his word we received often the pouring down of the spirit upon us and the gift of Gods holy eternal Spirit as in the dayes of old and our hearts were made glad and our tongues loosed and our mouths opened and we spake with new tongues as the Lord gave us utterance and as his spirit led us which was poured down upon us on Sons and Daughters and to us hereby was the deep things of God revealed and things unutterable was known and made manifest and the glory of the Father was revealed and then began we to sing praises to the Lord God Almighty and to the Lamb for ever who had redeemed us to God and brought us out of the captivity and bondage of the world and put an end to sin and death and all this was by and through and in the light of Christ within us and much more might be declared hereof that which could not be believed if it were spoken of the several and particular operations and manifestations of the everlasting spirit that was given us and revealed in us but this is the sum life and immortality was brought to light power from on high and wisdom was made manifest and the day everlasting appeared unto us and the joyful Sun of Righteousness did arise and shine forth unto us and in us and the holy annoynting the everlasting Comforter we received and the Babe of glory was born and the heir of the promise brought forth to Reign over the earth and over Hell and death whereby we entered into everlasting union and fellowship and Covenant with the Lord God whose mercies are sure and infinite and his promise never fales and much might be spoken but this is the sum we were raised from death to life and are changed from Satans power to God and gathered from all the dumb Shepherds and off all the barren mountains into the fold of Eternal Peace and rest and mighty and wonderful things hath the Lord wrought for us and by us by his own outstretched Army And thus we became followers of the Lamb whither soever he goes and he hath called us to make War in righteousnes for his names sake against Hell and death and all the powers of darkness and against the beast and false Prophet which hath deceived the Nations and we are of the Royal seed elect chosen and faithful and we War in truth and just judgement not with weapons that are carnal but by the sword that goes out of his mouth which shall slay the wicked and cut them them to pieces and after this manner was our birth and bringing forth and thus hath the Lord chosen us and made us as an Army dreadful and terrible before whom the wicked do fear and tremble and our standard is truth justice righteousness and equity and all that comes unto us must cleave thereunto and fight under that banner without fear and without doubting and they shall never be ashamed nor put to flight neither shall ever they be conquered by Hell or death or by the powers of darkness but the Lord shall be their armour weapon and defence for evermore and they that follow the Lamb shall overcome and get the victory over the beast and over the Dragon and over the gates of Hell for the Lord is with us and who shall be able to make us afraid Then having thus armed us with power strength and wisdom and Dominion according to his mind and we having learned of him and being taught of him in all things and he having chosen us into his work and put his sword into our hand and given us perfect Commission to go forth in his Name and Authority having the word from his mouth what to cut down and what to preserve and having the everlasting Gospel to Preach to the inhabitants of the earth and being commanded in spirit to leave all and follow him and go forth in his work yea an absolute necessity was laid upon us and wo unto us if we Preached not the Gospel for when we looked abroad and beheld the world behold it was altogether darkness and even as a wilderness and desolate and barren of good fruit and death reigned over men and no good fruit was brought forth to God but leaves we beheld upon every soul and all men and peoples were made drunk with the wine of whoredoms and the Whores cup they had drunk and was committing fornication with the great Whore and she reigned over the Kings and peoples of the earth and the Antichrist was set up in the Temple of God ruling over all and having brought Nations under his power and set up his Government over all for many ages even since the dayes of the Apostles and true Churches hath he reigned while the woman hath been fled into the wilderness and the man child caught up to God Christ said Antichrist should come and put on the sheepes cloathing and be inwardly a ravening Wolfe and John saw that Antichrist was come in his dayes and he went forth then from the true Church and went into the world and deceived the world and ever since his Kingdom hath reigned over Nations for then he begun to exalt himself and it is sixteen hundred years since all which time Antichrist that hath had the sheepes cloathing but inwardly a ravener and hath ruled and reigned and this we saw and perceived in the very time of our birth and bringing forth and we beheld Nations as a wilderness untilled and mens hearts as the fallow ground unbroken up and not plowed nor sown with the good seed of Gods Kingdom so that we saw all states and orders of men corrupted and degenerated from what they ought to be and from what God had once ordained them As for the Ministry first we looking upon it with a single eye in the light of the Spirit of God which had annointed us we beheld it clearly which formerly we had been stumbling at and much doubting of that it was not the perfect Ministry of Christ for many years before not to be of Christ nor sent of him nor having the Commission power and Authority of Christ as his Ministry had in the dayes of the true Churches but in all things as in Call practice maintenance and in every thing else in fruits and effects we found it disagree and be wholly contrary to the true Minstry of Christ in the dayes of the Apostles and likewise we truely beheld it to be in Call practice and maintenance and all things the very same in fruits and effects with the false Ministry and false Prophets and false Apostles and deceivers of old and this I do testifie and am able to prove in the spirit and Authority of the Lord that the publike Ministry as now it stands generally is wholly degenerated from what the true Ministry of Christ once was and differeth and is contrary in all things to what Christs Ministers were and agreeth and is equal in all things with what the false prophets
the end of groaning and gruling which thou art in that art out of this and keeps people which are apostatized from the Apostle from the Light which is the Truth John Deacon's Book called A Publique Discovery of a secret Deceit His Principles follow And as for the rest of his Lies and Slanders in his Book which are heaped up they will fall upon his own head and be his sorrow And all Liars upon the earth that are given up to believe tell lies are comprehended with the innocency and truth by which innocency is preserved and men and people shall heap to themselves sorrow by their owne lies and inventions Neverthelesse the Scriptures of Truth are owned in their place to the condition that they were spoken to Pr. HE saith That the light wherewith every one that cometh into the world is enlightned withall is the light of nature and reason and sense c. See page 5. Ans Which is contrary to John 1.9 who saith it was the true light by which all things were made which as many as received him he gave them power to become the sons of God which is beyond naturall sense and reason Pr. He saith That the worke of faith and the growth of faith is by the naturall use of Ordinances and calls it deceitfull sophistry which denyes it c. page 7. Answ Faith is the gift of God and Christ is the Author of it It cometh not by the naturall use of Ordinances The naturall man receiveth not the things that be of God which faith is the gift of God And thou art in the sophistry and in the poyson that saith faith the work and growth of it is by the naturall use of ordinances Pr. And he speaks of a temporall expressive word of God c. see page 8. Answ But the Scripture tells us of no such thing as temporal word but speaks of the Word of God that lives and endures for ever and so the other is but his own imagination Pr. He saith The Quakers go about to picke forth the right eye of Christianity Ans Because they hold forth the light that lighteth every man that comes into the world Christ Jesus the Covenant of God which makes all the apostate Christians blind And your right eye must be plucked out that offends and this the Christians shall witnesse when their eyes are open that sees the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world the covenant of God Prin. He saith The Quakers were never heard of till of late yeares c. See page 12. Ans Which is contrary to the Scriptures which speaks of them before Moses by Moses by the Prophets and Apostles and he bids them to worke out their salvation with feare and trembling And now the great Earth-quake is coming amongst you false Prophets and Antichrists John speaks of and Harlots and Apostates from the Apostle compellers to your worship And now are you comprehended with the spirit of God are you judged who are ignorant of the salvation wrought out with feare and trembling Pr. He calls them subtill deceivers and hereticks that questions the word Trinity and says it came from Rome c. see page 13. Ans Which he is justifying and so he is turning to his Teacher the Pope and Common Prayer-book of whom he hath learned it For the Scriptures have not taught it him And the Son and the Father is in unity and this we own that are called Quakers and deny you and your Pope and your Common-prayer-book and your false Teachers got up since the days of the Apostles Pr. Again he saith O incomparable hypocriticall lyars Is not this the character Paul gives of a false prophet to speak lyes in hypocrisie because we preach Perfection c. See page 16. Answ It is agreeable to Scripture Christs doctrine and the Apostles doctrine and the life of Christ And we are made free from sin saith the Apostle And again As he is so are we in this present world And as many as are perfect are thus minded c. But this thou cals hypocrisie lies and thus thou art out of the Apostles Christs doctrine and life and like a mad man rages against them that be in it and hath denyed thy owne work the work of the Ministry which was for the perfecting and so art a Physitian of no value Pr. He saith The enjoyment of immortality is not till they have put off the body c. See page 17. Ans Contrary to the Apostles doctrine who saith Immortality was brought to light through the Gospell this was when they were upon earth and the word of God was in them and Christ was in them which was immortall Pr. Again he saith They shall not have power over death and the grave untill the naturall death c. See page 17. Answ Contrary to the Apostle who saith Oh death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victory And they were passed from death to life And he that believes shall never dye and such hath power over death and the grave And he that believes shall never dye they have passed from death to life Pr. He calls them secret deceivers to grant perfect purity and perfection c. See page 18. Answ Which is contrary to to the Apostles doctrine who brought people to perfection and purity and holinesse without which none shall see the Lord And they were to stir up their pure minds Pr. He saith To witnesse perfect purity is an alluding to an enjoyment of heaven upon earth and saith this is as the world c. See page 19. Ans Which is contrary to the Scriptures who witnessed the Kingdome of heaven in the Saints and their conversation in heaven and thou that brings to the contrary art a deceiver and grants not that other Pr. He saith He dare boldly assert that the Gospell is not first made known by the seeing within but by hearing tidings without c. Ans Contrary to that which they call their Originall which saith the Gospel is preached in every creature And there is none cometh to hearing and seeing of the Gospell but it is with the eye within that which is opprest For the Jews that heard not and saw not within they stood against the Gospel And Christ said their ears were stopped and their eyes were closed and so they heard words but the Gospel the power of God they could not hear but stood against Christ and so none heare but they that hear within and he is not a Preacher of the Gospel which is the power of God but he that preacheth to the inward eye Pr. He confesseth That none of the Saints had ever a particular command and then again he confesseth they had and so he is in confusion page 26. He saith It is a lye to preach the Kingdome of heaven within unbelievers Answ Contrary to Christs words who told the Pharisees the Kingdome of God was within them Luke 17. So in confusion
the Father is one the Father is in him and he is in the Father and the Father and the Son dwells in the Saints who are out of the transgression of his Doctrine and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life and he that hath the Son of God hath life eternall really in possession and such perverts not the right way of the Lord but such as have not the Son of God they are all in the first Adam in the crooked wayes and crooked by-paths in the world nâ— witnessing life but standing against the Light which shineth in the Darknesse which their darknesse cannot comprehend which are all the inwardly raveners since the dayes of the Apostles among whom hath been the apostacy and the Apostates from wâ—om the light of life hath been hid But he that followeth the Light he cometh to have the light of life And he that receiveth the light receiveth life eternall and to receive the Son of God And he that receiveth the Son of God hath eternall life in substance and possession Prin. He saith Death which hath passed over all men is not a spirituall Death page 51. Answ Thou and all you shall feel it as a spiritual Death before ye know life and immortality come to light and the spirituall wickedness wrestled against whose weapons are spirituall and not carnall that wrestles not against flesh and blood but spirituall wickeâ—nesses in high places And that is it which causeth the life of all creatures to groan and oppresseth it whereby life and immortality is hid from the eyes and the power transgressed whereby the spirit and soule of man must be sanctified before he witnesse thorow purification before he come from under the death and spirituall wickednesses For sin brings death and that is the spirituall wickednesses that is to be wrestled against and transgressing the pure Law of God the commands of God brings death And so he entertains the spirituall wickednesse which brings death upon his life so comes oppression on his body and on his spirit and his soule burthened and wearyed and unsanctified and polluted which Christ gives rest to who is the Sanctification and Redemption and Justification which the Law goes upon man agreeable to that of God in him but Christs body makes free from the Law and redeemes from under it So as the power of God the Gospel is known and Christ known the creature comes from under the bondage of corruption and life and immortality comes to the light through the Gospell whereby the death is known which who believes shall never dye and the life is known which shall never dye Pr. The Quakers deny Water-baptisme and slight it and call it a carnall thing Answ Outward water is not spirituall but it is a carnall thing as it is in it selfe and it is the spirit alone that baptizeth into the body which brings off of things that are seen which are temporall as the Apostle said while we look not at things that are seen for the things that are seen are temporall c. and water is seen Pr. He saith False Prophets and Antichrists should come in sheeps cloathing Answ These Christ said should come to his Apostles And before the Apostles decease they saw they were come And the Apostles saw before their decease the Devill transform himselfe into an Angell of light and Satans Messengers and Ministers come up such as had a feigned humility and will-worship got up and the abstaining from meats neglecting the body and such as Jannes and Jambres that crept into houses which had the sheeps cloathing the form of godlinesse and such were the seducing spirits the doctrine of Devills which ran into the strange delusions bringing in the damnable heresies which went in Cains Cores and Balaams way and they saw the coming of the man of sin and the Apostles all saw by the spirit of God before their decease which Christ said should come which inwardly ravened which since the dayes of the Apostles the world hath gone after them All this which Christ said should come which the Apostles saw was come and coming before the coming of the just One But the Just One now is come who hath revealed it the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world Cain Core Balaam false Prophets Antichrists such as goes into strong delusions and brings in the damnable heresies and forbidding the eating of meats and Marriage these all inwardly ravened anâ— these all have been up since the dayes of the Apostles and these have been covered with the sheeps cloathing and the false Prophets and Antichrists they inwardly ravened and the Devill the man of sin he went out of the Truth and abode not in it which Truth which he went out of all they that have the sheeps cloathing and he and they all can get Scriptures but inwardly ravened and gone from the spirit of Truth in their own particulars such are the destroyers of the creatures and of the Creation But with that which they all ravened from are they all manifest and discovered which to that are now people come and coming which these inwardly raveners have had the sheeps cloathing which have been the Beast and false Prophets Devills messengers and Ministers out of the truth which have reigned since the dayes of the Apostles having had the sheeps cloathing which have long deceived the Nations But now the Devill Beast Antichrist and false Prophets are all discovered with the light and life which they all went from and the truth And the place is seen where there is no Curse and the Beast and the false Prophet is taken that they shall deceive the Nations no longer and is cast into the lake of fire under whose dominion thou art whose words shall be thy burthen Pr. He saith Let us minde the Law and Testimony Answ Then ye must all minde the Light for the law is light saith Solomon then ye must all minde the spirit for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy which many may have the Old and New Testament yet be from the Law and Testimony for the Law and Testimony was before Matthew Marke Luke John the Acts Epistles and Revelations was written as in the 8. of Isaiah which the Prophet minded And they that say the Old and new Testament is it shews themselves to be ignorant of the spirit and ignorant of the Law and Testimony And the Law and Testimony doth not deny the Scriptures but owns them in their place and sees the fulfilling of them with the Testimony of Jesus they see Jesus who was afore Scripture was and comes to fulfill it William Jefferies his Booke called ANTICHRIST made known In which these PRINCIPLES are following c. Pr. HE saith Men are mistaken in saying the Romish Whore of Babylon is Anti-christ And the chiefe City of this great Whore the mother of Harlots is the City of Rome the Pope Cardinals Bishops and Clergy And the spirit of Antichrist denies
sight and he is in the Saints and they eate his flesh and sit with him in heavenly places Pr. They say They are deceived that thinke to obtain salvation by the conviction of the Law which they call Christ page 37. 39. Ans Christ is the end of the Law and who follow him are not deceived but comes to witnesse the Law of life and him revealed in them and they are deceived that calls the Law without by Christ that doth convict and gives it that name But who followes Christ the end of the Law hath the righteousness of God revealed in them from saith to faith which the just lives by and Christ revealed in them as the Apostle witnessed whereby they have eternal life Pr. And they say the Quakers would obtain salvation by the obedience of Christ the Law which gives the knowledge of sin Answ The Quakers obedience is Christ Gods righteousness the end of the Law which makes them free from the Law of sin and death Christ the seed the second Adam Pr. They say Now every man that cometh into the world receives a light from Christ as he is God which light is conscience and this will shew a man that there is a God and discover the eternal God which some falsly cals Christ Answ Christ saith I am the light of the world and doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world as saith John and doth not say that its conscience for the light was before conscience was which shewes thy ignorance Not knowing what conscience is for conscience was since the world but light was before the world was made and he that evil doth hates the light and so conscience is seared and so light condemnes and the light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightened with is Gods Covenant to Jewes and Gentiles and salvation to the ends of the earth so you have given Christ a new name that cals him conscience contrary to Scripture and is conscience eternal that may be seared and will that shew that which is eternal will conscience blot out sin and transgrâ—ssion Christ will Gods Covenant that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world which light believing in it they serve Christ the Author of their faith which faith is a mystery held in a pure conscience Pr. And they say that every man hath not the spirit of Christ and he brings Jude to prove it Answ That proves that they had it but went from it and the spirit that leads the disciples reproves the world Pr. John Burton saith John Bunian is furnished with spiritual gifts which gifts the Ministers of Christ must have whether learned or unlearned as to humane and John Bunians preaching he saith is not by humane art yet he saith Christ is humane Ans The Scripture hath neâ—ther taught John Burton nor John Bunian this Language To say this knowledge is not humane and yet to affirm Christ is humane is to say thy knowledge is not from Christ but we shall try his gifts whether they be from God and whether or no he divids the word aright and whether they be agreeable to the Scripture which fils up his book with mentioning the word humane twenty times over which humane is from the earth to say Christ is humane thy knowledge is from the ground earthy and he hath no Scripture for it he saith that the soul is immortal Pr. And he saith it is the Devil to keep people to live and die in their sins and he that cryes free grace through the death of the man Christ Jesus that sinners doth attain to eternal life and deny his own righteousness this he saith is a notion and saith he is empty of sanctified grace Answ The grace that comes from Christ it seasons the heart and the words are sanctified and this is not a notion but all be in the notion that speak of the thing and be out of the grace and salvation and you that believe people must have sin whilst they are upon the earth are them that keepes people in their sins and so hath judged thy self to be the Minister of sin as thou maist read the fruits in thy own book Pr. John Bunian saith he that confesseth Christ come in the flesh and was crucified taken from the Crosse and risen he that believes this is not Antichrist Answ The Pope and all the prophane people in Christendom called Christians will confesse this in the form without them and they that denies the power for Christ is the power of God and that I say is Antichrist he that hath not Christ in him is a reprobate and so would make thy self and all Professors the Pope and all hirelings not to be Antichrist and are all on heapes one amongst another that 's a mark of Antichrist though they may have all in the form Christ and the Prophets words which denyes the power yet confesse Christ without he that denyes the power denyes Christ and so he is Antichrist who denyes the light which Christ hath enlightened him withall Prin. Man at his coming into the world he hath conscience but he hath not the spirit of Christ Answ Man at his coming into the world hath a light from Christ him by whom the world was made which is more then conscience but he that hates the light abids in darkness and so is not like to receive the spirit but is reproved with it Pr. They say them that are carried away by the convictions of conscience are misinformed by the devil Answ This light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world which he cals conscience teaching and misinforming by the devill is the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world that through it they might believe and is not conscience and he that believes hath the witness in himself and that all might hear the Son and confesse him to the glory of God and therefore are enlightened who was glorified with the Father before the world began and Christ bids them believe in the light which believing in hath the light of life but he that believes not is condemned already and them that hate the light are them that are informed by the devil Pr. Now they say he converts a new birth perswading them it is wrought by following the light and this he sayes is like Baals Priests Answ That 's contrary to Christ who saith I am the light and he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life he that believes in the light shall become a childe of the light and this is far above Baals Priests and all that hates it hates Christ and these are Baals Priests that hate the light Pr. And they say that the spirit of Christ convinceth of sin and yet they say all hath it not and yet it shall convince and reprove the world Answ Now it s one thing to be reproved and another thing to receive that which doth reprove
end of the types and figures and shadowes the substance Pr. And the woman that Paul speaks of that is forbidden to speake in the Church but must learne of her husband at home is the whore that drinks the blood of the Saints in Revelations Ans That is false for the woman the Apostles speaks of there that must learne in silence and must be in subjection aske her husband at home is in the state of Eve who must not teach but learne in silence as also said the Law for shee was first found in the transgression now the woman here hath a husband to aske at home and not usurp authority over the man but Christ in the male as in the female who redeems from under the Law and makes free from the Law the man may speak Christ in the male and female who are in the spirit of God are not under the Law but the whore who drinks the blood of the Saints is gone from her husband from under the Law to aske the whore-master that doth drinke the blood of the saints which Christ the seed judgeth upon to whom he gives judgement Pr. And the outward creatures which God had made and created and blessed are the serpents meat as the old Ranter of Bristow when he was gnawing a peece of plum pudding said he was eating the serpents meat Ans The Serpents meate is dust and he goes on his belly and so hath proved him selfe to be a serpent who eates his meat which the children of God the seed doth not and Christ who eate of the bread he did not eate the serpents meate he did not call it serpents meat and that is cursed and judged that doth so Francis Duke his book intituled The fulnesse and freenesse of Gods grace his Principles are as followes Pr. GGod made man perfection of parts in this life but not perfection in degrees Ans Perfection of parts is perfection of degrees for where there is a part there a degree so in this thou medlest with things that are too heavy for thee Pr. That God did elect that drop of humane seed to be personall God man as the text is the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpents head Ans The elect is Christ the seed and Christ the second Adam is not humane for humane is earthly so thou erres in thy judgement for as Christ the seed saies he that is born of the flesh is flesh and he that is born of the spirit is spirit and the election obtaines it and he that is of the earth is earthly but he that is from above is heavenly Pr. Men may obey imperfectly but truly Ans Truth is perfect Christ is truth who is perfect and they that obey truly obey perfectly for perfect obedience and true obedience is one Pr. The seed of the Serpent and the Devils seed remaines in the best of men in this life for without this seed of the Devil issuing in humane nature it is not capable of Eternal life Ans This seed of the Devill hinders men to be capable of eternall life and such as are sanctified from the wombe was capable of eternall life and such as were made free from sin and the body of death and sin put out of them could not sin because the seed of God remaineth in them and witnessed redemption the works of the Devill destroyed and Christ manifested in their flesh condemned sin in their flesh and Christ in them the body being dead because of sin which was borne of God and they did not commit sin they were past from death to life for sin brought death and where the Devill had the power of it which went out of truth but the seed having destroyed death and him that hath the power of it which is the devill and God the God of all peace have bruised Satan under the faints feet such is a top of the seed of the devill and they are capable of eternall life and tells thee thy doctrine is a lye Pr. Man may believe truly but never rightly Ans He that believeth truly and is in the true beliefe believes rightly and he that believes truly is borne of God and he whose beliefe is false and not born of God it is as his that is out of truth which is not right which the true beliefe in truth is over him in that the Devill is out of all his generation that stands in an outward beliefe Pr. The will of man remaines in good men and bad men in heaven and in hell and in earth Ans There 's noe prophesie of the scriptures came by the earthly will of man but that mans will be subdued denyed with the Crosse and power of God whereby he that doth the will of God abides for ever but he that doth his own will abides not ever and flesh and blood enters not into the kingdom of God and they that goe downe into Hell go down into their owne wills and wilfulnesse but he must be born againe before he can enter into Gods Kingdom he that is borne of the flesh is flesh and will persecute him that is born after the spirit for there 's the two wills and earth is their footstool Pr. The Saints affirme themselves that they are all unclean things and their righteousnesse as filthy rags Ans The Saints are cleane and are sanctified and are washed and are cleansed now are you clean saith the Lord ye were such and such and the saints rightousnesse is Christ such as never will grow ragged which was before the world was made which was before rags and ragged righteousnesse was this is the Saints righteousness and true believers and the saints are not unclean things for it is the unsanctified that be unclean Pr. The Saints have a twofold righteousnesse in this world Ans The righteousness of the Saints is one Christ and is in one in God from whence all righteosnesse comes and the true believers righteousnesse is Christ Jesus the end of the Law Pr. Thou saist that James envies those that brag of their faith without works thou saist the Lord attributes that to the eye which is not proper the eye is the light of the body but yet the eye hath no light in it selfe to enlighten the body so he attributes that to the eye which is not proper to the Light Ans James did not envy for envy was of Cain and of the devill and of the wicked one he did not envy them whose faith was dead without works and Christs speech was proper who said the light of the body was the eye and without the eye the body hath not light looke of it either inward or outward t is proper within and proper without for when the eye is blinded within the body is full of darkenesse when the eye is blinded without the body is darke and he wants the light and the light of the body is the eye that being single the body is full of light and that is perfect
no other way it teacheth but to the Kingdome and though men hate it and will not come to it because their deeds are evill yet that is the teacher in all men that gives them the sense of transgression and an understanding of reproof and knowing if they come so that they are reproved and there is the kingdome in men and that is it which lets all men see the most high reigning and shall make every tongue to confesse Christ to the glory of God and is that which gives every man assurance that God hath raised Christ from the dead who hath inlightned them and that is it which gives every man the hope of eternall life and in the light it is received Pr. That the seed to whom the promise of salvation is made is or hath been sinners Ans The promise of God is to the seed which hath been laden as a Cart with shaves by the sinner which seed is the hope Christ that purifies even as God is pure and here is the creature come to know its liberty amongst the sons of God and the seed Christ never sinned in the male nor in the female in the Jew nor in the Gentiles and of this mystery was the great high professors ignorant of that stood at a distance from the Gentiles that Christ had no room among them though they talked of him but in the stable in the manger and in their mouthes to talke of him with their lips and such Christ calls graves and Sepulchres and whited walls and the wall is not the seed but the seed is Christ and not the Sepulchre nor the grave so this promise is not unto seeds as many but to one the seed which is Christ Pr That there is no man doth possess the Kingdom of God whilest he is in the mortall body Ans In this thou art like Nebuchadnezer who must graze like the Oxe thy mouth downeward who knows not the most high ruling in the children of men and God will dwell in you and walke in you and where God dwells and walkes in men they are his temples which is holy there is his Kingdome his power his authority and the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell in them and walke in in them and this is the state of thousands that be in the new covenant that knowes the power of God of the most high his law put in their mindes and hearts and they that doe not know that they are the Temples of God and God dwelling in them and walking in them they are worse then the Corinthians Pr. That he that doth not preach the death and Resurection and the man Christ Jesus that rose from the dead at Jerusalem preacheth not the Gospell whatsoever else he doth declare Ans He that preacheth Christ must preach that Christ that dyed at Jerusalem for he is the same to day yesterday forever the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world which seed Christ breaks the Serpents head and destroyes death and the Devill that went out of the truth and death being destroyed the captivated one comes out by the power which is the Gospel and the prisoner of hope shews himself forth and then the covenant of light life is felt and peace with God but the Reprobate Devill death and destruction anti-christ Beast and false prophet may talke of Christ without and he not within felt such are then the Reprobates and thou saying the seed is not in all men first know it in thy selfe he is not in the man of sin that is to be destroyed who hath blinded thy mind and hath taken possession of thy heart and so first judge thy selfe Pr He that doth not expect the Resurrection from the dead of his owne person as Christ rose from the dead litterally understood hath no true hope of Eternall life borne in his understanding Ans The Saints rising is in Christ and he is the Resurrection they are of his flesh and of his bone and of his spirit and the Saints are of the flesh of Christ that saw no corruption and of his bone and hath the hope of eternall life promised of the Father and now the flesh of Christ the Jewes did not know that were the Idolaters and fornicaters for Christ according to the flesh was of Abraham who came out of all that Idolatry and generation of Fornicaters and in this the saints rise live and remaine with Christ for ever and such come to know the resurrection of the just and unjust according to the scriptures the one to eternall life and the other to condemnation Pr. That Christ by his death overcame him that had the power of death and thereby made way to life Ans But how is death overcome in thee when thou dost not see the kingdome of God in thee and saith it shall not be whiles men are in their mortall bodies and how short art thou of the Holy Ghost and the power and the joy and the righteousnesse which the Kingdome stands in and Christ which overcame death he is the life and the way to God the Father of life which doth inlighten every man that cometh into the world that by the light they might see it and believe in it that they might be children of light and come to the light of life which they that doe not believe in it with the light are condemned Pr. That the unchangablenesse of Gods purpose of his love is the onely ground of mans obedience stability or continuance in obedience not mans obedience the ground of his stability Ans Mans stability is Christ the light the life the foundation of God that stands sure the hope in him that remaineth the faith given to him of God the seed comes to be knowne the Son of God in the male and in the female which abideth in the house for ever which is the heir of the promise and there the unchangeablenesse of God is knowne he that doth not change is seen that is appeared which cannot be shaken that seeth an end of all changeable things and variablenesse and turnings and here is the obedience felt Pr. God hath ordained to eternall life every one that are or shall be saved before they had a being in this world but none come to possession of this salvation but through the obedience of the spirit Ans The ground of mans belief and obedience is Christ who doth inlighten him to the intent that he might believe and obey the truth and who knowes the seed knowes the election before the world was made Pr. That the seed of Israel are men and not onely something in man that the seed of the Serpent are men and not onely something in man Ans If the seed of Israel be men then by thy account the seed of Israel is the seed of the Serpent for they are men and Christ who came to destroy the work of the Devill and him that hath the power of death it is not said he came
sights are not Saints neither are you of his Church which is his body neither have you eaten his flesh nor know that which is given for the life of the world but are out of the sight of the Church which is his body Pr. And thou saith they shall have a greater judgement without them then they shall have within them c. see page 48. Ans And the Scripture saith If ye judge your selves ye shall not be judged of the Lord. Pr. And that place in Jude he brings to prove that all men have not the Spirit c. See page 49. Where he saith They walke after their own ungodly lusts these be they who separate themselves being sensuall and have not the spirit who went in Balaams way Ans Who shews that they went forth from the spirit and turned the grace of God into wantonnesse And this doth not make for thee to thy purpose but rather against thee and the same spirit that reproves the world leads the Saints into all truth Pr. He saith That God did not give the Law that people should live in it c. See page 49. Answ And the Scripture saith that they that did the Law had life and were justified by it For do this and live saith God to Moses and therefore thou wouldst make God a lyar who cannot lye who saith that God did not give forth his Law that men should have life Is not the Curse and the Death in the transgression of it Christ is the end of the righteous Law who is the light that doth enlighten every man that doth come into the world which believing in it he comes to be a child of Light Which light thou blasphemously calls conscience or Naturall which is Christ the Light the foundation of God which doth enlighten every man that comes into the world that with the light they might see Christ who hath enlightned them the foundation of God from whence light comes And the Apostle saith the law is spirituall and just and good and he it was that was the carnall and so thou art the carnall not yet come to the Law which is spiritual Pr. He saith He that will but observe the motions of that light which every man hath within him say they so as to obey and close in with it to follow it shall undoubtedly save himselfe from the wrath to come Now this is clearly a great errour as thou saist See page 50. Ans Contrary to Johns doctrine and Christs who saith the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world is the true light that men through the light might believe Therefore be they enlightned and he that believes in the light shall not abide in darknesse nor in errour nor in condemnation but shall have the light of life Saith Christ I am the light of the world And saith moreover believe in the light before they be children believe in the light that ye may be children of the light So every man is enlightned with a light before they be children with the true light He that believes in the light is a child of the light he that doth not believe in the light the light condemns him Pr. And whereas thou saith The Law gives not life nor justifies See page 50. Ans It is false thou art mistaken in the Scriptures and rebuked with them The Law gives life to him that obeys it and lives in it and he that doth it lives and is justified the doer of the Law and not the hearer only and it is righteous and just and good But Christ Jesus the Law and the spirit of life which is the end of Gods righteous Law is the justification to life Gods righteousnesse who is the end of the other law And the Apostle Paul saith The law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death Pr. And thou would make it an errour to say the Saints are saviours of the world See page 50. Ans The Apostle said when he writ to the Saints he should save himselfe and others and this was by the power of Christ And Jude saith others saving with fear but hating the garments spotted with the flesh Now thou art a deceiver and not a Saviour both of thy selfe and others and ignorant of the power and the spirit Pr. He saith there is no such Scripture as saith the light within the conscience See page 52. Ans Contrary to the Apostle who saith the light shines in their hearts and is not there the conscience 2 Cor. 4. And Christ saith they will not come to the light lest their deeds should be by it manifested they by it reproved and this is not conscience nor nature And the Apostle Paul saith Our rejoycing is the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdome but in the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world Pr. The new Covenant which God promised to write in their hearts he calls that the law by nature see page 52. Ans And thus he is stumbling at the corner stone and errs in his judgement for that which orders nature is above nature and all naturallists and transgressors do call it naturall Doctor Glisson's Paper concerning James Parnels death in prison which the Lyes that are in it are not worth mentioning but upon themselves will fall but here is one of their lying slanders taken off as followeth who strikes at the Rock splits themselves and the blood of that Innocent lies upon their heads Pr. IN the Preface he saith That the most knowing part of these Quakers have received their principles from Rome c. Ans It is false for the Instructions which they have received is from Christ who was glorified with the father before the world began and before Rome was or revilers either which makes the world to rage The corner-stone the light which lightens every man that comes into the world before it was which makes the Beast and the false Prophet and the Pope and you to arme themselves against the Lamb and his light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world withal And the Priests Instructions have been from Rome to set up their Schools to make Miinsters and Temples East and West with a Crosse at the end of them and the Tenth which they imprison men to death for and their preaching by the hour-glasse and naming their Colledges and Masse-houses by the Saints names Your Instructions have been from Rome to do these things but the Lamb shall have the victory glory to the Lord in the highest for ever George Emmot who calls himself a spirituall Quaker converted Who is turned with the Dog to the vomit and gone in the way of Core exalting himself and gain-saying Truth and gone in the way of Cain into his first birth turned against the second DId God smite thee for thy pride Did God let thee see 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
is not meer carnal bread and wine after Christs institution to be used nor an ordinary bread and wine And he saith In the Lords Supper is Christs body and it is his blood page 188. And this is my body and blood the word of a Command do this page 191. And Christ fed not the soules with wheat bread and red wine c. Answ By all this what differ ye from the Papists have not ye laid their foundation and layd their ground Bread and wine is but bread and wine a temporall thing a thing seen and may turn to ashes but the body and blood of Christ will not do so And the bread is not spirituall and the wine is not spirituall but is a thing seen and visible And who eats the flesh of Christ and drinks his blood hungers no more and thirsts no more but who eats temporall bread and wine hungers more and thirsts more And Christ did say as often as ye do eat this bread drink this cup ye shew the Lords death till he come And that which the Apostle had received of the Lord he delivered to the Corinthians As often as they eate that and dranke that they were to do it in remembrance of him shewing the Lords death till he come But then saith the same Apostle to the same Corinthians in his last Epistle Examine your selves Know you not that Christ is in you except ye be reprobates And said while we looke not at the things which are seen for the things that are seen are temporall So bread and wine are things that are seen are things temporall but the things that are not seen are eternall Now bread and wine is but bread and wine not spiritual after consecration it is but the same bread as it was before and it is no nearer the body of Christ after they have consecrated it then it was before Who is in the life and power of God that gives every creature its being and causeth every creature to come forth is in the life and vertue of all creatures and the being of all creatures and the wisdome of all the Creation that is spiritual He giveth every creature its being and causeth every creature to come forth and gives the sense and feeling of all creatures that is spirituall And there comes up the soule to be known and the seed CHRIST his body and his blood Pr. He saith The worship of God in the spirit stands out of mans will and they must waite in the light to feele the Spirit but let all lost souls beware of this counsell And to bring people to the commands of the Spirit is opposite to the Scripture Letter page 204. Answ All true worshippers of God that he seeks to worship him is in the spirit in the truth that which the Devill is out of and in the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures that is that which mans will is out of where all poor souls comes to worship God aright and magnifie God and glorifie God and to pray in the spirit and to stand in the counsell of God For no prophecy of the Scriptures came by the will of man It was that which led them to speak forth Scriptures which was beyond mans will So mens will getting the Scriptures which no prophecy of it came by it they cannot worship God in the truth nor in the spirit but in their own wills But who be in the spirit and truth that led them to speak forth the Scriptures that learned of God the Father of spirits and God of all truth this is not will-worship Now will-worship is among them that have the Scriptures given forth by the spirit of God in their owne wills which no prophecy of it came by it and can sing pray preach read in their own wills and be out of the spirit that gave it forth they are in a will-worship out of the worship of God in the spirit And such are opposite to the Scriptures and cannot agree with the letter of the Scriptures that are fighting about words falls into sects and heaps about the words which the worship of God is in the spirit that gave forth Scriptures which learned of God the Father of spirits owns all the Scriptures in their places and nor opposite to it Pr. He saith Never was Psalms sung as they ought to be but had some musicall tune or Poetry page 205. And the holy Ghost made overseers and Elders over the Church but that was not immediate page 207. That no man can read out of Scripture that Paul was free from covetousness c. Answ Paul saith Let not covetousnesse be once named amongst you as it becometh Saints And no covetous one should enter into the kingdom and hee saith it is idolatry And the Apostle lived the life of the Son of God through the faith and witnessed he was made free from the body of sin and had victory over it thanks God and said there was no condemnation to them that were in Christ Jesus and Paul was in Christ where there was no condemnation which covetousnesse is out of And the holy Ghost is immediate that makes the officers in the Church It is the same as was in them that led them to speak forth Scriptures And the holy Ghost that leads men to speak forth the Scriptures and makes Elders and overseers in the Church these are not made by men but these see the fulfilling of the Scriptures and comes into that which fulfils it and are in it And your singing your Psalms and your Poetry and setting them in frame and a musicall way these are come up since the Pope as Tunes Organs since men have ravened from the spirit and gone from that they got up this Poetry and turned Davids conditions into a Meeter and given them to a people who are ignorant of Davids conditions And Psalms are spirituall songs and all are ignorant when they are from the spirit of God that led the holy men of God to speak forth the Scripture with which spirit of God all the Psalms and Spiritual Songs and Hymns are seen which from it was given forth and all the Scriptures and in that is the singing in the spirit And the Ministers maintenance which the Apostle said Have not I power to eat and power to drinks And as Christ said freely ye have received freely give This was not spoken to the Heathen nor Jewes nor Gentiles who were unconverted but spoken among the Saints who was a Vineyard and spirituall things sown and to such as they were made partakers of their hope which hirelings and those that taught for filthy lucre the love of money that minded earthly things that seek for their gain from their Quarter that beare rule by their means was all out from this judged with the Prophets Christ and the Apostles to be such spirits and have got the forme and taught for the earth and made the earth a Wildernesse and such got not out the Wheat nor plowed but
types and figures and shadowes which as every believer followes comes to the body and from the observing of signes and shadowes Sabbath dayes to Christ the Son the end of them all Pr. Thou sayes fancy is no fewel for a Christian faith Answ Fancy and fewel is out of a Christian faith which thou art in that is got among the signes types and shadowes in the fancy and so from the body Christ Pr. And thou sayes if the Lord be thy God thou must observe the seventh day Sabbath And thou sayes its Antichrist that perswades to change the day And thou charges them to do no manner of work on that day And thou sayes it is not ceremonial but was before Jew or ceremony had a being Answ The Sabbath was not before Adam was and the Apostles served the Lord God that had the Law of God written in their hearts he was their God and they his people which witnessed the end of the first covenant which stood in ceremonies and so shadowes and signes are ceremonies and the Sabbath was spoken of before ceremonies was that 's true but not as a command then but when ceremonies came up in the dayes of Moses the Sabbath was given as a sign amongst the other signes and a shadow amongst the other shadowes and he tels you plainly if you will believâ— him the body of all is Christ and this Sabbath which was before ceremonies waâ— given among them that had the ceremonies a day of rest for cattel man and beast strangers and servants which the body of this shadow and sign is the rest that gives rest to all the Creation man and beast stranger and servant and so rest to the whole creation And the Apostle was not Antichrist that said the body was Christ the Sabbath was shadows and brought them off of days and off of signs types and ceremonies and the first Priest-hood first covenant and offerings and brought them to the body Christ that ended them all and takes off the vayl that 's upon the hearts of people while Moses was read Now they be the Antichrists that be setting up signes shadows and brings people from the body which is Christ the substance are keeping people in the observing of a day in which people should have rest for a day cattell rest for a day servants rest for a day not minding the substance the body of Christ who restores the creation into unity as it was in the beginning and gives rest to man and beast servant stranger and cattell and is rest to them all They that are come to the body knows the substance the end of the Sabbath days work But then again thou sayes in thy charge Ye may not do any worke on that day How is it then that ye make fires through all your congregations How is it you keep Markets on the Sabbath day which God commanded How is it that Oxe and Horse bear burthens on that day and you both How is it that you gather sticks and make fires on that day and gather your meat on that day in which meat was not to be gathered on that day and he that gathered sticks was stoned to death And how is it that ye professe a day and do not observe it according to the day are ye not all hypocrites in this professing that as ye do not practice for by thâ— Law ye should be stoned to death ye should dye all And how is it that you Professors likewise that professes the first day to be the Sabbath and yet will not go to your worships abundance of you except you be drawn with horses Why pollute you the Sabbath day ye are all polluters according to your own words And why gather ye your meat and make fires on that day Keep it according to the Law be not dissemblers and mockers of God and man If ye will keep a Sabbath go according to Scripture and the law of God And the poor creatures must bear a burthen to lug you to your worships and yet if a poor man be found but carrying a loaf of bread or a burden of sticks to make him a fire he shall it may be fined for it Now by the Law of God he should be stoned to death and your horses should do no work on that day And you will fine some for going to a Meeting of the Lords people yet you must have your Horses and Coaches and Coachmen and put them to labour to draw you to your worships and so here is your confusion And so are judging one another in dayes which was not the Saints work Nor the Apostles who witnessed the body was Christ and met together in him who was the end of dayes Prin. Whereas thou sayst The Sabbath is perpetuall and fenced above all other Lawes Answ If it had been perpetual the Apostle would not have said it was a signe and the body was Christ but the Jewes that had the types to them it was perpetuall it was highly to be observed but Christ that ends the Law ends that and the things that 's in the Law the shadow and signe that 's in the Law who was the body of it Pr. The Jewes received the lively Oracles from Mount-Sinai Whether was it given us to be broken or kept slighted or observed If to be kept and observed then we must either deny the seventh-day-sabbath to be one of Mount-Sinais lively Oracles or deny Stephens Doctrine delivered to the Jewes We must sanctifie this lively Oracle of the seventh-day-sabbath Answ Stephen he preaches Christ the end of the Law types figures and shadows the substance and shewed the Jewes that they had not kept the Law in which was the shadows of Christ and so Christ is the end of the Law and the Signes and the Similitudes and the Dayes And Stephen saw the end Hagar or Sinai is a Mount in Arabia and answers to Jerusalem which now is and is in bondage with her children Now read where you all are But Jerusalem above is free which is the mother of us all now mark us all who are come to the body Christ the end of the signes shadows and figures Jerusalem below had types had figures had shadows had signes when that resteth that is in bondage Hagar with her children and here you may come to know the Allegory of these two Covenants and so who is come to the Son to the body is come to the end of all shadows and before any shadows was And Stephen held not up the shadows but preached Christ the end of them onely he judged the Jewes that had not kept it which Christ is the end of it to every one that believes And Stephen was a believer and they accused him for speaking against the Law and Moses who witnessed the end of it Pr. Thou saith There is a conceit that the Disciples in assembling on the first day did celebrate the Sabbath And they were so far from believing as Christ was risen that it
not the Apostle bring people off of circumcision and off of the signes and shadowes the Sabbath days and told them the body was Christ And was not Offerings and Sacrifices the commands of God Now they that love God keep his commands and those are believers that have passed from death to life and hath come to the end of the Law and the Prophets And the Angell in the Revelations makes no mention of a Sabbath there but many are come to witnesse him to whom the Angels must bow down to and saw the end of time and the beginning of time and the supper of the Lord and the Rest and the Temple of God with them and heavenly Jerusalem come down from above Pr. Thou saist It cannot be but Gods people must bethink themselves of this Doctrine delivered by Stephen to the sanctification of the Lord of the Sabbath Answ Stephen no where mentions the Sabbath day in his Examination though he judged the Jewes for not keeping the Law vvhich they had received but persecuted the Just one so he preached the substance Christ the end of the Lavv and said they had not kept the Lavv but turned against the Just and persecuted him he did not establish the Jewes in their Ceremonies signes and types But Stephen brings them to the substance and so God that gave forth the Law vvith types and figures and shadovvs in it to the vveak capacity of people in their transgression sent his Son to redeem them from it and to end the types figures and shadovvs in the first Covenant vvho is in the nevv and living vvay vvhich is no changing and shadovvs no variablenesse nor altering no turning Pr. And thou sayes Sin is double on the Sabbath-day And thou saith I conceive a Sabbath dayes journey is so farre as a person may ride to go without toyl to a meeting So where there 's no law there 's no transgression and the extent is left to the conscience Answ Hovv novv must the Beast bear a burthen Where doth the Scripture say that thou vvas to ride upon the Sabbath day Do the Beasts vvork then He sayes Thou shalt do no manner of work But sixe dayes shalt thou labour and do all thou hast to do And you that make Sabbaths and set the up old Sabbaths and do not keep it according to the Law of God with the Law of God are you judged and condemned if ye do not fulfill it in every point and they that believe Christ is the end of the Law to them he is the body which is the end of the shadow Pr. Thou sayes That the Jewes that were not to make a fire on the Sabbath day this was mentioned of the Ceremoniall Law and so concerns not Christians and so not in danger of stoning The revealed will of God that we should not turne our foot to the defiling the Sabbath When the sixe dayes is done be sure thou do not turne thy foote to pollute the Sabbath A. And dost not thee confound thy selfe in this and turne thy foot to pollute it and sayes it is the Ceremonial Law that commands it and they that gathered sticks and made a fire were stoned to death Did not they pollute it And doth not thou say it doth not concern the Christians they was not in danger of stoning And so hast not thou taught them to break the Law and the Sabbath both and pollute it and so hath overthrown all thy doctrine in thy Book and confounded thy selfe And doth not he that goes out and gathers sticks and makes a fire turn his foot from the Sabbath For he that went out to gather sticks broke the Sabbath day and was cursed and stoned to death For no fire no meâ—t no burthens was to be borne on that day of rest a figure of the everlasting rest wherein no meat is gathered no fire is made no burthen is born and there is no turning the foot but all walking in rest and peace and so I finde thee neither in Law nor Gospel Pr. Thou sayst But to be sure the Law was made for Christs Disciples Whosoever boasts of a Light within and speaks against this Law of the Sabbath hath no light in him And thou saith Quakers will not admit of this Royall Law as a rule of righteousnesse but perverts the Scriptures which sayes The Law was not made for a righteous man Answ The Disciples of Christ the Law was not made for them that came to witnesse Christ the end of the Law for they said plainly the Law was not made for the righteous And Christ is the end of the Law to them that believe for righteousnesse sake And the Quakers witnesse Christ the end of the Law for their rule of righteousness and do not pervert the Scriptures but are the believers in him who ends the Law and before it was and is the body which ends types shadowes and figures and they that draw people under the Law and the types and shadowes and figures from the light within doth not know Law nor Gospel for the Law is light and the Gospel is the power of God and such as witness Christ the end of the Law witness the end of the Sabbath Pr. Thou sayes among all Gods Lawes none sets the soul more at liberty then the fourth lively Oracle Answ And yet thou sayes men may make a fire and not be stoned and so thou teaches to break it and thy Horse may bear a burden and so dost not thou pollute it here and destroy thy own soul by thy own Judgement but I tell thee Christ is the Bishop of the soul who ends the Law and brings the Law within into the mind and heart so now the soul being subject to the Higher power the power by which all the changeable things is held up by that power remaines when all the changeable fails and decayes and ends and the soul witnesses that and the body of Christ the power stands Pr. The Sabbath was intended to righteous Stephen and all his followers and is designed to all persons to whom the Supper is joyned the Sabbath is a precept ancient and universal both for Adam a publike person and for all his posteritie but none can sanctifie the Sabbath saving Christs disciples Answ Stephen suffered death for witnessing against the shadowes and witnessing the substance and the Apostle no where joyns the Sabbath with the Supper but Stephen saw Christ the body in whom was the rest in whom he entered and the Saints that come to sup with the Lord and is supping with him comes into the body which is the end of all types and shadowes and signes which are Sabbaths and hath seen them flee away and are come to the beginning before the world was made him who was before signes shadowes and types was The Sabbath was not given to Adam in the beginning who had the dominion over all creatures living but given to Adams posteritie in the fall a sign when they came to receive
for the believer in the light is led with the spirit of truth into all truth and he that believes not in the Light is with the spirit of truth reproved Pr. They say for one to be convinced of his sins against the Law and have some power against them these they call miserable blind Pharisees Ans Them that was blind Pharisees transgressed the Law of God lived out of the power and that which convinced of the transgression of the Law so they said and did not and wo was pronounced against them and so judgement came to be neglected and the doers of the Law was justified and not called blind Pharisees and that was in its place but Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness sake to them that believes and those was not called blind Pharisees which followed that which shewed them the transgression of the Law for those was the doers Pr. They say the spirit shall convince all men and women sufficiently of that righteousness which Christ fulfilled Ans That which doth convince of righteousness all men and women as thou coâ—fesseth if they believe in the light which Christ hath enlightened them withall it will lead them from their own righteousness and be their teacher and come to be taught of God Pr. They say the light convinceth of sin against the Law but will not shew a soul a Saviour or a deliverer Answ That 's contrary to the Apostle who saith the light that shined in their hearts will give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ who is the Saviour and he shall be my salvation to the ends of the earth covenant to Jewes and Gentiles Pr. They say the light will not shew a man his lost condition righteousness blood death resurrection and intercession of Jesus Christ. Answ There 's nothing makes manifest but light Nor none knowes the blood death righteousness and resurrection of Jesus Christ but with the light which comes from Jesus Christ who hath enlightened every man that cometh into the world and that 's it shall give all men assurance that he is raised from the dead the light of the body is the eye that lets see salvation Pr. They say Christ went away into heaven from his Disciples and so not within them Answ Did not he say he would come again to them did he not say he was in them I in you and did not the Apostle say Christ was in them except they were reprobates the hope of glory was not he revealed in the Apostle and so in him and did not the Apostle Preach Christ within and you Preach Christ with out Prin. They say that those believers that are in the body now at this day are absent from the Lord. Answ Doth not the Apostle say that Christ is in them except they be reprobates and he is in them the hope of glory and they have fellowship with God and God will dwell in them and walk in them and he that believes believes in him in Christ so not absent Pr. And they say he is absent from them as touching his flesh Answ Doth not the Apostle say that they are of his flesh and of his bone and he that eats not his flesh hath no life in him and they fit in heavenly places with him and he that eats his flesh hath it within him Pr. They say that there is not any heaven within into which the man Christ is ascended for can any man contain a man four foot long Answ Christ is a mystery and is not he to be revealed within who is a mystery he who did ascend to be revealed and made manifest in his Saints in flesh and spirit that did descend which is now manifested that the world wonders at that is ascended far above the heavens who is the Saints life living bread and drink and where ever used the Ministers of Christ any such expressions as thou doth which shews that Christ is yet to thee a mystery Prin. They say Stars falling from heaven is professors falling from the faith to the earth Answ This is fulfilled upon you all who have given Judgement upon your selves and so from the faith in which is the unitie in which men please God and hath victory over the world and this you may read since the dayes of the Apostle who are fallen all down into the earth for mony and stipends Pr. They say that God hath given assurance to all men and commands all to repent every where in that he will Judge the world in righteousnesse by the man Christ Jesus Answ That every man that cometh into the world is enlightened by Christ the light of the world him by whom it was made who will give them a reward according to their works that denyes his Light and are found in the works of daâ—kness â—r They say That the end of Christs coming is that the people of God should shine as the sun and the cause that hinders them for shining is the body of death Answ The righteous and the Saints comes to witnesse the body of sin put off and thanks God who hath given them victory and comes into the second Adam the Lord from heaven out of the first Adam where the shining state is witnessed the holy mount of God the city that cannot be hid Pr. They say If a mans obedience flow not from the faith it is but sin in the sight of the great God Ans And yet they say faith is not perfect in the measure and degree Pr. And they say Four times that Christ ascended away from his Disciples and was not in them Ans And Christ said I in you you in me and he would come and dwell in them and make his abode with them which the Apostles came to witness and sate with him in heavenly places Pr. They say that the man Christ that was crucified his body is now in the presence of his Father absent from his people as touching his bodily presence Answ Doth not the Apostle say he is the head of the Church And doth not the Apostle say they are of his flesh and bone and sit with him in heavenly places with Christ And Christ saith they must eat his flesh and he is in them Pr. And they say that Christ is absent from the Saints in the world its clear Answ When the Apostle saith Christ was in the Saints and Christ in you the hope of glory And the Apostle saith he hath revealed the Son in him And he that hath not the Son of God hath not life And after the same Christ which was crucified and risen came to be manifest in his Saints and not another And so the Saints come to feed upon his flesh and drink his blood which is their life which body Christ gives for the the life of the world and which blood appeaseth the wrath of the Almighty And as for the rest of John Burton and John Bunians lyes and slanders they are
the word but the Scripture is the word and so these poor creatures erre not knowing the Scripture to speak in the singular number is non-sence and they that translated the words thee and thou might have translâ—ted them you Answ The spirit gave to speak the proper Language singular and plural and spake such words as cannot be condemned And if translators that be out of that translate the words given forth from the spirit into what form soever they will yet the spirit will finde it out and the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world by which all things were made made lights and created lights Christ Jesus the light whiâ—h doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world need not have these outward lights or discoveries they were all made by the light which light was before these were made and they which are come into the reconciliation with God are in perfection out of the imperfection from under the wrath and the Word reconciles hammers down cuts down and burns up that which is contrary and sanctifies and makes clean and Christ Jesuâ— his name is called the word of God the Scripture saith so and they say that the Scriptures are the words of God which in Christ the word which was before they were given forth comes to fulfill them and that which is imperfect is done away Pr. To say that God is substantially in man as Essentially one with him can be no other but the man of sin the Devil himself having transformed himself into an Angel of Light and if it were possihle would â—â—â—â—â—ve the very Elect. Answ The Scripture saith that God will dwell in man and walk in him and the Saints had unitie with the Father and the Son and all that hates the Light which Christ the Light hath enlightened them withall hath not the Father and the Son in such the man of sin reigns and in such the Devil may transform but the Elect he cannot deceive the Elect hath the victory and Dominion which were elected in him before the foundation of the world glory for ever and as for all the other words in thy book they are not worth mentioning they will be thy own burthen they will fall heavy upon thee in this day when thou shalt shalt give an accompt to God James Brown His Book called Antichrist in spirit His expressions and Principles as followeth Pr. THat the light in every man is a certain guide and rule in all things this is the means whereby Scriptures are slighted Answ No one knows nor owns the Scriptures but as the light of Christ that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world doth guide and teach them the light of Christ within which gives them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus and Scriptures and to see the Scriptures and doth not slight them Pr. To witnesse God and Christs glorious resurrection and heaven and the happinesse of new Jerusalem this is lookt upon as an errour Answ Christ within who is the resurrection the glory the kingdome of heaven is there and David who witnessed him was in hell he was upon the earth too and he that witnessed the new Jerusalem and that happinesse was upon the earth And they that have all these words not possessing the life they have no comfort in what they speak nor in what they professe and the babes and the children that are free knows their mother that is from above Pr. If there be no outward meanes but light within what need of the Scriptures Answ The light Christ within was in the Saints before the Scriptures was given forth and that was it which was their guide to give forth the Scriptures wherein they walked and did not stumble and that is it which gives to see the Scriptures again to what condition they are spoken and the use of them Pr. The day is not yet dawned nor the day-star the bright and morning Answ The Apostle tells the Saints of the Day-star and they were children of the day and the night was over the true light shined and the darknesse past Though some indeed were not come to the day-star and the light shined in darknesse and the darknesse comprehended it not Where darknesse rules there be the works that are out of the light and among such as have apostatized since the dayes of the Apostles the day-star is not risen to them they see it not but amongst the children of light it is seen and they that see it not are comprehended The day-star is risen and they are children of the day Pr. And them that bring people to looke at the light within them are as Corah Dathan and Abiram Ans All that go from the light within them are as Corah Dathan and Abiram amongst the Lords Prophets exalting themselves and persecuting Pr. All men are not so taught of God as they shall be at Israels return Answ All men are taught of God that be in the Covenant whether Israel heare or not Pr. I know that many of the Quakers are temperate sober self-denying people but this is but the tything of hearbs Answ It was the Doctrine of the Apostle who preached Christ the end of tything and hearbs and self-denyall sobernesse temperance was not called the tything of hearbs for the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures brought to this Pr. And the light within is darkness and I never read of the Churches of the Saints that spoke by two Answ The Apostles doctrine to the Corinthians was that they might speak by two or three And the light within which is the light of Christ which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world the darknesse cannot comprehend it though it shine in it till it shine forth in the heart to give the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ Pr. And that the Kingdome that is in the Saints is in the Pharisees I deny Answ The same that is in the Saints is in the Pharisees in the measure though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed which is like to the leaven little Pr. The state of arising from sin to grace is never called a resurrection Answ They that arise from sin to grace out of the first Adam into the second Adam comes into the resurrection the second death shall have no power over them and the Saints comes to judge the world Pr. Such as trust to a light within them forsake the holy oyle the Lords spirit that speaks in the Scriptures Answ The Lords spirit spoke in them that gave forth the Scriptures who had the holy oyle the light within them And the spirit speaks not from the Scripture but by that which gave it forth which is the Author of it Pr. I deny that any have a light within them to attain to the measure of God and Christ as they that have the writings Ans None attains to the mystery of God but by the light
they that separate themselves from the Apostles sensual having not the Spirit Jude 19. and are of old ordained to condemnation who separated from the light which turns the grace of God into wantonness so these are they that neglect the common salvation it was the charge of the Apostle to Timothy before his decease 1 Tim. 4.2 2 Tim. 4.7 Then told him perillous times should come and Doctrines of Devils and men speaking lies in hypocrisie he said unto them that they should trust in the living God who is the Saviour of all men and especially of them that believe 1 Tim. 4.10 But the Devils Doctrine leads them from their Saviour and from the grace 2 Tim. 4.1 And they that are not in the Doctrine are from the light which Christ hath inlightned them withall Io. 1.9 And have turned the the grace of God into wantonnesse and pernitious waies and drawes others from it and we do conclude that to be the Doctrine of Devills which saies God calls all men to repent and intends not to give them grace nor would not have them to repent as thou Henry Foreside doth say for it was the charge of the Apostle to Titus to speak sound words and sound Doctrine and could not be condemned Titus 2. and told him that the grace of God which brings salvation had appeared to all men which taught them to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lust and to live godly soberly and righteously in this present evill world these things speak and exhort with all authority Tit. 1. But as I said before ungodly men that turne the grace of God into wantonnesse are of old ordained to this condemnation and this is the condemnation of the world that light is come into the world and men love darknesse rather then light because their deeds are evil Io. 3.19 he that loves the light the light is his Saviour but he that hates the light it is his condemnation Pr. That the two parts of the Church must be prophane and godlesse Ans The Church is the Pillar and ground of truth 1 Tim. 3.15 The Church of the living God for the ungodly are out of its grounds and that which is ungodly the pillar and ground of truth there is no ungodly in it and the Church is without wrinkle or spot holy without blemish Ephe. 5.27 and the Church is in God 1 Thes 1.1 That which is in God is in the light and out of the ungodly Pr. That God before the world was had ordained one little part of the people for eternall life that sin or doe all the evill they could they could not loose that which was ordained for them Here thou goest about to make Christ a lyer for he that commits sin is the servant of sin Io. 8.34 saith He that commits sin is of the Devill saith the Apostle and thou wouldest make God partiall and hast taught a doctrine contrary to the scriptures For God is no respecter of persons Rom. 2.11 Who will give to every one a reward according to their works Psalm the 62.12 And he that workes iniquity must depart cursed from Christ Mat. 7.23 and Mat. 25.41 And he that sinneth after he hath received the truth there remaines no more sacrifice for sin but a fearefull looking for of Judgement Heb. 10.27 And the elect doth not commit sin and who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect Rom. 8.33 and the Elect is Christ Isa 42.1 who was elected before the world was he that is borne of God doth not commit sin neither can he because his seed remaines in him 1 Io. 3.9 And he that commits sin is of the devill and never knew God ver 6. And here is the children of God manifest and the children of the Devil 1 Io. 3 10. And God hears not sinners and them that regard iniquity Psal 66.18 Io. 9.31 Prov. 15.8 Pr. That the great part of the world was ordained for Hell that repent or doe all that they are commanded to doe they would not obtaine salvation because God had Ordained them to Hell Ans Then he was asked wherefore he preached His answer was to save the elect he was answered again if it was so there was no need of that seeing they could not be lost Then he was asked before he preached to them that were ordained to Hell he answered to make their damnation hotter it was answered them again that they had small friends of them and they could not make is hotter seeing they were ordained before the Priest aforesaid was asked who had the blame that men went to Hell His answer was Seeing ye desire to know I shall tell you there is one part of the blame in man and another part of the blame in the Almighty that men went to Hell Ans In this here is confusion thou saist God hath ordained them thou saiest God has done it then marke then thou sayest there is part in man and thou sayest before it was in God now if it be in God as thou saist that he hath ordained them to hell repent or doe all that they are commanded to doe thy preaching is needlesse and thou cannot adde to Hell hotter or colder Therefore thy preaching is done and ceased And thou saist part of the blame that men goe to hell is in God here thou wouldest make God unrighteous who desires not the death of a sinner God is not to be blamed in any thing he doth but praised and righteous in all his judgements and God is not to be blamed for God is truth so let God be true and every man a lyer Rom. 3.4 thou wicked one mans destruction is of himselfe Hosea 13.9 and God wills not the death of a sinner but rather that he would repent so no fault in God who saith let the unrighteous man forsake his unrighteousnesse and he shall live so let the righteous man forsake his righteousnesse and he dies Ezek. 18.22 So my waies are equall the Lord hath no pleasure at all that the wicked should dye but that he should return and live so mans destruction is of him selfe And whereas thou saist God hath ordained a great part to Hel what makest thou of Christ who came to be a Saviour of the world Io. 4.42 he doth not say the Elect onely but to save the world and not to condemn it and God so loved the world marke the words Je. 3.19 he doth not say so hated it that he gave his onely begotten Son into the world that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life and he came not to condemn the world but that the world through him might have life but they that hate the light and doe not believe in it are with the light condemned but thou sayest otherwise that he condemns a great part of the world and he doth not say he loves the Elect onely but God so loved the world and God was in Christ reconciling the the World to himselfe 2 Cor. 5.19 he
comes the soul to be subject to the higher power that 's above the transgressor which all the Magistrates and Rulers upon the earth must give an account to and there is none upon the earth that comes to worship God in the spirit and in truth but who first come to own that of God in them and there is none upon the earth that are like to retain God in their knowledge nor his Covenant while their minds is reprobated from that of God in them There all may see the Covenant of grace to all men and the Covenant of light and life with the Father he gave him for a Covenant of light to the Gentiles to the Heathen I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and Judah the people of God I will write my Law in their hearts and their minds so saith Christ the Covenant of God I am the light of the world and doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world that all men through the light of the covenant of God might believe it is the covenant of God that every man that cometh into the world is enlightned withall and every one that hates the light wherewith they are enlightned withall hates the Covenant and the light condemns him and here all men may see the free grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men The grace of God that brings the salvation the turning the grace of God into wantonness and walking despightfully against the spirit of grace they neglect their salvation and bring punishment and condemnation upon them as it s written in Jude Concerning election and what is elected the grace of God which brings salvation hath appeared to all men to the clearing Gods Justice and the fault is in man for his condemnation There is a precious thing in these Scots but there is a filthy beastly durty thing lyeth over A Book I have received out of Holland the Title of which is called A Catechism of Christian Religion Printed at Amsterdam by Iohn Frederick Stationer at the signe of the Hope 1639. The principles in it as followeth Pr. OUt of the Law they say they learne they should love the Lord God with all their strength and mind and soule and their Neigbour as themselves Ans Now these words are said but where these words are performed the commandement is knowne and God is loved and his Neighbour as himselfe so loves the Creation the work-manship of God but where these words are talked of and not done and they say they have not power then they be out of that state as the Jewes was in that came out of Egypt which had the power and ability to answer the law of God to which the Law was committed and God is equall and righteous and commands nothing but what is equall and just and measurable and reasonable according to that which men may performe and such as he gives the Law to he gives power but if men transgresse the Law they abuse the power and such were not justified and may say they had not power but that is false that is a lye Pr. They say They are not able to keep the word of God perfectly that is to say to love their Neighbours as themselves and love God for man is prone to evil-hatred by nature Ans That which brings men to keep the commandements of God is beyond nature to order nature and to rule nature and above nature and it is to subject that which is prone to evil and that nature that the law goes upon so he that lookes into the law and loves God is turned from the evill nature for the evill makes the nature corrupt man in the beginning which had the law of God within the commandement man in the fall had the commandement given to him and there he had power as man had in the beginning the Law and the power but they both transgressing abusing the power so became unrighteous not to make God unrighteous or a hard task-master to lay more upon a man then he can doe as the corrupt wills of men and the slothfull servants look upon God so to doe as to command them to do the thing they cannot so to make God unreasonable they that love the darknesse and the pleasures and the lust more then God and so have not regard to God and their Neighbour for man in the beginning lost his uprightnesse by transgressing the Law and so the Devils seed comes to be sowed in mankind and the Image of God lost and the Image of the devil is set up in man and so comes darknesse hardnesse mists dimnesse and blindnesse and death reigned from Adam to Moses so then came the Law by Moses that went over all transgressors answered the principle of God in all men that was transgressed and the Lord that gave man the Law gave him power and ability who saith his waies was equall and righteous and they then to love God with their strength and their souls and their neighbour as themselves and such were preservers of the creation and lovers of the workmanship of God but such as were transgressors was destroyers and defacers of the workmanship of God and not lovers of God nor their Neghbour Pr. That the anger of God is most dreadfull for the sins wherein they were borne Ans Then you are not the believers which were borne in the sin nor of believing parents if you do owne the Apostles doctrine for the unbelieving is sanctified by the believing else were their children unholy but now are they cleane saith the Apostle the Minister of God if you can believe his doctrine and beare it and receive it but if you do object and say borne in sin and transgression and all by nature the children of wrath yea I say this is the estate the Apostle speaks of among unbelievers Jewes and Gentiles gone astray from the life of God from the Covenant of promise but who came into the life of God and the covenant of promise are believers the believing wife or the believing husband sanctifies the unbelieving else were their children unholy but now are they cleane he that can receive this let him this was the Apostles Doctrine Pr. Because the Justice of God requires that the same nature of man which had sinned do it selfe make recompence for sin Ans All that makes the recompence for sin is he that never sinned Christ the second Adam and not the first so in this your blindnesse and darknesse hath appeared and it is not the same nature that hath sinned that destroyes it but it is Christ that cleanseth the nature of Man that had sinned and destroyes sin it selfe that is to say the Devill that hath defiled the nature of Man and so Christ is called the sanctification Justification redemption cleansing of mans nature blotting out of the sin and transgression Pr. Salvation is not offered to all men who perished in Adam but onely to those men who are grafted in