of God but it is faith and good works that justifies in the sight of men onely and saith Works will not justifie in the sight of God And he saith that works is onely but to justifie their faith to be true before men Answer Abraham was not justified to men only by his obedience but to God and where there is faith there is justification which works by lâ—â—â— And the Saints faith and works was not only to justifie them in the sight of men for the work of God is to do what he saith and his will which who doth not are not justified in so doing but to be beaten with stripes who seeks to be justified by their faith and works in the sight of men are dead faith and works both Pr. He saith They are no Christians that doth not hold Christ absent from his Church but Antichrists Ans Which is contrary to the Scriptures which say they are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone and they are as nigh together as husband and wife And thus he is ignorant of the great mystery Christ and the Church which Christ is the head of Pr. He saith That the light wherewith Christ as he is God hath enlightned every man that cometh into the world is not the spirit of Christ page 19. Ans And so makes that which comes from God and Christ not spirit as he is God and thus the man is beating the ayre He saith Christ was God that lighteth every man c. And yet saith he not with the spirit how then cometh men to be condemned not believing it and so thou hast reproved thy selfe and art blinde and into the Ditch fallen Pr. And again thou sayest Though Christ as he is God doth give every man a light which is conscience otherwise called nature Ans A d so thou hast given those new names to the light of Christ contrary to the Apostles as thou mayest read John 1.2 John doth not tell us that is conscience or natural light as thou doth and the light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightned withall which was before all things and by it all things was made So it was before any Naturals was and is that which gives all men the wisdome of God to order the Naturalls so by the Scriptures thou art reproved Pr. And he saith Christ will not give his spirit to the world Answ And Christ said he will send his spirit to reprove the world and that is sent to them and that which doth reprove them iâ— manifest to them in the world to their own understanding and in them which spirit leads the Saints into all truth There is no man reproved but it is within him manifest to his understanding And if he quencheth the spirit that reproveth him he is not lead by it and that is the condemnation of the world that light is come into the world and men love darknesse c. And this thou calls not spirit Now this is the condemnation of them whose consciences are seared and of them who have the created and made and natural lights the Sun the Moon and Stars which light was afore they was Pr. And thou saith The Scripture plainly denies that conscience can justifie though it may condemn See page 23. Ans Which is contrary to plain Scripture where the Apostle saith Rom. 2.15 Their consciences either accusing or excusing And again saith he Herein do I exercise my selfe to have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men And the light condemns which you call conscience Pr. He saith that the Gospell is called the ministration of life but not of condemnation Same page Ans But they are condemned that obey not the Gospel of Christ And the Scripture speaks of a savour of death unto death and a savour of life unto life and the Gospel is so the power of God Pr. He denies that Paul bid the Saints listen within c. see page 25. Ans When as Paul said that the light which shined in their hearts to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And it was the treasure in the earthen vessell and Christ was within them And the ingrafted word that was able to save their souls And the hidden man of the heart And he had revealed his Son in them and many other Scriptures And he saith he served the law of God with his minde And yet thou saith he did not bid any listen within And he saith the word was in their hearts to obey it and in their mouths And can they obey that and not listen within and do that and not have their minds stayed upon the Lord Pr. He saith the light doth not shine in the consciences of them that be lost See page 26 Ans But John saith the light shines in darknesse but darknesse cannot comprehend it and there is that of God in the children of disobedience and reprobates as in Rom. 1. and 2 Chap. Pr. And he denies that every man hath the light Ans Contrary to John who saith that is the true light which inlightneth every man that comes into the world John 1. Pr. He saith It is a counterfeiting of the new birth for men to follow the light wherewith men coming into the world are inlightned withall c. Answ Which none comes to the new birth but who comes to the light which every man that comes into the world is lighted withall which believing in is a child of the light Believing and receiving comes to receive power to become the Sons of God Pr. He saith To say that Christ is risen within there is no Scripture to prove it See page 28. Ans Doth not the Apostle say Christ formed in you And Christ in you the hope of glory which hope purifies as God is pure And Christ within doth he not arise there before all waves be still and shall he not arise with healing under his wings How ignorant of the Letter are the Priests grown much more of the mysterie Gal. 4. and Malachy Pr. And whereas thou saith thou art confident that while some would perswade others that they have no sinne their consciences will tell them they lye see page 41. Ans The Apostle told the Romanes that they were made free from sin and the Romanes did not tell the Apostle that their consciences told them he lyed as thou saith Pr. He saith the body of Christ is out of the sight of all his Saints c. see page 47. Ans And the Apostle saith They sate with Christ in heavenly places and the Saints are flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone and the Church which he is head of is his body And every one that eats his flesh knows his body given for the life of the world and the body of Christ is not out of the sight of the Saints that are in the Church Therefore you Ministers and Teachers that say Christs body is out of your
from me to imagine that the spirit of God moved the Apostles to preach when they did onely and not at other times and that they always waited in silence till then c. See same page Answ So he would make it that the Apostles preached when the spirit moved them not and run without the moving of the spirit and so would make them like himselfe And Peter said they spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost And they that are the sons of God are led by the spirit of God And the spirit shall lead them into all truth And the spirit should tell them what they should speak and shew them things to come and that was their guide and rule and thou who speaks and not the spirit moves thee art no Minister of the spirit and sayes far be it from thee to imagine the Apostles preached onely when they were moved and so doth not own the Apostles were the Ministers of the spirit with thy imaginations Pr. And the singing of the Saints in the spirit and grace is not like the ungodly singing without the spirit Ans And saying the grace of God hath not appeared unto all men and all have not the spirit which is contrary to Scripture It saith the grace hath appeared unto all men and I 'le powr out my spirit upon all flesh And the spirit that reproves the world leads the Saints and you that sing Davids quakings and prayers is not in the understanding nor grace but distinct from the Saints which must be turned into howling How can ye give them the Psalms to sing then that have no grace Pr. And the Priests of Scotland say Cursed is he that sayes grace is free These are the Scottish principles c. Answ And yet ye give the Psalms to all to sing and yet ye say all have not grace and all have not the spirit of God and then can they not sing in the grace and sing in the spirit Is there any prudent reason or good understanding without the spirit Pr. He saith We deny the Scripture to be the Word of God Answ The Scriptures are the words of God and Christ is the word in which the words end Pr. And he speaks these detestable words and sayes Is not our tongues oyled with a spirit of confused delusion which is his own c. See page 5. Ans Because we say such as pray or preach it must be by the moving of the spirit of God which they be not in that are in the spirit of delusion Pr. And he is opposing the commands of Christ who said be not of men called Master for ye have one Master even Christ who conquers death and hell And he saith Why may they not be called Master Ans It is his Master that teacheth him to be called of men Master that is gone out of the truth but Christ said be not of men called Master and wo be to them that are Matth. 23. And you are them that are made by the will of man that breaks his commands George Willington's Booke called The Gadding Tribe Reproved A right Title to his condition in his Book who like a wilde Beast is gadding up and down but the Lord rebuke such spirits His PRINCIPLES follow c. Pr. HE himselfe falls a judging others and then he cries Oh man who art thou that judgeth another c. page 9. Answ And doth not see the worke that he is doing himselfe But bids others they should not judge and falls a judging himselfe which is like all the rest of his gadding Tribe and how they run with their horns at the righteous and push at the upright in heart But the Lamb is above them all and the wrath of the Lamb is kindled therefore the Beasts rage who against the Lamb makes war And where judgement is come through into victory he may judge and the hidden things of darkness is brought to light and the counsel of the heart made manifest and the Lord is come and the spirituall man judgeth all things which shews the counsell of his heart is not made manifest nor his hidden things of darknesse brought to light and the Lord is not come to him and so cannot judge And George Willington hath judged before his time with which he is charging others therefore his words shall be his burthen Pr. And his principle is That he is justified by faith alone without good works c. See page 10. Answ What without the faith that works by love hast thou concluded those works the works of Popery which are the works of faith that works by love that gives the victory How dost thou gad now whether art thou gadding now Know faith that works by love is owned and he that believes is ceased from his works as God did from his and hath entered into his rest And faith gives victory overall the Popish murthering spirits and thine both and your works which gives to have accesse to God and their works is wrought in him Pr. He saith Whilst the upstart sect of Quakers do looke after the light within he saith we have a more sure word of prophesie c. and so would make the sure word of prophesie not the lihgt within See page 12. Answ Whose spirit he hath made manifest where it is amongst them that are gone from the Apostle who stands against the light within For they that draw from the anointing within are the seducers and they went forth from the Apostles that went from the anointing within Art not thou and you all gadded and the world from the anointing within you and so seducing one another therefore have you so many heaps of Teachers and arming your selves and making lies your refuge against them that are come to the anointing which you are all gadded from given judgement against your selves who will not have people to own the light Christ Jesus who doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world and none owns the anointing within who owns not the light which you deny which have apostatized from the Apostles and the Quakers are risen up in the night of apostacy and discovers you all what you are in and what you went from and what hath been lost since the dayes of the Apostles and an Earth-quake is coming upon you that hath not been since the foundation of the world out of which Earth-quake we are come into that which cannot be shaken As the Quakers are not the Gadding tribe but they have the anointing in them and as it shall teach them they shall abide in the Son of God and the Father But it is manifest that thou and the whole world is gadded from the anointing within you which should teach you and so are turned against the Saints and the Lamb And have been the Harlots the mouths of the false Prophets blaspheming God in his Tabernacle and drunk the blood of the Saints and the Martyrs and the Prophets and made war against the Saints to overcome them
See pag. 16. Ans Contrary to the Apostle who said the Light that shined in their hearts should give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus and the Light within comes from the mystery and is of the mystery it self and le ts see the precious mystery which none knowes but with the Light within and so the God of the world hath blinded thy mind and hath shewed thy self that thou art of them that hates the Light and shewes that thou comes not to it for he that comes to it comes to the mystery for the least Light of Christ in man is of the mystery and comes from the mystery Pr. He saith to say Christ came to Redeem the Israel from the Law without to establish the work within and law in the conscience in obedience unto which men come to be Redeemed and the Law in the heart thus to say he saith is an errour c. See page 16. Ans Contrary to the Apostle who Preached the redemption established the Law in the heart and Christ within who redeemes men from under the Law who is the end of it and the word of Faith in the heart and they that have not this be in the errour though they may talk of Christ Pr. He saith it is the Divinity of Sophisters and a blotting out of the glory of the grace of Christ to set forth Christ as a law-giver and worker in us c. See page 17. Ans Which I say none knowes him as a Mediator and a law-giver nor an offering nor his blood that cleanseth them but as they know him working in them and they be in the Sophistery of their Divinity that knowes not the glory of the grace of Christ working in them Pr. He saith a man shall not see himself dead and buried with Christ and raised up with Christ by any work or obedience to Christ within c. See page 18. Ans He that believes hath the witness in himself and there is the work within and that is the work of God and Faith is wrought within And this is contrary to self for over it it gives victory and teacheth to deny himself So see how thou confounds thy self and he that believes is past from death to life and they that are dead with Christ seekes those things that are from above Pr. He saith again the Light within is the spirit of the world c. See page 18. Ans Contrary to Johns doctrine who saith he was in the world and the world knew him not neither doth your spirits of the world know him now and the worlds Spirit knew him not and the world hates the Light and darkness cannot comprehend it though it shines in darkness And here thou art medling with things that are too heavy for thee and the corner stone falls a top of thee and the Light that enlighteneth every one that cometh into the world was before the spirit of the world was Pr. He saith that they that affirm the light in every man that condemnes for sin to he Christ the Redeemer have set up an Idol c. See page 19. Ans Doth not Christ say I am the Light of the world which is the true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world who is the Redeemer and the Salvation to the ends of the earth and he that receiveth it receiveth Christ And is not this it that brings off of all Idols And are not they setting up Idols that are from the Light And doth not Christ the Light come to condemn sin in the flesh and is that the Idoll How dare thou say so he was manifest in the flesh to condemn sin in the flesh and he saith I am the light and that is not an Idoll Pr. He saith Christ comes not down in spirit into our persons to redeem but to manifest the redemption and saith he cometh the second time without sinne unto salvation c. See page 21. Answ The Apostle bids them worke out their salvation with fear and trembling And Christ brings not peace on earth but a sword and judgment and comes to make blind who is the redemption and makes it manifest by his spirit and whose light doth condemn him that hates it for he will not have that which manifests salvation And whosoever knoweth redemption knoweth it to be manifest in him from Christ Pr. He saith They who had the light within and pierced into the invisible things and eternall power and God-head had but the wisdome of this world c. page 23. Ans And so he would make the light of Christ the wisdome of this world which light cometh from Christ the wisdome of God the wisdome of the world cannot pierce into the eternall power and God-head Pr. He saith The light within denies all things that God hath done for us in Christ which hath no glory but spreads a veil over c. page 25. Ans Which none knows what God hath done for us nor sees the glory in Christ but by the light which comes from him who works all both in us and for us according to his good will and pleasure and brings not to deny what God worketh in us and they nullifie it that are against his light and are against his glorious person for the light that 's within le ts see his glory Pr. He saith Obedience to the light within is another atonement and a denying the atonement of Christ and calls it a mystery of iniquity See page 28. Answ VVhich none knows the attonement of Christ but by the light within and all be in the mystery of iniquity that be out of the Light which cometh from Christ the covenant of God to Jewes and Gentiles and that gives them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus Mark he saith the light is that which gives the knowledge and the Light within doth not set up another atonement but they do that do deny the light within set up another atonement then Christ Pr. He saith To obey the Law within which we say is the law of the spirit of life which makes free from sin and death in this he saith we agree with the Papists and Pagans See page 30. Answ Now in this thou may see where thou art out of the Apostles doctrine And neither thee nor the Papists nor Pagans own us in this that we should be made free from the Law of sin and death while we be upon the earth And here the blood of Jesus is witnessed and the attonement and the Father and the Son and this is all seen with the Light within Pr. He saiâ—h He began by faith to behold the love joy and redemption prepared for him before any evill or good was done by him c. page 37. Answ Dost not thou say thou beheld it by faith And now is not the work good to behold by faith And doth not that give victory over the evill And doth not
as obeyed Christs doctrine for he tells them the danger lest ye fall into condemnation Let all your communication be yea yea and nay nay what ever is more is evill Not by heaven nor by earth nor by any other oath Now there was true and false and prophane whatsoever was comprehended in these words Not by any but keep to yea and nay in all your communications Now tell the Apostle he doth not mean as he speaks give him the lye pervert his words and Christs words who sayes swear not at all and sayes he meanes profane oaths And Christ brought the people off the true Oath which was in the old time that was performed to the Lord a profane oath was not performed to the Lord that 's not meant of that but that as was sworn by him Christ sayes now Swear not at all and so they that break the oath break the covenant the true oath and so they that swear now do not own the new covenant which ends the true oath and covenant in the old time The profane oaths they were judged by them that lived in the first covenant and they did not type out any thing but a true oath did which ended controversies among men which the oath Christ ends which is the peace between God and man and reconciles them to God and one another These be true brethren true christians that 's come to yea and nay in their communications and cannot swear by heaven nor by earth nor by any other oath lest they come into the evill but yea and nay in all their communications lest they come into condemnation So you that teach men to swear have brought them into the evill and a great out-cry to break the commands of Christ and under condemnation He that teacheth them to swear any oath whatsoever cast behind your backs the commands of Christ and doctrine of the Apostles And the Apostle that bid the Saints keep to yea and nay in all their communications and swear not at all said if yee will have any more take two or three Witnesses And for all thy other confusion and thy perverting and wresting of Scriptures to bring people into the condemnation and evill to swear is not worthy the mentioning and will but come upon thy selfe in the day of thy condemnation and judgement thee and all upon the Earth that are departed from the Apostles shall witnesse how ye have transgressed the commands of Christ and teach people to transgresse them and to sin have hath brought them into the evill and condemnation So repent and while ye and time prize it Samuel Hammond In his Book called The Quakers House built on the Sands A very fit Title for himselfe and the rest of his PRIESTS These are some of his Principles following Pr. YOung men and women having some convictions and awakenings of the Law and have followed the light of an awakened conscience and sit down before they have closed with Christ and there be not a distinction between the righteousness imputed upon the account of the blood of Christ and the righteousness inherent wrought in us by his spirit and this inherent righteousness they confound the attainments brought forth by the Light in every man not being able to distinguish the working of Satan Answ Inherent righteousnesse is a word of thy own and the Papists inventing and thou art a man that cannot distinguish between the workings of Christ and the workings of Satan For the light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightned withall which brings men and women to know the Law and the convictions of it it brings them to the end of the Law Christ and to see that appear that cannot be shaken and the Righteousnesse imputed to a believer that is within felt For he that believes hath the witnesse in himselfe and feels it there and the blood of Christ is felt within justifying and cleansing the conscience from dead works And the righteousnesse of Faith is found within and that righteousnesse which is wrought within is found within and no man sees this but with the light which Christ hath enlightned every man that cometh into the world withall and this Light is that which confounds all thy attainments for Christs righteousness and his blood and spirit are all one which justifies and sanctifies Pr. They dream of a perfection to obey the light within and this is delusion they are not able to distinguish between justified freely by grace which is the favour of God upon the account of Christs satisfaction and the grace that wrought by Christs spirit in the soul that natural light within being improved they call grace the work of God upon the soul leads into Covenant of works then it is no other then to tread in the Papists steps so this is delusion and the ground of their delusion is their not distinguishing between saving light given forth by Christ in conversion and the light of conscience that every man hath Answ None come to the perfection out of the delusion but who comes to the light within and followes that it gives him the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ the Covenant of grace is one that which was wrought without is within in the soul for Christ in you c and he is the Covenant of grace of light of life and of peace and none knowes him without nor Justification by grace but who knowes it in the heart and it is the one and the same thing it is not another grace nor another Covenant nor another Christ but the the same Christ in you the Saints are in his spirit and in his mind and are of his flesh and of his bone And thou who art so full of thy delusions Art out of this and thou alwayes have been in the dreams and never knowes perfection till thou come to the light within And Gods work in the soul leads to the end of the Covenant of works who works all in us and for us as sayes the Apostle who works faith grace commands the light to shine out of darkness shines in the heart to give the knowledge of the Son and so thou art in the delusion and the Papists doctrine that knowes not this within but calls it the Covenant of works dost not thou tread in their steps and have crept up in their great Masse-houses and the light given forth by Christ in conversion and the light in the conscience is one and it is not natural it was before natural was it exerciseth the conscience towards God and towards man in them that love it but in them that hate it they are not converted but they live in the many wayes out of the one way to God for he that 's the Covenant of light is the Covenant of grace and thus thou art blinding people with many things Pr. The owning not the imputation of Christ as the matter and formal cause of Justifications is damnable doctrine
pure as God is pure Pr. God may justly require his due of man though man cannot give it Answ God requires no more of man then he gives Pr. That the Quakers sends men to the light within them to be perfected which is no better then darknesse Answ Thou that sendest men to any thing but not to the light within them thou keepest them out from Perfection in utter darknesse And none comes out of utter darkness to perfection but by the light within them and so growing up in the light they grow up in that which is perfect and so in the fulnesse which is Christ which is the perfection of God Pr. Christ saves his people from the guilt of their sins here in the state of justification The state of the best Saints here are imperfect Answ Who are justified are saved from the guilt of sin and who commits sin feels the guilt and cannot say they are justified in the committing of it for he that saves sanctifies redeems and destroys the Devill and his works and death where he hath power where he keeps up his authority And if the best Saints here are imperfect then they are not brought out of Adams state in the transgression for a Saint is one that is sanctified and one that is redeemed and one that comes to know the works of the Devill destroyed and washed and cleansed and sanctified through the name of the Lord and that which justifieth takes away sin and it's guilt both For as it is written he shall save his people from their sins and from the guilt and from the wretched state Pr. Surely they cannot be perfect here or hereafter in equality but onely in quality Ans Christ makes no distinction in his words but saith Be ye perfect even as your heavenly Father is and be ye mercifull as he is And as he is so are we And that which is perfect and mercifull as he is perfect and mercifull is in equality with the same thing which is of God and from him Pr. The Saints they were come to the spirits of just men made perfect but not on earth Answ The just mens spirits that led them to give forth Scriptures was the spirit of God and that was perfect and was while they were upon earth the Saints were come to which was Christ the end of all words and so to God the Judge of all the Earth Philip Taverner called Preacher of the word in his Book called The QVAKERS Rounds These are his Principles as followeth Pr. WE distinguish between the Essential word and the declarative word we own Christ to be the Essential and the Scripture to be the Letter Answ The Scripture tells us that Christ is the word the Scriptures of truth that was given forth from the spirit of truth were the words of God in whom they end in Christ the word and you talk of a declarative word and the Scripture you call a History and you call it a Creed and you call it a Catologue and these Titles and names you have given to the Scripture of truth the words of God which as I said before was the Scripture of truth the words of God given forth from the spirit of God which ends in Christ and doth not speak of a declarative word but you in your nicity Prin. There is a two-fold comming of the Gospel the one in word the other in power Answ The blind people here thou wouldst make believe that the word was not the power which the word and the power is one for Christ the word and Christ the power of God his name is called the power of God and he that Ministers the word Ministers the power of God and the Gospel Pr. The Saints that stood upon mount Sion that followed the Lamb those Saints that was without guil before the throne of God is to be understood in the justification and not in sanctification that is spoken of in the Revelations 14. Answ Here thou hast manifested thy self to be an accuser of the Brethren who are justified and said to be without fault now who are justified are sanctified and are justified it was said in their mouths was no guile they were not defiled and now these that have no guile and are justified and were not defiled with women such are sanctified so that thou Judgest of things that are too mighty for thee and medles with things that are two weighty and brings Judgement upon thy own head whose measure is measured and weights are tryed and thou art of them that art found too light Prin. He that is born of God sins not after the same sort as them that are of the Devil Answ He that commits sin is the servant of sin and he that commits sin is of the Devil and he that is born of God doth not commit sin for he cannot because he is born of God born of that nature which cannot sin and those who doth sin is of the Devil is of the same nature of their father but he that is born of God doth noâ— commit sin at no rate for he is of the same nature of his father Pr. As John saith as he is so are we in this present world that Scripture saith he cannot be so in the latitude of it Answ I believe you for from the men of your generation it was not given forth but them that are the Sons of God understands it as it is and believes it as it speakes Pr. Christ was holy from his conception so are not we saith he but we are sanctified in time Christ was holy and so are not we for there still remains the in dwelling of sin in us Ans And some was sanctified from the womb and some children was holy that were born of the believers Christ in the male and in the female is as he was in his eternal generation and is the same and remains and is the sanctification sanctifies the unsanctified Sons of Adam in the transgression and who hath that without and not within are hypocrites and Christ changeth them and makes them like himself Pr. That the Saints are compleat in point of justification and not in sanctification Ans They that are not compleat in sanctification they are not compleat in justification for they are one they that are compleat in the one are compleat in the other and so farre as a man is sanctified so far is he justified and no farther for the same that sanctifies a man justifies him for the same that is his sanctification is his justification and his wisdome is his redemption he that knows one of them knows all he that doth not feel one of them feels none of them at all for they are all one Pr. Faith justifies onely instrumentally neither doth it justifie instrumentally as a worke wrought in us by the spirit Answ The man is blinde he is angry there and fretting himself about things that are too weighty for him about things that he knows not For faith is the
him by true faith Ans Salvation is purchased to all men that perished in Adam though they do not believe it for he is the Saviour of all men especially of them that do believe and an offering for the sin of the whole world mark the world and doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world that all through him might believe and he that believes not is condemned by Christ the light the life the sacrifice the offering that through death that which in them was the power of death the Devill he destroyed and his power and so entred into his glory all that believe in him have life and all that doth not and receive him not hath not life but are condemned through unbelief Now if if you say that in Adam all dyed I say yes and in Christ all shall be made alive to the Justification of life I say yes as in Adam all dyed as in Christ they come to be made alive so them that are the believers are the holy so the believers children a new creation a new generation new creatures out of Adam in the fall the believers passed from death to life that came by Adam and so in that is a cleane creation and holy generation Pr. All things contained in the Gospell is summed up in the Apostles Creed Ans The Apostles doth not tell us of a creed but the Popes Canon-book and common prayer book and many things the Apostles had to say which was not lawfull to utter and many things Christ had to say they could not beare but the Gospell is the power of God and that the scripture speakes of but doth not say the Epistles is it Pr. God hath manifested himselfe in his word that these three distinct persons are one Ans The word nor the scripture doth not tell us of three distinct persons but it tells us of Father and of Son and of Holy Ghost but indeed as I said before the Popes canon book and Masse-book doth so for the Holy Ghost is not distinct from the Son and the Son is not distinct from the Father but they are all in one Pr. Having our chief hope placed in God being assured that nothing may with draw us from his love Ans Yet you say you are not able to keep the commandements of God perfect then you are drawne from the living God and you are from the chiefest hope Christ for who loves God keepes his commandements and such have the chiefest hope Christ in which the commandement ends here the love goes forth out of the pure heart but is not riches your hope and doth not riches and the glory of the world and the fashions thereof drew your hearts away and your love and hope stand in them and hath taken up the possession of your hearts more then God therefore who keeps them not perfectly keeps them not at all Pr. You say Christ hath ransomed your bodies and your soules from sin and by that one sacrifice of his body he hath redeemed you Ans Are your bodies redeemed and your soules that are immortall and your spirits sanctified and do you glorifie God in your bodies soules and spirits which is the Lords and is there not sin in your bodies and are not your spirits corrupted now who witnesses redemption of the body and soule from sin these are out of the first Adams state and are the holy ones and these be in the end of the law and that which fulfills the Law Christ Jesus but now if you come to say that you have sin in your bodies and the fruits will shew it selfe to persecute or envy rage malice pride or such wickednesse this shewes not the fruits of Redemption Pr. You say That God in Christ hath put out the remembrance of your sins and of your corruptions within you wherein you must fight all your life time Ans Whilst the sins you are fighting withall are not blotted out in your own particulars this is not the life of the Saints they are not fighting all their life time but come to the kingdome of God witnessing sin and iniquity blotted out the everlasting covenant of peace and life with God Pr. You say You are righteous before God through faith though your consciences accuse you for your trespasses against the commands of God being prone to evil yet notwithstanding imbrace the benefits of Christ as if you never had committed any sin or corruption and this is as if you your selves had perfectly compleated the obedience Ans Where the conscience accuses it is impure and that the true faith is out of for the mystery of faith is held in a pure conscience and that is it that receives Christ and which is not prone to evil nor transgresseth the commands of God but you are out of the perfect obedience and out of the faith both and are in the corruption are not the lovers of God nor come to Christ the end of the commandements which is loved in a pure heart and whereas you talke of conscience accusing and yet faith that is your ignorance for faith is held in a pure conscience the conscience doth not accuse but the unsanctified Pr. Not that we please God through the worthinesse of our faith for our works the best of them are imperfect in this life defiled with sin Ans It is faith that brings men to please God which Faith comes from him and gives victory over that men have lived in and not pleased God so faith there is a worthinesse in it it is the gift of God by which men please God and have accesse to to him and they are justified and through it they overcome and subdue mountaines and raise the dead your best workes being imperfect and defiled with sin in this life then they are not wrought in God but out of him in the darknesse they are works of darknesse unperfect defiled with sin are not the workes of darknesse to be condemned for the fire and to be out of the Law and Gospell but the works the Saints works that are in the Faith wrought in love are perfect wrought in God created to good works these are distinct from the unperfect defiled with sin and these good workes the Saints witnessed when they were upon the earth which is the works of Faith which works by love Ans Infants that are baptized belong as well to the covenant and Church of God as they of full age they by baptism being grafted into the Church of God so discerned from the children of Infidels so this baptisme succeeds Circumcision Answ Then by this all Christendom that are baptized are the Church and grafted into the Church Papists and Protestants and all and how is it that your Church is so much in confusion then for you say they are grafted into the Church of God and in the Church of God there is no confusion it is the Pillar and ground of truth without spot or wrinkle and how is it there is such killing
imprisoned and many hard dealings against us the worst of tongues or hands could execute sparing life of this all the North countries may witnesse and all these things are sustained and suffered from people and Rulers because of our faithfulnesse to the Lord and for declaring against the false deceivers for nothing save onely the hand of the Lord and his power could have preserved us and carryed us through all this neither for any reward outward whatsoever or advantage to our selves would we have exposed our selves to that sufferings and violence and dangers which befell us dayly but the Lord was our exceeding great reward through all these things and kept us in the hollow of his hand and under the shadow of his wings and gave us dominion in spirit over all our enemies and subdued them before us and though Rulers and people were combined against us and executed their injustice and violence upon us yet the Lord made us to prosper and grow exceedingly in strength wisdom and number and the hearts of the people enclined unto us and the witnesse of God in many stired for us for to that in all consciences in our words and sufferings and waies we did commend our selves to be known and approved And in the beginning we were but few in number onely a few that thus were carried on and dealt with all and that had received the power from on high in such a measure and for such a work and no sooner did the Lord appear to us and with us but the Devil and his power rose up against us to destroy us and it wrought in Rulers Priests and people and all the waies and meanes invented by the Devil that could be executed by his servants were brought forth to quench the work of the Lord and to stop our passage in what we were called to did ye but perfectly know as we perfectly found the craftinesse and policie and wickednesse of the Devil how to overcome this new borne babe and how to root out for ever this plant that was newly sprang forth it would make you admire and wonder with admiration all the priests and Rulers were in an uproar the Priests they petitioned to the Magistrates and run up down from one sessions and Judicatory to another took wicked oathes and slandered the just with lies and reproaches on purpose to incense all people against us and the Magistrates gave forth warrants for the apprehending of some and made their orders to break our meetings and that we should not meet in the night season and such men might not passe abroad and such stirr and opposition vvas made against us it can hardly be expressed or declared there was uproars in steeple-houses and uproars in markets and often haling before Magistrates and abused and threatned and slandred and all manner of evil done and spoken against us and great injustice cruelty and oppression acted against us where ever we came and all through the meanes of the Priests who spared not to enact and conceive mischief against us and sought dayly to the Magistrates for persecution preaching in their Pulpits and praying against us and setting daies apart to seek their God against us crying with out ceasing in publike and private heresie heresie Error and blasphemy that we were deceivers witches and seducers such like the worst they could say and Imagine to stir up the hearts of people against us and running often to the Assize and Sessions and Counts to complain and in forme upon false oathes against us and through them were the whole countries in a rage and madnesse Rulers people often imprisoning and abusing and resisting us with violence banishing us out of towns and putting of us out of our Innes and often threatning to burne the houses over our heads the whole company of rude people in a town often gathering and besetting a house or Inne about where we were entred to lodge in our travels we were often exposed to dificult and hard travels and journies giving our selves to the Crosse to take it up against all earthly often drinking water and lying in straw in barnes after a hard daies journey and yet for all these things the power and presence of the Lord was with us and we were carried on in much boldnesse and faithfulnesse in courage and without fear or doubtings through the often hazard of our lives many waies in uproars by evil men and in markets and Steeple-houses and also in travels by robbers and every way were we exposed to dangers and perrils but through all over all were we carried and are preserved to this day And after this manner it came to passe concerning us and much more might be said but this is in short declared how we were intreated and dealt withall by Priests Rulers and People through all the Northern counties of England in our first going forth through which counties we first Journied out of Westmerland through Cumberland Northumberland and into some parts of Scotland and Durham York-shire Lancashire Chesshire c. and in all these counties much opposition we had and exceeing sufferings and cruell dealings from men of all sorts every Goal may witnesse in every county how any of them seldome were without some of us or our friends imprisoned in them this six yeares and scarce one steeple-house or market in all these counties but may witnesse what beating what bruisings strikings and halings and abusings and perils we have suffered and sustained and not one priest in all those counties can cleare himselfe from hatred and malice and from envying of us and doeing mischief in words and works or thoughts or desires against us nor scarce one Justice nor any officer of the peace can be excused in all them counties from plotting and acting injustice upon us and threating and enacting cruelty against us And I call Heaven and Earth to record and the Light in every mans conscience and do appeal to that in all sorts and places of people that by all sorts of people we suffered evil and unjust works and actions and words from them and let the witnesse of God in all mens consciences in all the North give testimony what dealings and cruelty we suffered and how we have been dealt withall and also of our patience and Innocency under all what they have done to us But notwithstanding all what was acted against us and spoken maâ—â— hundreds of the honest and sober people owned us and also many rude and ungodly persons were converted to the truth I say many hundreds in all these counties in two yeares time were brought to the knowledge of the Lord and to own us all which time we laboured and traveled in patience giving up our selves to live or to die and to all manner of sufferings and reproaches and hard trials that we might fulfill faithfully what we were called unto sufferings without from open enemies and from our own kindred and relations and sufferings within for the seeds sake
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
the Son I will give him for a Covenant of light unto the Gentiles and a new Covenant to the house of Israel and the house of Judah Among the Jews to whom Christ was promised he told them he was the light of the world and the Prophet said he would give him for a Covenant of light unto the Gentiles And Christ bid them believe in the Light and they should have the Light of life and they should not walk in darkness And John saith if ye walk in the Light then have ye fellowship one with another and the blood of the Son of God cleanseth you from all sin So none cometh out of the darkness and out of the stumbling and have peace with God but who cometh to the Light And art thou offended at this object Dost thou stumble at this Light at the door the Rock the corner-stone splitting thy self against it but it is fallen upon thy head Again the spiritual man discerns and Judgeth all things And as face answers face so doth the Spirit of the Lord in man And man may discern by the Spirit of the Lord God where the seed is in the Death and where the seed is not and where the soul is living in which the Lord hath pleasure and where it is in the death as the Scriptures of truth doth testifie The holy men of God discern it and ye being ignorant of this doth manifest that ye have neither salt nor savour nor handling nor tasting nor seeing nor feeling But what ye know ye know naturally as bruit beasts and so there is the evil eye not having spirits of discerning and savoury How should ye minister unto people to their states and conditions if ye cannot discern their spirits which is in them How are ye ministers of the spirit The natural man though he have all the natural tongues doth not receive the things of God yet the natural man may get the letter and if he have not the spirit that gave it forth he is â—ot a Minister of the spirit but of the letter and câ—red from the spirit that the Apostles was in as you are and you have made your selves manifest Pr. He saith the Quakers will have no Tooles taken out of the shops of humane learning to work withall See page 26. again they call our Ministers States Ministers or Priests and some of them quakers go naked through the streets c. Answ How ignorant art thou here of Scripture will not all people here judge thy ignorance and your ignorance which the Scripture lets them see that the Lord did make his Prophet Isaiah to put off his cloathes and go naked for a signe among the Egyptians and Ethiopians to Egypt and Ethiopia a figure of their nakedness and if the Lord did make some signes among you or have made some as signes among you to go naked a figure of your nakedness who are of spiritual Egypt and of their root and stock And of those spirits false spirits that went out into the world from the Apostles If the Lord make some signes as among you of your nakedness how you have ravened from the spirit of God and wants the cloathing of that look upon your own shame are they not Innocent people that go naked among you and are an offence unto you who sees not your shame that that may be covered And are not ye State Ministers made by men and Schooles and Colledges set up by States maintainance from the State and Tythes from the State out of the States allowance And ye say ye never heard the voyce of God nor Christs voyce immediately from heaven whose Ministers are ye then but States Ministers and deny immediate Revelation and inspiration How can we say ye are Ministers made by the will of God when as ye tell us ye never heard his voyce Or how can we say you are Ministers of Christ and deny Revelation and inspiration and immediate voyce from heaven and so knowes not the Son and the spirit that reveals As for your tooles that comes out of your shops of humane learning The Quakers deny your shops of tools that comes out of the humane learning And the Scripture gives no such expressions as a shop of tooles that ever the Prophets or Aâ—ostles had a shop of tools of humane learning But your shops of tools of humane learning hath come up in the Apostacy since the days of the Apostles and these are your tools that you work withall in the Apostacy And so ye workmen will fall out with one anothers work and with your tools strick at one another Ye have had a shop that inwardly ravened that went forth from the Apostles the false spirits that went out into the world ye have had a shop of tooles with which ye have worked and lived in your old Aâ—thors and books and studies and Fathers and so burst into many heads and heapes and one destroying another about one anothers work since the dayes of the Apostles who have a shop of tools out of your humane learning So all your tools ye have wrought withall since the Apostacy hath been taken out of the shops of humane learning which is earthly this proves ye are apostates and the spirits gone out into the world And Luke saith the tongues of the Hebrew Greek and Latin was set up a top of Christ by Pilate who crucified him And John saith the beast had power over all tongues And the whore sits upon the tongues and the tongues are waters What hath the beast sate upon our tongues our Orthodox-men our Schooles and Colledges what doth the whore sit on our tongues Original and upon our tools and shops that which is a top of Christ It is not unlike but that the Beast may have power over all these The earth was of one language before they built Babel and when they imagined to build Babel God confounded them into many Languages And so the life is risen Christ Jesus which was before Babel was and when Babylon is not and before Pilate was that set the many Languages upon him The life is risen over them and you all which life is Christ which breaks your shops to pieces of your tools of humane learning and your tools both which was before Babel was and when Babylon is not and so your glory is marr'd there and your pride is stained The life is risen Christ the life is risen over you The Merchants and the Trades-men rages which hath long had your shops Sing and rejoyce over them ye Saints Pr. He saith the Apostle saith The last times are perillous there should be false accusers and fierce despisers of them that are good Again he saith a Turke or an Indian will deny the light within him Again Christ is in heaven with his carnall body See page 43. 45. 48. Answ Christs body is a glorified body and the Scripture doth not speak any where that Christs body is a carnall body in heaven Again the perillous times came
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
and power and glory with the Father What then all that have the Son and the holy Ghost hath that which is equall in power and glory with the Father In this thou hast not onely judged thy selfe but all the Assembly of Divines at Westminster 1649. Pr. It is a false thing to say Christs person is in man Answ Which is as much as to say none are of his flesh or of his bone nor eate it nor had not his substance Pr. For denying all meritorious works that cast men out from enjoying any thing from Gâ—d for their salvation Ans And nere they are turned to the Pope who are in their own meritorious works out of the faith that works by love Pr. And there is no other way to salvation but by meritorious wâ—rks Ans And there is no man attains to salvation by his own meritorious works in his will but they that attain salvation comes to the light which Christ hath enlightned them withall Pr. He calls that Satanicall to say as he is so are we in this present world Ans Contrary to John who saith as he is so are we in this present world so thou hast denyed Johns words Pr. That God doth exclude all works wrought in man and by man by what spirit soever Answ So here is thy spirit tryed and works are totally excluded without any distinction and so the works of God and Christ his Son are excluded by thee and the Apostle bids them worke out their salvation with fear and trembling which he opposeth and gives another sense to it and the works of God Christ and the spirit are not denyed by us as thou dost by the Devill which is in thee Pr. To be justified by Christ alone he calls it a justified self-quaker Answ There is no man self-denyed and justified in the sight of God but by Christ alone And they that are not justified by Christ alone are in themselves and it's justification Pr. It is against the Scriptures to say men must be without sin and that men must be perfect Answ That 's contrary to the Scriptures for they mention that there was just men perfect men and holy men upon earth for they that gave forth Scriptures were holy men and Paul spoke wisdom amongst them that were perfect and Joseph was a just man And the blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin and are perfected by the one offering for ever mark the words are and he that is borne of God doth not commit sin Prin. He makes people believe that false Prophets and Antichrists are come but now Ans Which Christ said should come in Matth. 24. which John saw were come 1 Epist 2. And in the Revelation he saw the world go after them which he is one of them but the Quakers own but one Christ which is the seed which is now risen on top of them all and witnesse the Lamb He that was dead is alive and lives for evermore Pr. That the Quakers are of the Devill Ans And it hath been the Devill in him that hath testified against the Quakers and so makes his Kingdome divided against himselfe and it is Christ that is in the Quakers and hath appeared that cannot be shaken whom he calls Belzebub like some of his old Fathers but his reward will be according to his works Pr. Hâ— saith No other people upon the earth go about to save soules but the Quakers Answ So he hath judged himselfe and all the people upon the face of the earth to be deceivers of souls and not savers of souls but the Quakers are so the preservers and savers of souls and yet he calls them equivocating deluding hypocrites which he hath proved himself and all others to be so except Quakers Pr. He denies and sayes that the Saints bodies are not Christs body Answ And how are they Christs how dwels he in them and how are they of his flesh and of his bone then and how bruitish are you become in the knowledge hath not he bought them with a price and are they not his Pr. He saith That neither Gods Essence nor the heaven nor Christs person was in Peters holy body Answ But the Apostle said God will dwell in you and walke in you and Christ in you And again he saith our conversation is in heaven And here thou art striving against the Apostles Doctrine and the Beasâ— is blaspheming against the Tabernacle of God and they that dwell in heaven And thus thou wrangles with the Apostle who said Christ was in them and is not his power that which thou calls his essence Pr. He sayes There is not whole Christ God and man in men Answ Then how must men grow up in the measure of the fulnesse of the stature of Christ and Christ and God will dwell in man and walk in man God that made all things and Christ by whom all things were made Pr. He saith It is a shame for the Quakers to say as he is so are we in this present world Ans Which is the Apostles words and the Apostle was not ashamed to speak them but thou that lives in the power of darkness art ashamed to hear them Pr. He saith Christ had not appeared unto the Saints in his second coming to them much lesse in them Ans Contrary to the Apostles Doctrine 2 Colos And Christ said he would dwell in them And the Apostle said the son of God was come and Christ said he would come again to the Apostles which he did according to his word and God did dwell in them and walk in them and John in his Epistle said the Son of God was come Pr. And he saith The Saints are not as Christ is Answ So he denies Johns Doctrine who said as he is so are we in this present world Pr. And he said The righteous man sins seven times a day and that David nor no man living is justified in the sight of God at any time so long as he was a living man upon earth and that the Prophâ—ts were not made free from sin Ans And there is no Scripture that saith a righteous man sins seven times a day and David said his sins were removed from him as far as the East is from the West and yet thou saith David was never at any time free from sin of having sin in him while he was upon the earth And God said I have found David a man after my owne heartâ— fulfilling all my will So here he was justified And the Apostle said in Rom. 6. that they were made free from sin and were justified by faith in Christ Jesus Pr. He saith Paul was not made free from all sin A. Yet Paul said he had kept the faith he had kept that which purifies and gives victory over sin and yet he goes about to disprove Pauls words and saith Paul had sin when he had finished his course so his great work is to prove the Saints sinners which they witnesse against him and charging Job Paul
of the first Adam O mystery of deceit the deceitfull unfolding by antichrist to say that Christ sayeth the houre is coming now is that neither at this mountain nor as Jerusalem shall the Father be worshipped but he that worships him must worship him in spirit and in truth Answ Thousands in the Nation may witnesse the work the Quakers hath wrought and thousands are convinced of you to be the gain-sayers of the truth and the ante-christ come up since the daies of the Apostles and all your praying reading and meditations is but the first Adams state in the fall where the mystery of deceit is for yet you are not come to own the light Christ Jesus the second Adam that doth enlighten every man that comes into the world and so you be the ante-christs standing against Christ the light the truth and so are not come into the worship of God in the truth and in the spirit but are crying up at your Masse-houses is God worshipped as the Jewes did the Temple and Samaria the mountaine at Jerusalem which Christ saith not at Samaria nor the Mountain nor Jerusalem nor the Temple but in spirit and in truth and so we say not at your Masse-houses nor at Samaria nor Jerusalem neither not the Mountain but God hath seeked us to worship him in spirit and in truth and therefore you rage that hate the light Pr. They reckon their perfection and happinesse to be deprived of all the spirit doth neither so act or so teach and I was kept from this temptation and they that are overcome by it are brought into bondage a vaine deceitfull waiting for a power when the Apostles saith ye must pray without ceasing and not quench the spirit the Thessalonians they must cease from their owne words and wait for the immediate striving and working of the spirit as they fancy it Ans This thou calls fancie who saith the spirit of God doth not teach men nor so act to be deprived of all things Yes I say to thee thou must be deprived of all things before thou come to happinesse and thou art in the bondage and in the temptation that hath not forsaken all things and come to Christ the onâ— thing and thy praying and prophesying and not waiting for the spirit and power for to pray withall art in the fancy and following thy owne Spirit and out of the perfection of Christ Pr. It is blasphemy to say we must fill up the sufferings of Christ Answ And so thou art unlike the Apostles anâ— hast not drunk the cup of the wrath and judgement of the Almighty and that you must drink before you come to know the â—eed of God come from under all the power of wickednesse in thee and that is the world And Christ who bore the sin of the whole world felt it and was under it and was offered and over it all and makes his enemies his footstool Pr. The false interpretation of the enemy he saith that every mans work must be tryed with fire what sort it is and you shall hardly gain a speech of one sort or other sometimes from the Quakers and this thou cals dumb devill Answ And thus thou shewest where thou art who hath not known a time to be silent before thou didest know a time to speak and the dumb devill hath been found amongst your selves your Priests for when many of the Quakers have been moved of the Lord to come to speak to you in your Pulpits you have proved the dumb devils turned your backs and have gone your waies and spoken never a word to them and thy works and all mens shall be tryed by the fire and that is not perverting scripture as also saith the Apostle and thou never hast past through the wrath of God but it is yet to come and the sufferings of Christ thou knowest not Pr. And it will be a lye and delusion for the spirit when it sanctifies the hearts to go about to tear their hearts out of their bodies when Davids bones was broken and his flesh would scarce to cleave it is far from me to think that this was under the apprehension of wrath shall a man think that he suffered for his sanctification Answ The spirit of God teares out the old hearts and so before men be sanctified throughout he must know suffering and his wretched state yet Sanctification that brings him peace in the end and life And Davids condition thou art ignorant of and knows not for he was sensible of the wrath before his sins were removed as far as the East is from the West and he had joy and peace but trembling and quaking is become a mock and scoffe amongst you for there is a trembling and rejoycing and there is a trembling in the sorrow Pr. When the Quakers are commanded many times to go they have not that leisure to dress them this is a hard Master surely not Christ therefore by Satan for the Lord is not wont to do things ignorantly to deceive his servants and they are brought to fast from all manner of food three nights and three dayes most feeble wretched creatures contrary to the Law of nature so they are not capable of bearing the glory of God so Ministers of Antichrist and they are made to deny their callings and possessions I would eat more then I desired because I would give no offence Answ In this thou hast shewed thy ignorance of the Scriptures and Christ for he that is on the house top let him not come down to put on his cloaths And they that went on his message were not to take two coats And when they went on his message they did not goe to dresse themselves with boot-hose-tops and double cuffs and ribbons and rings as the Priest doth and what God doth it is in his wisdome beyond the ignorance of man-kinde and they that receive it must be in his fear And Christ is not a hard Master as thou thinkst because some goes not dressing them in their apparell which goes to do his command but thou who art wicked and sloathfull hath so judged with the wrong and false judgement and many of the Saints have fasted till they might number their bones and Christ fasted and this was not contrary to the Law of nature and did not make them uncapable of receiving the glory of God Neither was it Antichrist and thou who art of him canst eat and drink more then thou hast desire because thou wouldst not offend others and that is contrary to the Law of nature And the Saints forsook their callings and possessions and the world but you Priests runs into great possessions which you get out of poor peoples labours so like the false Apostles and Antichrist not like Christ and his Apostles Pr. They have a glosse put upon Christs words to his Disciples when he bids them that they should take no care what to speak it should be given them in the same hour And of their gâ—ing naked I
to destroy all Israel and all men upon the earth but thou errs in thy judgement and in thy understanding for I know it is the seed of the Serpent that speakes in thee that puts no difference between the pretious and the vile and when Israel thought Christ had called them serpents many of them were converted to the faith their outward creatures were not destroyed thou talkes foolishly and given up to the Devils power and who works wickednesse and mischiefe and if men be the serpents seed as thou doth say who shall be saved for the Serpent and his seed must be destroyed and if men be the seed of the serpent then must the seed of the serpent obey the spirit must not the spirit destroy him and the brightnesse and breath of the Lord consume him and it is men whose lives Christ came to save that are captivated by the seed of the serpent and redeemed and turned from the power of Satan to God and thou must be threshed and feel the weight of the Lords hand before thou beest humbled and what hast thou to doe to talke of ordination before man had a being in the world and would make men like thy self and say they are the serpents seed which man is not so as he is man and we and thousands do witnesse election and salvation before the foundation of the world was laid and are come into that which comprehends time and being which are since time in which power the elect reignes where salvation is known Pr. The woman that the Serpent deceived her seed breakes the Serpents Dominion Ans The seed of the woman doth bruse the serpents head where ever he is found in any male or female that Christ may rise in the male and in the female and this seed is a top of thy head and thou hast no power but to reach to his heel and thou art the house of darknesse and the seed is yet in Egypt not come forth yet and there is a strong man must bow himselfe and them that keep the house must tremble and hath kept thy heart from the Lord God and hath carryed it a whoring abroad and a stronger he is then he that keeps the house that spoiles his goods and takes possession who comes to rule and will rule and reigne Pr. That the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man in the Church to profit withall and not to every man in the world Answ The manifestation is given to every man to profit withall without distinction I will power out my spirit upon all flesh for the spirit of truth shall lead the Saints into all truth and he shall reprove the world and that which doth reprove the world is manifest to the world Pr. That no man hath received a measure of the spirit of Christ but such as doe believe in Christ and that no man doth believe in Christ but such as Christ is revealed to in time and that he is revealed to none but by the manifestation of his spirit Answ The true believers that believe in Christ the revelation knew him in time and out of time and the unbelievers are reproved Pr. Which of the people of God Prophets or Apostles did direct all people to a Light within them for their instruction and guide before the manifestation of the spirit unto them or the worke of Regeneration wrought in them Answ The Prophet said I will give him for a Covenant of light unto the Gentiles and a new Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah will I make and write my Law in their hearts and put them into their minds and this was in generall directed to them before they was converted and Regenerated and this light was to inlighten the Gentiles whereby the prisoners should come out of the pit where there is no water and the new Covenant was held to the Jewes before they were converted that all may see who can read but the outward letter and the Apostle was sent to turn people from darknesse to light and Iohn the highest Prophet borne of woman said that was the true light which did inlighten every man that cometh into the world which he was a witnesse of and shined in the darknesse and the darkness comprehendeth it not and Christ directed the Pharisees to the kingdome of heaven in them which were not converted read the pearl and the lost piece of silver read the talent and the pearle hid in the field read the slothfull servant his talent and then read thy selfe how blind and ignorant thou art in the things of God and be silent that thou may come to know the Lord and his feare that the witnesse of God may stir in thee that thou may do righteously in the fight of God and men least the judgement of God be upon thy head for thou art manifest to all that be in the light THE DOCTRINS PRINCIPLES OF THE Priests of Scotland CONTRARY to the DOCTRINE OF CHRIST and the APOSTLES Here all may see The Priests of Scotland and their Church and their Persecution against the Saints and Lambs Servants and Children of God which the Lord moved to go among them to visit the Seed of God in that dark wilderness-Country who has been as Sheep among Wolves Also How pure Religion is turned upside down and vain Religion got in its place And the pure Doctrine of Christ and the Apostles which saith Entertain Strangers Love Enemies is lost among you In stead of entertaining strangers and loving enemies they Imprison and Persecute and have made their Church unsavoury And the Teachers fruits declares to be false who are wrestlers against flesh and blood and strikers at creatures which Christ and the Apostles did not George Weare John Hart. William Grey William Lowry William Mitchell Richard Isamaell FIRST These Presbyterian Priests of Scotland which Excommunicate and puts out of the Synagogues knowes not the Father and the Sun John 16. so no true Christians for how can they be true Christians that knowes not the Son of God nor the Father Secondly They are no Ministers of Christ for Christ saith When they curse blesse ye so they be out of Christs doctrine and teaching not blessing but cursing and giving forth curses and all the people must say Amen to their Curses Thirdly They be out of the Apostles doctrine who saith Blesse and curse not Rom. 12.14 so are no Ministers of Christ that curseth and gives forth their Curses to the people to say Amen to them and here they are shut out of the Apostles doctrine and Christs all people mark and take notice them they are that curse which the Apostle saith Blesse and curse not these are the Cursers and not blessers that Excommunicate you out of the Synagogues Hugh Archball Priest of Stravan John Hume Priest of Lesmabaga William Hambleton Priest of Glasford James Durram Priest of Glasgow John Castaires Priest of Glagow Francis Ard Priest of Discert Matthew Mackel
Matthew Markell and the rest of the Priests present with him did Excommunicate those people called Quakers in the prâ—â—ence of many witnesses and he required his hearers to say Amen to every particulâ—r sentence JOHN HVMES Priest Pr. THey who have not the Scriptures knowes not the Attributes of God by the light of nature but the Scriptures declare the great mystery of the three persons in Trinity which they who want the Scriptures knowes not Answ Thy Principle is a lie and who had not the Scriptures knew God and Christ as Abraham and Enoch and the Scripture doth not declare of the three persons nor of the Trinity and the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God Pr. That the Scriptures reveal the great mystery of Election the great works of the Creation and the work of Redemption Answ There thou hast set up the Scripture in stead of God and before God and the Son for it is God that doth reveal to babes and sucklings Mat. 11.25 and God did reveal by his Spirit 1 Cor. 2.10 and God shall reveal Phil. 3.15 and the things of God are hid from the wise and prudent Mat. 11.25 that have the Scriptures the Jews had the Scriptures and God reveals his secrets to the Prophets his servants Amos 3.7 no man knows the Father saving to whom the Son shall reveal him Mat. 11.17 now the Son reveals and the Father reveals and the things of God are revealed by his Spirit 1 Cor. 2.10 the Jewes had the Scriptures and knew not the Son 1 Cor. 2.8 nor the Father as in John nor the things of God by a natural light as they call it the Iews had the Scriptures and did not know the Election Isa 24. because they were from the Spirit So it is God that reveals the Son and Redemption and Election and not the Scripture the Scripture was given forth from them that had the Revelation from God Pr. That we and the Papists and Jesuites and Priests do agree all together that the Scripture is the word of God that liveth and endureth for ever Ans I do believe that you and the Papists and Jesuits agree all in one but ye did not agree with the Apostles and Ministers of the word for the Ministers of the word calls the Scripture a Declaration as ye may read Luke 1. and ye do not agree with them that set forth the Acts that called it a Treatise Acts 1. likewise ye do not agree with some of your own who say the Scriptures signifies writings and writings will not endure for ever so ye are Babylon and do not agree with Christ and ye do not agree with Iohn Rev. 22. who saith the words nor with Moses nor God who spake all these words Exod. 20. In the beginning was the word and the word is God and the word liveth and abideth for ever but the Scripture is words and the Scripture cannot be broken John Nasmith Priest of Hambleton his Principles Pr. THat the soul of man is a reasonable sinful substance Ans How can that which is sinful be reasonable and if that which is unsinful be reasonable and sinful be reasonable both then they are one in unity The Lord will take the soul for an offering for sin doth the Lord take that which is sinfull for an offering Isai 53. see how thou and the Prophet agrees here But what is that soul that the wicked is not able to kill is it not that which God hath in his hand and this is a lie to say that which is reasonable is sinful of one that puts light for darkness God breathed into man the breath of life and he became a living soul who hath all souls in his hand and the soul is immortal and Christ the Bishop of it is immortal and God hath it in his hand which goeth against him that doth evil whose hand is immortal but man transgressing the commands of God the soul lies in death so Christ is the Bishop of the souls so they that came to know Christ their souls rejoyced in God their Saviour Luke 1. Pr. That the evil Spirits are both sinfull and reasonable Answ This is a lie for reasonable is not sinful and unreasonable is sinful 2 Thes 3. they have not the faith and if the evil Spirit be reasonable and the good reasonable they are both one who then is unreasonable If the evil Spirit be reasonable thou puts no difference between the precious and the vile thou hast the Mark of a blinde guide and a false Prophet in thy forehead Pr. That one of them Quakers is worse then the Devil This is a lie with his strange wonder for there is nothing worse then the Devil whose children you are for when he speaks a lie he speaks of himself and he is the Father of it Henry Foreside Priest of Lingiah in Dunbarton-shire His Doctrine and PRINCIPLES Pr. THat God commands all every where to repent to the end that they should not have it to say but they were warned but not that he would give them grace to repent Ans Here thou makes God that he does not intend that he speaks and so thou would make him unrighteous though the Lord commands all men every where to repent Acts 17.30 who hath made all Nations of men of one blood to dwell upon the Earth and all being concluded under sin and unbelief that he might have mercy upon all Rom. 3.9 For both Jews and Gentiles all were under sin and none of them did good no not one And Gods intent is that when he calls men to repentance they should repent when he calls them and many did repent and you are not fit men to be Ministers of Christ or God Now if God command all men every where to Repent and as thou sayst does not intend they should Repent thou and you go about to make God unjust First the Lord he desireth not the death of a sinner but that he should turn from his wickedness and live Exod. 33.11 Now in the turning from his wickedness he lives but in going on in his wickedness he dies so Repentance was Preached from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 6.1 and Christ came to call sinners to Repentance not the righteous for the whole needs not the Physitian but the sick Mat. 9.12 13. And as for saying God did not intend to give them grace though he calls them to repentance That is a lie and unrighteous doctrine for the grace of God hath appeared to all men which brings Salvation Titus 2.11 and so as he calls them to repentance he gives them grace that grace which brings salvation which men are justified by so it is saving grace that brings salvation and teacheth to deny ungodlinesse Now they that live ungodly turns the grace of God into wantonnes Jud. 4. and these are the wells without water in Cains way Balaams way Cores way Jud. 11. speaks the high words in hypocrisie and these are