Scriptures and following their own Inventions which they call light And of this Martin Mason and his fellows do manifest themselves to be as guilty as the former and so with them denyers of Christ to be come in the flesh for whosoever are denyers of that Christ Jesus who died at Jerusalem for mans redemption and his teachings and commands given forth by him and his Apostles while they were personally upon Earth amongst men must needs be found guilty of the Apostle Johns brand upon them 1 John â—3 2 John 7. Your Evasion of Christ coming in your flesh will not cover your deceit but more discovers your opposition to Christ Jesus for your telling men of Christ coming in their flesh or your flesh is to make them deny Christ come in his own flesh or the flesh which was the onely flesh or body that God came in to give his Law or Testament of faith to men and was appointed to suffer and seal his Testament with his blood Thou often talkest of the light within telling men and women in secret of every sin they commit yet thy light doth not tell thee or them of your sins of unbelief against that Saviour who tells thee in his Gospel that the world shall be condemned for sin because they believe not in him Thou wilt not open thy window to let this light of righteousness shine into thy dark heart but only light thy self and others with the nightly Torches of your own kindling which at the best let you but fee that evil and that righteousness which is onely in relation to the Law of works by which Law none shall be justified or condemned thy light is a Popish light and had its kindling from that fire and not from the Alter Christ Jesus and therefore is a strange fire and so an abomination from which fire hath been the kindling of mens minds in way of merit by their own works against the Justification that is by faith only according to the Scriptures in the maintaining of which faith in Christ Jesus many thousand who have washt their long robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb and have not loved their lives unto the death but have laid down their lives in witness of that truth in which they have been such overcomers that one would think there should have been no more rising up of that beaten down falshood in the accuser of the Saints yet here appears the same Spirit moving from below which though it hath not the horns and teeth and clawes of the beast to kill and rend the Saints as the former did yet it hath the mouth or voyce of the Dragon to accuse and curse and smite with the tongue those who deny to receive their false devices by which voyce thou callest it blalphemy in me to say the Spirit is received by the hearing and receiving of faith preached and so accuseth the Apostles also of blasphemie of whom I received it Gal. 3.2 Ephes 1.13 Act. 2.38 because it denies the Spirit is received by thy dark works Thou biddest Jonathan tell thee was the bearing of faith Gal. 3.2 hearing the Prophets and Apostles or hearing that Christ which Paul preached to be in all Jew and Greek Barbarian Scithian bond and free Answ If Martins eyes had a Christian opening he would see that either he must deny Paul to be an Apostle and the Apostles to preach all one Christ or say these are both one and if Martin should tell me that the Christ which Paul preached and the Christ which Matthew Mark Luke and John and others of the Apostles preached was not all one Christ all that hears him tell me so will say he speaks not truth and for Barbarians Scithians c. the Apostle in that place names them not and where he doth namethem as in Col. 11. He doth not name them as having Christ without or before faith in him but that as to the Jewes so to all others Christ is the same both in the offer of himself to all by his preaching as also his indwelling with them in receiving him by faith but neither in Col. 11. or any where else doth the Apostles preach Christ to be or dwell in any either Jew or Greek but by faith only quite contrary to your teaching without which faith wrought by the Apostles preaching thy pretended Christ unction and light within is all vanity and deceit Thou askest what shal be the condemnation of all man-kind who never heard of the name of Christ at Jerusalem if not the light of Christ placed in the conscience and wherefore is the light of Jesus left there in the heart of every man and woman if not to lead men and women out of sin into holiness and whether any thing without can redeem a Soul from sin but that Jesus who is the light of the world and shines in the conscience of every man and woman in the world Answer these queriers without any Serpentine evasion conjuring consequence or Antichristian falicies saist thou Answ The condemnation of the condemned shall be for not believing in the name of that Christ who dyed at Jerusalem as the Scriptures lively and abundantly stand up to witness though the dark generation calls them dead John 16.8 9. and 12.48 Mat. 16.16 Mark 25.41 42 48. And thy saying they have not heard of the Name of that Christ that dyed at Jerusalem is of no value for it is but thy false witness in the maintenance of thy own evil cause and therefore to be rejected being a neggative against the Scriptures affirmative besides thy own words the light of Christ placed in the conscience is against thee for how shall the conscience be enlightned by Christ that never heard of him Rom. 10.14 15. Here thou hast Ensnared thy self now thou must either acknowledge with me that the enlightning of all consciences is by the preaching of the faith in that Christ who suffered for sin at Jerusalem or plainly deny him to be the Christ whom thou denying art in sin as the same Christ tells thee John 8.48 and till thou hear the voyceof that Christ who calls thee out of the State of sin or unbelief to believe in his Name and wash away thy sins in his blood thou art not in the State of Holiness but in uncleanness what ever thy heart Imaginations and false fancy may sooth thee up withall for there is no State of cleanness or holiness spiritual but by faith only in that Christ Jesus who suffered at Jerusalem Which Christ Jesus the light of the world in his sufferings at Jerusalem did without them redeem Souls from sins thy Queries denying this doth manifest thy denyal of that Christ who died for sinners whose redemption doth work faith and light in men but not any thing in man doth work his redemption for as formerly I have told thee and others of thy generation at which you have been so wrathful but never gave any answer that redemption is the cause
uttermost part of the earth and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached to all Nations Now let all who have ears to hear judge whether an Egyptian mist and besottedness be not rather in thy self to aledge these whom thou never sawest or heard but by the report of others to be thy witness against me and the Scriptures There is two many nearor hand who if their non obedience must witness against the Scriptures that they have not heard the preaching of Christ and his Apostles do witness fully of which namely Martin Mason is one who is too full of fury and wrath against the preaching of the Gospel by Christ and his Apostles to yeild obedience thereunto Thy saying that Mat. 28.19 20. Mark 16.15 In effect proves Christ command to his Disciples when they were on earth to go preach the glad tydings of the Gospel to the generation they lived in Dothplainly shew how desirous thou art to out short the Commission of Christ and stop the mouths of his Apostles in their preaching by that Commission in these times whose power and promise with that Commission as it was to all the world and every creature so it is to the worlds end as is manifested in the Scriptures verse the 20. By which is discovered what relation thou hast to Christ or love or aquaintance with his truth If thou didest know Christ as the truth is in Jesus thou wouldst know that though the Apostles be not personaly upon earth yet their word by which beleif in Christ is wrought John 47.20 and by which the world shall be judged John 12 48. Rom. 2.16 and by which the word of God is manifest Tit. 1.3 and which is a witness to all Nations through the whole world Mat. 24.14 yet remaineth notwithstanding thine and Millions of opposers and denyers thereof And thus that Egypian mist and sottishness which thou saiest is in me is manifested in thy self who as thou goest about by London way to speak with me who lives by thee in Lincolne so thou runest to the unchristianed world as thou callest them who live many thousands of Myles from thee to be thy witness against me that the Gospel is not preached by Christ and his Apostles and against the Scriptures also And our own knowledge who have their preaching sounding in our ears continually Would any but a misted blind man bring a candle to witness against the Light of the Sun Thy confusion is further manifested In thy acknowledging the Scriptures in effect proves Christ command to his Disciples to go preach the glad tydings of the Gospel For thou denyst and opposest that Christ which they preached and also in his Ordinances and therefore most miserable is thy condition in that to acknowledge it the Command of Christ and the glad tydings of the Gospel and yet fight against it Thou saiest thou never questionedst Christs Comission or their execution thereof yet thou thy self denyst obedience thereunto and wouldest bring Millions of non Christians to witness against it what greater question can be against that Commistion to all the world and every Creature in the world or the execution thereof then to say Millions of people in the world have never heard of that Christ Thou bidest me see my foolishness and be ashamed but if that blend which befottes all sences that oppose the Truth were not it thee thou wouldest see thy self amongst these Owls and Batts whose nightly noyse is heard in the ruines of Babylon But that wine being in thee 't is hid from thy Eyes Thou repeatest thy question How is the Gospel preached to every Creature under Heaven if not by the Principal of light in the Conscience Answ And I answer thee again In the preaching of Christ and his Apostles which worketh the principle of light in the Conscience which is the light of Christ that lighteth every man that cometh into the World And whatsoever pretended light in the Conscience that is not enlightned from thence and leads not to the obedience of that preaching 't is darkness and not light it is two secret and desart for the Saints and Diseiples of Christ to go out to it Mat. 24.26 and lead but where the foolish Woman brings her dead guests Prov. 9.18 Take away thy Letter saiest thou and by this mans Doctrine there would be no principal of light arising in thy Conscience Answ Take away the preaching of Christ in the Scriptures which thou callest dead Letter there would be the same in the Conscience in relation to light that would be in thy tongue for hadest thou not their speakings to still thy mouth with what Name of Christ or Spirit or Spiritual weapon or Gospel or Conscience or Light it self wouldst thou have all that hear thee knows that thou hast none of these expressions but from thence Those who spake by thy Spirit when Christ was personally upon earth might likewise say take away this Carpinter Marys Son and there is no Mesias or Son of God or Light and Saviour of the world for as they contemned and despised Christ Jesus because of his seeming meanness or outward manly estate so thou dost contemne and dispise his Word therefore his Word shall judge the in the lay day John 12.48 Shall men despise the way and means that God hath given for teaching and correcting in righteousness and which is able to make men wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 3.16 17. Because 't is brought home to them in words and writing such dispisers shall wonder and vanish away at the beholding the work of God by that which they so dispise Martin take this further with thee to consider of in way of answer that whosoever takes away or denys that which thou callest dead Letter shall find no light of Conscience but what leads to distruction the Scriptures are either the voyce or speaking of God or nothing or worse if they be nothing or worse why dost thou sometimes say thou ownst them or why dost thou speak by them and steal their word to fill thy mouth with and aledge them And if they be the voyce and speaking of God as even they are thou that wouldest take them away and callest them Dead and Life-less wouldst take away the voyce and speaking of God and call it Dead and Life-less and so art a plain opposer and set enemy against God which manifesteth thy dead and dark mind Thy swelling words against me of gross darkness and calling me Babylonian and Lyer and shame cover thy face and the like I slight them as Big words of wrath for want of matter Thou askest me If there was not a Principal of Light in people before Moses writ the Letter Answ There was the preaching of the Gospel the word of Faith which is the sure Principle of Light before Moses writ the Letter witness Abels offering and Abrahams believing compared with Gal. 3.8 and Heb. 11.4 As also the preaching of the Gospel or righteousness by Noah to the
was and the Baptisme of the Holy Ghost they had not till afterward as verse 15 16 17. But thou wantest a Christian eye and heart which if thou hadst thou wouldst hate to deliver such detestable Stuff where the Scripture names water in Baptisme thou with wicked violence wouldst pluck the words away and place thy own divised baubles in the room thereof and where the Scripture speaks of the same baptisme because it names not water thou audatiously denyest water saist it's wanting there by which thy Spirit of lying is plainly laid open thou calls me vain Jangler tells me these places are not for my purpose without adding to the letter but whether thou in thy perusal or rather abusal of Scripture hast not manifested thy self a vain Jangler and adds to and diminisheth of the Scriptures teaching to hide and deny the truth let the reader Judge thou saist John was a Propher therefore his Ministration must end in Christ Jesus who is the fullfiling of the Law and the Prophets Answ What 's all that to thy denyal of the Baptisme of repentance or baptizing with water upon confession of faith and sins If John were a Prophet he was so in relation to the Gospel of Christ whose servant and Minister he was and not in relation to the ceremonies and rudimeuts of the Law of Moses therefore his ministration ending in Christ ending but where it began as all other Prophets ministration of the Gospel did as Peter and Paul and John whose ministration begun and ended in Christ but all in relation to their own persons for that ministration still remained and doth remain to say the ministration of Baptisme ceased when John ceased is not only a tying the teachings and commandements of God to mans mutability but is also a plain denyal of the Apostles teaching and practice to be of God not only after John was taken away but also after Christ himself ascended as Acts 2.38 and 10.47 48. and 6.38 Thou askest me why I do not plead for the practice of circumcision in the flesh as for Baptisme is not their authority of an equal purity both by permission not by precept Answ If I should plead for the practice of circumcision in the flesh now as for baptisme I should be a denyer of Christ like unto thee circumcision being a carnal seal of a worldly covenant was abolished by the bringing in of a better testament Heb. 7.22 and the 10.9 But I plead for Baptisme because 't is an ordinance of the Gospel and a Testimonial of their faith and obedience who enter into the new covenant thy saying they are of equal purity is from an impure weakness for the one was only an impression in the flesh not reaching the heart by faith the other hath no Seal or impression but in the heart by faith whereas thou saist they were both by permission not by precept thou speakest falsly for they were both by precept the one a precept of the law the other a precept of Christ in the Gospel which all that obey the light that lights every man that comes into the World knowes and will acknowledg but those on whom the sun is gone down night is to them for a vision and darkness for a divination Thou saist in my reply to the seventh Position thou findest me so puzled teaching perfection that I give thee no answer but would shuffle thee off bringing in James the 3.2 Answ Thou dost this but to shuffle off James 3.2 To which thou should give answer whosoever reads thy former paper shall hear thee throw me out a many foul and filthy words about perfection which is all that is contained in that paper to puzle me with which paper if thou wert not ashamed to show to the world with my answer it would manifest who is puzled and what perfection there is in Martin Mason compared with what thou repeats from James 3.2 If any offend not in word the same is a perfect man if thy own mouth do not here condem thee let thy offensive words which testifie thy deceived and vain Religion James 1.26 witness which is because thou wants a bridle which will bring thee a sad conclusion as James tells thee James 3.3 to the 7. But now let the reader hear what answer there is in thee to that of James 3.2 which thou saist I shuffle thee off with the Apostle there saith to his brethren in many things we sin all In the room of an answer saist thou doth he plead against perfection as thou dost to which I answer Thou must acknowledg he doth or say he calls sin perfection see if thou can shuffle this off Thou saist the Scriptures were never writ that the Devil by them should plead for sin Answ Nor were they ever writ that sinners by them should plead perfection Thou tellest me of bringing Rom. 7.18 Where Paul saith I know that in me that is in my flesh dwells no good thing from whence saist thou thou would infer that in Paul dwelt nothing that was good but wilt thou say the Holy Ghost is not good Answ I brought Rom. 7.18 to let thee hear the Apostles own words which denyeth perfection in the flesh thou canst not tell how to answer this and therefore leaves it to speak fasly of me saying I would infer had I brought the Second commandement to a Papist against his worshiping of Images and he answer hence thou would infer that God should not be worshiped it had been an answer equal with thine Thou ought rather to answer that Scripture or acknowledg thy errour Paul had the holy Ghost yet Paul saith in him that is in his flesh dwelleth no good thing but thou saist perfection dwelleth in the flesh of Paul so that the perfection thou pleads for is no good thing or we must deny Paul and hear thee against him but if Paul who had the Spirit of God within him had no good thing dwelling in his flesh as himself saith then sure 't is a bad perfection that is in Martin Masons flosh in whom dwelleth the Spirit of errour as is manifest in his abuse of Scripture and fighting against the truth And then saist thou away with Pauls Epistles and by consequence with the rest of the Scripture Answ That is it thou strives for to get shut of the Scriptures for their witness torments thee but thou labours in vain for they will out-live all the generations of falshood and be a continual witness against mens devices as is plainly manifested in this Thou saist that I alledged Phil. 3.24 is to me a mystery Answ I have so much of the mystery as to alledg it for that which thou art not able to answer therefore in that I need not say to them babler be silent thou saist my piece of Logick shews what a Pagan I am Answ And thy silence argues thy consent to the right reason in that piece of Logick for thou givest no answer to it whether it be more
world of the ungodly 2. Pet. 2.5 Yet Christ sends the People to Moses and the Prophets to hear them who did not only declare the Sacrifice Circumcision and Ceremonyes of the Law but also the Faith and acceptance with God of these who before the Law and in the Law did hear and obey the Gospel of Faith and saith Christ if they will not hear them they will not be perswaded though one arise from the dead Luke 16.29 31. even so now the people have Christ and the Apostles if they will not hear them no other dead arising light can perswade them to hear the Gospel of Faith therefore what is the principle of light before Moses writ the Letter to thy denyal of the preaching of Christ and his Apostles in the Scriptures Cornelius had as much light as thou canst aledge yet he must hear the Apostle Peter for Salvation Thou tellest me I say in my Prayer that the sound of accusing or excusing is in all consciences then it must needs be saist thou in the conscience of Millions of people that never heard of the preaching of repentance and faith by the Apostles Answ That which I said in my Paper was that their Sound speaking of the Apostles of accusing or excusing is in all consciences then saiest thou it must needs be in the conscience of Millions that never heard their sound but how this is agreeable with right reason that the sound of the Apostle preaching must needs be in the consciences of Millions that never heard of their sound let the hearers Judge yet let this be observed how thou strainest thy self to shuffel out the Apostle and sayst in thy own pretended Light leaving out my word their sound applyed to the Apostles and putest in thy word the sound applyed to thy darkness and then saiest I said it which is false in a double manner both in leaving out what I said and saying what I said not if thou see not this to be a deceitful sottishness the standers by will this is like thy Logick in thy former Paper which thou touldst me came from the Rock of Ages I asked thee in my former Paper where thou or any of those who run abroad now in these dayes have come where Christ and his Apostles have not been before you And to that I joyned my saying that the sound of accusing or excusing is in all consciences all which thou hast left out in ' its order and place and without answer that thou mayst with more ease perswade others against the truth delivered by me but they are weak discerners that seeth not what thou art in such false dealing This thou callest my scornful question for want of answer openest thy mouth in cursing throwing out some of thy waters of bitterness which flow within And after a terrible fit thou art forced to say thou ownest no other Gospel but what the Apostles preached Answ To which I answer that then thou must discern that which thou callest the light of the conscience for the Apostles never preached so and then thou must own the man Christ Jesus who suffered at Jerusalem to be the Saviour of the world and the Baptisme with water upon repentance and Faith to be a Gospel Ordinance for this is that which the Apostles preached Act. 4.10 and 3 16 and 5 30 31 and 9 34 and 13 32 38 39 and 16 30 31 and 2 38. Thus out of thy own mouth thou art condemned for thy disobedience Thou sayest you do not direct the people to any other thing then the Apostle Peter did that sure word of Prophesie the light in the conscience to which they do well if theyake heed 2 Pet. 1.19 Answ Then you must send them to the Scriptures or Prophesies of old for so did the Apostle Peter in the text as the following versos do witness if thou have ears to hear and to the Baptisme of Repentance for so did Peter Acts 2.38 which thou denyest and therefore speakest falsely in saying you direct the people as Peter did Peter did not send or direct the people to the light in their own consciences as thou sayest he did in that also thou speakest falsely and addest them words to the text by which thou manifesteth how blind bould opposer thou art though God threatens his plagues against thee for it Rev. 22.18 thou and thy generation do in this as all Antichristians have done to make their own Idols stand up thrust in their own inventions amongst the speaking of the Spirit of God in the Scripture but it will fall as Dagon did before the Ark. Also thou sayest you send them to the seed of the woman the word of God the unction or Christ within Answ You send them several wayes it seems as pleaseth the fancy of the sender but thou speakest falsely and intendest deceitfully for all your sending is to keep people from the knowledg of the womans seed the word of God the unction or Christ within For the seed of the woman or of promise is the man Christ who was begotten and born of the Virgin Mary and so was he the womans seed and he who brake the Serpents head and loossed the works of the Devil by his death and blood-shedin that flesh in which he came and dwelt amongst men and the unction or Christ within is the Spirit of promiss sent from Christ into those who believe in him John 16.7 Mat. 29.20 But thy womans seed and thy Christ within and unction or word is thy faigned light which thou tellest people is in all consciences though in the state of unbelief or unregenerate and thither wouldest thou send people to seek Christ in their own dark hearts and false speakings in the desart secret place that so they may leave looking for the light of Israel to follow your matters contrary to Scriptures teaching or the Apostles direction But he cannot find Christ within who denyeth Christ without he cannot have Christ spiritually by faith who denys Christ bodily raised from the grave and ascended and remaining in the Heavens Thou and thy generation are in that denyal manifested to be busie sticklers both against that Christ and the preaching of his Apostles who preached Christ to those in whom he was not that they by faith might receive him and that is the promise of unction which only Saints deny as the earnest of their everlasting inheritance And so he dwelleth in Saints not in unbelievers Ephes 1.13 14. and 2.12 2. Cor. 13.5 Therefore thine and thy fellows telling men that are not in the faith they must look to the light anointing and Christ within them As it is a smoak arising from below to cover mens eyes from the light of the Son so there is in its two pernitious evils the one is it stayes men from following Christ the Saviour whose power excellency and glorious manifestation of love is sounded forth and made known by the spirit of God in the Scriptures to bring all men to
everlasting life through faith in him The other evil is it makes men listen to the false imaginations and deceitful perswasions of their own hearts which hath been the cause of all Idolatry superstition and disobedience to the Law of faith that hath been for men leaving the spiritual teaching and commands of Christ in the Scripture and following their own Invensions and heart Imaginations run themselves into several false practises and bould disobedience of which this of yours is not the least for the greater pretence of light in disobedience the greater evil And this bouldness of thy heart by following its Imaginations is further manifested in thy saying how should the seed of the woman break the Serpents head if the seed of the woman the unction or Christ within and the seed of the Serpent the man of sin be not within By which all may plainly see who are in the light thy denyal of the death of Christ who by his death and blood-shed in that once suffering at Jerusalem did break the Serpents head according to Gods decree and appointment but thou in denyal of that and to give him a plaister for his his broken head tellest the world or unbelievers that their light within which is their heart imaginations and vain fancies without that which is preached by Christ and his Apostles to give light is the seed of the woman that breaks the Serpents head no other breaking of his head wouldest thou have them to believe and thus wouldest thou if thou could save the breaking of the sepents head and give him a hellmet rather Thou runest on with a many words some stollen from Scripture and some thy own Imagination and to conclude what sayest but this is a mystery Answ To which I answer 't is a mystery indeed but it is the mystery of Iniquity for it denyeth Christ Jesus and setteth up false devices in his room but the righteous desires not to know the deepness of Satan as thou speaks in thy former paper thou saist to me poor man how hath thy father befooled thee hath not the God of this world blinded thy mind 't is so or else thou wouldst see thy nakedness and be ashamed of thy ignorance with more such big words And this was because I had said the light of Christ is manifested by the preaching of Christ and his Apostles hearing and receiving of which said I is the inlet to the Spirit of promise and for proof I alledged Gal. 3.2 Acts. 2.38 the truth of which thou not being able to gainsay smitest me thus with thy tongue for reveng in thy offence at truth but when thy passion was somewhat over and thou hadst forgot why thou wast angry thou saidst the very same thy self which thou condemnest in me thy words were these Did not the Galatians receive the Spirit by the hearing of faith that is sayst thou by believin that Christ which Paul preached also thou saidst that is the word of faith which we preach saith Paul and hearing of the word of faith the light in the conscience is the inlet to the Spirit of promise In answer to all which I said what cause hast thou thus to complain against me when thou art forced to say the same thing with me thou hast in this disarmed thy self and yeilded the victory 't is in vain for thee to take up for another charg Let the wise Reader now judge if there were not just cause for thee to lay thy hand upon thy mouth in silence or confess thy folly for exclaming against me for saying what the Scripture saith when thou sayest the very same with me and with the text of Scripture alledged save only thy addition the light in the conscience which is to be thrown to thee being thy own Idol and not belonging to the text But thou for want of a gracious humbled Spirit to acknowledg the truth when it is so plainly laid before thee continuest thy old corrupt language like Balaam to curse where thou knoweth the Lord hath blessed but thy mouth is ordered contrary to the desires of thy heart Be it remembred saist thou that thou hast owned the light of the conscience to be the inlet to the Spirit of promise There is no cause Martin to forget that being remembred that thou sayest with me that light is by the hearing of faith preached by the Apostles Then in thy former paper touldst me of Juggling the which I called upon thee to prove but thou not being able returnest to ask me if I have not saved thee some labour and done it my self Answ Martin this is just like thee to shew so little cause for so large accusation thy labour hath been great enough were it known to prove that thou cannot but I will shew how with male labour I have opened Martin Masons Juggling Box who cried condemnation against me for that which I found he himself had and I also found that when he had called the people together pretending to shew them Christ the Saviour and light and truth there I discovered all to be nothing but a crucifix and false fained lights and tryfels of self-dinying Thou mayst have spared the labour of telling me I one while own the Letter to be the inlet to the Spirit of promise and another time own the light of the Conscience to be the inlet sometime calling the Letter sometime the Spirit the Rule Answ For I never owned to thee any light of Conscience but that which is the preaching of Faith in the Scriptures which Light or enlightning thy self hath before owned though fore against thy will and for thy pretended light that hath not ' its original from that faithpreaching power of the Apostles I deny it as a deadly darkness where hast thou that word Letter from me calling it the inlet or rule is it not a word of thy own divising against the Apostles preaching or to use thy own termes a Brat of thy own begetting why wilt thou father it upon me charge it not upon me but chalenge thy own Is not thy foundation saist thou built upon the Letter dost not thou account that for the word of God Which Paul and Petter preacheed Answ I do account that for the Word of God which Paul and Peter preached and I am built upon that foundation which they have laid which is Christ Jesus as 1 Cor. 3.10 11. And this is denyed by none but the raiging Heathen and disobedient denyers of Christ to be come in the flesh the Apostles Paul saith to the Thesselonians 1 Thes 2.13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing that when ye received of us the word of the preaching of God ye received it not as the word of men but as it is indeed the word of God which also worketh in you that believe let this be compared with thy denyal of that to be the word of God which Paul preached and those who hear thee will account thee as Paul wileth Gal. 1.8 Art thou not
many foul words for it let that charity now begin at home and deal such words rightly where they do belong would any but one who is blind in heart publish himself in print in such poor pettish spirited things as thou dost I am ashamed to have to do with such silly stuffe neither would I but that I knew my silence would make thee boast and be wise in thy own concent therefore I chuse rather to answer thee as I am advised Prov. 26.5 Thou bids Jonathan tell thee if he did not a little before own the light of the conscience to be the inlet of the Spirit Answ Jonathan by writing hath told Martin before and tells him now that he dis-owns his false fained light but he owns the light of the conscience enlightned by the preaching of faith according to the Scriptures Thou askest me if I will be a Lyer whether thou wilt or no as though thou had the making and disposing of Lyes as a Child belonging to the Father of Lyes but though thy will like thy Fathers be to have all Lyers like thy self yet thou must want of thy will in me for I neither love or make Lyes neither canst thou prove any Lye against me though thou call me Lyer but it is a small matter to find a Lye in a foul mouth I am willing to refer what is said to the wise in heart to judge who is the Babler and bond-slave in Babylon and sayes and unsayes which is the esteeme thou would have me in with those to whom thou publisheth so against me and whom thou askest if I do not place water and beleeving in the Letter in the room of Christ by making them the way and the door or inlet to the Spirit of promise Answ It would agree better with right reason if thou shewed where I said so least they that find not any such saying of mine must needs say thou art a Lyer whether they will or no I deny thou hast them words from me water administred upon repentance and faith in Christ Jesus I would have where it should be according to Gospel teaching that is the Baptisme of repentance which I have so much spoken to thee and against which thou and thy generation deviseth so many cross opposings to wind out and shroud your selves from the appearance of truth but your coverings are too scant which makes your nakedness be seen of every passer by Who ever saist thou are not Spiritually blind will see the blasphemy of the beast for Christ the light of the world is the door and the way John 10.9 and 14.16 and so the inlet to the Spirit of promise Answ Doth Christ being the door and the way to Salvation deny faith to be the inlet of his spirit of promise is not entrance into Christ the door by faith and is not receiving the Spirit of promise by faith then faith in Christ is the inlet to Salvation and the inlet of the spirit of promise into the heart therefore though Christ be the door and the way Yet those who have not but denies faith in Christ Jesus have no inlet or entrance therein then surely thou must needs be without Christ and hath no entrance into him calling it the blasphemy of a beast to alledge the plain Testimony of Christ to prove faith to be the inlet of the Spirit of promise surely all that hear thee will see thy spiritual blindness in such faith-less grace-less deliveries Thou askest me where the Creature must look for Christ if not within Answ The Creature must look for Christ as he doth openly manifest himself to every Creature according to the Scriptures thou nor any other are not like to find him within in your faithless condition till you hear the Scriptures direction and obey the teaching of Christ therein and so become new Creatures according to the Gospel for none but new Creatures have Christ within them and no new Creatures in the denyal of the Baptisme of repentance the denyal of which is manifested in thee in thy hot words of contempt against it being thy self so fouled in foul water without repentance even since thou received thy Romish washing and not purisyed from that by the lavour of regeneration remains in thy old unclean condition not obeying the truth thy self but railng upon those that do And though Christ stand at thy door and knock and call upon thee to open thy door and amend thy life and be Baptized in the Name of Christ Jesus for remission of thy sins yet thou wilt not hear him and open thy door to receive him but hast received a stranger called false Imagination who because he acknowledgeth whoredom and drunkenness and murther is sin yet because he tells thee not that disobedience to the command and teachings of Christ in reference to his Law of faith is sin is Spiritual Whoredome and Drunkenness and Murther and Theft and the like therefore thou cryest out against the Ordinances of Christ to outface thy disobedience thereunto but if an evil Spirit should not come with something to deceive with the possessed therewith must be a professed Devil in maintaining its Motion But the man of sin comes in all deceivableness of unrighteousness to perswade those who are deceived that they are Saints when they are the quite contrary and now to give our Audience a right knowledg of what we contend for and the difference thereof that so they may make right application of truth or falshood to which of us it belongs let them know That what I have declared and do contend for is for the maintenance of the faith once given to the Saints according to the Scriptures and preaching of Christ and his Apostles which is the light and way of God to direct all men to everlasting life as the Scriptures do plainly witness John 14.6 Mark 16.16 Rom. 10.9 10. John 3.16 Thy declaration and contending is without and denying the Scriptures and preaching of the man Christ that dyed at Jerusalem for the sins of the whole world or the Apostles sent of him so thine is a thing in secret not according to the open declared will and command of Christ or teaching of his and therefore must needs be a deceit and not to be received but accounted accursed Gal. 1.8 9. John 9.10 11. Rom. 16.17 If I must receive thee as in the truth for saying thou hast a light within thee which thou callest Christ when thou walkest contrary to and denyest the declared will of Christ Jesus in the Scriptures then from the same ground I must receive another that saith so and then the Pope and his Prelates and theirs or any such who are as able to declare what they say they have of Christ within as Martin Mason or any by whose hand held forth he hath been led into this Condition and they are for no other cause to be excepted against but for their walking contrary to and denying the declared will of Christ Jesus in the