of the flesh I live and so my latter end is worse than my beginning Answ Though thou say so yet know that I have found out sin by sin and it was well that God did awaken me though by sin It may be thine eyes see not what this means though thou art the seer Further know though I am vile in one sense yet not guilty in the sense of the world neither acquainted with many of those things which they falsly lay unto my charge where I am guilty I have grace in me to trouble me to humble me to groan in me for deliverance to make me more vile then thou canst make me and yet to keep me from returning into Egypt again but to wait for a full power to sin no more which if it might be in thy sense I should be glad but in the sense of the Scriptures I know it shall be made good and what that is thou canst not learn but by enjoyment Repl. And the baptisme in the death of Christ thou tellest me I do not witnesse neither a planting into the likenesse of death for the Crosse of Christ thou knowest not neither doest in it live by which thing this baptisme into his death is witnessed Answ 1. I finde thee still full of condemnation and yet Christ saith he was not sent to condemne the world Joh. 3. 17. but that the world through him might be saved 2. With me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of thee or of mans judgement yea I judge not my self but he that judgeth me is the Lord. 3. Thou Hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the moat out of thy brothers eye 4. Remember the death of Christ the Crosse of Christ when thou passest under thou wilt finde work enough at home but thou hast spared thy self pitied thy self slain the just one that thou mightest live and reign thou hast cried out let him be crucified that I may live in his stead and say I am he Where the Crosse of Christ hath had its power there the first man is condemned flesh withers the poor Soul is ashamed of his works and sins But thou art full and rich and high and sayest I am not the man I never Crucified the Lord of glory Judas thou knowest suspected not himself and in this Traitor see thy self and know thy own spirit 5. If I am not as I long to be yet I see the bloud of Christ cleanseth me from all my sin the Crosse of Christ makes me not to spare my self or sin I have Jesus who was dead but is alive in me making void all my glorying in flesh and bloud and he is bearing witnesse to my Crucifying and to his resurrection which is my glory And though thou a man charge me with folly yet he the true God declares me just in himself and he goes on Conquering and to Conquer and what he sees amisse in me he will tame subdue and bring under and tell thee to thy face thou art a Satan is not this a brand plucked out of the fire Therefore friend do not thou fansie a perfect knowledge of the Crosse and yet remain a stranger to the Crosse by living out of the vertue and power of it which makes all flesh as grasse and to wither as the flower of the field It is Christ in me that is my glory and his life in me springs out of his death and mine and makes void all my glory and he by his bloud and power sets me free from the condemnation of sin and the Law and he keeps me alwayes in his eye and he searches my errours and failings out to nail them to his Crosse As for that place thou quotest 1 Joh. 1. 5 6 7 8 9. look upon it better and take the tenth verse too in thy minde and see how thou canst have sin and no sin for so the Apostle saith plainly in all the Saints there 's no sin and yet there 's sin in all otherwise we make God a lyar and his word is not in us Neither is this to plead for sin as thou sayest for there 's a vast difference between saying such a thing is and such a thing out to be That the Saints have sin is a truth written in Scripture and in every mans conscience for there is not a just man upon earth that doth good and sins not But that the Saints ought to have sin this the Scripture cries ought against and calls upon us to purge out more and more therefore be not alwayes catching and snarling this is not a Christian practice but let thy sin go thy exalting of thy self go and it may be thou mayest finde out the Crosse of Christ a little more exactly yet and learn better what it is to be Crucified with him and so mayest eat of his flesh and drink of his bloud Thou tellest me Repl. I know not the one baptisme which by the Spirit is witnessed which baptizeth into one body 1 Cor. 12. 13. in this body is no sin into it no deceit enters every sin that is committed is without the body Answ Thy prating words cannot make void my glorying in the Lord to thee I say the one spirit I have which witnesseth the one baptisme which is one in all the Sons of God bond or free The spirit is one the baptisme one the body one but the Members are different and have all need of one another and therefore ought not to murmure or make a rent because every one is not an eye an hand a tongue as thou doest and so sinnest within the body and committest fornication with thy self but a Member against the rest of the body making the body a Monster even all one Member not all the Members one body that thou thy self mightest be head and Members and all and so thou who makest a rent from Christ and a rent from his Members what doest thou but make a division in the body and commit sin within the body crying out of one Member he 's a Baptist of another he 's a Presbyter of another he 's a Prieâ—t And so thou ownest not every Member in its place and lookest not upon that baptisme which is one in all the Sons of God But when thine eye is open to see this thou wilt own a Member though low and weak and love a Member whoever he be and thou wilt seek to draw him indeed more into the Unity to rejoyce more in the Lords works than his own and yet thou wilt leave him in the variety to be usefull in his place to other Members of the body But all this thy great wisdom comprehends not And whereas thou makest as though every Member of Christ were free from all spot and sin because every sin that is committed is without the body 1 Cor. 6. 10. By body in that place is meant the outward Fabrick of every man in particular which ought
was of old before there was a Law for either priest hood or Tythes But doth this light teach men to pay Tythes Answer It doth so it teacheth men to pay Tythes or maintenance unto their Ministers and where this light rules not there the Ministers can get no maintenance without an outward Law especially if he come in the anointing of the Lords spirit A Priest of Baal indeed may get Tythe or maintenance without a Law but a Minister of the Gospell can get none without a Law and so in pleading against Tythe or maintenance for men anointed by Christ to preach thou declarest thy self a friend of Baal and his Priests For doest thou not see how all Sects and forms in the Nation that are separated from the Ministery are almost all so farre blinded in this matter as to joyne with unbelievers worldlings and coveteous wretches to keep their Tythes especially if the Minister be anointed and called of God But where is your light within for Tythes guided by the Scripture Answer look Gal. 6. 6 7. and 1 Cor. 9. 5. to 13. And remember what Christ saith the labourer is worthy of his hire And he that labours saith Paul in word and Doctrine is worthy of double honour nay it is a hard thing to please Christ who hath called us to be Souldiers when we must labour and be intangled with the affaires of this life for a maintenance And who goes to warfare of his own charges That which Ministers have I could desire might be with lesse trouble and care However take all these Scriptures and see whether there be no maintenance or Tythe due to Gospell-Ministers But Christ said freely ye have received freely give Answer Christ in that teacheth us to doe the Lords worke willingly not by constraint or for filthy lucre but of a ready minde to be as free to communicate and distribute the heavenly Treasure as he is to bestow it on us not aiming at our selves and gain but at the advancement of his Kingdom and Gospell in the hearts of men And this the Ministers of Christ are desirous to do through his grace But into whatsoever house ye enter eat such things as are set before you Mat. 10. and Luk. 10. Answer And so we will when we are called to journey up and down the world as the Disciples were to do but being ordained over a particular place we are to feed the people with the word over which the holy Ghost hath made us Overseers and to take such things as are consecrated to us But Christ bid the Apostles take no Tythes Answer And strange it is he should seeing they were to go up and down from City to City and place to place Surely if they had taken Tythes of all they would have been very rich And besides the world being strangers to all knowledge and profession of Christ this would have hindered the advance of the Gospell Yet Paul told the Corinthians that they might be chargeable to them as other Apostles of Christ And yet thou goest on to say Repl. O shame of all Parish hirelings who have a Law to force maintenance from an whole Parish and I who call my self a Minister of the Gospell am not content with the Gospell wages and thou bid'st me prove if ever Minister of the Gospell pleaded for Leviticall wages Answ No friend this I go not about to prove but maintenance is the thing I prove and if thou call that Leviticall thou mayest thy tongue is thine own Neither would I plead for any thing if all did covet to walk according to the light within and without which teacheth that the labourer is worthy of his hire Repl. But Christ blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances Heb. 7. 10. Col. 2. 20. And so I that am subject to these things am in the world and covetous practices Answ But see whether thou thy self be not rather in the coveteous practices of the most wicked of the world in seeking to keep thy Tythes from the labourer who Christ saith is worthy of his hire mark that word hire It may be it may open thine eyes though hirelings in thy account I know the Lord abhorres who labour for themselves not the Lord Yet take heed how thou keepest the hire from the true labourer and that against all light and Law and this present Scripture in that place Heb. 7. 10. The Law of the Priest-hood is changed And so say I and Col. 2. 20. We must not be subject to ceremoniall ordinances as touch not tast not handle not seeing what was ceremoniall God hath blotted out and nailed to the Crosse of Christ and so we are not to place Religion and holinesse and worship in outward things and places and Ceremonies but may be free to that which the Law made outwardly unclean as touch not taste not And yet in this freedom we are not to be without Law to God Repl. But still thou goest on to tell me I am a Thiefe and talkest of the wages of the first Priest-hood which God did not allot to them who were to do the work of the everlasting Priest-hood Answ Yet I tell thee I am no Thief but one come in by the door by the Son of God to preach his Gospell according to the measure of the gift of Christ And no more wages do I receive than the Gospell allowes me in 1 Cor. 9. 13 14. And he is a Thief that keeps back the hire of the labourer and he is a murderer that envies and hates his brother Look to thy self Repl. But thou sayest I am telling of the Lords giving a man Tythes as a portion of the earth to nourish himself and family Answ And why may not the Lord do this And is not the earth the Lords and the fulnesse thereof And doth he not give it unto whom he pleaseth Is not Christ the Heir of all things And wilt thou murmure and tell the Heir he hath done wisely in giving away his Tythes from thee Thou worm know that Christ is the wise disposer of all things and doth all exceeding well Repl. But thou sayest I am not sent of the Lord I am one of those that teach things I ought not for filthy lucres sake Answ Whether thou own me or no is not much regarded of me seeing thou ownest not the Lord himself That I teach things I ought not as thou and others do is false what I preach is the Gospell of grace But thou settest up another Gospell and so art accursed though thou wouldest fain he accounted an Angell That I teach for gain is but thy simple prate I am contented with what I have Tythes or no Tythes if the Lord please God is my wages and he payes me well Further thou sayest Repl. I plead for Tythes sometimes as a gift from the Magistrate sometimes as a gift from the Lord and so thou cursest me from running greedily after the errour of Balaam for gifts and rewards and my God thou deniest who
would not I finde a Law that when I would do good evill is present with me I finde a Law warring in my members contrary unto the Law of my minde and bringing me into captivity unto the Law of sin which is in my members O undone man that I am c. Wilt thou imagine that this was all warfare with sin without witnessing no peace but a sword to the earth or if thou mean by earth for thy words have alwayes a double meaning the earth within in the time of his warfare how canst thou see in him a freedom from this earth or a freedom from all remnants of sin the like may be said of that Thorn in the flesh mentioned in the Corinthians in with is this remarkable that it was after his abundance of visions and Revelations being caught up into the third heaven and into Paradise where he heard unspeakable words even after all these enioyments he felt a messenger of Satan buffeting 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he was sent to strike me on the face with his fist as it were to upbraid me with mine inward pride and pronenesse to be exalted above measure did Paul witnesse this and canst thou see no pronenesse in thy self to sin and pride Surely thou art joyned to thine idoll and God lets thee alone to perish for want of vision Answ Further did Paul cry and groane all the dayes of his life and witnesse no deliverance did he alwayes fight and never overcome Repl. Paul never fought but was still more than a conqueror by the grace of God he had deliverance and victory still through grace and greatest deliverance when he was most sensible of his infirmities and therefore in the Lord he could Triumph and sing though in himself he was still nothing Rom 8. 2. 32. c. Col. 1. 11 12 13. And so may every Saint who lives in the light say in the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength in him I have all things and so in him will I glory and though there be a fleshly minde and will sometimes stirring in me yet greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world and so he can run his race with patience wrestle with boldnesse fight with courage and when he comes to die cry out with Paul I am now ready to be offered the time of my departure is at hand I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is layed up for me a Crown of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day Answer Further its true James sayes in many things we offend all Jam. 3. 3. here James speaks winningly for the seeds sake for the raising up of the simplicity Repl. Here 's a simplicity raised up in thee indeed by thine own evil heart and this thou lovest and this hides thy sin and folly and makes thee wrest and play with Scripture and so James must speak winningly for the seeds fake what wilt thou have James a lyar or an Hypocrite in telling the people that he and all did in many things offend and yet have no experience of this in his own Soul surely thine eye is out and darkned by the smoak and so neither Paul nor Iames nor the raising of one up from the dead will ever perswade thee to be humbled for thy sottishnesse and so Scriptures are of no force at all with thee But thou goest on and sayest that Iames in the 9. vers sayes with the tongue we curse men was Iames a curser or was he an offender in many things But to reply Iames was under the powerof no evil and yet he declares a pronenesse in himself and all flesh to run into sin and when thine eye is opened thou wilt see in thy tongue a fire a world of iniquity and how it defiles thy whole body and wipes away the glory of all thy profession and that this tongue of thine is set on fire of Hell and therefore thou goest on to hide thy nakednesse say Iames was writing to such who were getting the mastery in the flesh which is for condemnation Iam. 3. 1 2. Repl. And what thinkest thou of thy self Art not thou getting to be master and a great potent Lord in the flesh damning and judging all that wear not thy mark and so art to be judged and condemned thy self Math. 7. 1 2. But Christ thou sayest is the end of condemnation so of sin which is for ccondemnation to which I say Christ was the end of the Law for righteousnesse and he 's said to be made sin for us and to come into the world not to condemne the world but that the world through him might be saved but I never read that Christ was the end of condemnation and the end of sin though these things I know are overcome when he comes but thy phrase is new even like thy form which yet must be no form and in almost all thou sayest I see that Scripture sadly fulfilled in thee that evil men and seducers was worse and worse deceiving and being deceived Answ Further 1 Ioh. 1. 8 9. here Iohn wrote to such who were not come through the confession but to such as confesse he saith Christ cleanseth from all unrighteousnesse 1 Ioh. 1. 9. and the bloud of Iesus Christ cleansed from all sin Repl. Even before and after the confession thou mayest read there 's sin still to be confessed before if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves after if we say we have not sinned we make him a lyar and his word is not in us here 's sin still to be looked upon otherwise we deceive our selves we make him a lyar the truth is not in us his word is not in us and so he who covers his sins shall not prosper but who so confesseth and forsaketh shall have mercy and if we confesse our sins God is faithfull to forgive our sins not to impute but cover them and cleanse us from them by the pardoning and healing vertue of the bloud and spirit of Jesus this confession must be real if we look the cleansing should be real and this forgivenesse cleansing is an encouragement to us to make our confession and our resolution to sin no more which resolution being like the confession in truth God accepts of it as 't is written if there be a willing minde 't is accepted according to that a man has not according to that he hath not and so that Soul sins no more who do's not love sin peccatum facere make it to delight in it but it sins unwillingly it lusteth against lust would not for a world be under the dominion of sin this the Apostle speaks of Rom. 6. 11 12. reckon your selves sayes he to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God let not sin reign c. and so this is the reasoning of a gracious heart shall I continue in sin that grace may