have better preserved your flocks Should not you have fed them with living food Should not you have been examples of righteousness and truth unto them And should not you have nourished them with knowledge and understanding But because the Shepherds have been lazy and idle and fed themselves and not their flocks but the Shepherds have ruled over their flocks with force and cruelty and their Ministry and Preaching hath been a very burden and oppression upon the people and therefore it is that their flocks are divided into many Sects and separations and great confusions is in your Assemblies and among you even the sin of the people in some measure will be charged upon you their Teachers whole flocks are run into errors and Atheisme and despise wholesome doctrine and are out of true order and Church-discipline even in the traditions of men Therefore oh that you Ministers would consider and that you would learn more wisdome and that your people would come to receive the Spirit of the Lord into their hearts whereby they may be led into all truth and into the Covenant of God where there is no unbelief ignorance prophanenesse no confusion but peace love and unity altogether and if you and they did come into this you might be happy and the judgments of the Lord would be removed Now I come to some particulars which you do promise for your selves First That you will use all holy endeavours to keep God and his Truth among you Secondly That you will be more diligent in watching over your flocks Thirdly That you shall endeavour the establishment of your Congregations against Popish delusions To all which I answer You must first make clean your own hearts and you must first repent of your own iniquities before you can heal others and you must first learn obedience to God in your own hearts before you can truly instruct others therein And indeed there is need enough for you to mourn before the Lord and to fast and to confess your sins as you say for the Lord has been long departed from you and his presence from your Assemblies and that is the cause of deadnesse and drinesse and barrennesse among the people because Gods presence is wanting among you and you had indeed need to be more diligent in watching over your flocks for you have been negligent therein and have fed your selves and not them and you have sought theirs and not them it s partly evident and it is time for you now to amend and to put away the evil of your doings but first before you dispence the word to others you must feel the word in your own hearts to be as a fire and as a hammer in you and you must know another Foundation for Ministers than you have long stood upon even the Lord Iesus Christ must be your Foundation and you must cease to preach for hire and to divine for money and then should it be better with you and your flocks would have comfort in you if you had received freely from the Lord and ministred freely to them but while you do it for ends to your selves they can have no good hopes nor confidence in you And whereas you exhort your Congregations in divers particulars First to take heed of false teachers trying their spirits and holding fast that which is good especially to beware of Popish insinuations say you c. Answ. Your Exhortation is good in it self but you should have demonstrated more plainly how false teachers should be known conparing their fruits now with what they were in the daies of old when the Scriptures were written and that had been a good way to have discovered false teachers that sixteenth of Matthew mentioned by you bids them beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Christ said they were such as was called of men Master stood praying in the Synagogues loved uppermost rooms at feasts went in long robes and of such Christ bids beware and of such now the people in London are to beware where ever they are for such as do these things are in the steps of the Scribes and Pharisees which Christ cried Woe against and the true Prophets cried against such in their daies as preached for hire and that sought for their gain from their quarter and such you ought to cry against now as seek for their gain from their quarter except the guilt of these things in your selves stops your mouths from crying against them in others and the Apostles cried against such as went for gifts and rewards such as taught for filthy lucre and such as made merchandize of people for gain for themselves such the Apostles and Christ declared against and such you ought to declare against but the people of your Congregations may say who are such now and where are they that I leave to their consciences to judge who it is and where they are now and whether there be any of them in this City now and in the Nation that are called of men Master and love uppermost rooms at feasts and that preacheth for hire and money for gifts and rewards seeks for their gain from their quarter teacheth for filthy lucre and gain who are found in these things now such are false teachers who ought to be taken heed of I shall not now say it is any of you but I shall leave it to you and to your peoples consciences to whom your Exhortation is and as I have said before let all Popish inventions and Popery be first cast out of this Nation and then if you joyn with us against it through the Spirit of the Lord we will endeavour the keeping of it out and that it shall no more enter in amongst us into this Nation And you say that your knowledge here and all other graces here are imperfect to which I say then you are imperfect Saints imperfect Ministers But what do you mean by here I suppose that you mean upon earth now there are none of the Graces of God that are imperfect but the Grace of God is perfect in it self and the Spirit of God is perfect and every gift of God is perfect as saith the Scriptures Now that you should say the Graces of God are imperfect this is error even abominable error and you shew unsoundnesse in Judgement even in the things of God and hath belied the Graces and Gifts of God which in their least measure are perfect And thus I have looked over your Exhortation and thus I have returned to you again not but that I know it is the duty of Christs Ministers to exhort their flocks and that exhortation in it self is good but when I find where lies and false accusations are against the Quakers whom I dearly love and own upon that account and not otherwise have I engaged with you and what I have done it is not rendering evil for evil but rather to reprove your evil and to undeceive your Congregations who might otherwise take all for true that
you have said if it were not reproved Again you exhort your Congregations that they manifest sincerity not only by hatred of error but by a love of the truth c. Answ. Sincerity of heart is indeed precious especially where the Spirit of the Lord is the rule of Judgement and doth mannage that sincerity but where a false spirit rules in the judgement the sincerity is often betrayed into a zeal against the truth and against the wayes of the Lord rather than otherwise and thus it was with the Iewes whose sincerity through their error of judgement was turned into zeal and bitternesse against Christ And thus it is to be feared it is with many in your Congregations who may have a zeal without knowledge and be short of true discerning between what is truth and what is error I speak not this of all but of some for it s no small thing to discern between truth and error especially in this day wherein there are so many wayes and professions of Church-Ministry and Worship and yet all professing the Scriptures are their Rule of Faith worship and practise and seeing that all Sects do professe proof from Scripture for what they hold forth what ground have the people to believe you more than others or others more than you for where people receives Doctrine or Religion by report from others without the evidence of the Spirit of God in their own hearts this is not receiving of the truth unto eternal life wherefore I exhort your Congregations that every one amongst them may wait upon the Lord to have a feeling and discerning in their own hearts and that each one may be led and taught of the Spirit of God which leads into all truth that they may deny all false Ministers and false worships and may worship God in Spirit and Truth through the ministration of his own Spirit in their hearts and consciences and thereby will they discern between truth and error and will love the one and hate the other Thirdly You exhort That they keep themselves unspotted from the prevailing corruptions of these back-sliding times c. Answ. Concerning the times many are ignorant but this is certain at the present time wherein we are is the Lord disquieting of men and its the latter daies of Antichrists Reign and Government that hath been in full power and authority for many generations and Babylon that great City her ruine is threatned because of her abominations that have been many and great for the whole earth hath been corrupted as it s written and now the Call of the Lord is that every man come out of Babylon and deliver himself that he may not partake of their plagues and happy are they that are made clean and unspotted from her sins that they may not be found covered with her garments for the day of the Lord is come and coming upon Babilon and all back-sliders from God and his wayes Now Babilon is that great City which hath ruled over the Kings of the earth and in her hath the blood of Souls and of all just men been found Fourthly You exhort to endeavour a healing of those sad breaches and divisions which have been amongst you c. Answ. Now the sad breaches and divisions which is indeed at present in this Nation cannot be healed but as the cause and ground thereof be removed which is the sins of Rulers Teachers and People and this is the cause wherefore the Lord hath brought distraction amongst them Oh what ambition and self-seeking hath been among the Rulers What judging for gifts and rewards what neglect of Mercy and Judgement amongst them And oh how have they oppressed the poor and trodden down the needy and because hereof is the righteous God vexed And oh what covetousness and greediness of gaine are the teachers guilty of How do they preach for hire and divine for money How have they unreasonably caused men to be imprisoned and their goods to be spoiled for wages and tythes and hire Oh how hath covetousnesse and idolatry and superstition abounded amongst the Teachers in this Nation Oh abominable hath been their sins their oppressions and self-seekings and because of these things hath the Lord brought distractions amongst people and the sins of Rulers and People cries for vengeance from the Lord and till these iniquities be removed by repentance and forsaken the fruit and effect thereof shall never cease but breach upon breach will the Lord make till the Rulers and Priests repent them of their iniquities Gods hand will be upon them both in Judgement and for their sakes that divine for money and preach for hire and judge for rewards Will the Lord make the Nation as heaps and as a ploughed field Therefore let all people repent of their iniquities and return to the light of Christ in their own consciences and become followers of the Lamb and this is the perfect way of healing of all breaches inwardly and outwardly Fifthly You exhort to be diligent in the spiritual and conscientious performances of family duties c. Answ. Men must first be awakened and enlivened unto God before they can act for God in holy duties and as for duties performed in pretence unto God traditionally and without the teachings of the the Spirit of God is but idolatry and the Nation is weary of such a Religion which they have received and held traditionally for thereby the Soul immortal cannot be nourished unto eternal life and while you teach duties towards God by that rule while you teach praying singing repeating catechising by tradition and imitation without the leadings of the Spirit of Christ in them you do but teach idolatry as long hath been taught in the Christian Nations the doing and performing such and such things as Christian duties and practises and the forcing and compelling of doing such things upon people in the unregenerate state and unconverted nature this Religion and such performances of duties have been of Babilon and of Antichrist and a cheat upon peoples Souls whereby many have been murdered and slain in that great City and the form of Godlinesse without the Power hath been practised while duties have been performed unto God without the teachings of the Spirit of God and such their consciences are blinded and the Lord abhors their Sacrifices and people must first come to feel the Word of God in their hearts to regenerate them before they can perform any acceptable thing to God and therefore do not teach people to be hypocrites do not teach them such and such performances in the corrupt nature without the teachings of the Spirit of God in their own particulars for if you do you make them but two fold more the children of the devil and such duties performed in that nature shall not cover nor hide from the Wrath of the Lord which is comming upon all hypocrites Sixthly You exhort that they would cause their children and servants to submit to Catechisings and train them up in there verence
of godly Ministry c. Answ. It may be enquired into what you mean by cause them to submit how cause them by force and imposition upon their consciences by outward external personal punishment or threats Is this your meaning Will you set up Religion by violence And must children and servants be compelled by resraint and force This is not the right way to promote Religion and the Worship of God nor to make children and servants truly religious it was the Beast that received power from the Dragon that caused all to worship both small and great children and servants and this causing to worship was in the time of the Apostacy when the true Church was fled into the Wildernesse and all the time ever since hath Nations been caused and compelled to such and such performances and practises of Religion and Worship and such causing I am jealous your meaning is whereby you would force and compell such manner of worship and practises upon people And what do you mean by godly Ministry Will you admit of just tryal according to the Scriptures whether yours be that godly Ministry or no for all sorts of Christians Papists and Protestants and all others they will say that they are in the right way and their Ministry is the godly Ministry but the fruits of many proves the contrary and we cannot believe that yours is the godly Ministry except you will prove it to us by and according to the Scriptures Now it is certain that the Ministry of the Apostles was the true godly Ministry and if yours agree with theirs then we will confesse that yours is the true godly Ministry Therefore tel us plainly Do you agree with them in your Call and in your Maintenance and in your Practises and in your Fruits and Effects in your Lives and Conversations and in your Doctrines Are you justly according to and do you agree with the Apostles in all these things Shall we lay you to the line that you may be judged This is but as a hint at things whereby you might justly be tryed for if you agree not with the Apostles in these case mentioned then it is evident that your Ministry is not the true godly Ministry but hereafter we may have a better occasion to try you And thus the principal parts of your Exhortation is answered and if you can receive it in love TO all you sixty one Teachers in London under whose hands your Exhortation passeth This I say to you in the fear of the Lord God Oh ye men consider and let it enter into your hearts the day of the Lord is at hand upon you and account of your Stewardship must you give and his reward must you have whom you have served and you must reap the fruit of what you have sown Oh look upon your flocks and see what a condition they are in Oh what pride and vain-glory is abounding amongst them Oh how doth wickedness spring forth from them Are they like unto sheep of Christs Fold Or are not they appearing outwardly Christians when as the evil nature is uncut down in them Oh what wickednesse abounds in this City What double-dealing and dissimulation What lying and swearing and drunkennesse Oh high are all the fruits of the flesh grown amongst your Flocks Your Vineyards are not dressed as they ought to be there is abundance of corrupt trees and fruitlesse branches which cumbers the ground Oh it makes the heart of the righteous sad to walk in the streets and to view the abominations that are daily brought forth by a people professing Scriptures Church Ministry and Christ Oh! it burdens the just and grieves the righteous soul to consider how high iniquity is grown among the sheep of your Pastures whom ye should have fed with knowledge and converted unto the fear of the Lord had you been messengers sent of God the very Iewes and Heathens they blaspheme against Christ through the abominations brought forth among Christians that have the name to live but are dead Oh let it enter into your hearts and smite you that your many years Ministry should have so little effect for your vineyard is like untilled ground unploughed and unbroken up Oh there is much hard-heartednesse amongst your people and their hearts goes after covetousnesse even while they professe God with their lips Oh the righteous mourns in secret to see the prophanenesse the scornings and reproaches that are brought forth in your City And oh the idolatry that abounds let it repent you that you have been so slothful and never more seek the fleece but seek the flock that 's gone astray from the Lord who is the true Shepherd whose voice hath not been obeyed and many Pastors have destroyed the Vineyard and many Shepherds have fed themselves and not the Flock Oh consider the day of the Lord is at hand and he will visit with his rod You and your Flocks prepare to meet the Lord for his Kingdome is nigh to come which will be a terrible day to all workers of iniquity And as for this your Exhortation I say as for Exhortation in it self Ministers ought to exhort their Flocks so such a thing in it self I do commend and not oppose but when I had read and seriously considered the aim and intent of your spirits in your Exhortation I found it secretly and in a measure openly opposing and striking at and secretly smiting the people of the Lord whom you have reproached by the name of Quakers who are dear to the Lord and he careth for them though you see no beauty in them but accounteth them altogether vile and in as much as you lifted up your hands against them upon that account was it upon my spirit to return something in answer for the information of many that they might be undeceived and not in envy towards any but in love to all to both you and your people and you have occasioned this upon your selves though you are reproved and not as a man of strife or contention have I proceeded but as one that desires the further manifestation of truth and that no false accusastion may rest upon it which you have secretly brought forth with which the Lord is not well pleased that you should set your selves in opposition against his people and if any of you shall receive a just reproof and repent it may prove to you an advantage of much good and be not so proud as to say in your hearts What art thou weak man that reproves us or wherefore art thou so bold thus to deal with us but rather fall under just reproof for in uprightnesse of heart have I proceeded towards you and not in mine own but in the will of the Father And oh that your Flocks would also consider among whom there are many that are zealous in their way Oh that their Zeal and Iudgements were guided by the Spirit of the Lord then should it be well with them Oh that they would be meek and humble