and slander his Servants and Messengers which so impudently dost it to him who is our Lord and Master but as for paying tribute 3. to Kings and Goverours in their places it is allowed of by Scripture which thine is not and they are set about temporall affaires and are the ordinance of God for that purpose for to Governe and Protect the people in bodily peace and quietnesse which if they neglect will be laid to their charge but thou and thy brethren pretend to spirituall affaires and therefore are to have your rule and example from Christ and his Ministers who was set about spirituall affaires the which thou canst not but would creepe into any hole to hide thy selfe and thy brethren from the light but by it are you found out and seene to be the deceivers who out of the doctrine of Christ are found and therefore not to be owned nor received And secondly thou sayst thou art no such greedy Dogge P. Ans whatsoever foul-mouthed Curs do bark to the contrary for thou sayst thou contents thy selfe with thy legall sallary which yet thou sayst is not contrary to evangelicall wherein thou hast already been proved a Lier sufficiently Here thy foul mouth thou hast opened wide who accounts the Prophet Isaiah Reply a foul mouth'd Cur who this Language first did speak unto the false Prophets in whose steps thou art found and therefore unto thee the same Language belongeth who seeks for thy gain from thy Quarters as they did and what hast thou else manifested but greediness of gain all along Isay 56. who rather then thou would yield thy error in it though thou couldst not produce one Scripture that would stand for it yet thou runnest to old Histories Records thereby to maintain it contrary to Scripture therefore with shame confusion of face might thou say thou contents thy self with thy legall sallary who hast nigh 300 l. by the yeare and yet thou wouldst have more if thou couldst get it thou art so greedy as may be well understood by thy saying that in former time that the Bishops and Pastors had not only a setled maintenance of that value but of a great deal more which is an unheard off thing in all the Scripture and therefore thy own mouth confest what greedy Dogs you Preist have bin since your beginning yet with the deceit of thy heart thou wouldst stil cover but the day doth make you manifest to be such who run and the Lord never sent you and therefore you profit not the people at all Therefore what is thy teaching and warning of the people which thou here boasts of and therefore art found one of the Dreamers and studiers and mutterers who speaks a Divination of thy own brain and not from the mouth of the Lord and so feeds the people with wind and aire therefore silence thou deceiver for going about to excuse thy selfe from these things as if thou wast more holy then thy Brethren for in so doing thy lying and hypocrisie doth but the more appear and therefore this shall serve to prove thee a lyer in all the rest of thy excuses and it is not uncharitable nor censorious to tell thee so though thou so accusest me but a lie in thy mouth is no wonder Whether ever thou laboured with thy hands to make the Gospel free and without charge Qu. 15. as Paul a Minister of the Gospel did And in thy answer thou dost not at all resolve my Querie but shufflest to and fro to hide thy selfe P. Ans and excuse thy selfe by pleading Pauls power in 1 Cor. 9.6 and saist that Christ your Master did not injoyne you so to doe which to prove thou quotes Luk. 10.7 and Deut. 25.4 and also pleades that in 2 Tim. 2.4 and also pleades a liberty by the Councells and Synods in the Church in former ages c. Yet all this doth not prove that ever thou laboured with thy hands to make the Gospel free and without charge Reply which any who reades these Scriptures may see and by thy silence in the same judge thee guilty and to be out of the Apostles practice and therefore these Scriptures will witnesse against thee which thou hast quoted for thou art not as Paul and Barnabas was neither wast called to the Ministry as they was neither preachest freely as they did neither labourest with thy hands as Paul did but onely makest a trade and a gaine of the Apostles words for thy own ends and therefore what hast thou to do to mention Christ or his Ministers who art so plainly found out of their practise or to call Christ thy Master who art thy selfe called Master and so robs him of his honour and art not in his Doctrine who saith be not ye called Masters and so art none of his and therefore hast nothing to do with that liberty which he hath given to his faithfull labourers whom he himselfe hath called into his Vineyard and as for that Scripture in Luk. 10.7 it is not against labour but for labour before thou canst have thy hire but thou would'st have it and be maintained in Idlenesse by others labours as the Clergy men as thou callest them in England are who are no Ministers of Christ who are called of men Master and so are out of his doctrine in the steps of the Pharises whom the wo is unto and therefore in this these Councels and Synods as thou call'st them in your Church in former ages have acted contrary to Scripture in ordaineing that you should not worke and labour with your hands for your selves and your families but that you should live in Pride and Idlenesse by the sweate of others browes to be maintained as you are which ordinance is not of God but of man by which you stand and how hast thou before falsly accused me for not working though I am not chargeable to the world and now thou art striveing by Scripture wresting and false applying and all the waies thou canst for to excuse thy selfe from labouring with thy handes as the Apostle did though thou and thy family are alltogether chargeable to the world All which Scriptures shall stand against thee for they all maintaine working before the benefit of the worke come to them be it spirituall or temporall for the Oxe treades not out the come without labour but what corne have you Clergy men trodden forth and what spirituall things have you sowne and what Gospel you have preached this many yeares in England doth not the fruits of your Ministry condemne you and witnesse against you to be such as run and the Lord never sent you and so the curse follows you and is upon your Ministry and therefore profits not the people at all but as drones lives upon the painefull labour of others yea though you do not labour with your hands yet who more intangles themselves in the affaires of this world then you that calls your selves Clergy men both by
Gospel and so art not to be received but held as accursed as thou art who art not ashamed to presume to say thy Gospel is the same with the Apostle's and thou doest here yeeld thy Gospell to be chargeable but this Scripture in 2 Cor. 11.8 doth not at all prove the Apostles to be chargeable Gal. 1.8.9 who saith he took wages of other Churches to do them service for it was but for his necessities it was frely communicated to him therefore no charge but now you professed Ministers instead of robbing other Churches you rob oppresse the world ruling over them by a law with force and cruelty for the which you have no Scripture rule Ezek. 34.4 but amongst the false shepherds But whom do you spare whether you do them service or nay if you can but get it either by faire meanes or foul and therefore in this thou before many other might well have laid thy hand upon thy mouth For whereas the Apostle there tooke some necessaries which was freely communicated to him by the Churches thou takes nigh three hundered poundes by the yeare of the world by a law of man and none will spare who comes within thy bounds whether thou dost them service or nay and that Christ or any of his Apostles hath not imposed it upon you that the Gospel should be altogether without charge J. 〈◊〉 14. â—4 it is true for they never intrusted you with it though for sucre sake ye have run though he never sent you and speake a divination of your braine but not from his mouth and so profit not the people at all but like ravening Wolves makes a prey upon them but your end shall be according to your workes but they that are intrusted with the Ministry of the Gospel Mat. 10.8 1 Cor. 9.16 17 18. have this charge imposed upon them As they have received freely freely to give the Apostle Paul also shewed the same example whose care was to make the Gospel free and without charge and said wo unto him if he preached not the Gospel and therefore because he would not make the Gospel chargeable he tooke necessaries of some and spared others and this was wisdom which you Earthwormes are void of and thus he that is taught in the word may communicate to him that teacheth in all good things and yet without charge he that can receive it let him the workman is worthy of his meate and in that thou taxest James Parnell Mat. 10.10 he hath not beene chargeable to thee nor to thy generation neither doth any of him complaine although thou judgest him according to thy own corrupt heart yet the answer of the just witnesse in my conscience shall be for me before the righteous Judge of all hearts when you Hirelings and false Prophets shall wish the Mountaines to cover you and the Rocks to fall upon you and hide you from his presence who will give you your reward in the lake that burneth with the beast that now upholdes you in this your wickednesse Whether thou dost hold up the first Priest-hood that tooke Tithes 9. Query or the second Priest-hood that tooke no Tithes which thou dost deny seeing thou takest Tithes And in thy Answer thou sai'st P. An. Melchizedeck whose Preist-hood was the first Priest-hood tooke Tithes and the Leviticall Priest-hood which was the second and not the first tooke Tithes also so that thou faist there is no Priest-hood mentioned in the Scripture that tooke no Tithes then thou Queries how thou or any other doth deny either of those Preist-hoods by taking Tithes which to prove thou quotes Gen. 14.20 Heb. 7.2 3 4.5 c. Here thou Serpent although thou thus twines about to cover and shelter thy deceipt Rep. under others wings it will not at all serve to prove that thereby thou dost not deny Jesus Christ come in the flesh who is the everlasting high Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedeck which is the unchangeable Priest-hood the end of the changeable which tooke Tithes and so the end of Tithes as is proved by that Scripture which thou hast quoted Heb. 7. and chap. 8.1 wherein the Apostle speaks how Abraham paid Tithes to Melchizedeck of the spoils which he got in the warr which was a free gift without either law or compulsion neither did stand for a law or rule to the generations following untill the law was given to Israel after the flesh and the changeable Priestood established which I say was the first Priest-hood to which Tithes was due for it was so the command of God that the Tithes should be paid unto the changeable Priest-hood and they was to have a store-house wherein the Tithes was to be put And the Widdows and the Fatherlesse and the strangers was to come and be filled within their gates that there should not be a begger in Israel Deut. 14.28 29. which statute is now rejected by you who now so gape for Tithes for ye instead of doing this do grind the faces of the poore and oppresse the Widdows the Fatherlesse and the Strangers if they doe come within your bounds and so makes beggers rather then otherwise Isa 3.15 so that if you professe Tithes by this law it will witnesse against you and also in so doing you deny Christ Jesus come in the flesh who when he was offer'd up was the everlasting offering and the everlasting high Priest over the houshold of God and so the fulfilling and the end of the changeable who tooke Tithes by a command And so saith the Apostle the Priest-hood being changed there must of necessity be a change of the law and so the command was disanulled and Tithes ended for saith the Apostle in Heb. 8.1 Now of the things that we have beene speaking Heb. 7.12 Here thy 66 Qu. is Ans this is the summe we have such an high Priest that is set on the right hand of the throne c. Now Tithes was one thing and the Priest-hood was another thing and the law by which they both was upheld was another thing of which the Apostle had beene speaking of which he saith this is the summe Christ Jesus the high Priest that is set on the right hand of the Throne and so the fulfilling and the end of these things before mentioned of which Tithes is one so by this new Covenant he hath made the first old Heb. 8.13 now that which decayeth or waxeth old is ready to vanish away Now marke then which Priest-hood the Apostle here accounts first because thou accusest mee that I know not which was the first and which was the last but by this it is proved that you that now so gapes for Tithes under the profession of the Gospel are razed out from Melchizedeck who once tooke Tithes onely of the spoile which was taken in the war which was a free gift unto him which now you have not and also are rased from the
changeable Priest-hood which was the first to which Tithes was due by a command for its time and also do deny Christ come in the flesh who is the end and fulfilling of those things which without command for lucre sake you now uphold and cry up and so are found onely the Ministers of Antichrist who oppose the true Christ where he is witnessed and held forth yet under a profession of his name therefore he will professe unto you workers of iniquity that he knows you not when you knock are not able to enter Where is thy Rule in the Scripture Query 8. from the Ministers of the Gospel to take Tithes And in thy Answer P. Ans Thou much endeavours to shelter and cover thy selfe by the Scripture but it will not hide thee nor stand for thee to prove that the Ministers of the Gospel ever took Tithes or that unto them Tithes belonged as any who reads thy Answer with understanding may see also see thy shuffings who runs into the old Covenant to maintain Tithes due to the Ministers of the new Covenant which is the end of the old as in my last Reply is plainly proved and thou out of both to be shut therefore thou sayst it is sufficient for thee other Ministers of the Gospel that there is no Commandement in the Gospel against the taking of Tithes which thou sayst we must produce ere we can make the thing unlawfull Now all people may consider how they have been blinded and deceived by you professed Ministers of the Gospel in this Nation who upon such slender grounds as these have and do take the tenth of the increase of the fruits of the peoples labours who many of them themselves do rent and hire what they have whereby you have and do live at ease in pride idleness and fulness sporting in the day time and living in the pleasures and wantonness upon the earth contrary to any Rule or Example in the Scripture from the Ministers of the Gospel and therefore this your ground and foundation which thou hast here laid besides the Scripture to uphold Tithes contrary to the Scripture will not stand and therefore your building must fall for although there were no Command in the Gospel against the taking of Tithes yet it doth not prove that the Ministers of the Gospel are to take Tithes being it was never allotted them but that by the Gospel Tithes are disannulled and the Priesthood changed and the Law by which they both was established is fulfilled and done away is clear by the Scripture and therefore unlawful now for any to practise without a Command from God as before is proved in my last Reply ând thou to be a lier who saith I could not prove it by clear Scripture that Christ or his Apostles hath taken away that maintenance and therefore that Scripture which thou hast quoted in Mat. 23.23 shall stand and witness against thee for when Christ spoke that was before he was offered up and then the Law of Tithes was not yet fulfilled and therefore not disanulled and therefore strictly to be observed untill Christ the everlasting sacrifice was offered up and then the Apostles said the Priesthood being changed there must of necessity be a change of the Law and so Tithes ended as before is proved and therefore not for the Ministers of the Gospel to take them as theit maintenance and that Scripture which thou hast quoted in 1 Cor. 9. shall stand and witness against thee for the whole Chapter doth not at all prove Tithes due to the Ministers of the Gospel as any who reads the Chapter with honesty will witness for it doth not at all mention Tithes but only speaks of the Apostles power that as they had planted Vineyards so they might eat of the fruit thereof and as they preached the Gospel so they might live of the Gospel and this the Apostle writ to those whom he said was the Seals of his Ministry but where is the Seals of your Ministry 1 John 5.19 are they not the world who lie in wickedness where is the Vineyard that ye have been planting this many years is it not still full of Briers and Thorns and weeds and wild Plants which bring forth no fruit but cumber the ground but keep in your own Vineyards and rob not others and then you will not be such Theeves as you are but it will make you plant better or else to fall to some other Trade and the Apostles power was not of man nor by man being he was not set up by man but yours is of man and by a Law of man by whom you are set up and by whom you stand as here in thy answer thou hast confessed and yet the Apostle refused to use this power and yet said necessity was laid upon him to preach the Gospel but what power do you refuse be it right or wrong and if that earthly power should be taken from you which you have what would become of your Gospel nay some of you have said that Down with the maintenance and down with the Ministry and therefore for ever stop thy mouth from taking the Apostles words for a Cloak for thy covetousness who himself cast out such from the Ministry 1 Tim. 3. and therefore thou knew that none of these Scriptures would serve for thy ends and therefore thou would shelter thy selfe under the powers of the earth by whom thou art set up whom thou sayst did give to the Ministers of the Gospel in this Nation and else where and to their successor for ever the tenth of all their grounds and caused them to be setled by a Law And thou askest If this was not a lawful and pious gift and suitable to what was payd in the old Testament This I do deny to be lawful but altogether unlawful Reply Thy 6th Query is answered in this Reply 2 Pet. 3.16 for that hath made so many pretended Ministers as there are who for greediness of the gain and pleasure have pretended to the things which you never had in you neither know any thing of them but by others Declarations which for your own ends you have wrested to your own destruction and others and so through your Phylosophy and vain deceipt have spoiled the people and by feigned words through covetousness have made Marchandize of them and so have deluded and led in blindnesse the people this many years only for your own carnall ends and that this is suitable to what was payd in the old Testament I also do deny and if it was what is that to you that which was given in the old Testament is disannulled by the new and therefore no rule for you and also that was given by the Lord to the Levites who had no other Inheritance in the Land and the Lord gave that which was his own and he gave a strict Command that it should be payd which stood in force so long as the Priesthood endured as
is proved by the Scriptures which thou thy selfe hast quoted which shall here stand against thy selfe Levit. 27.30 31 32. and Numb 18.24 but the Lord did not give it since to the professed Ministers of England but thou sayst man gave it and therefore gave that which was none of their own for it is unjust for any Prince or Ruler to give away the labour or Inheritance of his Subjects unto them that never laboured for it and unto these who under pretence of the Gospel do delude and beguile the souls of his Subjects for their dishonest gain as you professed Ministers of England do and therefore they whose eyes are opened Mich. 2.5 do see you and therefore accounts it a sin unto God to uphold you or put into your mouthes whom the Lord is against and therefore you even prepare Warre against them and it is neither pious nor lawful for any Prince or Governour to force any of his Subjects by a Law contrary to their Consciences and also the Inheritance of the Levites was stated by a Law of God and yours by a Law of Man and they was ordained and set up by God but you by man by whom you are upheld and maintained contrary to Scripture so they come by the will of God you by the will of man they was maintained by the will of God you by the will of man they were of God as all his true Ministers are now and you are of man as all the false Prophets and false Ministers ever was so that there is much difference betwixt you and them and betwixt the Interest that they had in Tithes and the interest that you now claim so that they that robbed them robbed God as in the Scripture which thou hast quoted Mal. 3.8 which shall stand against thee and if the ground of your interest was well searched it would be found that you have it from the Pope and his upholders whose supremacy your selves deny in words to blinde the World but in practice you own it and claim it and again if this which thou speaks of was given to the Ministers of the Gospel then you that are hirelings and the Ministers of Antichrist have no right nor title in it and the Ministers of the Gospel they also do deny it whose care is to make the Gospel free and without charge and therefore cannot oppress any neither will their Consciences serve them to take the increase of others labours by Law or compulsion and therefore it is most just that the Labourer should in peace injoy the fruits of his labours and such idle drones as you who neither labour for God nor for the good of man but are the destroyers both of body and soul should not eat according to the Apostles Rule in 2 Thes 3.10 and thus unto it you have no legall nor civil claim as thou calls it but your Birth-right is as a messe of Pottage neither is your Claim and Title as lawful as a Sonnes is to the Inheritance of his Father as thou sayst but you climbe up another way so are Theeves Robbers John 10.1 Whether ever the Ministers of Christ had or stood in need of an outward Law Qu 11. to compel people to maintain them as thou and such as thou now hath and doth And in thy Answer thou confessest P. Answ that those that are righteous or truly spirituall needs no such compulsive Law to force them for they are a Law unto themselves but thou sayst that the greatest part of the professors in the visible Church alwayes were and yet are earthly-minded and neither do nor can rightly value spiritual and heavenly things But in all thy pretended Answer thou dost not at all resolve the substance of my Query but rather in thy silence in it dost yield thy self out of the practise of the Apostles and by thy own confession it is manifest that neither you professed Ministers nor your Auditors are righteous nor truly spiritual for you stand in need of a compulsive Law to force people to maintain you and the people stands in need of a compulsive Law to force them to maintain you which thou confessest the righteous need not but though you have a compulsive Law the righteous will not maintain you and thus out of thy own mouth thou art judged and the rest of thy Brethren to be the false Prophets who profit not the people at all and again thy own confession proves it that the greatest part of your Church is earthly minded and no wonder while the Teachers themselves are so and thus your Church is the Synagogue of Sathan which is built up of such professors and therefore blush and be ashamed of your Ministry Oh what have you been doing this many years who have wrought no better Reformation and herein you shew your Ministry to be earthly who have no better seals then earthly minded professors who stand in need of a Law to compel them to maintain you and this is as true a saying as any thou hast in thy Book that the greatest part of the professors in your Church are earthly minded but in that thou accusest the Church in the Apostles dayes to be the same thou art a lyer and a false accuser neither canst bring any proofe in the Scripture to maintain what thou sayst but it will witness against thee Act. 4.33 34 35. Act. 5.1.8 for the multitude that believed were of one heart and one soul so that they sold their possessions and laid it at the Apostles feet and it was distributed to every one according as they had need the Ministry took such place in them And whereas there was two found that was earthly minded yet there needed not a Law of man to compel them and the Law of man also was against the Apostles as it is against these now that walk in the same steps yet they do not need a Law of man to force a maintenance for them from worldly or earthly minded professors as the false Prophets and deceivers alwayes did who was alwayes sheltered and upheld by the will of man because they could wink at their iniquity and cry peace to them as thou here dost because they put into thy mouth therefore thou flatters them and daubs them up but it is with untempered morter But the Commission which Christ gave to his Ministers was Ezek. 22 22.28 Mat. 6.25 Mat. 12 11 12 13 14. Take no thought but into whatsoever City or place they entered they was to enquire who was worthy and if they was not willingly received they was to shake off the dust of their feet and so leave them but is it not well known that all your care is to take thought where to get a fat living instead of inquiring who is worthy and there if you have but Authority from man you will have it whether they receive you yea or nay so with shame mightest thou bring any example from the Apostles
law and cunning craft and deceipt and bargaining and oppressing thereby to make your selves rich with the things of this life yea what thing is there in this Nation to get riches by though never so unbeseeming spirituall men but you have a hand in it and therefore none of those spirituall Souldiers which Paul speakes of in 2 Tim. 2.4 therefore silence thou deceiver for medling with the Scripture with thy Babylonious language as prohibit Mechanick Synod and Clergy which are the words of mans wisdom and contrary to the plaine language of the Scripture out of which thou art shut in Babylon where thou wast bred with thy Clergy as thou callest them Whether thou dost not walke in the steps of the Scribes and Pharises who art called of men Master or Doctor and hast the cheifest seate in the Synagogues Que. 16. and uppermost rooms at feasts and greetings in the markets contrary to the practise of the Apostles and so art under the woe which Christ pronounced against such yea or nay And here thou wouldest shuffle off with Questioning instead of Answering and saist P. Ans what if Christ gave the name of Master to Nicodemus John 3.10 and Luke the name of Doctor to Gamaliel in Act 5.3.4 and thou saist Is it then the giving or taking of these names which Christ forbiddeth or the arrogant using of them out of an high or proud Spirit that desires to be Idolized and thou confessest the word Rabby signifies Doctor or Master which names thou saist was familiarly given both in the Old and New Testament which to prove thou quotes Eccles 12.11 Eph. 4.11 1 Cor. 12.28 Reply The 89 and 90 Que are answered in this Reply and thy 92 Query also Here thy blindnesse doth appeare and thou wilt need no other proofe against thee but thy own words though here thou would'st go about to slander Christ and his Apostles whom thou art not worthy to name neither dost thou thereby answer my Query but would justify that which Christ cried woe against therfore a Minister of Antichrist art found to which the woe belonges for that Scripture in John 3.10 doth not prove that Christ called Nicodemus Master as thou wouldest faine slander him neither doth that Act. 5.34 prove that Luke gave Gamaliel the name of Doctor but in way of declaration what he was accounted amongst the Jewes as any that reades with understanding may see yea thou thy selfe canst not deny it but that thou would'st be glad of any thing to shelter thy deceipt but Christ expresly forbids his to be be called Master and therefore it is concluded that you take these names unto your selves from an arrogancy and pride of Spirit that you might be Idolized as is well knowne how you swell and are puffed up in wrath and rage if you be not so called by those you account your inferiors or else you would not own it being Christ hath so expresly forbidden it to his Ministers and you professing your selves to be his Ministers the word Minister signifies servant Paul who was his Minister said he made himselfe servant to all but you would be Masters over all 1 Cor 9.19 bearing rule by your meanes though hired as Servants yet more unreasonable unjust for you will have it of them you do no work for and also whatsoever thou saist Doctor or Master signifies Christ hath forbidden it and therefore in useing of it thou art out of the doctrine of Christ and the woe is unto thee and the more for wresting the Scripture to maintaine it and uphold it which Christ hath cried down and it is well knowne to them that are not wilfully blind that Master or Doctor are names that are given and taken amongst you Clergy-men as you call your selves as Titles of honour witnesse your degrees in your Nurseries of deceipt which you call Vniversities as first Bachellor then from Bachellor to Master of Arts and from that to Bachellor of Divinity and from that to Doctor of Divinity which highest Title is given to thee and therefore it is no wonder that thou so pleads for it but the least Child of light will judge these traditions to be upheld by the Pride and arrogancy of the flesh that would be Idolized but the old man must needs plead for his life neither doth these Scriptures in Eph. 4.11 and 1 Cor. 12.38 at all advantage thee for neither Doctor nor Master is mentioned in these Scriptures and thus thou art ignorant of the letter then far unfit to be a teacher of others which thou dost assume to thy selfe by the name of Doctor according to thy own meaning And as for the cheife seates in the synagogues and uppermost roomes at feasts P. Ans some thou saist that are worthy were allowed them by Christ himselfe which to prove thou quotes Lnk. 14.7.8 c. Mark 5.22 And by Luke Ast. 13.15 and Chap. 18.8.17 and as for salutations they are allowed thou saist as well in the market places as any where else This is the truest word that thou hast yet spoken in one respect though from a false Spirit Reply for your heathenish customs and salutations are allowed-of no where by the Scripture neither hast thou brought any proofe to the contrary and it is also easily discerned you rather chuse them in the markets or in Pudlique to be seene of men that you might be accounted Courteous and looked upon for your breeding witnesse your congying and bowing with your hats off in admiration and Idolizing of one anothers persons wherein you exalt your selves above the Angel who would not suffer John to bow unto him Rev. 22.8.9 but said he was his fellow servant therefore let this judge you and condemn you in these practises which by you are used from an ambitions and an in ordinate desire of them and therefore are the most unworthy as thou confessest the Scribes and Pharises were and therefore art out of thy own mouth judged 1 John 5.19 although thou wold'st cast it upon the Quakers as thou callest them but we can justly cleare our selves and cast it into thy own bosome for we use no such heathenish customs yet we can justly say with John we are of God and the whole world lieth in wickednesse which thou accounts an exhalting of our selves and in that thou belyest Christ and the Scriptures in saying he allowed these things to any which he cryed downe thy impudency doth the more appeare that thou wouldest not stick to bely us whom thou callest Quakers for none of these Scriptures which thou quotes to uphold the chiefest seates in the Synagogue uppermost roomes at feastes doth at all concerne the matter but onely Luk. 14.7 c. which Christ spoke as a parable to the Pharises who loved the uppermost roomes at feasts which also may fitly be applyed to you now who take the uppermost reome How thy 9th Query is answered Mat. 20.25 26 27. Jam. 12.
sayst judge ye for thou sayst you do not creep into the Churches who have the doores set wide open and have your Congregations or Assemblies publiquely called together by a Bell and then thou vents forth a deal of frothy stuffe and sayst why must your Houses of Lime and stone be called Steeple-houses more then the Glaziers Hall or the Bull and Mouth neare Aldersgate be called a Glasse-house a Chimney-house or a Store-house or a Stable-house but thou askest where did Christ or his Apostles reproach the Synagogues with reproachful names as we do your Churches Here thy malitious and scornful spirit is much more made manifest Reply together with thy folly and ignorance so that I am able to judge thee and the rest of the Parish Preachers to be those creepers into houses that Paul there speaks of 2 Tim. 3.6.7 who have led silly women and people captive these many years full of sin and led away with divers lusts who some have learned 40. years some 50. some 60. yea some 80. and yet strangers to the truth yea as blinde and carnall as ever they was so that they take a House of Lime and stone for a Church and a House of God as you have taught and aske them why they call it so and they will answer it was called so before they was born and will be after they were dead then judge ye whether these Creatures be not blind and carnall and led by your own Customs and traditions and you are their Teachers who would bear rule in your Steeple-houses so that none shall speak but your selves if they do you have a Law to lay upon them contrary to the order of the true Church as in 1 Cor. 14.30 31 32. That all might speak one by one and if any thing be revealed to him that stands by let the first hold his peace but this is called disorder amongst you that call your selves Saints and are not but the Synagogue of Satan and by thy own Confession are led together by a Bell for which you have no Rule in the Scripture and so you lead them by Custom and Tradition and also thy own words here proves what I said in my last Reply that you do not call your Assemblies and the place where your Assemblies meets both by one for here thou callest the place a Church and the people the Congregation as I said before and thou blinde guide where dost thou read in the Scripture of Church-doores be ashamed and blush thus to presume in thy blasphemy and therefore how soever thou have taken these houses to be wherein deceivers creeps as before is proved and have taught the people so to put them out of jealousie of you to be the deceivers doth not at all excuse you from it for the Apostle himself taught in private houses and Chambers and private places Act. 20.20 and therefore by that account thou would tax the Apostle to be a deceiver if he was here as thou dost James Parnel and those whom thou scornfully calls his gang but where dost thou finde such a word in the Scripture which proceeds out of thy malitious and evill heart but thy reproaches unto us are riches and thy shame And the Reason why those Houses near Aldersgate which thou so spits thy venom at because the people of God have used to meet there may not be called as thou in contempt dost terme them as well as your Stone-houses be called Steeple-houses is because they have names fitting for them already for to distinguish them from other places and so also the word Steeple-house is the fittest name to distinguish your meeting places from others and also to take from them that holy name which only belongs to the body of Christ and also to wear out that Idolatry of the peoples mindes which they through long Custom have born to those Idolatrous places neither do we any more reproach them in so saying then Christ and his Apostles did in calling the Jews meeting places Synagogues though thou highly dishonourest Christ in calling them Churches which signifies his body Have you no other names to bestowe upon your stone houses and high places but most blasphemously to call them by the name of God's and holy men whom you are not worthy to name as you call your Colledges which are Synagogues of Satan and Cages of unclean Birds by the name of Immanuel and by the name of Christ and Trinity and the like if you had called them by the name of Glaziers Hall or Bull and Mouth or Synagogue and the like we should not gainsay it and therefore in this the Jews will condemn you who did not presume to call their meeting places by such holy names as you presumptuously do which is and hath been a great provocation of the people to Idolatry to idolize the places because of their names which was given to them by the Papists who ignorantly worship names and you cast out the Papists for Idolatry and yet upholds their Idolls therefore woe unto you blinde guides and deluders of the people your wickedness is had in remembrance before the Lord. Whether it was the practice of the Apostles to take a Text of the Prophets words Que. 19. and from thence to raise uses points Traills and motives as thou and such as thou dost who makes a Trade of their words And in thy Answer P. Ans thou sayst that it hath been the practice of the Church and her Teachers this many hundred years for the which thou hast no Scripture proof and thirdly thou sayst that none will deny that this is an useful and profitable way of teaching which is an abominable lie which I and hundreds more can testifie against And fourthly thou sayst it may be proved out of the Scriptures that all this hath been done by Christ and his Apostles which is another lie and those are the Scriptures upon which thou wouldst ground thy lies in which they will witness against thee as Luk. 4.18 and Mat. 22.31 Act. 8.35 and for to maintain thy uses points Trialls and motives thou quotes Rom. 15.4.2 Tim. 3.16.17 John 8.31 and 13.35 and Matth. 25.34 Oh thou lier Reply thy lies will not cover thee nor the Scripture stand for thee who art found out of the life and practice of them that gave them forth who art one of the lying false Teachers who have deluded the people this many hundred years Col. 2.8 which deluded ones are your Church amongst whom you have used your Philosophy and vain deceipt by which you have long spoiled them so that the greatest part of the professors therein are earthly minded by thy own confession and I am sure that another part are Drunkards and swearers and Adulterers and scoffers and scorners and proud and envious ones and the like and now where is the fruits and profitableness of your teaching therefore for shame stop thy mouth for boasting of your Church and her teachers and saying None
the Heathen who know not God who excercise Lordship and authority one of another and so you rule in your own wills Mat. 20.25 and would not suffer your fellow creatures to put their hats on their heads but as you give them leave and so are out of the doctrine of Christ with your rude and rusticall Spirits And was not thou the language betwixt God and Adam and betwixt God and Moses and so all along the Scripture to one particular person Gen. 3.11.12 Exod. 10 11.12 then whether or nay is thine a rusticall proud Spirit that canst not receive the language thou givest unto God and thus thou hast sufficiently fomed out thy shame and I am sure now thou speakest not by the motion of the Holy-Ghost Whether ever Christ or his Apostles taught us to alter or violate the civill speeches and customs of the Nation where we live Que. 14 by which our reverence to others is expressed and accordingly expected if not commanded also and thou quotest 1 Cor. 10.32 Christ is not your teacher for out of his doctrine ye are found in the pride of your hearts Answ contemning his speech and language and are not contented with your naturall language but borrowes of others in which custome we are not to follow you out of the language of the Scripture and so here by thy Querie you expresse no reverence of God because to him you use the word Thou which you do account an uncivill speech therefore now see what is that which takes offence at that which God accepts it must needs be of proud Lucifer and that same took offence at the Apostle who said Give no offenre yet the truth is a stumbling stone and a Rock of offence therefore now see how thou stumblest at the noon day Isa 59.10 Thy next is concerning Salutations at your meetings with others or departings from others Unto which I answer that your heathenish customs traditions and salutations I do deny and know them to be contrary to Scripture for saith it let him that nameth the name of God depart from iniquity therefore you that are in iniquity do take his name in vaine and make a custom and by-word of it amongst your selves when you meet with or depart from one another and so your Children learne it at you and by imitation use his name before they do know whether there be a God or nay And to that in Ruth 2.4 and to that in Psal 1 29.8 which thou hast quoted in thy 15. and 16. Qu. I answer They that there named the name of the Lord knew him and that in the Psalm will witnesse against you that you have nothing to do to name his name nor to have such words spoken to you who know him not and read what God saith to the wicked in Psal 16. and why call ye me Lord and do not the things which I say but the salutations of the Saints I own who are not by custom lead Luk. 6.46 And to Math. 10.12 and Luk. 10.5 which here thou hast quoted I answer that you are no Ministers nor Messengers of Christ who are found out of his doctrine therefore peace is not given you to speake but as false Prophets you speak it to that which is for death because that puts into your mouthes and even prepares war against those that do witnesse the Son of peace Thy next is concerning meate drinke and apparel And to thy first Query of that I answer All the creatures of God are good in their places and all things for the use of man who dwells in the moderation but cursed to you who live under the curse in the lust under whom the creation grones who know not the pure wisdom that made all things 1 Cor. 10.31 Rom. 14.17 to teach you how to use all things to the glory of God and therefore are out of the right and thy 23.24 Qu. are here answered but you are they whose Kingdom stands in meats and drinks and apparel who are taking thought what to eat what to drink and where withall to be clothed math 6 15. And to this Querie Qu. 22. where hath God enjoyned men to drink water in any part of his word I answer thou may'st be ashamed to boast of thy age who askest such a childish Querie I might as well ask thee where God injoyned men to drink beare for water is the originall of all drinks for in the daies of old water was the common drink hast thou not read of Jacobs well where Christ drunk then who art thou that despisest water it is a signe thou servest the lust but if any drink water who know the goodnesse of it what is that to thee who injoynes thee to drink water And in thy 25. Querie thou answerest thy selfe And this Querie is Whether one may not satisfy the flesh even in over fasting and overwatching the body which to prove thou quotest Col. 2.23 Qu. 23. But I perceive thou wilt have a care of that who hast been pleading so much for the body which is the most thou mindest thy zeale is not so hot but they that dwell in the power of God are free from this and yet know how to keepe under the body and not satisfying the last but you that know not the Creator trust in the Creature And here thou askest Qu. 27. whether are not the Saints to sanctifie their meats and drinks by Prayer and Thanksgiving before and after they eat and drink which to prove thou quotest 1 Tim. 4.5 Rom. 14.16 To the pure all thingsare pure Ans but thy prayers are abomination who art in the lust but which of these Scriptures maintains your Custom after meat Tit. 1.15 but the Saints receives nothing of God Mal. 1.2 but with Thanksgiving and glory to God but your blessings are cursed and here is thy 28. Query answered also Whether the Apostles Interdiction be absolute against all Ornaments Qu 29. or Comparative onely and thou hast quoted a Scripture in 1 Pet. 3.3 4. which answereth thee where thou mayst read what Ornaments he approves of and here thy 30.31.32 Query is answered but moderation in every thing I own but what is wast is for the lust both in Kings Princes and great personages as thou callest them but with us there is no respect of persons neither taking thought what to eat what to drink or wherewithall to be cloathed as the Children of this world do amongst whom thou art found but our Kingdom is not of this world and Israell after the flesh was a figure of Israell after the spirit therefore now read their adorning if thou canst and remember no Creature was made for the lust though lustfull men abuse them Thy next is concerning Pride And thy first Question of this is whether pride doth lie in Apparel though there may be much wastfulness vanity and ostentation committed therein or inwardly in the heart and minde of the poor
darknesse to propound doubts and Queries then for some of the Children of light to answer them on a sudaine which to proove thou quotes Daniel that our saviour thou saist himself refused to answer the Pharises interogatories till they had first answered his Math. 21.23 24. And allbeit thou saist thou might put me off with Solomons words Pro. 26.4 Answer not a foole according to his folly least thou also be like unto him I did not propound the Queries unto thee as any doubts of mine Rep but that thou in thy Answer thereunto might either prove thy practice by the Scriptures unto them that are in doubt thereof or unto them manifest thy selfe to be a deceiver which last thou hast plainely done to the least Child of light and therefore it doth not follow that I am in darknesse or that thou art a Child of light Neither did thou suddainely answer the Queries though they concerned thy own condition and therefore this place in Daniel doth not at all stand for thee for it was for Daniel to tell and interprete Nebuchadnezers dreame which was a hard thing for any to tell unlesse it was immediately revealed to them by Gods spirit as it was to Daniel but all the Magitians and learned men could not find it out by their arts but most of these Queries unto thee was concerning thy present condition and practice and herein thou manifests thy selfe to be in darknesse who thus wrests the Scripture out of its place Dan. 10.11 for thy own ends and also Daniel was a man that feared the Lord and trembled at his power which now thou denies and scoffes at and yet art not ashamed to take Daniels words for a refuge against the light And as for that Scripture in Mat. 21.23 24. it shall be returned into thine own bosom for it is thee and such as thee who are set up by the will of man and authorized by the authority of man who joyne with the Pharises and Scribes of these times and combine together with the earthly powers to call us to Question by what authority we goe abroade preaching the truth from place to place and crying against deceivers where we had our commission because we receive it not from man as you doe but do witnesse the same power authority as the Ministers of God did in all ages the same commission for they received not their commission frooÌ„ man but was immediatly called immediately fitted and sent forth into the worke of the Ministry freely to give as freely they had received and was persecuted by them that was set up by the will of man which also we do witnesse and therefore the Scripture aforementioned belongs unto thy generation who was ever persecuters and if by propounding Queries thou judgest me to be in darknesse then much more thou judgest and condemns thy selfe for for my 36. Queries thou hast propounded me 100 and here also thou accounts me a fool as by the Scripture which thou quotes in Pro. 26.4 and therein manifests thy selfe so much the greater foole in propounding so many Queries to mee whom thou accounts a fool and thus the pride of thy heart hath deceived thee And whereas thou saist thou wast inwardly called to the Ministry by the motion and gifts of Gods Spirit P. An long before I was borne which thou saist hath beene Gods ordinary way which to prove thou quotes Job 32.8.2 Chron. 20.14 Amos 5.7.15 Mâ—ch 3.8 Though it hath beene and is Gods ordinary way by his own power and Spirit Rep to call and fit his own Ministers for his own worke as those Scriptures aforementioned doth prove which we also do witnesse and do come no other way yet these Scriptures do not at all prove where and how and by what thou wast called and Iahaziell and Amos and Micha which those Scriptures aforesaid beares Testimony of to be thus called was men that spoake the word of the Lord freely against sin and transgression and false-Prophets and hirelings and their lives sealed their Testam ony and these Scriptures also beares Testimony how and where they was called from their outward callings to speake the word of the Lord and so from those Scriptures thou art shut hast nought to do to take them into thy mouth forthey do not prove that thou wast thus called from thy labour for thou wast brought up all thy daies in idlenesse and at an University as you call it to learne Arts and Sciences without which those was called and fitted and for any other Call than as the common nationall Ministers are called who deny both immediate Revelation and Inspiration thou hast brought no proofe that will stand for thee but onely thy own bare words wherein thy life and practice will condemne thee for it is one with the Nationall preists and thou art maintained and upheld by the same power as the nationall Teachers are neither dost goe from place to place reproving sin in the Gate as Amos and Micha did who was thus called neither dost speake freely as they did and therefore art a false Prophet who saith the Lord saith when he never spoke to thee but run and the Lord never sent thee and therefore thou profits not the people at all as is manifest by the fruits of thy Ministry and thus thou wast a deceiver before I was borne and the Lord hath Raised me up to tell thee of it Whether is thy Call meanes which thou professeth mediate or immediate And in thy Answer thou saist it was both for saist thou besides the immediate aforesaid thou wast ordained a Minister by the Superiours and Governours of the Church as the Elders and Pastors of the Churches were formerly by Paul and Barnabas Act. 14.23 but thou saist thou doubtest whether James Parnell well was called either way to be teacher if so let him prove it by an infallible Testimony Those that have an inward call to the Ministry do not stay for an outward call by man Rep. but goe forth in bedience to the word of the Lord whosoever was called to the Ministry of the Gospel it was immediately and not mediately but thine mediately by the will of man and not immediately as before is proved and also out of thy own mouth is made manifest For thou saist thou doubtest whether I was called either way but if thou was called and guided by the Spirit of the Lord thou would'st know without doubts whether I was so called yea or nay for the true Ministers was Epistles writ in one another hearts and they also know the false Prophets and the false Apostles and the false Ministers and declared against them as I do against thee and without doubt I doe know thee to be a deceiver 2 Cor. 3.2.2 Cor. 11.13.14 15 02 by an infallible Testimony and those that thou speakest of in Act. 14.23 whom Paul and Barnabas ordained Elders they did not ordaine them Ministers of the Gospel neither sent them
Teachers whom thou confessest are tyed to a text or Theme could tell how to pleafe the people and get gain without studying or speaking from a Text you would for the credit of your cause as thou sayst for I know nothing that ties you to it but your own covetous ends to make a gain of these Scriptures and to deceive the ignorant with feigned words 2 Pet. 2.3 whom Peter without study foretold of and therefore thou Hypocrite pretend no more to an infallible spirit but with the rest of thy Brethren confess thou art void of it as many of them have done for in such pretences thou art but the greater deceiver and thy folly doth the more appear Whether is it as lawfull now for Tradesmen 5. Query Shepheards or Plowmen to preach if they be led by the spirit of God as those that spake forth the Scripture And in thy answer thou sayst P. Answ if this was wholly granted James Parnell cannot claim any interest therein as thou conceivest for thou sayst he is neither Tradesman Plowman or Shepheard nor will take any course to maintain himself by his labour for he hath been tryed But herein James Parnell can plainly tell thee Reply thou art a Lyer for he followed a Trade with his Father untill the Lord by his spirit called him from it into his own work so I obeyed the word of the Lord and left my Father with his Trade Mat. 4.21 Mat. 10.37 38. as James and John did their Father in the Ship for he that will not forsake Father and Mother Lands and Livings Wife and Children and all for Christs sake is not worthy of him in which work neither thou nor any other can tax me for idleness but I believe my labour and diligence in the same is more offensive to you deceivers then if I had been Idle But he that would call me from this work that I am set about into the work of man I should answer him God must be served before man for if it had not been the will of God to call me forth into his work I should stall have served my earthly Father sooner then any other man notwithstanding the evill thoughts and conceivings of such like as thee who art given up to believe lies and tell lies but where is now thy infallible spirit who speakest by thy own conceivings and thus the thoughts of thy heart deceives thee and as for my maintenance I need not a Law to compel it as thou dost neither am chargeable to the World as thou art who by a Law of man takest nigh 300. l by the yeare of them therefore in this thou might have laid thy hand upon thy mouth for thou and hundreds more of thy Brethren never followed any honest Calling whereby to get an honest livelihood without being chargeable to the World but was from your youths brought up at Babylons Schools learning her wich-craft and sorcery thereby to deceive the Nations and through covetousness with feigned words make marchandize of them which you nowspare not And secondly thou grants P. Answ that if men be made of God spirituall whether Shepheards or Plowmen first they may teach But thirdly thou sayst every man that hath the spirit in some measure doth not attain to that height growth and degree that they did who gave forth the Scriptures and therefore may not as lawfully nor as infallibly teach as they did and thou sayst nor can thou discern clearly that the best amongst them called Quakers have yet reached that degree or dispensation of the spirit and after much dissembling speeches thou manifests thy light and frothy spirit still despising me because of my youth but thy words are not worth mentioning And thu swhen thou opens thy mouth Reply concerning the Spirit thou manifests thy folly and ignorance of the spirit so that a Babe may comprehend thee and tell thee of thy folly and when thou thinkest of thy beard or age as thou sayst confusion of face may cover thee for though every one that hath the spirit in some measure doth not attain to that height grouth and degree that they did who gave forth the Scripture yet it doth not follow that none doth attain to that grouth height and degree and they that have attained to the same spirit in a measure and by the same spirit are moved and called forth may as lawfully and as infallibly teach as they did in their measures for the same spirit is infallible in the least measure and its call is lawful and thus thou shewest thou was never called nor led by it who art so ignorant of it and as here also doth further appear in that thou confessest thou discernest not the people called Quakers and therefore art blind and from thee the secrets of God are hid and it doth not follow that they are ever the less spiritual but rather more because thou canst not discern them who pretends thy selfe a spiritual man and thus they are attained to that degree they can discern thee to be a blind guide and deceiver of the World and therefore is thy spirit the more against them for all thy flattering and dissembling speeches from thy hypocritical heart who bends thy Tongue like a Bow against them uttering forth lies in hypocrisie and with thy sconrful spirit reproachest me with lies but it was thy Generation that quaked for fear of the downfall of their Kingdom and therefore persecuted me and imprisoned me yet their fear did not overtake me for I was made as willing to suffer as they was to inflict as knowing it was for his cause who will make you all to quake and tremble who lift up your heels against him and as thou compares Cambridg to Jericho so the curse of Jericho shal come upon it for its whordom and sorceries and stifneckedness against the Lord and his anointed and though thou thus scornest me and despisest me because of my youth yet it is because thou knowest not the Scripture nor the power of God Whether any are the Ministers or Messengers of Christ but those that are guided by his spirit Query 6. and abide in his Doctrine as the holy men of God was in Scripture and whether the wind doth not now blow where it listeth And in thy answer to the first part P. Ans thou grants that none are the true Ministers Messengers of Christ but those that are in some measure guided by his spirit and abide in his Doctrine But secondly thou sayst men may think that they have that spirit and yet be led by the lying spirit as Zedekiah who smote Michajah was 1 King 22.24 Herein thou markest out thy selfe for a deceiver who pretends to the spirit Reply and it is the lying spirit as is before proved and so art shut out from the Ministers and Messengers of Christ who art not guided by his spirit and therefore abides not in his Doctrine as is before proved by
thy ignorance of the true spirit and therefore thou and such false Prophets as thou thus smites at and persecutes us that are called Quakers because the Lord is pleased to bestow his spirit upon us whereby we are able to declare your deceipt and manifest your lying spirits who have professed your selves the Ministers of Christ yet strangers to his spirit and opposers of his truth like Jannes and Jambres who are men of corrupt mindes and Reprobates concerning the faith 2 Tim. 3.8 And to the second part of the Query thou sayst P. Ans that the wind doth blow where it listeth if it be not stopped yet are there many false windes which blow likewise from a deceiptful spirit which to prove thou quotest Eph. 4.14 that we henceforth be no more Children tossed to and fro with every winde of Doctrine and sayst Minde this James This I do minde and still sees how thou markest out thy selfe with thy deceiptfull spirit Rep. for if the winde do blowe where it listeth which thou acknowledgest then what is that in you professed Ministers which goes about to stop it with gainsaying and persecution and would limit the spirit of God unto a Text or Theme from which you with your deceitful spirits do raise uses points tryalls and motives c. whereby many poore Creatures are tossed to and fro and carried about with your airy spirits with the slight and cunning craftiness of your brains whereby you study to deceive as thou mayst read in the latter end of the verse which thou hast quoted Ephes 4.14 which here shall stand against thee and so many are the Children which are tossed to and fro by you although they have both beards and age as thou sayst yea some are 30. some 40 some 50 some 60 yea 80. and never yet come to the knowledge of the truth and thus with feigned words through covetousness you make Marchandize of the people beguiling unstable souls but think not that all you false Prophets with the beast that upholds you can stop or quench this spirit which now bloweth where it listeth for with all the slight and craftiness that you can use you shall be made to fall before it and the fruits of your labours shall be given you Whether thou wilt own immediate Revelation now Query 7. yea or nay And in thy Answer thou sayst P. Ans the Apostle teacheth you to pray for the spirit of wisdom and Revelation in the acknowledgement of God which to prove thou quotes Ephes 1.17 but sayst there are many false lights and delusions of Sathan who too often transforms himselfe as an Angel of Light 2 Cor. 11.14 which thou sayst are entertained by unwary men for the Illuminations and Revelations of Gods spirit as appears in Zedekiah aforesaid which to prove thou quotes Ezek. 13.6 2 Thes 2.11 Here again thou hast marked out thy selfe Reply and also belies the Apostle for that Scripture in Ephes 1.17 onely makes mention how the Apostle prayed for the Ephesians that believed but it doth not at all prove that the Apostle taught you that are of the world to pray for the prayers of the wicked are abhominable Prov. 15 8. and the Apostle would not teach such to pray and though in thy Answer the substance of my Query is confessed yet it doth not serve to prove that thou dost witness it in thy selfe or own it where it is possessed who would barre it from youth and limit it to time and age and so shewes thy ignorance of it and that by the false lights and delusions of Satan thou art deceived who in thee rules as an Angel of Light and so thou art one of those unwary men who takes a lying spirit for an infallible spirit as is both here and often before proved who art found in Zedekiahs steps and so art one of those false Prophets which the Prophet speaks of who saith the Lord saith when he never spoke to thee as is before proved and how long have you professed Ministers of this Nation fed the people with expectations and hopes that you would confirm what you have spoken unto them which is not yet come to passe neither likely and thus you have deceived them by your lying divinations for your dishonest gain and therefore for this cause God hath given you up to strong delusions that you should believe a lie that you all might be damned who believe not the truth now it is come unto you but still take pleasure in unrighteousness as in those Scriptures aforesaid which thou hast quoted against thy selfe and so they shall stand What is the Gospel which thou art a Minister of Qu 8. and whether thy Gospel be free and without charge And in thy Answer thou sayst to the first part P. Ans that the Gospel which thou preachest is the same which Christ and his Apostles taught which thou sayst is summarily contained in these four verses Tit. 2.11 12 13 14. wherein the Apostle speaks of the grace of God to be their Teacher to deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly justly and godlily in this present World c. And to the second part thou sayst the Apostles Gospel was not every way without charge which to prove thou quotes 2 Cor. 11.8 and again thou sayst Nor hath Christ or any of his Apostles imposed it upon you that the Gospel should be altogether without charge unto them which have it taught which to prove thou quotes Rom. 15.27 And again thou sayst nor is James Parnells Gospel be it right or wrong without charge If he do not take more then it is worth if duly examined it is well Thy Spirit is much against James Parnell Rep. as Zedekia's was against Michajah yet here he can prove thee to be a lier and not onely against him but of his Lord also and therefore if thou beliest the Lord how much more the servant Joh. 1.29 for Christ Jesus the Lambe of God was the Gospel which the Apostles preached which was free and not chargeable to any though he was and is a burdensom stone to them that beleive not in him yet not chargeable And therefore thou blasphemer how darest thou to open thy mouth thus against the Lord and his anointed who art still in thy ungodlinesse and worldly lustes who art pleading for the earth and art a stranger to the free grace of God and therefore these verses which thou hast set downe shall stand to witnesse against thee which thou saist containeth the Gospel which thou preachest but the Apostles Gospel could not be contained in Paper Inke for the heavens could not containe him for he ascended far above all Heavens that he might fill all things and also of thy Gospel thou makest a trade and a gaine Eph. 4.10 being many yeares at an University as thou calest it to learn to preach it all which the Apostles did not and so thou bringest another
or the Church in their dayes who were men that coveted no mans Silver nor Gold nor apparrell but had forsaked all for the Gospels sake and many of the Church suffered the spoiling of their goods willingly by your fore-Fathers the cheife Priests and Scribes and Pharises who was their persecutors as you are now of them who the Gospel do own Act. 20.33 Heb. 10.34 and your professors also who as thou saist doth not rightly value spirituall things such as are holden forth by the true Ministers and Messengers of God neither can because by such blind guides as thou art they are kept in blindnesse and darknesse least their eies should be opened and they come to see you and decline from you who was never tied to you by any command of God and therefore you are glad to make use of a law of man contrary to the practise of Christ and his Apostles and as for the expresse provision which the Lord made for his Ministers and Messengers in the new Testament I reply When Christ gave them their Commission he said also in whatsoever house they entered they was to eate such as was set before them for saith he the workman is worthy of his meate and this is all the expresse provision that thou canst find allotted to them in the new Testament and this was without any law of man too for there was no need of any for if they did not willingly receive them they was not to eate with them but to shake of the dust of their feete against them and that was all the law they was to take against such which was earthly minded and regardlesse of them but this will not serve you because your selves are earthly minded and therefore will have it of every one whether they receive you yea or nay or else you have a law of man to take treble damage and instead of eating such as they will set before you you will have the tenth part of what they have by compulsion you are such greedy devouring Woolvs and what was before allotted to the Priests in the old Testament is before sufficiently proved to be nothing concerning you who professe your selves Ministers of the New Testament and as for those Scriptures which thou quotes in 2 Chron. 31.5 6. c are also as nothing to my Query but are before answered in my last reply but yet these shall stand to witnesse against thee to be a liar for let any who reades these verses see if there the Isralites did shew any earthly mindednesse or stood in need of a law to compel them after they knew the Kings mind as thou accusest them and thus thou canst find nothing either in the Old or New Testament that will cover thy deceipt but altogether witnesse against thee and therefore againe thou flees into thy old shelter which is the will of man by which thou art set up and upheld therefore a false Prophet and a deceiver who abides not in the doctrine of Christ and it is no Pious nor Just act for them as I said before to take away the fruits of their subjects labours by a compulsive law to give unto such Earth-wormes as thee who cares not how you get it so you get it as thy own mouth confessest for thou saist it is a competent though not a liberall maintenance and yet thou canst take it and plead for it too yea and of worldly minded people which is altogether contrary to the Apostles practise and so thou fullfills the wordes which before I have spoken of thee and whosoever denies you of Tithes do not unjustly detaine them as thou saist they do being you have no right to them by any law or command from God or example in the Scripture as before is proved but only claimes a Title by the unjust supremacy of the Pope by which your fore-Fathers the persecuting Bishops was upheld and therefore we called Quakers do teach people them you to deny which is not contrary to the practice of Christ or his Apostles as thou accusest us for saith Christ Beware of false-Prophets that appeare in sheeps clothing Mat. 7.15.16 but inwardly ravening Woolves by their fruits they are knowne and by which sufficiently you are here marked our and the Apostles bids from such turne away as in 2 Tim. 3.5 and againe the Apostle John forbids to receive such as abides not in the doctrine of Christ or to bid them God speed 2 Joh. 9.10 and here both Christ and his Apostles sufficiently taught people to deny you and here thou art proved a lier who thus falsely accusest us called Quakers in this to act contrary to the practice of Christ or his Apostles and so here thou and the rest of the professed Ministers of this Nation are sufficiently manifest what you are so that all men may see your folly and deceipt but those who are blind and love to have it so and so the Scripture is fulfilled upon you Jer. 5.30.31 Whether ever the Ministers of the Gospel tooke any necessaries of the world 12 Que. as thou and such as thou doth all your Tithes and maintenance yea or nay And in thy Answer thou saist yea they have P. Ans which to prove thou quotes Ast. 28.1.9 where thou saist Paul tooke necessaries of the Barbarians yet this not serving thy turne thou runs to old Histories which thou calls Ecclesiasticall records and saith they for 1500 yeares doe testify the same but yet doubting of this thou saist as thou said before it sufficeth you that there is no law nor command of God to the contrary nor are examples thou saist needfull for every thing as to prove that Christ called any shooemaker or cobler to be a Prophet Reply But here againe thou hast marked out thy selfe to be a false Prophet who runs and the Lord never sent thee and therefore thou teachest for Doctrine the traditions of men for the which thou hast no Scripture therefore runs to old stories to which I am not to give any credit be they never so old being they are not according to Scripture and therefore not Ecclesiasticall for the oldnesse of the thing doth not make it truth though you haue long thereby deceived the ignorant And as for that Scripture which thou quotest in Acts 28.1.9 then Paul was a Prisoner and he and the Souldiers that kept him and the rest of the people was driven there by storm upon the Sea so that in that cause the Barbarians took pitty of them and received them but there was many besides Paul and the Centurion to whom Paul was committed was to take care of him and also that which the Barbarians did was freely and that which nature bound them to being they was in that strait which was done to many besides Paul who were heathen so that this doth not at all stand for thee who art in thy own Country and yet takes all thy Tithes and maintenance of the World by compulsion neither will
will deny the profitableness of your teaching for like people like Priest Hos 4.9 2 Tim. 4.3 as the Prophet said and you are the heaps of teachers that deceive the world and draw itching eares after you who cannot endure sound Doctrine with your fained entising words of mens wisdom but the Teacher of the true Church is but one which is its head even Christ who speaks with Power and Authority and not as you Scribes whose teaching is a profitable teaching as is much witnessed in these latter dayes Mat. 7.29 to your great shame and grief who have been the professed Teachers of the Church of England this many years neither doth any of these Scritpures prove that ever Christ or his Apostles took a Text of Scripture and by humane art and study did raise Uses Points Trialls and Motives as you do which is a commendable teaching 1 Cor. 1.18 1 Cor. 2.4 by the wise ones of the world who know not the wisdom of God but to them the preaching of the Crosse is foolishness as was accounted amongst the Greeks because the Apostle came not with entising words of mens wisdom as you do to please men but in plainness of speech spoke the word of the Lord faithfully and also said If he yet sought to please men he should not be the Servant of Christ Gal. 1.10 but this is all your care whose trust is in man and not in Christ and in all those Scriptures when Christ or his Apostles spoke of a Text of Scripture out of the old Testament it was to shew the fulfilling thereof or to witness to what they had said but you will take these Scriptures for to give your carnall meanings and interpretations of them and so from them speak a divination of your own brain for gain and lucre and this is the use you make of these points as thou calles them which the Scriptures before mentioned will not at all maintain and yet thou canst impudently quote this Scripture in Mat. 6.25.34 which forbids taking thought what to eat what to drink and wherewithall to be cloathed when it is so publickly known that it is your greatest care and that which thou hast been here much labouring to maintain all along to prove it lawful for thee to take nigh 200. or 300. pounds by the year of the world yea and for a Law to compell them if they refuse to give it and yet thou art not ashamed to say that thou dost not go in the way of Balaam for gifts and rewards and the chiefest Scripture which thou hast here quoted will witness against thee as 2 Tim. 3.16 17. which saith the Scripture was given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for reproof for correction and instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfected throughly furnished unto every good work but thou hates to be reproved and calles them foul-mouthed currs and the like that do reprove thee and thou teachest for Doctrine the traditions of men as to call a house of Lime and Stone a Church and the like as is before proved And how have you by all your Doctrines reproof correction and instruction this many years perfected any when as the professors therein are earthly minded as thou sayst P. Ans and you that are therefore Teachers the most of all and most of you denies perfection in this life and though thou with thy tongue profess it yet in life denies it which is worst of all and so I take thee and though thou hast been so pleading for thy way yet thou sayst you would change it for a better if any can shew it you and make your hearers beleive that it would be more advantages for them but thou saist this trade of interpreting the Scripture is an old and a good trade which to prove thou quotes Iob. 33.23 Psal 10.2 3. Pro. 1.6 Act. 8.3 Here thou blind guide Reply thy nakednesse is open to the world and thy hearers may consider it who have looked upon thee as their Teacher this many yeares and yet thou thy selfe still to learne which is the best way when as there is but one true way then thou who art ignorant of this true way must needs be in a false way then how hast thou deluded thy hearets this many yeares Jer. 32.39 and also belyed thy selfe in thy Booke And if the Teacher be ever learning then what must the herers of such a one be let the wise-hearted judge and I beleive and know that your hearers would soone beleive the same if the Preachers of truth might have liberty to speake when they come amongst you but if any come in that intent you are ready to set your people upon them to hale them out with force and also you have a law to cast them into Prison as many of us do witnesse at this day and therefore thou liar the convincing of your hearers of a better way is not your greatest care but rather your greatest feare least any should be drawne from you and so your trade come to faile as thou callest it but this I know is your greatest care that any body would shew you a better way to get mony by and also perswade your hearers into it or else thou thinks you are never the better and then you would leave interpreting the Scripture which now thou calles a good trade but thou Marchant of Babylon where doth any of these Scriptures which thou hast quoted prove or terme interpreting the Scripture a trade though you Marchants of Babylon make a trade of it to get lucre by and so call it a trade who think gaine is godliness but well may others accuse you for making a trade and a gaine of the Scriptures while you your selves confesse it and thus thou wrests the Scripture for thine own ends and paints thy work with Scripture for to make the ignorant believe it is grounded upon Scripture oh be ashamed to take it into thy mouth to make a trade of it which was freely spoken forth by the holy men of God as they was moved by the Holy-Ghost and thou makes the people believe it is of some private interpretation and so thou makes Marchandize of the people and so out of thy own mouth art judged to be a lier who before denied it Whether thou dost speake as thou art moved by the Holy-Ghost Que. 20 as they did who spoke forth the Scripture And in thy Answer thou sai'st that thou hast answered to this allready P. Ans that thou usually dost speake at the motion or assistance of the Holy-Ghost thou praises God for it But thou hypocrite I have also in this already proved thee a lier Reply 2 Cor. 4.4 and thy God to be the Father of lies who is the God of the blind world in which thou art a blind guide and an enemy to the Holy-Ghost where he is witnessed to rule and this James Parnel and those thou
deceiver and sit thee down and consider how thou and thy Brethren have for this many years deceived this Nation and labour thy self and repent in dust and ashes least the Lord in thy destruction make thee an example to all thy Brethren-deceivers What doth the faith which thou professeth Qu. 23. differ from the faith of the Hypocrite and what is the faith of the Hypocrite And in thy Answer thou sayst P. Ans thy faith is A trust in the Lord Jesus to be holpen up again from the fall or to be saved from the hand of thine enemies or of all that hate thee and so to be renewed through him to be inabled to serve him chearfully and without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the dayes of thy life and thou sayst this faith brings forth obedience and purifies the heart and makes you conformable to Jesus so that thou hopes for no benefit by his death unless thou diest with him to all known sins but the faith of the Hypocrite seeks all wayes something by or through Christ than what it should seek to wit the putting off the old man and the putting on the new which is created after God in righteousness and true holiness and herein thou sayst doth thy Faith differ from the Faith of the Hypocrite and perhaps from James Parnell Yea it doth Reply for my faith is that there is no putting off the old man and putting on the new but by and through Christ John 15.5 which is no more then what I should believe and thy faith which is contrary is the faith of the Hypocrite which will perish yea and out of thy own mouth I shall prove it for by thy own confession thou art still in the fall in saying that thou trustest in the Lord Jesus to be holpen up out of the fall again hereby it is concluded that thou art still in the fall for if thou wast holpen already out of the fall then thou wouldest have the end of thy hope but it s like this faith thou hast professed this many years and hast been a Teacher so long and yet it hath not brought thee out of the fall and therefore it is but a borrowed faith and most of those expressions thou hast stolen out of Luke 1.71.72 73 74 75. which hath not purified thy heart from lies and deceipt neither art thou in obedience or conformable to Jesus Christ who abides not in his doctrine but teachest for doctrine the traditions of men neither art thou dead with him unto all knowne sins for this is one to depart from his doctrine and such hath not God and this is proved against thee in many things as in taking thy Tithes and maintenance of the peoples labours which many of them its like do want it themselves which is a great sin and oppression and secondly in sprinkling infants which is a great delusion to the people and many other things which is before proved against thee which that in thy conscience cannot but testify against And to prove another word which thou callest the ingiven and Inspoken word thou quotest Jer 2.1 and 4.11 13. and to prove another word which thou callest the out spoken word thou quotes Psal 68.11 and to prove another word which thou callest the written word of the Lord thou quotest 2 Tim. 3.16 Here thy ignorance of God is not hid Reply who by thy wit and deceiptfull wisdom would make four of one but all these Scriptures which thou hast quoted doth not prove any other then one Jer. 23.29 which word was in the beginning by which all things was made which thou confessest to be eternall powerfull and living and that word which came unto the Prophets was as a fire and a hammer to beat the Rocks in peices Heb. 4.12 then was it not powerfull and living and one and the same with that the Apostle speaks of which is quick and powerfull Iohn 1.1 1. and sharper then a two edged sword and this is the same word of life which the Apostles spoke from and published which was from the beginning 1 Pet. 1.23 and this was the same word which was published which David there speaks of and by this word was the Prophets all begotten and borne againe and this word is invisible hid from the carnall eye as thou thy selfe confessest though in confusion but that Scripture which thou quotest in the 2 Tim. 3.16 to prove a written word doth not mention any such thing but if thou meanest that the Scriptures is that written word I answer there are many words in the Scripture but the word is but one of which the Scriptures beares Testimony And thus thy ignorance is manifested and returned into thy own bosom What is the end of Christs coming and what is the redemption And in thy Answer thou goest about to prove that many-fould which is but one P. Ans and so runs into thy sundry divisions in thy imaginations and though thou accusest James Parnel that he knows it not yet he is able to discerne thy confusion for in one place thou say'st there is a redemption from all sinne and another redemption from all evill and this thou calls two-fold and thou say'st there is a redemption from the curse of the law and another redemption from the guilt of sin which also thou callest two-fold How many redemptions wouldest thou here make of one Reply thou blind guide Can any be redeemed from all sin and not from all evill and from the curse of the law and not from the guilt of sin and is not all this one and by one and fulfilled in one But it may easily be concluded that thou canst witnesse none of this for so long as thou art in the fall thou art under the curse of the law and the guilt of sin as before out of thy own mouth is proved and they that can witnesse this redemption are Christians indeed and cleasned from earthly mindednesse all which thou nor thy Church is not as before out of thy own mouth is proved but are still in your iniquity upholding the works of the Devill and are not saved from your enemies that are of your own house neither is the righteousnesse of the Law fulfilled in you neither is your souls delivered out of the house of bondage neither is Jesus your high Priest who set up your selves to be Priests in his stead holding up the changeable Priest-hood which took Tithes and so denies Christ come in the flesh and therfore shall be judged by him whom thou confessest is the judge of the world all which thou say'st is the end of Christs coming Whether thou wilt own that Christ hath enlightened every one that cometh into the world Que. 30. and whether they that know that light need any man to teach them and whether thou leadest up any under thy Ministry that they need not thee to teach them And in thy answer thou confessest
that Christ doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world P. Ans because the Apostle affirmes it Joh. 1.9 And secondly thou confessest that they which have attained to the true knowledge of this light need not that any man should teach them for they are sufficiently taught of God thou say'st Jer. 31.34 But thou say'st thou deniest that we are so taught or in such a measure but thou say'st till that full light shine in you you may have other helps and teachers which to prove thou quotest 2 Pet. 1.19.20 c. But thou deceiver thou run and the Lord never sent thee who hath beene a teacher of the people and a professor of the light so many yeares and hast not yet brought any of thy hearers to the knowledge of the light yea thou numberest thy selfe amongst them whom this full light doth not yet shine but stands in need of other helps and teachers then thou hypocrite and dissembler how shouldst thou teach thy hearers the full knowledge of the light as thou say'st they will witnesse for thee when as thou thy selfe stands in need to be taught it by thy own confession Therefore it may well be resolved that thou knowest not that Christ hath enlightened every one that cometh into the world neither wouldest confesse it but that the Apostle affirmes it in that Scripture which thou quotest in John 1.9 yea that Scripture which thou quotestin Jer. 31.34 doth witnesse against thee and thy hearers to be yet strangers to the promises therefore thou hypocrite how hast thou belyed thy own conscience in saying that thou would'st bring them to the knowledge of the light that they should not need thee or any man to teach them when as that is it thou openly strivest against for then thy Dianah would bring thee in no gaine which is thy greatest care to uphold and this is witnessed in thy conscience for a truth against thee yea and this Scripture which thou quotest in 2 Pet. 1.19 20. will witnesse against thee to be a lier of the Apostle for that speakes of the world within which shines as a light in a dark place which thou art not yet come to know and therefore thou denies the truth but I tell thee we are in that measure of light so that we are able to comprehend thee and shew thee thy confusion and deceipt therefore silence from bringing the Prophets or Apostles for thy proofe for they testify against such as thee who pretendest to teach others and to be a guide to the blind a light of them which are in darknesse and an instructer of the foolish Rom. 2.19.20 and art not yet taught thy selfe but art dark and blind and ignorant of the light and wants instruction thy selfe by thy own confession therfore what an impudent lyer art thou who before said thou usely spoke by the motion of the holy-Ghost and guided by an infallible Spirit and now not come to that full knowledge of the light that thou needest no man to teach thee but the Prophets and Apostles was come to that before they was made teachers and they by the effect of their Ministry turned many from darknesse to light Act. 16.7 Eph. 8.5.1 Jonn 2 22.31 Que. and brought them to the knowledge of the Anointing so that they needed no man to teach them therefore silence thou deceiver for thy blessings is curses and therefore profits not the people at all Whether they be not the deceivers that cry Loe here and loe there that draw people to look at a Christ in a Heaven far off without them or at a Jerusalem far off without them when as they that cannot witness Christ in them are Reprobates And in thy Answer thou confessest P. Ans that they that cannot witness Christ in them are in a Reprobate condition but thou confessest that thou wilt not say that all who speak of a Christ within them shall be saved yet thou grants that those Teachers who points only at a Christ without them or to any other spiritual Kingdom of God then what must be within saying Loe here is Christ and loe there is his Kingdom may be both deceivers and deceived themselves for the present Herein thou condemnest thy Brethren Reply to be deceivers and deceived who are set up unpheld and maintained by the same earthly power as thou art who are such as cry all lo here and loe there without and wholly draw the peoples mindes without from the light within them that should lead them to the knowledge of Christ and his Kingdom incensing them that it is natural and insufficient and though thou dost here profess to the contrary yet art out of thy own mouth judged to be out of the state of salvation who only professest Christ within yet art found as deep in sin and deceipt and as void of Christ or his Light as the rest of thy Brethren who art doting without as before out of thy mouth is sufficiently proved and so thy selfe art the greatest deceiver only the Serpents subtlety more resined but that thou accusest us that we cry loe here amongst the people called Quakers Christ a lone is to be found Thou art a lier and speakest not from an infallible spinit but from a lying spirit which many can witness against yet they that are of God heare as he that can receive it let him Whether they be not out of the faith of Christ Que. 32. that receive honour or respect persons And in thy Answer thou sayst men may receive honour and yet be in the faith of Christ which to prove P. Answ thou quotest Phil. 2.19 20.2 Cor. 6.16 17.1 Cor. 11.1 2 3.2 Cor. 8.23 and many other which doth not at all concerne the matter of my Query yea thou sayst men may respect persons and be in the faith which to prove thou quotest Act. 26.25 2 Kings 3.14 Psal 15.4 but thou confessest it is a great hinderance to the faith and the believing in the true word for men to seek the honour of men more then the honour that comes from God John 5.44 And thou sayst it is also a blot and blemish to the true Believers to respect the ungodly that are great and rich in this world before the true Saints that are poor yea thou sayst it is a plain deniall of the faith and a good conscience also to respect persons in doing of justice whether for favour or reward Exod. 23.2 3 4 5 6 7 8. All these Scriptures which thou hast here quoted Reply doth not at all justifie the earthly honour which you earthly ones give and receive one of another neither was these things written to the world as thou makes use of them neither did those whom the Apostle speaks of seek after or receive earthly honour as you do who are called of men Master who are set up in the chief seats of the Synagogues and love greetings in the markets and uppermost Rooms at feasts and all
which thou who art given up to believe lies impudently would cast upon him and those thou callest his confederacy who abhorrs all such abhomination and therefore returns it into thy own bosom from whence it comes And thus thou sayst by clear Scripture and experience Priest thou hast answered the bold Queries of him who is known to the World to be out a boy or stripling As thou begannest with a lie in thy mouth Reply so also thou endest with a lie for by plain Scripture and true experience thou hast not answered these Queries for in many things thou mayst finde no Scripture at all in the least to countenance thee then thou pleadest old stories and Records and saith also it sufficeth thee that there is no Scripture to the contrary but thou shalt know that in any thing that thou dost in which the Scripture will not stand for thee it will in the same stand against thee and also when thou didst wrest any Scripture for thy own ends it was made use of to witness against thee in the same and how hast thou answered by thy own experience when as thou stole the Apostles Declaration and set it down even word for word to prove the estate of a Christian when as it was proved out of thy own mouth that thou art not come to witness in possession the lowest estate of a Christian and thus thou might have been ashamed to boast of thy Age who art found such an impudent lyer as to say by clear Scripture and experience thou answered these Queries which are not so bold as true in which all that are not wilfully blinde will witness against thee and thus him thou contemnest as a boy or stripling is made able to cut off thy head with thy own sword and therefore henceforward let shame and confusion of face cover thee for boasting of thy age who yet knowest not That the wisdom and power of the Almighty stands not in the number of years or the arm of flesh but the righteous are as bold as a Lion Prov. 28.1 And now to thy Counter-Queries as thou callest hem which for a Compeiment thou biddest me give hee leave to propound but meaned not to stay to know whether I did so or nay First concerning honour and respect to be given to men And to the substance of these Querie I answer that Christ himselfe cries down all earthly honour and admiration and respect of mans Person and onely attolerates the honour that is of God and cometh from God and belongs unto the seed of God which is not known amongst you Children of this world whose honour and glory is of this world in whom the seed of the Serpent rules head to which no worship not honour is due the which all the world wonders after worship the beast his image but none of these Scriptures which thou hast quoted doth at all maintaine your heathenish breeding worship honour manners and respect as you call it but now he is risen and reignes to whom all Nations must bow to whom alone belongs all honour praise dominion and thanks therefore silence proud flesh that would goe about to rob him it s you that are offended in him and persecute him because he cannot bow unto you and as for that Scripture Honour all men I answer with another Scripture which thou hast quoted Psl 15.4 in whose eies a vile person is contemned here all men are not honoured but in the Lord therefore you that abide not in the doctrine of Christ must not be received nor bidden Gods speed And as for that Scripture Lev. 19.22 which thou quotest in thy seventh Query I answer with Solomons words wisdom is the gray haire and an undefiled life is old age Wisd 4.8.9 and this is not without honour though by the world condemned And to thy 9 Query whether standing bare 9 Query with the head uncovered before the Magistrates be not a decent posture sence it is a posture that the Apostle requires in the behalfe of God which to prove thou quotest 1 Cor. 11.4.5 6 7 8. I answer no man must be honoured in respect to his person Ans and the honour of justice and equity lyeth not in the putting off the hate or keeping it on but it is a heathenish custome contrary to any Scripture rule or example and therefore not a decent but an unseemly posture as thou callest it for men so to adore one anothers persons and that Magistrate that seeks for or owns such a thing standes in his own will and is partiall and rules not for God but for himselfe and such God doth not stile as Gods upon earth as thou say'st but rather unjust stewards and thou blind guide read in the 3 verse of the Chapter aforesaid Jam. 1.2 and see what is the head of the man but thy head is the Serpent and according to thy own meaning most of ye Priests condemnes your selves in this who commonly have your heads covered with Caps when you pretend to pray or prophesy And that Scripture 1 Tim. 6.11 which thou hast quoted in thy 10. Querie and Rom. 10.10 which thou hast quoted in thy 11. Querie was not spoken to the world who accounts man in gay clothing and a Gold Ring as a superior and a man in vile and poore rayment as an inferior and accordingly prefers them respects them contrary to Scripture and you leaders cause them to erre therefore wrest not the Scripture for your own ends lest in turn to your destruction 2 Pet. 3.16 Whether the pronounce of the second person Q. 12. singular may not out of the Hebrew and Greek be as well rendered you as thou especially since in the plurall number it is alwayes rendered ye not thee the Dutch tongue whence we borrow much of our language hath you Here thou sonne of Babylon Ans who art thy carnall reason in thy languages confused who stumblest at the plaine language thou what is that in thee that cannot beare the word thou which is the single proper language to a single person as well as you which thou confessest is a borrowed language thus the Hebrews the Grecians the Romans the Dutch will condemn you who are content with their naturall language Whether it hath not beene ever accounted rude Q. 13. and Rusticall in this Nation for inferior men to speake unto others their superiors by the word thou and not you and also to stand with their hats on unlesse leave were given them so to do Thou blind sot thou hast laide thy selfe naked to the world with thy rude and rusticall Querie it was never accounted so but by Dives-nature which is swelled with Pride and arrogancy yea that which would be above God which must come downe into the pit Is not God the superior of all then why do you give unto him that rude and rusticall language as thou callest it here thou manifests thy selfe amongst
as well as of the rich and thou quotest Mark 7.21.22 23. The Scripture which thou hast quoted Answ doth answer thy Question where pride lieth but Apparel is a dead thing and no pride in it but the vanity and wastfulness which thou confessest is committed therein figures forth the pride of the heart and where riches is this is showne therefore you Priests look at home and judge your selves though poor and rich be both in one nature before the Regeneration Eph. 2 3. Whether one of the greatest things that puffs up the hearts of men be not knowledge Qu 34. whether it be true or false and imagined only and thou quotest 1 Cor. 8.1 2. You that are carnall and fleshly Ans are puffed up with your fleshly notionall knowledge and in that yo usteal from others experiences but the true knowledge of the spirit puffs not up but judges down that which would be exalted but this unto thee is a mystery because thy knowledge hath blinded thy eye who art confused in thine Imaginations so read thy selfe in the Scripture aforesaid which thou hast quoted Whether another thing that exalts a man in pride Qu 35. and makes him despise his Brethren and perhaps those that are better then himself be not a Conceited selfe-chosen holiness seeing such a proud Saint is brought in Isay 65.5 which thing also thou sayst is verified in the Pharisee and the Publican Luke 18.15 Thou hast here answered thy selfe with these Scriptures wherein thou mayst read thy selfe Answ who thinkest thy selfe more holy then thy Brethren and would only answer for thy selfe and not for thy Brethren though thou art found in the same practices but thou blinde Pharisee he was not a Saint which was spoken of in Isay 65.5 but he was a Saint which said We are of God and the whole world lieth in wickedness 1 John 5.19 and here also thy 36. Question is answered with the Scripture which thou hast quoted 1 Tim. 3.6 who art a false Teacher doting about Questions And here thou askest whether a young man be not the pronest of all other Que. 31. to be thus seduced and puffed up and thou quotest 1 Tim. 3.6 Thy spite is much against youth but him thou shootes at Ans thou canst not hit because thou art blinde and canst not divide the word aright but thou mayst plainly have readthy selfe in that Chapter aforesaid and finde that thou art the novice who knowes not the truth but despisest the young man because of his youth which is contrary to Paul 1 Tim. 4.12 And thy next is to maintain Swearing And thy first Query of this is whether it be lawfull now Qu. 31. in the new Testament to take an Oath before lawful Authority to put an end to controversies and thou quotest Heb. 6.16 This which thou goest about now to uphold manifests thee an enemy to Christ and his Doctrine Ans who saith Swear not at all for saith he it hath been said in the old time thou shalt not forsweare thy selfe but shalt perform unto the Lord thine Oath but I say unto you Swear not at all but let your yea be yea and your nay be nay for what is more is evill now here he doth not only forbid false swearing but also all swearing Mat. 5.33.34 c. and also the Apostle James doth the same in James 5.12 both which Scriptures thou hast quoted in thy 39. Query and so here out of the Doctrine of Christ again thou art found in the evill and all you that cannot believe one another without swearing and so are more then yea and nay and what is more is evill saith Christ now read your condemnation and as for that in Heb. 6. there the Apostle was speaking by way of comparison how the Lord made a Covenant and confirmed it with an oath which is Christ Jesus the everlasting Oath who saith swear not at all and the Apostle brought a comparison from men in strife and controversie but this doth not at all maintain swearing now for strife and controversie is out of the Doctrine of Christ and such runs into the swearing and into the evill amongst whom thou art found upholding the evill and opposing Christs Doctrine and so art found in the condemnation of the Devil James 5.12 this was not the Saints practise for in the new Covenant neither strife nor swearer is and thus you leaders cause men to erre by upholding that which Christ is against here thy 39. Query is answered Here thou askest whether Paul himself did not swear Que. 40. in these words 2. Cor. 11.10 as the truth of Christ is in me c. Oh thou enemy of truth that would heare scandall and accuse Paul for swearing that so thou might uphold swearing but by what doth he here swear this is plain Language And thy next is concerning outward materiall Churches and the publick exercises therein Most of these Queries are answered in my Reply to thy Answer to my 17th Query Answ wherein I have declared why I object against your Steeple-houses which thou callest Churches Here thou askest if such meetings may not be mixt Assemblies Qu. 44. of learned unlearned of believers and unbelievers and thou quotes 1 Cor. 14.23 But the un-believers are not owned by the believers Answ though he come amongst the believers as in 2 Cor. 6.14 15 16 17 18. then the Ministers are far off being maintained by unbelievers as thou art for though thou confessest the greatest part are earthly minded and worldly minded thou yet art maintained by them and I am sure they that come into the true faith which purifieth the heart come out from amongst you so that you are not much mixed for you are all one nature like Priest like people And in thy 47. 48. Query thou askest if Christ and his Apostles did not frequent the Synagogues Yea they did Answ and so do we your Idoll-Temples but therein the Jews will condemn you who suffered them to speak as in that Scripture which thou hast quoted in Acts 13 14 15. which shall stand and witness against you who will not suffer us to speak in your Steeple-houses but suffers your flocks to hale us forth and fall upon us like Wolves and your Magistrates to hale us to prison therefore read your condemnation you persecuters and thy 49. Query is answered already with the other aforesaid Here thou askest Qu. 50. if the Prophet did not complain to God against the profaners and destroyers of the Synagogues in Psal 74.4 5 6 7. This Scripture which thou hast quoted doth answer thee but it doth not uphold your Idolls Temples Answ who worship you know not what wherein you teach for Doctrine the traditions of men and there are found in the steps of the Pharisees offering up your abominations as Christ marked you out in Mat. 6.5 where he meant as he spoke and all you do
life more then you do therefore let guilt strike you and put not the Devil so far from you when as he fights for you â—or 10.4 â— but carnall Weapons we shall not use against you to root you out but our Weapons are spirituall and mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holdes therefore tremble all ye enemies of God Thy next is concerning the Inward light Is there not a false light as well as a true light Qu. 75. thou quotes 2 Cor. 11.13 14. Thou hast answered thy selfe with this Scripture and I have already proved that this false light rules in thee as an Angel of light who art a Minister of Antichrist transforming thy selfe as a Minister of Christ but out of their life and practice art found and therefore guided by a false light which is an evill eye and dangerous darknesse so that thou canst accuse others but canst not see the falsenesse and deceipt of thine own heart but thinks that thou speakest by the motion of the Holy-Ghost when as therein thou hast sufficiently beene proved a lier and thus Satan rules in thee and makes thee beleive he is God 2 Thes 2.4 and here is thy 76 Querie answered also and that Scripture which thou quotest in Math. 6.23 shall stand and witnesse against thee Are we not therefore to try mens pretended light by the law and word of God and thou quotest Isa 8.20 You neither know the law nor word or God P. Ans and therefore relyes upon the law and word of man contrary to the law word of God yet pretendest to the light the law and the word of God and so by it art tryed and found to be a deceiver who puts the letter for the word and the letter for the law both which is within but according to thy own meaning thou art out of the light who attest many things contrary to the law and testimony as before is proved What may men think of your pretended light who hate so many of your brethren in the Ministery of England Que. 78. and thou quotest 1 Joh. 2.9 The thoughts of man is vaine Ans and would'st thou have the light tryed by that here thou erres from the law and from the testimony and so confirmes my former answer therefore cease thy false accusing from the evill thoughts of thy heart for none of my brethren in the Ministery of God do I hate but I deny that thy brethren are mine Mat. 23.35 for you are spring of another seed and so are become another generation in which the righteous blood is found shed and therefore murderers unto whom belongs this in 1 John 2.9 and Chap. 3.15 where you may read your selves Is there not another light to go before the light of Christ Qu. 79. seeing the wise men that came from the East were guided unto Christ by a star Mat th 2. Thy ignorance of Christ and his light Answ thou hast here manifested and so confirmed my reply to thy answer to my 30. Querie that thou would'st not have confessed that Christ doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world had not John so plainly affirmed it in Ioh. 1. and that thou never yet saw his star who thinks that it is not his light therefore thou that would'st set up another light before the light of Christ art a deceiver and a bringer in of false lights Is not the sure propheticall Word Qu. 86. a light that shines in a dark corner till the true day light arise in your hearts 2 Pet. 1.19 But it is the light of Christ that leads unto Christ the perfect day Ans which light shines in darknesse and darknesse comprehends it not and therefore thou looks without Iohn 1.5 for another light before the light of Christ Whether the life of Christ be not the true light that men are to waite for Qu. 8 1. and wherein the true Children of light are to walk and thou quotest Iohn 1.4 and Eph. 5 9. Thou hast here answered thy selfe Ans for his life is the light of men which they must waite to know within them to guide them and thou that would'st set up another light before this light art a deceiver and this is the light which now is come into the world testifying against the world Iohn 3.19.20 and manifesting you to be the deâ—â—â—ers of the world who have long set up false lights to draw from this true light the minds of people therefore now you can no longer hide your selves from this true light you stand up to oppose it where it is set up and some calls it a naturall light and an insufficient light but it is your condemnation Thy next is concerning Prophets and Prophetesses Whether some men may not be acted with a Spirit of falsehood Que. 82. and delusion even then when they think they Prophesie by the Spirit of God as Zedekiah was 1 King 22. This is already answered in my reply to thy answer to any 6th Query Ans and thou in divers places to be thus acted Whether the Lord did ever send forth boyes or striplings to be his prophets publike teachers Q. 83. seeing John the Baptist who was born to be a Prophet of the most high and was filled with the Holy-Ghost from his Mothers wombe was not sent forth to preach and Prophesie till he was 30 yeares old Luk. 1.15 How often have I made thy folly and ignorance Ans in this to appeare and that thou might be ashamed to boast of thy age who so often hast erred not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God who would limit it to time age in which I have before sufficiently answered thee and now I say the Lord sent forth Ieremiah when he was but a Child Ier. 1.6.7 Psal 8.2 Mat. 21. and out of the mouths of Babes and Sucklings the Lord hath perfected his praise therefore hence-forward stop thy mouth for despising any be-because of their youth but know this that whomsoever God calls to his Ministry he by his power and wisdom doth fit them for the same and contrary to the reason of man doth the Lord work therefore if thou wast not blind thou would'st not so much looke at the creature Math. 11.25 but at the power of God in the creature but as it is written He hath hid these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto Babes and here thy 84. Querie is also answered Whether the Lord will breake his own orders and commands Qu. 85 expressely set down in his word where he saith as you already heard by Paul 1 Tim. 3.6 And unto this I have already answered Answ at to thy 37 Querie therefore thou blasphemer stop thy mouth and be ashamed thus to accuse the Lord because he is pleased to make his power known in babes and youth for Timothy to whom Paul writes this Epistle