but at things which are not seen For the things that are seen are temporall but the things that are not seen are eternall and that which is to savation is eternall and is not external Pr. He saith Whâ—t word did Paul and Barnabas preach in the synagogues but the Prophets c See page 19. Ans Nay they preached Christ the end of the Prophets Pr. He calls that a monstrous opinion for to compare them to the Heathen who had not known there had been a God but by the Scriptures and have no more knowledge but by it c. page 20. Ans For the Pharisees had Scriptures and here heathen men may get Scriptures but know not the true God for none knows the true God but by the spirit of God and the Son of God reveals the Father though they may have all the Scriptures and the light that shines in the heart gives the knowledge of him and this the Apostle spoke to them that had the Scriptures and who are of faith are of Abraham and in the knowledge of him that knew God before the Scripture was written Pr. And he saith That the Law and the Testimony is Moses and the Prophets c. See page 21. Ans Contrary to the rest of the Priests which say it is the Old and New Testament and he and the rest of the Priests are contrary to the Apostle which saith The law and testimony is the light and spirit of prophecy which many may have the Old and New Testament yet deny the light and spirit of prophecy as Priests and professors do now who say prophecy is ceased There they deny the practice of the Church where edification learning and comforting is prophecying all one by one such they prison and persecute and they are not like to own prophesie when they deny the light which doth enlighten every man that comes into the world who is the end of prophesie and none owns Christ who owns not prophesie A Prophet is a Seer and them that deny Prophets are all blinde and in the dark and are such as have ravened from the spirit of God and have killed the Prophets Prin. He saith The Prophets are more certaine then any other Revelation See page 21. Answ Was not the Son of God revealed the end of the Prophets Did not God reveal him which came in the volume of the Book to do the will of God And so the Prophets and the Law and types and shadows which they that had the Prophets and the Law and types and shadows knew not the Son of God that was revealed that was their end spoken of in the Prophets and Epistles who is now revealed Pr. He saith The Patriarks and Prophets were justified by conceiving Christ without c. See page 24. Ans Now the Patriarks and Prophets had the spirit that did give them an evidence of him and by faith they saw him which is beyond a conceiving by which they were justified Pr. He saith Justification by works and inherent grace we call Christ c. See page 25. Ans We say Christ is the end the substance and who believes in him hath ceased from his own works he is the end of gifts and graces and mans own inherenting and no one knows justification but who receives the grace that brings salvation Pr. He saith This justification by a righteousnesse within us is mans grand Idoll and Christs arch enemy c. See page 25. Ans We are justified by faith in Christ Jesus and that is in us in the heart this he calls an Idoll and Christs enemy which he is the author of So what doctrine this man teacheth contrary to the Apostle erred from the Apostles and faith it is that purifies the heart by which we are justified by faith and not by works which throws down all Idols and the enemies of Christ which thou art one and none owneth justification but who witnesseth justification within faith in the heart and Christ being within there is justification Pr. He saith We miserably wrest the Scripture because we say he that respecteth persons commits sin c. Ans Now let all read that in James the Apostle how that he that respects persons commits sin and is convinced by the Law as a transgressor so teaching men to transgresse the commands of God contrary to the Apostles who teach men to keep them Pr. He saith Popery and vain philosophy is the foundation of the Quakers Religion c. See page 30. Ans Whose foundation is the light of Christ which lighteth every man that cometh into the world which was before Popery or Philosophy was which you are in as your books naming of days and Colledges and Steeple-houses makes it appear Pr. He saith And to believe or thinke our Justification is by something wrought in us is that Antichrist whose name is mystery Babylon the great the mother of Harlots c. See page 32. Ans And the Apostle saith we are justified by the faith of Christ Jesus Gal. 2. And faith purifies the heart and is a mystery held in a pure conscience This Justification is by the faith of Christ within and this thou calls Antichrist and the mystery of Babylon who art there thy selfe that be out of this faith that purifies the heart For all the holy men of God were justified by their faith and the faith is in the heart And thy belief that is without thee and faith in Christ is like unto the Jewes who stood against him when he was come True faith gives victory over Mysticall Babylon and the world in which men please God in which is unity Ralph Halls Booke called The Quakers Principles Quaking In it his Principles follows and lies upon himselfe turned whose works are for the Fire and to be burned Pr. HE saith It is delusion to give up to the light within to be the Judge c. which is Christ and calls it an obscure kinde of chymistry c. Answ Which the Apostle commands to judge themselves which they cannot judge themselves but with the Light by which they may see themselves Pr. He saith doth the Light of nature as he calls it give liberty to women to teach And so that he concludes and calls grosse and palpable darkness c. Ans Contrary to the Apostles Doctrine and the mind of God and the Prophets who said God will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh and his sons and daughters should prophesie So he is a limitter of the holy one and a quencher of the Spirit and in the darkness and this is above the Light of nature Pr. He saith the Quakers blame every thing and convinceth of nothing c. Ans Are ye not all convinced of your hirelings of your covetousness of your respecting mens persons for advantage and your teaching for filthy Lucre and your gain from your quarters and your love of money Are not ye all convinced Have not the Quakers convinced you all of those things and of your pride and
Christ and the Apostles and the Scriptures are owned by them in scorn called Quakers and the light it speaks of who out of the apostacy are come and so from among the apostates And as for the lyes and slanders in his Book that are not worth mentioning but they shall turn upon his own head whose immodesty hath discovered them Pr. In his Preface to the Reader He saith It is an expression of a darke deluded minde to say that God is not distinguished from the Saints Ans But God and Christ is in the Saints and dwell in them and walk in them and he is a Reprobate and out of the Apostles doctrine Pr He saith We have broken the everlasting Covenant of God Answ Because we own the teaching of God by his spirit and the light which doth enlighten every one that that cometh into the world which is the covenant of God Pr. He saith The Scriptures is the rule of life See page 4. Answ Contrary to Christ who said the spirit should lead them into all truth And they that are the sons of God are led by the spirit of God And the Churches was to hear what the spirit saith for the spirit led them to speak forth Scripture Pr. Again he saith It is a contradiction and a confused sencelesse thing to preach the word of faith in the mouth and in the heart see page 6. Again he saith Most senseless is this profession of Christ in the mouth and believing in him with the heart God that made all things These are his words page 8. Ans It is not a senselesse profession to preach the word of Faith in the heart and in the mouth and to say God will dwell in you and the word is in the heart and in the mouth The word is God and thou art senselesse and fallen in confusion in the contradiction out of the Apostles doctrine and the Apostle saith Christ in you and with the mouth confession is made to salvation Pr. And he calls it a Notion to say that Christ lighteth all and therefore the light is Christ. Ans So here he is kicking and spurning against the light Christ that lighteth every man that cometh into the world which is the Rock the foundation of God the corner-stone which is fallen upon thy head and all be in the notion that be out of it Pr. He scoffs at the Quakers because they say they have the word of God in them Ans Christ his name is called the word of God Pr. He saith God blessing or blasting his owne Word to some according to the different ends intended by himselfe see page 9. Ans Now the Word of God is not blasted God never blasts his own Word but it is they that are blasted that disobey the Word For the Word of God doth its service and accomplisheth the end which it goeth forth for and doth not return in vain And it is the sword of the spirit and that is not blasted It is a hammer and a fire and it lives and doth endure for ever So thou art blasted who saith the Word of God he blasts and art to be cut down by the word of God for thy blasphemy Pr. He saith the Quakers are deceivers because we say that Christ is not in outward observations and formes And John Bunyan saith that he is distinct from the Saints and would have him in the forms c. see page 13. Ans And we say he hath triumphed over the Ordinances and blotted them out and they are not to be touched and the Saints have Christ in them who is the end of outward forms and thou art deceived who thinks to finde the living among the dead and Bunyan is deceived who said he is distinct from the Saints and so you are a company of pittiful Teachers Pr. He saith Every true Christian doth believe that the holy Scriptures alone is to be the object of faith c. page 17. Ans So he hath thrown out God the giver of it and Christ the Author of it for many have the Scriptures and deny Christ the Author of faith and object Pr. He asketh Did you ever read of law and testimony in the heart c see page 18. Ans Yea God saith I will write my law in their hearts The law was in Davids heart the law was in the Apostles heart The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy and that is in the heart See Heb. 8. Rev. Pr. He saith The covenant of God is not to all in the Church of Christ see page 19. Ans Which is contrary to the Scriptures for where the Church is there is the Covenant the head Christ Jesus And God saith I will give him for a covenant to the Gentiles those are the heathen And I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah and these are called the people of God And therefore thou art in the fall in ignorance and a man without understanding and affirms thou dost not know what and silence would become thee better then to publish thy shame in print for they are not in the Church of God that be not in the covenant of God Pr. And he saith The Scriptures is the sure and perfect rule page 20. Ans And the Scripture saith Christ is the Bishop of the soule and God hath all souls in his hand And many have Scriptures but their soules the Bishop of them they know not but they remain in death and the life they want that gave it forth and so are all on heaps about the Scripture one with another and calling them the rule and the spirit And the spirit of God that led them forth to speak forth the Scripture was the rule to the Saints and holy men of God but they that be in the transgression will kill one another about their words and the spirit leads to see them again and brings them into unity with them and God Pr. He saith It is blasphemy to say that Christ is in them as God and man c. see page 23. Ans How are they of his flesh and bone And doth not the Scripture say Christ in you and God will dwell in you and walk in you And are not the Saints of his flesh and of his bone And are they not partakers of the divine nature Pr. He saith It is a fancy to say the eternall word of God is in them see page 26. Ans Thou art in the fancy that the eternal word is not in and witnessed and under the fire and sword and hammer to be hammered down And so art corrected by the Apostle who saith Let the word of God dwell in you richly The ingrafted word which is able to save your souls and immortal word which is immortal Pr. He saith The Scriptures is the only rule of knowing God c. See page 26. Ans Christ saith none knoweth the father but the Son who spoke among them that had the Scripture and so he
God again which soul Christ is the Bishop of and doth not thou speak of a humane soul an earthly soul and is earthly immortal and cannot die nor be killed And is not that which came out from God which God hath in his hand taken up into God again which Christ the power of God is the Bishop of is not this of Gods being And doth not the Scripture say God is all and in all And how dost thou here devide the word of God aright who shewes so much ignorance of the letter of Scripture Pr. He saith It is a wretched doctrine to say men have not a humane soul in them and to say that the soul is a part of the Divine Essence Ans Is not that of God that come out from him and is not the earthly and humane of the ground and is not that mortal and is that which is immortal humane And dost thou say it is humane and is not that earthly And where doth the Scripture of the Prophets Christ or the Apostles tell people of a humane soul and of Christ having a humane body in heaven and doth not the Apostle speak of his glorified body Pr. He saith that God should dwell in his Saints and Christ inhabit in believers how can this be the heaven of heavens cannot contain him how much lesse shall the strait heart of man Answ The Scripture saith God will dwell in men and walk in men and Christ that fills heaven and earth is in you except ye be reprobates and so in this thou hast shewed thy self one not able to divide the word aright and the bodies of the Saints are the Temples of God and God will dwell in them and walk in them and he will be their God and they shall be his people Pr. He saith Nor is it an essential in-dwelling of the Divine nature in Gods people c. Answ Doth not the Apostle say the Divine nature the Saints was made partakers of and God dwells in the Saints and Christ in them except they be reprobates And doth not the Saints come to eat the flesh of Christ and if they eat his flesh is it not within them Pr. He saith God dwells not in the Saints as a personal union c. page 22. Answ How comes the Saints then to eat of his flesh and to be of his flesh and bone and God dwelling in them and have unity with the Son and the Father and to be of his body which is the Church and Christ the head Pr. To say a man is justified and made righteous by Gods putting righteousness into us and by righteousness wrought in the creature confounds Justification and Sanctification c. See page 25. Answ The Apostle brought the people to the faith by which they was justified that was in their hearts for with the heart man believes unto righteousness c. And the light they was to believe in that was Christ And the light that shined in their hearts gave the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus their Saviour Now Justification by the works of the Law was do this and live Circumcise the children if they did not they was to be cut off and they was to keep the Law and the works of the Law the faith of Christ ended for it took away the nature that the Law went upon now the Papists and Priests be out of the works of the Law or the works of faith that works by love for they are slaying one another about Religion though they pretend works and this was ever out of the faith of Christ Jesus to kill one another about Religion Now the Apostles was in the works of faith who neither prisoned nor persecuted any that was a contrary minded that did so nor wrestled not against flesh and blood but against the power that captivated creatures And so all this work about works doth shew you and the Papists both be out of the faith that works by love where love should overcome all things and bear all things I do not measure Priests and professors nor Papists by the works of the Law which the Apostles speakes of which the false teachers were bringing people to in the dayes of the Apostles Neither do I compare or measure Papists or Priests with the works of faith that works by love that becomes all to all for the winning some of them Papists and Priests and professors will kill one another about their faith which is not the faith that works by love and contrary to the Apostles and Quakers faith Pr. He saith our warfare cannot be expected to be over as long as we are in the body and the best of Saints do not live free from sin Pag. 27. Ans The Apostles said they was made free from sin and the blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God cleanseth us from all sin and such as witness the everlasting Covenant of God that blotted out their sins and transgressions And they did witnesse the one offering that perfected for ever them that are sanctified And the Saints did witnesse the Kingdom of God which stands in righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost and were new Creatures and the old man put off and they were more then conquerours So thou art ignorant of the Scriptures And it is the Doctrine of Devils that Preacheth that men shall have sin and be in a warfare so long as they be on earth that is not the Doctrine of Christ which brings people to the faith the which gives the victory in which they have unity one with another and please God Pr. He saith to witnesse heaven within and hell within and the resurrection is the mystery of Iniquity Page 31. Ans Which shewes thou never knew heaven in thy self nor hell there nor Christ the resurrection and the life which they are blessed that are made partakers of the first resurrection on them the second death shall have no power And the Scriptures doth witnesse heaven within And if Christ that was offered up the resurrection and the life be not within thee thou art a reprobate Pr. He saith We shall have incorruptible powerful glorious and spiritual bodies and yet they say Christ is in heaven with a humane body which is earthly See pag. 34. Again the spirits can enter into heaven while the body is upon the earth c. And he saith the fourth Commandment commandeth the keeping of a seventh day and he that breaketh the least Commandment and teacheh men so to do is least in the Kingdom of Heaven Page 41. Answ Have not all the Priests and teachers in England denyed the Jewes Sabbath the seventh day and do not you work on it And do not you meet together on the first day of the week And do not you all teach men to break the Commandment there And you keep markets and fairs on the seventh day the Jewes Sabbath ye meet together on the first day of the week which
which cometh from Christ with it they shall see a Saviour Christ Jesus from whence it comes And the light shining from the East to the West and the coming of the Son of man and receive Christ and so come to the Rock And so people having been from the Light which every man is enlightned withall that cometh into the world they have been all brought on heaps But now they are coming to the Rock And thy words Thomas Collier shall be thy own burthen and for them thou shalt receive judgement And this is the word of the Lord God to thee and thy time is not yet past John Billingsley who calls himselfe Mr. of Arts Minister of the Gospell and Pastor of the Church at Chesterfield in his Booke called Strong COMFORTS for weake CHRISTIANS His Principles follows c. Pr. HE saith He would have the Mayor and Aldermen of Chesterfield to shew themselves to be really affected to the cause of Christ and his blessed Sabbaths c. Ans In this thou hast shewed thou art one that keeps people in darknesse and not a Minister of the Gospel of Christ and the new Covenant but of the Law and in the signes and shadows For the Sabbaths the Apostles did bring people off of them and they met together on the first day of the week and denyed the Jewes Sabbath and still it is your practice and yet thou cryest up to shew themselves for the cause of the blessed Sabbath what blind and dark stuffe is this For never did Pastor or Minister of Christ preach up such a Doctrine as to stir up Aldermen and Mayors and great men to shew themselves zealous for the Sabbath And thus thou hast shewed thy selfe to be one of them the Apostles was afraid of that observed the dayes which he brought the people off to the substance which they met together on the first day of the week which Christ rose on and so was a crosse to the Jewes who met together on the seventh day And Circumcision was on the 8th day on that day Christ rose Pr. He saith The Scripture and the Spirit are unseparable which he calls the Word Page 7. and that the spirit is alwayes in the Scriptures Again He is in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity who calls the spirit a dead Letter page 9. Ans Every one that hath the Scriptures cannot say he hath the spirit that gave it forth for the Devill may have Scripture who is out of the spirit And the Apostle which said the Letter kills and was old was not in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity And the spirit was in them that gave forth the Scriptures And the Scriptures are the words of God which ends in Christ the Word who fulfils them Pr. He saith Prize the holy Scriptures through which is all our hopes of eternall life communicated to us And I wonder what any soule hath to shew for eternal life but the Scriptures So I call it Gods warrant Page 13. And in the midst of thoughts prize the Covenant of free grace And if ye would have substantial comforts from the Covenant do not lay hold of Covenant comforts Page 12. Answ Thou cannot speak a word to the wearied who art in the presumption thy selfe and to be brought down who art applying the promises to the wrong nature And many may have the Scriptures and many have the Scriptures and all ignorant of eternall life untill they all come into the life as they was in that gave forth the Scriptures For the Scripture communicates not the life but God of whom they learned that gave forth Scripture it is it that testifies of eternall life And the souls comfort is Christ which it speaks of Pr. He saith The Apostle to the Philippians speaks of Saints as Citizens our trading is in heaven Now Citizens great trading is Mercandize as ships go from London to India c. So thousands of soules go towards heaven worth nothing a poore empty creature See page 15. Answ The merchandize is in the earth in Babylon and there thou and you are all The soule is worth more then all the world which goes to heaven it goes richly full of all attire and fruitfulnesse and not empty Is not an empty creature that which God breathed into man the breath of life whereby it became a living soule And he hath all soules in his hand and Christ is the Bishop of it the power of God and therefore it is not empty for the Saints had the heavenly treasure in earthen vessells Pr. He saith The Sacrament and Baptisme is a most refreshing cup for we walke by faith and not by sight page 18. I can say frequent mention is made of salvation by Christ without mentioning any act of faith in us c. page 19. Answ Sacraments and sprinkling Infants called Baptisme who walks after them walks after sight not by faith for these things are seen and they follow their owne traditions and not the Scriptures for them either sprinkling Infants or Sacrament And who walks by faith and not fight comes off the things that are seen For things that are seen are temporall but things that are not seen are eternall saith the Apoâ—â—le And he that believeth shall be saved he that believeth not shall be condemned this is the doctrine of Christ to the Apostles they are condemned already And where the belief is there is faith and salvation seen and known but where belief is not there is condemnation there salvation is not known and every one that is saved believes Pr. I do not say that there is perfect victory against every corruption But that grace will be eating out and curbing sin in the heart page 21. And there is no peace nor comfort that is miantained without warring and constant combating c. Yea peace and war against sin are alwayes inseparable companions page 22. All true comfort hath its foundation from the written Word they are fancies and flashes rather then comforts from pretended immediate revelations page 23. Answ None knows true comfort but who comes to the immediate Revelation that is to the spirit that reveals the things of God If men have all the Scriptures the written words and not the word in which they end they have not comfort neither can they do any thing without Christ neither have the wearyed rest neither is the Bishop of the soule known neither is the burthen and the old yoak gone off though they have all the Scriptures but as every one doth come to the life that gave forth the Scriptures with which they see Christ the end the substance of them him by whom the world was made before it was made these have comfort of the words And the Scriptures are words not the Word and such as are here comes to know peace and the end of war and the occasion of war taken away And sin and corruption is separated from the precious and contrary to the Just with it
for for their own bellies and these cause divisions among all people Do not these serve their bellies And are not people come to mark them what a division they have set among people yea for Tythes and maintenance and persecuting and prisoning for it and haling before Judges and Justices by Writs into Courts and at Assizes and Sessions Doth not these serve their bellies that makes all this division and not Christ but they deny the light which doth enlighten every man c. and so deny Christ the Lord that bought them And the light that every man hath that cometh into the world and the light that shines in the heart it gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus and brings all off from serving their bellies and leads out of the lusts in the fall which came by Adam in the transgression Pr. He saith To speak the Word of God immediately and that which I speak I speak it immediately I am strengthened against that and admonished by God to hold fast the form of sound words And that which is able to make men wise unto salvation through faith And Timothy was to stir up the gift of God that was in him mediately and the putting on of the hands and the neglecting not the gift that was in him And God hath published his last dispensation and nothing more to be added or altered page 15. Answ It thou art strengthened by God against speaking his Word immediately or if thou speaks immediately thou being strengthened by God against this as thou saith In this thou shews thou never knew him who ever is strengthened of God it is by his power and that is immediate who ever speaks his word that lives and endures for ever it is immediate In this thou and you all have shewed your selves to be Ministers of the Letter and not of the Word of God which is immediate which lives and abides and endures for ever and is immortall and fades not away and this thou and you speak not immediately and therefore have ye indeed put the Letter for it that be from the Word of God in your hearts not born again of the immortal seed the Word of God And whosoever stirs up the gift of God in them it is immediate and by the immediate And who ever holds fast the form of sound words the Scriptures they are made wise unto salvation by them through the faith they are in the immediate gift of God and gift which brought Timothy to lay on the hands upon the Presbytery and see and divide the word aright and kept him out of partiality it was immediate and the immediate Word of God that he was to preach in season and out of season And since the dayes of the Apostles from this have you all been apostatized and asleep in the night of apostacy in the great City though there hath been Pipers among you and sounding of Trumpets and the voyce of thâ— Bridâ—â—â—d the grinding of Mills and the light of Candles And the time is coming that Bâ—â—ylon shall fall and become the habitation of Devils and the Saints shall rejoyce and sing over her c. Pr. He saith It is not properly and absolute in a full sense that God is manifest or glorified in the flesh of his Saints page 29. Ans The Saints are the Temples of God and God dwels in them and walks in them and they come to witnesse the flesh of Christ and they glorifie him in their souls and bodies and the Lord is glorified in their bringing forth much fruit And they witnesse the seed the one offering for sin and transgression to be manifest within and such are not Reprobates yet witnesse the one offering Christ Jesus and them that have not him within they are Reprobates Pr. He saith The body is dead because of sin yea it is yet in it selfe is but a wretched vile body page 30. And Christ is in or among believers the hope of glory And that person Christ is personally absent from the believers And we do not possesse the glory of this glory Christ in us page 32. Answ I do believe you that are not come to the Light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world ye do not possesse the hope of glory in you ye are ab ent from Christ and do not feel him But the Saints in the light receive Christ the hope of glory and so he is not absent from them for they have unity with him and the Father and knows a change in them from glory to glory and witnesse Christ in them as believers in the light which walks not in darknesse that have the light of life And where the body of sin is destroyed and put off they glorifie God in their souls and bodies and spirit which is the Lords and those are not wretched Prin. He saith CHRIST is absent from us while wee are in the mortall body Answ Contrary to the Apostle who saith the life of Christ is manifest in their mortall flesh Pr. He saith Christ is in heaven with a spirituall body Answ And Priest Higginson saith he is in heaven with a carnall body And thus ye are confused and discerned who are from the Light and can speak of the body of Christ by the Letter and tell where he rose by the Letter as the Priests of old could tell Herod where he shâ—uld be born but Christs body is glorified Pr. He saith The first Resurrection we desire not to account our selves to have apprehended page 44. Such as magnifie their belly to be some eternall operation and making it withall deceivablenesse of unrighteousnesse in them that perish glorying in their shame minding sensuall earthly things All since the Apostle have not the Ministry of the Gospell immediately but mediately from the person of Christ in their believing through their word page 46. And the Text saith not the word of faith in the heart Answ Rom. 10. The word of Faith which they Preached was in their mouth and in their heart nigh them even in their heart And all since the dayes of the Apostles we do believe you have not received the Word immediately from Christ as the Apostles did who have erred and apostatized from them So none are Preachers of the Word in the Truth but who are Preachers of it immediately and such all are the false Apostles and such as serves not the Lord Jesus Christ but their own bellies which mind earthly things sensually and are in the deceivablenesse of unrighteousnesse deceiving the people with the good words forcing and taking maintenance of people they do no work for and keeping of them all from the immediate teachings of God they themselves being out of it and concluding all under their own dominion and shall all agree in one against the immediate teaching And they that be out of the immediate teaching is under the power of the Beast and Antichrist and the great whore the mother
of the light and so out of unity and seeth not the Saviour the Redeemer the substance of all types figures Parables the end of the Law that goes upon the man of strife And so being out of the light out of the unity out of the Covenant with God In the light is the Covenant of God Pr. He saith the whole soul and body of Saints and every faculty of the soul and member of the body there is some presence of sin in them all their dayes Page 113. Ans The Saints are sanctified and washed and cleansed body soul and spirit and they are made free from sin and then can live no longer therein and the body of sin is put off And they witnessed the darkness was past so then the works of the true light shined and the day was come and they was of one soul And they witnessed as he was so was they in this present world And he that is in Christ is a new creature And where Christ is within the body is dead because of sin And he that is born of God doth not commit sin And the Saints was upon the earth when they was made free from sin and not all their dayes sin in them as thou speakes of Prin. He saith sin dwells in the Saints if any Saint think otherwise he knowes not himself and if he be one really sanctified he is under a strong delusion and drousie dream Page 119. Answ He that is sanctified is sanctified from sin and washed and cleansed and he that is out of this sanctification is in the drowsie dream For who are in sanctification are in Christ the righteousness of God and they are awakened to righteousness out of the fall in the second Adam and drowsiness and dreames and delusions that come in the first Adam And sin and drowsie dreams and delusions dwells in them that pretend that they are sanctified ones and not really Pr. He saith it is a Popish Tennent that sanctification is wrought within men and Justification or a believers being justified from sin and ungodliness and not in it but the mystery of iniquity lies in this qualification pag. 120. And they that are justified by their sanctification it is a falshood And that none are justified but Saints perfect in holiness is a notorious contradiction Page 121. Answ He that is the sanctification is the justification and so by their sanctification are they justified it is one and the same that which sanctifies justifies And every man that cometh into the world having a light that cometh from Christ the sanctification redemption justification but them that be not in the light are with it condemned And such as be in the light they come into perfect holiness and their sins are not imputed to them But them that doth not believe in the light the spirit of truth that leads the believer into all truth reproves them for their unbelief and their righteousness and their judgement and so doth not justifie them but reprove them And the justification within roots out all Popery and all contradiction But to speak of justification and sanctification without and not manifest within ye are yet in the first Adam in the Popery where ye must have a Puratory to cleanse and not the righteousness of Christ within and sanctification within and Justification So such be reproved that can talk of it without sanctification without so there is the old Adam in the sin and transgression And all falshood is among them that can talk of justification without them and not witnesse it within them For who witnesse Christ within them they witnesse justification there and sanctification for Abraham believed and it was imâ—uted to him for righteousness and his belief was within and he saw Christ his glory And such as believe they come to witness the imputation But such as come again to witnesse that they are nearer then when they did believe and to witness that they have received Christ within is the end of their belief there they witness the righteousness it self without imputation which is the substance that which the promise ends in and all the fathers hoped for who stood in the imputation and all the believers in him But Christ being come the end of mans belief the righteousness it self here is a justification alone without the imputation Christ the righteousness of Gods blessing and glory for ever And a believer that is jâ—stified he is a new Creature and is past from the death which came by the sin comes to enter into his rest where sin is not And all the falshood and the contradiction is without the possession of justification and sanctification which reprobates talk of it in the mystery of iniquity and unbelievers in the mystery of iniquity which have the sheepes cloathing the outside the clothing of the Saints yet ravened from the spirit inwardly These have not been like to own justification within or sanctification there that inwardly ravened from the spirit of God which all must come to that which they ravened from and they themselves before they feel the justification sanctification Christ within them and have received the substance the thing the Scripture speakes of which not believing in the Light and going from it though they get all the sheeps cloathing yet are they not thereby justified though they get all the good words and the forme of godlinesse and obey not the Gospell the power of God for none obeys the Gospell but whâ— obeys the Light within And who are justified it is by the faith of Christ Jesus and without faith they cannot please him And who are in the Faith are the believers in the Light and so the Justification and the Faith doth qualifie from their old nature and mindes Pr. He saith They are not justified because they are new borne nor for their believing page 122. And I can say I am crucified with Christ and yet I have a corrupt rotten heart and an old lying heart as before he saith and Christ lives in him and there is a body of sin and death dwels in him And the life that he now lives in the flesh is by the faith of the Son of God Page 124. Answ Where Christ is within the body is dead because of sin and where the saith of the Son of God is lived in it gives victory over sin And the life of Christ is out of Adam in the Fall in sin and transgression And the Circumcision comes to be witnessed that puts off the body of sin And where the life of Christ is lived in the new Covenant is there the new heart rotten corrupt lying is put off the old man and his deeds with his deceitful lusts And he that believes is borne of God is justified and he comes into the faith by which he pleaseth God and he that doth not believe is out of the faith and it is impossible he should please God and is out of that which should justifie him Pr. He saith Christs
and Verse he can finde it again this is not like them which gave forth Scriptures which be learned of God and what they had received of God afterwards recorded which now you and the Priests fall out about and are in heaps and have no unity with it nor God nor one with another and would tear one anoâ—hers flesh to pieces about it and here your spirits are tryed William Greenhill Priest of Stepny who makes a trade of the Scripture his principle as followeth Pr. THe scripture is the Divine word and wisdome of God Ans Thou hast thrown out Christ in this and put scripture in his place and given the scripture his name who is the Word as in the Revelation Whose name is called the word of God who is the wisdome of God and this the scripture testifies of as in the Corinthians Iohn and the Revelations Pr. William Stanly a Tutor to children said That some had a priveledge to sin and yet were free from the condemnation of the Law by the sufferings of Jesus Ans But none have a priveledge to sin from God but from the devill for it is contrary to the Law of God for the Law doth not tolerate any such thing nor the Son of God who was made manifest to destroy the Devill and his works and to condemn sin in the flesh so no one hath a priveledge to commit sin but from the Devill and it is no priveledge to sin from God A book called the Relation of the Quakers shaking those whose names are at it are Iohn Gilpin Thomas Craster Thomas Sands Iohn Archer Edw. Turner Priest Walker WHo are like unto Jannes and Jambres who resist the truth being men of corrupt mindes who blaze abroad in the Nation to make truth odious and to posess the hearts of people by some that turne from truth first Iohn Gilpin who by truth was made to confesse his sin and had openings and then turned from it again and turned to the persecutors and this Gilpin was these mens convert which was most of them all the greatest persecuters in the North which after Iohn Gilpin had turned from these people called Quakers to these men whose names are to the book he turned drunkard being drunk a warrant was granted out for him by a justice of peace and yet these men whose names are at this book stiled this man one of their high converts but according to their works their reward will be Iohn Gilpin said While he was with the Quakers he never found such effects among the Ministers of England as he did amongst the Quakeres of the discovery of his sin in perticular of his Covetousnes which had a great long root in him And this all these men whose names are in the book tearms it to be of the Devill and this is their judgement because Iohn Gilpen run out in his imaginations therefore that which discovers to a man all his sins and his covetousnesse that is of the Devil too O! no my friends you have wrong judged and you will fail at last whom you have judged and what you have justified that which discovers your sin and filth and covetousnesse that which discovers the Devill which is the author of it that is the light and life of Jesus Christ and so in stead of saying the Quakers are shaking you are shaking yourselves and your foundation made knowne not to be the foundation of Jesus Christ And the light that discovers sin and when the true thing did convince and work in Iohn Gilpin then his imaginations run out and you and he calls it delusion to hearken to the voice within and yet you and Iohn Gilpin saith that he was in some measure raised to believe that God would deliver him and yet it is delusion to hearken to the voice within Ans What confusion is here amongst you and your convert doth any believe or come to deliverance or faith but who heares the light within and who heares the voice within and beares witnesse within doth not he that believes hearken to the witnesse in himselfe and hath he not it there and is not faith in the heart and any deliverance is it knowne but what is known from that within and thus you poor deluded creatures are glad to trust in lyes and make them your refuge Pr. He saith He began to consider how he had offended God by his neglect of the use of externall meanes reading hearing and prayer and rejecting the revealed will of God in his word and hearkening to the voice of God only within Ans Is reading and praying in the spirit externall meanes is this your judgement all you Priests and teachers and great professors found in this book can any pray but in the spirit and Read the scriptures and know them againe but in the spirit and is not that eternall can any man know the revealed will of God and his word but it must be by the spirit is not the word in God is not Christ the word his name is called the word of God and can any know these things but by the voice within which voice is the spirit the spirit of the Father speaking in believers the saints which led them to speak forth Scriptures so when that voice was neglected then was Iohn confused as you are all now that speak against it that whatsoever filth and durt you run into you will father it upon the voice within or the light and Christ within but you are comprehended and seen who are now flown to your external meanes you tell people of and your prayers and Reading are external we do believe you who be all out of the spirit but if ever any of you come to know God and true praying in the spirit you will deny your principle and we do believe your meanes is external and your prayers externall without the spirit of God and this Gilpin who had been thus covetous grievous sinner whom the Lord smote that he came to be almost a distracted man after he had got a little ease from under the judgement his flight being in the winter he goes to the Priests and professors which be here mentioned in this book enemies of all righteousnesse and presently turns a drunkard and a Justice of the peace granted a warrant to set him in the stocks and so he passed away about thirty miles off to Cacebie and this is Gilpins Lord who was convicted by the truth of his covetousnesse and his sin who run into his imaginations whose latter end is worse then his beginning And this is the convert of this many persecuting professors and teachers who to their shame have published it which comes a top of their own heads and truth is cleare and filth is wiped away and wiping and the refuge of lies is flying away that people shall not make them their refuge and those persecuting professors and Priests take occasion to speak of one James Miler in whom the Lord did open true prophesies and mighty
hath thrown out the Son the rule of knowing the Father who reveals him For many had Scriptures who knew not the Father nor knew the Son nor heard his voyce as in John 5. Pr. He saith All those that be without the Scriptures are without all comfort and hope and God See page 26. Answ Here then is thy Doctrine that none have comfort none hope none have God but who have Scriptures Abraham will tell thee otherwise and Enoch for those knew God and walked with him and knew hope and comfort and Joseph and Jacob and God was with them before the Scriptures was written And Christ was promised before the Scriptures was written and many have the Scriptures and not the comfort nor the hope but stand against him as the Jewes did against Christ And many may have the comfort and not read Scriptures Pr. He saith The onely judge of all errour is the Scriptures c. see page 37. Ans So he hath thrown out Christ and thrown out the spirit and the spirituall man and the Saints and God the judge of all who was the Author of the Scripture Pr. He saith The Apostle doth not say that God in these last dayes doth speak or will speak unto us by his Son but God hath already in time past spoke by his Son and that speaking is to these last dayes and we are not to look for any other speaking or revelation c. page 39. Ans And so by this thou hast denyed the scriptures and the authority of them which is Christ Jesus and denyed the Apostles doctrine and the new covenant where the law is writ in the heart and minde and all taught of God Thou hast thrown down and laid waste Christs commands who saith Learn of me And the command of God who saith This is my beloved Son heare ye him And so art ignorant of the scriptures and the power of God Pr. He saith It is abhorred dotage they are bewitched with to say they witnesse forgivenesse within c. See page 41. Answ Thou shews thou never knew a Saints life and that which cleanseth from all sin and the testimony within of forgiveness of sin for where it is forgiven it is within The Apostle saith If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin And many may speak of Christ without them and the body of sin not dead And so the Wolfe may get the form of godlinesse and the Devill may confess the son of God in words Pr. He saith It matters not much if the sense be in the Scriptures where the words be there or no See page 47. Ans And yet he saith the Scriptures is the rule and it is the word and so by that means have all men run into their senses into confusion from the words of the Scriptures which is not to be added to nor taken from nor can it be broken nor is it of any private interpretation and the Scriptures are the words of God and Christ is the word and in him they end and the spirit is the rule Pr. He saith Doth not Christ approve of the Jewes opinion in thinking that in the Scripture they should have eternal life And he saith Christ refers them to the Scriptures to finde life See page 48. Answ When as Christ said They would not come unto him that that they might have life and bid them believe in him whom God had sent who was the end of the Scriptures And Christ did not approve of them that thought to have eternall life in the Scriptures Pr. He saith to say that the light of Christ is not received from the Scriptures it is an abominable thing to be asserted Ans But the light is received from Christ and many had the Scriptures as the Jewes but stood against the Light as you do now and did not receive it that had the Scriptures which testified of it And the Light cannot be blotted out but it doth condemn and it leads to the knowledge of God and to eternal life Pr. He calls it a fancy of an idle brain to witnesse the law of God written in the heart that is different from the morall law c. see page 61. Ans The Scripture saith I will write my law in their hearts and put it in their inward parts and I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel not according to the old And this is the Covenant with Israel not according to the old and so they be in the fancy and idle brain that be out of the new Covenant of light Christ both Jews and Gentiles and all false Christians Pr. He saith This I do deny that the perfection of the whole law of God is writ in mans heart so as to know it and do it as it is written in the Prophets and Apostles c. See page 64. Answ Here thou hast discovered thy selfe to be in the unbelief and limits the Holy One that God is not the same Christ is not the same yesterday to day and for ever And none knows the Prophets and Apostles but who have the same covenant as they had and the same law and same spirit And whereas thou art opposing those as say the Word is within them and the Light is within them and the Spirit is within And because they say those be in unity and be one which makes thee appear one offended who must be ignorant still He that is ignorant let him be ignorant still but the light in thee shall see they are one Pr. He saith That none have ever had such attainments of Christ a Redeemer without the help of the Scriptures c. see page 65. Answ Now Abraham and Enoch and Noah and Adam had the promise of Christ before Scripture was written And the Gospel is the power of God and many may have the forme and not the power and eternall life is not in them nor the power of God For Christ is the power of God who saith Yee will not come to me that yee may have life who was afore Scripture was and all the Attainments is in him the Scripture speaks of and he is not attained to without life Pr. He saith Where did ever any say that they went through the Law to Christ This he judgeth and saith that they be strangers to the life of God that say so c. See page 71. Ans Contrary to the Apostle who saith I through the law am dead to the law but alive unto God And the law was our Schoolmaster to bring us to Christ And again he saith The righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us Pr. He saith All notionall light is from Christ whatsoever c. see page 72. Ans Now notional is imaginations and that is not properly called light and therefore thou mistakest for light is not notion but is the thing it selfe that is from Christ Pr. Here again he denies that Christ hath enlightned every man that cometh into the world with light sufficient if
forth from the Apostles into the world that Christ said should come that inwardly ravened from the spirit and went forth from the Apostles and onely have had the sheeps cloathing and so are the spirits which the Apostles bids the Saints try which went forth into the world that had the true spirit the record the spirit of God and they that have found the record the spirit of God tries all your spirits and findes you fallible ravened from the spirit of God inwardly onely having the sheeps cloathing that hath covered the wolfe in you all the devourer And so we do believe neither yoâ—â—or the Pope hath the infallible spirit being the false spirits that went forth into the world and led the world after you That Nations are come to be like waters so are you broken all into heaps and sects and wants the infallible spirit in which you should have unity And so hath not the Son of God revealed among you who have not revelation as the Apostles had which we witnesse who are come to that the Apostles were in and so the Son of God reigns Pr. He saith The holy Scriptures are the temporall word c. see page 11. Answ Now see if this be not an undervaluing the Scriptures of truth and the words of God and Christ and the Prophets and Apostles which cannot be broken he calls it a Temporall word which the Scripture teacheth no such doctrine but thy lying spirit Pr. He saith The Gospell or Word is the externall light flowing out unto us from the Son c. See page 12. Ans Contrary to the Scripture which saith the Gospell is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes so not temporall not a temporal light And the light which cometh from the Son of God that lighteth every man that cometh into the world that shines in peoples hearts that gives the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus is not temporall thou that saith so art in the delusion Pr. He saith The Scriptures are able to make men wise unto salvation without any more additions and there is no more to be expected c. see page 12. Answ Contrary to the Scripture it selfe and the Apostles doctrine who saith through faith they are able to make wise unto salvation So there is an addition which the Apostles adds and all the Saints and true believers which is the faith which thou art reprobated from and so no Minister of Christ in the un-victory so in the worlds lusts Pr. He saith The soule of man is a spirituall substance c. And Magnus Byne saith the soule is not infinite in it selfe but it is a creature And Richard Baxter saith it is a spirtuall substance c. See page 13. Answ Now consider what a condition these called Ministers are in They say that which is a spirituall substance is not infinite in it self but a creature that which came out from the Creator and is in the hand of the Creator which brings it up and to the Creator again that is infinite it selfe which the hand goes against him that does evill in which hand the soule is which is immortall and infinite which hand is infinite which brings it up to God is infinite Pr. He saith Do not they blasphemously make Christ an Idoll that call our Temples Idols Temples c See page 15. Ans Christs body was and is the Temple of God who ended all outward Temples made with hands and so that is no Idoll but others are Idols held up by you and the Pope Jewes and Gentiles that prison the seed of God in your selves And Stephen was stoned to death for denying the Temple and for witnessing the substance so have you almost stoned many to death for denying your Idols Temples Pr. He calls that most ignorant and sottish dealing to own Christs commands that bids be not called of men Master c. page 18. Answ And thus he shews his ignorance and sottishnesse and doth not read Mr. Paul Mr. Peter and they transgresse the doctrine of Christ and he hath not the spirit of Christ but is gone out into the world where all the false spirits are opposing Christs commands and the Spirits commands and so no Minister of Christ Pr. He saith All the Ministers since the dayes of the Apostles was to be ordained and called which the Apostles were not c. See page 21. Answ Doth not the Apostle speak of them that usurped the authority Yes we say that all of you and the Pope since the dayes of the Apostles are called by men and made by men who are the false spirit that went forth into the world that ravened from the true so have not heard the voyce of God at any time So he hath not sent you but you have usurped the authority being made by man And as no prophecy of Scripture came by the will of man therefore all as do get the Scripture in their own wills out of the holy Ghost are made by man such are out of unity with God with Scriptures with one another and all upon heaps about words and such men make and sets up Pr. He saith The Scriptures is Gods law and a sufficient rule for doctrine and worship it selfe c. See page 22. Ans Now many may have the Scriptures and if they have not the spirit that gave them forth they do not worship God in the spirit And they that have the Scriptures and do not do the will of Christ they know not his Doctrine And the Law is light Pr. He saith But I must tell you that our Bells are not carnall if they were they would scarce sound so well or last so long c. See page 23. Ans If they be not carnal then they are spiritual and in that all the world will judge thee that they are things seen and so they are temporall and carnall and what is temporal is not eternal nor spirit The Apostle speaks of carnall weapons 2 Cor. 10.4 and carnall ordinances Heb. 9.10 And whereas thou speaks of baptizing your Bells c Have not many Bells in England been baptized And was not the Pope the first Authoâ— of it And we do say that they are carnal and not spiritual let them sound never so well and last never so long though in many Towns you have made them to tune Psalms yet we cannot say that these are spirituall that can tune Psalms neither dare we but do judge them that do say they are so For the Scripture calls those Ordinances which were Ordinances of God once worldly and carnal and the Sanctuary is called a worldly Sâ—nctuary when the substance was come And so we see and say all your sorts of Bells though they may be tunes of Psalms yet they are carnall and not spirituall that is our conclusion though indeed poor people being ignorant may well when such as thou saith they are not carnall when they be yet they stir up the fl
my knowledge of them c. See Pag. 2. Ans The Quakers are revolted from you Apostates that are inwardly ravened as the converted Jewes did that were turned to Christ for the Jewes revolted from the Temple and the Priests and turned to Christ from the other Jews and owned the Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world which you Revolters deny that have reigned since the dayes of the Apostles and so are ignorant what we are come to and the Apostles were in and that which was before you and they was Pr. He saith the Angels of Light which are holy and without sin may be devils c. See pag. 3. Ans Which the devill fell from the Light from the holiness and so he cannot tansform into that And all holiness intended which is not in the light is as the Pharisees was in and the whole world and is condemned with the Light He saith salvation by the Light within is cursed c. See pag. 6. Ans Contrary to the Apostle who saith the light that shineth in the heart gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus And contrary to John who saith every man that cometh into the world is enlightened And as many as received him to them he gave power to become the Sons of God and the power of God is the Gospel of salvation to every one that beleeves in the light And he that beleeveth in the Light hath the witness in himself and the Apostle turned them from the Darknss to the Light And the word was in their hearts of Faith that saves the soul and there was the glad tidingâ— the Gospel And Priest Shaw saith the Gospel is the four bookes of Matthew Mark Luke and John And the Apostle saith it is the power of God and saith many have the form but deny the power So now here himself he hath cursed So this same man is a curser as the Papists are Both he and them are found out of the doctrine of Christ and the Apostles who saith bless and curse not And the Scotch Priests likewise are cursers as in the Scotch Principles ye may see and no one knows salvation but by the Light within which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world who is the salvation to the ends of the earth Pr. And he calls his Steeple-house St. Andrews See page 7. Answ Which never did Prophets nor Apostles give such names to houses but the Pope who is his teacher Pr. He saith It is an errour to say that the light which every one hath that cometh into the world is sufficient to salvation without the help of any other meanes or discovery c. See page 9. Answ Contrary to Christ who brought the Jewes off of all others helps to himself who said Believe in the light while ye have the light and they that believed in the light should not abide in darknesse And no man cometh to the Father but by me saith Christ For he was the way the truth the light in men and the life and there is no salvation by any other name but by him And there is none knows the blood of Christ which cleanseth and the offering for the sins of the whole world but with the light which cometh from Christ Jesus who is sufficient who is the salvation to the ends of the earth so he is the only means without any other help And as the anointing in people doth teach people they shall continue in Christ and as they walke in the light as he is in the light they shall have fellowship with the Father from whence all helps comes and Christ will dwell in man and walk in man and what need they have any more helps Pr. He saith It is an errour to say we are justified by that which Christ doth in us c. See page 9. Ans Contrary to the Apostle who saith we are justified by faith in his blood and the faith is in the heart and the blood is in the heart that purifies it and held in a pure conscience And the word of faith is within Rom. 10. And faith gives victory over the world and that which gives victory justifies and Christ is within who is justifi-fication and sanctification and condemnation either of them is found within and thou art in the errour and not fit to talk of these things which thou understands not Pr. Again he saith It is an errour if not damnable to say Christ is the means and that there is no other means of salvation c. see page 13. Ans And Christ saith No man cometh unto the Father but by me and he is able to the utmost to save And he shall be my salvation to the ends of the earth saith the Lord. And saith the Apostle God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself And he that hath the Son of God hath life and the Father and the Son are one and there is no salvation in any other Pr. He saith That Christ gives light to no man under that name but believers c. See page 13. Ans Contrary to John who saith he doth enlighten every man that comes into the world that all might believe through the light And contrary to Christs own words such as hated it and would not come to it and bids them believe in the light while they had it and he that did not believe was condemned already and he that did believe had the witness in himself Pr. He saith It flatly contradicts the whole Scripture to say that the light wherewith Christ hath enlightned every man c. will save c. See page 14. Answ Which God saith I will give him for a covenant for a light to the Gentiles new covenant to the house of Israel and Judah and he shall be my salvation to the ends of the earth and believing in it are saved and not believing are condemned Pr. The wise heathen Philosophers had a greater measure of light in them which is the first Adam then I can thinke any men have now c. See page 15. Answ Which shews that he knows none of Christ the second Adam the quickning spirit And he knows no new creature For who are in Christ are new creatures Nor none of Christ the Covenant of God of light of life of peace who was glorified with the Father before the world began which is beyond the first Adam and hath shut himself forth not to be as high as his Heathen Philosophers and many witnesse Christ in them in this age as in the dayes of the Apostles which is above the Heathen Philosophers Pr. The light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightned withall is Christ he saith this is the light of nature and of reason And saith It is a damnable doctrine to deny all externall means of salvation c. See page 16. Ans When as the Apostle saith We looke not at things which are seen
by revelation for no man knows Christ but by revelation And all that ever own Christ they must own the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world to be the covenant of God which light men are to believe in which not believing in they are reprobated And thousands and thousands I do believe you who have had the sheeps cloathing upon the back of them and so have covered the Wolfe with it Neither you nor they never knew the revelation of the Son of God and so never know the son of God untill he be revealed and so hath not the knowledge of him The Scriptures testifie of him but they that had the Scriptures knew him not but who was in the light and in the Covenant and so ye have all discovered your selves in the apostacy apostatized from the Apostles spirit and all to be the false spirits gone out into the earth into the world for means for maintenance and so ye are all puft up in your pride and so that makes all your doctrine to be so dry and so barren there being no revelation among you nor no immediate speaking from God and Christ but feeding people with the husk with the outside And have proved your selves here to be but the Wolfe in the sheeps cloathing inwardly ravened from the spirit But with it ye are comprehended and if it had not been so you would never have published your folly to the Nation But the spirit of love and humility and meekness which bears all things comes to be known by the spirit Pr. For people to be led with a light within this is to make the Scriptures uselesse Ans No this lets see the Scriptures in their place and the fulfilling of them which was given forth to be believed practised read and fulfilled not for men to make a trade of them and call people from the Light within with which they should see the Scriptures and none comes into Covenant with God with their hearts and their minds that they need not say one to another know the Lord that they may be always living under mans teaching Pr. How clear say they the Scripture is that faith cometh by hearing and not by minding the light within Answer Doth any man know Christ but by the Light within And is not Christ the Word Can any see without the Light the Word Doth it not make manifest Nay doth it not give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus read 2 Cor. 4.1 from whence faith comes and so faith comes by minding the light within Christ the author of it and brings to look as him and hear him Prin. And Multitudes were converted by those faire Epistles written by the Spirit Answ None are converted but who be in the spirit that gave forth those Epistles though they may have all the Epistles For that hath been the Papists and your convertings who hath had the Epistles by the Epistles out of the life since the dayes of the Apostles and so made proselites Pharisee-like For that baptizeth and that circumciseth for in that is the fellowship and the unity People as I said to you before may get the sheeps cloathing as ye have long time been covered with but inwardly ye have been ravening wolves as your fruits have declared as the Northern part of the nation may make it manifest The witnesse in all your consciences shall answer for me and let you see that your own words are your burden and an heavy cry will come upon you when ye feel it who now are fat and full and fresh and lusty but a day of requiring is coming and inquisition is made for the blood that hath been shed of all the Prophets Martyrs and Saints since the dayes of the Apostles and the prisoning and the persecuting by you and your off-spring got up since the dayes of the Apostles the false spirits that went out into the world that are now standing against the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world So marks that you be inwardly ravened and that you be the Antichrists and the false Prophets you are not like to own the light in every man who are ravened from it and are turned against them that walke in the light and keep the testimony of Jesus Here is the Beast and the false Prophet that makes war against the Saints and overcomes them for a time but the Lamb and the Saints must have the victory And you about Newcastle Ministers and Teachers are like to a heap or dunghil sogged and mudded but come to the witnesse else eternally you will be condemned Pr. They say Blessed are they that heare the Word and keep it which is a word spoken and written not the eternall word It is a notion of the Word of God to call the Word of God a Declaration And the holy Scriptures is able to make men wise unto Salvation to the Law and Testimony Ans To the Law and to the Testimony The law is light saith Solomon And the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy And many may have the Old and New Testament and yet be out of the Light and out of the Testimony as you and so out of the spirit of prophecy For Isaiah had the testimony before Matthew Mark Luke John and the Revelations was written and bid them come to the Law and to the Testimony and you that do not speak according to that rule it is because you hate the light in you And the Scriptures Luke calls them a Declaration who was a Minister of the Word and the Scriptures are the words of God and the words of Christ and so not the Word but the words which the Word Christ fulfills So ye are men not capable nor of a true understanding to divide the word aright nor to speak a word in season to the wearyed but do all lead the halt and lame and blinde out of the way who for so doing must find misery Again they that hear the Word of God they hear that which lives and doth endure for ever and this Word is eternall which lives and doth endure for ever which they have within them and with that they see the words and letters and writings or outward Tables may be broken but still the Word remains That ever the Ministers of Newcastle should say that the Scriptures are able to make men wise unto salvation and leave out faith you are no more made wise then the Pharisees was with the Scriptures without faith The Pharisees were not made wise unto salvation by the Scriptures without the faith neither are you But who are in the faith they are made wise to salvation through the Scriptures and comes to Christ the end of them for it gives to see the Scriptures and in it in the faith is the unity which Scribes and Pharisees and Apostates are out of Pr. That a mediate call since the time of the Apostles and
Apostles by the Beast and the false prophets and the great whore which have been in the power of the Devil that went out of truth and that the Saints was not subject to But now Christ is come to reign the Lamb and the Saints shall have the victory and the higher power is owned that is higher then all the transgressors upon earth that reaches to the soul and the transgressed principle of God in every man upon the earth for the Beasts power hath set up your Tythes Temples and Colledges and compeld men to worship which the Saints could not and therefore have suffered by it that have worshipped God in the spirit and truth that the devil is out of and such was in the higher power Pr. He saith there is a kinde of Infiniteness in the soul and it cannot be Infiniteness in it self Pag. 103. Ans Is not the soul without beginning coming from God returning into God again who hath it in his hand which hand goes against him that does evil which throwes down that which wars against it And Christ the power of God the Bishop of the soul which brings it up into God which came out from him hath this a beginning or ending And is not this infinite in it self and more then all the world Pr. He saith the soul is a creature and yet it is a noble power and an Essence and is the appetite fancy c. Again he saith he knowes that the soul is a spiritual thing and cannot be divided into parts and powers as being one single entire essence Page 107. Ans The soul being in the death in transgression so mans spirit there is not sanctified and the soul is in death And fancy and the appetite and anger and pleasure c. which thou saith is taken for the soul usually and called the soul are them that wars against it so thou divides the soul into parts which is one and art ignorant of it and yet thou said it cannot be divided So thou art in the Babylon and confusion So the living of the soul and the spirit sanctified that diligent hearkening is come to where the Counsel of God is stood in his voyce heard his hand felt that the soul comes up into that comes from him from God that 's living and Immortal and gives a Creature its feeling and sencibleness through things and so the Covenant of God comes to be received wherein the soul lives the Bishop of it which is immortal and then the new creature born is known whereby the spirit of man is sanctified whereby the God of the spirits of all flesh is known Now where the power and life guides up to God the Father of life that works down and directs the mind up to God where the soul hath the issue the immortal to the immortal whereby light springs in Christ is known the soul praiseth God the Saviour the low estate that God hath regarded and reached down to it Now where the light is hated that of God within transgressed that doth pertain to the righteous Law of God and answers it the spirit of man is not sanctified and mans understanding darkened the higher power is denyed the soul comes into death transgressing of the Law is known the witness buried which should guide the mind whereby the soul should live in the diligent hearkening thereby comes man to be defiled and his spirit and body and minde whereby he glorifies not God in his body and soul and spirit and glorifies not the God of the spirits of all flesh thereby he comes to be an alien and a stranger to the life of God and his wayes and Covenant and thou sayes the soul is a spiritual thing and yet a creature an appetite and fancy And every man that cometh into the world having a Light from Christ the second Adam though they be in the first Adam the Bishop of their souls So every one being turned to the Light which Christ the second Adam hath enlightened them withall they shall see the Bishop of their souls Christ the power of God which is immortal brings the immortal soul into the immortal God Christ their sanctification who sanctifies their spirits and bodies and brings the soul up into God from whence it came whereby they come to be one soul For in the lusts of the world and the affections of it is the war against it and there is the powers of wickedness the soul must be in the higher power higher then the flesh which stains the man spirit and body and powers of wickedness So the light being turned to he receiveth the spirit of God which sanctifies him the spirit of Sanctification in Christ Jesus the Sanctification and Redemption So every man that cometh into the world having a light from Christ Jesus the way out of the fall the second Adam receiving the light they receive their Redemption and Sanctification whereby their spirits bodies and souls are sanctified Pr. He saith The binding of Sathan shall not be by a personall reigne of Christ in a body He saith the Quaker denies the light written in Scripture And he saith when yee that pretend most love to Christ within and light within ye deny the Lord that bought yee And the high talke of a Light within goes out for ever into utter darkness Ans The Light within and Christ within who owns this and are come into it owns the Lord that bought them Christ and no other and they that receive not this within are Reprobates without him and deceives him yet talk of him as the Devils false Prophets and Deceivers And they that go from the Light within go into utter darknesse and stumble and do not know whether they go and wants the garments and the Lambs cloathing And so the Light within he that believes in it hath the witnesse in himselfe abides not in the darknesse nor in the condemnation but hath the light of life And the light within that shines in the heart gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus And who knows Satan bound and false Prophets and Antichrists and Beasts and mother of Harlots taken and cast into the fire and Christ reign and know his bodily presence they know his flesh and are of his flesh and of his bone and his spirit and minde and power who hath all power in heaven and earth given to him over the Devil over the Aâ—tichrists false Prophets Beast and mother of Harlots reigns above their power triumphs tramples above their power and this is known by the Light within And now doth Christ reign in his Saints and the Paradice of God is known and Eden where all things are sanctified and blessed and good where there is no curse but blessing and he that went out of this did transgresse and disobeyed which brought the death upon all his posterity earthly Adam But who are come in through the obedience of another the second Adam Christ Jesus who
so are hardned from the spirit they was in which said Christ is all in all which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world And none seeth the person of Christ in heaven but who be in the Light that he hath enlightned them withall yea the Covenant of Light to the Gentiles and Heathens as well as Jewes and so God is not a respecter of persons And all that be from this Light are now making war against the Lamb and the Saints and the accuser of the Brethren is cast out and the light which doth enlighten every man which comes into the world is Christ Pr. They say It is a delusion for them that are in the light to see what mens inward states are before God page 29. Ans Have ye given your selves a name of the Church of Christ and is there not a spirit of discerning among you Have ye not manifested here that ye are harlotted from the Church of Christ the Apostles was of And how can ye minister or teach people if that ye do not discern their states how they stand before God How can you commend your selves to every mans conscience in Gods sight How can ye present the soules of men to God and see not their states how they are in his sight How come ye to have fellowship in the Spirit How can you or any Minister to the state and condition that people be in and see where they are and doth not know how they stand in Gods sight in this how have you shewed your ignorance of the Scriptures and the Epistles written to the Saints which speaks to the state and conditions the Saints were in How have ye a name but declared your selves dead from the life How have ye stained your own glory and marred your own beauty and sets your selves out of the steps and paths of the Church of Christ Pr. Simpson he saith If my heart deceive me not I could wish that God would recover you out of the Devils snare page 40. And ye speak of breaking of bread and Ordinances and the Lords Supper and Baptisme page 35. Ans The prayers of the faithfull are acceptable that are in the spirit but he that doubts he knows not his own heart and prayes without discerning being out of that which purifies it And for Baptisme and Ordinances and the Lords Supper and the bread that the Saints broke ye have all been ignorant of in this night of apostacy since the dayes of the Apostles who had spoken to the Corinthians what he had received of the Lord he delivered unto them And as oft as they did eate that bread and drinke that cup they did shew forth the Lords death till he come and they were to do it in remembrance of him And afterwards the Apostle writ again to the said Corinthians tells them the light that shined in their hearts would give them the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus And said while we look not at things that are seen but at things that are not seen For the things that are seen are temporal Bread Wine and Water are seen but the things that are not seen are eternall And bids them examine themselves and prove their own selves and said Know ye not that Christ Jesus is in you except you be reprobates Pr. He saith He hath been a Preacher of the Gospell at Bristoll and Wells and he hath not need to seek a proof of any man page 43. And he saith I am no Preacher to bid every man turn to the light within him neither did I ever read or hear that any of the Apostles or holy men of God preached such a Gospell And they said Sarah Latchet who was excommunicated who had been one of them it was fittest to send her to Bridewell Answ This was not the Ministers of the Gospels work to wrestle with flesh and blood which is yours And they in the sight of God had witnesses and they could seek them which thou saith thou needs not And they turned people from the darknesse to the light and Christ bid them believe in the light while they had it that they might become the chilldren of the Light And the Apostles doctrine was that the light that shined in their hearts would give them that light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus and this thou never heardest of as thou saist And thy Gospel that is not this and agrees not to the Apostles is another and so accursed And the Saints was one anothers Epistles written in one anothers hearts read and seen of all men And thou hast been a bad Preacher at Wells and Bristoll that knows not the Light Prin. They say A man may be a Christian a believer a converted soule he may be in Christ and yet not not have received the spirit of sealing and establishing page 53. Ans This is like to the rest of thy Doctrine who are out of it themselves they are not able to judge of the state of babes believers converted soules which are in Christ For they that are in Christ have the spirit and they that are converted are converted by the spirit And he that believeth cometh to be sealed with the spirit of promise Prin. They say The light in every man is a notion and yet they seeke God by prayer solemnly And they shut up the Kingdome of heaven against men that bid all men turne to the light within them and from the believing on the person of Jesus Christ page 60. Answ None opens the Kingdom of heaven to all men but who turns people to the light which Christ Jesus hath enlightned every man withall that cometh into the world Nor none believes in Christ but who believes in the light which Christ the light hath enlightned them withall and such have the witnesse in themselves and can set to their seales that God is true And they see their Sanctification Justification and Redemption and none ever prays the acceptable prayer of the Lord but who be in the light that cometh from Christ and such calls not the light a Notion for all notions be among such that be out of the Light which Christ doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world withall They are from the Rock the Foundation and Sanctification and see not Christ And this is not to deny Christ but receive him and believe in him And all upon the earth be Antichrists that denies the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world and be from it Pr. And as for your speaking of judging and not to judge before the time untill the Lord do come c. Answ That was spoken to the Corinthians who will bring to light the hidden things of darknesse and make manifest the counsels of the heart Now the same Apostle said to the same Corinthians that God would dwell in them and walk in them and they were not to judge before
the Scriptures the words of God and properly to call Christ his name the Word of God and the Word that became flesh that is proper Scripture And they that had not the Scriptures worshipped God before the Scriptures was written as Abraham and Enoch and others and they attained to eternall life And if people have all the Scriptures and not the Spirit which was before they was given forth they want the standing rule they cannot know the Scriptures they cannot worship God aright they cannot finde eternall life they have not unity with God neither do they worship God aright but who be in the spirit that gave them forth And we do believe you that immediate revelations now by the holy spirit of God revealing things to you im-immediately ye have not and you say it is not the work of Gods spirit now nor the way of God now c. You that have ravened from the spirit of God inwardly have been the Wolves which Christ said should come which John saw was come which the world hath gone after you and yee have burst into Names and Heads Horns and Sects And the power was given to the Beast and the false Prophets and the great Whore hath corrupted the earth All Nations have drunk her cup of fornications and the Kings of the Earth So they have flown to the Kings for help against the Saints and against the Lamb but the Lamb and the Saints shall have the victory And so when you have been ravened from the spirit of God it hath not been like yee should attain to immediate Revelation by the spirit of God But now who are come to the Lamb are come to that ye ravened from they witnesse immediate Revelation They are come to that the Apostles was in the spirit of Christ the spirit of God they witnesse immediate Revelation Who are come into the feare of God the things of God is revealed unto them who are come into the spirit of God it reveals to them the deep things of God So you that deny immediate revelation by Gods holy spirit now and discovering things to you immediately you have shewed your spirits to be the false spirits unclean spirits that be in the earth like the Frogs that go out of the mouth of the Beast and the false Prophet which was discovered by John and revealed to John discovered and made manifest which now with the same holy spirit of God are you all apostates revealed and discovered to the children of the Light to the Lambs and the Saints who witnesse the spirit of God which reveales the things of God to them and immediate revelation As ever the false Prophets false Apostles false Teachers in their false prophesies and teachings did who had gotten the form and denyed the power immediate Revelation by Gods holy spirit And was it not they then that cryed to the powers of the earth for help against the Saints in all ages which was discovered and judged by the spirit of God and must go into the fire Pr. He saith The Scriptures are able to make wise unto salvation and they are a more sure word of prophecy then any voyce that we can hear from heaven page 6. And we will call them the Word of God whether the Quakers will or no and we are to go to the Law and Testimony page 7. Ans In this ye are contrary to the Ministers of the Word who calls the Scriptures the words of God and Christ the Word and calls the Scriptures a Declaration and a Treatise which Christ the Word came to fulfill And the Law and Testimony which ye say is the Old and New Testament which many may have and yet stand against the Law which is light as saith Solomon and stand against the testimony of Jesus which is the spirit of prophecy and crucifie them that be in it in the Law and Testimony they that have the Old and New Testament as witnesse the ravening Wolves that have had the sheeps cloathing but inwardly ravened from the spirit which Christ said should come John saw was come went out from the Apostles which since the world have gone after them And many may have the Scripture and stand against the voyce from heaven as the Jewes did him that spoke from heaven which was more sure him that spoke from heaven who was the end of the Scripures and comes to fulfill them And the Scriptures are not able to make wise unto salvation as you say who leave out the Faith but through faith they are Pr. Let the Quakers shew where ever Christ or the Apostles bid people looke to the light within them And the Quakers say they write from the spirit of the Lord and speake from God immediately and infallibly as did the Apostles and doth not this bring them under the curse in the Revelations page 8. And say the Letter is a dead and killing letter these he calls wicked errours And to say the light within is sufficient an old Popish argument Answ The light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightened withall is the salvation to the ends of the earth and sufficient for he that believes in it shall have the light of life and come to witnesse the Law of God in his minde and in his heart and the new Covenant which he shall not need to say Know the Lord. And the letter of Scripture paper and inke is a dead letter And thou and you all that speak and write and not from God immediately and infallibly as the Apostles did and Prophets and Christ but onely have gotten the words you are all under the Curse in another spirit ravened from the spirit that was in the Apostles onely have had the sheeps cloathing inwardly ravening wolves so deceived the World and the Nations and have been held up by the powers of the world the powers of the earth And the Kings of the earth have drunk the cup of fornication and they were like to maintain that which they have drunk And so power hath been given to the Beast over all Kindreds Tongues and Nations and they should make war against the Lamb and the Saints and continue it till the words of God was fulfilled And the Apostles told the Corinthians that light that shined in their hearts would give them the light of the knowledg of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus And so all people upon the earth that have gotten a knowledge and if the light that shineth in their hearts hath not given it them what they know they know naturally in these things they corrupt themselves And so thou and you that be ignorant of the Apostles doctrine the light that gives people the knowledge and the immediate infallible spirit that the Apostle was in and that the Scriptures was given forth from are and the Pope together in another fallible spirit then the Apostles were in comprehended with the spirit that gave forth Scriptures Pr. And what a dreadful Judgement
his Apostles and his messengers and truth is a top of him and them all and with it are shut out Pr. He saith honour is the expressing of the inward respect that we hear to persons and many Scriptures he brings for bowing and for master pag. 23. and so stumbles at thee and thou Ans Which shewes he never learned his accidence or Bible and is a transgressor of Christs commands who saith be ye not of men called master for ye have one master even Christ and ye are all Brethren and a transgressor of the Law which they that respects persons commits sin and are convinced of the Law as transgressors and reprobate concerning the faith which is held without the respect of persons And though they bowed in the old time several that bowed before the Angels yet Christ is come by whom all things was made the salvation to the ends of the earth to whom powers principalities Thrones and dominions must be subject to whom Angels and Thrones must bow yea things in heaven and things in earth and every tongue confesse him to the glory of God and every knee bow and there people comes into the unity and there they hold the head Pr. He saith the Quakers light teacheth to forsake the Scriptures and set up a spirit in man which will not be examined by Scriptures page 26. Answ This is he which is out of the truth speakes it for the Quakers have not received the spirit of the world but the spirit of God by which they know the things which are freely given of God and know the Scriptures given forth from the spirit of God and with the same spirit the Scriptures is owned again Pr. He saith Paul swore after Christ and the Angells swore page 27. He saith I wonder Paul should so forget himselfe and sin so fearfully in swearing c. So the Quakers light that denies swearing is of Satan and not the light of Christ page 28. Answ Christ the Light which Satan is out of who is the oath of God ends all oaths sworn by Prophets or Angels whatsoever And who swears be fallen into the condemnation of the Devill and it is no where said that the Apostle swore but such as thou art matters not what thou speaks So that spirit that preaches for swearing is not the spirit of Christ but is the spirit of Antichrist preacheth up that which Christ and the Apostles preached down and preached Condemnation to them that did swear Pr. He saith The light in the conscience that takes them from the Law of God is the light of Satan Answ The light Christ in the conscience is the end of the Law for righteousnesse sake And that which keeps men from that which doth end the Law is not the Doctrine of the true Apostles but the false And the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world which is the substance leads men off of all types and figures and signes who comes to enjoy him enjoys the end who comes off of all outward Elements as Bread and Wine and such things to the substance it self to look at things that are not seen For things that are seen are temporall but the things that are not seen are eternal Pr. He speaks of a new creature distinct from Christ and saith while we live sin lives And saith I deny that the righteousnesse of Christ whereby a believer is justified doth dwell in him page 36. Answ Is not the new creature in Christ He that is in Christ is a new creature and is not distinct from him and how hast thou divided the word here And Christ is justification sanctification and wisdome and righteousnesse and if he be not within ye ye are Reprobates And where Christ is he is not without righteousnesse Therefore they are not without righteousnesse and wisdome Justification and Sanctification if Christ be within that is within for where he is that is not wanting And the Apostle said they were made free from sin And let not sin have dominion over your mortall bodies minde mortall bodies which sin was not to have dominion over And old things passe away and all things become new Sin is an old thing from the old deceiver So while any sin is standing all things is not made new and sin hath its dominion Pr. He saith He hath not read where a believer dwells in Christs righteousnesse page 37. Answ Every believer that is true is born of God and he that is born of God doth not commit sin And he that dwells in Christ dwels in righteousness and truth is that which sin and the Devill is out of which blots out sin and transgression where the body of it comes to be put off Pr. And the light which teacheth men to say they have no sin is of Satan And saith The Quakers light teacheth them to deny prayer Answ The Apostles light taught them to say they were made free from sin they had put off the body of sin and their sin and transgression was blotted out Little children their sins was forgiven them that walked in the light the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth them from all sin taught them to know the saith that gave them victory over the world that purified their hearts held in a pure conscience And this is the Quakers light which teacheth them the path of the Apostles and it teacheth men to be holy as God as holy and perfect as he is perfect This was the light of Christ and bid them to be as Christ is and said as he is so are we in this present world And the light that guides the Quakers doth not teach them to deny prayer but brings them to pray aright with the spirit and with the understanding which all prayers without it be in the hypocrisie Pr. He saith We acknowledge there is a thousand of perfect men in England as perfect as children tossed too and fro page 40. But he saith I deny that any man hath that perfect knowledge of Christ in this life c. Answ Christ is in you except ye be reprobates And the Scripture speaks of such as had both the Son and the Father And all those children that are tossed too and fro and are carried about with the windy doctrine which hath gotten up in the apostacy since the dayes of the Apostles that are ravened from the spirit of God Such their doctrines are windy and doth not settle nor doth not perfect not doth not bring into the unity of the faith nor the knowledge of the Son of God the faith that gives the victory nor to a perfect man nor to the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ which was the work of the true Ministry which was before the Apostacy Nor none comes to the knowledg of Christ but by the light Pr. He saith The Church teacheth to pray without ceasing but you bid stay till the spirit moves us c. Ans The Church prayes not without the spirit which
is the pillar and ground of truth And such as prays without the spirit prays without understanding And they that pray as the spirit doth move them they know what they ought to pray for So every man that cometh into the world being in the light that lighteth every man it will direct him to pray and to pray aright and to aske in the name of Christ who is the way to the Father Prin. He saith The Children of GOD never assumed to themselves an infallible spirit Ans Did not the Apostles say they that had not the spirit of Christ were none of his and was not that infallible And was not all the Scriptures given forth from the spirit of God and is not that infallible Pr. The spirit of Christ is a spirit of wisdome and a rationall spirit The light that brags of an infallible spirit and cannot speake sense nor reason is the spirit of Sathan page 46. Answ The spirit of Christ that was in the Apostles which led them to speak to the world who was in their own wisdom knowledge and understanding It was foolishnesse always judged with that wisdome knowledg and understanding for they ministred to the spirits in prison And Christ the Covenant of God which was promised to come and should say to the prisoners shew your selves forth who was accounted as a mad man by the wise Jewes the Apostles and Prophets likewise was as fooles Was not ever the Saints judged by the world to be by the sense and reason but just like mad men and fools Christ a mad man the Prophets fools and the Apostles mad a babler Who be in the spirit of the Prophets of Christ and the Apostles with this generation are judged the same So is the spirit of the Quakers so tryed and known of all men the witnesse in all mens consciences shall answer them Pr. Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne And they that plow in hope and thresh in hope are made partakers of their hope And we are denyed of our corne and are fain to go to the Magistrate our nursing Fathers And so we thresh halfe a yeare and can get no wages then are we fain to goe to the Magistrate page 47. Answ How can you thresh or plow and have not the infallible spirit Can any get out the Corn the Wheat that hath not the infallible spirit Now we say all them that hath not the infallible spirit cannot get out the corn they may beat the ayr they may get the sheeps cloathing upon their backs and go out and beat the ayre and so when their Gospell will not maintain them then they are fain to flye to the Magistrate and to the hills that must be beaten as chaffe because they cannot live of the Gospel they preach which doth not open the hearts of people doth not get out the seed of God Prin. He saith The Quakers light condemns such as the light of Christ approves And saith Tell us what it is to walke holily as the holy men of God did c. Page 49. Answ Who walke holily walke in the spirit that the holy men did walke in that gave forth the Scriptures which is infallible And none walks holily but who are led with that out of the self-righteousnesse And the light which the Quakers be in is the light with which Christ doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world which cometh from Christ and is one with him And no one upon the earth owns Christ but who owns the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world which the Quakers are in which thou calls a light from Sathan And they must all come to the Quakers if ever they own the light and if ever they own Christ the way to the Father and come into the power of godlinesse Pr. He saith It is wretchedness to say that Christ hath redeemed them perfectly and now lived in them the Lord of all things by which they are the sons of God page 50. Ans The Scriptures saith he is in all and through all who is God blessed for ever And who are redeemed are they not redeemed into perfection into Christ are not they redeemed perfectly Are not they redeemed out of imperfection And doth not Christ say he will dwell in the Saints who is Lord of all And are not all they in the wretched state that will not have him to reign over them Pr. He saith The Ministers of Christ received the Gospell not by man nor are taught it but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ but we owne no such Revelation as this page 51. Answ We do believe you who are apostatized and ravened from the spirit of God having onely the sheeps cloathing and are the Wolves abroad in the world which if it were possible ye would deceive the very elect But the elect is kept in the arme of Christ ye cannot pluck one of them out of his hands His father and he is greater then all And none knows the Gospel but who knows immediate revelation for the Gospell is the power of God unto salvation and this is immediate And so all you since the dayes of the Apostles are fled from the foundation Christ Jesus that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world in the Apostacy with it you are all seen and fathomed over the world doth the light reach answered with that of God in every one the salvation to the ends of the earth which light cometh to fulfill Scriptures The Apostles were judged deceivers who came to bring the people to the substance the Scriptures spoke of so they were judged deceivers Pr. If the Quakers say that the Ministers have not the spirit that the Prophets and Apostles had then positively we say we have not And if the Quakers say they have it so then I say the Prophets and Apostles had it not page 53. Ans We do believe you that ye have not the same spirit that the Prophets and Apostles and Christ had Therefore doth it make manifest that ye be all on heaps about their words and are fain to run to Schools and Colledges to be made Ministers by men and not by the spirit And the Quakers witnesse the spirit that the Prophets and Apostles and Christ had with which they own their words with which spirit they see you who have gotten their words and makes a trade of them and are all on heaps about them and falls out about Church and Ministers Pr. He saith The infallible spirit did not guide Isaac when he blessed Jacob for he missed the person page 53. Answ God with his eternall spirit did direct Isaac what to do for that stood in his counsell though of that spirit thou have shewed thy ignorance and thy fallibility and thy selfe in whom the Devil is transformed into an Angel of Light which Christ said should come the false Prophets and Deceivers and false Apostles which the Apostles saw was come
it hath no unity And there is no true peace untill they come into the Kingdome which stands in joy in peace in righteousnesse Now where the body is standing and the root of sin in the heart not a perfect victory The Circumcision is not known that puts off the body the victory is not known while the body stands which the Apostle withessed the body of sin put off by the circumcision of the spirit which was in the inward man and he thanked God through Christ who had victory who was manifested in his flesh to condemn sin in his flesh that he through him became the righteousness of God And the life that he lived was by the faith of the Son of God And such as are made free from sin and dead to it and cannot live no longer therein these had the peace And such have not the peace where the body of sin is standing and sin in the heart there is the war But such as stand in the faith which purifies the heart and comes to witnesse the Circumcision of the heart they come to have the heart purified and the victory over the body as the Apostle declares Pr. He saith James Naylor deserved to be hanged page 5. He saith I tell my people they cannot be free from sin a perfect freedome from the being of corruption in them while they are on this side heaven pa. 9. And your speaking against Ministers and speaking in Markets is as bad or worse as to bait a Bull page 8. And he saith The Steeple house is the Church Ans The Ministers of Christ and the Prophets of the Lord which spoke his word which spoke in Synagogues and in Markets in high wayes and under the hedges and upon the mountains which disturbed the world and all professors upon the earth that had the words of truth which was out of the life and disturbed the Heathen that knew not God And all such Ministers of the Letter that have it and not the spirit that gave it forth are disturbed by the Ministers that be in the spirit that preach and speak forth the substance of the Scriptures And we know you and do believe you who saith your people shall not be made free from their corruption and tells them the Steeple-house is the Church and say the creature deserved to be hanged to be such at inwardly ravened which Christ said should come John saw was come and the whole world hath been after you that are wrestlers against flesh and blood and strikes at creatures in stead of striking at the power that captivates Creatures and so have kept people under the bondage of corruption and led people alwayes learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth and kept them in spirituall Aegypt Sodome and Gomorrah in filthinesse and telling of them the Masse-house is the Church the Steeple-houses Was it not a place for the Masse set up for the Masse with a Crosse at the end of it Look is it not on yet And is the Masse-house become thy Church thou mayst thank the Papists for that Was not the Pope and the Papists the setters up of all your Masse-houses and Colledges which have gotten up since the dayes of the Apostles among you inwardly ravenors from the Church which is in God and so have gotten up the Masse-house for your Church and there ye do keep up people telling them they must have corruptions while they be upon the earth So ye are Ministers of corruption which is contrary to the Apostles who said they sate in heavenly places and had escaped the pollutions of the world and they were children of the day not of the night and the true light shined So you that are ravened from the spirit of God have got up the Masse-house got people thither and telling of them they must have their corruptions and they must have sin and they must not be perfect while they are on this side heaven Now they can but have sin and can be but imperfect if they never came at you nor at your Masse-houses Now you are the Devills Messengers and Ministers that preacheth up sin and corruption and imperfection that people must be in and have sinne while they be upon the earth But the Ministers of Christ preached up perfection to be perfect and overcoming sin and made free from sin and the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin and they had faith which gave them victory and the Circumcision that puts off the body of sin and the new Covenant that blotted out sin and transgression And such Ministers as you that make a trade of Scriptures as the Scripture it selfe the Prophets the Apostles and Christ doth make you manifest your fruits to be contrary to them that gave forth Scriptures So with it are you disapproved and judged with the life that gave it forth Pr. He saith And it seemes to me to be no more sin to bait a Bull then any other recreation And he saith The Quakers came into the Steeple-house and bid people to look to the light within them and to tell him that he was an Antichrist and blinde guide And saith I had rather be a hireling such as Christ hath hired in his Vineyard and receive a penny then some of the Quakers that go naked in the markets Answ The Quakers who be in the power of the Lord God have been moved of the Lord God to go into the world among Apostates who are ravened from the spirit of God and so are the Wolves that tears and rends and are ravening up and down for your Benefices and would eate one another out if you could and swallow one another like the fishes to the Sea Are you contented every one with your penny from Christ Are not you all fighting and striking and smiting and casting into Prisons for meanes for Tythes which ye do no work for Is not Christ come and hath found you smiting and striking your fellow-servants eating and drinking like Sodome and living in pleasure like the old world some having two hundred some three hundred pounds some lesse some more is here equall a penny Are ye like Christs Vineyard dressers Husband-men in the Vineyard Blush and be ashamed The stones are thrown now at Babylon and dasheth her children to pieces And Sion is building and the Tabernacle of David is rearing up Come up ye Saints and Prophets the Lamb and the Saints hath the victory And all those upon the earth and you all are the blinde guides and Antichrists who guides not people to the Light within and bids them not look at that but leads them from the Light within ye lead them in the darknesse and you are from the light in your own particulars and so the blinde guides for the fleece for the earth out of the Apostles Doctrine and Christs who brought people to the Light and bid them believe in it who told them the light that shined in their hearts would give them the
this people according to the promise And that is Antichrist which keeps people from the light and the false Apostles for that was the true Christ and the true Apostles that bid people believe in the light and walk in the light and brought them to the light within and the true Prophet and Prophets said that he would give him a Covenant to the Gentles and this is the true light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world and all that denies this are Antichrists and Deceivers Pr. He saith How beautiful are them that preach the Gospel c. not by the light within And the word of faith cannot be said to be in mens hearts and mouths page 14. And the sure word of prophecy spoken of in Peter is the Scriptures which people must take heed unto as unto a light shining in a dark place and the Saints received the words of the Apostles not as the words of men c. Wherefore the Quakers suppose that God himselfe is their teacher and so erre not knowing the Scriptures page 17. Answ They that preach the Gospel which is the power of God which gives relief to that which was captivated in every creature they are in the light in their own particulars with which they know the glorious Gospel and answer the light in every man that shines in the darknesse and life and immortality there comes to the light through the power which is the Gospel and this is that which is beautifull And the word the Apostle preached of faith was in the heart and in the mouth and is so understood by all the regenerate But by all them that have only the forme and inwardly gone from the spirit knows it not but are of this ignorant they cry how should this be so As the Jewes said how is it that thou maketh us to doubt Yea the Word was it that made them doubt And the sure word of prophecy which people do well to take heed unto as unto a light shining in a dark place mark in the dark place untill the day dawn and the day-star arise in their hearts This was it that let them see that no prophecy of Scripture came by the will of man and this lets them see that such as went in Cains Cores and Balaams way which were Preachers of the Forme but wanted the power but lost the holy Ghost and such admired mens persons because of advantage and came to be dead twice pluckt up by the roots which those dead have long reigned layd upon the earth whose carkasses stinks since the dayes of the Apostles in the apostacy so many may have the Scriptures and quench the prophesie Pr. He saith Christ is not yet so the Word but be himselfe testifies the Scriptures is the Word of God page 21. Answ Christ his name is called the Word of God and the Scriptures are the words of God which Christ the Word of God fulfills in whom the words all ends And such as the light shines in the darknesse and the darknesse comprehends it not they are not like to see the spirit untill they be turned to the light Pr. He saith They erre not knowing the Scripture when they affirme that the only means of faith is the immediate teaching of Christ dwelling in them page 23. Answ Could the Apostle preach Christ untill he was revealed in him who is the Author of every mans faith And the doers of the Law are justified and not the hearers only Pr. The Quakers will not own the Scriptures to be the touch-stone to try the spirits withal page 28. And the Scriptures are not the rule Oh shamefull deceit And George Fox said that he knew Christ come in him page 29. And this is the deceiving of many and this cannot be till first the true faith of his coming be made voyd which these men endeavour to do page 29. Answ The holy men of God before the Scriptures was had a rule and a touchstone and the Pharisees had Scriptures but were out of the life that the holy men was in that gave it forth and wanted the rule and the touch-stone But the Apostles that was in the life and the substance of what they spoke they had the rule and touch-stone And all in the apostacy since the dayes of the Apostles that are ravened from the spirit of God have had onely the sheeps cloathing but have lost the touchstone and so have destroyed one another about Scriptures the Saints words which was not the work of the spirit that gave it forth And Christ is in you except you be reprobates So reprobates witnesse it not therefore they stand against it and therefore are against them that witnesse it And all the false Christs and the destroyers of the Faith of people are such as draw people from the Light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world and keeping them from witnessing and receiving Christ in them the substance and the author of their faith and such never knows him come in the flesh nor the spirit And such as witness Christ within them receive the author of their saith and destroy the faith of none And the spirit was the rule of the Saints that led them to give forth Scriptures and it lets them see in all ages who got the forme of godliness who used their tongues who lived in the spirit who erred from the spirit who run when the Lord had never sent them whom the Lord had never spoken to and this was the rule and this was the spirit of discerning and this was the touch-stone to try withal Prin. And they say they owne Christ that suffered meaning the Spirit within page 36. Answ There is none knows Christ nor his suffering but with the spirit of God within for with the spirit of God in the Prophets and the holy men they knew Christ that was to come to suffer with the spirit of God in the Apostles they knew that was the Christ that did suffer with the same spirit of God within people they now come to see him and enjoys him and receive him the same that did suffer which none doth that are out of the spirit And the Pharisees that had Scriptures knew him not who were gone astray from the spirit nor the Gentiles though they had Scriptures Neither doth the Apostates who are inwardly ravened from the spirit of God though they have all the sheeps cloathing know the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world though they be for multitude as the sands on the sea shore nor doth any know it and receive it but who comes to that which they ravened from Pr. He saith That Christ is a distinct being from the Father page 40. They that hold that they are now in the possession of the Kingdome of Christ and that they have eternall life now in possession perverts the right way of the Lord. Page 42. Answ Christ is not distinct from the Father for he and
not in the darknesse but hath the light of life And you that keep people from the Light that doth enlighten every one c. are the messengers of Sathan out of the truth And the God of the world blindes the mindes of such as do not believe in the Light that every man that cometh into the world is enlightned withall that all through it might believe And who believes in it that doth enlighten every man c. the light of the glorious Gospell shines in them which is the mage of God Prin. And you say Visions are ceased and Revelations and immediate Inspirations Answ But I say Repent every one of you and come to the Light for the burthensome stone is fallen upon you and all that stands against the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world shall split your selves against the Rock and be grownd to powder And every one that cometh into the world Teachers Professors whatsoever must come unto the light which Christ Jesus the salvation that saveth the souls hath enlightned them withall before they come to life or know the light of the glorious Gospell shining in their hearts or come to the end of the Law or end of the Prophets or end of the Revelation or out of the apostacy or out of the Jewes state whose ears was stopt and eyes blinded out of the Gentiles state that goes astray after the vanities of their mind So all you and all upon the earth Jewes Gentiles and Christians of what sort soever must come to the light which every one of you is enlightned withall before every particular comes to see their salvation or satisfaction yea the salvation to the ends of the earth the glory of Israel the light of the Gentiles which the apostate Christians have ravened from the spirit of God within them have got the forme but stands against the Light that doth enlighten every man c. such have caused the way of truth to be evill spoken of yea among other Nations of the Heathens They have been hot and broyled in their lusts having had the forme of godlinesse and sheeps cloathing but all standing against the Light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world smiting striking their fellow-servants Now the Lamb is come and the Saints to reign with him Such their portion must have with the hypocrites who to every one will give a reward according to their works And the Lamb and the Saints shall have victory him by whom the world was made before it was made glorified with the Father before the world began Now is the seed Christ come to reign and the Just have preheminence And I say to you all Subscribers to all these Books Priests Professors Teachers whatsoever your patience would have better covered your shame and folly then your hast extreams and rashnesse But your folly must come forth that to all men it might appear Abundance more of Stuffe is in it which is not worth mentioning whose words shall be your own burthen the witnesse in all your consciences in the day of your judgement when your works are all tryed with fire shall answer to a friend of your souls and your goods eternall but judges your fruits words and actions for the day of the Lord is come that will try every mans work John Stalham who calls himselfe a Servant of the great Bishop of Souls who watcheth over a Flock at Terling in Essex In his Booke called The Reviler rebuked These are some of his Principles following Pr. HE saith Immediate Ruptures and Revelations seduceth simple peoples mindes c. And the perverse Principles of their selfe-adorning light And the Quakers deny all externall worship of divine Authority as not to be found among us And let Learning be advanced among pious men for God hath his witty and learned ones And the life of their Religion is the rule of the holy Scriptures the glory of the blessed Trinity See his Epistle to the Protector Answ The life of Religion is the spirit that gave forth Scriptures for all that have the Scriptures and be out of that be in the feigned Râ—ligion And the Scripture no where speaks of a Trinity but the Papists who be apostatized from the life of the Scripture It speaks of Father Son and holy Ghost and the water spirit and blood and the learned ones upon earth never knew Christ with all their naturall learning And if one get all the Naturals upon the earth and the Scriptures in all the naturall Languages and one supream power of a Nation tollerate all these Languages to be the Originall and they have the Scriptures in all these Languages these are witty ones but these knows not God nor Christ by all this though they have all the Scriptures while they are from the spirit of God that gave forth Scriptures For that which brings to know God is by the revelation of the spirit of God the light which doth not deceive the minde but their mindes be deceived that be from the light And all worships that be in the spirit and in the truth that gave forth the Scriptures called the Old and New Testament that we own and is owned among the Quakers For God who is a Spirit who led his servants and Prophets and Son by his spirit to speak forth the Scriptures which Christ the Son is come to fulfill who saith they that worship God must worship him in spirit and in truth and that among the Quakers is owned And the light which cometh from Christ leadeth from perverse Principles and adorning selfe for it leads out of its righteousnesse But perverse men ever stood against it in all ages and so spurned against the foundation and overthrew themselves Pr. He saith The spirit speaking in the Scriptures And them that say they have no sin a gracious heart will slight and despise He saith the Kingdome of God is not within them Luke 4. And he saith The soule prepares it selfe for death See Epistle to the Church Answ Such as had gracious hearts never despised him that had no sin but the ungracious did As for example all the Pharisees against Christ and against the Apostles and Saints and the holy men And the Apostle which told the Romans they were made free from sin and they that were dead to sinne how could they live any longer therein he slighted them not but encouraged them So we finde thee not to be a Minister of Christ and have proved and tryed thy spirit to be of such as say they are Apostles and are not And the spirit spoke in them that gave forth the Scriptures so they were declared forth And men may have the Scriptures and not know the spirit that spoke in them that gave forth Scriptures So that is the cause that all people be on heaps about the words and saying the spirit speaks in the Scriptures which spoke in the holy men of God that spoke them forth and learned of God
works in us are not to be joyned with our faith in Christs works for that brings into the wildernesse page 131. And to say that men are justified no farther then they are sanctified is to deny Protestant doctrine c. Answ Men are justified by the believing and in the faith and by the faith and in believing they overcome and have victory and there is Mortification and Sanctification and Redemption and Justification all possessed together in the one which is Christ and this to the particular satisfaction And all Protestants or whatsoever that have a Justification and Sanctification and they in the unmortified state unsanctified they are out of the faith that purifies out of the belief that is born of God who hath past from death to life and so is out of the substance that justifies and is without Christ and so are reprobates but where Christ is within there is Justification Sanctification and Redemption And they are they that blaspheme the Tabernacle of God and them that dwell in Heaven that call good evill and evill good and leads into snares and into the wildernesse that go about to confound the Justification but split themselves upon the Rock that denies the Light and Christ is the offering for the sin of the whole world who doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world that all men might believe in him the offering and they are justified in him from all things which the Law could not do And here is the Covenant of God to the Jewes and Gentiles the light of the Gentiles the glory of Israel the new covenant to the Jewes the Law in the heart and in the minde by which the people should not need to say Know the Lord for all should know him from the least to the greatest the salvation to the ends of the earth where the way of redemption is the way for the ransomed to walke in in which the fools shall not erre in it in which way there is no wildernesse nor slippery places but the path of life the way of the Just and of holinesse and the way of Sanctification and the way of Redemption and Justification Pr. He saith Christ was a sinner by imputation page 132. A. The Scripture doth not speak such kind of words but that he knew no sin no guile was found in his mouth A Lamb without spot or blemish though it pleased the Father to lay the iniquity upon him by his stripes we are healed And by the one offering perfected for ever them that are sanctified made himselfe an offering for the sins of the whole world who breaks down the partition wall bewixt Jewes and Gentiles slayes the enmity among men reconciles in one unto the Father by his body his death upon the Crosse Of his body are all the Professors Protestants Papists upon the earth ignorant of this seed that breaks the enmity therefore be all in the enmity one among another having sheeps cloathing but the sheep in you is not put forth but the Wolfe is ravening abroad against the sheep tearing them where the seed is risen Pr. He that throws off imputed righteousnesse may go shift for his justification where he can get it and Christ shall profit him nothing though he be in faith or love and self-denyall page 133 And it is not the work of Christ in us that justifies and reconciles our persons I can detect this for an errour that Christs works in us is that which justifies our persons before God page 134. Answ Christ works in us Faith and is the Author of it and by faith is every one justified in the blood of the seed the flesh of Christ the Lord from heaven shed for the sins of the whole world And this faith in this blood of the seed not of the first Adam nor the Beasts but the blood of the seed Christ the precious blood which is the life of Saints and his flesh which is the food of Saints which whosoever eats it and drinks it hath life in the Son of God and lives in him as he lives in the Father And this is wrought within and no one knows it but as it is wrought within by the faith in the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world the great sacrifice for the sin of the whole world overthrew Death and Hell bruised the Serpents head Devill and sinne the sacrifice for the whole world the blood shed upon the Crosse for the sins of the whole world The blood of the seed which is the life that cleanseth and this blood is felt within for it purgeth the conscience from dead works to serve the living God And here is the great mystery of God and the wisdome of God which covers all the wisdome of the earth the knowledge and the wisdome of the understanding ones of the earth The seed and the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world which sacrificed and offered up the body prepared who fulfilled all types figures offerings ends them and all other bloods whom Death and Grave could not hold dead raised again set at the right hand of God manifest in the Saints and in the midst of his Church singing praise was dead and is alive and lives for evermore manifest in the Saints And he that hath him hath life and he that hath not him hath not life And whosoever witnesseth Christ within they witnesse the end of Imputation they witnesse the thing it selfe the end of their belief and they possess the sanctification and such comes to know faith and love And such as may have all the Scriptures and preach of Justification and Sanctification without them and not within them be as the Jewes be as the Witches and Reprobates They are reprobate that witnesseth not Christ within them nor Sanctification there nor Justification there and so witnesseth not faith and love nor the faith that works by love and they be in the errour and shifts thou talks of and Babylonish and none comes to witnesse the reconciliation but who witnesse Christ within So out of Justification and Sanctification there if he be not within they cannot witnesse reconciliation If they be not believers in the Light of Christ they cannot witnesse justification but condemnation Bâ—t in the light in Christ Christ received in them justification sanctification reconciliation is received Christ Jesus the Light that which reconciles to the Father Pr. He saith The body of sin is the naturall body consisting of flesh and blood and bones and the living soule is immortall page 140. And sin will dwell in the house untill the house be pluckt down over its head which is the naturall body And there is not one Saint that is absolute free from the in-dwelling and working power of sin page 140. To plead for Perfection is inherent holinesse and to serve under Antichrists colours and to make voyd the suffering of Christ He that holds the Saints perfectly fulfilling all the Law in all
degrees of obedience and conformity to it in this life before death hath drunk Antichrists cup. page 144. Answ The Saints after they witnessed the body of sin put off and made free from sin they glorified God in their bodies souls and spirits And so the body of fin is not the creature for that causeth the creature to groan before it cometh into the liberty of the Sons of God that causeth the body of sin the cloathing that comes upon the Creature the old man which cometh by transgression the first Adam that leads out of transgression brings the creature into the liberty of the sons of God and so who is in Christ is a new creature And old things passe away and the body is the Temple of God a holy Temple And the living soule is immortall yet many of thy generation say it is humane that is earthly yea that Christs soule was humane as ye may see in this Book in the rest of your Principles of them that call themselves Teachers and Pastors whose soules are in death and life And immortality not come to the Light through the power of God which is the Gospell and so have shâ—wed your ignorance of the soule And whosoever witnesse the perfect holinesse and preacheth up that they come from under Antichrists Kingdome They that preach up Imperfection they weare Antichrists livery and his colours and sounds the Trumpet of Antichrist and who be in the righteousnesse are in the perfection it selfe without a thing meritted by man in his will And who loves God keeps his Commandements and to him and them they are not grievous And this was the seed that kept the Commandements of God that Antichrist Beast mother of Harlots and false Prophets made war against as you may read in the Revelations But this seed is a burthensome stone unto yoâ— all tâ—at keeps the commands of God that loves God and they that be born of God doth not commit sin And the naturall body which is flesh blood and bone is not the body of sin it was never read so in the Scripture that that was the body which was to be put off for the Saints had bodies after they witnessed the body of sin put off and made free from sin Pr. He saith That R. F. is against the doctrine of sin continuing in the godly till death page 148. Answ That doctrine of Sin was never preached up by the Apostle that it should continue in the godly till death I say it continues not in the godly for the godly are like God out of sin it continues in the ungodly that is not like God And he that is in Christ is at the end of the Law and the Precepts and the Statutes and the Ordinances and the Commandements and is in the substance Gods righteteousnesse Pr. He saith The Letter is no dead letter and it hath life in it selfe And if there be but this letter or Ministry it is Christs two-edged sword page 153. 155. It serves unto his designe of searching hearts And the Apostle would take people off from the conceit of perfect attainments pag. 162. And may not filthy hearts transform themselves in the fancy of perfection as the Devill into an Angell of light Answ The Devill transforming himselfe into an Angell of Light or into a similitude is like unto all the filthy hearts who fancy perfection without them not within thâ—m and speaks of Christ without them not within them as the Devill did But the Doctrine of the Apostle who preached Christ the Covenant of God and brought people off of that which made nothing perfect to that which was perfect and bid them be perfect and of one minde and he spoke wisdome among them that were perfect so he did not bring the people from it but to it And the Letter it selfe is dead as it is of paper and inke And all Ministers of Letters and Books written in paper and ink and speaks from letters of paper and inke and have not received from God what they preach are Ministers of the Letter and they are the Ministers of death though they minister all the Letters written in the Scripture and have onely but the sheeps cloathing and begets not to God but only making Proselytes as the Ministers did in old time as the Jewes did But they that were Ministers of the Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures they have the sword of the Spirit which the Jewes the Ministers of the Letter had not Nor they that be out of the spirit though they have all the Scriptures given forth from it they that be out of the spirit be out of the spirituall weapons And that which searcheth the heart is that which gave forth the Scriptures which led all the holy men of God to speak them forth who is the Lord the searcher of the hearts which spirit owns all the words of the Scriptures of truth declared forth from the spirit but the spirit was before the Scripture was given forth Pr. He saith Men that are redeemed from all earthly worships perfectly justified before God sincere in their sanctification yet they are in concupiscence and blemishes and conflicts page 166. And the Word of God doth not abide in them that say they have no sinne page 179. Answ Who are redeemed out of all earthly worships and sanctified they are redeemed from the blemishes from the conflicts from the concupiscence and by their redemption they come to witnesse the Kingdome of God that stands in righteousnesse peace and joy in the holy Ghost out of the conflicts and who are in the spirit they are in that which mortifies sin And the Word of God it makes clean where it dwels they are sanctified by the Word and made clean It comes and finds the sin and takes it away and makes clean and hammers it down cuts it down burns it up reconciles to the Father which sin and iniquity separated from Pr. He saith Sacramentall water and sprinkling Baptisme and water c. shewes our being ingrafted into the body mysticall p. 176. 178. which consists of a signe of a thing signified Answ Sprinkling Infants is a signe of your own making and Sacramentall water which the Scripture doth not hold forth but it is a thing presumed above what it written And that signe a tradition doth not bring into the body mysticall but leads from it neither doth any elementary thing But that which baptizeth into the body is the spirit whereby all cometh to be one And that baptizeth not into an elementary body but into a glorious body the spirituall body For there is lying signes come since the dayes of the Apostles which is out of the Apostles practice You can shew nothing for your sprinkling with your Sacramentall water but the Baptisme that the Scripture declares of and the spirit is owned in its place Pr. He saith Bread and Wine are spirituall Institutions and is not carnall in a sense as set in opposition to spiritual Institution and that
forth the Scriptures are such as follows their own spirits and useth their tongues and gets the good words the sheeps cloathing deceives the hearts of the simple and tels them the Spirit is in the Letter which never did none of the experienced Saints say the spirit dwelt in the Letter But did conclude the spirit dwelt in their hearts the faith in their hearts the light in their hearts the word in their hearts the anointing within them God dwelt within them Christ within them the Law in their hearts the witnesse within them the ingrafted word that saved their soules the gift within the hidden man in the heart strength in the inward man the holy Ghost moved them the spirit of the Father spoke in them this led them to speak forth Scriptures And these never said the spirit was in the Letter as all the filthy dreamers say who are in the sensuall separation from the spirit of God and in Cains Cores and Balaams way turning the grace of God into wantonnesse ravened from the spirit of God inwardly but wolves in sheeps cloathing These are such as have got the good words but deceives the hearts of the simple makes a trade of them tells people the Spirit is in the Letter and that is them that ravened from the spirit of God in their own particulars and so they deceive people and keep them from the spirit of God in their particulars But the spirit that gave forth Scriptures is witnessed by which that is known they cannot deceive any longer who are reprobates concerning the faith which crept into houses before the Apostles decease which have kept people always learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth led away with divers lusts So have kept people in spirituall Aegypt and Sodome and Gomorrah and have been guarded with Magistrates and powers of the earth all over the world But now is the Light breaking forth and shining that ye are all discovered And so they have set up other Gospels and lost the Faith that tels people the Spirit is in the Letter when the spirit and the faith was in them that gave it forth and is to be in all them that knows it again and knows God the giver of it Pr. He saith He that is borne of the Spirit is borne of the holy Word written page 257. Answ He that is borne of the spirit is borne of that which gave forth the Scriptures of the Word which was before the Scriptures was given forth which lets them see the end of the words so cometh to dwell in God of whom they learned that gave forth Scriptures Pr. He saith If setting the Scripture in the heart of every man be nothing else but telling people they have a light of conscience within them and stirring up that light which every man hath that cometh into the world They delude poor people who never heard that light called Scripture before page 257. Answ Them that never heard the Scripture outwardly the light that every man hath that cometh into the world being turned to it with that they will see Christ with that they will know Scripture with that they will be led out of all delusion come into covenant with God with which they will come to worship God in the spirit and serve him and that is more then conscience Pr. He saith The light which John speaks of which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world is a dim light and it is a piece of the mystery of Iniquity as subtile as any Antichrist to say that the light shines in the darknesse and shineth out of darknesse the light of Christ for salvation page 261 262. He saith Christ in you the light in every man is a poor base beggerly scrap Page 264. Answ And the ligâ—t which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world is Christ the substance the righteousnesse of God and not beggerly but all the beggarly they be out of the light and it is not dim but all be in the dim that be out of him the Light that with which he hath enlightned them And all be in the mystery of iniquity and are Antichrists that seeth not the light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world where it shines and where it shineth out of the darknesse This the true Ministers who be in the spirit that gave forth the Scriptures Ministers of Christ within witnessed and saw And John was not antichrist nor Paul who said Light shined in darknesse and who said light shined out of darknesse and who said this was the true light that lighteth every one that cometh into the world Now ye are all ignorant of the Prophets before John who said I will give him for a Covenant for a light unto the Gentiles and a new Covenant to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah mark here was every man and John the greatest Prophet born of a woman saith this is the true light that lighteth every one c. Christ Jesus him by whom the world was made before it was made in whom is life and the life was the light of men and the light shined in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not Pr. The law written in every mans heart doth not condemn all sin nor the branches of it not originall sin nor unbelief pag. 266. He saith To say that every man in his first state is naturall and every man in his first state is as a beast is a contradiction And I every where deny the naturall light of every man but I deny the highest degree of light to be here attainable And the Saints light is not to be seen while we are under the Sun And he saith he knows he is more brutish then a man and hath not the knowledge of the holy pag. 272. And the light that shineth in the Scriptures I professe my selfe to know nothing the least degree of it is above the highest degree of the light that every one that cometh into the world is enlightned withal pag. 273. Answ The light which every one that cometh into the world is enlightned withall was before degreâ—s and ends degrees and is not natural for it was before the naturall was made or created and this bears not witnesse against the naturall the Sun Moon and Stars but ownes them in their places And the light which every one that cometh into the world is enlightned withall which comes from Christ the Son they not believing in it it is their condemnation And that which doth make manifest sin is light and doth reprove is light yea all sin branches and roots and originall and unbelief that which doth make it manifest is light and where this light is that makes all this manifest there is the law in the heart and new Covenant written the law and the spirit of life that makes free from the law of sin and death And the light which every man is enlightned withall they
believing and receiving it they come into covenant with God they come to know the Law of God in their hearts that is the law of God in their hearts the light which doth enlighten every man c. And every man is in his first state in the transgression many are worse then Beasts and brutish and what they know they know naturally as bruit beasts And thee and all of you who are ravened from the spirit of God inwardly what ye have known it hath been naturall as bruit beasts for ye are gone from the Spirit that should give ye to know and understand and so that is no contradiction And we do believe thee who looks for the light in the letter of Scripture thou art brutish and saith the light of Scripture is higher in the least degree then the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world Alack for thee the light which doth enlighten every man c. was before Scripture was given forth And the Saints that do receive the light that doth enlighten every one c. receives Christ the perfect light and doth receive God and Christ the substance the end of degrees And thou shalt never see the Saints light while thou art looking at the Letter from the life within which was in them that gave it forth and the light shined in the hearts of them that gave forth the Scriptures Pr. He saith The Scripture light that is a standing rule for our faith and there is present light in it to guide men to salvation and so are not immediate revelations and teachings And the knowledge of Christ and eternall life is given forth in the letter page 283. Answ They that had Scriptures knew not salvation and they knew not the rule being erred from the spirit of God And none knows salvation but by the immediate teaching and revelation of Christ Jesus the Son of God the salvation And if men have all the Scriptures given forth from God they themselves are not able to make men wise unto salvation without faith which Christ is the Author of who is the substance of what the Scripture speaks of and so they are not able of themselves to guide men to salvation Neither are they a rule of faith but Christ is the Author of Faith and the Spirit is the rule that gave them forth and all that have them and is not in the Immediate knows them not neither the Gospell And none knows eternall life nor Christ which is the Authoâ— of life and faith which was before Scripture was by the Scriptures but as they come into the life that they was in that gave them forth And there is the life found Christ found Christ seen him by whom the world was made before it was made for the life was in them that gave forth the Scriptures by which they knew God and eternall life and Christ the Saviour Abraham the Prophet and Moses So the life must be in all now before they know Scriptures or Christ or God Pr. He saith If the letter declares of Christs fulfilling then we should need to know no more of Christ then what for substance is in the Scriptures then there is no need of immediate teachings page 284. He saith new Apostles and doctrine discovered of a righteousnesse within them and that is their justification And this is as the ring-leaders of the Jewes among the Galatians page 286. And the salvation which is to be wrought out with fear and trembling is not the same as made Moses and David Habakkuk and Paul tremble page 287. Answ The power of God is one which threw down Paul shook Habakkuk and Moses and David whereby these all came to know Christ which power who cometh into it and into the infinitenesse of it which raiseth up the seed which is Christ whereby the salvation is known and wrought out with feare and trembling And when ye all come to know this power that works out the salvation with fear and trembling your reproaches will be laid aside for reproaching of such whose salvation is wrought out with feare and trembling And righteousnesse within and sanctification within is a new Doctrine to you that are inwardly ravened from the spirit of God since the dayes of the Apostles and so from the spirit of faith from the hearing of faith which they that drew the people to the Circumcision without went from the hearing of faith within by which they should be justified So they that are come to the hearing of faith they are come to the justification and sanctification within and looks not to the Circumcision and Baptisme without So this is an old doctrine and not new but to you Apostates And though the Scriptures declares of Christs fulnesse and if people have all the Scriptures that speaks and declares of his fulnesse which you say you need know then no more of Christ then what for substance is in the Scriptures and so no need of immediate teachings we believe you But none knows the fulness of Christ but who comes into the immediate teachings Your mouths may be full of Scripture and use your tongues about the â—aints words and running up and down and the Lord never sent you saying Thus saith the Lord in Chap. and Verse And it is sufficient that the Scripture speaks of his fulnesse yet I say you nor none upon the earth never knew his fulnesse but as ye come to the light wherewith Christ hath enlightned you withal in every one of your own particulars though ye may have all the Scriptures for they that knew the fulnesse of Christ and they that gave forth the Scriptures had the spirit of God in them So must every one that knows it and them again Pr. He saith If the Scriptures be a rule for thee and thou then it is a rule for respect to superiours And keeping on the hat shewes the pride of the heart and a lying spirit He saith they have not a growth of Perfection in this life but a pressing on page 290. And he saith the Prophets took Texts and raised motives And he saith he that believes not our poynts from Scripture shall be damned that hee must tell him from Christ page 299. Answ Who are standing up against thee and thou and the Hat shewes the pride of their hearts and be out of the humility looking for an earthly honour which before the honour is the humility Nay the Scripture is not a rule for the respecting of persons neither is the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ they that do are out of the faith and are convinced by the Law to be transgressors and committers of sin and so out of the Law and Faith that respects persons And David he saw the end of all that perfection so he was past the growth of it when he saw it end And the Scriptures and Christ you know not who are not come into the immediate teachings nor have no need of that who saith the Scripture it is
sufficient that declares of Christ And the Prophets did not take Texts and raise Motives and Uses and Reasons and lay in them halfe a yeare together and sell them for money as ye do now since the days of the Apostles in the apostacy But now I am come to reckon with you and you shall have a portion a reward according to your works And I will slay you with the sword the words of my mouth saith the Lamb. And your Poynts and Reasons and Imaginations which ye fetch out of Scripture is but to lead people under condemnation and keep them from the immediate teaching and the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world And James Parnells blood who dyed in the Prison that righteous man his blood lies upon you and that shall lye upon your heads sparkling and from under it ye shall never come but ye shall own it And the spirit of God levels down all the proud and lofty hearts of men by which people are brought into unity with God and one with another And the first day of the week which ye call the Sabbath ye never read it in the Scriptures as a strict command among the Apostles Pr. And the Magistrate is not to levell the Laws with the light in every mans conscience Again If the Magistrate be in the Light and discern into the minde of Christ and understand his law Is he to compell all the Nation and Common-wealth to come to the practice of his light page 308. Answ The Magistrate of Christ the help-government for him he is in the light and power of Christ and he is to subject all under the power of Christ into his light else he is not a faithfull Magistrate And his Lawes here are agreeable and answerable according to that of God in every man when men act contrary to it they do evill So he is a terrour to the evill doers discerns the precious and the just from the vile and this is a praise to them that do well Pr. He saith The Scriptures is the more sure word of prophecy that shines in the darke heart untill enlightned by the Law And every mans light c. is the shimmerings of the law and not of the Gospel light and it is the voyce of the spirit of unbelief that saith the spirit and the power is not in the declaration See his Appendix Answ The spirit and the power was in them that gave forth the Declaration and many have the Declaration and wants the spirit and wants the power as the Pharisees did as all you Apostates inwardly ravened from the spirit of God have had the Declaration but not found the power in it nor spirit in it and so are in the unbelief and are all on heaps about it For if ye had found the power and the spirit in it ye had been all one and quiet before now about Religion yea whole Christendome in power and in the spirit and in the bond of peace and in fellowship one with another and the Scriptures and the spirit and God And the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world every man being in the light which hath enlightned him he shall feel the word of prophecy he shal feel the light shining in his heart he shall feel the Day-star arise there in his heart he shall see that no Prophecy of the Scriptures came by the will of man but holy men of God spoke them forth He shall see that many may have the Scriptures yet quench the spirit despise prophecying he shall see the Scripture is but the Letter declared forth from the spirit of Prophecy by the Prophets and the spirit of God in the Son and in the rest of the Apostles And the light which doth enlighten every one c. is the end of the Law and all shimmering lights and it is the light of the Gospel And none knows the Gospel the power of God Christ Jesus but with the light that cometh from him And here cometh every man into his particular comfort And that is the voyce of the unbeliever like the Pharisees that thought to have had life in the Letter and would not come to Christ the life the substance of Scriptures but stops his eare to the light of God in him Pr. He saith Let all know that the worke within is not the ground and purchase of true peace And that God is more pleased with that which Christ works without for them then that which he worketh within them And those that Peter speaks of that had escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Christ yea cleane and yet are in the naturall state first and last See Appendix A. Them that have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledg of Jesus Christ and are clean are out of the naturall state for they have escaped out of that state which they were in first And such as witnesse their Sanctification Justification wrought within them they witnesse in this they please God by the faith in the blood of the Son of God Now they feel not the comfort nor the benefit but by the faith of Christ Jesus the one offering in which God is pleased withall which is acceptable which is Christs offering his sacrifice his flesh his blood his life his mind must be manifest and received within before they come to Justification Sanctification and Redemption and the serving of God in the new life And herein is God glorified to believe in the onely begotten Son of God and here they honour the Son in believing in him whom the Father hath sent And so they that feele not Chirst in them are Reprobates And as for all the rest of thy lyes and slanders and strife and confusions who would set one against another all cool and quiet sober spirits will see thy confusion and so thy words shall be thy own burthen and the lyes torn upon thy owne selfe And no man shall establish Sion nor lay a stone there as he is in himselfe but the Elect makes up Sion and the living stones where the elect and precious stone is in the midst which is Christ laid in Sion And all thy Babylonish wayes actings doings and the rest of all thy Brethren and who are begotten with the same spirit of the great Whore that inwardly ravened from the spirit of God which long hath had the sheeps cloathing upon your backs who all come from one Popish flock are comprehended now by the spirit of God which ye all ravened from inwardly with it are ye all fathomed And how the Whore hath been arrayed with the sheeps cloathing and hath had power over Kindreds Tongues and Peoples and Nations and Multitudes and brought Nations into waters and Peoples and Tongues Multitudes like waters which have drunk the blood of the Prophets and the Saints and the Martyrs And so thou art flattering the Authorities of the earth and crouching under them out of whose
not the Son of God him whom the Father hath sealed that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world And whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have eternall life and are sealed So every man in the light shall see the new Covenant and the Mediator before he hath power to become the Son of God and there is prophecy before the Son is born and openings from the Lord and those are things of God Pr. No man can ever see God who is invisible with the light by which all things were made and calls it a little light Answ This is contrary to John who saith he that walks in the light shall have fellowship with the Son and with the Father and so sees him and it is not a little light by which all things were made and created Pr. The unction in every man is not the light Answ It is far from the Apostle to say that the Unction in men is the light If the Unction be Christ in the man it is light and every man that comes into the world he must receive the light that Christ hath enlightned every man that comes into the world withall before he can receive the unction and he that hath the Unction hath the light of life Pr. The sure word of prophesie the Apostle speaks of is the prophesie of Scripture or Scriptures Ans Doth the Scripture shine in a dark place untill the day dawn Are they them that must be taken heed unto as unto a light Can any see the Scripture and know the Scripture but with the light within Cannot a Cain or a Balaam or Core bring Scripture that is gone from the spirit of prophecy within and then put the Letter for it Pr. They know not absolute perfection that are admitting of measures and degrees Nor come to the day nor the bright morning-star is not risen Answ Did not the Apostle speak that they were children of the day and night was over and knew the whole body and yet said he would not go beyond his measure And doth he not speak of the stature and measure and fulnesse of Christ And were not they come to perfection and spoke wisdome amongst them that was perfect Pr. He saith The evill done can never appear to be evill by the light Answ Doth not the light make it manifest and reprove the evill done and condemn it Pr. He saith It is not in the power of the light to call any thing that 's done good or evill Answ This is contrary to Scripture that saith whatsoever doth make manifest and reprove is light and there 's power in that that doth make manifest and reprove and call that which is evill to be evill and that which is good to be good Pr. He saith The light convinceth man not for not believing in Christ Answ It condemns him and convinceth him and reproves him Pr. He saith The light or law as he calls it will convince a man of sin and there leave him inexcusable before God Answ Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness sake to every one that believes in the light and so comes to witnesse the Law of faith and of life the hope and the promise of this brings from under the Schoolmaster to the Son-ship and to know and see his salvation which none doth but with the light Pr. He saith That Scripture in John is misapplyed which saith that Christ doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world And saith it meddles with none but the children of the new Covenant Answ This is contrary to Scripture that saith one loves the light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world the other hates it He that hates it it condemns him and he hath it to the other the light of life and he is a Covenant a light to the Gentiles and to the Jewes whether they own it or believe in it or receive it or not he is so neverthelesse according to the promise of God and it is the covenant of light which doth enlighten every man believing in it and he shall not need to say Know the Lord for he shall finde the Law in his minde and the Law in his heart and the Saints witnessed the light shining in their hearts and that gave them the knowledg of the glory of God and they are passed from death to life and from darknesse to light and the unbeliever abides in darknesse and in the death and the light shines in the darknesse and the darkness doth not comprehend it and there thou art and such know nothing as they ought to know but naturally as bruit beasts Pr. He saith The light in every man which cometh into the world will not open all Scripture nor lead men out of the fall to God the Father and to eternal life Answ The light which doth enlighten man that cometh into the world is the substance of all Scriptures and the way out of the Fall up to eternall life out of the first Adam and is the life and that opens all Scriptures and that all Scriptures ends in man being in the Fall in the first Adam drove from God in the sin and transgression Christ the second Adam which doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world who is the way again to God is he who bringeth in righteousnesse life and immortality and finisheth sin and transgression and ends the Prophets types figures shadows and opens and lets see all Scriptures Pr. He saith The light tumbles men into the grave and roules a stone upon them and tumbles them in transgression and he shall act against the annointed ones of God and against the Lord. Answ Nay the light leads men out of transgression and from wallowing in their blood whereby they have life and leads them out of the graves and from under their stony hearts and rocks whereby the new Covenant of light is known and the new heart which is pure with which God is seen and the light which every man that cometh into the world is enlightned withall will prick them that persecute the annoynted ones and act against the Lord though they kick against it Pr. He saith To what purpose should Christ be preacht dead and risen to be believed on for life if the light be in every one Answ Man-kinde being in the fall Christ being made manifest to witnesse that he shouâ—d come and made manifest to many witnesses when he was come and John came to bear witnesse to the true light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world Then these witnesses that did believe that Christ was come was to go into all the world all Nations Jewes and Gentiles and preach the everlasting Covenant of God to them which was promised and was witnesses of his Resurrection And to turn people from darknesse to light and the power of Satan to God and then told them the light that shined in their hearts would give them the light of the knowledge of
faith and such as lived in the faith and such as quenched the spirit and despised prophesie and such as despised the holy One and slaughtered the seed of God and such cast the law of God behinde their backs this was the spirit and the Word of God which was the rule that led them to discern and savour to try and taste and handle this was the touch-stone and this was the rule and this brought them to the knowledge of God and they that had the Scriptures had not the knowledge of God without this nor the prophesie as the Pharisees that had Scriptures yet knew not Christ Pr. To the Law and to the Testmony Answ Yea as we say to the Law and to the testimony the Law is the light the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy but it is tryed in this our day the Letter is the Light amongst the Ministers of the Letter against the light and they say prophesie is ceased and so puts the Old and New Testament for it and brings Isai 8. for the Law and testimony which was before Matthew Mark Luke and John but this is that their ignorance may appear Prin. And likewise he saith There is not a just man upon the earth and sinneth not Answ Read the words above in the 12. verse be not just over much neither make thy self overwise now mark this just this wise man upon the earth which doth good and sinneth not that was the estate of the Law which Christ is the end of who is a greater then Solomon who is the just and righteousness it self and makes men free from sin Pr. I do not affirm that any man can have salvation by vertue of his obedience and thus you put out the eye of poor souls and bids them hearken to a light within them Answ The eye of the soul is the Light which cometh from Christ the Bishop of it and he that believeth is saved and there is his obedience and he that doth not is condemned already and he hath the promise of life and salvation that believes in the Light Pr. He saith the Commission of Christ holds to the end of the world who gave some Prophets some Evangelists and some Pastors for the perfecting of the Saints and the edifying of the body of Christ till all come to the faith and knowledge of the Son of God and to a perfect man in measure and Stature and fulness of Christ Answ Have you not all denyed this work Pastures Teachers Prophets perfecting of the Saints and bringing to a perfect man saying that none must be perfect while they be upon earth and to the unity of the faith which both you and your teachers be all of heapes about it and that none must witness the measure and stature and fulnesse of Christ and the knowledge of the Son of God that none must have him revealed have you not denyed Revelation how have you been in this work tossing people to and fro like chaff and carrying them about with every wind of Doctrine and that is your wind that is not perfect that is not in the spirit that gave forth Scriptures and there lodgeth all mens subtility cunning and craft within lying and waiting to deceive this doctrine was coming up before the Apostles decease which since in the world hath reigned which all the heapes of Profession in all Christendom discovers it how people are tossed to and fro and changed about and every one stands against perfection and overcoming sin while they be upon earth so throwing themselves out of the work that the Ministers of Christ were in so from it Apostated and hath denyed the Ministers work which is the perfecting and you cry no perfection Pr. He saith They call breaking of bread carnal faith comes by hearing of the Scriptures and it is the way to teach men to Christ to convince and convert souls how should we know sin to be sin or righteousness to be righteousness but by Scripture Scripture hath been a fit rule to walk by and guide into truth and peace Answ Breaking of outward bread is not spiritual for the Papists they say it is spiritual and you say it is not carnal what differs Priests and Baptists from Papists and you say it is not as other bread is and thus you deceive people and make them believe a lie and the Pharisees had Scriptures and knew not the way of truth and peace nor was not guided in it neither any upon the earth Except they be in the life that gave it forth and the Pharisees had Scriptures read every day among them and hearing not the word that they heard that was in them that gave forth Scriptures they heard not the word of faith and the word of faith they have not neither hath any upon the earth for faith comes by hearing the word the word Preached not by hearing the Letter he that hath the Word of God may speak it dayly for they were Ministers of the Letter which begot people into a form and they were more ten fold the children of the Devil then they were before there was any Profession after they were got into Profession and all upon the earth do not know righteousness to be righteousness but as they have the life that gave forth Scriptures for the Pharisees chief Priests and Jewes had the Scriptures and read them every Sabbath day among them and they knew not righteousness to be righteousness Jesus Christ the righteousness of God neither did they know sin to be sin for they crucified the Lord of life they denyed the light the Covenant of God the Covenant of light the Jewes whicâ— had Scriptures so none doth know sin to be sin but as they do by the light which comes from the Lord Jesus Christ that makes it manifest and Abraham and Enoch knew sin before Scripture was Pr. Again he saith Try their own hearts by Scriptures Ansâ— They that tryed their hearts it was by the spirit of the Lord that searcheth them which led them to speak forth scriptures for before Scriptures were given forth there was that in the heart to try it which led all holy men of God to speake forth scriptures if all men upon earth had the scriptures and have not that which gave it forth they have not that which will try the heart for the Pharisees had the scriptures and they could not try their own hearts and so they turned against the light as the world do now that have the scriptures for that is it which brings to stand approved of God and tries their hearts with it Pr. He saith the overseers of the Church are visible An. That which doth oversee and maketh to be overseers was the holy Ghost before the Apostles deceased which was invisible but since the dayes of the Apostles men have made officers by the letter such are visible therefore have all men come into divers formes out of the unity and have lost the bond of peace Pr.
fall into condemnation for whatsoever is more then this cometh of evil so all swearers are in the evil false brethren fall into condemnation out of the Doctrine of Christ and breakes his command and are none of his Ministers Pr. He did believe in a Christ that died at Jerusalem but not in a Christ within Answ He that believes not in a Christ within doth not believe in a Christ at Jerusalem and he that doth not believe in a Christ within and Preach Christ within is a reprobate and out of the Apostles Doctrine Col. 2. 2 Cor. 13. and he is not in a true belief of Christ without who believes not in a Christ within but is in the Devils belief and believes as the Devill doth Pr. That if there be one grace within it is created and he believes not in any created thing Answ The grace that is within that stablisheth the heart is brought by the Revelation of Jesus the loines of the minde being girded up knowes it the grace by which they are saved which brings salvation which is sufficient this comes from the Creator which grace teached us said the Saints to deny ungodly lusts and to live soberly Pr. That light which Christ hath inlightned every man with is carnall and darkenesse Ans The light which Christ hath inlightned every man that is come into the world with all was before carnall or darknesse was and believing in it it leads every man from darkenesse his carnall estate into vnity with God for no man sees his carnall estate and darknesse but by the Light which makes it manifest and the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world is that which all professors in all ages stumbled at that were without life Pr. He knew no scripture that the world was in the heart of man and that it was non-sence Ans Thou art ignorant of Solomons words who saith 3. Eccles he hath set the world in their hearts that they cannot find the beginning or ending of the worke of â—od and here thou hast shewed thy self of the bottomlesse pit without the beginning or ending of the work of God and he is in the nonsence that is not in the beginning or ending of the work of God Pr. That men cannot be saved that have no other light Ans The light which hath inlightned every man that is come into the world is the Saviour and no man is condemned but for not believing in that Light and no man is saved â—uâ— who believes in tâ—at light Pr. That there is no perfection attainable in this life Ans There is no perfection but in wickednesse in the life of Adam in the transgression and there men live in sin and hath it in their body and carries a body of it which came by the devil sin and transgression but Christ the second Adam that destroyes the devill the power of death and death and his works who saves men from sin and blots out the sin and transgression and redeems from the Earth and who are in Christ the second Adam are in perfection and in that which is perfect and makes free from sin and the body of it and death and him that hath the power of death and comes to be perfect as their heavenly father is perfect and the work of the ministers of Christ was to the perfecting of the Saints and thou that dost deny perfection have denyed the ministers of Christs work who preach Christ within and preached every one perfect in him Pr That the scripture is the word of God Ans The scripture is the words of God as you may read Exod. and Matth. Revel and Christ is the word of God in whom the words end before the words were spoken forth and man without the spirit cannot interpret scriptures Pr. That the ministers of this nation are the ministers of Christ and the Gospell and that it is a sin to despise them Ans And the ministers of this Nation or no where else are not the ministers of Christ of the Gospel that denie the light that enlightneth every man that comes into the world and holds up swearing neither are they the men that are to interpret scripture they cannot see without the light which inlightneth every man that comes into the world before it was made who is the end of the Prophets with that they see the Prophets words and the end of them and so such afore mentioned are to be turned from that turns from the light and it is no sin to obey the Apostles commands 2 Tim. 3. to deny them which come up since the Apostles decease having the form but denies the power Pr. That they may lawfulâ—y taâ—e Tithes of the people Ans And you that takes tithes of the people are of the Popes tribe got up since the daies of the Apostles which said the priest-hood was changed that took the tithes the Law was changed by which the priest-hood was made and the commandement disanulled that gave tithes and Christ the sum the end of all similitudes which comes before Abraham was that paid tithes Heb. 7. the â—ope is your author in taking tithes since the dayes of the Apostles in the Apostacy and Christ is the end of the Law Pr. Richard Mayo saith That it is not unlawfull to say You to a single person Ans In this thou shewest thou never readst the Accidence or Bible and it is unlawfull to speak unrightously and to say there is many when there is but one to call one many you one Pr. That Ministers may exhort men to walke by the light of Reason as well as the light of the Gospel Ans No man walks by the light of reason but who be in the faith are in the light of the Gospell and all other reason is as the beasts of the field that which makes men reasonable is faith and all that be in the faith are in the light of the Gospell and this is one which all unreasonablenesse is out of it in the transgression for none are in the reasonablenesse but such as comes out of transgression and such as be reasonable walkes by the light of the Gospell Pr. That the Gospel it selfe is but a dead letter Ans The Gospel it selfe is the power of God that which the letter speaks of which many may have the letter the form and deny the power of God and so have not the Gospell Pr. That the Gospel is no more the power of God then the rose cake that lay in his window Ans The Gospell is the power of God preached in every creature more then a rose cake that gives every creature its living and being for it relieves the oppressed turnes against the oppressor so is called glad tidings for the Gospell is preached unto every creature in heaven which is the power of God which turnes against that which bondageth to wit the corruptions and so gives liberty and freedom to the captives and this is glad tidings which is the power of
God and is more then any Creature and all the creatures that which gives liberty and freedom to all is glad tidings Richard Mayo further saith It was no matter to him if the devill was the originall of Tithes if the Law of the Land would give it him he would have it Ans We doe believe thee his servant thou art thy seared conscience and hardnesse of heart discovers it but the ministers of Christ and the Gospell never preached nor held forth such doctrine nor would never act any thing from that which the Devil was the originall of which thou dost say thou would take tythes though he was the originall of them if the Law of the Land would give it thee he hath been the originall of them and the Popes Lawes first set them up whereby the Saints goods are strained and spoiled and made havock of and art not contented with the spoyling of their goods but you bring their bodies into your priests den and thus you eate up people and swallow up the needy for a thing of nought as they did of old your as fore-fathers did transgresse for a paire of shoos Pr. He saith Cain was no vagabond after he had built a City and he said there was no scripture as that the Apostles had no certaine dwelling place and that the steeple-house was the Church Ans This is contrary to scripture for Cain was a vagabond though he builded a City and disobeyed the command of God and lost his habitation in God so all great men upon the earth though they build a City and are Lords and Earls and Dukes and Princes and Kings if they doe disobey the command of God and doe not dwell in him they have no habitation but are all vagabonds and Paul had no certain dwelling place 1 Cor. 4 11. and yet he had a habitation in God and was no vagabond and the steeple-house is no Church but the old Masse-house set up since the daies of the Apostles since they lost the true Church Thess the 1. Priest Bushels Principles These words were given forth by Seth Bushel Priest of Whitley as follows the 25 day of the first moneth 1658. Pr. MEn are not converted by the light within them An. If Christ be not in you the body is dead and he is light within And the light that shines in the heart gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus And none are converted but they that be in him and by him within and the light that shines in the heart gives the knowledge of conversion and unconversion and there is none comes to conversion but by it the light which is Christ Pr. He saith That he denies that the light that lighteth every man is Christ as John speaks 1 John Answ In this thou hast denyed Johns Doctrine who said he is the true light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world And as many as received him he gave them power to become the sons of God and thus thou art ignorant of the Scriptures much more of the power of God Pr. He saith The light which every man is enlightned withall never converted any man to God Ans Here thou goest about in thy Doctrine to prove that Christ never brought any to God who is the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world who is the way to the Father that saves men from sin and destroys death and he that hath the power of it and brings men into that the Devill is out of Thou with the light and thy Doctrines art comprehended and condemned and no man is converted to God but by the light which hath enlightned every man that cometh into the world Pr. He saith That the light which lighteth every man is the broad way Answ Here people may all see this Priest a Minister of darknesse and wickednesse for the light which doth enlighten every man is Christ Jesus who is the way to the Father and leads people out of the broad way which is come up by Adam sinne the Devill and transgression which all be in the broad way that deny the light Hereford the 8. day of the first moneth 1658. these words were spoken in a meeting by Edward Price and Philip Langford which is their principles Pr. PHilip Langford said Paul was not freed from the act of sin whilst in this life Answ And Paul thanks God he was made free from the body of sin and saw where there was no condemnation and thus he wrestles and fights against Paul who said he was made free from sin and could live no longer therein and the body of sin was put off and their conversation was in heaven Pr. We do affirme that they that be in this faith that turns from sin be subject to sin the act of sin whilst in this mortall body Ans This is confusion and contradiction and not sound doctrine for faith that purifies the heart from sin over it gives victory in which men please God and have accesse to him by the which they are justified whilst on earth and by the faith the just lives and the life the Saints come to live which gives them victory over the world is by the faith of the Son of God Pr. Priest Price saith faith in Christ Jesus purifies not from the in-dwellings of sin whilst in this body Ans In this the Scripture hath corrected thee for it saith faith purifies the heart that which purifies takes away sinne Sinne which being unclean in its selfe makes unclean Pr. He saith The guilt of sin may be taken away but the act of sin may remain Ans A silly man one of the old Doctors the Scriptures speaks of Dost thou act sin and dost not thou feel the guilt of it Thou brings the whole world upon thy head the principle of God in them all will witnesse against thee And aske all the Thieves that are condemned to the gallows and the Drunkards and such as act sin such as professe Scriptures which are not in the life of it whether or no they have not a guilt upon them for acting sin but this is one of the blinde Priests principles none but mad men will believe them wicked lyers against that of God in their own conscience and thus they preach up the Devills doctrine of Lies Pr. Edward Price saith that all men should be judged by the Scriptures and that the Scriptures is the power of God Answ The Scripture saith Christ is the power of God And the Apostle said the Letter kills and all judgement is committed to the Son saith the Ministers of Christ And the Scriptures are the words of God and Christ is the Word and Judge in whom the words end whom thou hast thrown out and set Scripture in his room And as for the rest of his words they are not worth mentioning Enoch Howets Principles Pr. THe doctrine of perfection in the creature is a lye Answ The doctrine of
Pr. That God redeemes his church with his blood yet bleeds not Ans Here againe thou cavellest with the Apostles words and art a perverter of the Scriptures who art with it corrected the Apostle speak of the blood of God and the blood shed and the conscience sprinckled with the blood Pr. Justifying faith simply considered in it selfe as to justification of a sinner is but 〈◊〉 dark body till it hath received Christ and his righteousnesse Ans Where justification is justifying faith there is Christ and his righteousnesse felt for he is the justification and this is not a darke body neither justifying faith nor justification of a sinner but thou art the darke body that those hath so judged for it is all one Pr. It is but perfection of parts but not of degrees that people attain to beware you dream not that y u attain to perfection of degrees as the Quakers do for when you so think of your selves that is the hour and power of darkeness and fall into temptations and abominations Ans Where perfection is in parts there 's degrees and that which is perfect keeps out of darkenesse out of the temptation and abomination he that speakes of perfection of parts and not of degrees he doth not know what he speakes of but is in a dreame and the hour of tentation and the power of darkenesse and in the tentation and abomination and doth not know what he speakes of for perfection of parts is perfection of degrees Pr. The Saints inherent righteousnesse is but imperfection of parts as filthy rages Ans Where dost thou read of the word inherent righteousnesse but the righteousnesse of Christ wrought in us is not filthy rags but that which thou pretends to work in thy selfe by dreaming imaginations is filthy rags and not true righteousnesse of Christ which is without rags but where dost thou read of inherent righteousnesse but of thy father the Pope Pr. Job had too high esteem of his uprightnesse wrought by the spirit of Christ in him who also assisted him to perfect patience An◠A man cannot be too high esteemed in uprightnesse wrought by the spirit of Christ in him which will assist to perfect patience and thus thou confoundest thy selfe Pr. If Job had hanged himselfe he might have said in this case it is not I but my deep distemper which strangled me Ans Thou wicked lyer of thy Father the Devill the murtherer had Job consented to the wicked one with his mind to have done the thing then it had been Job and this is not comparable to Pauls state he saith it was no more he but sin that dwelt in him who did not consent with his mind so thou art no true measurer but a false measurer for to say it had been the infirmity of the members but not Job yet there is the eye which was before the word Job was which the Devill hath nought in so both thee and thy measure is judged according to Scriptures which came not by the will of man which is of no private interpretation Pr. That the written scripture is a more sure word of prophecy then the excellent speech from heaven to Jesus upon the Mount as your Quaking doctrins which is bottomed upon the Light within which neither you nor no man else knowes what it is Ans The voice that spake upon the Mount the excellent speech was the same and was to them that gave forth Scriptures now the written scriptures many may have and deny the spirit of prophesy and knew not the light shining in the dark place untill the day dawne and the day star arise in their hearts and the Quakers light within which thou nor no man else knowes what it is as thou saist then why doe you judg of things you do not know we do believe that your darkenesse cannot comprehend it though it shineth in the darkenesse but where light hath shined out of darkenesse shins in the heart it gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus but all that be in the light walks in it have followship one with another and knowes what light is and comes to life Christ from whence the light comes which you nor no man knowes what it is which are ravened from the spirit of God and so knowes not Christ the light Pr. The Scripture is the ground of Faith Ans The ground of faith was before written Scripture was God and Christ Jesus who were the givers of Faith and the authors of it as Abel Enoch Abraham had Faith before that which you call your ground of Faith was written but I say its able to make wise to salvation through the Faith in Christ Jesus who is the author of it thou goest about to lay an other ground then God and Christ Jesus that gave forth to them that spoke forth the scriptures of truth Pr. You call a light within and tell us it is Gods word and calls the thing everlasting word and spirituall King and Christ and this lye is the ground of your faith Ans The word is light and Christ is light and the everlasting word and King and he rules the hearts of the Saints and is in the midst of his Church and dwels in his people and in them he makes his aboad and all that be not in this be in the lye and be not in the true foundation Jesus Christ Pr. When Christ told the devil that man should not live by bread alone but by every word that procedeth out of the mouth of God that was believing the scriptures and this the word of God in the scriptures was the ground of Christs faith and so to all that were his Ans Many may have the Scriptures and never hear the voice of God as the Jews in the fift of Iohn they said they believed the scriptures though they were out of the true belief but receiving the word from God is as they that gave forth scriptuers which man lives by not by bread alone so knows him which was before scripture was given forth and for saying that the scripture is the ground of Christs Faith he was afore the scripture was writ and fulfills their words and is the author and finisher of the saints faith which was before the scripture was given forth him by whom the world was made and is the author of the Saints Faith that bruised the serpents head under his feet which was before scripture was Pr. For the Lord Jesus Christ himself who was personally God-man simply created nothing yet you would have your light called Christ to be a Creator Ans God was in Christ and they are one the Creator the Father in the Son and the Son in the Father and Christ in you and God in Christ the Creator the maker of all things and God will dwell in the saints the Creator he creates in them right mindes new hearts new spirits gives them understanding and
knowledge to know him which is eternal life and wisdom to walk in his waies which are perfect where Gods dwelling is in Saints there is light and they have fellowship one with an other in it and with the Son and the Father Pr That although the essence of God be within yet it no way conducts to the happinesse of man Ans Man feels not the happinesse but as he is in the power of God in which he hath communion with him and thou speaks thou dost not know what Pr. Iohn said he had heard and handled Christ and looked upon him but your Idoll Christ your light and everlasting word you say is within so that you nor any man else can say what it is except whimsies Ans Thou that hast not handled seen nor heard Christ nor felt him within art in the Idols whimsies and blasphemy for we witnesse that Christ and hath handled him and seen him and heard him and knowes the everlasting word and him within which torments thee and thy ground and thy seed because he cannot reign but Christ is come to take possession to dostroy him and his works and reigne and none sees this buâ— they that own the light within which comes from Christ the King Pr. By letters and witnesse without we will oppose your lying light within there to maintaine against the best men whatsoever your light within is a lye for you say the light within is Christ I deny the scriptures are a witnesse to beare to your light within which is your Idol and this word of God within to be no more nor less then a lye Ans The scripture beares witnesse to the light within for I know that 's thy work and the devils which is out of the light which is the truth to oppose it who rules in the Children of disobedience but cannot rule in the children of light and the scriptures saith Christ in you and God will dwell in you he is light and they are light the light that shines in your hearts to give you the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus and this the Scripture bears witness to as in Cor. 2.4.2.13 and the word is nigh thee in thy hâ—â—rt and in thy mouth Rom. 10. and as for all the rest of thy stuff confused parsell of ignorance in thy book as this before mentioned which is not worth setting pen to paper but for the simple ones sake it is given forth for the day is appeared that all your works are seen and come to light praises and glory to the Lord God the Highest for ever in the day of thy fulness thou hast been in the mischief of iniquity but in the day of thy poverty when the witness of God stirs and rises in thee and judgement enters upon thee then remember when thy works burn and thou in the fire what thou didst in the world in thy life time against the Saints and the elect and spoke of things thou couldst not know nor weigh but were too heavy for thee and how thou actest against the light of Christ within which would have led thee to salvation Enoch Howet of Lincolne His Principles in his Book as followeth as he cals the Doctrine of the Light within Pr. I Have taken upon me as my duty to forewarn all men of the Doctrine that teach men to look at the Light within them Answ We do believe thee here thou art not only Ante-Christ but Anti-Apostle that 's against him who taught people to look to the light within them and told them that the light that shined in their hearts to give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus and this is the Doctrine which thou forwarnest all men of and said it is thy duty so thou mayest see whom thou servest that turns men from light and warns people of the Apostles Doctrine in that all may Judge what thou turns them to and whose duty thou art doing and whose messenger and Minister thou art them that be in the fear of God see thee Pr. To look to the light within is to look at his deceitful heart and it will offer thee darkness for light and its evident if thou look to that which thou cals the light within he brings thee to take councel of a corrupt heart the prince of the Aire the prince of darkness Answ The light that shines in the heart that thy darkness cannot comprehend it is not the Prince of darkness nor the Prince of the air nor the deceitful corrupt heart but by the light within is all discovered and made manifest for its the light within that discovers a mans thoughts a mans councels of his heart And Christ within is light and that the Apostle bid the Corinthians examine themselves and prove themselves and know not they their own selves how that Jesus Christ was in them except they were Reprobates Now where Christ is within there is light now Reprobates cannot endure to hear it talkt of within but cals it blasphemy corrupt heart and deceitful heart and so forth and the Apostle told the Saints that God would write his Law in their hearts and put them in their minds the law is light and God would dwell in them and walk in them and where God is there is light and in him is no darkness and the Saints are his Temple and this Doctrine the light within it s thy work and Ministry to teach and warn all men against Pr. To look at the light within leads men to look at a judgement here in this life and to take off men from eternal judgement Answ There 's none sees the judgement in this life nor the eternal judgement but with the light within for the light makes manifest what must be judged and what must not O that thou shouldst be so blind and who judge themselves shall not be judged Pr. The people which depended upon light within fell into shameful enormities and when they pretended the light within they pretended an Angel of light which cozens us which at the best is but a broken cistern the Ephesians were sometimes darkness Answ They are the broken Cisterns that cannot hold the water of life and they are under the pretended Angel of light that deny the light of Christ within and shameful enormities that be from the light which makes manifest all those things and though the Ephesians were darkness yet the light shined in the darkness and the darkness could not comprehend it John 1. Pr. The light within drawes from the expecting of the assurance of Christ by working in our hearts the children of disobedience so that we wait not upon God for assurance but to trust to the light within Answ None comes to assurance of Christ Jesus but who comes to the light that shines in his heart which Christ Jesus hath enlightened him withall who is the way to him none comes from under the power
Apostles and Christs words and minister of unrighteousnesse transforming your selves into the true ministers words whose soules is under the horrible delusions and misterious deceits under the observances oâ— the world who would beguile the soule that is not stablished but light is broke forth that few you can deceive and thy New-years gift is judged and proceeds from Cain and is his sacrifice from the earth for tâ—e Apostles saw such as was transforming into the false Apostles and false ministers he brings the saints to the light that shined in their hearts to give them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus which you deny to the false transformed into their words and judged with their spirit which brought people to the light within and you bring them from it so from that which should give them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Chriâ—â— Jesus Pr. The Devil is called the Prince of darknesse because he lives in the darknesse as to the apprehention of divine love an enemy to all the Image of God which is light and purity and the devil transformed himselfe into the likenesse of God under a faire pretence heavenly words selfe-denyall actions righteous conversations Answ This is like your fruits who hath deceived the people but is your divine love to the devill who is out of truth doth not Christ come to destroy him and his works and there is none that can apprehend the divine love of God but who be in the truth And the Devill cannot transforme himself to be like God not in his image nor in his righteousnesse that is out of truth and his conversation that is out of truth is altogether unrighteous and is but in the pretence of selfe-â—enyalâ— but is not the thing though he and you may get the words that be heavenly and stands against the light and Image of God and purity it selfe for all you be of the devil that doth deny the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world for you come not into the truth which the devill is out of nor into the pure conversation which is in heaven and purity Pr. Thou saist Thou hast many occasions offered by the Quakers upon thy poor weake and sinfull heart the Lord hath filled my heart with moderation in giving my own once uncomfortable experiences Ans We believe thee that thy heart is weak and sinfull and a weak and sinfull heart is not filled with moderation and thy experiences which are uncomfortable are not the experiences of the Saints for the Saints experiences are comfortable and their heart is a pure heart that is filled with moderation and the Quakers will torment all sinfull and corrupt hearts for such the Lord is against and so be his Saints not to take his words into their mouthes Pr. Thou saist Thou hatest hypocrisie when thou livest in the light life and power of the first Adam and because the Quakers say they know my conscience better then my self I see they are acted through delusion I am able to to speak this truth from my own heart which is better known to me I do know that a naturall man may make a large progresse in the Gospel profession and conversation and that which the Quakers call back-sliding is my turning to my God Ans In the light and life and power of the first Adam as he was in the beginning thou art not in which he was in before the fall and the Apostles knew the state and condition of Jewes and Gentiles and people better then they did themselves and so doth the Quakeâ—s that be in their spirit and this is not delusion and thy owne heart yet thou dost not know as thou oughts nor the truth but first thou must come to the light that doth enlighten every man that comes into the world which is the truth and a naturall man doth not make a progresse into the Gospell nor doth not come into the conversation of it whilst he lives in the naturall estate and thy God thou art turned too which is the God of the world as all hirelings and diviners for money and teachers for filthy lucre did that went forth from the spirit of the Apostles and prophets and Christ and back-slided from them and so went from the true God and thou serves the God of the world for love of thy benefice and see if thou will not look upward and downeward and curse thy God Pr. I would have all the world to observe how that the Quakers that Anti-Christ hath cast that blindnesse upon their understandings for their reproving men sharply and rebukeing them crying woe to the hypocrites it s the devils policy to keep close to the scriptures I used arguments to people to look for the glorious way and discovery of the divine light and power to be brought forth among all the children of the most high O mystery Babylon of this delusion Ans Hears thy confession for the spirit of God where it is doth rebuke reprove sharplie and tell them that are hypocrites the woe is to them and the Quakers ante-christ cannot blind them they are come from under his power and authority but you are them that cannot feare reproof and the Lord may send a man as he did Philip to such a place and he not know what he shall do nor whom he shall speak to till he come to such a place and the devil is out of the life that gave forth scriptures though he and you may pervert the words who may get them but not own them as they speak and thou calls good evill and evill good for the children of the most high doth waite for the most glorious discovery of divine light and power which delusion and mystery Babylon is out of and so the Quakers is come to that which ante-christ is ravened from with that they comprehend him Pr. And thou saist These people that thou callest the Quakers will send most rayling accusations against the pillars of the Chuâ—ch of Christ Ans That is false but antichrists Church and his pillars which are waters which you call tongues which is your originall that Iohn calls waters the Quakers do judge according to truth and declare it in full power and majesty and can make it good which you call rayling which they deny for a company of greedy drumb dogs can never have enough that will prison and pesecute men till death for speaking to them and for meanes such as are apostatized from the true church and is a false Church who hath transformed themselves into the true Churchs words but now the true Church hath discovered you to be the false apostatized from the true and reigned since the daies of the Apostles Pr. I see no conviction the Quakers hath wrote by their speaking or any subjection of fear or love or any such thing wrought by them and to tell such that be praying reading or in meditation to say it is the power
saith whatsoever man doth God hath a hand in doing of it whether good or evil if a man commit never so much sin and live never so wickedly he shall goe to heaven if he be ordained there to come how was God grieved when David sinned the Lord was angry the Lord was wrath when the children of Israel sinned against him it grieved the Lord that he had made man when all flesh had corrupted his way Gen. 6.6 and thou and you goe about to make God the author of sin and saith God hath a hand in it whatsoever a man doth here againe you and thou be in the doctrines of Devils what shall we say that God is the author of sin God forbid Rom. 6. they that transgresse the commandements 〈◊〉 God provoke him to anger and though God created the evil Isa 49.7 yet his commandement was to man that he should not goe into it Gen. 2.17 Gen. 4.7 Eze. 18. but when he did he transgressed the command of God so he who saith if ye murther God is the author of it if ye persecute God is the author of it if ye doe unrighteously God is the author of it you that murther persecute and doe not righteously are of him that kept not the command of God of whom ye are Io. 44. that would persecute and murther thou art gon out of the command of God and joyned with the devill 1 Io. 3.8 that went out of the truth the devil he went out of his estate and the woman hearkned to him and went out of her estate and man to the woman Gen. 3. The Jewes went out of their state when they persecuted Mat. 27.25 Cain went out of his state when he murthered Gen. 4. the Christians went out of their estate since the daies of persecution who had the name of Christianity Cain went out of his state when he murthered and Balaam went out of his state when he coveted the wages of unrighteousnesse and admired mens persons Numb 22. Jude 11. Core went out â—f his state when he gain-said the truth Numb 16. Iude. 11. the false prophet and the Anti-christ which is the beast and the mother of Harlots went forth from the state of the Apostles 1 Io. 2.19 which hath been since the daies of the Apostles and so all wars and fightings and adversaries is because of being out of the truth fallen out of it Iam. 4. there is pride and Lucifer Isa 14. and that is it that is of old ordained to condemnation Jude 4. and to be kept down and to be condemned everlastingly and there the time that shall be witnessed fit for the fire and death and Hell and the false prophet and the Dragon and the Serpent cast into it Rev. 20.14 but leaven is known that leavens into the new lump 1 Cor. 5.7 the everlasting fire that burns for ever Mark 9.46 how are the professions formes and religions fallen from the state and lost the state and out of the state that Christ was in the prophets were in Abraham was in David was in Moses and the Apostles was in and remaines in a forme of their words 2 Tim. 3.5 and murthers them that enjoyes their life and persecutes them The devill abode not in the truth Io. 8.44 Adam and Eve abode not in the truth but trâ—nsgressed Gen. 3. Cain abode not in the truth when he murdered Abel Gen. 4. The Jewes abode not in the truth but crucified the just James 5.6 The anti-christ and the false prophets since the daies of the Apostles and the beast abode not in the truth 1 Io. 2.19 that made the war against the saints Rev. 13. And here is the murderers envious and persecutors warring and fighters and their sacrifice God never accepted Gen. 4.5 in all ages and these are them that persecuted those that was in the truth whose sacrifice God accepted to the witness of God in you all I speak that you may see your fall from the truth out of the prophets life Christs life and the Apostles life so be out of the commands and fallen from God and say that none can keep the commandements that is the word that shall stand for ever so ye are they that loves not God Jo. 14 13. 1 Jo. 2.4 but are of the beast and false prophets that makes war against them that keeps the commands of God Rev. 22.11 so that which saith none can keepe the commandments is fallen out of the truth and the commandements of God 1 Io 2.4 Io. 8.44 And to him the truth is death and the commands of God in which the saints live to whom the commandements are not grievous 1 Jo. 5.3 Thomas Garwine Priest of Edenborough his doctrine and principles Pr. That the Child that is not sprinkled with outward water is in a damnable state and worse then an infidell Ans Now here he and the rest of the Presbyterian Priests of Scotland may say Abraham was in a damnable state Isaac was in a damnable state Jacob was in a damnable state and Joseph was in a damnable state and David was in a damnable state and John the Baptist was in a damnable state which were not sprinkled by a Priest with outward water nor named by the Priest so thou and you with your traditions that say a Child is in a damnable state if ye do not sprinkle it with water and the Apostle bids them not look at the things that are seen and you are in the damnable state and the damnable doctrine teachers of lies and many simple people have been deceived by you and given over to believe you but God hath taken the vail off their hearts that you begin to be seen and their salvation shall they know stands not in elements as though you with your sprinkling Infants with outward water could bring out of the damnable state Oh ye deceivers did not the Apostle say they that were Circumcised Christ profited them nothing Gal. 5.2 ye have long deceived people with your beggerly rudiments and elements and doctrines and traditions Col. 2. hatched up at Schools and never commanded of God and say if people will not observe your traditions or your elements which you call a Papist word Sacrament and perishing they not observing it are in a damnable state and worse then the Heathen and Infidels an Infidell is an Heathen one that knows not God But your generation says it is blasphemy to say any hath known God hath seen God and spoken to God so they themselves have concluded to be Heathen The Heathen know not God The Heathen observes traditions and they that know God cannot observe the traditions of the Heathen but obeys the Apostles doctrine and touches not tastes not nor handles the traditions of men and Ordinances which will perish so not saving so they that observe not traditions are not worse then Heathen but they that observe traditions are as the Heathens and be out of the Apostles doctrine in their own traditions and rudiments and are offended
require at the hand of such Teachers and such Shepherds Pr. The most faithful Messengers of Christ will acknowledge they came short of their duty Answ They that are faithful messengers of Christ have the answer well done thou good and faithful servant where did Paul or John or Peter acknowledge they came short of their duty hath not thou slandered the servants of the Lord thinking them to be like your selves and falsly accusing them that you may seem Justified who are false messengers and comes in his name when you have no Commission from him and you come short of every good work but thus it is not with Christs true messengers for they fulfill his will that sent them and it is the Lord that worketh in them whose they are and whose duty they perform by his spirit Pr. The best of us have stammering tongues in this great work and often times we do it coldly and by halves like Pellipher we see but with one eye like Milkes hear but with one Ear like Vnicorn push against sin but with one horn place not good Preaching in large speaking Judge of a Minister by his brains not lungs by his heart not throat Answ This is confessed to your own shame who doth your work coldly and by halfes it shewes you have not the same spirit that was amongst the Apostles who were zealous and faithful in the work of the Lord and not coldly nor by halves as you do and they saw with their eyes and heard with their ears and their hearts God had opened and they were a terror to all unrighteousness where ever it appeared and the way to Judge of a true Minister is not by his braines nor Lungs nor throat but whether he hath received the Holy Ghost and whether they have the same spirit that was amongst the Apostles and whether the presence of the Lord be with them and effects his own work thorow them these are the signs of Christ Ministers to Judge them by so you have missed the true Charecter to Judge justly and your Judgement is false and it shewes you are not guided by the infallible Spirit of God Pr. We must attend to the words of the Minister though himself be fruitless in which sence we may be said to gather grapes on thorns and figgs on thistles unsanctified Ministers may possibly convert and comfort sinners though our candle be in a dark Lanthorn and the Saints know not what God is a doing Answ Christ said either make the tree good and his fruit good or the tree nought and his fruit nought and none can gather grapes on thorns or figgs on thistles but you say the contrary and are pleading for fruitless Ministers that they should be attended to but the Apostle exhorted to turn from them that had the form of godliness but not the power and judge in your own selves how your words agrees with Christs and the Apostles they appear to be quite contrary And unsanctified men are not Christs Ministers nor Christ ever sent unsanctified Persons and they that run and were not sent should not profit nor did not profit the People at all could neither comfort Saints nor convert sinners but you are pleading for unsanctified Ministers and for sinful Ministers and saith that People should not despise their Doctrine Yea the Doctrine and words of unbelievers are dispised and rejected by the Saints and though thou say Scripture is Scripture though uttered by Satan yet I say Scripture in the mouth of Satan is temptation and not edification and it is true your hearts are dark and minds are dark even as a dark Lanthorn we do believe it and the light in you shines in darkness and is held in the dark Lanthorn and no light in you appears unto the dark world but unholy lives and unsanctified spirits and you know not what God is a doing who are unbelievers but the Saints hath the mind of Christ and knowes what God is a doing for his spirit dwels in them but you have shut out your selves that you are ignorant of God and what he is doing but Christs Ministers their light shines among men and their good works are seen but you have shewed your folly and ignorance to all the world Pr. But what if some what in the lives of Ministers contradict the word they preach disorderly teachers are pretty well purged out if any continue it is the fault of them that do not bring their wickednesse to light that such may be rooted out who make the offering to be abhorred the sins of the teachers being teachers sins Ans The true Ministers of Christ their conversations were in heaven and their good works and holy lives were agreeable to the word they preached on but disorderly teachers are not purged out to preach for hire is a disorder and to cause people to be put into prison and to be persecuted and to be whipped and to have their goods spoiled these are disorderly practices and such are disorderly teachers many of which there is yet unpurged out but now the Lord God is arisen to try and to purge and to bring wickednesse to light and to condemn the sins of teachers and teachers for their sins and such shall be rooted out whose offering is abhorred of the Lord because iniquity lodges in their hearts and their lives are unsanctified contradicting in their practices what they preach in words such are hypocrites whom God will judge and the Lord will utterly root you out in his season you that are disorderly and out of the order of the true Church of Christ Pr. We do not thunder in our Pulpits nor lighten in our conversations as we might our thundrings are no more heard by glorifying Christ then their Halilujahs are by us Ans You want the word of the Lord which is terrible it is not in your mouthes but the words of your own imaginations and your words answer not to the witnesse of God in the peoples consciences but you are like the dreamers the Apostle speaks of whose conversations are bad examples to all that looke upon you your unholy lives gives an ill savor and doth not enlighten any man in the way of truth and Saints that are glorified doth deny you and heares you not excepting to give their witnesse against you neither do you know what the Saints Halelujahs are who rejoyceth over the whore that hath made all nations drunk but of these things are you ignorant and you are shut out from the assembly of them that can sing Halelujah to God and the Lamb for evermore Pr. It is treason to undertake an Embassage without commission I sent them not yet they run saith the Lord not knowing why nor whether they can tell no tidings for climing on high with the Ape they do but shew their owne deformity Ans There is none more guilty then your selves of this treason and out of your owne mouthes will the Lord judge you where is your commission and what is
abundantlie cried out against and printed against the Quakers as hereticks and deceivers and witches and all what they could say that 's evil and these things being not unknown but publiklie brought to passe therefore it will be good to discover unto every man the first ground and cause of this great strife and the matter of it and its beginning so that all may know the certaintie of these things and know they are not without good ground and sufficient reason on our part to wit that we have just cause to do and strive against that generation of Priests and Teachers and that we doe nothing rashly and without sufficient reason It is now about seaven years since the Lord raised us up in the North of England and opened our mouthes in this his spirit and what we were before in our Religion profession and practices is well known to that part of the countrie how generalie we were men of the strictest sect and of the greatest zeal in the performance of outward righteousnesse and went through and tried all sorts of Teachers and run from mountain to mountaine and from man to man and from one forme to an other as doe many to this very day who yet remaines ungathered to the Lord and such we were to say no more of us that sought the Lord and desired the knowledge of his waies more then any thing beside and for one I may speak who from a child even a few yeares old he set his face to seek and find the Saviour and more then Life and treasure or any mortal Crown sought after with all his heart the one thing that is needfull to wit the knowledge of God And after our long seeking the Lord appeared to us and revealed his glory in us and gave us of his spirit from heaven and poured it upon us and gave us of his wisdome to guid us whereby we saw all the world and the true state of all things and the true condition of the Church in her present estate first the Lord brought us by his power and wisdome and the word by which all things were made to know and understand see perfectly that God had given to us everie one of us in particular a Light from himselfe shining in our harts consciences which Light Christ his Son the Saviour of the world had lighted every man and all mankind withall which Light in us we found sufficient to reprove us and convince us of every evil deed word and thought and by it in us we come to know good from evil right from wrong and whatsoever is of God and according to him from what is of the Devil and what is contrary to God in motion word and work and this Light gave us to discerne between truth and error between every false and right way it perfectlie discovered to us the true state of all things and we thereby came to know man what he was in his creation before transgression how he was deceived overcome by the devil his estate in transgression in disobedience how he is drove banished from the presence of the Lord and the sorrow and anguish which he is in to undergo also by the Light in us we perfectlie came to know the way of Restauration and the meanes to be restored and the state of man being come out of transgression and restored these things to us were revealed by the Light within us which Christ had given us and lightened us withall what man was before transgression and what he is in transgression and what he is being redeemed out of transgression and also the Light which shined in every one of us as to it our mindes became turned and our hearts inclined the perfect estate of the Church we came to know her estate before the Apostles daies and in the Apostles daies and since the daies of the Apostles and her persent estate we found to be as a woman who had once been cloathed with the Sun and the Moon under her feet who brought forth him that was to Rule the Nations but she was fled in the Wildernesse and there sitting desolate in her place that was prepared of God for such a season which season in the very end thereof when the time of her sojorning was towards a full end then were we brought forth if any have an eare they may hear so that all these things concerning man and concerning the times and seasons and the changing and renewing of times and all things that pertaines to salvation and Redemption and eternal Life needfull for man to know all this was revealed discovered and made knowne to us by the Light which was in us which Christ had lighted us withall And we found this Light to be a sufficient teacher to lead us to Christ from whence this Light came and thereby it gave us to receive Christ and to witnesse him to dwel in us and through it the new covenant we came to enter into to be made heires of life and salvation and in all things we found the Light which we were inlightned withall and all mankind which is Christ to be alone and onelie sufficient to bring to Life and eternal salvation and that all who did own the Light in them which Christ hath enlightened every man withall they needed no man to teach them but the Lord was their Teacher by his Light in their own consciences and they received the holie anointing And so we ceased from the teachings of all men and their words and their worships and their Temples and all their baptismes and Churches and we ceased from our own words and professions and practises in Religion in times before zealously performed by us through divers formes and we became fooles for Christs sake that we might become truelie wise and by this Light of Christ in us were we led out of all false waies and false preachings and false Ministers and we met together often and waited upon the Lord in pure silence from our own words and all mens words and hearkned to the voice of the Lord and felt his word in our hearts to burn up and beat down all that was contrary to God and we obeyed the Light of Christ in us and followed the motions of the Lords pure spirit and took up the Crosse to all earthly glories Crowns and waies denied our selves our relations and all that stood in the way betwixt us and the Lord and we chose to suffer with and for the Name of Christ rather then all the pleasures upon earth or all our former zealous professions and practices in Religion without the power and spirit of God which the world yet lives in And while waiting upon the Lord in silence as often we did for many hours together with our mindes and hearts toward him being stayed in the Light of Christ within us from all thoughts fleshly motions and desires in our diligent waiting and feare of his Name and hearkning to
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