the same they were before but the Baptism of Christ makes a New Creature and this I witness for I received Water upon my Face as my Parents told me which they called Baptism but I grew up a Heathen as all other Children do and no New Creature though my Parents were counted Believers among the World and their Priests but now I witness the Baptism of Christ by One Spirit into One Body and now I witness a New Creature old things are past away and all things become New And now I see the other to be formal Imitation and the Invention of Man and so a meer Delusion and all are Heathens and no Christians who cannot witness this Baptism who can witness this denies all other for the Scripture saith The Baptism is but One and who can witness this are Believers but who cannot witness this are no Believers and so it is that Water or no Water availeth nothing but a New Creature for all by Nature are the Children of Wrath and except they be born again they cannot enter and as for the Baptism of Water which the Apostles used it being a Figure for its Time the Power went along with it and the Disciples received the Holy Ghost when they were Baptized but none can witness this who set themselves of acting or imitating the Apostles and so take it up by Imitation and their Ground is the Letter and are not guided to it by the same Spirit which guided the Apostles and so they are the same after Water as before and so now Water or no Water availeth any Thing but a New Creature for Water was but for its time though many in Darkness have now got the Form and are groping in it for Life but want the Life and Power and so from such turn away We are accused to deny the Supper of the Lord. The Supper of the Lord we own which is the Body and Blood of Christ which the Saints feed upon and this is Eternal Food and Life And here they all feed upon one and are of one Heart and Mind and here is pure and Eternal Union and Communion and this is not Carnal but Spiritual for Saints are Spiritual and their Communion is Spiritual and Eternal and this we witness who are of one Heart and one Mind who are in the New Covenant and herein we discern the Lord's Body and here all Drunkards are shut out and all Lyars Adulterers Proud Covetous Lustful and Envious Ones and all Back-biters Revilers Extortioners and all Deceitful and Unrighteous Persons are shut out of the New Covenant and are without feeding upon the Husk and Shadow which is Carnal for the Bread which the World breaks is Carnal and Natural and only feeds the Outward Carnal Body and goeth into the Belly and so passeth out into the Dangil and so likewise the Cup which they drink and so the Communion and Fellowship of the World passeth away but this is no Nourishment to the Soul but still the Soul lyes in Death and here is no Communion but Natural Outward and Carnal of several Minds and Hearts full of Filthiness and Uncleanness which is the Table of Devils eating and drinking their own Damnation not discerning the Lord's Body which is Spiritual which the Natural Man discerns not And here stands the Worlds Communion and Fellowship which is Carnal and cross but their Carnal Wills and it is turned into Envy and for Earthly Trifles they will go to Law and Cozen and Cheat and Defraud one another for Earthly Trifles and like People like Priest but if they lye in wait for Revenge of one another then they will not take their Sacrament as they call it And here the Devil hath as great Hold for he that envies is a Murderer and here is the Difference betwixt the Worlds Communion and the Saints Communion Life and Death For to be Carnally-minded is Death but to be Spiritually-minded is Life And here they are without feeding upon the Husk and Shadow without and would destroy the Life and Substance where it appears both Priest People and Rulers and so have a Form of Godliness and deny the Life and Power from such turn away for it is a meer Delusion to take the Shadow for the Substance We are accused to deny all Prayer The Prayers of the Wicked we deny and God denies for they are abominable for Cain the wicked one who was out of the Commands of God who was the first Birth he offered up a Sacrifice of the Earth but God had no Respect to it but Abel the second Birth who was the Righteous his Sacrifice God had Respect to so the Prayers of the Faithful and Righteous God doth accept and they avail and what comes from his own which is the second Birth his own is pure what comes from it is pure and God who is pure doth receive that which is pure but he receives nothing which is polluted or unclean for he is of purer Eyes then to behold Iniquity for his Sacrifice must be without Spot or Blemish and that which comes from an unclean Heart is spotted and defiled and unclean for nothing that is pure can come forth of an unclean Vessel But who can witness the second Birth and that the Seed of the Woman hath bruised the Serpents Head which is the first Promise and Faith which purifieth the Heart then that which comes out is pure proceeding from a pure single Heart and this Prayer God receives and he hath Respect to it and this we own and witness and this comes from the second Birth which is pure for the first Birth is unclean and out of the Command of God in the Fall in the Wrath in the Peevishness and Perversness and Frowardness Cain-like and the Seed of the Serpent is first in every one and rules the Head but the Promise is The Seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpents Head So you who are not come to this are still in the Fall and are not come to the first Promise so all your self-acting and imitating thinking to merit with your Prayers and Praises Singings and Duties and Worships and Traditions which are all in vain and you are sacrificing to an unknown God a Sacrifice of the Earth from the first Nature which God hath no Respect to and the flaming Sword is set against that to keep from the Tree of Life for both Drunkards and Swearers Lyars Proud Covetous and all Manner of Unrighteous Persons are offering up Sacrifices and are in their Formal Worships and Duties thinking that is sufficient to pacifie for their Sins and yet do not repent But saith the Lord Bring no more vain oblations away with your New Moons and Sabbaths they are Abomination and my Soul loaths them When you spread forth your Hands I will hide mine Eyes from you yea when you
you may see the Difference betwixt the one and the other the one a Form and Tradition and Profession the other the Life and Power and Substance and here also you may see what England's Church which England's Priests have planted now differs from the Heathen and now set Drunkards aside set Swearers aside set Lyars aside set Proud Ones aside set Covetous Ones aside set Railers aside set Murderers aside and Whoremongers aside ses Wild Ones Prophane Ones and Wanton ones aside set Quarrellers and Fighters aside and Hypocrites Dissemblers and Persecutors aside and Back-biters Extortioners and Lustful ones and such like aside and then see where England's Church is which your Priests have made you believe they have planted and let them eat no where but of their own Vineyard and it will make them go about to plant a better Vineyard or else to cast off their long Gowns and fall to dig with a Spade for some of them have sometimes brought that Place of Scripture to uphold their forty or fifty or an hundred or two hundred by the Year where the Apostle saith Who planteth a Vineyard â—nd eateth not of the Fruit thereof Now according to this the Vineyard must be planted first before they can eat of the Fruit thereof and set those aside that I mentioned as aforesaid for the Apostles cast out such Weeds and wild Plants out of their Vineyard and then see where their Vineyard is which they have planted and let them only eat of the Fruit thereof and not rob others Vineyards and this is but Equity according to Scriptures Example but they are such Greedy Dogs as the Prophet Isaiah declared against in his Time and such ravening Wolves Foxes as they live all upon the Spoil the Fruits of others Labours and those that hunt them out of their Vineyards and Barns Flocks and Heards then they have a Law even to devour them and their whole Estates and this is far from Gospel-Ministers nay Jesus Christ the Light saw their Fore-fathers and marked them out to be the Ravening Wolves in Sheeps Cloathing as these do now appear to any but those that love to have it so for so long as you put into their Mouthes they cry Peace Peace and speak you fair and call you Christians and Beloved but put not into their Mouthes then they even prepare War then they have Law for you to take treble Dammage from you and so fulfil the Apostles Words Oh what a horrible filthy Thing is here committed in the Land Are not they plain Ravening Wolves that would devour both Body and Soul Now you People of England consider where you are and whom you follow and whither you are going and see now who are your fore-fathers and see now how you have walked by Tradition and Form and have been blinded by a vain Profession and outside-Worship and so have taken Anti christ for Christ and the Ministers of Anti-christ for the Ministers of Christ and have pâ—â— Darkness for Light and Light for Darkness and your Fear towards God hath been taught by the Precepts of Men and they have taught for Doctrine the Traditions of Men as I have before proved how many things they have led you in by Tradition without any Scripture-Proofs though to you they have been Oracles of God but now they are searched by the Light they are made manifest to be vain Heathenish Traditions and thus the blind have led the blind along many of them into the Ditch but yet I say not but the Lord hath had his People in all Ages those who were zealous and faithful and true-in what they knew but I know the Priests have been long utter Enemies to God and his Truth and the Tares have long covered the Wheat and in the time of Ignorance God wink'd but now the Light shines out of Darkness and now is the Separation and gathering the Sheep from the Goats the Wheat from the Tares and to convince the World of Sin and of Righteousness and of Judgment because the Prince of the Air is judged and now the Lord doth require all every where to repent and they that love the Light will bring their Deeds to the Light that the Light may prove them whether they be wrought in God and it is not to say You will follow your Fore-fathers and go on the old Way for such are they that hate the Light and despise it and love Darkness rather then Light because their Deeds are Evil and so having drunk old Wine do not straightway desire new for they say the old is better and those are they that cry up the old Way and cry away with new Wayes and new Lights And this is the Condemnation of the World Light is come into the World and Men love Darkness rather then Light because their Deeds are Evil Light is new to them who have alwayes been in Darkness and Truth is new to them who have alwayes lived in Deceit but the Light is the same as ever it was for it is unchangeable and the Truth is the same So People take heed of Obstinacy and wilful Blindness and love not to be deceived for now the Light plainly and clearly shines and here your old Way is plainly laid open what it is and from whence it is and also your Priests and though they be more refined within these late Years then they were before it is because the Light is more broaken forth within these late Years so that many are come to see their Deceit and declare against them and now they are but the more subtiler and closer Deceivers Satan transformed into another Shape more like the Light but still they have not parted with their great Benefices and Augmentations or Tythes nor the chiefest Place of the Assembly nor their long Gowns though they are almost ashamed of their Colour nor to be called of Men Master nor from seeking their Gain from their Quarter nor from making a Trade of other Mens Words nor from their lying Divinations and saying The Lord saith when he never spoak to them nor from stealing the Word into their Mouth and saying Hear the Word of the Lord when they never heard his Voice neither turn the Wicked Ones from their Wickedness nor the Proud Ones from their Pride nor the Ungodly from their Ungodliness nor the Prophane from their Prophaneness but are still prophane themselves and still proud and covetous and still shelter themselves under the Powers of the Earth as their fore-fathers the false Prophets alwayes did and still run when the Lord never sends them but ordained and set up and upheld by the Will of Man therefore they profit not the People at all but only have gotten a higher Notion to feed the Notionists withal and so make more Pharisees Hypocrites and Whited Walls and they are more whited over themselves to deceive the World but the pure Light is so broaken forth that they cannot hide themselves and many see the
are they who are led and guided by the One Spirit of which the World cannot receive even the Comforter of whom you have heard should come by which they are separated out of the World and redeemed out of the Rudiments and Pollutions thereof their Fashions their Customs their Words their Wayes their Manners their Breeding their Fellowship Love and Friendship their Honour and Glory and their Worship and so are become Strangers to the World and so are hated of the World because they are not of the World and the Enmity stands betwixt the two Seeds but while they were of the World the World loved them but now they are gathered out of the World and separated from the World and testifie against the World both in Words and Actions therefore the Enmity is raised in the World against the Righteous Seed and those are they upon whom the Ends of the World are come to whom it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom though to the World in Parables and those are they that are come with a Mighty Arm and Power to trun the World up-side down whom the Lord hath gathered and is a gathering out of the World by his own Spirit of Truth and Love to walk in the Way of Truth even the Way of Holiness where the Ransomed of the Lord do walk and serve and worship him in Spirit and in Truth and such is the Father seeking to worship him in whom he is in doing his own Work even to destroy the Old Creation and create New Heavens and New Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness and those are they that are the New Creatures in whom this New Work is witnessed in whom the Father hath manifested his Son that in the Likeness of sinful Flesh he might condemn Sin in the Flesh and to bind the Strong Man and cast him out of his House and spoil his Goods and so to destroy the Works of the Devil and to cut down the Man of Sin even that Son of Perdition who is exalted above all that is called GOD sitting in the Temple of God as God and saith He is God this is he by whom the World is deceived who is the God of the World even the Prince of Darkness who rules in all the Children of Disobedience and so saith John in the Light The whole World lies in Wickedness and unto this doth Christ come with a Sword for to make War with him and to take and bind him and cast him into utter Darkness and so to take his Kingdom from him and to rule himself in Righteousness And this is the King of the SAINTS who is now come to redeem unto himself a Pure People and to wash them cleanse them from their Sias by his BLOOD and so to wash away all Filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit and this is the Baptism by which they are received into his Church and Faith and here is the Effect of his BLOOD wrought in MAN and thus he doth and will manifest his Mighty Power to purifie and cleanse and make Man a fit Temple for himself to dwell in And thus is GOD with us manifested in Flesh and thus are the Saints Bodies made the TEMPLES of the HOLY GHOST and thus is the Word of Life and Reconciliation witnessed to the raising up the Soul to Life and reconciling the Soul to GOD and those are they that are begotten and born again of the Immortal Word which dwelleth and abideth forever and here is the Houshold of God the Houshold of Faith and the Houshold of Love who speak the things which they have heard and seen and tasted of the good Word of Life which was in the beginning and those are the Children of Light who are gather'd out of the dark Forms Judgments and Opinions into the Life and Power of Godliness to walk in the Light of Life wherein they are gathered and united by the One Spirit of Love and Life into One Body of which Christ is Head and here is the true Church which the Lord is a gathering and washing and cleansing and purifying by his Spirit that he may redeem unto himself a pure Church not having Spot or Wrinkle or any such thing whose Insides are washed and made clean through the Word by which they are reconciled into the Love and Union which springs from the Life of God and here is the Vine and the Branches and here is the Communion of the Church all feeding upon One Bread all drinking upon One Cup this is Christ the Life of the Saints and as many as are baptized into this Church partake of this Communion and those are they which have denyed themselves and have born the Cross of Christ by which they are crucified to the World and the World to them who are gathered into one Covenant of Life where all are Fellow-Servants under one MASTER who serve one another in Love and Meekness And here is the true Humility in the Heart wrought and here is the true Washing of Feet without Hypocrisie which some are imitating without for LIFE but fall short for the Heart the Lord requires And thus is the Church of Christ gathered by one Spirit and by the same circumcised and baptized into one Light and Life and Power where all dwell as MEMBERS of One BODY of which CHRIST is the HEAD And here is the Blessed Union and Communion in One and here God is worshipped in Spirit and in Truth and as CHRIST is spiritual so is his BODY and so are his Ordinances And here are the true Christians not those that only have the Notion of those things but they that witness and possess this in Life and they that believe have the witness within themselves and they that believe have passed from Death unto Life and the Life which they now live in is by Faith in the Son of God which Faith is without Respect of Persons who are the New Creatures who are IN Christ Jesus to whom there is no Condemnation who walk not after the FLESH but after the for against such there is no LAW for they are translated out of that NATURE for which the LAW was added and are set free by the Law of the Spirit of Life and are made Partakers of the Divine Nature of Christ by which they are made Christians and therefore saith John As he is so are we in this present World and such now witness the Effect of the Blood of Christ wrought within them and the End of his Coming and the Benefit of his Death who are Dead with him and risen through the Death of the Cross and these are they that have escaped the Pollutions of the World through the Knowledge of the Son of God within them Christ within the Hope of Glory or else no Hope of Glory for they that cannot witness him so are in the Reprobation so saith the Apostle and here is the Son in the Saints and the Father in the Son and thus are
of the Law and so Tythes ended as before is proved and therefore not for the Ministers of the Gospel to take them as their 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 Tythes due to the Ministers of the Gospel as any who read the Chapter with Honesty will witness for it doth not at all mention Tythes 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 saâ—d were the Seals of his Ministry but where are the Seals of your Ministry are they not the World who lye in Wickedness where is the Vineyard that ye have been planting these many Years Is it not still full of Bryars 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 Thieves 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 forever stop thy Mouth from taking the Apostle's Words for a Cloak for thy Covetousness who himself cast out such from the Ministry 1 Tim. 3. and therefore thou knewst that none of these Scriptures would serve for thy Ends and therefore thou wouldst shelter thy self under the Powers of the Earth by whom thou art set up whom thou say'st did give to the Ministers of the Gospel in this Nation and elsewhere and to their Successors forever 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 paid in the Old Testament Rep. This I do deny to be lawful but altogether unlawful 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 anâ— 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 Philosophy and vain Deceit have spoiled the People and by feigned Words through Covetousness have made Merchandize of them and so have deluded and led in Blindness the People these many Years only for your own Carnal Ends and that this is suitable to what was paid 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 disanuled 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 paid which stood in Force so long as the Priesthood endured as is proved by the Scriptures which thou thy self hast quoted which shall here stand against thy self 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 sayest 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 do see you and therefore account it a Sin unto God to uphold you or put into your Mouthes whom the Lord is against and therefore you even prepare War 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 were ordained and set up by God but you by Man by whom you are upheld and maintained contrary to Scripture so they came by the Will of God and you by the Will of Man and they were maintained by the Will of God and you by the Will of Man and they were of God as all his true Ministers are now and you are of Man as all the rest false Prophets and false Ministers ever were so that there is much Difference betwixt you and them and betwixt the Interest that they had in Tythes 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 blind the World but in Practice you own it and claim it And again if this which thou speakest of was given to the Ministers of the Gospel then you that are Hirelings and the Ministers of Anti-christ 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 enjoy 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 Apostle's Rule in 2 Thes. 3. 10. And thus unto it you have no legal nor civil Claim as thou callest it but your Birth-right is as a Mess of Pottage neither is your Claim and Title as lawful as a Son 's is to the Inheritance of his Father as thou sayest but you climb up another Way and so are Thieves and Robbers John 10. 1. Qu 11. Whether ever the Ministers of Christ had or stood in need of an outwâ—rd Law to compel People to maintain them as thou and such as thou now have and do Pr. Ans. And
Body and Blood of Christ for thou saist thou hast declared the Mystery of both more distinctly and evidently then ever thou readst in our Writings And then by thy vain Philosophy thou goest about to justifie the Word Sacrament for the which thou hast no Scripture and many of your Blind Dâ—luded People do not know what it means Rep. But all this is no true Ground to believe thy words to be Truth for thy Hope is alreadâ— disproved and found to be Deceit and thy Lying Tongue hath been many times reproved as before thou boastest that thou uâ—ually spoakest by the Motion of the Holy Ghost and then wast presently found in a Lye so that there is no Credit to be given to thy Words without a sufficient Proof for here also thou may'st easily be proved a Lyar for out of thy own Mouth both thou thy self and thy Church were proved to be no Christians Then for your Discerning the Body of Christ or declaring the Mystery from your own Experiences yea and though thou couldest declare the Mystery from others Words who experienced it they that hear thee could not discern it without a Single Eye which appeareth they have not who are still Earthly-minded by thy own Confession And dost thou profess here now to have such a Spiritual People and yet durst not trust them for thy Maintenance without a Compulsive Law This also manifests thy self to be Earthly-minded and so ignorant of the Mystery And thus every way thou Deceiver thy Confusion is seen and by the Truth art thou overwhelmed and catched in thy own Craftiness Qu. 25. And whether dost thou not give Bread and Wine to Natural Men and Women yea or nay Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou confessest Thou dost give to Natural Men anâ— Women and also to Spiritual Ones as thou saist Christ himself did to all the Twelve Disciples Luke 22. 14 15. c. whereof thou saist Judas was one and the Apostle for a time thou saist gave the same to those that professed Repentance Faith and new Obedience but fell away afterwards which to prove thou quotest 1 Cor. 11. 18 19. 1 John 2. 19. Rep. Here thou Murderer of Souls by thy own Confession thou confessest the People to eat and drink Damnation to themselves not discerning the Lord's Body which the Natural Man and Woman cannot do and as for Spiritual Ones thou hast none in thy Flock for thou confessest they are Earthly minded And for what Christ did is a Mystery to thee and that which might be done for the fulfilling of what was before decreed which is nothing for thee to imitate And did not Judas eat and drink his own Damnation Neither doth these Scriptures prove that the Apostles did the same as thou dost for he was far absent from them when he writ this Epistle to them as a Warning to take heed what they did neither doth that in John prove any thing to this Purpose for thine can fall no lower then they are who are not yet Christians neither thou that teachest them as is before proved out of thy own Mouth And though here thou confessest they are a Mixt Multitude yet thou makest no Difference when thou takest thy Tythes neither appeareth it when thou givest them that thou callest a Sacrament Qu. 26. Can any be set free from Sin so long at they are upon the Earth and where must they be clensed if not upon the Earth Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou in words confessest That man may be Wholely set Free and that thou knowest no other Place of Purgation and also boastest That thou hast held forth this Doctrine long before the Quakers came as thou callest them Rep. But I find in Life thou still denyest it neither art thou thy self come up to it nor any that are taught by thee and therefore I hold thee the greater Hypocrite and Deceiver then if with the rest of thy Brethren thou didst in words deny it unless in Life thou didst seal it for Profession without Life and Power hath ever been a Dishonour to Truth and Religion Therefore silence Deceit and cause not the Truth to be blasphemed Qu. 27. What Scripture hast thou for thy Rule to give David's Conditions to be sung in a Meeter Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou canst bring no Scripture-Proof to maintain what thou dost but saist All are not of the World whom we take to be of the World to wit who are no Quakers thou saist And secondly thou saist Israel in the general to whom David gave his Psalms to be sung were the greatest part Unregenerate and men of the World Thirdly thou saist He gave them in Meeter or Measure to be sung as the Learned in the Hebrew Tongue know well Rep. All are of the World that are not Christians which neither thou nor thine are as before out of thy own Mouth is proved and also all that own not Quaking and Trembling by the Power of God are also of the World and know not God for all the Holy Men of God and David for one as is before proved witnessed Quaking and Trembling and the Son of Man was to eat his Bread with Quaking and drink his Water with Trembling And so you that despise Quaking and Trembling are Heathens that know not God And also the Way is but one and they that are not with us are against us But All Israel Trembled before the Lord who were not of the World as thou belyest them who were the Lord 's chosen People in the Figure whom he had chosen out of the World though when they forgot their God they were defiled with the World Neither canst thou bring any Scripture-Proof to maintain that David gave forth his Prayers his Prophecies his Quakings his Roarings his Cryings and his Lamentations â—o be sung in a Meeter as thou saist the Learned Ones know but thy Learned Ones may be Lyars like Thee and therefore I have no Ground to believe them seeing also that I have a Proof to the contrary for by your own Confession they were turned into English Meeter by Sternhold and Hopkinson and therefore stop thy Mouth thou Lyar. And fourthly Thou askest what Condition David was in into which every Man may not come in Time And fifthly thou say'st Are not David ' s Psalms Part of the Holy Scriptures which are permitted to all Men and are profitable for all Men to read And sixthly thou say'st The Jews did read all the Old Testament in Publick with a singing Voice as the Learned know And seventhly thou say'st Did not the Lord by his Servant Moses teach all Israel a Song of his own making as in Deut. 31. 19 20 21 22. Deut. 32. And thou say'st We will not deny but David ' s Psalms may have the same Effects even upon the Wicked c. which is false for we will deny it for the Wicked have nothing to do with them for unto the Wicked God saith What hast thou to do to declare my
that thou art yet in it but these Scriptures which thou hast here quoted will witness against thee to be a Stranger to it though it is an easie thing for to set down others Declarations when they are be ore thee But how dost thou keep thy self unsported of the World whenas thou art drowned in and art so greedy of it that thou carest not how thou gettest it so thou gettest it as before is sufficiently proved out of thy own Mouth and hast been all along labouring contrary to Scripture to justifie thy taking of Gifts and Rewards of the World And how dost thou Visit the Widdows and Fatherless unless it be for thy Tythes or that they have to maintain thee and so rather to add Affliction upon them or What dost thou do in this kind but thou hast a Self eâ—d in it Let that in thy Conscience judge thee And if thou didst love the Lord God with all thy Heart thou wouldst not have thy Heart so in the Earth thus to Delude and Deceive Peoples Souls for Gain and Lucre and to take away the Fruits of their Labours by Compulsion if they will not give it thee though thou dost nothiâ—g for them as before is proved against thee to thy Shame and Confusion of Face And thus thy Heart is adulterated from God into the Earth and the Love of God abides not in thee who art in Love with the World And dost thou love thy Neighbour as thy self when for Selfs sake thou woâ—ldst destroy him both Body and Soul And thuâ— I need no other Weaâ—on to cut off thy Head then what thou thy self bringest Qu. 35. What is the Difference betwixt the Jew Outwardly and the Jew Inwardly and how shall we know the one from other Pr. Answ. And in thy Answer thou sayst â—he Jew Outwardly dâ—sires to make a fair Shâ—w in the Flesh or External Man with his outward Circumcision or Reformation Gal. 6. 12 13. in Voluntary Worship and not sparing the Body Col. 2. 23. he observes the lesser Commands and leaves the Greater undone Mat. 23. 23. and in one Point he goes beyond us thou sayst he payes Tythes exactly he makes clean the Out-side of the Cup and Platter and makes all foul within Mat. 23. 15 26 c. Rep. And so here is enough to manifest that thou art the Man for here thou hast plainly read thy self and out of thy own Mouth shalt thou be judged without Contending or Reviling as thou accusest us for thou hast been striving all along hitherto to set out thy self and make a fair Out-side like a Reformation though the Hypocrisie of thy Heart thou couldst not thereby hide from the Light And who are more strict in Voluntary Worship But you can pamper your Bodies which shows your Zeal is not so hot â— And instead of observing the Lesser Commands and leaving the Greater undone you leave all undone that will not stand for self and preach up and uphold these things for Commands for which you have no Scripture and so preach for Doctrine the Commandments of men as the Outward Jew did But if one ask you for your Proof for these things thou say'st It sufficeth you that there is no Command to the Contrary yea for thy Self-covetous Ends thou art not ashamed to fetch up old Commands that were fulfilled and so ended for a Cover for thy Deceit as here also thou wouldest seem to do in accusing us for not paying Tythes exactly as the Pharisee did which I know is the great Grief of thee and thy Brethren because we put not into your Mouthes and therefore ye even prepare War against us But when the Pharisee said He paid Tythes they were then due for the Priesthood to which Tythes belonged was not yet fulfilled and therefore not changed and therefore it was his Duty so to do But you Priests have so blinded the Pharisees and Professors of these Times that they are so exact in paying you Tythes putting into your Mouths because you daub them up crying Peace to them though they have no Command from God for it and you take it as exactly but you have but few such that you dare trust without a Law for as thou saist The greatest Part of them are Earthly-minded like their Teachers And how hast thou been cleansing thy Out-side of the Cup as if thou wast unblamable in this Outward Righteousness and so holy in thine own Eyes that in words thou professest Perfection and as if thou knewest the highest Estate of Christianity and wast in the pure Religion without Spots and guided by God's Spirit usually speaking by the Motion of the Holy Ghost but even condemned thy Brethren and wouldest not answer for them but saidst Thou wast none of these Hirelings nor Greedy Dogs c. but yet could not keep thy Tongue from uttering forth the Foulness of thy Heart which hath overwhelmed thee all along and out of thy own Mouth hast been proved a Lyar. And thus thou art plainly dealt with and judged out of thy own Mouth and the Scriptures aforesaid which thou hast quoted shall stand and witness against thee Pr. Answ. But the Jew Inwardly thou say'st trusts in the Lord Christ and hath no Confidence in the Flesh. But this thou dost not for then thou wouldst trust him for thy Maintenance and not stand in need of the Arm of Flesh upon which thou relyest Neither dâ—st thou first make clean the Inside of the Cup that the Outside may be fair also as thou saist the Inward Jew doth but though thou hast bin much labouring with feigned words of thy own Wisdom and Self-Justification to deck and adorn the Outside painting it with Scripture-Words and Expressions yet thy Inside is so foul that it defiles the Outside also so that it makes thee odious to all but the Blind and manifests thy Heart to be yet uncircumcised from Sin and a Stranger to the Inward Cross by which thou art not crucified to the World nor the World to thee for then it would not suffice thee to take the Tenth Part of the Encrease of the Labour of the Labourers by the Will of Man without any Command from God as thou dost living at Ease like a Drone upon the same and therefore thy Heart is far off Uprightness all which the Inward Jew thou saist doth witness And thus in a word thou seest there is as much Difference betwixt the one and the other as betwixt Saul and Paul a Perseâ—utor and an Executor of Christ's Doctriâ—e and Way And thus in a word thou hast marked out thy self and art found out of the Way and Doctrine of Christ Persecuting Despising and Gain-saying those that abide in iâ— And thus by thy Fruits art thou known as thou saist the one may be known from the other And thus Proud Goliah thy Head is cut off with thy Own Sword Qu. 36. Whether they that profess themselves the Ministers of Christ and cannot give Account of their Ministry and