the dreadfull and mighty day of the Lord is come and coming upon you all unawares as a Theefe in the night and though ye are saying peace and safety sudden and eternal destruction as a whirlwind will come upon you except ye repent and in particular upon you O ye Inhabitants of Bathe who are a shelter for all wickedness pride and wantonness fulness of Bread and all uncleanness abound amongst you ye are seen as Sodom and Gomorrah the Lord will stain your pride and glory and the righteous judgements of the Lord will be heavy upon you your blessings which ye have turned into lasciviousness lusts and uncleanness are corrupted and accursed and the day hasteneth that all that fear the living God will not seek unto them but our waters shall be a wallowing place for Swine and the wild Beasts of the field and the Sword of the Lord will be upon the arm and the right eye of your Idol Shepheards and false prophets Zack 11.17 Their right eye will utterly be darkened and their arm clean dryed up and some of you shall wander up and down with your earthen vessels to seek water and this is the plague the Lord will smite you with who are persecutors of his annointed ones Amos 8.12 Your flesh shall consume away while ye stand upon your feet your eyes shall consume in their holes and your tongues consume away in your mouths Zack 14.12 nothing of this shall fail the mouth of the Lord of Hosts hath spoken it at a time appointed it will speak and not lye and if in the day of the Lord they shall be cast into everlasting fire that did not visit the least of Christs little-ones in prison What shall ye do that cast them in and will not suffer them that do come to visit them to come at them Witness to this against thee Matthew Cliffe Anne Blacklin c. whose testimonies will stand against thee for ever and also against thee Iohn Bigg shall witness Nicholus Jordan Iohn Dowel Nathaniel Milner and Sara Bennet of Bristol in the year 1655. with several others for at that time the said N. Iordan coming up the street of Bathe a little after his Wife and my other Friends there came two young men Samuel Whitehead and George Sprat with a cord and interwinding N. Iordan in the cord struck up his heels and he fell upon the hard stones ready to break his bones he being at that time but a weak man in body and when he appealed to thee Iohn Bigg no redress he had so thou didst plainly manifest thy self to bear the Sword in vain who lettest the evill-doer go free Upon the 26. day of the Fourth month called Iune last past there being the servants of the Lord met together in the hired house and ground of Thomas Dyer and as they were peaceably and quietly waiting and hearing the Word of the Lord from his servants Tho. Salthouse Miles Halhead the bruit people gathered about the place where they were hallowing and yawling like wild Beasts throwing stones and dirt as though they would have murthered the peaceable people of the Lord and sorely hurt Tho. Salthouse in the head with a stone while he was speaking the Word of the Lord freely in love to their Souls and when those Friends passed away from the Meeting the brutish people followed them in the street throwing stones and dirt at them as though they had been wild mad whooping and yawling and beating of a Drum and this is the fruits of your Government and yet ye say to us Let every Soul be subject to the higher power and a little before ye Rulers of Bathe cast me into prison I was passing peaceably with two of my Friends T. H. and R. S. down your streets none of us giving any offence in word or action at that time a multitude of your brutish people fell upon us and were like to murther us we being all at that time exceeding weak in our bodies and thou Robert Allen who art above forty years of Age thou shouldest have had more wit and reason than to have given such an evill example to the younger as thou didst in beating me the Lord forgive Thee and not lay it to thy charge And I have been very sick in your prison so that my very flesh consumed away and my bones were corrupted and ye visited me not and when I have been hungry those whom the Lord had sent to bring me meat ye have severaltimes been ready to murther them which was my Wife Iohn Evans her Brother and his Wife and Daughter and Tho. Hawkins one of them was once sore wounded and the Bruits being asked why they did so they answered that Iohn Bigg the Mayor that then was bad them beat my Friends out of Town because they were Quakers These unjust actions will light heavy on you which are called Justices and Magistrates who ought to be a terror to such evill-doers and keepers of the peace and protectors of the Innocent for else ye bear the Sword in vain and the Sword of the Lord will be turned against you who is the Higher Power and unto him your Souls ought to be subject And ye that are Rulers of Families ought to be examples in Righteousness Moderation and Meekness of Life to your Servants and Children and to admonish and nurture them up in the fear of the Lord and to correct them for abusing and mocking such as do neither you nor them any harm But O ye Inhabitants of Bathe what evill examples do ye give one to another both Magistrates Priests and People in Swearing Lying Drunkenness buying one another at Law and living in all manner of uncleanness your Children running up and down streets whooping and yawling like wild Bruits mocking and abusing strangers which doth testifie what breeding and manners their Parents have brought them up in which neither fear God nor regard man and yet some of them are called Centlemens Children but they are but Gentiles Children which know not God for surely were there either Parents Magistrates or Ministers that did truly fear the living God their Children would bring forth some better Fruits but it is like Priests like People Oh that ye Persecutors of the Lords people knew the thing that belongs to your peace before it be held from your eyes and your houses left desolate and that thing is Christ Jesus the light of the world in which did ye believe in truth and follow it would lead you into the good manners and out of the evill communication and lead you to live a righteous holy life without which none shall see the Lord and to do unto all men as ye would that they should do unto you and that is good Religion Oh that ye knew the day of your Visitation and that there were hearts in you truly to fear the Lord and that ye rightly considered of your latter-end before that day of wrath come upon you wherein your Souls
and the abomination that maketh desolation c. And although David was a sinner yet when he saw his sin he repented and sate on the ground and made Sack-cloth his garments and prayed the Lord to blot out his sin and his iniquities and to create in him a clean heart and renew a right spirit within him which David did witness the Lord had done for him and had delivered him out of all his trouble and said I will praise the Lord for ever mark because he hath done it c. Ps 51.9 10 52.9.54.7 And although Paul did cry out O wretched man that I am c. yet he did after witness and say the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus had made him free from the law of sin and death and over death he did triumph and thanked God that he had given him the victory over his sin through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 7.25 and 8.1 2 37. and ch 6.16 17 18. 1 Cor. 15.55 to the end This may serve to satisfie the simple and for a witness against thee Rob. Hill who falsely reportedst that I said Paul was not a Saint or born of God when he said O wretched man c. Thou askedst me whether he was not a sinner I answered that he that was born of God did not commit sin c. But thou by thy consequences concludest and falsely reportedst as aforesaid Let the wise in God judge to whom I refer my self I had been silent herein knowing it is honourable to cease from strife had I not been told of it by several people since I came into prison for it is near two years ago that the words were spoken Now let all the wise in heart judge whether or no Iob David and Paul did not witness a cleansing from their sins and iniquities and witness a perfect holy life or perfection contrary to that Doctrine of George Long and others who quote them for examples to people that they may live in sin for terme of life which is just the Doctrine of the Pope who in his ground differeth little from the Priests of England though in some particular circumstances they may for the Pope and his Jesuits and Fryars tell the people they cannot be free from sin or perfect whiles they are on earth but tell them there is a Purgatory where they must be cleansed after death for which many of them do give their whole estates to the Pope his Fryars c. to pray for their Souls after death that they may be freed of out Purgatory which they say is a place of torment and go to Heaven And hence it is through their subtilty and craft they have gotten so many Abbies c. and other yearly Revenues as they have part of which is now become their Successors to wit the Priests of England and hence was the ground to wit from the Pope of Glebes and Tythes for which the Priests of England contend so earnestly and sue men at Law c. And the Pope his Jesuits and Fryars c. say the Wafer or bread is Corpus Dei the Body of God and the Wine his Blood after they have consecrated it as they call it and some of the Priests of England say the same and the Pope and his Priests c. wash or sprinkle little Children and call that Baptism and they use a form of words at their Graves burying of their dead and they stand praying in the Synagogues and Pulpits and preach from a Chapter and Verse and have Parsonage-houses Gleabs and Tythes and some of them preach for hire moneys c. All which the Priests of England for the greatest part of them do the like and against such dumb greedy Doggs who could never have enough but preach for their gain from their Quarters the Lord sent Isaiah to cry Isa 56.10 11. and against such the Lord sent Jerimiah to cry which did commit the horrible thing in the Land the Prophets prophecying falsely and the Priests bearing rule by their means and the people did love to have it so as ye people of England do but what will ye do in the end thereof ye shall lye down in sorrow Isa 5.30 31. Isa 50.11 and against such the Lord sent Ezekiel to cry who did make a prey of the prople and destroyed Souls for dishonest gain Ezek. 34.3 4. and 27.4 And against such the Lord sent Micah to cry which did preach for hire and divine for money as your Priests and Divines do Micah 3.10 11. And Christ said ye shall know them by they fruits and against such Christ Jesus cryed who stood praying in the Synagogues and were called of men Master and had the chief Seats in the Assemblies and the uppermost rooms at Feasts Mat. 23.6 7. Now all people who have been learning the way of truth from your priests some 20 30 40 years some more some less and have given them great Gifts and Rewards and yet ye are as ignorant of the true way to eternal life as ye were the first time you went to hear them and look with a single eye on your Priests and see what difference there is between their Doctrine and that of the Popes Therefore be ye warned of them all people before the terrible day of the Lord come upon you and consume you as stubble for in that day the wicked shall be as stubble which is come and coming and with the Rod of his mouth will he smite the earth and with the breath of his lips will he slay the wicked therefore while ye have time prize it and repent for though there be a righteous holy life to be attained through Christ Jesus Isa 4.4 whose blood cleanseth from all sin yet those whom he doth redeem by his Spirit of burnings and of judgement from sin Rom. â— 6 he doth redeem them henceforth not to live in sin but unto him which dyed and rose again he that hath an ear to hear 2 Cor. 5.15 can hear to serve him mark in newness of life and if ever any of you come to witness a perfect holy life either Priest or People in any measure ye must come to witness a real not feigned forsaking of your evil wayes and a daily dying and crucifying of that life that now liveth in you with all its lusts and affections Gal. 5.24.25 16. Rom 6.4 And the life that ye have slâ—ne whiles ye have nourished your hearts as in the day of slaughter to be raised by the power and glory of the Lord God even as Jesus was raised from the dead c. And therefore your saying ye hope ye shall be saved from your sins and ye believe Christ dyed for your sins and by faith in Christ ye shall be saved c. It is not your speaking those words and living in sin will serve your turns for Christ is come and coming to give to every one according as their works shall be And therefore that beliefe that doth
over-head into the room where I was because I gave notice to the Keeper and did not give my consent for him to break the rest of the prison when he was put up again he threw down his piss or Urine several times over the place where my bed was that it might run down upon it Upon the 17 day of the said Ninth Month came Anne Blacklin and several other Friends with her to visit me and desired the Keeper that they might come into prison to me but his answer was that the Mayor had commanded not to suffer any to come in except my Wife so Anne Blacklin and those other Friends went to Matthew Cliffe the called Mayor and desired him that they might be permitted to come into the prison to me but he told her she should not come in to me nor see my face for he said I had abused their Minister and was a Railer then she bad him send for me before his face and convince me of evill or being a Rayler but that he refused to do and said he would send for me the next Sessions and then if I did not what he did require of me he would send me to Bridewel and so he rudely and unbecoming a Magistrate to so evill entreat a stranger and give such an evill example thrust her and her Friends out of his house and would not suffer them to come into prison to me though she told him she came a purpose from Bristol to visit me and in a few dayes after came Iames Travers and Iohn Wickham to Bathe and desired the Keeper to let them into the prison to me but the Keeper or his Wife told Iohn Wickham that the Mayor had charged them not to let in any but my Wife for if they did he would take away the keyes from them and Iames Stirredge and Iames Travers went to Matthew Cliffe Mayor to know of him what Law he had to keep me so close prisoner he told them he had a Law but shewed them none and would not suffer them to come into prison neither would he give leave to any that ever asked him to come in to visit me to come in And whereas thou Matthew Cliffe and ye Iohn Boyce and Iohn Biggs who were Mayors before him with others of your company do accuse me for Railing Railing I do deny and do not use or bring railing accusations against any man and so that slander I do return back again on your own heads who are the false Accusers and in the nature of Railers Did I rail at thee Iohn Boyce and thee Matthew Cliff and the rest of your company on the 5. day of the Ninth month 1655. when ye passed in pride and pomp with your pipes sounding before you through the gate to Thomas Scrines house to feast where ye feasted and enflamed your selves with Wine and strong Drink without the fear of the Lord I say unto you Did I rail to tell you as it was it was in the dayes of Noah so shall it be and is in this the day of the coming of the Son of Man They eat saith Christ they drank c. bid you repent with a lamentation over you mind the light of Christ in you which shewed you sin and evill and reproved you for it for that was your Teacher for your Teachers without you have deceived you and I said and now affirm again that the Lord will stain your pride and glory and this I was moved of the living God to speak unto you for which ye caused me to be shut into the inner prison before ye came back and used me so uncivil and brutish that night at your Sessions as I said before And did I rail at thee Matthew Cliffe the 9. day of the Ninth Month 1655. because I asked thee as thou passedst through the gate when thou wouldst fear the living God and do Justice Or did I rail at thee the 16. day of that month I being moved of the Lord to go out into the outward prison the inner prison door being but a very little while before left open which I believe was the mind of the Lord so to have it and immediatly thou passedst by with thy Mace before thee to the Idol Temple and the Word of the Lord came unto me saying say unto Matthew Cliffe Thus saith the Lord God of hosts Except thou repent and meet me the living God by Repentance I will cut thy life off from the earth and thou shalt go down to thy Grave in sorrow and when thou art on thy bed of Torment remember how thou sleightedst the day of thy Visitation and this was the Word of the Lord unto thee The light of Christ in thy Conscience and in all your Consciences shall eternally witness me to be true and this was the substance of whatever I spake to any of you as aforesaid which for the clearing of Truth and my Innocency and taking off of your reproach I was pressed in my spirit to send forth this as a testimony against you for it is no more than what is contained in the holy Scripture of truth and let the wise in God judge And I say unto you as Eliah said to Ahab who are in Authority from the greatest Prince to the least of you all that ye are they that disturb and trouble the Nations in that ye do not keep the peace which ye ought to do but suffer the Lords servants whom he hath sent unto you to preach his everlasting Gospel freely and to fore warn you of his great and mighty day that is come and coming upon you all and of his great wrath and fierce indignation that he will assuredly pour forth upon you except you speedily repent to be beaten with sticks and stones dirted whipped stocked and to be cast into prison and there to perish by long and sore unjust imprisonment and ye are those that have itching ears heaping up to your selves Teachers to wit your hireling Priests which prophesie falsely and divine for money and speak peace to the wicked which put into their mouths and against them that do not they prepare war And so ye are those that do hold up the horrible filthy thing in the Land and cannot endure sound Doctrine but are making havock of the servants of the most high God and ye do plainly manifest your selves to be such Princes as the Prophet Ezekiel called Ravening Wolves which made it their prey to shed blood c. Ezek. 22.27 And to tell you plainly from the Spirit of the living God what ye are is no railing but the day will come ye will confess it to be more honesty and faithfulness in them that so do from the Spirit of the Lord than it is in them that preach peace to the Wicked So my grievous and unjust oppressions I have received from these unreasonable men I leave to the Lord and all that fear his Name to judge thereof Oh! all ye Inhabitants of the Earth
will have no pleasure which is reserved for the Wicked Perditions and ungodly ones then ye shall confess him which now ye call a natural light to be supernatural when he will fit in your Conscience as a Refiners fire and as an Oven that burneth when your breath as a fire is consuming you being kindled by the Spirit of burnings and of judgement from the Lord God but did ye love and follow the light which Christ hath enlightened you withall it would lead you out of that great indignation which will assuredly come upon you except ye do repent But if ye do rebelliously reject the day of your visitation and salvation proffered unto you remember when ye are in the pit ye were fore-warned of it and this is love to your Souls and I do beseech the Lord to forgive this great evill ye have done against me who am the least of his servants Lord lay it not to their charge for they know not what they have done To the light of Christ in all your Consciences I speak which shall eternally witness me to be true and answer your Condemnation to be just if ye rebell against the light T. M. THE DECEIT AND ENMITY OF THE PRIESTS Manifested And the Doctrine of PERFECTION by them denyed as Popish witnessed by the Scriptures to be the Doctrine of Christ his Prophets and Ministers And the POPE with his Priests and Friars and the Priests of England proved to differ nothing in ground and nature one from the other WHEREIN Is also an Exhortation to all People to Examine themselves whether they have the true Faith and Hope and Belief with their Effects and Operations as they are in Jesus LIKEWISE XX. QUERIES Propounded to George Long High Priest of Bathe and Priest Sangers of London by them to be answered in Print or Writing Hos 6 8. As troops of robbers watch for a man so the company of Priests murther in the way by consent And Christ said False Prophets and false Christs shall arîse ye shall know them by their fruits they shall cry Lo here and lo there believe them not nor go not forth for the kingdom of God is within you And Christ is in you except you be reprobates LONDON Printed in the Year 1659. THE Deceit and Enmity OF THE PRIESTS MANIFESTED YE Priests oppression and injustice are the fruits of your Ministry the controversie of the Lord is great against you and of you will the Lord require all the Souls that perish under your Ministry for ye have only sought your own gain and ease and have not sought that which hath been lost neither have ye brought again that which hath been driven away nor bound up that which hath been broken nor healed that which hath been sick but with force and cruelty do ye rule speaking peace to them that put into your mouths and they that do not against them ye prepare War to wit go to law and take away their Good by force ye are those that are establishing the Vision Dan. 11.14 robbing the people and exalting your selves but at the time appointed ye shall fall and never rise again the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it but first ye will do wickedly and by reason of them that forsake the holy Covenant Woe unto them by you and your deceit and flattery will the holy people deeply suffer and by the rest of your Sects and the abomination that maketh desolation will yet be exalted Woe unto you I am the light of the world saith Christ that lighteth every man that cometh into the world and that Christ said They shall hale you out of their Synagogues and ye shall be brought before Magistrates and Rulers for my names sake and they shall scourge you and cast you into prison and ye shall have tribulation ten dayes that ye may be tryed he that endures to the and stall be saved and shall have a Crown of glory And if they kill you mark they shrit think they do God good service This is fulfilling by you Priests in particular by you George Long and Priest Sangers of London for by your Ministry causing have I been haled out of the Synagogue and cast into prison and haled before Magistrates And Moreover thou George Long â—ouldest have the blood of me and my innocent Friends to quenâ—h thy blood thirsty mind for thou saidst near the 23 day of the 5 month last in Iohn Biggs house where ye Priests and Magistrates were feasting and feeding without the fear of the Lord thou wouldest have three or four Quakers hanged for an example William Russel asked thee wherefore but thou couldst give no just account now let all that fear the Lord judge whether thou art not a murtherer and blood-thirsty hater of the upright Prov. 29. And as troops of robbers wait in the way for a man so the company of Priests murther by consent and no murtherer hath eternal life abiding in him 1 Ioh. 3.15 and when ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you saith the Lord God and though ye make many prayers I will not hear you for your hand are full of blood Isa 1.15 The Lord is against you and will not appear among you except it be in his fierce wrath and indignation The light of Christ in you shall witness this to be truth of which thou George Long scornfully asked if it were the light of a candle we spake of to be within us to which thus saith the Lord God That in the day thou shalt run to hide thy self in thy secret chamber of imaginary and vain hope in which thou hast consulted with the lying spirits of Divination and Witchcraft and I that am the dreadful God there meet thee except thou Repent with my spirit of wrath and indignation even in burning flames of fire then shall the scorner be consumed and then thou shalt confess that I am not a natural light saith the Lord God And when thou George Long wentest to the house of T. C. to demand hire of him which never set thee a work nor made any condition with thee neither will he buy thy Babylonish stuff but did to thy face deny thee to be a Minister of Christ neither dost thou abide in his Doctrine but are a Swearer and forcer of others so to do contrary to the command of Christ and his Ministers who say Swear not at all by any Oath Mat. 5.34 James 5.12 Witness to this the men of Witcombes Parish whom thou compelledst to swear and at that time when thou wast at T.C. his house and his Wife charged thee for thy lye and false report against the innocent thou badst her and the rest if it were a lye take it and make sport with it Now all people that love your Souls take notice of George Long who is a reporter of lyes and bids others take them and make sport with them so he doth plainly manifest himself to be one of those false Prophets that Christ
said should come in the last dayes of whom saith Christ Ye shall know them by their fruits Mat. 7.20 And these are the fruits of the false Prophets to wit sporting themselves with their own deceivings mark ye that are makers of Feasts with your Priests while they feast with you having eyes full of Adultery and that cannot cease from sin take notice beguiling unstable souls an heart they have exercised with covetous practises mark cursed children which have forsaken the right way of the Lord and are gone astray following the way of Balaam who loved gifts and rewards as ye Priests do the wages of unrighteousness 2 Pet. 2. from verse 1. to 15 from the 10 Verse of Jude to the 19. And in those two Chapters ye may read a true discovery of the Priest and false Prophets And thou George Long saidst at the time aforesaid to T.C. that the Quakers preach the Doctrine of the Pope to wit Perfection Now whether the Doctrine of Perfection be a Doctrine of the Pope or false let the light of Christ in all judge for the blessed God his servants and Prophets and Christ Jesus and his Ministers preached the Doctrine of Perfection the Lord said to Abraham Walk before me and be thou perfect Gen. 17.1 And Moses his servant preached perfection and said Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God and not follow them that use Divination c. Deut. 18.11 12 13. David preached Perfection 1 Chro. 28.9 and said Know thou the God of thy Fathers and serve him with a perfect heart Hezekiah did witness he had walked before the Lord in truth and with a perfect heart and had done that which was good in his sight 2 Kings 20.3 And Solomon preached Perfection and said 1 Kings 18.61 Let your heart be perfect with the Lord our God to walk in his Statutes and keep his Commandements and Prov. 11.5 The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way mark George Long but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness And Isaiah that holy Prophet preached Perfection saying Thou wilt keep them in perfect peace whose minds are staid on thee Isai 26 3 4. And the Lord Jesus the everlasting Covenant of God preached Perfection saying Be ye perfect even as your Heavenly Father is perfect Mat. 5.48 And Paul his Minister preached Perfection not with enticing words of mans wisdom but in the demonstration power and Spirit of the Lord howbeit he preached wisdom amongst them mark that were perfect and therein did Paul strive and labour according to the mighty workings of the Lord in him mark to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus and therefore having these promises saith Paul see what the promises were 2 Cor. 6.3 last verses Let us cleanse our selves take notice ye that say that man cannot be free from sin on earth from all filthiness of flâ—sh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord and he said they were not come to the Mount that might be touched but ye are come unto Mnunt Syon and unto the City of the living God Heavenly Ierusalâ—m and to an innumerable company of Angels to the general assembly and Church of the first-born which are written in Heaven and to God the Judge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect And Epaphras a servant of Christ laboured fervently in prayers that they might stand perfect and compleat Read these Scriptures 1 Cor. 2.4 5 6. 2 Cor. 7.1 Col. 1.28 Heb. 12.18 to 23. Col. 4.12 Heb. 6.1 John 17.23 1 Iohn 4.12 17 18. Now let all that fear the Lord judge whether the Doctrine of Perfection be a Doctrine of the Pope yea or nay or whether G. Long which denies the Doctrine of Perfection doth not deny the Doctrine of Christ and so is an Antichrist 2 Iohn 9. and tells the people they cannot be freed from sin while they are on earth and yet saith if they have Faith to believe that Christ dyed for their sins they shall be saved and so applies the Promises to that nature which the judgements of the Lord are to preaching peace to the wicked to whom God hath said There is no peace and to confirm this Doctrine of imperfection tells people that Paul was a sinner and David was a sinner and that Iob was not a perfect man witness to this against thee George Long Francis Stokes of London to whom thou saidst when I sent by him to thee a few Queries which thou never yet answeredst which I shall send some of them once more with some others unto thee and Priest Sangers at that time thou saidst Iob was not a perfect man and so thou blasphemously chargedst God to be a lyar which said Satan hast thou considered my servant Iob that there is none like him in the earth a perfect man one that feareth God and escheweth evill Iob 1.8 Therefore thou George Long hast spoken wickedly against God Thou thinkest that he is altogether such a one as thy self but he is a pure and holy God and hath reproved thee through me the least of his servants and set thy sins in order before thee as Psalm 50.21 for although Iob said in the anguish and bitterness of his soul and spirit that mark if I should just fie my self my own mouth would condemn me if I say I am perfect it would prove me perverse yet the Lord said Iob was a perfect man and the Word of the Lord is true Iob said he was as one desperate and did confess his words to be as wind ch 6.26 for he was not suffered to fetch his breath by reason of the anguish and bitterness of his Soul and he desired the Lord to take his hand and dread off him And in all this Iob sinned not with his lips Iob 2.10 And Iob said My face is foul with weeping and on my eye-lids is the shadow of death mark not for any injustice in mine hands for all my prayers are pure and he said My Righteousness I hold fast and will not let go my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live here Iob did confess his perfect holy life Job 16.16 and 27.6 And the Lord said again chap. 2. Satan hast thou considered my servant Job that there is none like him in all the earth c. and still he holdeth fast his integrity although thou hast moved me against him to destrâ—â— him mark without a cause Iob was a perfect man and none spake of me the things that were right like my servant Job saith the Lord God Almighty Iob 42.7 And therefore thou George Long art a forger of lyes who saidst Iob was not a perfect man Thou art a Physitian of no value and the wrath of God is kindled against thee and all you wicked ones who are searching for the sin and failings of the holy Fathers of old thereby thinking to keep people in sin for terme of life and also to hold up the horrible filthy thing in the Land
not lead you out of sin and evil and to live a truly righteous holy life it is the belief of Devils for the Devils believe and tremble Iam. 2.19 Therefore saith Christ who is the light of the world Ioh. 8.12 Ioh. 12.46 that lighteth every one that cometh into the world that whosoever believeth mark and understand aright and followeth shall not abide in darkness but shall have the light of life God is light and in him is no darkness If ye say ye believe in the light and walk in darkness sin and evil ye are lyers and the truth is not in you 1 Iohn 1.5 6. 1 Ioh. 3.3 And that hope that is not purifying your hearts even as he is pure is the hope of the hypocrite and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish And that faith which doth not give you victory over sin and the world Ia. 2.10.26 which is in your hearts out of which proceedeth evil thoughts adulteries murders thefts covetousness pride deceit and all manner of wicked uncleanness that faith is a dead faith for whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world and that is your victory over the world even your faith 1 Joh. 5.4 Now in the light of Christ in you all Judge whether ye have this true hope faith and belief with their effects and operations as they are in Jesus ye or nay For though Moses did tell the children of Israel of a land of rest which was truth yet after the Lord by his power delivered them from the oppressions of Pharaoh and his Task-masters and brought them through the Sea delivered them from their enemies that pursued them and from many other enemies in their travels and lead them through Wildernesses and through a great and terrible Wilderness wherein were Scorpions and fiery Serpents drought no water Deut 8.15 Yet I say many for their rebellion disobedience and hardness of heart and unbelief entred not into that land of rest but dyed in the Wilderness but the faithful and obedient did enter into the land of promise I have transferred this unto you as a figure if ye can receive it do Now all these things happened unto them for examples And they are written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come These following are the Queries I send to you Georg Long and Priest Sangers of London which I do require you to answer by plain Scripture which if ye do the false Prophets and Anti-christs and Deceivers will be discovered and the truth cleared from salshood Querie 1. Whether ever any of Christs Ministers were persecutors or casters into prison for speaking in their Church it being their order and manner that if any thing was revealed to him that stood by the first should hold his peace 1 Cor. 14.30 Querie 2. Whether ever any Minister of Christ did abide in one place seven or eight years or their life time in a parsonage house or preach for 40. 50. 60. or 100. or more or less by the year yea or nay Mat. 28.19 Querie 3. Whether Christs Ministry be not now the same as ever both for matter manner and Maintenance If ye say nay prove when it was changed Mat. 10.8 Querie 4. Whether it were not the chief Priests with Pilate and the rest that killed Iesus hanged him on a tree and wrote letters of Greek and Hebrew over his head which ye call your Original tongues And whether they did not profess themselves to be Abrahams seed and Moses disciples and as seemingly zealous as ye priests of England do who are crucifying of him a fresh persecuting and killing his witnesses under pretence of blaspheming as your fathers did the just one aforsaid answer this Querie in plainness Mat. 26.56.57 Luke 23.38 Querie 5. Whether Christ be not the light of the world and lighteth every one that cometh into the world And whether that light that lighteth every one that cometh into the world be not safficient to lead unto eternal Salvation all that believe and follow it John 8.12 Isa 46.7 Heb 5.8 9. Querie 6. What is the first principle of true Christian Religion Querie 7. What and where is that key of knowledg which being taken away the kingdome of God is shut from men And how did the blind Guids take away the key of knowledg Luke 11.52 Querie 8. What is that that checketh for sin and evil in the conscience if it be not the light of Christ seeing that man by nature is the child of wrath and at enmity against God in him dwels no good thing But that is good in man though not of man that shews the evil in man and that is light that shews the darkness therefore not natural nor of nature Eph 5.13 ch 2. 3. Rom 7.18 and ch 8.7 Querie 9. What is the one Baptisme and how may one know he is baptized into that one baptisme Eph 4.5 Querie 10. Whether ever Christ Jesus or his Ministers did wash or sprinkle little children calling it Baptisme Or whether ever they did use that Popish form speaking the words of Iob or any other Scripture at the grave Or whether Christ or his ministers did sing Davids prayers and prophesies in meetre yea or nay Querie 11. What and where is that everlasting covenant the Lord said he would make with his people And what is the seal of the Covenant And what is that annointing of which Iohn said to the Church ye have received of him and abides in you and ye need not that any man teach you Ier 32.40 1 Iohn 2.27 Querie 12. Seeing the Scriptures say ye shall be all taught of God Whether any may expect it in these dayes And whether the teachings of God in spirit by his eternal spirit and by his law written in the inward parts be not sufficient to lead unto everlasting life or salvation to all that believe and follow it without your teachings from your sensual wisdom which is from beneath ye or nay Querie 13. Whether they are not false Prophets Deceivers and of the Devil who through covetousness make marchandize of the people And are crying so here is Christ 〈…〉 there he is and by feigned words and fine speches deceive the hearts of the simple 2 Pet. 21.2.3 Rom 16.18 Querie 14. What is the cross of Christ what is it a Cross to And whether ye are not enemies to the Cross of Christ whose God is your belly whose glory is your shame and who mind earthly things Phil 3.18.19 Querie 15. What is it in man that ye minister unto And from what do ye minster Querie 16. Whether the Scriptures the declaration of the Prophets Christ and his Apostles be that living word of God that liveth and abideth for ever 1 Pet 1.23 Querie 17. What and where is that way of holiness which the unclean shall not pass over but it shall be for those the wafering men who though fools shall not err therein no ravenous Beasts Lyons whelps or