasing in every thing give thanks Ephes 6. 18. 1 Thess 5. 17 18. it calls and encourages to the thing Psal 50. 15. A Reply to the Priests Answer A Scripture thou wrests to maintain the Answer of it in Matth. 6. 5. Christ bids his Disciples pray not as the Pharises did for they prayed standing in the Synagogues but when thou prayest enter into thy Closet and shut the door and here thou art a Lyar of Jesus Christ and pervertst his words
who took his Disciples off from the customary praying of the Pharises and bade them not pray as they did but thou goest about to maintain the Pharises Kingdom which Iesus Christ cryed wo against and wrests several Scriptures to hold it up withall which is nothing to thy purpose and another Scripture thou bringest 1 Tim. 2. 8. he would that men pray every where lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting thou nor the world canst not witness this nor your hands to be holy to lift up to God therefore they are abomination and is to be denyed the Apostle to Timothy did not bid him go stand praying in the Synagogues but thou wrests his words to maintain thee in the chiefest place of the Assembly Pharise like Another Scripture thou bringest out of Acts 3. 1. Now Peter and John went up together into the Temple at the hour of prayer being the ninth hour They were commanded to pray not as the Pharises did who went to shew forth Christ Iesus the substance of all those types and figures which they lived in all these Scriptures will not maintain thee to hold up thy Pharises seat they went to cry wo against them and so do we now cry against thee and thy beastical worship and here I charge thee in the presence of the Lord to be an adder to the Scripture Psal 56. 5. and a wrester and a perverter of it 2 Peâ— 3. 16. For thou canst not finde any of these Scriptures thou bringest to hold thee up in thy Pharise like worship but arâ— a Rod for thy own back and openly thou shewest thy self to be Antichrist and one that doth maintain the Kingdom of the Pharises another Scripture thou bringest 1 Cor. 14. 26. and here I charge thee again to be a wrester of the Scripture let all people look upon the Scripture and see if it will maintain thee to have the chiefest place in the Assemblies and to stand praying before and after Sermon here thou shewest thy self to be out of the commands of Christ and art disobedient to him and he that doth pervert his words and wrests the Scripture O thou subtil twining Serpent how fain wouldst thou have a place in the earthly Letter but there is no place nor corner for thee but thou art found out and discovered Obad. 6. For the Apostle which spoke to the Corinthians spoke to them to whom the end of the world was come which were Brethren one had a Psalm another a Doctrine another a Tongue another a Revelation and another an Interpretacion that all things might be done to the edifying 1 Cor. 14. 26. and they might speak one by one and if any thing were revealed to him that stood by the other should â—old his peace that all things might be done to edifying that God in all things might be glorified but let all people consider how this Scripture doth confirm thee to have the chiefest place in the Assemblyes and to stand praying in the Synagogues before and after Sermon let all people see if thou be not a wrester of the Scripture and a perverter of the Apostles words and the condicions that the Saints were in thou openly shewest thy self not to be in and thy Church not to be in the condicion as the Corinthians were in for they were a gathered people out of the world but thou art without in the world in the Church of the Pharises who had the chiefest places in the Assemblyes Matth. 23. 6. and so art an Enemy to Christ here openly thou shewest it thou speakest of wayting on the great Builder God in Christ Dost thou speak of wayting upon God who justifiest the seat of the Pharises who were Enemies to Christ and teachest people to do so Acts 13. 10. O thou Enemy of Righteousness and full of subtilty a childe of the Devil I cannot but deal plainly with thee thou speakest of the great Builder and wayting upon God in Christ and art a maintainer of the Scribes and Pharises Kingdom and art justifying them in their ways and so doth teach Babylon which is confusion thou speakest of concluding thy speech with prayer Psal 28. 9. Thy prayers are abominacion and so are thy conclusions of them so long as thou walkest in the steps of the Pharises all thy blessings are cursed and thy seed is corrupted â—s Mal. 2. and as he saw them then so we see thee now in the same generacion by the same spirit as he did the Lord hath spoken it and thou canst not hide thy self from him Prayses be to the Lord God for ever who hath discovered your abominacions and friend another Scripture thou bringest Acts 20. 36. He kneeled down and prayed with them all and they all wept sore and fell upon his neck and kissed him sorrowing that they should see his face no more O thou filthy Beast What hast thou to do with this Scripture that art an hierling and takest the worlds gift and without God in the world and this Scripture Dost thou take him as an example to pray after thy beastly worship which Jesus Christ forbad to stand praying in the Synagogues and here again I charge thee before all the world to be a perverter of the Scripture to thy own destruction to whom the Plagues of God are added Revel 22. 18. Thou speakest of the seven Epistles of the Apostle which thou hast nothing to do withall but as a busie fellow makest a trade upon them neither dost thou know the Letters that are given forth by us now which are given forth by the same spirit which cannot be divided and thou art an accuser for if thou didst see our Letters thou mightst see the same as was in the Apostles but in the Letters that are sent to thee judgment is thy porcion and that is given thee shewing thy filthiness and abomination which thou livest in the testimony of love to thy soul is plainess of speech as for accusing us that we do not love Prayer so well here thou art an open Blasphemer but thy Prayers we do deny for they are abominacion to the Lord The prayers of the wicked are abominacion Psalm 28. 9. No Prayers can we send to thee but for thy destruction thou man of sin and Enemy of Christ whereas thou dost accuse us of erring not knowing the Scriptures here thou hast taken Christs words not knowing him nor the Scripture and wrests them all along as thou hast discovered it so thou makest thy self a Lyar and a Thief taking Christs words and accusing others with them who live in the life of them for Christ spoke that Scripture as touching the Resurrection which thou wouldst have turned into a Poynt therefore to thee that Scripture belongs that thou errest not knowing them nor the power of God Matth. 22. 29. as thou hast made it plainly appear And thou bringest another Scripture as concerning Philip thou sayst he took a Text to treat upon and here I charge thee to add to his words Philip
of the world and here thou art an adder and the Plagues are added to thee therefore all thy consequence and Songs we utterly deny and thy vain imitacions thou wouldst fain get a colour out of the Apostles words to maintain thee in thy filthiness but thy shelter is taken away and thy coverings and thou art discovered to be without and not in the practise of the Saints Friend the singing with the spirit as they did we own that singing in grace we own and making melody to the Lord in the heart we own and the singing of a New Song we own and witness as the Saints did but thy singing we do deny and witness against it Glory glory to the Highest Another Scripture thou bringest to maintain the singing of Davids Psalms in Meeter that the Apostle gave them to the ignorant world which is Iames 5. 13. where there is not a word in the Scriptures for it but he sayd If any be merry let him sing Psalms which he spoke to the Saints scattered abroad and not to the world and there thou art a Lyar of him and a false accuser of him the Apostles sayd they would sing with understanding and here thou shewest that thou hast no understanding nor no grace that thou livest in it s not to be given to people that turn the grace of God into wantonness and have no understanding in things that be eternal nor of the Saints condicions that were gathered out of the world here thou hast made thy self voyd of the knowledg of God and of Christ and of the Apostles and all the Saints thy Meeter we do deny and they who turned them into Meeter are like thy self therefore do we witness the beating down of all thy strong holds and singing in Meeter thou hast got another mans condicion into Meeter and all people I take to record if thou shouldst see David roaring quaking and trembling and water his Bed with his tears Psal 32. 3. â— 11. â— â— 42. 3. and have this turned into a Meeter and get up into a Pulpit among ignorant people of beastical mindes and then say Let us sing to the prayse and glory of God Let all people judg what thou justifiest and this is thy imitated singing which is altogether to his dishonor and this is thy Psalm but who are moved to sing with understanding and making melody to the Lord in their hearts we own if it be in Meeter we own it O thou blinde Hypocrite was David of the world when he did sing prayses and did David send his Psalms to the chief Musician to havo them put in Meeter and so to give them to the world thou neither knowest the Example nor the Precept which thou wouldst have us to know nor David and all thy Precepts we do deny and that minde in thee which doth discover them as thou sayst which is thy own practise and not the practise of the Saints for there is nothing proceeds out of thee but what comes out of thy imaginacions and invencions but the Precept which the Scripture speaks of we know and witness which thou art ignorant of as thou makest it to appear and all those Psalms which you have turned into an English Meeter we deny and such as thou art who keep people in blinde forms and customs but the singing prayses to God as David did we own and witness Psal. 104. 33. 144. 9. which thou art without and ignorant of and an Enemy to and to them who witness the same condicion as he was in And friend another Scripture thou bringest 1 Cor. 14. 26 40. to maintain thee that the Apostle went into the world and gave them Davids Psalms in a Meeter to sing and here I charge thee in the presence of the Lord to wrest the Scripture and to add to the Scripture for the Apostle spoke this not to the world but he spoke to the Brethren if thou wert not blinde thou mightst see it the very Letter declares it O thou slanderous Beast why dost thou slander the Church of God and would make them like the rude world strikers fighters Ps 33. 2. 89. 5. but it is that thou mightst shew forth thy folly blindness sortishness and ignorance thou Hypocrite if thou wouldst sing now as David did then where is thy Harp Lute and thy loud Symball here thou shewest thy self that thou art neither in Davids condicion nor the Apostles nor in the Saints condicion but art without following thy own filthy imaginacions living in the cursed nature which holds up all these abominacions and the abominable invencions of men which God forbids Thou sayst God hath required the singing of these Psalms of English men in this thou art a Lyar O thou Lyar God never commanded these Psalms to be sung of English men which you have turned into a Meeter but they are your own invencions and when you reade them Hats you keep on and when you sing them Hats you put off and here you worship the works of your own hands thou sayst you ought to do it spiritually which is thy own invencion and applicacion and thee and thy application we do deny and there is nothing of the spirit born up in thy understanding to guide thee now here thou shewest to be in the same nature that the world is in they say they ought to do such things and doth not here thou shewest thy self to be one of them without and not in the same minde the Apostle was in who sayd We will sing with the spirit and we will sing With understanding and with grace but we do deny all thy imitacions And â—riend another Scripture thou bringest to hold up giving to the world Davids Psalms to sing in Meeter 2 Chron. 29. 30. and here I charge thee in this Scripture to be a Lyar in the presence of the Lord God Almighty and an adder to the Scriptures for they sang prayses to the Lord who were Brethren that came to the house of the Lord as the Scripture sayth and Hezekiah did not give them Davids Psalms to sing in Meeter which were Enemies to God but these did sing when the House was cleansed and this is nothing to thee to hold up thine abominacions and to give the world Davids Psalms in Meeter but openly to all people hast thou shewed thy self thou sayst God blamed him not there was none like him therefore thou mayst see thy self he was not of the world and here thou shewest thou dost not know the old Covenant and hastraced thy self out of them both and hast made thy self stark blinde thou sayst to this day the order is not contradicted by God Did not Steven witness and say God doth not dwell in Temples made with hands Acts 7. 48. and for witnessing forth the substance was stoned to death and the Apostle Paul witnessed against all the Figures Types and Shadows and all their Customs and outside Observances and all their offering and contradicted that which God
a day of power and vengeance Ier. 51. 6. will come upon thee which thou shalt not be able to resist though now thou art querying and canst not tell whether man can resist or no by thy Query thou hast shewed forth thy subtlety Serpent like the children of Israel which had tasted of the mighty power of the Lord when they murmured they were destroyed Numb 14. 28 29. but this thou knewest not but art shutting up the Kingdom of Heaven against men as these did who were called of men Masters which stood praying in the Synagogues which Christ cryed wo against in Matth. 23. reade thy porcion there who hated Christ and there thou art for shame give over professing thy self to be a Minister of God who knowst not the power of God but art querying whether any man can resist it yea or no. Query 1. Who were they the Apostle spake this word to Ephes 2. 12. Answ They were they that were made nigh by the bloud of Christ whom thou art an Enemy to and without God in the world in the generacion of the Pharises and a childe of disobedience Light shines and Darkness doth not comprehend it the god of the world hath blinded thy eys Rom. 11. 8. and thou hast shewed thy self to be a Tempter Query 2. Whether you dare own this as a truth made out by the Spirit of God in the Apostle Answ We do witness in us what the Apostle speaks by the same Spirit that was in the Apostle therefore we witness against thee who hast nothing but the Letter and the lying spirit to be thy witness and we do witness what the Apostle sayth He that believeth hath the witness in himself 1 Iohn 5. 9 10. and this do we own therefore tremble before the Lord thou childe of the Devil Psal 99. 1. and blasphemer and Enemy of Righteousness who art querying without Query 3. If so whether your opinion is not contrary to truth and so a Ly Answ Opinions we do deny and here thou hast shewed forth thy dark minde thou canst not witness that ever thou wert in the Light for darkness cannot comprehend it Iohn 1. 5. and there thou art for thy minde is full of confusion and frivolousuess and the Lye speaks in thee and there is nothing of truth born up in thy understanding and that which should exercise thy conscience thou art an Enemy to and to the Apostles life thou art an Enemy and knowst it not though thou canst and dost make a Trade of his words and Christs words and the Prophets words O thou false-hearted dissembling Hypocrite the Plagues of God are due to thee and that is thy porcion Rev. 18. 8. Query 1. Whether there be not a time that men are darkness Ephes 5. 8. Answ Thou art in darkness and the man of sin is darkness and the Light shines in darkness and thou dost not comprehend it Iohn 1. 5. Thou hatest the Light thou childe of darkness and therefore thou art in darkness which Light shall condemn thee Iohn 3. 19. the righteousness of God is revealed upon thee in flames of fier thou childe of disobedience Query 2. Whether there be a possibility to hide Christ the Son of Righteousness quite under a cloud where he really is Answ Thou Enemy of God thou dost hide the Talent in thee under the clod of earth in thee If thou hast an ear thou mayst hear 1 Pet. 3. 19. the Ministers of God they speak to the spirits in Prison and the Prisoners shall come out of Prison Art thou a Teacher and shewest thy self to be so sottish and to be ignorant of the Form and must be taught the Letter therefore thou shewest thy ignorance because the son of perdicion is above all that is called God in thee 2 Thess 2. 3. Thou blinde Hypocrite was not he in Egypt while Herod was King and out of Egypt have I called my Son sayth the Lord Who hast thou preached all this while or who hath sent thee to preach Here thou hast shewed that thou never knewst Christ nor Christ never sent thee O thou dark dumb Prophet thou wert speaking of the Prophet and of Grace which hath appeared to all men Tit. 2. 11 12. which thou turnest into wantonness for this Grace is the Saints Teacher those who are taught of it deny thee and thou art one that keeps the Light in Prison in thee and the Devil is exalted above all that is called God in thee who art for condemnacion and destruction as it is written Query 3. Whether the Devil be stronger than Christ the flesh than the spirit or where dost thou finde he was ever a Prisoner in Satans chains Answ We witness that he was in Satans chains and is in thee else how could they crucifie him afresh thou Enemy of Righteousness who hast shewed forth thy ignorance and thou art he that keeps him in them here thou shewest thy self to be ignorant of the Letter but art one of them that imprisons the truth Christ sayth I was in Prison and is kept in Prison by thee and ye visited me not Matth. 25. 43. The Devil shall cast some of you into Prison Rev. 2. 10. And Christ sayth Saul why persecutest thou me and in that generacion thou art persecuting but in all these things thou shewest thy self to be ignorant of the life and power within but art querying without with thy busie minde looking with the eye that cannot see and hearkning with that ear which cannot hear which shews that thou never knewst Christ but dost imprison him The same which discended did ascend which sayd He had overcome the world Iohn 16. 33. If thou hast an ear thou mayst hear but thou art he that quenches the spirit and despisest prophecying who lives in the lusts of the flesh who art for destruction and the fier doth not the Letter say he was taken from Prison from Judgment and was he not in Prison when Barnabas was delivered when a company of rude fellows came from the high Priests such as thou art to take him and lead him to Prison and he it is which is imprisoned still the cause of it is thou and such high Priests as thou art Mark 15. 1. which stir up the rude company to bring him to the Magistrate and to the Prison still Matth. 26. 59. O thou Enemy of Righteousness dost thou inquire whether Christ was in Prison thou art born after the flesh and persecutest him who is born after the Spirit here thou art answered Query 1. Whether it be not a needless expression to speak of drawing the soul to Christ if Christ be so near us as in us a Teacher and Leader already Iohn 6. 44. Answ Thou Enemy the Tempter and Serpent Christ hath called thee to repentance and thou hast been convinced with the Light which is Christ but thou livest in the flesh and in the filthiness in the mystery of iniquity who wouldst have the Scripture to be answered without thee who art an
Cor. 11. 29. and there thou art 27 Query Whether the Scripture beeing Carnall and the Letter Killing as you say wee may read them without danger Answ The Letter which killeth 2 Cor. 3. 6. is dangerous for thou takest it here to warr withall against the Saints with thy Carnall minde giving out thy Carnall Exposicions upon it and the Ministers of the Letter are the Ministers of Death which is to Condemnacion and you take it to make a Trade with it and with what the Prophets Christ and Apostles sayd and again you take it to make a Trade upon it so that some have 30 some 40 some 50 some 60 some a 100 pounds a year where was ever such things practised or heard of amongst all your Fathers the false Prophets you do exceed them all in wickedness and Paint your selves and are Hyerlings and get up in the room of Christ you seem like Christ in words having painted your selves with Christs words and the Apostles words but Christ cryed Wo unto such whited wals and here you read with danger who speak of them and speak a Lye Ier 5 2. because you speak not what is in you because you speak of your selves and it is dangerous to read that and to make a Trade of that which the Prophets Christ and the Apostles spoke forth freely and to give meanings to it contrary then it is and to raise Poynts Tryalls and Motives and Uses here is adding and the Curses and Plagues are added to him that adds to the Prophesie written in this Book and there you are for destruction is your Porcion Rev. 22. 18. But I say blessed is he that doth read and doth understand and he that doth neither add nor diminish for he walks in the Paths of the Prophets of Christ and the Apostles and in the Steps of Abraham and the Apostle said I charge you by the Lord that this Epistle be read among all the holy Brethren but you are Ignorant and unlearned 2 Pet 3 16 and you wrest the Scriptures to your own destruction Psal 56 5 and to you it is dangerous to read or speak of it who know not the Life of it even as the Pharises who were learned in the Letter but knew not Christ and some of the Apostles who were not learned men in the Letter did not wrest the Scriptures as the same Peter was learned in the Life though not in the Letter but you are in the state of the Hypocrits and Serpents which garnish the Sepulchers of the Righteous Fill yee up the measure of your Fathers yee Serpents yee generacion of Vipers how can you escape the Damnacion of Hell Matth 23 2â— 23 and the Letter is carnall and killeth and Dust is the Serpents meat Gen 3 14 and that is thy meat and Cursed is the Serpent which beguiles and thou art he look not for him without thee for he is in the Letter and you get the Letter into your mouths and come and say The Lord saith when he never spoke to you Wo is unto you and the Harlot which is dect with so many Colours and there you are read your own Porcion destruction he that hath the same Spirit that gave the Scriptures forth reads them without Conceivings or Imaginacions and witnesses them fulfilled but thou art Proud and livest in thy Imaginacions and Conceivings and thou Conceivest of the Letter and whatsoever thou buildest must be scattered Luke 1 51 52 so to thee it is dangerous 28 Query Whether they were written for our Instruction and are profitable that we may be throughly furnished Answ They are for the perfecting of the Man of God for the furnishing of him through Faith in Christ Jesus and they were written to instruct them whom they were written to which had an Eye to see them and an Eare to hear them and an heart to understand whom the Apostles spoke to for instruction till the ends of the world was come and they are for instruction to instruct to admonish but not to make a Trade of but Freind to thee I speak in this Query thou art a Tempter and that minde in thee knowes nothing of them that they were not spoken forth to instruct for that is for destruction for look within thy self and thou wilt see thou art full of Corrupcion and the man of Sin and he it is that talks and prattles of the Scripture who must be consumed but wee witness that they are for the perfecting of the man of God through Faith in Christ Iesus for to Convince and to Reprove and to Instruct but not thee thou man of Sin and Son of Perdicion who sitest in the Temple of God above all that is called God and gattest the form of words and deceivest the Simple as a coloured Beast and the Plagues of God are thy due and Porcion for thy instruction they were not written who walkest contrary to the Commands of God who art exalted above all that which is called God in thee in whom the Mystery of Iniquity lodgeth and the Son of Perdicion which shall be destroyed 2 Thess â— 29 Query Wherefore doth Christ command Iohn to write to the Angell of the Churches in the Revelacions and not teach Immediatly himself seeing you tell us that God Immediatly teacheth his People and that all men have this Teacher within them Answ Thou Enemy of Christ and of all Righteousness what hast thou to do to question Christs commanding Iohn thou full of all subtlety and busie fellow what hast thou to do to question Christ who art exalted above all that is called God here thou shewest thou would not have him to reign the same that spoke to Iohn was immediate and that which Iohn spoke was immediate if thou hast an Ear thou mayst hear what Iohn spoke to the Church but I see thy intent in thy Query to me thou art discovered for in thy Query thou wouldst have a Cloak to keep up the Teachers of the World and your imitated Churches who walkest in the path contrary to Christ and all his Apostles God immediatly doth teach his People by his Spirit by which he draws them up to himself into the everlasting Covenant Heb. 8. 11 by which they need no man to teach them 1 Iohn 2. 27 and every one is enlightned with the Light which is Christ but all such blinde Guides as your Teachers are who draw People from this Light within them to hearken to their imaginacions of the Letter without you such I say do bewitch them and draw them into the uncleanness and into the flesh that the fruits of it shews it self Gal 5. 21 drunkenness fighting wrangling quarrelling railing disputing and slandering envying persecuting lying swearing and taking the Name of God in vain idle talking and foolish jesting scoffing scorning and mocking and all manner of filthiness and uncleaness and these are they that are led from their Teacher within them which is the Light by you blinde Watchmen Isai 56. 10 11 12 from the