is upon them that leave the Scriptures to look to the light within them Page 9. And many deceivers should come into the world that confesse not Christ come in the flesh receive them not into your houses And the man Christ is testified against by the light Pag. 13. and he saith they publikely deny the resurrection of the dead body And he saith Christ in the flesh his sufferings was but an example and a figure Ans Christ ended all figures in suffering and examples and paterns yet he is the Saints patern and example as the Scripture witnesses and there is no other example nor patern to be heeded but Christ alone which they are to learn of but to say he is nothing but a figure for that thou and you all will be judged for he ended all figures and is the resurrection and the life both and thy dead body shall live with my dead body this is Scripture and they that said the resurrection was past in the dayes of the Apostles overthrew the faith of some That which overthrowes the faith denying the resurrection kept the seed in death where it hath been in you all since the dayes of the Apostles for who are of faith are of Abraham of Christ according to the flesh and so if the dead arise not their Preaching is vain and their faith is vain So I say mortal must put on immortality and corruption must put on incorruption the first man was made a living soul the second was made a quickening spirit there is earthly bodies and heavenly bodies and there Is a resurrection of the just and unjust the one to eternal life the other to condemnation And the Judge is the man Christ Jesus to Judge the quick and the dead who both dyed and rose again that he might be God of the dead and the living And the light which every man hath that cometh into the world doth not testifie against Christ And the light doth not bring to deny the Scriptures but to own them And none ownes them aright nor Christ but who are in the light which cometh from him And all that do deny the light that doth enlighten every man c. are the wolves and the false Prophets and Antichrists that have gotten the sheeps cloathing and such cannot be received into the houses of the Saints that are from the light which every man is enlightened withall And none confesseth Christ come in the flesh but who is in the light which Christ hath enlightened them withall And so now is all Professors and teachers upon the earth and Kings of the earth ravened inwardly from the light which Christ enlightened them all withall standing against the light and the Lamb and the Saints that be in it and are not to be received into the houses of the Saints neither to bid them God speed for they be out from God that be out of the Light which Christ the Son hath enlightened them withall Pr. And he saith Christ hath a humane reasonable soul Again Christ the Eternal Son of God distinct from the Father Eternally before he was made flesh his spirit was distinguished from the Father and the Son from Eternitie and not onely when he was manifested by descending on Christ in the likeness of a Dove or by falling upon the Apostles like cloven tongues c. page 17. Answ Christ saith he is in the Father and the Father is in him and he will send them the Spirit of Truth the Comforter that proceeds from the Father and the Son and Christ saith he was glorified with the Father before the world began and yet ye say the Son is distinguished from the Father from Eternity and the Son saith he is in the Father and the Father is in him and you say the spirit is distinguished from the Father and the Son from Eternity and Christ saith it proceeds from him and the Fathers and he is the God and Father of the spirits of all flesh and the substance of all things And is not a humane soul earthly for you say that Christ had a humane soul and is not humane earthly and hath a humane body and is not a humane body an earthly body Is not his body of the seed of Abraham according to the flesh and is not his body a glorified body was not the first man of the earth earthly and had an humane body the second man the Lord from heaven And is not the soul immortal which cometh out from God which is immortal and goes into God again and is not humane or earthly mortal And are there not three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the Spirit and are not they all one how then are they distinct and three that bear record in earth the spirit the water and the blood which agree in one And Christ saith I and my Father are one and I in the Father and the Father in me and he is in the Saints and so not distinct Pr. He saith it is impudency in the Quakers to deny the word Trinity and three Persons And the Church ever denyed such as denyes the Doctrine of the Trinity Page 18. 19. Ans As for the word Trinity and three Persons we have not read it in the Bible but in the Common-prayer Book or Masse-book which the Pope was the Author of but as for Unity we own and Christ being the brightness of the Fathers glory and the expresse Image of his substance of the Father we own That we own which agrees with the Scriptures and for that which the Scripture speakes not which men speak and teach for Doctrine their own words that the Scriptures speakes not nor teacheth such the Scriptures shut out and we deny Pr. He saith that is the weak ignorant dark and the wicked Sect of the Devil that maintains an equality with God the soul to be one being with God or part of God And saith the Quakers say there is no Scriptures speakes of a humane soul and the soul is taken up into God and God is all in all Answ The Assembly or Synod of Priests put forth a Catechisme and say that the Holy Ghost and the Son is equal with the Father in power and glory and this they put forth that people should learn it what then if any come to witness the Holy Ghost they come to witnes that which is equal in power and glory with the Father what if any come to witness the Son of God revealed in them which he that hath not him hath not life do they not come to witness him who is equal in power and glory with the Father this is your own Catechisme and is it blasphemy to confesse your own words that ye have given people to learn God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soul God who hath all souls in his hand And is not this that cometh out from God which is in Gods hand part of God of God and from God and to
of glory Pr. He saith It is a Devillish doctine not to forsake quaking and trembling Answ So in this thou mayest say it is Devillish doctrine to say salvation must be wrought out by trembling and quaking so thou shewest thou never knew salvation for before men have salvation wrought out they must know trembling and quaking and so thou hast shut thy selfe out from Moses and Davids condition and such as the Lord regards and trembles at his word Prin. He saith Flesh and bone cannot be a measure in one and a measure in another Answ Whereas the Apostle saith we are of his flesh and of his bone Here thou art contrary to the Apostle and that was more then one that had the flesh of Christ and his bone and his spirit Pr. He cries Oh Luciferian pride to save souls Answ What good doth all your preaching do Here thou spoilest all the rest of the Priests and shews thy selfe to be contrary to the Apostles who watched for the soul and saved souls that turned people from a multitude of sins Pr. He saith God the Father never took upon him humane nature Answ Contrary to the Scripture who saith God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe and art ignorant of the great mystery God manifest in the flesh and his name is called the everlasting Father As for the word Humane which is from the ground it comes from thy own knowledge which is earthly and Christ took upon him the seed of Abraham and David according to the flesh and this is Scripture-Language Pr. He saith The holy Ghost is a person and that there was a Trinity of three persons before Christ was born Answ Thou knowest not him that is in the Father and the Father in him glorified with the Father before the world began And the Scriptures doth not tell people of a Trinity nor three persons but the Common-prayer-Masse-book speaks of three persons brought in by thy father the Pope and the Father Son and holy Spirit was always one Pr. He compares immediate revelation from heaven like unto the false Prophets dreams And again he saith the Scriptures is the word of God Answ Here he fights with the rest of his fellows who saith Scriptures signifies writings and writings are not God but the Scriptures of truth are Gods words which Christ the Word fulfils They are not the word of God which thou hast blasphemously affirmed but Christ is the word of God and they be out of the feare of God and the spirit and knows not the Son nor the Father that denies Revelations but are among the false Prophets and false Dreamers Pr. He saith The Scriptures are the Word except you dare to deny Christ is God And he brings a Scripture Let the word of God dwell in you richly Answ So he makes the Scripture Christ and God and he doth not say let Christ dwell in you but means the Scripture and God dwels in you And the Apostle said Let Christ dwell in your hearts by faith and God will dwell in you but thou saith Christ doth not dwell in them personally Doth not Christ dwell in his Saints as he is in the person of the Father the substance and are not they of his flesh and of his bone Pr. They that hear the Word of God do not hear the Son the holy Scriptures are the mediate Word of God Ans Now all people where ever did you read of a mediate word of God Doth not the word of God endure for ever and is it mediate And that he calls God heavenly Father and never heard his voyce nor his Sons and denies immediate teachings and he that knows the spirit that gave forth Scriptures hears the Son Pr. He saith God limits the supream holy one by the inspired writings of the Apostles and that is his third dispensation of his minde to men And he saith they are taught by inspired Scriptures which is mediate not by Letter which is litterally the Letters or Letter Answ Inspired Scriptures and yet mediate the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy and the Spirit inspires which the Letter doth not and Gods teaching is by his spirit and the holy one is not limited by the words of the Apostles who fulfils them and many words the Apostles spoke which he did not write Pr. And he calls the Devill the tutor to say not made Minister of the Letter Answ So we speak the Apostles words and he makes the Devill the Apostles tutor who said the letter killeth but the spirit gives life who was not a Minister of the Letter but of the spirit said and sayes this that makes the Devill the Apostles tutor which is a lye and his own and the Devill is the Tutor of the Ministers of the Letter and not of the Spirit who can run into it who is out of the truth Pr. He speaks of a morall Law Answ Which he hath no Scripture for the Scripture speaks no such thing but darkens counsell by his words Pr. He saith The Scripture contains the mediate inspired teachings written word of God that was and is God Ans Which the Scriptures say the heaven of heavens cannot contain him and God and Christ was before any written words was and the mediate teaching of the whole Scripture-letter he speaks of which he calls God and Christ and all the mediate teaching is carnall and the Scriptures doth not continue the immediate teachings of Gods inspiration but testifies of those things Pr. He saith The written word is the sword of the spirit And he makes another rule besides the Scripture's false Answ Which we say is the spirit that gave them forth whereby peace is known upon the Israel of God And the Pharisees had the Scriptures but had not the sword of the spirit the Scriptures testifies of the sword of the spirit Pr. He saith It is a lye to say the Saints shall judge the world Answ So he would make Christ and the Apostles lyars and would take the judgement from the Son and make Christ at a distance from the Saints so he is ignorant of the Saints and Christ both and knows not the time of the Saints judging when the Lord is come but stands in the counsels of his own heart and in the hidden things of darknesse Pr. He saith No Saint can be a judge of the world Answ Contrary to Cor. 6. where the Apostle saith Do ye not know the Saints shall judge the world And they abide not in the truth that affirms it as thou saith so hast shewed thy ignorance and one of them that is judged by the Saints Pr. He denies the Son of God to be revealed in man onely by adoption and cries against equality with the Father Answ And that is contrary to the Apostle who had the Son of God revealed in him And the Assembly of Divines gave forth a Catechisme which children old and young was to learn and said the holy Ghost and Son was equall in substance
breast-prophesie and yet thou sayest the Apostle doth not exclude heart-prophesie And thus thou with new names and thy words darkens counsell and knowledge but the children of light with truth sees thee Pr. The Father Word and spirit is to justifie the word Trinity not to make the holy Spirit and the Saints one person Answ The word Trinity is not in the scripture but in your old Fathers book the Canon book the Pope and the Father Son and Spirit are one and the Saints are in the spirit and who are joyned to the Lord are one spirit And the Scripture doth not tell us of three persons but as I said before the old Cannon book of thy Fathers the great Apostate the Pope Pr. The light that Adam was qualified with before the Fall which every man hath a sparke of since the fall was and is given from the Creation by things that are made Answ The light Adam had before the Fall did not come by the Creation nor by the things that are made If it were given from the Creation it comes by nature This word is contrary to Scripture for God made man in his image and placed him over all the creatures and gave him an understanding capable of his Law and to know dominion but when man lost his dommion he transgressed his Law and that light that he had before the fall was of God from him that made all things Pr. The Scripture is the meanes of regeneration If the blinde lead the blinde what will follow it is proof sufficient against absolute perfection in this life as Adam and the Angels Answ The Scriptures them that had them and out of the life that gave them forth were the blinde and what followed then And though Adam and the Angels fell who is in Christ the perfection of God he shall never fall as also saith the Apostle Pr. He saith It is ignorance that saith the light that makes manifest sinne condemns sin Answ That which makes manifest a mans sinne and he hates it that condemns him And he is ignorant that sees not Christs doctrine and believes not in it Pr. To deny that sinne dwelleth or remaineth in all the Saints upon earth hath been the Quakers doctrine the consequence whereof is to disclaim all godly sorrow for sin dwelling in them Answ It is the Quakers Doctrine to deny all sinne dwelling in the Saints upon the earth and to know Christ who destroys the Devill the author of all sin and the Saints comes to witnesse their joy and pleasures for evermore over their sin and the body of it put off and a Kingdome which stands in joy and peace in the holy Ghost and the godly sorrow before they come to this and they do know victory over their sin and Christ he had the godly sorrow who had no sin and that many of the Saints knows Pr. His Word is not his spirit Ans The Word and the Spirit are one which was before the written words were declared forth in which word they all end given forth by the spirit of God and the Word lives and abides and endures for ever and that is spirituall And so the mystery of Iniquity is found in thy Doctrine who art blinde and reads blindly not with the spirit which was in them that gave gave forth Scriptures And so thou art found a false Prophet in the steps of the Pharisees one of the Masters that Christ sets the woe on their heads who art ravening with the sheeps cloathing upon thy back to deceive but now the Lambs and the Sheep have discovered thee who is got up since the dayes of the Apostles into their words not into their life with that judged And whereas thou art offended because Edward Burrough speaks Chapter and Verse the spirit that gave forth Scriptures will lead to speak it all over again without offence but to the evill doers Pr. And if your teacher cannot but be publique how will you finde him in so private a place as your beds Answ The spirit that leads to speake forth publiquely or to minister to themselves and others the same is a private Teacher to them on their beds as he did David whom the Lord instructed in the night season And that which the Minister of the Spirit doth minister unto is a private Teacher to every particular in his owne particular And the annoynting which abideth in people John saith was their Teacher and they need no man to teach them but as it did teach them and they should continue in the Son of God and the Father And here was publique teaching and private which thou blind canst not see And as for all thy lyes and heap of confusion shall upon thy head stand which thou wouldst blinde people withall For the Son is risen and the mist is gone and going in the day of thy judgement the witnesse in thy conscience shall answer Philip Taverner of West Drayton in the County of Middlesex his Principles as follows in a Reply to to a Book to Edward Burrough whom he in scorn calls QVAKER Pr. WHo art thou that judgest another mans servant such who Lord it over the faith and consciences of their brethren a spirit wholly disowned by the Apostle Not that we have dominion over your faith and in this sin is that of Christ to be understood Call no man your Father upon earth neither be you called of men Master that is have no mens persons in admiration as to count them your Oracles in the things of faith Ans Such as serve the man of sin are to be judged that are the servants of sin that hath been servant to the man of sin We judge that man servant both and such as are spoken of in the Romans to judge another mans servant in the truth standing and falling to his Master every one in his measure such we do not judge but every one shall stand or fall to his Master who are scrupling about meates and drinkes and dayes that the life is leading them through such things and you that be called of men Master it s a great Oracle amongst the people so counted and you do both Lord it over mens faiths and consciences both therefore hath so much blood been shed through you and so many cast into prison by you who are Lording it over mens faiths and consciences Pharisee-like called of men Master who would have dominion over the Apostles faith as you who are called of men Master would have dominion over the Saints faith who are admiring mens persons because of advantage to help you And this people see since the dayes of the Apostles how you and the Papist have Lorded it over mens faiths your Jayles inquisition and prisons may witnes it how you would Lord it over mens faith and conscience that cannot give you Tythes you will cast them into prison are you not here Lording it over mens faiths doth not your practices shew it and so another spirit then the Apostles that
who comes to the Kingdom of heaven in them comes to be perfect yea to a perfect man and that is above any degree and thus thou art blind and ignorant of that wich the Scriptures declare Pr. Thou wouldst have it proved that they are false prophets that declare the true Prophets words Answ They that make Merchandice of the true Prophets words were the beast false prophets and great Whore but they that speak freely as they had received was the true Prophets and true Apostles and such in all ages was distinct each from other known by the spirit of the Lord who had received from the Lord what they spoke and declared freely and who had got the Saints words and had not received them from the Lord but spake them forth for money these were distinct one from another A Paper I have received the Title of it is A form of sound words containing the first Principles of the Oracles of God framed for the use and benefit of the Inhabitants of two adjacent Parishes in the County of NOTTINGHAM Their principles in it as followeth Pr. WHen for the time you ought to be Teachers you have need that one teach you again which be the first Principles Answ How can you teach the first Principle of pure Religion when you deny the light that Christ hath enlighten every man that comes into the world withall And this may whole England witness and so your Doctrines that you have taught them and commandments are such as perisheth being not men sent of God so have not profited the people at all Pr. And you say False teachers this age is too full of and that you may henceforth be no more children tossed two and fro and you intreat to except a word from us your Ministers for what profiteth a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul Answ Who hath tossed people more up and down then you and carried them about with your windy doctrines and so the multitudes of the false teachers the world have been too full of you since the dayes of the Apostles who is more for gaining the whole world then you that calls your selves Ministers hath not and doth not your fruits declare it to the whole Nation in prisons there lies your fruits for where may people see the Priests fruits but in prisons And how your Congregations be all on heapes when any comes in the Name of the Lord amongst them and hath shewed that your Exhortation hath not profited the People at all Pr. We intreat you to take heed of that dangerous deceit in hoping to be saved by your own works or in any thing in our selves Answ He that believes hath ceased from his own works so not sayed by them and he that believes is saved and this belief is within him in Christ And the ingrafted word is able to save the soul and Christ the Saviour revealed and manifested within Pr. Out of the holy Scriptures Old and New Testament which it the word of God we may learn the true knowledge of God Answ The Jewes had Scriptures and did not know God nor Christ nor did not know themselves And the Scriptures is not the word but the words of God and so you teach Parishes and your children to lie as you may read in Exodus God spake all these words and said And whosoever shall add to these words Revelations and Christ saith my words And would you make people believe the Scriptures were but a word when they say they are words And Christ is the word as in the Revelation And so that which brings to the knowledge of God is the spirit And the Son reveals him Christ Jesus who is the light which doth enlighten every man that comes into the world and every man that comes into the world receiving the light Christ will reveal the Father to him Pr. There is three persons Father Son and Holy Ghost And we intreat you to take heed of the natural Popish conceit Answ The word three persons is the natural Popish conceit which is out of thy Father the Popes Canon-books where thou hast learned it but Father Son and Holy Ghost that is sound Scripture but thou canst not take it as it speakes but thou must add three persons to it so brings the plague upon thee Pr. There is many that have share in that salvation purchased by Christ Answ Christ was the offering for the sin of the whole world And he gave his body for the life of the whole world And he came a light into the world and doth enlighten every man that comes into the world he that dyed for the sin of the whole world was an offering for the sin of the world that all through this light might believe And so many are condemned for not believing that which they should believe in condemns them Pr. God works faith in us inwardly by his spirit and outwardly by his word Answ Here thou goest about to make the spirit and the word not one is not the word spiritual and Christ called the word who is the Author of the faith which mystery of it is held in a pure conscience and is not this word of faith in the heart Pr. The whole word of God in general is summed up in the Apostles Creed Answ Where hast thou been for the word Creed but out of the Masse-book and Popes Canon-book not out of the Apostles Epistles And the Apostles Epistles declares of the word and the Saints writings and saith it was in the beginning and saith the Letter kills for the Jewes had Letter and did not find the word in it but stood against it and you have the Letter the Apostles words but you do not find the word in it it speakes of the word the word was in the beginning and in the heart before the words Pr. Brethren be perfect be of good comfort no man can be made free from sin in this life Gods children have sin in them Answ The Devils doctrine is that men shall not be perfect while they are upon earth and all his Ministers but you that say they must be perfect and yet must have sin that makes them unperfect And the children of God that was born of God did not commit sin neither could they because the seed of God remained in them and they were made free from sin and had put off the body of sin as in Romans the 6. and John the 3. Pr. No man is able to keep the commands of God perfectly we break them dayly in thought word and deed And in all our best duties we are unprofitable servants Ans Here you shew that you do not love God for who loves God keepes his Commandments and love fulfills them and all your best duties and deeds be but unprofitable servants in that we do believe you So your Preaching is unprofitable praying unprofitable so you judge your selves out of your own mouths singing instructing praying all is unprofitable and they are
and true ministers and equall and according to the false prophets and deceivers Secondly Againe you are not according but contrary to the true ministry and Ministers of Christ in practise for they were led by the spirit of the Father which dwelt in them and they preached the Gospel by the spirit and spake as the spirit gave them utterance and went up and down the world through Nations converting people to the knowledge of the truth and what they had handled tasted seen and felt of the word of life in them that they declared to others and preached the Gospell which they had not received from man nor by man but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ in them But your practise is not such but contrary for the spirit of this world leads you and it you follow in all your works in your preaching praying and in your whole worship in forme and tradition what you have studied for out of books and old Authors you preach to people and what ye have noted in a book that you preach by an hour-glasse and not as the spirit of God gives you utterance and you seek out and enquire after great benefits and much money by the yeare and where there is much Tithes and Gleab-lands and such like thither and to such a place you goe and seeke after to be Ministers there and there you remain 20. 40. more or fewer yeares as you can agree with the people and while they will give you so much as will content you and maintain you your wives and families as you say respect not whether any be converted to God by your preaching but people remaines alwaies in blindnesse and ignorance generally and without the knowledge of God for you preach other mens words and what you have collected in your imaginations from the Saints words an hour by a glasse leaning upon a soft cushion and for money and and hire preaching to the people and this is your manner of practise and Ministery in these Nations but thus did not the Apostles nor Christs Ministers but the contrary and by your fruits and works it appeares that you are not followers of that spirit that Christ and his Ministers were guided by neither are lawfull successors of the Apostles but by your fruits and practise you manifest that the Lord never sent you nor Christ never called you into his service to be his Ministers for in all your practises and in your whole performances of worship you differ and doth not agree but are contrarie to what the practise and worship of Christs Ministers and Churches were in the daies of the Apostles this I charge upon you in the Name and by the Authoritie of the Lord God and am able to prove it against you face to face or otherwise to shew that you are not of the same spirit but contrary to the Saints and Apostles of old and so not true succeeders of them nor lawfull Ministers of Christ as to all people it is and shall be made manifest Thirdly You disagree and are contrarie altogether to the true ministrie and to the Apostles in respect of your maintenance and wages for the wages which Christ allowed his Ministers was into whatsoever house they entered that was worthy they might eate such things as are set before them for the workeman saith he is worthy of his hire and the Apostles eat onlie of the fruit of the vineyard that they had planted and of the milk of the flock which they kept by a free gift of the people which they had begotten to the faith and to whom they sowed spirituall things it was but as a small matter if they reaped their carnall things yet as a free gift they would doe it and the Apostle said he would not make the Gospel of Christ chargeable And in this manner were Christs Ministers and Ministrie in wages and gifts upheld and maintained outwardly in the world But your practise and maintenance is not such but contrary as is fullie made manifest for you will have so much by the Yeare promised to you in Tythes money or Gleab-lands or stipends and of drunkards and swearers and prophane wordly people who are not sheep of Christs flock nor plants of his vine-yard you will have so much of each of them and of every man in such a compasse as you call your parish and if any either out of covetousnesse or good conscience cannot pay you you sue at Law and cast into prison for wages and spoile their goods and take treble nay some times 5. double damage and through violence and injustice and cruelty are you maintained in such a manner and not as the true Ministers and Apostles of Christ were but in a way and manner quite contrarie as it is manifest and so herein it is proved that you are not lawfull successors of the Apostles and Ministers of Christ Fourthly Againe you follow not the Apostles and true Ministers of Christ but are contrarie to them in doctrine as this following vollume will clearly manifest which for this very end is collected from your own mouths and pens that all men may see what you are and what you hold and professe and being truely laid down and answered let your selves and all sober men compare your doctrines and sayings with the doctrines of the Apostles and they may see you agree not with them but are contrary to them and now friends to all you that professe your selves to be Ministers of the Gospell I do hereby declare unto you in the name and authority of the Lord that we have controversie with you and a great charge against you in all these things in your call in your practice and in your maintenance and in your doctrines and our mouthes hath the Lord opened and they cannot be shut from declaring and crying against you as such whom the Lord never sent but are contrary to Christ his prophets and Apostles in all your waies and practices and the hand of the Lord is certainly against you and his power and dread wil come over you and lie upon your consciences Now Reader whosoever thou art that reades this following volume if thy mind be sober and thy heart right towards God thou may come to a good understanding of the ground and cause of this great controversie between the Priests and the professors of this Nation and us who are in scorne called Quakers for it is not unknown to Nations of this great debate and battel now for some yeares of continuance in this Nation no man can be ignorant what putting in prisons and what persecuting and what preaching and printing against us and what reports and same hath been through this Nation for some yeares past and the Quakers so called have written and spoken and printed against the Priests and their worships and waies and doctrines and declared against them as deceivers and false prophets and such as never were sent of God on the other hand thus have the Priests and more
Scriptures and made free from sin c. pag. 18. Ans Contrary to Rom. 6. Contrary to the Apostle to the Colossians where he had put off the body of sin And contrary to Christ who saves cleanseth from all sin by his blood blots out all sin And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin Pr. He saith that Christ is in heaven in his humanity therefore not to be seen not to be heard not to be handled by us or any others that live upon earth and they cannot give their own assurance c. pag. 19. Ans So shews that they were never made Ministers by him who never saw him nor heard him so never handled the word of life from the Father nor the Son nor saw it nor heard it so are the Pastors that spoil the flock And he is the earthly Adam and humanity but Christ the second Adam is the Lord from heaven Pr He saith that Timothy was commanded to preach and yet had not heard nor seen nor handled any thing of Christ c. page 20. Ans Contrary to the Apostle who bid him to stir up the gift in him and told Timothy he was in the faith and he was to be strong in the grace of Christ And whosoever hath faith knows Christ to be the Author of it and knows something from Christ and so thou thy self hast confuted Pr. He saith that the Saints doth not see Christ for the heavens contain him page 20. Ans And the Apostle saith they sate with Christ in heavenly places so he is contrary to the Apostle And Christ was in them and walkt in them and God dwelt in them and Christ in you except ye be reprobates Pr. He saith the whole minde and will of Christ and God is left them in letters page 21. Ans And the Apostle saith it is past finding out the unsearchable wisdome and the secret things belongs to God and are revealed by the spirit and no man knows them but by the spirit Pr. And he saith the Gospel is the Letter c. Ans And the Apostle saith It is the power of God and the letter kils and many may have the form and deny the power and so stand against the Gospel which is the power of God Pr. And he saith the Devill shews his spight and spleen in them who say they have the word as it was in the beginning against the Scriptures c. page 22. Answ That is not so for they that have the word as was in the beginning own the Scriptures and are not against them but are in that which fulfils them Pr. He saith that all the Saints receive the spirit of Christ yet never heard his voyce Ans This is confusion for who are the sheep of Christ know his voyce Pr. He saith they are uncovered when commonly they have two caps on their heads and the people are covered when they have a hat on their heads c. page 29. Ans This is according to thy deceitful teaching and learning Pr. He saith the Scriptures is the voyce of Christ to them c. Ans And Christ said to them that had the Scriptures They never heard the voyce of God at any time to the Pharisees John 5. For there thou art un-put forth amongst the sheep and they heard the voyce that gave forth the Scripture and came to the life and Christ at the end of them Pr. And he saith there is an immediate voyce which speaks within which we have never heard nor do we know it within our selves experimentally and we believe and hope that we never shall know it c. page 30. Ans And so shews that they never knew the spirit of the Father speaking within them but follows their own dreams and spirits and stops their ear against that of God in them and they blesse themselves from that immediate voyce within and calls it the voice of the Devil which is the spirit of inspiration and the word of God in their hearts which men must obey and do Pr. And he saith to say Christ is within them doing all immediately and infallibly within them and so do say it is Christ and the spirit within them and not they Ans Now this he calls a spirit of Delusion And the Apostle saith I live yet not I but Christ in me And he works all in us and for us after his own good pleasure And this was not a spirit of delusion in them And this thou art reprobated from and found in thy own works Pr. And he saith That which is within them is not eternal and infallible when the Quakers asked him whether it was or no and he saith nay that which judgeth in them is not eternal infallible He saith they assert no such things as that concerning themselves And he saith though all the Saints have the spirit of Christ dwelling in them which is eternall and infallible yet that this spirit should do all that Saints do and should say all that Saints say and should judge for them both for persons and of things after an infallible manner and that they should neither say nor do nor judge any thing by any understanding of their own but the spirit all this we deny These are his words page 31. Ans Which is contrary to the Apostle who saith As many as are the sons of God are led by the spirit of God And Christ acts all in them and for them and the fruits of the spirit c. and the spirituall man judgeth all things And that is it which leads the Saints to devide and discern all things both temporall and spirituall the spirituall wisdome of God which gives them a spirituall understanding which men must rule withall but not with their own that comes to nought and you that have not that which is infallible to judge in you know not the spirit of Christ neither can you judge of persons or things that have not the infallible judgement nor have the spirituall man Neither have you the word of God in your hearts nor Christ which is eternall and infallible all which the Quakers have to judge persons and things Pr. He saith that children are of the seed as to the Church priviledges and externall Ordinances of a spirituall nature Ans Mark his confusion But Christ saith ye must be born again or else ye cannot inherit the kingdome of heaven and such be of the Church Pr. He saith If they can but destroy all formes the power will fall with it for the forme preserves the power page 37. Answ Contrary to the Apostle many have the form but deny the power The power preserves the forme sees the end of forms and destroys them and brings to see before forms was where forms is not For the Apostles who lived in the power denyed the Jewes forms and Gentiles both as we do now deny the Popish forms and yours which you have invented and set up Pr. And an immediate teaching he saith of
every man that cometh into the world is to bring them from the Mediator and to draw men from eying his death resurrection and intercession c. as these men say see page 7. Ans Here they are corrected for none knows these things but who come to the light Christ who hath enlightned them for with the light they see their Mediator and see his death and resurrection And they that come not to the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world may speak of these things but cannot know them the witnesse in the conscience shall answer in all men for the light that shines in the heart gives them the knowledge of them of the Mediator death and resurrection of Christ And they say not every man in the world is enlightned and John saith every man is and so here their spirits are corrected again And I will give him for a covenant to the Gentiles and for a new covenant to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah And they bring these words Christ in you the hope of glory to oppose Johns words Pr. You say none comes to God but by Christ and yet doth not own him that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world Ans And so are not like ever to come to him though you may talk of him in words as the Pharisees and Devils did as all the apostate Christians doth now and yet not own his light with it you are all to be condemned Ministers of Satan which are out of the light Pr. And you say Far be it from you to say that Christ is equally God c. See page 8. Ans And the Scriptures saith He is the everlasting Father and his name is called the Emanuel God with us and his name is called the word which is God John 1. Pr. And ye say Whereby man sees the God-head of God but nothing of the mystery of the Father and Christ as Mediator See page 9. Ans Can man see the god-head of God and nothing of the mystery of the Father and Christ the Mediator Doth not he that knows the Son know the Father also And hath not he that hath seen God seen the Son Is not the Son in the Father Here your spirits are corrected For the light that enlightens every man that comes into the world le ts see the one le ts see the other Pr. You say For a man to say the light Christ which doth enlighten every man that comes into the world is pure and justifies them that obey it he justifies that which God condemns c. See page 9. Ans As you say who are with it condemned for the light is that which doth condemn and justifie both and God doth not condemn it for it brings into unity with him and peace and all be condemn'd that be out of it and none be justified but them that be in it Christ that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world which is the justification of life to every one that believeth in it and every man receiving the light receives his justification and hating of it receives his condemnation to death Pr. Again Ye conclude the light of Christ is not pure before faith See page 9. Ans So have concluded you seven Joseph Kellet John Pomroy Paul Glisson Christopher Feak John Simpson George Cocken Lawrence Wise that ye never knew Law nor Gospel nor Faith from Christ nor God For the law is light saith Solomon Prov. 6. and that is the Schoolmaster untill faith And the Law of God is pure and the Law is just holy and good and perfect and what is just holy and good is pure And this ye seven have concluded not pure the light in the conscience before faith And the Law is the Light and Schoolmaster untill faith And the Light is given to every man to believe and while ye have the light believe in it And so men have this light before they believe in it and are children And this ye conclude is not pure so goes about to take away that men should believe in they having the Light and then afterwards to believe in it and with that they see the Author of their faith Christ Jesus from whence it comes and so would destroy the foundation of God the Prophets and Apostles which standeth sure and so are yee found in the spirit of errour and corrected knowing neither law nor faith Pr. Again they say the Light which is Christ with which every man is enlightned that cometh into the world withall they say doth not discover the sinne of unbeliefe See page 10. Ans And did not Christ marvell at their unbelief and see and discovered the unbelief of the Jewes of whose Father are ye And doth not Christ the Light which doth enlighten every man withal discover unbelief And doth not the unbelievers hate the light and know the light will reprove them which they should believe in that manifests their sin and yet you say doth not discover unbelief which is their condemnation not believing in it because their deeds be evill hating it Pr. And further ye say That the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world bringeth in a legal righteousnesse c. Ans Doth not the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world bring in the righteousnesse of God and is it not the righteousness of God So it corrects you that be in the legall righteousness and out of Christ which enlightneth nevery man that cometh into the world Pr. Again you say The righteousnesse performed by the grace of Christ the Gospel teacheth to deny it See page 10. Ans Now is there any righteousnesse wrought by the grace of Christ but what is by Christ who is the covenant of grace and the power of God which is the Gospel which lighteth every man that comes into the world Pr. They call it conscience or a natural light c. page 11. Answ Which light was before the word conscience was or a naturall light the Sun Moon and Stars either for all things that was made was made by it The natural light or made light are created lights He made the Sun the Moon and the Stars they were made And here is the naturall lights to the natural eye And the light that every man is enlightned with that cometh into the word was before these were made glorified with the Father before the world began and before the name Conscience was or things was made and then they was named and the light doth exercise the conscience towards God and towards man which light cometh from Christ the Author of faith which is held in the pure conscience who before the world began was glorified with the Father Pr. Again the light which cometh from Christ doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world which discovers the evill which will give thee power against it man walking in it and yet brings to the rest to the Father this they
is a time for men to see they have sin and sinned and a time to confess it and forsake it and their is a time to witness the blood of Christ cleansing from all sin and then a time to witness the birth born of God which doth not commit sin 1 John 4. Chap. Pr. He saith Here is a strange conceit of a person that fills heaven and earth with his presence and dwells in the Saints blindness with a witness c. See page 8. Ans Here thy ignorance hath appeared again for all power in heaven and earth is given to him Christ Jesus who is in them at the right hand of God who is in the Saints dwelling and doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world but this to thee is a strange conceit and blindness with a witness Thy witness is blinded with thy conceit which shews thy ignorance of Scripture and thy unskilfulness in the word and doctrine that all things is upheld by his word and his power and that there is no creature but is manifest in his sight For all things that was made was made by him that he might have a name above every name and that to his name should every knee bow and every tongue confess to the glory of God and God will dwell in man and it is he that seeth the heart Pr. He saith Sin is in the Saints c. See page 10. Ans Sin is not in the sanctified but in the unsanctified And he that saith sin is in the Saints he is blinded he is of the Serpent and he and they be in the poâ—lution themselves which the Saints have escaped and are washed and cleansed and so far as any one is sanctified it is from the sin Pr. He saith That we will not enter into the Kingdom by the Blood of the Covenant that hath been often proved c. See page 10. Ans And Francis Blake did publish it in Print that the Quakers did witness the blood of Christ that cleanseth from all sin and so thou Prints against us and he prints for us thou Prints that we deny the blood of Jesus and he Prints that we own the blood of Jesus and so ye are devouring the innocent betwixt you and the blood of the seed we own which cleanseth from all sin which doth not you which say sin must be in the Saints but make his blood of none effect which cleanseth from all sin Pr. He saith The Scriptures shall be our judge one day which we call the letter c. See page 11. Answ And the Scripture saith all judgement is committed to the Son and God will judge the world and the Saints and the spiritual man judges all things and thus thou art ignorant of the letter and this shall judge thee at the last Pr. He saith That the Kingdom is not come nor refreshing from the presence of the Lord c. Answ Which shewes they are like unto the Pharisees unconverted gazing here and there and Christ told them the Kingdom was in them And they that are not turned to the light which comes from Christ the refresher whereby refreshing might come so are not come to repentance yet Pr. He saith They that say they have no sin makes God a liar See page 12. Ans Which the Scripture saith no such thing but saith on the contrary the Scripture saith many were made free from sin And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin and they that are Christs have crucified the lusts and all things are become new and they that sin and lie are not in Christ the truth Pr. He saith All that have been are or shall be converted since the Gospel ministration are converted by the Apostles words c. See page 13. Ans So he hath thrown out the spirit that doth regenerate and Christ the way to the Father the word that sanctifieth and Christ the power of God to salvation Who said they would not come to him that they might be converted so if they get all the Apostles words and come not to Christ they are not converted and none are converted by the Apostles words but who comes to the Life that the words come from Pr. And he opposeth and saith It will be the Quakers fall because they say there is no other way to bring people to God but by the light in them c. See page 14. Ans Which is Christ the way to God from whence it comes which is mans condemnation not believing in it and so a saving light For saith God I will give him for a Covenant for a lgiht to the Gentiles that he may be my salvation to the ends of the earth the light shall and all that be not in the light are in the fall out of the Covenant in the unsaved state and knows not their salvation but as the Scripture declareth and so there is death and destruction talking of the same of wisdom and keeping people out of the light Pr. And he saith That Christ is not so the light of the World as he is the light of believers See page 14. Ans Christ is the light to the World as to believers and he that believeth in it shall not abide in darkness but shall have the light of life he that follows the light and believes in it shall have the light of life and shall not abide in darknesse He that follows not the light but hates it he abides in the darknesse and the light condemns him which the believer walks in and believes in and hath the light of life which light is one and the same which doth enlighten every man that comes into the world believers and unbelievers Pr. He saith That the Scriptures is the rule of the Saints and he saith the spirit is the guide to that rule c. see page 15. Ans And so would have the Scripture to be before the spirit Now the spirit was the Saints rule that led them to speak forth Scriptures and to let them to see to what condition they were spoken too and so by that they came to the law of Faith and they was not Ministers of the Letter but of the Spirit So in this ye have proved your selves not to be Ministers of the Spirit but of the Letter which the Spirit was before the Letter was Pr. He saith That the time of perfection will be when Christ comes from heaven and not before till then the Saints must be warring waiting groaning and mourning c. See page 20. Ans And David saith he had seen an end of all perfection contrary to Collier And the Apostle saith they should hunger no more nor thirst no more And Christ saith He that eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood shall hunger no more and thirst no more He that believeth is entered into his rest shall hunger no more and thirst no more And the Apostles and Saints witnessed Christ in them and the Kingdome while they were upon earth and
the end of groaning and gruling which thou art in that art out of this and keeps people which are apostatized from the Apostle from the Light which is the Truth John Deacon's Book called A Publique Discovery of a secret Deceit His Principles follow And as for the rest of his Lies and Slanders in his Book which are heaped up they will fall upon his own head and be his sorrow And all Liars upon the earth that are given up to believe tell lies are comprehended with the innocency and truth by which innocency is preserved and men and people shall heap to themselves sorrow by their owne lies and inventions Neverthelesse the Scriptures of Truth are owned in their place to the condition that they were spoken to Pr. HE saith That the light wherewith every one that cometh into the world is enlightned withall is the light of nature and reason and sense c. See page 5. Ans Which is contrary to John 1.9 who saith it was the true light by which all things were made which as many as received him he gave them power to become the sons of God which is beyond naturall sense and reason Pr. He saith That the worke of faith and the growth of faith is by the naturall use of Ordinances and calls it deceitfull sophistry which denyes it c. page 7. Answ Faith is the gift of God and Christ is the Author of it It cometh not by the naturall use of Ordinances The naturall man receiveth not the things that be of God which faith is the gift of God And thou art in the sophistry and in the poyson that saith faith the work and growth of it is by the naturall use of ordinances Pr. And he speaks of a temporall expressive word of God c. see page 8. Answ But the Scripture tells us of no such thing as temporal word but speaks of the Word of God that lives and endures for ever and so the other is but his own imagination Pr. He saith The Quakers go about to picke forth the right eye of Christianity Ans Because they hold forth the light that lighteth every man that comes into the world Christ Jesus the Covenant of God which makes all the apostate Christians blind And your right eye must be plucked out that offends and this the Christians shall witnesse when their eyes are open that sees the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world the covenant of God Prin. He saith The Quakers were never heard of till of late yeares c. See page 12. Ans Which is contrary to the Scriptures which speaks of them before Moses by Moses by the Prophets and Apostles and he bids them to worke out their salvation with feare and trembling And now the great Earth-quake is coming amongst you false Prophets and Antichrists John speaks of and Harlots and Apostates from the Apostle compellers to your worship And now are you comprehended with the spirit of God are you judged who are ignorant of the salvation wrought out with feare and trembling Pr. He calls them subtill deceivers and hereticks that questions the word Trinity and says it came from Rome c. see page 13. Ans Which he is justifying and so he is turning to his Teacher the Pope and Common Prayer-book of whom he hath learned it For the Scriptures have not taught it him And the Son and the Father is in unity and this we own that are called Quakers and deny you and your Pope and your Common-prayer-book and your false Teachers got up since the days of the Apostles Pr. Again he saith O incomparable hypocriticall lyars Is not this the character Paul gives of a false prophet to speak lyes in hypocrisie because we preach Perfection c. See page 16. Answ It is agreeable to Scripture Christs doctrine and the Apostles doctrine and the life of Christ And we are made free from sin saith the Apostle And again As he is so are we in this present world And as many as are perfect are thus minded c. But this thou cals hypocrisie lies and thus thou art out of the Apostles Christs doctrine and life and like a mad man rages against them that be in it and hath denyed thy owne work the work of the Ministry which was for the perfecting and so art a Physitian of no value Pr. He saith The enjoyment of immortality is not till they have put off the body c. See page 17. Ans Contrary to the Apostles doctrine who saith Immortality was brought to light through the Gospell this was when they were upon earth and the word of God was in them and Christ was in them which was immortall Pr. Again he saith They shall not have power over death and the grave untill the naturall death c. See page 17. Answ Contrary to the Apostle who saith Oh death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory And they were passed from death to life And he that believes shall never dye and such hath power over death and the grave And he that believes shall never dye they have passed from death to life Pr. He calls them secret deceivers to grant perfect purity and perfection c. See page 18. Answ Which is contrary to to the Apostles doctrine who brought people to perfection and purity and holinesse without which none shall see the Lord And they were to stir up their pure minds Pr. He saith To witnesse perfect purity is an alluding to an enjoyment of heaven upon earth and saith this is as the world c. See page 19. Ans Which is contrary to the Scriptures who witnessed the Kingdome of heaven in the Saints and their conversation in heaven and thou that brings to the contrary art a deceiver and grants not that other Pr. He saith He dare boldly assert that the Gospell is not first made known by the seeing within but by hearing tidings without c. Ans Contrary to that which they call their Originall which saith the Gospel is preached in every creature And there is none cometh to hearing and seeing of the Gospell but it is with the eye within that which is opprest For the Jews that heard not and saw not within they stood against the Gospel And Christ said their ears were stopped and their eyes were closed and so they heard words but the Gospel the power of God they could not hear but stood against Christ and so none heare but they that hear within and he is not a Preacher of the Gospel which is the power of God but he that preacheth to the inward eye Pr. He confesseth That none of the Saints had ever a particular command and then again he confesseth they had and so he is in confusion page 26. He saith It is a lye to preach the Kingdome of heaven within unbelievers Answ Contrary to Christs words who told the Pharisees the Kingdome of God was within them Luke 17. So in confusion
Parishioners because for conscience sake they cannot put in their mouthes Therefore are they worrying of them like Wolves and destroying of them for their dishonest gain which they do no work for And do not the Ministers of God the Apostles rebuke such as went to law before the unjust one among another and bids them set up the least in the Church to Judge such things and told them they should Judge the world yea Angels and not to go to Law one among another about such things Then where art thou and thy generation that saith it is a sin if they do not go to Law if the Ministers do not sue for outward things let the least in the Church Judge thee How unlike the Apostles you are who kept the Gospel without charge and coveted no mans silver nor gold who Preached the Gospel the end of the Law and brought people from under it And you bring people into it and your inventions but the day is come that you are seen and the night is past to many and none can you deceive but who be in the night but the Judgement is gone over your heads the Judge of the world is come Pr. He saith it was imputed to Abraham for righteousness his Faith and doubtless Job was a perfect man in Gods account and Christs righteousness is imputed to us c. Ans Yet thou sâ—itâ— none â—oth good no not one and brings that Scripture in the Rom. comparing them that were in the Faith withall them that were gone astray both Jewes and Gentiles See page 21. Now let all try and Judge thee here and see thy false measure art thou a man fit to speak of the Saints and their Faith who puts them that be a stray Jews and Gentiles Amongst them that believe putting no difference betwixt the precious and the vile and so art not a man capable of true reason Pr. He saith Gods furnace is the grave where all the remainder of corruption shall be consumed c. See page 22. Ans Now what differs this from the Papists who hold a Purgatory And the Saints witnessed and said Now they were washed now they were cleansed c. while they were upon earth and they were sanctified through the obeâ—ience of the spirit they were justified and sate in heavenly places on this side the grave whiles they were upon earth and were made free from sin and was perfect Pr. He saith That Paul disclaimed perfection in himselfe c. page 23. Ans Who said as many of us as are perfect be thus minded which wrongs Pauls words And again he saith We speak wisdome among them that are perfect Pr. He saith If a man were free from sin he would be free from temporall punishment and afflictions c. see page 23. Ans Christ was free from sin and the Saints and yet he was not free from temporall punishment and affliction And so here he doth not divide the word aright neither Pr. He saith If we attain to perfection here we should attain to a rest here and brings the Apostles words who saith doubtlesse there remains a rest to the people of God c. See page 24. Ans And the Apostle saith there He that doth believe hath entered into his rest and so he doth not divide the word aright to know what state and condition it was spoken to And the Apostle said they were perfect the Ministers of Christ and he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified and so thou art not a sanctified one and hath denyed the offering that hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified and so hath denyed the Covenant that blots out sin and transgression and the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin Pr. But he saith That doth not follow that he that is dead to sin is freed from sin See page 24. Ans So he is contrary to the Apostle who saith so He that is dead to sin is freed from sin and can live no longer therein Pr. He saith The law of God is a standing rule to the worlds end c. And thou that saith the Law is a standing rule hath denyed Christ the end of it See page 25. Answ But the Scripture and Christ saith the Law must be fulfilled who is the everlasting covenant in the heart Christ and in the minde the end of the Law which was before the Scripture was written glorified with the Father before the world began which many have the Scriptures and yet from the Law of God written in the heart and neglect that which brings into Covenant with God by which the Scriptures is fulfilled and so here again thou dost not divide the word aright and brings not people into that which doth fulfill Scripture Pr. He saith Because this light doth not lead us to close with Gods Ordinances the Sacraments he looks upon it as a delusion of Satan page 26. Answ The Scriptures mentions no such word and the light was before your invented Sacraments was and cannot joyn with them but condemns them but it owns the Scripture and the Ordinances of God Richard Baxter's Booke called A Second Sheet to the Ministry justifying our Call against the QUAKERS c. His Principles follow Because the Children of God cannot satisfie his ungodly lusts therefore he is complaining to the Magistrates So he is one of the Complainers and Murmurers Pr. HE saith That Timothy was not to hold fast that which he had immediately received from God but that which he had received from Paul c. See page 5. Answ In this thou art contrary to the Apostle who bid stir up the gift that was in him and keep the faith which Christ was the author of and that would not contradict the Apostles words that was in the faith and that which Timothy received from God he was to hold fast in which he had unity with the Apostle Pr. He saith The holy Ghost is to help us in keeping that which is committed to us and not to reveal more See page 4. Answ Timothy could not know doctrine but by revelation and doing the will of Christ How art thou exalted and would put lyes upon the Apostle and limit the holy one and set bounds to the Just and be a Teacher of the holy Ghost what it must not reveal How art thou exalted in this above all that is called God and sits in the Temple of God blasphemously who would be a teacher of the holy Ghost who must be the Teacher and who tells what it must reveal and what it must not reveal Thou must be stopt for thy presumption If ye have nothing but what the holy Ghost hath given forth the form of words the Church of Rome hath the same and all the false Prophets upon the earth and Antichrists and Seducers and the Devils they get the Scriptures given forth from the holy Ghost and holdeth these words in the unrighteousnesse and stop and resist the holy Ghost and say it must reveal no more
without spot before any work done or good whatsoever c. page 3. Ans There is none doth the work of God but who believes and he that believes overcomes the world and his works are wrought in God and he hath the word oâ— reconciliation in him And by this means of thine all the world is presented perfect to God for he is the offering for the whole world But them that believe are partakers and them that do not believe are condemned Yet I say the Lord helps the unbelief of many who is the Saviour of all men especially of them that believe and men are not presented to God while they do evill and afore they are sanctified and holy Pr. He saith The invisible things of God and the eternall power and glory of God may be known by that of God in every man but not his good pleasure or purpose of grace c. See page 4. Ans Is the glory seen and that known the God-head known the invisible things of God and the eternall power and not the good pleasure of God nor his purpose of grace Doth not the God-head dwell in Christ and his fulnesse bodily And is not Christ the power of God And he that knows God and his glory and eternall power and God-head Doth not he know the Son Consider that For he that hath known the Son hath known the Father also and grace and the purpose of God Pr. He saith Man may know God and his eternall power and God-head and glory and yet know nothing of the mystery of Christ nor can that which thou saith shews these things lead unto the mystery of the knowledge of Christ c. See page 4. Answ Where the eternall power and God-head is known his power his glory and the invisible things of God there is something of Christ known the mystery For there is none knows the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son reveals him And he that knows the Father knows the Son Pr. He saith To say that Christ is within man is to worship Angels and not to hold the head Christ c. See page 5. Answ Which none comes to witnesse Christ the head but who witness him in them that the Angels must worship that dyed and suffered at Jerusalem and they that worship him in them worships not the Angels and they that are not worshipping him in them are worshipping Men Devils or Angels Pr. He saith It is a bewitching of the mindes to preach Christ within the Saints c. Answ Did not the Apostle say to the same Colossians of worshipping of Angels not holding the head Did not he preach Christ in them the same Colossians And he told them of intruding into things they never saw Did not he say Christ in you the hope of glory whom we preach warning every man that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus How dost thou devide the word contrary to the Apostles and Christ Jesus and calls this Doctrine bewitching and thou that preacheth another doctrine contrary to his art accurst Pr. He saith To say the light in every one wherewith Christ Jesus hath enlightned them withall that comes into the world is the way to Christ and the Father and is the sure word of prophesie which people are to take heed unto He saith this is to deny the person of Christ as the object of faith and the Scriptures as the rule of faith and faith it selfe c. See page 8. Answ In this thou hast shewed thy ignorance for none knows the person of Christ but with the light that comes from him None knows the Mediator none knows the Author of their faith but with the light that comes from Christ And none knows the Scriptures of truth but with the light And Christ is the rule of faith and author of it and giver And many may have Scriptures and not saith so in this thou devides not the word aright uncapable of dividing the word and that is the sure word of prophesie that shines in a dark place which people are to take heed unto till the day dawn and the day-star arise in their hearts Pr. He saith To say that redemption righteousness is wrought within is to bring Christ down from above out of heaven or raise him from the dead and to make the blood of Christ as another mans c. See page 9. Answ Now Christ is not known to be the justification but as he is known within and redemption out of Adams state in the fall For he that believes hath the witnesse in himselfe and ceaseth from his own works and enters into his rest as God did from his For the world may professe Christ without them but if he be not within them they are reprobates and shall fall short of the justification and redemption if he be not within them And if they have not the Son of God they have not life and many will say Lord but doth not the thing that he commands And one of thy generation of Professors that writ against the Quakers and said That the blood of Christ was corruptible and so it was like the blood of another man and thou saith it is not Now we say that blood which cleanseth from all sin is incorruptible and they that witnesse Christ in them and justification and redemption and need not say who shall raise Christ from the dead or fetch him from above as thou says Pr. He saith Obedience to the spirit within and Christ a worker and a Law-giver in their conscience and a worker of it in their persons but not as a Saviour and what of God is felt or wrought in them that they believe While the unspeakable righteousness opperation of life in Christ reserved with faith liberty joy and peace c. is hid from their eyes c. See page 10. Ans Now can any be obedient to the spirit within and to Christ a worker and a Law-giver and feel the work of God in themselves and believe it and yet the unspeakable righteousness and the operation of life hid in Christ and faith and liberty joy and peace to be hid from their eyes Can a man know all these things and yet not know Christ to be a Saviour here thou art judged and thy knowledg for he that knows these things knows a Saviour and let the righteous judge whose eyes are open how thou divides the word Pr. He saith Faith holds things as true in Christ though hid from sense and feeling c. See page 11. Answ How cometh the just to live then if there be not a feeling in his faith And how cometh he to have the victory then over the world And how doth faith purifie if there be not a feeling And how is it holden then in a pure conscience if there be not a feeling And how cometh he to have accesse to God through faith And doth not the Scripture speak of them that was in the faith felt and handled the
that do good that beholds by faith And so what is not of faith is sinne Pr. He saith He is in heavenly places and yet in the shadow of death with the earthly See page 38. Answ He that is in heavenly places is in Christ Jesus a new creature And he that believeth in the light shall not abide in darknesse so comes out of shadows And he that believeth abideth not in the condemnation and so comes out of the shadow of death though they have sate in the shadow of death before belief and comes out of the earth and so hast proved thy self not a true believer which comes out of the shadows and death Pr. He saith To purifie the members as reckoning it our redemption our righteousnesse all such purity is sin blindness and idolatry page 40. Ans And the Apostle calls Christ our redemption and our sanctification and our righteousnesse and so we can truly say Christ is ours and no idolaters And them that cannot say Christ is their sanctification redemption righteousness and mortification is in the idolizing and sin Pr. He saith The way to attain the spirit of Christ is not by waiting on the light within c. see page 52. Answ Christ saith believe in the light that ye way be children of the light and he that is a child of the light cometh to the birth born of the spirit And Christ doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world And as many as received him he gave them power to become the sons of God And none hears faith but who hears the light within which is Christ within who is the Author of it by which the spirit is received Pr. He saith That doctrine or spirit that calls to the Light within doth but build up the worship of the world c. page 53. Ans Contrary to the Apostle who said The light that shined in their hearts would give them the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Christ Jesus And Christ saith they that worship God must worship him in truth And he is the light and he is the truth that doth enlighteth every man that comes into the world and this throws down all the worship of the world And I say none comes out of the worships of the world and the doctrines of the world but who comes to the light wherewith Christ hath enlightned every man c. that shines in the darkness and the darknesse comprehends it not Pr. He saith To believe in God as in the Light within men redeeming from sin is to deny the witnesse of the Son and have neither Son nor Father c. page 54. Ans Which I say none owns the witnesse of the Son but who owns the Light which comes from the Son with which he is enlightned Nor none knows the Father nor the Son nor receives them but who receives the light which Christ the Son hath enlightned them withall nor knows God to be a Saviour but by the Light within Pr. He saith They that seeke for righteousnesse by obedience to the light within differs nothing from the Jewes but onely in the copies of the Law c. See page 56. Ans None sees the obedience of Christ the second Adam the end of the Law and copies of it but with the Light within which comes from Christ Jesus that brings in righteousness and ends sin and transgression who is the end of the righteous Law with which light man sees the weakness and unprofitableness of it and the types and the shadows of it which Christ is known in the light within who ends it Pr He saith To rest in hope that I am saved from sin and wrath by the blood of Christ the head and while conscience condemns for sin this is to hope against hope c. See page 57. Ans Such as are saved from the wrath by Christ the head and his blood they are saved from their sins And then they that are saved from their sins how can conscience condemn for sin and the wrath come upon them for sin and they that are saved from the wrath they are saved from their sins But where conscience doth condemn for sin there is wrath and he cannot witnesse a cleansing nor salvation wrought out nor saved from sin but is in the false hope and not in the true hope which goes against hope for the true hope is Christ within Pr. Whereas thou speaks of Christs working and giving an example c. page 67. Ans Yet thou and the rest are offended at those people that are called Quakers who say Christ was their example And so ye can allow what ye speak your selves but if another speak the same words it is an offence to you Pr. He saith Such as preach redemption by the light in every man are not of God c. See pag. 70. Ans The redemption of Christ the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world And every man that cometh into the world that seeth his redemption it is by the light which he that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world hath enlightned him with which is Christ the Redeemer the Saviour the second Adam the way to the Father who shall make every tongue to confess him to the glory of God but thou that hates the light art condemned Pr. He saith Not the light in every man but the words of the Prophets and Apostles is that which leads to the Lord Jesus c. See Page 82. Ans Many may have the words of the Prophets and the Apostles but none comes to that which leads to the Lord Jesus but who comes into the light and life that the Prophets and Apostles was in which Christ Jesus is the end of who doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world Therefore every man that cometh into the world must come to the light which Christ hath enlightned him withal before he come to the end of the Prophets and the Apostles Christ Jesus the Lord of life and glory Pr. He saith The Scriptures are the image of Christ and he that seeks for God out of the humanity of Christ he shall lose both God and himself c. See pag. 82. Answ The Scriptures are writings and the writings will not endure for ever and the image of Christ is the image of God And all who be in the life that gave forth Scriptures be in the image of Christ which was afore Scripture was and all that have the Scriptures out of the life that gave them forth they have not the image And he that is out of the truth may have the Scriptures but he is out of the image all are who be out of the truth but who be in the truth be in the image And God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himselfe And who knows the Son knows the Father And he that hath found the Son hath found the Father also And he that seeks after God out of Christ shall
doctrine It is not a strange thing to the Saints for these Priests and Teachers to question the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world for the Jewes Priests and Levites stumbled at it in the dayes of John and it set them all up in an uproar as it does you and they examined John and questioned John and he said This is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world that all men through him might believe Pr. He saith None were ever baptized into the name of the Father Son and holy Ghost that were not baptized with water c. page 52. Answ Where was Matthew or Mark or Luke or John baptized and many more which the Apostle said he thanked God he had not baptized c. which he had begotten many Baptizing is making disciples to the Lord Jesus and Baptizing them into his name that is his power and he telleth the Saints that they were Baptized with one spirit into one body such he tells that he thanks God he had Baptized but a few but he told of the spirits Baptisme and brought the Saints off from things that were seen and water is seen and its Baptisme And as for all thy rabble from thy contentious spirit and railings and unsavoury expressions they will turn home upon thy self and thy own words will be thy burthen and the witness in thy conscience will answer in the day of thy Judgement Francis Harris his Booke called his queries to the Quakers c. his Principles followes Pr. THou saith doth not these people that pretend to the light stumble at noon day as in the night and there be no Gospel Light we mean of the revealed and written Gospel Light in them c. page 9. Ans The Gospel Light is that which doth enlighten every man that cometh into world and who hates it neglects the Gospel Light and receives not the power from God which is the Gospel for that is the Gospel Light Christ Jesus that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world The Light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightned withall is the Gospel light and they that walk in it stumble not They stumble that be out of the Light which every man that cometh into the world is lighted withall which Light is the way to the Father and many may have the written words yet out of the Gospel Light and the power of God which is the Gospel as Rom. 1. which brings people to where the sheep lies down at noon day Pr. He saith what did Christ mean when he bid people search the Scriptures or Peter when he called the Scriptures the sure word of prophesie the light shining in the dark place and yet Scripture without is a dead letter c. page 12. Ans And yet they call it the Light and the word which is a dead letter Christs bids the professors of Scriptures to search it that thought to have had life in it not that they should find life in it but that they should search it and see how it did testifie of him who was the life that was his end and those that was come to Christ the life they was come to him the Scriptures testified of as John 1. we have found him of whom Moses and the Prophets writ and those were them that was come from John the others were them that stuck in John and came not to the life but to the Scriptures to have had life in the Scriptures and came not to him the Scriptures testified of and persecuted that And Peter means as he speakes he tels them of the sure word of Prophesy and bids them take heed to it as unto a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawn and the day Star arise in their hearts He doth not say this is Scriptures without which thou saith it is a dead letter how can that shine Pr. He saith doth not this draw people to gross Idolatry to bid people to take heed to the light in you which you call the pure Light of God not the light of nature And whether you do not delude people by saying there is a pure Light of God and Christ in every man and woman by nature c. page 14. 17. Ans The light which doth enlighten every man c. leadeth from all Idolatry for all that be out of the Light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world they be in the Idolatry And every man that cometh into the light the light which they are enlightened withall be in that which was before any natural lights was and the the natural lights are the Sun the Moon and the Stars And they delude and deceive people that say the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world is a natural light and they keep people in the Idolatry And so shut up the Kingdom against men and go not in themselves nor suffer others for all Idolatry is out of the Light Pr. He saith to be carryed up to the power and to the Spirit which resembles fire whether this be not Antichrist like a Lamb to call fire from heaven to come down in the sight of men And whether the power be from God or from Satan that brings people into a trembling and shaking like Belshazar c. See pag. 20. 21. Ans That power was not of Satan that broke down the head of gold the brests of silver neither was that power of Satan that made Belshazar to shake and quake and that power all must know before the most High rules in the Kingdoms of men and to be carryed up by the power and the Spirit of God is not Antichrist nor is not as the beast which with his lying wonders caused fire to come down from heaven for the power and the Spirit of God fathomes all such things and seeth those were the Spirits that were erred from the Apostles and the life they lived in that did so Pr. He saith the most righteous man falls seven times a day the Scripture tell us See page 22. Ans The Scripture doth not speak any such thing as seven times a day but it saith the Just man falleth seven times and riseth again but the wicked falls into mischief Pr. He saith such as have fasted till their neighbours who lived nigh them have not known them they have been as though they had been come out of the jawes of death whether this be not as the Pharisees and an occasion to Satan c. page 24. Ans What would ye have said to David in his dayes when that he fasted till he might number his bones and was a stranger to all his acquaintance was this an hypocrites fast and because some now by the same power are moved of the Lord so to do Is this now like unto the Pharisees that appears to do so Have not all Ministers and teachers shewed their ignorance of the Scriptures and the life that
from them And is it not blasphemy for you to speak and preach that which ye have not received from heaven so ye have brought your selves under the curse and shewed another Gospel For whosoever receiveth the Gospel which is called the power of God it is immediate and by immediate revelation from God from heaven And so your Gospel which is of men and after men is another not the power of God received from God for whosoever receiveth the Gospel the power of God must receive it immediately for the power of God is immediate and that is the glad tidings to poor souls that sets the souls free which is immediate Pr. He saith We claim Tythes not by the Law of God but by the Law of the Land and Tythes seems to be Christs wages and Melchisedeck still liveth to receive Tythes in Christ c. Answ Christ is come the everlasting Priest-hood who ends the true commandement that gave tythes and the Priests that took them which ends in him Melchisedeck that received tythes of Abraham of whom Christ came according to the flesh And so Christ doth not any where to his Disciples who ended the true command that gave tythes give forth his Disciples an order to set up another Law in the Nations to give them tythes the tythes of mens estates and so you are none of the Order of Melchisedeck never come thither but of the order of them which Christ said should come who are inwardly ravened which John saw was come went forth from them the false spirit that went forth into the world into the earth and so ye have set up Tythes and Temples and Schools and Priests by the Popes authority Had yee not your Spiritual Courts not long since And was not the Pope the first author of your Tythes And are not you of that Order far off of that spirit that leads after the Order of Melchisedeck for ye are ravened from the spirit For none comes to the Priesthood after the Order of Melchisedeck but who comes to the spirit of Christ and these are Kings and Priests to God for ever So ye have received your Tythes after the order of that spirit that went forth from the Apostles into the world into the earth that inwardly ravened and went forth from the Apostles which the world have been after since the dayes of the Apostles and have had the sheeps cloathing but ravened and devoured the Lambs and worried the sheep Ministers Prophets and Saints So your Order will all men comprehend that be of the royall Priest-hood after the order of Melchizedeck to be come of the Popes stock for the Apostles and Christ did not set up Tythes Pr. He saith Baptisme comes in in the room of Circumcision and it is called the circumcision of Christ Again he saith that thee and thou is a custome So if any man be contentious we have no such custome in the Church of God Ans Circumcision is no where said to be a type of sprinkling Infants and that sprinkling Infants is no where said to be the circumcision of Christ But the circumcision without of men was a type of the circumcision within And that the Apostle witnessed the fulfilling of it in the spirit and so denies the outward And the baptisme of John was a type of that within And you to a particular which is your custome which the Scripture doth not declare to us that that custom was in the Church of God But the Apostle bid them keep to the form of sound words that could not be condemned Now you to a particular is not a found word as they can tell that have but read either the Bible or Accidence And there is no Heathenish customes comes into the Church of God that will spot or wrinkle it nor nothing cometh into it that is the pillar and ground of Truth that will be condemned Pr. And he tells us of a word Trinity And he saith the onely ordinary way to know Jesus Christ is outward Revelation and to attain to the knowledge of Christ is by the Scriptures and he may be a Minister of Christ though he be partly out of Christs doctrine and though he be called of men Master He saith the Scripture tells us plainly that Baptisme is a Christians circumcision Again He that saith that light which is in every man is sufficient to discover and lead men to Christ is under the darkness of his own fancy having so far left the true light the word of God Answ The light in every man which Christ hath enlightned him withall loving it and walking in it it is sufficient to discover Christ and salvation and they that be out of that be in the darknesse and fancy And as for the word Trinity that comes from the old stock the Pope the Scripture teacheth us no such word And none can know Christ by the Scriptures they testifie of him but none can know Christ but by Revelation flesh and blood had not revealed it to Peter and the Son was revealed in the Apostle and none can preach Christ that deny revelation in truth and they that are Ministers of Christ they be in his doctrine For when they are out of his Doctrine and his commands then they are wrong Ministers which ministers not for Christ but they preach themselves and are Antichrists transgressors And the Scripture doth not tell any where that Baptisme is a Christians circumcision as sprinkling Infants but Circumcision in the spirit and Baptisme in the spirit is all one in which the oâ—â—ward ends And as for all thy other silly expressions published to the Nation it bad been better thou had kept silent and all of you then to have published your shame to the Nation But your folly you must bring forth to make it manifest to all men whose eyes are opening Are not you in the Devils snare who are out of the discerning For you cannot tell what to bring people into alack for you who are hung about with rags and are not covered with the spirit of the Lord but are all from that which we are in and so hast kept people in darknesse and not turned them to the light being all ravened from it and so think there is life in the Scriptures which testifie of the life So I say search it and see if it do not testifie of the life And every one of your words that ye have all spoken that have not been from the life shall be your burthen the witnesse in thee shall answer it Thomas Weld Richard Prideaux Samuel Hammond William Coale and William Durant Ministers in Newcastle Their Booke called The perfect PHARISEE Their Principles as followeth Pr. THey say If they shall say that every man hath the knowledge of Christ by speciall revelation and that immediate by the spirit that which it quite contrary to the common knowledge of thousands Ans All that ever come to know Christ you and all the people upon the Earth it must be
the fountain hath the Devill the fountain for he can bring Scriptures Hath he the Fountain and Well of living waters Nay we say God and Christ is the fountain of all good And saith David all the springs are in him And so many may have the Scriptures and yet want the waters want the fountain which hath had them since the dayes of the Apostles which have had them this many hundreds of yeares in the Apostacy the sheeps cloathing and have known no other Fountain but it nor no other Well So there hath all the leannesse of soules been among people that they have not known the Fountain of whom they learned that gave forth Scriptures And we do believe you that yee are fallible men that say the Scriptures is the well and fountain of living waters and you are not infallible And it is contrary to your experience to be infallible And we say the Pope is not infallible neither though he be your Father the Ancient Yet we say he and you are apostatized from the infallible spirit that the Apostles was in in which we are come with which ye are seen and judged So not to have the spirit of Christ Jesus not to have the spirit of the Prophets and Apostles not to be led by the spirit of truth into all truth not to be in the spirit not to speak as ye are moved of the Holy Ghost But to be such as ravened from the spirit of God inwardly and have gotten the sheeps cloathing ye and the Pope and so have devoured Nations for this many hundred yeares so have all been like ravening Wolves For who witnesse these conditions that they were in that gave forth the Scriptures they witnesse infallibility an infallible spirit which is now possessed and witnessed among those called Quakers glory to the highest for ever That your folly now should be made manifest the morning is springing in the night of apostacy is going So I say the Devill false Prophets Antichrists Deceivers Beast mother of Harlots none of these can witnesse an infallible spirit nor the Well nor Fountain but the Letter though they may get all the sheeps cloathing and come in likenesse of a Lamb or a Sheep to deceive people withall But being out of the spirit that Christ the Prophets and Apostles was in that gave forth Scriptures they are not infallible as they were but with that they are all judged out which will answer that which they are all gone from where the key is known and the Well was and is in believers Pr. And the Scriptures is the rule and the Quakers dream of the Light to be their Rule to walk by Page 14. Answ The word of God which lives and endures for ever which came to the Saints of old which caused them to give forth Scriptures and to write them which fulfills all the words again is the Rule which word was spoken to the Saints before Scripture was written which lets all people see that declaration and fulfils that declaration to them Christ the leader of the people the Covenant of God who is the light and they are in the dreams that denyes it Pr. He saith But Christ by his Magistrates hath appointed Tythes a maintenance for his Ministers Page 21. Answ Since the dayes of the Apostles the Pope did give Tythes and other Magistrates that followed him and he hath had the tenths of the Tythes since this night of apostacy and the reprobation hath been from the Apostles Doctrine And many have had the sheepes cloathing but have been raveners from the life that they lived in that gave it forth so have not seen to what state and condition the Scriptures was spoken from and to being out of the life they was in that gave it forth And sees not the substance Christ Jesus who came to end the first Priest-hood and the Ministers that took Tythes tolerated by the first Covenant which the Apostle witnessed the end of an everlasting Covenant and another ministry and another maintenance to them which since the dayes of the Apostles such as are ravened from the spirit of God have lost the maintenance the Apostles and Christ gave and so set up another Tythes and a ministry which is neither agreeable to Jewes nor Gentiles nor Christs but more darker But the night of apostacy is going over the true Light shines and the light of the living springing in Pr. He saith The immediate spirit excludes the word to be the rule Page 38. And the word and the spirit he saith are different things And the Pharisees thought right that eternal life was laid up in the Scriptures Page 39. Answ Christ told the Pharisees they would not come to him that they might have life and he was the life and he was the way and no one cometh to the Father but by him he doth not say he was scripture but he bids them search it for it testified of him and no one hath life but who are in him And the word and the spirit are one and the spirit doth not exclude the word nor the Scriptures for they was given forth from it and ownes them again with it are they seen given forth in time fulfilled in time cannot be broken and the Saints life is hid in Christ who ends them Pr. He saith Men are saved but not by Christ within us Page 42. Ans How is mans salvations wrought out but by the power of Christ wihtin How is the old man destroyed but by Christ within How is the Justification felt but by Christ within And the seed Christ made manifest that suffered without is made manifest within there is redemption and life He that hath the Son of God hath life redemption to God out of the first Adam and who feels Christ within feels salvation and who doth not are reprobates though they may talk of him Pr. He saith It is a fond signe to depend upon an unwritten word immediately within themselves and say from that word is the life manifested within Pag. 43 And Christ is not come to them in the flesh and he saith Timothy had the gift of God freely and Elders are called ordinarily and not Immediately This call ordinary is common to all Ministers to continue to all ages in the Church Page 47. Ans All they that have not the unwritten word in their hearts which is immediate knowes not the word of faith knowes not the word of reconciliation knowes not the Ingrafted word that is able to save their souls knowes not that which lives and abides and endures for ever knowes not eternal life neither have they it that hath not the word the immediate word within them knows not the immortal seed And such be in the fondness and have the Scripture and put that for the word which is words And since the dayes of the Apostles in your Churches your Ministers your Elders your makers of your Ministers have been all mediate and so it is ordinary as ye call it But
with the light that cometh from him nor none knowes the Saviour Christ Jesus but with the light that cometh from him and that le ts see the body prepared Christ who was the seed of Abraham according to the flesh the one offering that ends all offerings and his blood that is the attonement which is the Saints drink which who drinks it shall live with which their consciences are purged from dead works to serve the living God And none knowes the foundation of God that standeth sure nor feels it nor sees it but with the light which cometh from Christ the foundation which breaks down all other foundations which light that every man is enlightened withall gives him the knowledge of the foundation of God Pr. He saith I do believe that there was never a Saint perfectly free from sin here but they shall have the body of sin and death which will be their burthen to keep them humble Page 52. And it doth not appear that they do attain purification or perfection before the change of the body Answ That which is the true humiliation bears the sin and iniquity which is Christ such as are not brought down with the Judgments for their sinful actings never knew the seed that puts off the body from which all the roots proceed in that is the true humility and the righteousness of Christ and the glory revealed And the Saints witnessed the body of sin and death put off while they were upon the earth and such as was in Christ was new creatures all things become new And the Apostles spoke wisdom among them that was perfect and that was before the change of the body as ye look upon And the work of the Ministery was for the perfecting of the the Saints until they all come into the unity of the faith that gives victory and to the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure and stature of the fulness of Christ This was the Ministers work Not as children tossed up and down with every slight and windy doctrine of men who lie in waite to deceive So ye have tryed the work of your Ministry and brought it to the Light Pr. He saith such a trembling as a way to perfection is to set it in the roome of Christ beside the truth and slight and undervalue the word of God and justifie trembling let all men beware of this trembling page 78. Answ Who ever ownes the word of God that reconciles to the Father and hammers down and brings out of the fall and cuts down and burns up they must know their salvation wrought out with fear and trembling And these ownes the word of God and the words of God the Scriptures and these owns this trembling there is a cloud of witnesses in the Scriptures and none will deny this trembling that ownes the salvation wrought out or to be wrought out but such as be out of the truth and that gets Scriptures being out of the truth and deny the power of God who are with it judged those that have the form but deny the power deny the trembling so they deny the salvation to be wrought out with fear and trembling and none knowes the salvation but them that know trembling And such may say that are the the Devils messengers beware of this power that makes to tremble Pr. He saith the Scripture is truly the Ministry of the spirit to us pag. 67. Answ Those were the Ministers of the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures And those are the Ministers of the Letter that be out of the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures and that cannot Minister the spirit Pr. He saith the Scriptures doth not speak of a general Redemption of all from the state of sin and freedom from sin pag. 75. Answ There is a general state and redemption of all and freedom from sin by believing in the one offering the blood of Jesus Christ and unbelief shuts out Pr. He saith mystical Babylon shall fall by the Kings of the earth And many precious Saints shall destroy Babylon with the sword pag. 84. And he saith I cannot apprehend that the Saints shall have the Government of the world pag. 86. And the beast when he ariseth shall give a mark in the right hand c. Answ Christ hath all power in heaven and earth given to him who believe in him and are in his power who hath all power in heaven and earth given to him have the government and are in the government the Lambs government but the unbelievers are out of it And that which slayes mystical Babylon is not the Kings of the earth and the Saints that be on the earth slay not with the carnal sword for they that kill with the sword must perish with the sword here is the faith and patience of the Saints Their weapons are not carnall but spiritual mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds And the Lamb slayes and kills with the sword and takes them the beast and the false prophet and the Devil and casts them alive into the Lake of fire where they shall be tormented for ever that burns with brimstone who kills and slayes with the sword which is the words of his mouth And the Beast hath been long up his marks and his heads and horns with his names but the Lamb and the Saints is trampling him to pieces under and over him getting the victory And the everlasting Gospel is Preaching and the witnesses you are ignorant of but are them that have been the slayers of them Pr. He saith I do not professe my self infallible but I shall freely give my apprehensions pag. 110. to contend earnestly for the faith which is the first unto Justification and services of faith pag. 111. he saith false Christs and false prophets shall come And to the Law and to the testimony c. Answ The Law is light and the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesie and men may have all the Scriptures of the old and New Testament yet being from the light the spirit of prophesie from the Light and from the spirit they know not the Law and testimony And we do believe thee that thou art not infallible but art onely in the apprehensions and before thou come to contend for the faith and to know that by which the Saints are justified thou must come into the Light that doth enlighten every man c. which lets see Christ the Author of the Faith And false Prophets and Antichrists Christ said should come which should get the sheeps cloathing and say loe Christ is here and loe he is there These Christ said to the Apostles should come which before their decease did come which since their decease the world hath gone after them So every man that cometh into the world being enlightned and having a light from Christ the Saviour of the soule every man being in the Light Christ hath enlightned him withall Every man with the light
absent from them And the Son of God was revealed in the Saints And he that hath not the Son of God hath not life such may say they are absent from him But such as have him revealed have life and he is not absent And such as be absent from him have not eaten his flesh nor drunken his blood and so are not of his flesh nor of his bone And they may talk of him and say he is come as the Jewes did that he was to come and he not in them and so reprobates And the grace of God that brings salvation which hath appeared unto all men which is the Saints teacher whose hearts are stablished with grace this is within them which brings them to know the hidden man of the heart and a strength in the inward and comes to look at the light within them agreeable to the Apostles Doctrine who said the light that shined in their hearts would give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus And such as have Christ in them have the possession have the substance have the glory which was with the Father before the world began Pr. He saith there is none here hath yet ceased from their own works as God did from his pag. 9. And the Apostles received the last Revelation to be given forth immediately And such as slight the word and call it a dead letter and brings people to the light within them a spirit within them this is a strange doctrine And if there be not something to be added and given forth by men and another manner of Preaching then by the Apostles what need is there of Printing c. Page 15. Ans He that believes hath entered into his rest and ceased from his own works as God did from his And since the dayes of the Apostles there hath got up another Ministry by man of man made by man which is not as the Apostles who received it not of man nor by man And these stands against the light within and the spirit of God within which none knowes true teaching nor true instruction nor opening of the Scriptures but as they come every one to the spirit of God in them as was in them that gave forth Scriptures And who be here have the thing within them as they had that gave forth the Scriptures enjoying and possessing it And these Fathomes the Apostates out of the Apostles Doctrine and witnesse the Preaching as the Apostles was in which all they since the dayes of the Apostles that ravened from the Spirit of God be out of and this doth not deny the Scriptures but sees them all in their place and to what condition they were spoken And the letter is a dead letter of it self and gives not life to any but who comes to the Spirit of God in their own perticulars as was in them that gave it forth For the Jewes had not life though they had Scriptures until they came to Christ which the Scripture testified of Pr. He saith Christ is not natural Answ Yet some of ye say he is humane And as for thy speaking of his mortality ye speak ye do not know what Christ is the same to day yesterday and for ever Pr. He saith It is the Apostles sence of them that served their bellies they pretended to an inward light and this is the Apostles sence of belly who did cause divisions contrary to the Doctrine they had learned and here their belly maybe understood their minde heart and spirits or also their experience of these inward c. To rejoyce in any thing under the Sun is opposite to the Apostles who had their conversation in heaven Page 42. Answ None comes to witness their conversation in heaven but who is come to witnesse Christ within them the substance the second Adam who redeemes out of the earth and the Apostle which brought the Saints to the light that shined in their hearts c. this was not a serving of Bellies that walked in the light that light shining in them and believing in the light Christ out of whose belly flowed rivers of living waters and such made not divisions but were in unity in the light and fellowship But those were they that made the divisions that inwardly ravened and went from the light which Christ had enligtened them withall and such went from that which should give them the knowledge and enjoyed the earthly things and served not the Lord Jesus Christ that be out of the light which comes from him but their own bellies And they act contrary to the Apostles Doctrine and rejoyceth in things under the Sun which who doth serves their bellies Pr. He saith yea when enlightened by that heavenly light even from Jesus yet they are of themselves deceitful c. pag. 44. And the light is something else besides the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus Page 45. Answ The light which every man is enlightened withall c. is not deceitfull but leads men out of all deceit And it is of God that gives them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God c. and it is one and the same that le ts see to the begiâ—ning and ending which comes from the beginning Pr. He saith That none may expect to receive the word immediately from Christ as the Apostles but mediately Page 46. Ans Such as receive not the word of God immediately from Christ as the Apostles did they are not Preachers of the living word that lives and abides for ever And we do believe you that since the dayes of the Apostles ye have not received the word immediately from Christ as the Apostles did but are onely Ministers of the letter And such were they in all ages that closed their eyes and stopt their ears and inwardly ravened from the spirit That marred the face of Christ above all men who was the spiritual Sodom and Egypt where Christ is crucified These got Scriptures but were from the spirit of God within that gave them forth and such was the hypocrites that Judged all wayes the spirit of God that gave foâ—th the Scriptures â—nd shut out of the Kingdom in which spirit now ye are found in these last dayes Pr. He saith That Christ ascended without material blood and the Apostle dâ—â—â—â—t Preach both the word and faith in the heart pag. 50. and that the new Jerusalem is 〈◊〉 come down from heaven pag. 51. and a brief discovery of the wolves in sheepes skins c. Page 57. Answ The blood of Christ which satisfies the Father which the Saints â—â—ink and his flesh which they eate which in so doing have life is that which the world stumble at which who drinkes it lives for ever And the Apostle Preached the word of faith in their hearâ—â— and in their mouthes and the word reconciles to the Father and hammers down â—â—d cuts down and burns that which separates from
the Father and over it gives victory And the word material the Apostle doth not call it so but precious and Jerusalem is come down from heaven and witnessed among the Saints heavenly Jerusalem and the Babes knowes their mother And who are in Christ and Christ in them see it possesseth it But all such as are against the light within which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world are the Antichrists the false prophets the wolves which have gotten the sheepes cloaâ—â—ing which may deceive the world but not the elect as thy book hath declared â—hee And such Christ said should come and John saw was come and since the dayes of the Apostles the world hath gone after them And they inwardly ravened from the light and so have gotten the Kingdoms of the earth into a profession and form which are now standing against the Light within and gathering against the Lamb and the Saints that are in the light and is the light which they ravened from making War against them but the Lamb and the Saints shall get the victory Pr. He saith And the righteousness of God wrought by Christ for us which need not to be wrought over again in us pag 58. And that Christ our Justification should be in us that dyed and suffered that ascended this he cals a fancy to fancy him in a particuler person Page 59. Answ Whosoever hath not Christ within are Reprobates and whosoever hath Christ within hath the righteousness Now Christ that suffered Christ that was offered up is manifest within and the Saints are of his flesh and of his bone and eat his flesh and drink his blood and not another The Christ that ended the Priesthood ended the offering ended the Temple ended the Law and the first Covenant the seed of God Christ Jesus this manifest within he that hath him hath life Justification Sanctification and Redemption And so Christ the same to day yesterday and for ever who is the hope and the Author of their faith And so all be in the fancy that be out of the state of witnessing Christ that suffered within them and rose again and who be in this they be out of the fancy and shadowes and comes to see where there is no changing but possesseth righteousness glory substance the end of their faith and Christ their hope that remains that abides Pr. He saith There is something of God in man that will render the light which the Quakers speakes of natural Page 67. Answ That which is of God in man captivated viz. life and immortality who are not come to the light will not render the light when he cometh to it through the Gospel naturall which the darknesse now cannot comprehend though in it it shines and that of God in man will not call Christ the light naturall which the Quakers speaks of Pr. He saith Yee may remember in the last times false Christs and false Prophets shall arise and shall bring in damnable heresies c. and will shew signes and wonders and if it were possible they would deceive the very Elect. And such as follow strong delusions and believe lyes and be damned who obey not the Truth nor receive it in the love of it page 68. Answ Christ said false Prophets should come Antichrists should come with signes and wonders which the Apostles saw was come which inwardly ravened and went forth from them which since the dayes of the Apostles they have got the sheeps cloathing and the world is gone after them and have deceived the world by their lying signes and wonders and have brought them to be all on heaps about Religion And the damnable heresie and the lying signes and wonders and strange delusions yee may look into the whole Christendome among your selves and your own stock of Papists For none obeys the Truth but who owns the Light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world which cometh from Christ the truth and all false Prophets are from that and all Antichrists are from that which hath reigned since the dayes of the Apostles in the apostacy and inwardly ravened have gotten the sheeps cloathing which have made war against the Saints and overcome them but now to that which they ravened from are the Saints come And the woman hath been in the wilderness and the man-child is brought forth to rule the Nations with a rod of Iron And all such now that inwardly ravened from the Light are standing up against the Lamb and the Saints But the Lamb and the Saints have the victory and the rejâ—ycing over the Beast and false Prophet is come who kills and slayes with the sword which is the words of his mouth And the Saints which are with him their weapons are spiritual And none lifts up the Son of God as the Serpent was lifted up in the Wildernesse but as every one is in the Light that the Son of God hath enlightned him withall and then they know him that draws all men after him Thomas Moor In his Booke called An Antidote c. Are these Principles following Pr. HE saith God doth not give the Revelation of these things now immediately as he did by the first Apostles nor in such manner as he did to the Prophets of old See his Epistle Answ All that have the Scriptures and are Ministers and not by the same power and spirit as the Apostles was in knows not the Scriptures and all who be in it are in the immediate and in that which reveals and in that which fathoms all the Ministers of the Letter who saith God doth not give forth now immediately as he did to the Prophets and Apostles Since the dayes of the Apostles in the apostacy such as have ravened inwardly from the spirit of God the time of Antichrist Beast and false Prophets reign and the mother of Harlots who have had the sheeps cloathing such immediate Revelation hath been hid from them and such should continue untill the words of God was fulfilled and the fulfilling of the Prophets But now is the fulfilling of the words of God and that come into which the Prophets and Apostles was in with which that is seen and known and him that hath been slain from the foundation of the world Pr. He saith To looke to the Light within that is in opposition to looking at Jesus That the light in every man is naturall And if yee turne your eye inward ye shall presently see their mover and teacher and this he calls foolish and Antichristian And saith That no man hath in him as of him that light spirit and wisdome in the inward parts See his Epistle Answ All upon the earth that ever comes to the knowledge of the glory of God they come to the light in them which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world which light was before any naturall lights was made or created which light gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus and
of Harlots And so they served their bellies when they went from the immediate teaching into the strong delusion as since the dayes of the Apostles it hath discoverâ—d it How are people all on heaps out of the life and spirit and power of God And so all that perish in the deceiveablenesse of unrighteousnesse they are from the light which Christ doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world withall for none perisheth who be in the Light And the Saints witnessed they were risen with Christ and them that were risen sought the things that were above and not the things upon the earth And they that know the first Resurrection and are in it are blessed the second death hath no power on them and they are a top of Adam and they are in Christ the resurrection and the life And such as be in the first Adam drove from God and loveth to live in the Fall looks not after the first Resurrection neither desire to come into it Pr. He saith The glorious bringing down of the Kingdome and glory is yet to be waited for even by the Disciples all the time of this mortality page 54. All believers are personally from Christ in their mortall bodies and none of the Fathers saw the day of Christ as actually revealed accomplished in their time Ans He that believes is born of God and overcomes the world and abides in the doctrine of Christ and hath the Son and the Father and the spirit of Christ the life of Christ in the mortall flesh And the Kingdome of heaven Christ said was in the Pharisees and the Saints comes to and possesseth the Kingdome And the Kingdome of heaven is within them is in righteousnesse in peace in joy in the holy Ghost and in power and they were changed from glory to glory and they rejoyced with joy unspeakable and full of glory and that was in the Kingdome and this was while they were upon the earth And Enoch and Abraham saw the day of Christ and David saw the betrayer and whose feet should be snared whose eyes should be blinded and whose back should bow down and he saw Judas that betrayed Christ And Isaiah saw the suffering of Christ and how God laid the iniquity upon him And Isaiah saw his name and made his soule an offering for sin And Daniel said the Messiah should be cut off but not for himselfe which the Apostles witnessed fulfilled Pr. He saith The Scriptures is the power of God unto salvation page 59. Answ Many may have the forme but deny the power of God which is the Gospell And the Letter doth not give life neither is it the power of God unto salvation Pr. He saith That Christ is distinct from every one of us and without us in our particular persons page 61. Answ The Apostle said Christ was in them except they were reprobates and they were of his flesh and of his bone and they eate his flesh and drank his blood then it was within them and he is distinct from none but Reprobates who hates the Light Pr. Nor are we to wait for a further Revelation to us to be given forth then the Scriptures For the Word of GOD came not first to the Gentiles immediately but to the Apostles page 77. Answ The Apostles that preached the Word of God it was immediate to whomsoever they preached it for they had received it immediately For the Word it selfe is immediate for it is the savour of death to the death and of life to the life and none knows the Scriptures but by the spirit that doth reveal them So all that witnesse the spirit of God witnesse the Revelation and the revealing of the Scriptures to them by it and the things of God layd up for them that love God which the eye hath not seen which the eye may see the Scriptures outwardly And none knows the Son of God neither knows any man the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son reveales him And so people may have the Scriptures but not the revâ—lation of the Son of God by them For the Pharisees had the Scriptures but not the thing they testified of Pr. He saith The Scriptures are the Word of God and the key of knowledge page 79. and the opening of all things contained in the Scriptures Answ The Scriptures are the words of God and that is his Word who fulfils them Christ Jesus whose name is called the Word of God And that which opens the Scriptures is the spirit that gave them forth that is the key of David who in the light saw more light For the Pharisees who crucified Christ had that which testified of Christ the Scriptures And you that be in the apostacy since the days of the Apostles but ye want the key and have taken away the key of knowledge And all that dwells upon the earth that stops their eares and closeth their eyes against that of God in them that doth deny the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world wants the key of knowledge Pr. He saith He gives gifts unto men for the work of the Ministery some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the edifying of the body of Christ untill all come into the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man Page 81. Answ And yet he said before Perfection was a devillish Doctrine and a fancy so out of this work and this Ministry thou hast thrown thy self For this work and this Ministery hath been lost since the dayes of the Apostles in the apostacy but now is appearing in the end of Babylon the knowledge of the Son of God people are coming to and the unity of the faith from among the Apostates who have had the sheeps cloathing but all on heaps about it being ravened from the spirit of God inwardly Among whom the Proclamation hath been in the Steeple-houses and Pulpits in Markets Towns Disputes No perfection no overcoming of sin Perfection is a Doctrine of Devils a devillish Doctrine and a fancy c. And this hath been proclaimed among the Apostates in the apostacy since the dayes of the Apostles by the Beasts authority under Satans power the deceiver of the Nations where the mother of Harlots is But I will reward her double and shall take the Devill and with him the Beast and false Prophet and cast them alive into the fire Rejoyce ye holy Prophets over her and Saints who are come into the unity of the Faith and to a perfect man and to the knowledge of the Son of God And the everlasting Gospel shall be preached to them that dwell upon the earth and God shall be feared and glory given to him And none comes to the knowledge of the Son of God the salvation to the ends of the earth the Covenant of Jewes and Gentiles untill they come into the light which Christ doth enlighten every one withall that
the Father of spirits So who have not it the spirit have but Letters and are Ministers of the Letters and not of the Spirit And the Kingdome of heaven is within you saith Christ in Luke 17. to the Pharisees and thou saith with or among them And I say that is the Kingdome within them which never consented to sin and in you all which one day ye shall witnesse which the gazer and observer abroad his eye and eare is closed and stopt too which he must come to before he be as a little child and know the leven that levens up the new lump and knows the Kingdom which is like unto a grain of mustard-seed and where the diligent waiting is the soule comes to live and the everlasting Covenant felt And thou that brings souls to be prepared for death thou art more like to do that then to present them to God a slayer and executioner so not a servant to the Bishop of soules where the soule liveth and rejoyceth and comes out of death and magnifies God the Saviour And so all the Ministers of Christ their work is to prepare souls out of death for life Pr. He saith The Bible is the soules physick And people must depend upon the spirits speaking in the Scriptures He saith the person of Christ is not his man-hood and the naturall light the Quakers call Christ within and nature grace And he saith The body of sinne is in the believer till he lay down the body Epistle Answ The souls refreshment is Christ and Physitian Christ Many may have the Bible and not know it and the Scriptures as the Pharisees had The soules Physitian is that which the Scriptures speaks of which many may have the words the Bible and yet have not the thing it speaks of and they that have the thing it speaks of have both And many holy men had their souls Physitian before the Scriptures was written and printed and they that had the spirit that gave forth Scriptures they had the souls Physick and they know all the springs is in God and the Lord who in his hand was the souls And such as are in the spirit they depend upon that and they come to see the Scriptures by the spirit given forth from it and such comes into the unity of the spirit and the light which is Christ within by which all things was made and created was before the naturall Lights was and Nature For all the Naturalls that was made was made by the Light Christ Jesus the wisdome who is the wisdome of God by which all things was made with which wisdome we see over the naturall Lights and over Nature And the grace that comes from the Throne that brings salvation which is the Saints Teacher teacheth not to call Nature grace And he that believeth is borne of God and he overcometh the world and entereth into his rest and shall never dye And he that believeth hath victory yea while he is upon the earth he cometh to witnesse the Circumcision that puts off the body of sin and makes free from it which the synagogue of Satan cannot witnesse Pr. He saith The Scriptures are the Word of God page 4. And the Spirit is given by the Letter And he saith the spirit proceeds from that which is put within the Book or Bible page 5. And I judge them that pretend the spirit without the Scriptures And the Scripture is a more sure rule then visions and revelations pag. 7. And God that gave the letter gives the spirit with it and by it page 9. Answ God gave the spirit before he gave forth Scriptures And the Devill and wicked men may get Scriptures but they have not the spirit nor none have it but as they come to feel it given from God as it was given to them that gave forth Scriptures And so people are to finde the spirit of the Father speaking in them as it did in them that gave forth Scriptures then the spirit answers to the spirit that gave forth Scriptures then there is an unity with the words and with God of whom they learned which many may have the Bible and not know the spirit that spoke it forth but be erred from it And the Scriptures are the words of God of truth God spake all these words He that adds to these words the words of God is pure Christ is the Word his name is called the Word of God who was before the words were spoken forth who comes in the volume of the Booke to fulfill the words And the spirit was before the Scripture was given forth for it led them to speak it all forth the words of God as they had learned of God So the spirit comes not by the Letter but the Letter comes forth from the spirit And many had the Scriptures and knew not the Revelation and judged the Revelation of the Son of God and judged Christ who was come the end of the vision which was for an appointed time So therein thou hast concluded thy selfe to be among them that have the Scriptures and sets up that beyond the Revelation of the Son of God which is the end of Scriptures which none knows the father but the Son and he to whom the Son reveals him though they may have all the Scriptures And the things of God is revealed by the spirit of God Pr. And he saith The Scriptures is the rule and the guide of Saints And saith the old administration of the Covenant of grace is abolished page 13. He that understands Matth. 11.2 27. of immediate revelations onely shuts out all mediate revelation by the Scriptures and falsely accuseth the Lord of the Scripture page 14. And the Apostle saith not that the spirit reveals the deep things of God If we should deny the Scriptures to be the rule we should deny the Scriptures of God page 18. Answ The Saints rule was the spirit that gave forth Scriptures and the Word of God which fulfills the Scriptures without him they can do nothing if they have all Scriptures And the spirit of truth shall lead into all truth And none knows the Scriptures nor God nor can be a Minister of the spirit by a mediate Revelation but a Minister of the Letter for who are Ministers of the spirit are immediate and are in the immediate revelation of the Scriptures to them by the spirit that gave them forth and these ministers to the spirit and brings people to God the Father of spirits that they may know what to reveal to others they minister to And all they that have the Scriptures and not the spirit that gave them forth they are on heaps about words and wants the rule And the Covenant of grace which is the end of the old Covenant is witnessed and stablished and cannot be abolished which ends the decaying Covenant And as for abolishing the Covenant of grace thou dost not know what thou speaks of And the Apostle said the deep things of God was revealed
by the spirit of God no one knows the Scriptures and the things of God but as God unto them doth reveal by his spirit which in this thou hast shewed thy ignorance of that spirit guided the Saints to God the Father of spirits which revealed unto them the deep things of God with which spirit again the Scriptures are known And the spirit which always rules the Saints and guides them up to God and to speak forth the Scriptures They did not deny the Saints words spoken before them but was in unity with them in the spirit and so came to the spirits of just men which none doth but who are come into the Saints rule that gave forth Scriptures And so people have had the Scriptures but inwardly ravened from the spirit thou and the rest of thy fellows and have been all on heaps about words and so voyd of the revelation that they were in that gave forth Scriptures For all are unlearned upon the earth that are not in the immediate inspiration as they were in that gave forth the Scriptures and in the tongue of the unlearned like the Aegyptian Sea Pr. He saith Printing was a rare invention and it was the gift of God page 21. And onely Gods servants preached by the written Copies and since by the printed volume page 22. Answ That which is invented and men have invented it is not the gift of God and men only preaching from the Copies written and since by the Volumes printed in this hast thou shewed that you have had only the sheeps cloathing and that hath been it which hath made you Ministers For they that were the Ministers of the spirit their only preaching was not from copies and volumes that did not make them Ministers but what they had received from the Lord that they declared forth and was not Ministers of copies and writings only But the copy and writings of the Scripture had you them in the life that gave them forth you would have gathered people into the unity which being ravened from it you bring them all upon heaps Pr. The letter or writing of the spirit of God is the Law and touch-stone page 23. He saith the Scriptures is the spirituall sword page 26. And the Scriptures is the ground of all Saints actions And have not I written unto thee excellent things in counsell and knowledge page 32. Answ The Pharisees had Scriptures and had not the spirit that gave them forth so they wanted the Word of God the sword of the spirit and they stood against the substance of the Scriptures And they had Scriptures but they were out of the Saints actings for they turned against the Just And so doth all upon the earth that have the Scriptures but out of the spirit that gave them forth they are out of the ground of the Saints actings And none knows the excellent things written of knowledge nor counsell but who be in the spirit that gave forth Scriptures Though they have the Scriptures in their own knowledge and wisdome yet they understand not the excellent things written but as they come into the spirit that gave them forth So thou art a man not dividing the word aright and many may have the Scriptures yea the whole world may have the Scriptures and not being in the spirit that gave them forth they break into Sects among one another And the Devil may come with Scriptures but hath not the spirit to fight withal who is out of the Truth Pr. He saith Women are excluded from speaking though endued with more then ordinary gifts and they are not allowed to teach page 34. And the Canon of the Apostles is the key to open the Scriptures And the sure word of prophecy is the Scriptures page 38. which is a more sure word then an immediate voyce from heaven He saith the word which the Apostle speaks of to the Romans in the mouth and in the heart is the Gospell promises without Deut. 30. And the Scripture Books Chapters is the light that shines in mans heart and the new Creature is too narrow for a rule page 44. A. The new creature is subject to the Law of God for he is in Christ who is the end of Law Types Figures Shadows Parables and there is rule direction counsell wisdome and the old man cometh to be subjected which is not subject to the Law of God and here comes the blessing and the peace of the Israel of God who walk according to the rule of the new creature for he walks in the life that gave forth Scripture which the old man walks out of And he may say the Scriptures is his rule but he is not subject to the witnesse of God in himself nor owns not the light which Jesus Christ hath enlightned him withall but doth the evill and loves the darkness which light is his condemnation And the law is light and the Testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy And many may have the old and new Testament and stand against the light the spirit of prophecy within And many may have the Scriptures Books and Chapters and stand against the Light Christ Jesus that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world And so put the Letter for the Light and walk from the light in their own particulars which should lead them into a new life Such comes not to know the new life nor the blessing of the Israel of God And the woman the Evah must be silent for she was first deceived and the woman Jezebel that calls her selfe a Prophetesse that must not be suffered to teach or to usurp authority But Christ in the male and Christ in the female is beyond the first Adam or Evah or she that calls her selfe a Prophetesse or the great whore that reigns over the Kings of the earth there is all their languages under Christ in the Females shall comprehend this as well as in the Male and give judgement and the daughters shall prophecy as well as the sons And such as limit or quench the spirit in the Males or Females are them that are apostatized and ravened inwardly from the spirit of God and despise prophecy only have the sheeps cloathing such as thou and you and knows not the spirit but are ravened from it the spirit of God that hath power over all flesh and so makes your selves ignorant of it are such as quencheth it in others And the spirit of God in the Apostles being witnessed it opens the Scriptures is the key lets to see what hath been since the dayes of the Apostles and rul'd and reign'd and had the dominion the Wolfe in the sheeps cloathing which have deceived the Nations and such as have led the world and brought them all upon heaps and have never heard the voyce of God and have published it in the Nation in print nor the voyce of Christ and have not the same infallible spirit as the Apostles had and no immediate revelation nor inspiration
as they had so these have taken away the key of knowledge from among people since the days of the Apostles and as for the word Canon ye may go to the Papists The Apostles shewed the fulfilling of the Scriptures that Christ was come and the Apostles saw what Christ said should come which inwardly ravened went forth from them which the world hath gone after which now we with the same spirit the Apostles was in which you all ravened from do see ye and what hath reigned since the dayes of the Apostles Now is the fulfilling of the Prophets And the word was in the Apostles and in the Saints yea the word of faith and this comes to fulfill the Scripture this word of faith which was preached in the heart and in the mouth and which was promised before And the light was in the Apostles heart that shined and the sure word of prophesie that did let see and foresee was in the hearts of people which led them to give forth Scriptures and that which fulfills the Scriptures the prophesie is of Christ who ends it and the spirit led them to speak it forth the spirit of prophesie which many may have the Scriptures and not have the more sure word of prophesie And many may have the Scriptures as the Pharisees had and stand against the Revelation of the Son of God from heaven which is surer for he was before Scripture was who ends the Scriptures for many may have Scriptures and be out of the life and not know him the Revelation of the Son of God as the Jewes did not and so say the Scriptures is more sure then Revelation from heaven so more sure then the Son of God who is greater then all and the Scripture was given forth by Revelation and none knowes it but by Revelation Pr. He saith Christ doth not give to every man the light that leadeth to the Father and there is not in every man that redeeming light which leadeth to the Father And it is false to say the light which John speakes of is a salvation light he saith the light in every man is but the candle light of natural understanding pag. 56. And the light which every man hath is a low common benefit and no drop of this immortal seed pag. 57. 58. Nor is the light which every man hath his Mediation And I call the light which every man hath natural pag. 59. And the light which every man hath teacheth nothing of the way truth and life of Jesus Christ. pag. 60. And the light which is in every man is opposite to Scriptures pag. 61. This is the light which is in every mans conscience which is but natural And the Apostle saith he warneth every man and teacheth every man that he might present them perfect in Christ Jesus But he saith the Apostle did not warn every man he did not levell the Saints light with every mans page 62. It is not meant that every man is enlightened but the Church Page 63. Answ I am the light of the world and doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world saith Christ the life So the light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightned withall wil let them see the life which it cometh from will let them see their salvation Christ Jesus will let them see their Mediator will let them see the truth for the light is truth which cometh from Christ the truth And the light is Christ the way the truth the life that enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world In him was life and the life was the light of men in him by whom the world was made which light was before any natural lights was the Sun Moon and Stars are natural lights and these was made by Christ the light who doth enlighten every man c. which men having a light from him by whom the world was made by whom all things was created who was afore any things was created Le ts them see before any created light natural light made lights which gives every one the knowledge of life which lets every one see the salvation to the ends of the earth which lets every one see the Covenant of God that love it and believe in it they come to the life Christ him from whence the light cometh The light is of the immortal seed of Christ Jesus one with the Saints light the Saints believe in that the world hates and receives that which the world hates so it is the worlds condemnation it is the condemnation of them that hate it And so was he promised a Covenant to the Gentiles aswell as to the Jewes and so doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world according to Johns witness and testimony to the Priests and Levites which came from Jerusalem to examine him So the Priests now examine us in this age and professors which the Quakers are witnesses of and bears testimony to which Paul warned every man and taught every man that he might present them perfect in Christ the light So the light is one with the Saints light that condemnes the unbelievers And the light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightened withall that through it he might believe and who believes in it and receives it he hath the light of life and they become the Sons of God and who hate it it is their condemnation and they are against Scriptures but the light is not against Scriptures but ownes them And so the light is not so low as ye esteem it for it was before any thing was made or created as for the word Trinity there is no Scripture for it without ye finde it in the Common-prayer Book And the light in the converted shines out of Darkness in their hearts and gives them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God c. And the light in the unconverted shines in the Darkness and the Darkness comprehendes it not Pr. He saith that the light without the Scriptures is no light Pag. 64. And to call the light that doth enlighten every man the word of God is contradiction And there was no light before the Scriptures which is now revealed in Scripture pag. 64. That God is light not the light in every mans conscience pag. 68. And the best light that every man hath is but created Not one man in the world knowes God till he finde him in Scripture pag. 69 The Lord Christ the Eternal Son the Essential word of the Father is more in Scripture then in every man or any man pag. 70. They that speak from the Scripture rightly understood speak more from Christ then they that speak from the light within them Answ The light was before Scripture was given forth the light was before the Created lights was and makes manifest all created lights for all created lights was created by it and all that ever had the Scriptures and are not in the light that doth enlighten every man that
cometh into the world the light by whom the world was made He knowes neither the word of God nor Father nor Son nor Christ nor the Lord nor Scripture and the word and the Father and the Son and Christ these are to be found in man the Lord searcheth the heart and is not to be found in the letter but it testifies of these things And they that speak so much of Christ from the letter which gives not life because it speakes of him and are from the light within them which cometh from Christ which doth enlighten every man c. they speak as the Devil doth and the Pharisees preaching a Christ is come as they did he was to come and stood against the light that doth enligthen every man that cometh into the world and sent their Priests and Levites to examine John as they do now who be professors and Priests And many may have the Scriptures and yet be from the light and deny the light the Devil who is out of the light may bring Scripture and he hath not the light And that is light and that is the word which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world So he is all and in all and through all God over all blessed for ever which shall make every tongue to confesse and all stand guilty before him that hate it and say he is righteous And Christ which is called the word of God which doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world is not contradiction And many may have the Scriptures and yet never know God till they come to the light which comes from the Son who reveals him Pr. He saith Christ saveth by the declaration or by Scripture and makes the Declaration saving Answ Christ is the Saviour and that the Scripture declares of and speakes of and many may have the Scriptures and declaration and reject Christ as the Jewes did and all do that deny the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world from their Saviour which is not Scripture Pr. And to say the light in every man gave forth Scripture and will open Scripture to us is palpable darkness and contradiction to Scripture page 74. Answ All be in the utter darkness and know not the Scripture until they come to the light that every man was in that gave forth Scriptures for the light lets them see to what it was spoken and Christ the end of them Pr. And to say every mans light is the sure word of prophesie is an old fable pag. 75. No man shall be able to spell out a sillable of the Gospel by all that is written in mans heart And the universal light layes waste the free grace of God so never was it every mans light or free gift And the light in every mans conscience is a bill of condemnation discovers no salvation pag. 76. And that which Adam had before the fall was imperfect Answ The light that every man is enlightened with is Christ Jesus the gift of God the Covenant of God the way to the Father that all through the light might believe in him who is the way to the Father out of the first Adam the state in the fall who fell from that which was perfect and so became unperfect And the light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightened withall which shineth in the darkness will be his condemnation if he hate it and a sure word of prophesie to him he shall finde it and condemn him for all his faults and it was found in the heart which brought them to know God that gave forth Sâ—ripture He goes unto fables when he goes from the light which all ye and the world is in the fables And the light which every man is enlightened with that cometh into the world doth not lay waste the grace of God but he that is in the light seeth the Covenant of grace and receives it And all that deny the light tramples the new Covenant under their feet And the light which every man is enlightened withall is the light of the Gospel which all men shall be Judged according to and it is it that discovers the Saviour which doth condemn Pr. He saith the light is an imperfect light and it is mixed with darkness And if the Saints should say they have no sin no darkness they are more dark and sinful page 78. And every man is in Christ while he hath sin in him p. 79. and the light in every man is none of the six principles in the Hebrewes Page 81. Answ The Sâ—ints witnessed the darkness was past the true light shined they was not in the night and the Sâ—ints was made free from sin and the night was over and they were children of the day not of the night And the light is perfect which doth enlighten every man c. And all lights that was made was made by the light Christ Jesus that was before any thing was made this is it that discovers them and leâ—s see them and this is perfect And all be in ignorance that be out of it And who be in Christ doth not commit sin is a new creature old things passe away the old man and his deeds And in the light which every man is enlightened withall all the principles in the Law in the Prophets in the Hebrewes ends for it was before any words was spoken forth glorified with the Father before the world began Pr. He saith no man will ever be saved by his best obedience to the light which doth enlighten c. pag. 85 Christ hath satisfied and merited for a certain number of sinners their deliverance Page 87. Ans No man is saved or doth witness salvation but who are in the light Christ Jesus doth enlighten them withall And who are in the light they are in obedience of faith and they neglect not the Gospel nor the hearing the voyce that speakes from heaven But who hate the light they neglect the Gospel and him that speakes from heaven and doth not come into the obedience of faith but be in their own works in the dark without light Christ is the offering for the sin of the whole world not for the sins of a people but the seed Christ the second Adam overthrowes all the sins is the offering for all the sins that was brought in by the first Adam and reconciles to the Father and is the restorer and nothing shuts out but the unbelief in the light for Christ saith believe in the light And so Christ is the offering for the sins of the whole world and not for some only Pr. He saith Christ the suretie payes the elects debt Pag. 103. Answ Christ is the surety for all that dwell on the earth that believe in him as he doth enlighten every man And God layes no charge of sin to the elect for it is not possible that they should be deceived And the cause of all bringings into Sects is that people be out
But your swearing now is not like to the Jewes for they swore by the Lord not swore by the book of the Prophets writings neither did they swear by the Tables in which the Law was writen Neither did the Apostles nor the Saints swear by the Epistles nor Christs words after they were wriâ—ten and recorded Now this is worse then the Jewes for they were to swear by the Lord from whom the Law came they were to swear by the Lord of whom the Prophets learned and not by the Tables nor by the Prophets words Now the heathen was to swear by Moloch and to swear by Baal and kist Baal and the children of Israel to swear by the Lord not to swear by any Writings or Declarations of the Prophets or Moses Neither do we read that the Saints swore by the Epistles or the Revelations or Matthew Marks Luke or John and kist it For the true Christians that wiâ—nessed Christ the end of the Prophets the end of Moses a greater then Solomon Him by whom the world was made before it was made before Abraham was which reigns over the house of Joseph and Jacob to whom the Angels must bow saith swear not at all This is my beloved son saith God heare ye him Pr. He saith A believer hath both the rise and furtherance of his faith and evidence from what is written And if the Scripture be a dead letter and the word in the heart be one with the Scripture then that in the heart is dead page 246. Let them tell the world how the Scripture is the Declaration without contradiction and yet the word in the heart page 247. Answ The Scripture as it lies and is in it selfe is a dead letter but as the word is felt in the heart that gave it forth then it is its own words Now to them that be from the Word within the dead mind the dead letter And so the words themselves there gives not life to that but as the words is raised up within as it was in them that gave it forth and that is it which gives life and that sees the Scriptures and the fulfilling of them and then that knows the Scriptures that cannot be broken and in that the words ends the word Christ And that 's it that gives life to all people and saves the soule which the Letter doth not as it is in it selfe without one have that which gave it forth and that is not dead And a believer the author of his Faith is Christ and the giver of it And if he have all that is written and be not in the light Christ who is the author of his Faith he wants the foundation of God that stands sure Christ Jesus that all the Fathers and holy men of God rest in in the faith before any Scripture was written in him stood their faith the foundation of God Israels glory the light of the Gentiles this is that which fulfills all Scriptures and ends the faith the salvation And the Ministers of the Word that comes to fulfil the words those Ministers of the Word they took in hand to set forth in order a Declaration of the things wrought among them which had a perfect understanding from the very first of what Christ both said and did And so this Declaration was given forth to be read believed fulfilled and people to enjoy the thing it speaks of that which the Apostles preached to Jewes and Gentiles the new Covenant the one offering the blood of Jesus Christ him the end of the first Priesthood that Abraham saw and David saw and Moses had the type of the Prophets wrote of Now who enjoyes him that these all spoke of saw and preached they have the end the comfort of the Scriptures And here is the Declaration seen and known and here is the substance possest and here is the words of God and here is the Word of God that fulfills the words which word was before the words in which word the words end and are all sum'd up into Pr. For to say Christ and faith is not to be found in Scriptures He saith I hope no humble Saint will pin his faith upon this c. And they crying up thee and thou to a particular c. pag. 247. Answ Christ was before the Scripture was written and Christ is life not found in a dead letter nor faith and he is the end of the Scriptures and the substance of them and many had the Scriptures and could not finde faith in them nor Christ nor life And Christ told the Pharisees he was the life the Scripture testified of him but they would not come to him that they might have life who is the end and substance of the Scriptures by whom the world was made And as for the words thee and thou and you who are stumbling at it shews they have never learned their Accidence or Bible So short oâ— the language of the spirit that teacheth to speak sound words that cannot be condemned who are ignorant of the literall knowledge Pr. He saith The Scriptures was breathed forth by the spirit of God but we receive the spirit another way then they did as gave forth the Scriptures and the Scriptures was given forth immediately but thus the Scriptures comes not to us nor the understanding of them We have Books and Canons and printed Translations in the Mother Tongue page 248. Answ All your Books and Canons and if ye have all the Scriptures printed in all the Languages of the world and if ye have not the same immediate inspiration that gave them forth ye understand not the Scriptures And we do believe you that ye have not an immediate inspiration as they had nor do not receive the spirit as they did that gave forth the Scriptures who are ravened from it But who ever knows the Scriptures of truth it is by the same spirit as gave them forth with this and by this is the Scriptures of truth the excellent words known again to what state and condition they were spoken Pr. He saith The spirit is in the Letter or the whole Scripture Page 254. And they that writ forth the Scriptures were imperfectly holy but Gods Word was holy To conclude the spirit is in the Letter and given by it daily experience demonstrates it And they that owns not the spirits dwelling in the letter have lost their faith of the spirits presence and runs to other Gospels and Doctrines the spirit of errour is in all mens Doctrines that have not the spirit in them page 255. Answ The holy men of God that gave forth the Scriptures as they were moved by the holy Ghost but the Apostle said they were holy and we shall believe him before we believe any of you apostate Teachers which say they were not holy And the spirit was in them that gave forth the Scriptures received of God the Father of spirits and dwells in God And they that be from the spirit of God within which gave
sufficient that declares of Christ And the Prophets did not take Texts and raise Motives and Uses and Reasons and lay in them halfe a yeare together and sell them for money as ye do now since the days of the Apostles in the apostacy But now I am come to reckon with you and you shall have a portion a reward according to your works And I will slay you with the sword the words of my mouth saith the Lamb. And your Poynts and Reasons and Imaginations which ye fetch out of Scripture is but to lead people under condemnation and keep them from the immediate teaching and the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world And James Parnells blood who dyed in the Prison that righteous man his blood lies upon you and that shall lye upon your heads sparkling and from under it ye shall never come but ye shall own it And the spirit of God levels down all the proud and lofty hearts of men by which people are brought into unity with God and one with another And the first day of the week which ye call the Sabbath ye never read it in the Scriptures as a strict command among the Apostles Pr. And the Magistrate is not to levell the Laws with the light in every mans conscience Again If the Magistrate be in the Light and discern into the minde of Christ and understand his law Is he to compell all the Nation and Common-wealth to come to the practice of his light page 308. Answ The Magistrate of Christ the help-government for him he is in the light and power of Christ and he is to subject all under the power of Christ into his light else he is not a faithfull Magistrate And his Lawes here are agreeable and answerable according to that of God in every man when men act contrary to it they do evill So he is a terrour to the evill doers discerns the precious and the just from the vile and this is a praise to them that do well Pr. He saith The Scriptures is the more sure word of prophecy that shines in the darke heart untill enlightned by the Law And every mans light c. is the shimmerings of the law and not of the Gospel light and it is the voyce of the spirit of unbelief that saith the spirit and the power is not in the declaration See his Appendix Answ The spirit and the power was in them that gave forth the Declaration and many have the Declaration and wants the spirit and wants the power as the Pharisees did as all you Apostates inwardly ravened from the spirit of God have had the Declaration but not found the power in it nor spirit in it and so are in the unbelief and are all on heaps about it For if ye had found the power and the spirit in it ye had been all one and quiet before now about Religion yea whole Christendome in power and in the spirit and in the bond of peace and in fellowship one with another and the Scriptures and the spirit and God And the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world every man being in the light which hath enlightned him he shall feel the word of prophecy he shal feel the light shining in his heart he shall feel the Day-star arise there in his heart he shall see that no Prophecy of the Scriptures came by the will of man but holy men of God spoke them forth He shall see that many may have the Scriptures yet quench the spirit despise prophecying he shall see the Scripture is but the Letter declared forth from the spirit of Prophecy by the Prophets and the spirit of God in the Son and in the rest of the Apostles And the light which doth enlighten every one c. is the end of the Law and all shimmering lights and it is the light of the Gospel And none knows the Gospel the power of God Christ Jesus but with the light that cometh from him And here cometh every man into his particular comfort And that is the voyce of the unbeliever like the Pharisees that thought to have had life in the Letter and would not come to Christ the life the substance of Scriptures but stops his eare to the light of God in him Pr. He saith Let all know that the worke within is not the ground and purchase of true peace And that God is more pleased with that which Christ works without for them then that which he worketh within them And those that Peter speaks of that had escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Christ yea cleane and yet are in the naturall state first and last See Appendix A. Them that have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledg of Jesus Christ and are clean are out of the naturall state for they have escaped out of that state which they were in first And such as witnesse their Sanctification Justification wrought within them they witnesse in this they please God by the faith in the blood of the Son of God Now they feel not the comfort nor the benefit but by the faith of Christ Jesus the one offering in which God is pleased withall which is acceptable which is Christs offering his sacrifice his flesh his blood his life his mind must be manifest and received within before they come to Justification Sanctification and Redemption and the serving of God in the new life And herein is God glorified to believe in the onely begotten Son of God and here they honour the Son in believing in him whom the Father hath sent And so they that feele not Chirst in them are Reprobates And as for all the rest of thy lyes and slanders and strife and confusions who would set one against another all cool and quiet sober spirits will see thy confusion and so thy words shall be thy own burthen and the lyes torn upon thy owne selfe And no man shall establish Sion nor lay a stone there as he is in himselfe but the Elect makes up Sion and the living stones where the elect and precious stone is in the midst which is Christ laid in Sion And all thy Babylonish wayes actings doings and the rest of all thy Brethren and who are begotten with the same spirit of the great Whore that inwardly ravened from the spirit of God which long hath had the sheeps cloathing upon your backs who all come from one Popish flock are comprehended now by the spirit of God which ye all ravened from inwardly with it are ye all fathomed And how the Whore hath been arrayed with the sheeps cloathing and hath had power over Kindreds Tongues and Peoples and Nations and Multitudes and brought Nations into waters and Peoples and Tongues Multitudes like waters which have drunk the blood of the Prophets and the Saints and the Martyrs And so thou art flattering the Authorities of the earth and crouching under them out of whose
the Temple who was to swear by the Lord and to performe the oath to him Which that oath Christ ended and brought men out of strife and the earth into peace with God to the beginning to the glory which was with the Father before the world was began who brings the peace on earth and good will towards men And do not you that swear by the Bible swear by all that 's contained in it like as the Jewes swore by the Temple and so hath not the Bible judged you Here Christs words and the Apostles that tells you ye should not sweare and yet you swear And if yee say the Prophets and Moses and Abraham and Jacob and Joseph and the Angels swore and men of Strife swore Doth not Christ and the Apostle tell you he is the end of the Prophets a greater then Solomon David called him Lord Before Abraham was reignes over the house of Jacob and Joseph to him the Angels bow sayes sweare not at all This is my beloved Son hear him is the end of the Law and the Prophets to him that believes which hears him But it seems you will not hear him that are the swearers and forswearers And the Apostle brings that concerning an oath is the end of controversie among men of strife and men swear by the greater Yet they sware by the Lord he brings the example not that men should swear but shewing how God could not finde a greater sware by himselfe concerning his Son who is the oath of God the end of Oaths and the true oath that men swear that ends the strife He brought peace on earth and good will towards men that ended that oath and brought men to unity to God and one another out of the Earth to the beginning Pr. That Oaths are to be performed if the Scriptures were silent The Law of Nature and Nations would speak loud in this point because of the particular miscarriages in humane Societies Therefore sayes the Lord Mine oaths ye despised and my covenant ye have broken It would be a great dishonour to the nature of an Oath if it should tye any man to disobey the commands of God Governours are ready to thinke it their great security to establish themselves by Oaths Answ The commands of Christ let the Law as ye call it of Nature and Nations cry never so loud for swearing who stablish themselves by sin and trangression in the earthly humane societies the commands of Christ forbids swearing And I know that the Law of Nations and the Nationall Laws have sworn by severall Heathen gods and Idols as the Jewes swore by the Temple and you by the Evangelists and Christ sayes swear not at all and his Apostles And here 's great out-cries for oaths but here is a cry from the Lord Christ sayes swear not at all And oaths was in the Covenant which Covenant was to change mark that Oaths despised and Covenant broken This was the first covenant in which were the oaths that was to change and decay which Christ came to end both Covenant and Oaths and bid them swear not at all and took away the first covenant that he might establish the second And so as the Jewes brake the first covenant and despised the Lords oath which was to swear by himself who is the greater and to him to perform it So you despise his covenant his Son the everlasting covenant that ends oaths and the first covenant that are teaching men to swear and so there is swearing and for-swearing The lamentable work and doings as you may see in your Courts how they will swear a man hath so much when he hath not halfe so much as the Writs and Indictments and all their bad stuff declares it And so you that swear do break the commands of Christ though it was the command of God in the old time to swear yet it is the command of Christ who makes all things new swear not at all And the Governours that are established by Oaths are out of the doctrine of Christ that establish themselves by that which Christ denies and so establish themselves out of the power command and authority and doth not hear the Son and are not the true christians but are apostatized from the true Church hath onely his name but are dead to the life Now Christ that takes away oaths and shewed the danger of them that went into oaths more then yea and nay in all their Communications bid them swear not at all and that they went into the evill that did he established a way by two or three witnesses every word is established So they that would have any more then yea and nay may take the order of Christ minde the order of Christ two or three witnesses that yee may establish every word And this is aâ— way for all Trades-men and Magistrates and all whatsoever that they may follow and practice the commands of Christ yea and nay in all their communications and if they will have any more two or three witnesses that every word may be established And such are the true Christians the true Brethren that abide in the Doctrine of Christ they are not transgressors but hath the Son and the Father which the other hath not and that 's a practice for all true Christians Cities Countries and Magistrates upon the earth Pr. Thou saith Those that be engaged take oaths and they must be circumspect in taking of it and this is the word thou adds And you my Lord Major and Sheriffs under the bond of an Oath shall execute your office Answ The command of Christ the doctrine of the Apostles engageth men they shall not swear and doth not engage any to swear nor Christ who is the end of the Law and the Prophets but you Ministers of unrighteousness and false Apostles teach men to disobey and transgresse the commands of Christ which are the false Prophets and Antichrists which Christ said should come John saw was come went forth from them the Apostles and since the world is gone after you and so you have taught the world to swear and men to swear and Christ and his Apostles teach them not to swear And so here 's the Land mourning because of oaths among boyes and girles it 's become common in your Streets Courts and Houses Swearing for-swearing and profane swearing and that which is out of the command of Christ is profane for they bewitch people that draw people from the command of God The Apostle instances Circumcision which Christ ended and what are they that draw people to those things which Christ forbids but such as would not have him to reigne but Antichrists which hath been from the Apostles And so you and the Papists are one here doing what you do by an oath and the Apostle saith which you are apostatized from Above all things swear not at all neither by heaven nor by earth nor by any other oath Marke this was to the brethren true christians true believers such
which thing did end them Sabbath signifyeth rest for the earth shall enjoy her Sabbaths Pr. And thou saith That the inventions of mens hearts have blotted out the remembrance of the Sabbath day they first cast it out of Paradice and shut it out till Moses time And thou saith the Sabbath was not at all a type or ceremoniall Answ What is a shadow is a type and a shadow and type is ceremoniall when the substance comes it ends and in him is no shadow as in Iames the first who is the body before the dayes was and thou never read that the Sabbath was spoken of from Paradice untill Moses and then it was given unto him for a signe through the generations of the Congregations of the children of Israel not to gather meat make a fire bear burthens So who comes to Christ the body the end of the signe the rest who was before dayes was bears no burthens gathers not their meat makes not a fire Pr. Thou saith It 's an absurd confusion that we must offer sacrifices if we will keep a Sabbath Answ Thou shalt offer sacrifices made by fire of a sweet sacrifice unto the Lord on a Sabbath day Numb 28. Now offerings was a shadow of Christ the offering and the Sabbath was a shadow and so if yee will observe one you must observe the other and so deny the body the substance Christ the one Offering and so that is ceremonial And thou saith the Law justified the Disciples and brings Deut. 23. for plucking the ears of corn upon the Sabbath day which speaks nothing to the thing and doth not mention the Sabbath day And so Christ the end of the Law who comes to fulfill it who is the Lord of the Sabbath that the Disciples followed in whom they had rest saw over the day and the shadow to Christ the substance which forbade them not gathering the meat on that day the Sabbath the shadow that was the Law But Christ the end of the Law and shadows the substance the Disciples as was in him plucked the ears of corn on that day and so Christ did not break the Sabbath but came to fulfill the shadow and was the substance who was the end of it the Lord of it and therefore might do what he would being the Lord of the Sabbath what had any to do to question him Pr. And whereas thou saist the cripple carried his bed on the Sabbath day which the hypocrites speaks against our Saviour for Answ The Law sayes thou shalt not beare a burthen on the Sabbath day Now Christ the end of the Law and the end of the shadow that fulfills it and is rest often gives rest upon that day Yet not a breaker of the Sabbath but a fulfiller and convinces the gain-sayers with this Which of you having an Oxe or Asse fallen into a ditch would not pluck him out on that day And the Circumcision was to be on the eighth day on which Christ rose and on which the Saints met in the circumcision of the spirit in the spirit which circumcises which puts off the body of sinne which hath laden them in which spirit they have rest and are led withall up to God the Father of spirits and so comes to know the first day and him before it was made Pr. And thou sayes and brings the Apostles words Men esteeming one day above another and another esteeming every day alike Answ Now the Apostle here did not lay any burthen upon the Saints or tell the Saints of the Sabbath day nor burthen them concerning it that if they did not keep it they should dye as the Law sayes but that every man be fully perswaded in his owne minde and not to judge one another in such cases but that every man stand or fall to his own master Now these words were spoken among Saints who was leading from meats and drinks and dayes to the truth to the body Christ and so he judged that judgment as was judging one another about the dayes but brought every one to the truth in his own particular wherewith he should stand or fall to his own Master For about shadows and signes untill they come to see clearly there 's the weaknesse of the meats of the dayes before they come to see him which was before the dayes was the Lord of the Sabbath and the everlasting offering where ends the judgement in which they have peace Pr. Thou saith the Apostle sayes Ye observe meats and drinks and dayes and moneths and yeares And thou saith Will any be so bold as say hee doth reproach the Sabbath Answ The Apostle doth not tâ—ll the Galatians that was running into Circumcision and dayes that they was to keep the outward Sabbath for Circumcision was an everlasting Covenant as well as the Sabbath to the Jewes throughout all their generations So they that draw people to Circumcision without and to dayes they draw them from the body mark his judgement and the Apostle was not a reproacher and was out of the nature of a reproacher Pr. Thou saith Let no man judge you in meats and drinks and in respect of any Feast new Moons or Sabbaths which are shadows of things to come but the body is Christ But in this bold absurdity some will cast off the Sabbath the seventh day Answ The Apostle sayes the body was Christ and the Sabbath was a signe and a shadow of good things to come So then this fulfils Moses words the body is Christ the Sabbath a signe So the good things being come Christ it ends the shadow the the signe that is the substance and rose on the first day on which the Saints met and the Apostle doth not call that a Sabbath nor doth not establish the other Sabbath among the Christians nor bid them keep it that ye read of no where For if that had been observed as it was in the Law time the seventh which signifies perfection the Apostle would have spoken of it some where for those things that were observable was often spoken in Law and Gospell and this being no where spoken of nor to the Saints as that they should keep the seventh day as a Sabbath for offerings was on that day and offerings changed and the offerings being changed the Law also changed and the offering camâ— Christ Jesus and the Law came within and the Circumcision came within And Christ the rest who is the Lord of the Sabbath and the rest for the people of God and he that holds up Sabbaths Offerings holds up Circumcision and Works and so keeps people from the body and the head in the signes and shadows and so the works of the Law which the Law commands Pr. And thou saith Sixe dayes thou shalt labour and do all thy works of sin but the Sabbath day thou shalt not sin thou nor thy son thy daughter thy cattell and stranger within thy gates To keep thy Son Daughter and Stranger from sin as for the poor Cattell they are
from the body which is Christ and so brings them into dayes and shadows and types where the vaile is over their hearts and the false Christian may run into signes and dayes that be out of Christs life and the Apostles But who be in the life of Christ and the Apostles that be in the body out of the signes and shadows and offers up the spirituall sacrifices such be in the rest and have the High Priest the everlasting Priest Christ Now if ye have the Sabbath ye must have the offerings the Priest to offer and your Altars and to offer upon that day which the Christians that witnessed the body Christ Jesus the one offering comes in the volume of the Book to do the will of God this substance that the shadow and signes and figures gave forth ends them all and brings people to see to the end of the shadow to Perfection Christ Jesus Pr. Thou sayes We should not grudge to give God every first day as an addition to Gods seventh-day-sabbath Answ The Priests call it a Sabbath and you call it a first day and you would have a Sabbath besides Now this is your cover but the life takes away all your shadows 'T is true the Saints did meet together every first day on the week And the Saints do so though they do not say it was a command And so the Apostles that brought people off their observing of dayes and times and told them the body was Christ and the Sabbath was a shadow of good things to come Thou mayst say the Apostle was the little Horne that changed times we finde no where he commands the Saints to observe it but brings people as you may read in the Romans from the Law being justified by the Law for if they keep the Sabbath they were justified it not they were condemned So Christ the body the end of types figures signes and shadows is the Justification without the works of the Law and the Sanctification it selfe and sanctifies man to God and so the Christians no where as you may read through the Epistles did observe the dayes the shadowes that was believers in Christs that ownes the body Prin. Thou sayes since the blessed Creator celebrated the seventh day Man thinks to be wiser then his Maker in altering and disobeying pretending spiritual observances poor worm dust and ashes who in expounding his own Law sums up all in this be ye therefore perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect that is in quality not in quantitie Answ He that is perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect is perfect as he is perfect if thou or any have an ear to hear let them hear and lay away thy qualities and quantities and take the words as they are and all that are come into Christ are come into life from the dust and ashes and are the spiritual men But him that talkes of celebrating dayes and Sabbaths are celebrating signes and shadowes and be in their own works from the body of Christ and keeping others and such if they do not all the works contained in the Law are accursed Pr. And thou sayes Christ confirms the seventh day Sabbath and assures us it shall continue every jot and title and Paul sayes he established the Law which cannot be ceremonial therefore let such as slight the seventh day Sabbath take warning and make sure work that it be not broken in no point of the Law which every jot and title is established by Christ and his Apostles when the Lord of the Sabbath and the Saints endeavoured to observe every jot and title of it to the â—â—d of the world and our Redeemer particularly ownes the Sabbath above all other dayes by his works and Miracles and great wonders on that day and God forbid that Saints should side with evil seducers and reproach our Saviour for putting on his glory on that day but rather let that Sabbath be celebrated Answ Christ came not to break the Law the Apostle said the Law was good in its place and he established it yet the Apostle sayes that the Sabbath was shadowes and the body was Christ and he brings them to the Law in the heart in the mind and there he established it and Christ did not come to break one jot or title of it but Mark to fulfill it and he said not one jot or tittle of the Law should be broken until fulfilled and Christ which is the rest to the Jew which had the Sabbath day a sign of rest Christ the rest give the people rest on that day often that was bound that was burthened or that was wearied of that day and Christ that did give them rest on that day and the Apostle which establishes the Law which was good in its place neither of them doth bid keep the Sabbath day he doth not say the Sabbath day must be kept after him the Apostle no where commands it but sayes it was a shadow and the body was Christ and so them that came to the body Christ in the dayes of the Apostles was come to the end of the shadowes in that age in their dayes and for example thou may see it for some did observe a day and some did not and they was not to judge one another about those things and Christ giving rest on that which the people was to rest on was a figure of the everlasting rest and of the Restauration who did the work of God on that day and gave rest to the burthened on that day that signifies an inward rest that Christ was the rest and Lord of the Sabbath and of rest both to the people of God and them that celebrate the Sabbath day must celebrate a sign and live in the shadow and keep them from the body and so from the Church which Christ is the head of and who are celebrating Sabbaths must also bring their offerings and then they must have the first Priesthood to offer and deny the body that doth the will of God the everlasting Priesthood and the one offering and holds with the first Covenant that must decay in which those things stood and deny the everlasting Covenant and he that blotted out Ordinances and ends types and shadowes and so Christ is the end of the Law to every one that believes in every jot and title and print in it and signes and shadowes that was held up by the Law Christ is the end of that yet the life of the Law the power remaines though the outward changing shadowes and things end the body is that that ends them all Pr. Thou sayes the Sabbath was honoured with the conversion of souls on this day and the day before did they break bread together Ans Was that the Sabbath day that Christ and his Disciples brake bread together on did the Apostles and the Saints establish the Sabbath day when they said it was but a shadow and brought them to the body which is Christ Pr. Thou sayes the Sabbath is mentioned with new
not worth mentioning but the Scriptures are owned And Iohn art thou finding fault because men wears no hatbands and eats and drinks bread and water and casts by their pride Now thou mayst see who thou hast taken part with and who is the scoffer and sheweth thy self and who is thy Master short of all good And as for all your bad names and misconstruing of Scriptures it will come upon your selves and thou hast shewed in all thy Book that thou art not able to divide the word aright nor an instructer of Babes Pr. And thou saith that Christ dyed for the sins of the elect Answ And the Scripture saith he was an offering for the sins of the whole world and who shall lay charge to Gods elect whom he justifies Pr. And thou speaks of God destroying men for their ignorance and they shall finde no favour in the day of judgement Answ Whereas the Scripture saith in the time of ignorance God winked at but now he commands all men every where to repent and every man that cometh into the world is enlightned And the spirit of truth shall reprove the world of sin of righteousnesse and of judgement which leads believers into all truth And the grace of God which brings salvation hath appeared to all men but they turne it into wantonnesse which is the Saints teacher And this shall make every tongue to confesse to the glory of God and every knee to bow at his name which is the Emanuel and so none shall plead ignorance as thou saist who art in the ignorance thy selfe but inexcusable because convicted and hast rejected the tender mercies who hast lifted up thy selfe against the Saints and the Lamb but a stone is set over thy head that shall grind thee to powder and the Saints shall have the victory and the Kingdome that is an everlasting Kingdome the witnesse in thy conscience shall witnesse against thee for all thy hard speeches and let thee know that you and thou had better have been silent then to fight against the Lord the Lamb and his Saints that 's the word of the Lord God to thee and you all When ye are judged the witnesse in all your consciences shall answer W. P. his Principles in his Book intituled according to truth that quakes not trembles not nor quailes Pr. THey say If the Apostles had been put to preach upon a short Text or methodically as by a long practice in the Church it is expected from us that they might oft times have studyed for it Answ In this you have shewed your spirits and made manifest you are voyd of the revelation from God and your ignorance of the Scriptures for the holy Ghost shall not speak of it selfe but take of his And the Apostles what they had seen and heard they declared And Christ what he had received of the Father he declared and the spirit that which speaks in the Church and it shews the fulfilling of the Scriptures and it keeps not people long in Texts as the world doth that wrests Scriptures up and down and keep people in sects and so there is the spirit leading into all truth and the spirit of the Father speaking within and the holy Ghost that moved men to give forth Scripture that teacheth to divide the word aright which is the spirit of prophecy in the Church not studying Pr. They say Every man that hath the spirit in some measure doth not attain to the great height and degree that they did that gave forth Scriptures that therefore may not lawfully and infallibly teach as they did Ans Every man that hath a measure of the spirit of God in the least measure or degree it is infallible and so far may they teach infallibly and know Scriptures but they cannot know all Scriptures but as they attain to the full measure of the spirit of the Prophets and Apostles and to the measure and stature and fulness of Christ and if they do not attain to all this they are not able to know all the Scriptures and the work of the Ministers of God was to bring people to this to the measure and stature and fulnesse of Christ and saith Let every one minister as he hath received the grace And take heed of any of you going beyond your measure and them that deny the grace of God appearing to all men cannot minister Pr. They say The greatest part of professors in the visible Church were and are always earthly minded nor can rightly value spirituall and heavenly things Ans In this you and your Ministers hath shewed your fruits like Balaams which withers and are earthly such as Jude speaks of that separateth themselves sensuall and had not the spirit but went forth from the Apostles that are got up since the days of the Apostles Church and Ministry like Priest like people and to be such as was coming up before the Apostles decease as he speaks on in Timothy which minded earthly things like Teacher like People that preach themselves thorow with many hurtfull lusts while they coveted after money they lost the faith and so came people to be all on heaps out of unity in the earth being out of the faith of Gods elect so this is all in the apostacy since the Apostles Pr. And he saith That he is not a hireling that takes wages The wages are allotted to him for his worke Ans But do not all you preach for hire and is it not for hire you preach Now the least in the truth may see you Is there ever a Priest in the Nation but he is hired to work or if he have it not he will not stay Now to prove that you do preach for hire where many Steeple-houses in many Parishes that hath no Priest thither you go not because there is but a little Benefice and they have soules as well as others and where there is agreement for so much a year thither you go is not this for hire and so the Prophets words fulfil'd the Priests preach for hire and all these great sums of money which has lifted you up and gathered a great deale of it out of poor mens labours this hath been the undoing of you all and Nations and many poor people because they cannot put into your mouths but now is God come to judgement upon you all in the apostacy apostates Pr. And thou calls the Steeple-house a Church Ans Which is the Church which is come up since the dayes of the Apostles in the apostacy for the Church is the people of God the elect seed which Christ is the head of who in the midst of this Church doth sing praises which is the pillar and ground of truth without spot or wrinkle Whereas the Steeple-house you call your Church will spot wrinkle and blemish and decay and fall down and wicked men may prevail against it but the gates of Hell cannot prevail against that Church which is built upon the rock Pr. And thou sayst Thou dost not
the glory of God And the Law was in their hearts and the Word was within them and the annointing and such had the gifts for the worke of the Ministery for perfecting the Saints for the edifying the body of Christ till they all come to the knowledge of the glory of God and to a perfect man in Christ Jesus Pr. He saith Christ is without his Saints in respect of his bodily presence Answ How then are they of his flesh and of his bone and eate his flesh and drink his blood And how have the Saints his minde and spirit and he with them and they with him and sit with him in heavenly places and he is the head of the Church how then is he absent Ye poor Apostates from him who feels not Christ with you but he is with the Saints and they feel him Pr. He saith Salvation and faith are the gifts of God distinct from Christ Answ They are all of him and from him and with him And how is he the Author of Faith in whom it ends from whence it comes Pr. He saith The light which discovers sin and iniquity in mans heart is not Christ the light the door Ans The first Adam was the door where all sin and transgression entered Christ the second Adam the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world saith I am the door the way the life which finisheth sin and transgression and brings in everlasting righteousnesse and the way of life out of death which Light discovers sin Pr. He saith To call Christ the light the gift the door the way is to take the Gardiner for Christ as Mary did Answ Christ the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world we do not put him for the Gardiner We know him and as many as receives him he gives them power to become the sons of God and this thou sayest is not used power but prerogative authority and thus thou art wresting Scripture So thou should have been more meek and low in thy heart and then thou wouldst have bridled thy tongue and so have learned of Christ and so come to the light the sure foundation out of the errour of thy wayes and have kept in the footsteps of the flock and if thy tongue had been shorter and thy bridle streigher then wouldst not thou have mixt the Covenant of God with mans spirit and have compared it to the Law of works which Christ the light which doth enlighten every one that comes into the world is the end of And mans spirit in the Fall is polluted and his body but as the light is believed in and the minde changed his spirit is sanctified and his body and so comes to be a childe of the Light and his spirit witnesseth with our spirits that we are the Sons of God And none owns the Door Mediator the Life the Way but with the light which Christ doth enlighten every man that comes into the world withal which light is the door the way and the life Ellis Bradshaw His Booke called The Quakers quaking Principles which he directs to the PROTECTOR His Principles are as Followeth Pr. HE saith That Christ who doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world by an immediate illumination not the Elect themselves to bring them to salvation Answ Doth not Christ say I am the way the truth and the life And he is the Door and no man cometh to the Father but by him and learn of him This is my beloved Son heare ye him saith God And is not he the new Covenant in the heart by which men need not say Know the Lord And there is no other name by which men can be saved but by the name of Christ who doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world that all through him might believe And he that believes in the light abides not in darknesse but hath the light of life and they that believe not in it but hates its the light is their condemnation and the light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world is the salvation though men neglect it which the Elect walk in which condemns the unbeliever which is immediate and no man sees salvation but who comes to the light Pr. He saith The Word that was made flesh is visible and the Word is the Letter and they never received the spirit of life from it and that 's the Quakers errour Ans Such as had the Scriptures which was the words of God to them in old time and the ordinances the Apostle calls carnall which the Jewes stuck in and would not come to him that they might have life not to Christ And so if men have all the Scriptures and have not Christ they have not life For the Devill he may have the Scripture and hath he life therefore And the power of God Christ his name is called the Word of God The Word of God lives and endures for ever and the Spirit is not in the Letter and the Letter is not the Word which was made flesh and they be in the errour that thinks so for the Word is invisible Pr. Paul adviseth not onely to the Light within but is bidding them bring his cloak books and parchment and give attendance to reading Answ The Apostle did tell the Saints that the light that shined in their hearts might give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God and bids them walk in the light And Christ bids them believe in the light and they should not walke in darknesse and there is no other name under Heaven by which men can be saved but by the name of Christ And the Scriptures none sees the substance of them nor the fulfilling of them but who walks in the Light whom God speaks to by his Son who is the end of the Prophets and there is the true reading and knowing of all books and pâ—rchments which none knows the Scripture but by the light which comes from Christ in whom they end Pr. And again thou sayst there is more words then one Ans God is the Word and the Scriptures of Truth are his words which Christ fulfills Pr. He saith They have fellowship with the Father but not in the like measure of the gifts of grace the Apostle had Answ Then you are not like none of you to understand the Apostles words nor to be judges of them but as you do come into the like measure and gifts as they was in else you will not be able to judge of their conditions nor know their words Pr. He saith There is no man justified through the faith in Christ that owns the Scriptures to be but a dead letter But that ownes them to be the Word of God in which there is spirit and spirituall life as words of eternall life Answ The spirit and the life is not in the Scriptures but was in them that gave it forth and many have the Scripture and not the
to justification sanctification and righteousness Answ None comes to Justification to Righteousnesse who are out of the fear of God nor to receive his righteousnesse but who comes to the light within which comes from Christ the righteousnesse the wisdome the justification and sanctification and ye be in the errour that be not in this Light that leads too and le ts see it Pr. Perfection in holiness cannot be attained in this life for Adam was under such a Covenant he had no Mediator upon the breach of the command Ans God said to Adam the seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head Christ the Promise the Mediator made the way which was the way in again to God of mans redemption and got down the Serpents head which got up in transgression that Christ the head should bear rule that the seed of the woman should have dominion the second Adam the seed Christ Jesus the Lord from heaven Perfection is not to be attained to by the life ye live untill ye come to the principle of God in you but the life that David lived in saw an end of all perfection And all who come to Christ the second Adam they come to perfection and all who attain to him they attain to perfection in the life of God out of the first Adam but who deny the light that enlightneth every man that cometh into the world and rest in the first Adam the life they live in denies perfection and never owns it in the life they live in But who comes into perfection comes into Christ a new life out of Adam in the Fall in transgression All Physitians to sick men are to make them perfect And do yee say make none whole make none perfect make never a man perfect For being made whole they are made perfect for sin wounds for the Ministery of God was to bring people to the perfect man to present them perfect These were Physitians of value and of worth whereby the body soule spirit and all were cured and they glorified God in the body and spirit Now yee that say they shall not be perfect and that none shall be without sin upon the earth no perfection in the life we live in These are Physitians of no value yee are not worthy to have the name of Physitians Ministers nor Teachers Thomas Weld Richard Prideaux Samuel Hammond William Cole and William Durant for yee are pleading while men be upon earth they must have a body of sin and he that saith otherwayes is a deceiver and so ye keep them in their wounds and sores putrifying and imperfect and not makers up of the breach and binders up of the wound And the Lord saith Though their sins be as red as crimson I will make them as white as wool and will blot out sin and transgression And this tender love and kindnesse of the Lord and mercifulness to sinners transgressors hath the Lord made manifest amongst them which the world in scorn calls Quakers and it is not a strange thing that you would not have people to forsake the fashions of the world who are thus hung about with ribbons and cuffs and scarfs and your double Boot-hose-tops and more like unto Stage-players then Ministers Pr. Perfection is a fancy those were not words of true Physitians who brought men to a perfect man to the growth up in perfection amongst the perfect ones who speak wisdome They say It is no where said that the Law is fulfilled in any Saints in this life Answ They that love God keep his Commandements Christ is the end of the Law to every one that believes and who be in him be in the end of the Law And all that dwell in love dwell in God and love is the fulfilling of the commandement who are of the seed of God keep the words of God which the Beasts and false Prophets since the dayes of the Apostles who have inwardly ravened and turned against the royall seed of God and keep the Commandements of God and so none of you that raven from the spirit of God cannot keep Gods commandements though ye have all the Saints words for the Saints witnesse the end of the Law and witness perfection and a perfect man and spoke wisdome among them that were perfect and growing up to perfection Pr. That Christ gives to every man a saving light we utterly deny Answ He is the true light that doth enlighten every man that comes into the world saith John the Minister of God and he is salvation to the ends of the earth and they that hate the light neglect their salvation and turns the grace of God into wantonness and denies the Lord that bought them And every one that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh to the Sonne and none heareth or cometh to the Father that cometh not to the Son But who comes to the thing that is transgressed in them and the light that every man that cometh into the world is enlightened withall nor hears nor learns of the Father nor comes to the Son but by that and the light that lighteneth every one that cometh into the world is the salvation to him that believes and he that doth not it is his condemnation Pr. But how dare these men lift up themselves in their blasphemous pride to say they are pure as God Answ Doth not Christ say Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect is that blasphemy and to be holy as I am holy is that blasphemy whose Ministers are you is not this the work of Christ and the Apostle without Holiness ye shall never see God and as he is so are we in this present world Pr. The word of God is contained in the Scriptures Ans The Scripture saith God is the word and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him are ye not more like void of reason then Ministers whose ignorance thus appears of the Scriptures which saith God is the word and the Scripture is the words and Christ is the word who fulfills them Pr. The Scriptures were given forth some more darkly some plainer Answ They which gave forth Scripture and they that be in that in which it ends to them the Scripture is not dark but such as be from the Principle of God in their own selves they be darkness so darkness happens to them which blinds their minds and the Scriptures was not given forth darkly but in the light but you who be from the light be dark Pr. The Apostles ordained them elders by a mediate call and we are convinced clearly of a mediate call to the work of the ministry and of the word Answ That which made the Officers and overseers in the Church amongst the Saints before the Apostasie It was the Holy-Ghost which holy men spoke Scripture from that made them Overseers that was not mediate but immediate that did oversee in the Church of God And we do believe that you Elders and Members called Ministers are all mediate and
was never the way to beget to God but that which strikes at the power which captivates creatures reacheth to the witnesse in prison and brings people into unity with God and one another in the spirit which is the bond of peace Pr. To love the Word for the good parts that in regard of the Christian is a dangerous thing and in regard of the Word of God a dishonourable thing Answ Where the good parts are not in the Christian that is a dishonourable thing to the Word and causeth the Word of God to be evill spoken of As the whole Assembly of you Ministers have done by your bad conversations earthly covetous impatient spirits that cannot endure any should speak but your selves in your places so by you hath the Word of God been dishonoured and not honoured for the Apostles did write that they were to shew themselves Patterns and Examples to the Flock of God in life and conversation that the Word of God might not be evill spoken of Now where the Word is evil spoken of and the bad parts in a Christian proceeds this grieves the righteous and causeth the truth to be evill spoken of and the Word makes them vessels of honour in whom it is Pr. Now when Christians leave the Word and Sacraments and Sabbaths it is a dangerous pride lifting up the Light within as they do Answ The Christians that denyed the Sabbaths and witnessed Christ the substance the rest said The light that shined in their hearts would give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And they lifted up Christ the Light and they walked in him the Covenant of God and of light to the Jewes and Gentiles come which who walk in it are in peace with God and unity one with another and have the light of life and rest and all be in the dangerous state that be out of that And as for the word Sacrament there 's no Scripture for it but one of the Papists common words and the Light brings off it and the Jewish Sabbath Pr. Buy the truth and sell it not not pleading for sufficiency of a common light and leaving their Callings as the Monks and their books flying abroad their wings unclipt and no mention of eternall salvation from the wrath to come And he saith he loves the word Sacraments Sabbaths and Ministry Answ Christ came to put an end to the Jewish Sabbaths and the Apostles preached their end and forsook all for Christ and so to revile such as are in the same power and to call it by the unsavoury expression Monkish thou and yee are more like to that that tells us of Sacraments which is from the Monkish holinesse And for speaking of clipping the wings of our Books that flies abroad that 's another unsavoury expression and shews that spirit that it is not able to resist that spirit that gives forth the Books As for the Word and Ministry that thou hast shewed thy selfe against though thou professes the Scripture to be the Word And those are the words of God which Christ the Word fulfilled and this the Ministers of Christ witnesse And ye never read that the Ministers of the Gospell said they loved the Jewish Sabbaths and held up the Sabbaths those were the Ministers of the Law that held up the Sabbaths which Christ the Rest came to put an end to by which the world was made before it was made glorified with the Father before the world began And you sell the Truth and take the world which deny the Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world which is sufficient to him that believes in it Pr. We exercise and order our preaching for the getting of money and maintenance And the greetings in the Markets is but that which humanity requires nor to be called of men Rabbi else Christ would not have taken it Must a Minister lose the members of his Church and the maintenance of his place both at once Answ Christ said to his Disciples they should know the false Prophets by their fruits and said be not ye called of men Master to his Disciples for one is your Master even Christ and denyed the Pharisees greetings in the Market which thou calls humane right And the Apostles ordered not their preachings to get money by them but they laboured to keep the Gospel without charge and the Ministers of Christ brought the people off the Jewes Assemblies and their maintenance both And yee that be found out of the Apostles Doctrine in the apostacy such as come from you that you do no work for how can you expect that they should give you maintenance or how can you in righteousnesse take maintenance of them that you do no worke for So if ye lose the members will ye take the maintenance which of the Apostles did so Nay is it not the way to gain members to deny the maintenance Is not that the way whereby the power of God may be known that raiseth the seed of God whereby the hearts of people may be opened and whereby the seed is known And the Apostle declared against such as taught for filthy lucre and made merchandize of the Word and that which thou calls humanity which is your earthly right seeing your conversation is in earth and not in heaven Pr. It cannot be concluded that there is a light in every man teaching unto Christ and unto salvation And if Christ put a light in every man that cometh into the world to guide him unto the Father and unto life I deny that to be true for that 's a naturall light which is onely the light which Christ the Word communicates to all men Nay the light that all men have though it seem to make them to know God as God yet it is not sufficient to make them to know that there is a Father or a Son or the holy Ghost that there is a Gospell And saith I am the light of the world that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world that is both Jews and Gentiles And he that walks in the light shall have the light of life Now here lyes the deceit Answ The light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightned withall the Câ—venant of God to Jewes and Gentiles which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world which they that walk in the light walk in Christ and come to see before any naturall light was And he that walks in the light shall not abide in the darknesse but shall have the light of life and with the light he shall know God he shall know the Son he shall know the Gospell he shall know the holy Ghost and that light is not naturall And he that knoweth God knoweth the Father and none knows him but with the light of Christ Jesus who reveals him for God is the Father And I will give him for a Covenant a light to the Gentiles a new Covenant
hearers are ashamed of you and will not justifie your practices and so yee have shewed your consciences who take the tenths that you are not exercised with the light neither be in the mystery of the Faith which gives to see the end of all changeable things And are not you begging with your Petitions for more maintenannce with your Petitions flying up and down for Glebe-lands and Augmentations to the powers of the earth and sending for Writs summoning up to the Courts people that you do no work for and this hath been the end of your fruits Pr. He that scorns to make use of the labours of men for his improvement in the things of God shewes himselfe proud If there be occasion to make use of humane Authors which we offer to our Hearers Answ Humane Authors are from the earth from the fallible nature to mixe and mingle that with that which is received from God he shews that he hath not discerning and makes that not sufficient which he hath received from God and this is contrary to the Apostles what the Saints of the Lord had delivered they did not mixe it with mens enticing words of wisdome neither did they speak it in the words which mans wisdome taught but which the holy Ghost did teach them Therefore this is to teach from mens labours or humane Authors for mens Labours and the humane authors invented come out of that nature which prisons the seed of God and so that is not agreeable to that which is received from God but every ones words there shall be his burthen and so humane authors are not to be mixed with the word of God for the word is pure nothing is to be added to or taken from it he that doth shall be proved a lyer and the higher power is not humane nor fallible Pr. Paul and Peâ—er were instructed by an immediate revelation which we are not so presumptuous to expect or to make the Ap stles condition our condition humane learning wil not acquaint us with the mind of God yet being sanctified it is a great assistance to that end Ans Are not ye in the presumption usurp authority to preach or to teach that have not the immediate revelation as the Apostles had but have got their words and usurps the authority and are out of their power is not this usurping Are not all who be not of the power in the words of the Apostles such as are to be turned away from by the command of the Apostle And are not all who be of God and in the power the life that the Prophets Christ and the Apostles were in the immediate revelation of God Can any know the Scriptures or the truth given forth from the spirit of truth learned of God the Father of truth but by the immediate revelation which is the spirit of God which reveales the things of God And thou speakest of study and prayer can any dvide the word aright or pray aright but in the spirit and where that is is not there immediate revelation from God and this thou calls presumption to be in the revelation as the Apostles were in which it is presumption to meddle with their words and not to be in the condition they were in that is persumption and to usurp athority and so ye are them that are got up since the daies of the Apostles ravening inwardly from the spirit of God that they were in have sheeps cloathing which Christ said should come Iohn saw was come went forth form them which since the daies of the Apostles the world have gone after you all but who have their names written in the book of life before the foundation of the world keep Jesus testimony And humane learning doth not help in the way and things of God as it is in it self but as the spirit doth open through all things and beyond all things and comprehends all Languages and sees before languages were that is it that ministers to the spirits in prison and that is not called humane learning which sees over languages and beyond languages and comes to have power over tongues languages and speeches and sees before they were Pr. Costome hath made it the civility of our language to say you to one and not to say thou to a Superiour except it be a Familier It is no great fault to respect mens persons and the Scripture onely makes men wise to salvation And it is a pernitious error in placing justification and salvation in righteousnesse within Ans That the righteousnesse of Christ might be fulfiled in us and where Christ is within there is sanctification and there is justification there is salvation known for there is no salvation known nor felt without but first it is found within Faith evidenceth it the spirit witniâ—sing the spirit comes to witnesse it the light sees it this is within And so they that have these words of righteousnesse of sanctification of Justification without not within are in the error none knows them without but first they know them within and you to a superiour and Thou to a familiar Is not God the Superiour the supream and dost thou say You to God dost thou esteem man higher in a place beyond God is not this ambition and pride and presumption and foolishnesse must thou not come to be judged here and be humbled for your miscariages and Thou to a familiar a person of low degree canst thou speak more familiarly to God then to man Thou to him and You to man is this righteous and sound speech that cannot be condemned Dost thou not in this shew that thou never learned the Accidence or Bible he that respects persons commits sin dost thou respect the poor and the rich in thy words and is by the law reproved to be a transgressor and is out of the faith that is held without respect of persons And as for the rest of all thy lies and hard expressions in thy Book they shall come upon thy self and to thee be a heavie burthen And the day hastens upon thee apace to the witness of God in thy conscience I speak which will let thee see that it had been better for thee if thou had never opened thy mouth then to have opened thy nakedness to the Nation and this is not the way to convert souls to rail for railing never converted any but brought them into a form out of the power and so encreased knowledge which was their sorrow R. Sherlock His Principles as followeth Pr. HE saith They do not attain the knowledge and understanding of the Gospel by the same means as the Apostles did saith he we Preach the same Gospel as the Apostles preached but do not attain to the knowledge and understanding of this Gospel by the same means Answ That which the Apostles received they received from God so ye receiving it not by the same means have received it from men and not from God Pr. He saith
the word but the Scripture is the word and so these poor creatures erre not knowing the Scripture to speak in the singular number is non-sence and they that translated the words thee and thou might have translâ—ted them you Answ The spirit gave to speak the proper Language singular and plural and spake such words as cannot be condemned And if translators that be out of that translate the words given forth from the spirit into what form soever they will yet the spirit will finde it out and the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world by which all things were made made lights and created lights Christ Jesus the light whiâ—h doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world need not have these outward lights or discoveries they were all made by the light which light was before these were made and they which are come into the reconciliation with God are in perfection out of the imperfection from under the wrath and the Word reconciles hammers down cuts down and burns up that which is contrary and sanctifies and makes clean and Christ Jesuâ— his name is called the word of God the Scripture saith so and they say that the Scriptures are the words of God which in Christ the word which was before they were given forth comes to fulfill them and that which is imperfect is done away Pr. To say that God is substantially in man as Essentially one with him can be no other but the man of sin the Devil himself having transformed himself into an Angel of Light and if it were possihle would â—â—â—â—â—ve the very Elect. Answ The Scripture saith that God will dwell in man and walk in him and the Saints had unitie with the Father and the Son and all that hates the Light which Christ the Light hath enlightened them withall hath not the Father and the Son in such the man of sin reigns and in such the Devil may transform but the Elect he cannot deceive the Elect hath the victory and Dominion which were elected in him before the foundation of the world glory for ever and as for all the other words in thy book they are not worth mentioning they will be thy own burthen they will fall heavy upon thee in this day when thou shalt shalt give an accompt to God James Brown His Book called Antichrist in spirit His expressions and Principles as followeth Pr. THat the light in every man is a certain guide and rule in all things this is the means whereby Scriptures are slighted Answ No one knows nor owns the Scriptures but as the light of Christ that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world doth guide and teach them the light of Christ within which gives them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus and Scriptures and to see the Scriptures and doth not slight them Pr. To witnesse God and Christs glorious resurrection and heaven and the happinesse of new Jerusalem this is lookt upon as an errour Answ Christ within who is the resurrection the glory the kingdome of heaven is there and David who witnessed him was in hell he was upon the earth too and he that witnessed the new Jerusalem and that happinesse was upon the earth And they that have all these words not possessing the life they have no comfort in what they speak nor in what they professe and the babes and the children that are free knows their mother that is from above Pr. If there be no outward meanes but light within what need of the Scriptures Answ The light Christ within was in the Saints before the Scriptures was given forth and that was it which was their guide to give forth the Scriptures wherein they walked and did not stumble and that is it which gives to see the Scriptures again to what condition they are spoken and the use of them Pr. The day is not yet dawned nor the day-star the bright and morning Answ The Apostle tells the Saints of the Day-star and they were children of the day and the night was over the true light shined and the darknesse past Though some indeed were not come to the day-star and the light shined in darknesse and the darknesse comprehended it not Where darknesse rules there be the works that are out of the light and among such as have apostatized since the dayes of the Apostles the day-star is not risen to them they see it not but amongst the children of light it is seen and they that see it not are comprehended The day-star is risen and they are children of the day Pr. And them that bring people to looke at the light within them are as Corah Dathan and Abiram Ans All that go from the light within them are as Corah Dathan and Abiram amongst the Lords Prophets exalting themselves and persecuting Pr. All men are not so taught of God as they shall be at Israels return Answ All men are taught of God that be in the Covenant whether Israel heare or not Pr. I know that many of the Quakers are temperate sober self-denying people but this is but the tything of hearbs Answ It was the Doctrine of the Apostle who preached Christ the end of tything and hearbs and self-denyall sobernesse temperance was not called the tything of hearbs for the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures brought to this Pr. And the light within is darkness and I never read of the Churches of the Saints that spoke by two Answ The Apostles doctrine to the Corinthians was that they might speak by two or three And the light within which is the light of Christ which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world the darknesse cannot comprehend it though it shine in it till it shine forth in the heart to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ Pr. And that the Kingdome that is in the Saints is in the Pharisees I deny Answ The same that is in the Saints is in the Pharisees in the measure though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed which is like to the leaven little Pr. The state of arising from sin to grace is never called a resurrection Answ They that arise from sin to grace out of the first Adam into the second Adam comes into the resurrection the second death shall have no power over them and the Saints comes to judge the world Pr. Such as trust to a light within them forsake the holy oyle the Lords spirit that speaks in the Scriptures Answ The Lords spirit spoke in them that gave forth the Scriptures who had the holy oyle the light within them And the spirit speaks not from the Scripture but by that which gave it forth which is the Author of it Pr. I deny that any have a light within them to attain to the measure of God and Christ as they that have the writings Ans None attains to the mystery of God but by the light
Revelations but Christ is the Word in whom they end and it is not horrid blasphemy to say the soule is a part of God for it came out of him and that which came out of him is of him and rejoyceth in him Why wilt thou lye in saying the Quakers deny the Word wee say it sanctifies them His lies Christ is not ascended into heaven That there is no Heaven nor Hell nor Resurrection of the body That we have no Sacrament nor no Trinity Answ As for the word Sacrament and Trinity is from the Pope and the Masse-book the Bishops Common-prayer but Unity and the Lords Supper is owned and Heaven Hell Christ and Ascension and Resurrection is owned by the Quakers as the Scriptures declares it And your old Masse-house with the Cross atop of it which you call your Church that the Beast hath set up since the dayes of the Apostles with his lying signe at the end of it the Popes Crosse And Christ did come to destroy selfe and reconcile into one and Christ forbid men to be called of men Master and said the Pharisees did so and Magistrates are owned in their place But all such Ministers that teach for filthy lucre that serve an Apprentiship at Schools and Colledges like Tradesmen such we deny such are not fit to study nor expound Scripture for they bring people into heaps and into blood as their fruits in whole Christendome declares it but the Prophets Christ and his Apostles and Ministers their practices are owned and Elders and their honour but the honour of the false Prophets and Apostles is defaced by the true and the Scripture doth not speak a word of sprinkling of Infants but the Baptisme of the spirit is owned and all your prayers in your Masse-house Pharisee-like and your songs in the Temple shall be turned into howling but that which is according to the spirit of God is owned and private and publique instructions are owned who be in the spirit of God and Davids Psalms in their place are owned and the Saints singing with understanding also we own Pr. They say The Church is in God therefore God is not in the Church they may say Answ This is like thy reason and thy measure and weight the Church is in God and God is in the Church and where two or three are gathered together He is in the midst of them Pr. He says We speak against Tythes and Clarks wages for saying Amen and this thou sayeth is an absurd opinion Answ Tythes before the Law and in the Law was owned that they should give the tenth of the spoil and the tenth of the earth for the services â—hat were required widdows strangers fatherless and Levi who had no portion therein that there might not be a beggar among them this tenthes preserved them from beggars and this was the Law and Melchesedeck before the Law took the tenth of the spoil who was without father or mother and Christ the end of the Law who put an end to all spoils and Redeemes men out of the ninth and tenth parts of the earth to God and here the day of salvation is known to Reign upon the earth for man transgressed being drove from God in the earth â—hen the Law came that was over all transgression and led out of it by that Law was they to offer up the tenth and Melchesedeck before the Law had the tenth of the spoils but Christ who ends the Wars ended the spoils who is the heir of all things and the tenths the Covenant of God who reconcils all things in one things in heaven and things in earth and this the Apostles Preached who was in the power of God brought men out of the ninths of the earth and tenths to and brought men out of the occasion of the Wars in that which ended who was the power of God but they which went forth from the Apostles into the earth that had the form of godliness and denyed the power thereof which lead the world after them set up ninths and tenths unlike the Ministers of the Gospel who brought them out of the ninths and tenths into unity with the power of God and the Son and to reign upon the earth and them that took Tythes now are unlike them that took Tythes under the Law or afore the Law who met them with bread and water that Abraham gave the tenths of the spoil to and who now have no store-house for widows strangers and fatherless that there need not be a beggar among them so you who are called Christian Priests are worse then the Jews who cannot get their tenths without prisons Courts and writs and treble damages and cast into prison untill death for them this is called the Christian practices in our dayes who are Apostated from the true Apostles and Church and from the power of God they were in but the maintenance that Christ speaks of to his Ministers is owned but all that make a trade of the Prophets Christ and Apostle words who laid down their lives for speaking them forth we deny and the Apostles did not give a Clerk wages to say Amen but that came up since the Apostles dayes and judged by the spirit of truth and whosoever will make Alixander Rosses lies their refuge are in a sad condition in his book called A view of Religion which he and his lies are condemned to the fire and Lake by the power of God glory in the highest rejoyce over them ye Saints Richard Mayo Priest of Kingston his Doctrine And PRINCIPLES as followeth Pr. THat the Light within is the light of Nature which teacheth to do all things that the Law commands and to deny all things that the Law forbids Answ That which teacheth to do all things the Law commands and deny what the Law forbids is above nature that is it which keeps nature in its course that it shall not be of a fire but we see thy nature is gone out of its course and is all of a fire among you Priests and professors Pr. That God set up a dim light in every man Answ The light that God set up in every man is not dim but men grows dim when they transgresse the light which God hath set in them to give them the knowledge and feeling of himself Pr. He said the Devil was the power of God and that Christ was made manifest to destroy the power of God and to destroy him that was the power of God Answ The devil that went out of the truth went out of the power of God and Christ was manifest to destroy the works of the devil and not the power of God though Christ came to put an end to all figures types and shadowes Priests first Covenant and Temple Christ who is the power of God did not come to destroy the power of God the power of God is not divided against it self and the devil that went out of the truth the power of God went against him so he is not
fall into condemnation for whatsoever is more then this cometh of evil so all swearers are in the evil false brethren fall into condemnation out of the Doctrine of Christ and breakes his command and are none of his Ministers Pr. He did believe in a Christ that died at Jerusalem but not in a Christ within Answ He that believes not in a Christ within doth not believe in a Christ at Jerusalem and he that doth not believe in a Christ within and Preach Christ within is a reprobate and out of the Apostles Doctrine Col. 2. 2 Cor. 13. and he is not in a true belief of Christ without who believes not in a Christ within but is in the Devils belief and believes as the Devill doth Pr. That if there be one grace within it is created and he believes not in any created thing Answ The grace that is within that stablisheth the heart is brought by the Revelation of Jesus the loines of the minde being girded up knowes it the grace by which they are saved which brings salvation which is sufficient this comes from the Creator which grace teached us said the Saints to deny ungodly lusts and to live soberly Pr. That light which Christ hath inlightned every man with is carnall and darkenesse Ans The light which Christ hath inlightned every man that is come into the world with all was before carnall or darknesse was and believing in it it leads every man from darkenesse his carnall estate into vnity with God for no man sees his carnall estate and darknesse but by the Light which makes it manifest and the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world is that which all professors in all ages stumbled at that were without life Pr. He knew no scripture that the world was in the heart of man and that it was non-sence Ans Thou art ignorant of Solomons words who saith 3. Eccles he hath set the world in their hearts that they cannot find the beginning or ending of the worke of â—od and here thou hast shewed thy self of the bottomlesse pit without the beginning or ending of the work of God and he is in the nonsence that is not in the beginning or ending of the work of God Pr. That men cannot be saved that have no other light Ans The light which hath inlightned every man that is come into the world is the Saviour and no man is condemned but for not believing in that Light and no man is saved â—uâ— who believes in tâ—at light Pr. That there is no perfection attainable in this life Ans There is no perfection but in wickednesse in the life of Adam in the transgression and there men live in sin and hath it in their body and carries a body of it which came by the devil sin and transgression but Christ the second Adam that destroyes the devill the power of death and death and his works who saves men from sin and blots out the sin and transgression and redeems from the Earth and who are in Christ the second Adam are in perfection and in that which is perfect and makes free from sin and the body of it and death and him that hath the power of death and comes to be perfect as their heavenly father is perfect and the work of the ministers of Christ was to the perfecting of the Saints and thou that dost deny perfection have denyed the ministers of Christs work who preach Christ within and preached every one perfect in him Pr That the scripture is the word of God Ans The scripture is the words of God as you may read Exod. and Matth. Revel and Christ is the word of God in whom the words end before the words were spoken forth and man without the spirit cannot interpret scriptures Pr. That the ministers of this nation are the ministers of Christ and the Gospell and that it is a sin to despise them Ans And the ministers of this Nation or no where else are not the ministers of Christ of the Gospel that denie the light that enlightneth every man that comes into the world and holds up swearing neither are they the men that are to interpret scripture they cannot see without the light which inlightneth every man that comes into the world before it was made who is the end of the Prophets with that they see the Prophets words and the end of them and so such afore mentioned are to be turned from that turns from the light and it is no sin to obey the Apostles commands 2 Tim. 3. to deny them which come up since the Apostles decease having the form but denies the power Pr. That they may lawfulâ—y taâ—e Tithes of the people Ans And you that takes tithes of the people are of the Popes tribe got up since the daies of the Apostles which said the priest-hood was changed that took the tithes the Law was changed by which the priest-hood was made and the commandement disanulled that gave tithes and Christ the sum the end of all similitudes which comes before Abraham was that paid tithes Heb. 7. the â—ope is your author in taking tithes since the dayes of the Apostles in the Apostacy and Christ is the end of the Law Pr. Richard Mayo saith That it is not unlawfull to say You to a single person Ans In this thou shewest thou never readst the Accidence or Bible and it is unlawfull to speak unrightously and to say there is many when there is but one to call one many you one Pr. That Ministers may exhort men to walke by the light of Reason as well as the light of the Gospel Ans No man walks by the light of reason but who be in the faith are in the light of the Gospell and all other reason is as the beasts of the field that which makes men reasonable is faith and all that be in the faith are in the light of the Gospell and this is one which all unreasonablenesse is out of it in the transgression for none are in the reasonablenesse but such as comes out of transgression and such as be reasonable walkes by the light of the Gospell Pr. That the Gospel it selfe is but a dead letter Ans The Gospel it selfe is the power of God that which the letter speaks of which many may have the letter the form and deny the power of God and so have not the Gospell Pr. That the Gospel is no more the power of God then the rose cake that lay in his window Ans The Gospell is the power of God preached in every creature more then a rose cake that gives every creature its living and being for it relieves the oppressed turnes against the oppressor so is called glad tidings for the Gospell is preached unto every creature in heaven which is the power of God which turnes against that which bondageth to wit the corruptions and so gives liberty and freedom to the captives and this is glad tidings which is the power of
God and is more then any Creature and all the creatures that which gives liberty and freedom to all is glad tidings Richard Mayo further saith It was no matter to him if the devill was the originall of Tithes if the Law of the Land would give it him he would have it Ans We doe believe thee his servant thou art thy seared conscience and hardnesse of heart discovers it but the ministers of Christ and the Gospell never preached nor held forth such doctrine nor would never act any thing from that which the Devil was the originall of which thou dost say thou would take tythes though he was the originall of them if the Law of the Land would give it thee he hath been the originall of them and the Popes Lawes first set them up whereby the Saints goods are strained and spoiled and made havock of and art not contented with the spoyling of their goods but you bring their bodies into your priests den and thus you eate up people and swallow up the needy for a thing of nought as they did of old your as fore-fathers did transgresse for a paire of shoos Pr. He saith Cain was no vagabond after he had built a City and he said there was no scripture as that the Apostles had no certaine dwelling place and that the steeple-house was the Church Ans This is contrary to scripture for Cain was a vagabond though he builded a City and disobeyed the command of God and lost his habitation in God so all great men upon the earth though they build a City and are Lords and Earls and Dukes and Princes and Kings if they doe disobey the command of God and doe not dwell in him they have no habitation but are all vagabonds and Paul had no certain dwelling place 1 Cor. 4 11. and yet he had a habitation in God and was no vagabond and the steeple-house is no Church but the old Masse-house set up since the daies of the Apostles since they lost the true Church Thess the 1. Priest Bushels Principles These words were given forth by Seth Bushel Priest of Whitley as follows the 25 day of the first moneth 1658. Pr. MEn are not converted by the light within them An. If Christ be not in you the body is dead and he is light within And the light that shines in the heart gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus And none are converted but they that be in him and by him within and the light that shines in the heart gives the knowledge of conversion and unconversion and there is none comes to conversion but by it the light which is Christ Pr. He saith That he denies that the light that lighteth every man is Christ as John speaks 1 John Answ In this thou hast denyed Johns Doctrine who said he is the true light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world And as many as received him he gave them power to become the sons of God and thus thou art ignorant of the Scriptures much more of the power of God Pr. He saith The light which every man is enlightned withall never converted any man to God Ans Here thou goest about in thy Doctrine to prove that Christ never brought any to God who is the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world who is the way to the Father that saves men from sin and destroys death and he that hath the power of it and brings men into that the Devill is out of Thou with the light and thy Doctrines art comprehended and condemned and no man is converted to God but by the light which hath enlightned every man that cometh into the world Pr. He saith That the light which lighteth every man is the broad way Answ Here people may all see this Priest a Minister of darknesse and wickednesse for the light which doth enlighten every man is Christ Jesus who is the way to the Father and leads people out of the broad way which is come up by Adam sinne the Devill and transgression which all be in the broad way that deny the light Hereford the 8. day of the first moneth 1658. these words were spoken in a meeting by Edward Price and Philip Langford which is their principles Pr. PHilip Langford said Paul was not freed from the act of sin whilst in this life Answ And Paul thanks God he was made free from the body of sin and saw where there was no condemnation and thus he wrestles and fights against Paul who said he was made free from sin and could live no longer therein and the body of sin was put off and their conversation was in heaven Pr. We do affirme that they that be in this faith that turns from sin be subject to sin the act of sin whilst in this mortall body Ans This is confusion and contradiction and not sound doctrine for faith that purifies the heart from sin over it gives victory in which men please God and have accesse to him by the which they are justified whilst on earth and by the faith the just lives and the life the Saints come to live which gives them victory over the world is by the faith of the Son of God Pr. Priest Price saith faith in Christ Jesus purifies not from the in-dwellings of sin whilst in this body Ans In this the Scripture hath corrected thee for it saith faith purifies the heart that which purifies takes away sinne Sinne which being unclean in its selfe makes unclean Pr. He saith The guilt of sin may be taken away but the act of sin may remain Ans A silly man one of the old Doctors the Scriptures speaks of Dost thou act sin and dost not thou feel the guilt of it Thou brings the whole world upon thy head the principle of God in them all will witnesse against thee And aske all the Thieves that are condemned to the gallows and the Drunkards and such as act sin such as professe Scriptures which are not in the life of it whether or no they have not a guilt upon them for acting sin but this is one of the blinde Priests principles none but mad men will believe them wicked lyers against that of God in their own conscience and thus they preach up the Devills doctrine of Lies Pr. Edward Price saith that all men should be judged by the Scriptures and that the Scriptures is the power of God Answ The Scripture saith Christ is the power of God And the Apostle said the Letter kills and all judgement is committed to the Son saith the Ministers of Christ And the Scriptures are the words of God and Christ is the Word and Judge in whom the words end whom thou hast thrown out and set Scripture in his room And as for the rest of his words they are not worth mentioning Enoch Howets Principles Pr. THe doctrine of perfection in the creature is a lye Answ The doctrine of
gift of God which purifies the heart which brings people to have accesse to God In that and by that which purifies men men are justified and in that 's vertue by the hearing of that men receive the spirit so that this is confusion and contrary to the Scripture and confuted by it for ye are justified through faith and by the spirit and that instrumentally from God in which men please him and without which they cannot therefore that is instrumentall and in that they have victory and in that they have unity one with another and in it have accesse to God But saith he faith doth not justifie instrumentally by any vertue that is in it any more then is in love Love and faith is one without faith there is not love Love is the fruit of faith flows from it without it there is not unity and without faith there is no victory and without victory there 's no love and it justifies and is wrought by the spirit Pr. A perfect conformity to the Law of God wrote in the strength and power of grace the spirit working all in us and for us and all this is no more then the righteousnesse of the Law Answ That 's the end of the Law that brings to the righteousnesse of the Law and to a perfect conformity to it and fulfills it that 's the seed Christ in the male and in the female by whom grace comes by Jesus Christ which brings to live in the righteousnesse of it which is the righteousnesse of faith by which the spirit is received which works all in people and for them who ends the Law The BROWNISTS Principles Pr. THey never heard Gods voyce from heaven nor see his shape And yet they affirme they have the same power and spirit that the Apostles had though much below and yet they have the Word abiding in them Answ You that never heard the voyce of God nor see his shape you have not seen him who is a spirit nor his power nor his Word abiding in you for who hath the spirit of God and the power of God and the Word of God abiding in them with the spirit of God with the power of God sees Gods shape and who hath Gods Word abiding in them hears the voyce of God for God is the Word and God will dwell in them and walk in them Pr. That they are brought to the Church that is in God the pillar and ground of truth where there 's neither spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing Ans And yet you never heard the voyce of God and how can you be brought to the Church that is in God and never heard the voyce of God for none comes to the Son but through the drawings of the Father and none knows the drawings of the Father but they heard his voyce The Jewes that came not to the Son Christ told them they had not known the voyce of God and none come to him but whom the Father draweth Pr. We do not look for any such thing as revelation from heaven or speaking as they are moved or waiting for the power as the Apostles did we say we do not looke for any such thing Answ This shews that you have not received the grace for the grace comes by revelation and you have not received the Son for the Son comes by revelation Nor you have not known the Father whom the Son reveales You are not come to the holy Ghost whom the Saints witnessed that led them to speak forth Scriptures which no prophesie of the Scriptures came by the will of man so you are among those men that have the Scriptures in their wills and wants the thing that the Scriptures were given forth by that is the holy Ghost for holy men of God were moved to speak them forth who learned them of God and spoke them forth as the spirit gave them utterance Therefore how can ye say that you are come to the Church in God and waits neither for the power nor revelation as the Saints did and were in for if you have all the Scriptures and have not that you have not revelation and have not the holy Ghost for the Scriptures are not known but by revelation and they are revealed by the spirit that gave them forth And though men have all the Scriptures yet the Son is not known but by revelation of the Father Pr. The Scripture is the Gospell the Scripture is the Light the Scripture is the Word Ans The Scriptures are the words of God given forth from the spirit of God learned from him The Gospel is the power of God the Scripture declares it A man may have the forme and deny the power and so deny the Gospel Christ is the light of the world the life and the light of men by whom the world was made and many have the Scriptures but denies the light the life and power of it Christ Jesus who is the life and power and the authority of them Pr. That they knew no law of God against praying and preaching by an hour-glasse and that the Apostles did performe the Ordinances of God at set times and Daniel and David prayed customarily and how this can be said to be will worship and to be seen of men we shall leave it to the Lord. Answ The Lord judgeth it to be will-worship that which limits the holy one to an hour-glass and the spirit of the Lord that taught the Saints to pray never limitted it selfe to an hour-glasse so you by an hour-glasse pray and preach as the Papists with their beads so that that limits the Lord to a set time those are traditions and vain customes of the heathen and traditions of men which alwayes the spirit limitted which spirit gave freedome to the just in every one which said quench it not nor limit it but knock down vain customes and traditions of men which was set up by men which had quenched the spirit in themselves and would limit the holy one in others and such were alwayes judged of the Lord and them that had his spirit to be Idolaters and in the will-worship and not in the spirit which are got up since the dayes of the Apostles John Turners Principle Pr. THat light which convinceth a man of sin was a wicked conscience Ans The wicked conscience doth not convince of sin then Satan were divided against Satan That which doth convince of sin is not wicked nor sin but the spirit of God the light of Christ Jesus that convinceth of sin and the Elect hath faith where faith is there is obedience The Ranters Principles Pr. CHrist without comes to destroy Christ within Ans Christ is but one and it is the devill that he destroyes and his works the Anti-Christ and not the true Christ the seed in male and female and it is the false Christ he destroyes in the male and female and he comes to end the types and figures and shadowes that people might live in him the
paper and ink that is not infallible nor the scripture is not the ground of Faith but Christ who was before scripture was written that the scripture tells you so and saith God is Divine and the scriptures are the words of God which Christ the word ends who is the author of the faith and Abraham and Enoch had a rule and had faith before scripture was written and the spirit is the rule that leads people into all truth so saith Christ and you that put the letter for the ground of your faith your rule paper and ink that will come to dust it is humane as you call it and give it that which the scripture doth not And as for your creed that you have learned of your Father the Pope the scriptures tells you not that nor doth not teach you the word humane neither so you and the Papists hath creeped into the Apostles words but be out of the life who are proud and covetouss Pr. That its Heresie to say there is an other Rule of Faith then the scripture if any are proved to teach any doctrine contrary to Scriptures the Ministers and pastors do their parts to correct and restrain them Ans You by your judgement have judged your selves to be corrected by the Ministers and pastors and are to be corrected by the true Pastors and to be restrained by your own judgement who hath taught contrary to the scriptures for the scriptures saith Christ is the author of Faith and Faith is the gift of God and you say scripture is the rule of it and Abraham and Enoch and Abell will tell you they had Faith before they had the scripture which you say is your rule so have you not thrown out the true rule of Faith and the giver of it and put up the words in the place so are ye not corrected here by the true pastor Christ the author of faith and Faith the gift of God did not say scriptures was the ground of it but bid looke to Jesus the author of it and the Apostles did not turn them to the ministers to correct them that did oppose them or did not believe them nor receive them as they spoke or as went from them And all they be in the heresie that have not Christ the author of their Faith which was before the the scripture was given forth though they have all the scriptures and be not in the life of them that gave it forth in which was the unity and therefore you being out of this faith and unity and from the author of it put the letter for the rule be all on heaps about the Saints words being out of the life that they had that spoke forth the scriptures and then after was written and printed and so ye Wolves in sheeps cloathing put that for your rule of your dead Faith and have no other and are killing and mangling one another about it and so death and destruction talks of the fame of the scriptures and knowes not the author of Faith nor that there had been a Faith had not the scripture declared it the Priests confesse it Pr. We deny not to teach people young ministers to stop the mouthes of slandrous adversaries to cure jealousies of distempred minds we all are ready in every Protestant Church to give men a full account of our faith in plaine confession but with this protestation that onely that the holy scriptures is the rule of faith if any thing in our confession be found disagreeable to that rule we are ready when we understand so much to disowne it and to Correct it Ans How do you stop their mouthes in haling them before Magistrates and casting them in prisons is this your stopping is not this your worke let the Goales witnesse the houses of correction witnesse how you have stopped their mouths and convinced gain-sayers now that which is truth and speakes plainly to you ye call that adversaries or slanderers Now it is not a slander to call a Lamb a Lamb a Dog a Dog or Swine Swine But to say a Lamb is a Swine a Dog is a Sheep that is a lye or a Wolfe is a Sheep though he hath got on a sheeps cloathing on him and is covered with them and therefore would be called a sheep that he may deceive and would not be called a Wolfe though his fruits declare it His reviling devouring having sheeps cloathing casting into Prison and yet is offended if ye call him not a sheep or a Minister of the Gospel of Christ Nay the truth the Lambs the Sheep cannot do so but they must speak the truth to you and though you do devour them and tear them they will not tear you again And though you Wolves have on the sheeps cloathing which cast into prison because they will not feed you Did ever the Lambs do so the Ministers of Christ Were not they fed in his pasture followed him and knew his voyce and did not want But how have you cured the jealousies and diseased mindes all this while Yee have wounded them made them sick and filled them full of jealousies therefore are the people broken into heaps and sects that 's the fruit of jealousies one of another And how have you been ready you called Teachers apostatized from the Apostles to render to every Protestant Church a full account of your faith in plain confession when many hundreds have been moved of the Lord God to come in those places called Churches and asked you a question cry take him away Mngistrate to prison with him he hath broken the Law neighbours and this hath shewed your faithlesnesse And many have been moved to come to the Steeple-house and look the Priest in the face and he hath cryed take him away I cannot go forward I cannot speak as long as he stands there and here you have shewed your faithlesness again wanting the weapons the shield of faith But you say again they must own the holy Scriptures to be the rule of faith So then not Christ not God the Author What rule might Abraham and Abel and Enoch own was not God the author of their faith And is he not the same now Had not the Pharisees the Scriptures had not they the rule that stood against Christ the Faiths Author and the rule which the Saints looked at Are not they that are of faith of the faith of Abraham which was before Scripture was written Is the Scripture the ground of these Nay the ground of this is that which was before Scripture was written and they were in the faith that stood in God that gave it forth and the Scriptures and so here you be corrected by the Scriptures and your Churches both For all may speak one by one in the true Church but this authority you have thrown down who are such as preach for the fleece and the filthy lucre and gain from their Quarters called of men Masters suing for Tythes going to Law about earthly things which did
spirituall man and there is a naturall man and each hath their body Pr. Henry Liver said that they knew no such thing at prophesying by immediate revelation or inspiration in these dayes Ans Then thou never knew the scriptures for none knowes scripture as I said before but by the spirit of revelation which doth reveal the words but by the spirit of prophesie marke which spirit lets see into the words and he that hath not the spirit of Christ is none of his and he that hath the spirit of Christ hath immediate revelation and prophesie and the spirit of God is immediate and it doth reveal and the Gospell is immediate which is the power of God Pr. Richard Franckling said they had it by scripture Ans And it was the spirit that brought them to give forth scripture which things of God was revealed to them by it and the scripture does not reveal the spirit but the spirit the scripture Pr. That the light which lighteth every man was not sufficient to lead up to Christ Ans The light Christ that doth enlighten every man that comes into the world that which he doth enlighten them every one withall which they are to believe in is sufficient to lead up to Christ for they that doe believe in the light becomes the children of light passes from death to life from darknesse to light and comes out of condemnation and shall never dye and so it is sufficient that he that doth not believe in the light by it is condemned for this is the condemnation that light is come in to the world and men love the darknesse rather then the light because their deeds be evill and so you and they that love the darknesse rather then the light because your deeds are evill and will not come to it because it will reprove you are them that live in the forme of godlinesse and denyes the power and teaches people to say that the light is not sufficient that every man is lighted withall that comes into the world that all might believe which not by it are condemned and the light is sufficient to lead up to him that comes from him Pr. That Grace was not conveyed from the Lord to any man without the ordinary outward meanes Ans The Grace of God hath appeared to all men which teacheth the saints and the grace is brought by the revelation of Jesus as saith Peter by revelation and the grace is the gift of God and not attained by an outward meanes by mans will and they that turne it into lasciviousnesse the grace of God that hath appeared are them that deny the Lord that bought them which goes from the grace which is the saints teacher which brings salvation Pr. That the scriptures is that onely which they are to have recourse unto to inform the mindes of people from Ans Before the scripture was written or given forth Abraham Enoch and Abel had that to inform their minds and let them see Christ and the Jews had scripture and knew not Christ they had the testification and did not come to him they testified of and so had not life so that which is to inform the minds of all people is the spirit and the light which Christ hath enlightned them withall and such their eares and eyes must be open to that the spirit of God in themselves before they hear his voice which spirit informes their mindes to God and then they shall come to know the operation of the spirit which many may have the scriptures and not know that and that which is to teach people is the grace Christ and God and the light and life and that it is which informes the mind to know scripture Pr. Priest Dorker said That the word of God was the ordinary outward meanes and that the scripture is the word they all affiâ—med Ans The word of God is not outward nor ordinary but extraordinary it is that which lives abides endures for ever and the scriptures are to be fulfilled that which doth fulfill them is the word and the scriptures of truth learned of God the Father of truth are the words of God not a word God spake all these words and said in Exodus and my words saith Christ and whosoever shall add to these words saith Iohn in the Revelations and so the words are the scriptures of truth that cannot be broken Christ the word fulfiles them who was in the beginning before the words was spoken forth who is and remaines to the words end who fulfills them in whom they end Daniell Roberts Teacher to the Baptists at Reading in Bark-shire did affirm Pr. THat Baptisme of water that is to say Elementary water doth wash away sin Ans Here thou puts water in the roome of Christs blood which cleanseth from all sin and what need of that if water doth it outward water can but wash the outward Pr. That God had committed all judgement to the scriptures Ans That is contrary to the Apostle who saith God will judge the world by the man Christ Jesus according to the Gospell and that is the power and all judgement is committed to the Son marke to the Son and the saints shall judge the world and he is in them Pr. That the new Covenant is the words of Christ and the Apostles and every one that hath the Bible in their house have the new covenant Ans The New Covenant is Christ the scriptures speaks of and the Jewes had the scriptures that stood against the Covenant and many may have the Bible and not in the thing it speaks of Pr. An other Baptist said at the same time If they had not had scriptures they had not known how to walk nor order their conversation Ans How knew those to order their conversation and walk before scripture was given forth the life which led them to give forth the scripture did order them to walke acceptable to him for the Pharisees had the scripture given forth from the life but being out of the life their conversations were not ordered by it Pr. Daniell Roberts affirmed That he knew no other spirit then what was in the scripture and that he carryed it in his pocket Ans The spirit is not in the scriptures but in them that gave it forth and that the scriptures testifie of which many got the scriptures but wanted that which gave it forth and so were not in unity with the scripture nor one with an other nor with God and this is wanting in all Christendome so called the unity of the spirit in which is the bond of peace for many have the words but not the spirit An answer to Timothy Trevers his principles propounded by way of queries Pr. FIrst That the light in every man as in every man teacheth not the way to the Kingdome of God nor giveth the hope of eternall life Ans The light in every man which doth inlighten every man doth teach the way to the kingdome of God and
Pr. ANd he saith be supposes That taking away Tythes from Ministers but not taking away Tythes from other men c. Answ The Law that hath set up Tythes since the dayes of the Apostles as hath the Pope the false Church the Whore which the true Church set up none among the Apostles and so they must be taken away from men as well as Ministers both for they have been set up by the Popes Law and not by the Law of God since the dayes of the Apostles but by the false Church the Whore set up their Tenthes and keepes People in the ninthes of the earth withall their images for the true Priesthood that took Tythes where was the store-house and all the figures and Types and shadowes and took the Tenthes of the earth where was a store-house for all Widowes and strangers to come and fatherless and be filled within their gates but there is no such thing among the Popes Church not in Christendom no such store-house for Widowes and strangers and fatherless but the Widowes and strangers and fatherlesse begs up and down at the Mass-houses doors who sets up all his lying signes and wonders who hath Tythes in the earth that takes tenthes and keepes People in the ninthes of the earth but God hath discovered them and the false Church that set them up and their Law since the true Church went into the wilderness and the Apostles that Preached Christ which witnessed the seed of God which ended all the figures and Types and shadowes and the tenthes and ninthes and Priesthood and all Types and figures and shadowes and bowings brought to the beginning to know the Election before the world was made and so they witnessed Redemption and brings up out of the earth into the everlasting Priesthood and Covenant out of the ninthes as well as tenthes all offered up to God for signes was since the fall given to man and Tythes since man was driven into the earth so man who comes to Christ the Church comes out of the earth to the beginning to reign upon the earth and so the Papists are them which lead the People into the earth with all their earthly Images set up by the earthly such as went forth from the Apostles which hath set up Tyths since the Apostles and bring People quite into the earth with all their earthly Images and the Apostle brought them up out of the earth and the Redemption out of Types figures and shadowes and out of Tythes to the Election before the worlâ— was made and so into the everlasting Priesthood now the false Prophet Beast and Antichrist great Whore this woman false Church which went forth from the Apostles brings People into the earth from the life and Election both that none there is assured of it but brings them into Images and into lying signes and wonders and into ninthes and tenthes and there doth Nations stick in the earth out of the Image of God and this hath been set up by the Beast Dragon Whore false Prophets who had the sheeps cloathing out of the sheeps life and now with that seen and with that judged Pr. And thou saist Tithes by our Law were counted an Ecclesiasticall inheritance oblation obvention offrings this was called meere spirituall as were offered to God and Holy Church Ans Here thou hast drunken the whores cup since the Church went into the wildernesse and doe men hold their estates by the Ecclesiasticall Lawes ahd ecclesiasticall inheritance indeed a Popish superstitious inheritance and so you may see from whence your inheritance comes now and who hath given it you which the Church of Christ never required any such thing but set up since the daies of the Apostles hath these things been your oblations obventions offerings and this hath been your C er to say they were offered to God and holy Church and thou saist Tythes the tenth part hath been given by the Law to the Ministers of the Gospell By the Ecclesiasticall it hath been given to Clerks and Vicars and parsons and his Curates by his Ecclesiastcal Laws and thou saist our Lay-men by the Common Law could not have had their inheritance descendable and grantable of Tythe as of other temporall possessions neither wil they passe by the same words in grant as other temtemporall possessions will do Then men doe not hold their temporall possessions by the Ecclesiasticall Lawes but by that which you call your common Law so all these Laws since the daies of the Apostle the Pope the whore the false Church was the author of got up since the daies of the Apostles set up by them that went forth from the Apostles into the earth and there keeps people in the lying signes and wonders in the earth under the false Prophets and must give them their Tenths and put into their mouthes and they live in the ninthes though they have no store-houses for widdowes Fatherlesse and strangers and this is done by the corruptible mystery Babylon got up since the daies of the Apostles and their Church by us she is judged and all their Ecclesiasticall Lawes and Government with them that be in the Law of Christ and the Law of life and the Church book and his power that witnesse the judgement of the great whore is come and the Lamb and the Saints have victory who are come into the power that the Apostles were in and these witnessed the marriage of the Lamb Christ Jesus in whom there is no shaddow of his turning him by whom the world was made before it was made who was glorified with the Father before the world began who ends the first Priesthood and his Tithes and store-house and redeemes men out of the earth up to God from whence they have been drawn to know the word of life which was in the beginning by which all things was made and who be in it be in the life and the word of wisdome by which all things were made and created with which wisdome they know how to use all things againe to the glory of him that created them and in this men glorifie God in their bodies â—oule and spirit which is the Lords amongst whom the blessing of God is felt who in his kingdome reignes and the life and power of God dwells Thomas Hodges Bachellor of Divinity Rector of Soldren in Oxford-shire his principle in a book called A Scripture Catechism as followeth where he goes about to confute Errors who confuts himself among them Pr. THou saist What Godly heart without sorrow should see Christs witnesses prophesie in sackcloath Ans In stead of your sorrowing you are them that kills them and persecutes them and prisons them as many have prophesied in sackcloath and ashes on their heads in this Nation amongst you the false Church in sheeps cloathing since the woman went into the wildernesse so instead of sorrowing you persecute and so consutes thy self and thou art finding fault with the Papists and Bishops of Rome and speaking of their
never finde him And as for the rest of thy lyes and slanders in thy Book and unsavoury expressions which are not worthy mentioning upon thy own head they will come one day and thy own words shall be thy burthen Jeremiah Ives his Booke called Innocency above Impudency or the strength of Righteousnesse exalted above the QVAKERS Weaknesse and Wickednesse His Principles are as followeth Pr. HE saith It is a rare thing to see any of the seed of the Devill grown up to that degree of impudence to charge a man that he hath done that which he never did do c. Answ The seed of the Devill always said that which was not true so not a rare thing to finde them for the Devill and his seed is out of the truth and when he speaks a lye he speaks of himselfe and so speaks a thing that is not and there thou art Pr. He saith The Apostle in his Catalogue of the evils of the times c. page 1. Ans Is it not better to call the Scripture a declaration as they call themselves then to call them a Catalogue and some of you vvill say it is a History and some a Catalogue and again ye vvill say it is the Word of God which the Scriptures of truth is words and God is the Word and thou art in the evill time out of the good and thy time and day is evill Pr. He saith The Quakers give that name as quaking to themselves and others do not give it them as a Nick-name c. See page 2. Answ The first that ever I did hear them called Quakers and the name given to them of Quakers was one Gervase Bennet in Darby a persecutor called a Justice of Peace though many years before the power of the Lord was witnessed yet I never heard them have that name of Quakers given before that corrupt Justice gave it them and misnamed them so and in scorn called them so and thou art one of his Scholers and Quaking and trembling we own though they in scorn calls us so and the salvation wrought out with fear and trembling we witness Pr. He saith The Devill speaks truth sometimes c. page 2. Ans Christ saith he was a lyar from the beginning and when he speaks a lye he speaks of himselfe and hath no truth in him and so he cannot speak truth as it is in him And the greatest professors upon the earth are there of the Devill that speaketh the words of truth but not as they are in it as so saith Christ to the Jewes they were of their father the Devill they speak of themselves So they that speak the Scriptures not by the spirit as was by them that spake them forth they speak of themselves as the Devill doth that abode not in the truth but a lyar from the beginning and thus the truth comprehended it For it is one thing to speak the truth in the truth and to be in it for he speaks not of himself but the truth in him but the other all speaks of themselves and there thou art and so doth the Devill and truth is not in him nor them and there with truth they are comprehended Pr. He chargeth us Whether ever any gave worse words to us then we did to others c. page 9. A. To speak truth is not to give bad words to tell a Cain he is a Cain or an Esau or an Ishmael to be an Ishmael or a Wolfe he is a Wolfe and say the evil Beasts are the evil Beasts that are worse then the common beasts And to say the greedy dogs that can never have enough are worse then the common dogs that are biting and tearing and are worse then the common beasts that feed in peace and eates their meate in peace Now to speak such words and names as these are to them that are not so that is a giving of bad names wrong names But the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures it gave such names to such as was found in those steps It le ts see now and the whole Nation may witness that friends may answer to his Challenge and the Gaols and the Courts doth shew the greedinesse of such and their persecution and their malice against the Lambs and so the Saints in the spirit doth give them their proper names to properties in their places among which names thou art found Prin. He saith Much of the Scriptures may be understood without the spirit c. page 12. Ans The Scriptures was given forth from the spirit of God and they are the things of God and the words of God and they are not known nor understood but by the spirit of God again for there is a spirituall understanding Neither can they understand any of the Scripture of truth which cannot be broken but by the spirit of God within that gave them forth which is of God of whom they were learned Pr. He saith Christ was not a Minister of the circumcision c. See page 14. Ans And the Apostle said they were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands and the putting off the body of sin of the flesh they were circumcised with the spirit but who was the Minister of this Circumcision For the Apostle saith it was the circumcision of Christ Coll. 2.11 And again the Apostle saith We are the circumcision that worship God in spirit and have no confidence in the flesh Pr. He saith What man in his right wits would say a wildernesse was a City c. page 14. Ans When the people have transgressed the Law of God they are erred from his wayes they are become a Wildernesse and bears the fruit of brambles and bryars and not seeing any way to get out till the Lords mercy be manifest to them which is further then the Law of justice And thou hast not seen thy wits end yet nor seen the Wildernesse in thy heart fenced though a City and the children of Israel were called a wildernesse in trangression though in Cities Pr. He saith He can tell things to come without the spirit of God And thou saith the Pharisees could tell by the skies what should be the weather and the dayes should bring forth and this without the spirit of God c. page 15. Ans That which gives to understand the Creation and the altering and changing of the Creation either in weather or dayes It is the wisdome of God and his spirit by which all things was made that knows these things in the truth who counts the Stars and numbers them in their kinde who sets the Sun to rule the day and the Moon to rule the night Now who understands these things it is by the spirit of wisdome who understands them aright and there may be a wilfull rejecting and a having these things in the form yet not a knowing these things in truth and so Christ calls them hypocrites And a man may know things by the spirit and go in the errour from the spirit
forth the Scriptures are such as follows their own spirits and useth their tongues and gets the good words the sheeps cloathing deceives the hearts of the simple and tels them the Spirit is in the Letter which never did none of the experienced Saints say the spirit dwelt in the Letter But did conclude the spirit dwelt in their hearts the faith in their hearts the light in their hearts the word in their hearts the anointing within them God dwelt within them Christ within them the Law in their hearts the witnesse within them the ingrafted word that saved their soules the gift within the hidden man in the heart strength in the inward man the holy Ghost moved them the spirit of the Father spoke in them this led them to speak forth Scriptures And these never said the spirit was in the Letter as all the filthy dreamers say who are in the sensuall separation from the spirit of God and in Cains Cores and Balaams way turning the grace of God into wantonnesse ravened from the spirit of God inwardly but wolves in sheeps cloathing These are such as have got the good words but deceives the hearts of the simple makes a trade of them tells people the Spirit is in the Letter and that is them that ravened from the spirit of God in their own particulars and so they deceive people and keep them from the spirit of God in their particulars But the spirit that gave forth Scriptures is witnessed by which that is known they cannot deceive any longer who are reprobates concerning the faith which crept into houses before the Apostles decease which have kept people always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth led away with divers lusts So have kept people in spirituall Aegypt and Sodome and Gomorrah and have been guarded with Magistrates and powers of the earth all over the world But now is the Light breaking forth and shining that ye are all discovered And so they have set up other Gospels and lost the Faith that tels people the Spirit is in the Letter when the spirit and the faith was in them that gave it forth and is to be in all them that knows it again and knows God the giver of it Pr. He saith He that is borne of the Spirit is borne of the holy Word written page 257. Answ He that is borne of the spirit is borne of that which gave forth the Scriptures of the Word which was before the Scriptures was given forth which lets them see the end of the words so cometh to dwell in God of whom they learned that gave forth Scriptures Pr. He saith If setting the Scripture in the heart of every man be nothing else but telling people they have a light of conscience within them and stirring up that light which every man hath that cometh into the world They delude poor people who never heard that light called Scripture before page 257. Answ Them that never heard the Scripture outwardly the light that every man hath that cometh into the world being turned to it with that they will see Christ with that they will know Scripture with that they will be led out of all delusion come into covenant with God with which they will come to worship God in the spirit and serve him and that is more then conscience Pr. He saith The light which John speaks of which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world is a dim light and it is a piece of the mystery of Iniquity as subtile as any Antichrist to say that the light shines in the darknesse and shineth out of darknesse the light of Christ for salvation page 261 262. He saith Christ in you the light in every man is a poor base beggerly scrap Page 264. Answ And the ligâ—t which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world is Christ the substance the righteousnesse of God and not beggerly but all the beggarly they be out of the light and it is not dim but all be in the dim that be out of him the Light that with which he hath enlightned them And all be in the mystery of iniquity and are Antichrists that seeth not the light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world where it shines and where it shineth out of the darknesse This the true Ministers who be in the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures Ministers of Christ within witnessed and saw And John was not antichrist nor Paul who said Light shined in darknesse and who said light shined out of darknesse and who said this was the true light that lighteth every one that cometh into the world Now ye are all ignorant of the Prophets before John who said I will give him for a Covenant for a light unto the Gentiles and a new Covenant to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah mark here was every man and John the greatest Prophet born of a woman saith this is the true light that lighteth every one c. Christ Jesus him by whom the world was made before it was made in whom is life and the life was the light of men and the light shined in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not Pr. The law written in every mans heart doth not condemn all sin nor the branches of it not originall sin nor unbelief pag. 266. He saith To say that every man in his first state is naturall and every man in his first state is as a beast is a contradiction And I every where deny the naturall light of every man but I deny the highest degree of light to be here attainable And the Saints light is not to be seen while we are under the Sun And he saith he knows he is more brutish then a man and hath not the knowledge of the holy pag. 272. And the light that shineth in the Scriptures I professe my selfe to know nothing the least degree of it is above the highest degree of the light that every one that cometh into the world is enlightned withal pag. 273. Answ The light which every one that cometh into the world is enlightned withall was before degreâ—s and ends degrees and is not natural for it was before the naturall was made or created and this bears not witnesse against the naturall the Sun Moon and Stars but ownes them in their places And the light which every one that cometh into the world is enlightned withall which comes from Christ the Son they not believing in it it is their condemnation And that which doth make manifest sin is light and doth reprove is light yea all sin branches and roots and originall and unbelief that which doth make it manifest is light and where this light is that makes all this manifest there is the law in the heart and new Covenant written the law and the spirit of life that makes free from the law of sin and death And the light which every man is enlightned withall they