14. 1 Joh. 5 20 Joh. 14.26 which is to Instruct and kill Ignorance and quicken the understanding by bringing the things of Christ to remembrance as Christ hath said Joh. 14.26 but wanting the Spirit you set up your personal and familiar Instruction to do it as it appeares by page 21. you Intreat them there to come for some familiar conference and personal instruction for the lesse they know and remember the more help they need and you are there calling them to come to you that are untaught to deny your Miscarriages c. And coming from the sprituall teaching to your personall Instruction they come from the true meanes and helps and that is the cause why they do not profit andy on set up your paper and personal Instruction instead of the spirit of truth which is the guide into all truth John 16.13 and the remembrancer also killing Ignorance and is the meanes that prevents and keeps from it c. but you say your Catechisme and familiar and personall Instruction is so because you are Ignorant of the same you say you observe that the younger when they are once married will come no more to be Catechised publiquely and too many forget that which before they had learned which this course you say may prevent but it hath not prevented you the personall familliar structers for running into miscarriages and doing wrong to others neither doth it lead you out of it who are therein and without pardon for the same c. and is people so silly to think it will do it in them your hearers when it hath not yet done it in you their teachers and wrongers whereby you manifest your selves to be meer deluders and also deceivers though the blind see you not yet are you seen and your wayes and windings with the true light are discovered comprehended and with the light which you act contrary unto Joh. 8 12. stoh 14.6 Joh. 15.6 Heb. 5.8 9. Heb. 7.25 are you to be condemned You say page 4. that Catechising and personall Instruction is the doctrin of salvation You speak you know not what and without understanding of the way of salvation putting that in the rome of Christ who is the way to salvation John 14.6 he is the way to the father Then your Catechisme and familiar personall Instruction is not the way for it is not Christ and no man can come to the Father but by him John 14.6 And he is perfctely able to save to the utmost all those that come unto God by him Gal. 1.9 10. Heb. 7.25 without your Catechisme or personall and familiar Instruction which is set up in your old evil and miscarrying nature Prge 19. and 29. who yet know not the way of salvation that are seting up a way of your own and turning thereby people as much as in you lieth from Christ the true way to walk in yours who are cursed Children neglecters of the work of God and in your miscarriages wanting your pardon for that and your wrong done to Christ and to men c. when you so said and then you set up your Image and stayed your time saying you would set a convenient stated time for that work in your Parishes telling people you will grant their desires and examine some privatly some openly or as they please and so manifest your selves to be men pleasers and time-servers when you will and as you will to please people for your own ends rather then lose your gain and if their soules perish you will take their moneyes and meanes and tell them on their death bed when you visit the sick that you dare not speak a word of Comfort unto them yet you dare take their money in their life time for your deceiving and dead dark dry barren and uncomfortable doctrine and now that your preaching is found so useless you cry up your Catechisme and personal familiar Instructions at a very high rate saying it is that which life or death must depend upon page 10. but what will it effect more then your preaching hath done even leave people as they was except in conceits higher and grow into Ignorance of the power of truth and way of salvation for all that when they have done as they yet are and also Ignorant of what you your solves have many years taught them whose doctrin deceives their soules and deprives them of understanding the same And if they perish in their Ignorance are not you the cause of it who sayes in page 11. you find by experience that the people understand not your publick preaching though you study to speak as plain as you can Isa 55.2 Jer. 23.30 31 32. c. but do you not take their money for the same and so for that which is not bread neither doth it profit their souls and that after many years too many you say can scarce tell any thing you have said therefore you and they may see how little they are benefited by you and what little use your studied stuffe is of and how uselesse that is which you study and invent in that old miscarrrying nature which doth deprive peoples understandings of knowing the truth and so keeps them in blindnesse and Ignorance of the onely true God And therefore as you say in page 19. you are wrongers of Christ and of them and may well fear that God will require their blood at your hands who make it manifest that you have run unsent and your ministry doth not profit the people at all And how should it be otherwise being untaught your selves to come out of your self-ends but are in the negligence of the work of God and the miscarriages c. ministring from the same spirit your fore-fathers time servers and men pleasers did Jer. 23.1.16.20 21 ver it appeares by the Statute of 25. H. 8. Cap. 21. The Pope cast out for his miscarriages and usurpation and beguiling the people c that were not the servants of Christ and now you are mainfest to be the unprofitable servants and ministry for to be accounted or rendered vselesse as theirs is or be holden accursed as it is said in Gal. 1.8 9. 2 Cor. 16.22 The Pope that had the rule amongst Tythes and such like things c. till Hen. 8. here in England was not he put out for his miscarriages and after the Pope was put out by Hen. 8. did not then the Arch-Bishops bear rule in his stead and set up Priests Rectors and Curates and did not they as you do and all their Branches as Prelates Episcopals Priests Rectors and Curates c. open their mouthes wide to speak first in their own cause and behalf to cry up themselves by the name of the Ministers of Christ as you do and did not they cry up their ministry and meanes as Jure divino but they were discovered and made manifest that they was not so And your fore-fathers the Arch-bishops Bishops c. were found in Miscarriages
people by casting a mist before the eyes of their understanding seeking to insinuate into them by flatteries and garnishing your flatteries with colourable glosses to cause them to think that your reviving that which hath been used amongst them with out-side Matth. 23.27 28.30 31 c. will now from you receive life to do that which it could not do neither by the Pope or Bishops nor by you their off-springs And with the Light are you seen at your witts end and troubled that you cannot have your wills fulfilled who are the enemies of the Living truth and wrongers both of men and God as you also in your Agreement acknowledge and therefore all your Evasions and Colourable glosses must fall with your Image and Imaginary worships as in your fore-fathers before you and the Ministry that stands out of mans will which you are yet Ignorant of must through the crosse cut down and crucifie and kill that which your Ministry doth not nor your fore-fathers or the Pope or Bishops before you and that Ministry which comes forth from the Light and power of the Spirit of God is for the discovering and killing of the Error Heresie and Miscariages which yours hath and doth leave people in and so as it kills that and the Ignorance Gala. 3.4 5. Eph. 2. Iohn 8.12 1 Iohn 3.8 9. 1. Pet. 1.18 19 22 23 1 Iohn 4.16 17 Iohn 14.20 it quickeneth and raiseth the soul out of death destroying the Ignorance Error Heresie and Miscariages and all the works of the Devill and so bringeth soules out of death and from under the power of darknesse to live in the life of the Eternall truth in the Injoyment of the Fathers love and to Enjoy and walke in the liberty of the Sons of God And saith John We know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding to know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ and this is true God and life eternall 1 John 5.20 Whose Ministry without your familiar personall Instruction discovereth and killeth sin Error and Miscariages which you live in unkilled and therefore out of his Minstiry who killeth that and quickeneth the other that hath suffered under it raising that and them together with it saving them by grace and causing them as they at Ephesus did to sit with Christ Jesus in the heavenly place Ephe. 2.1 2 4 5 6. For by grace were they saved ver 8th Through faith and not of themselves nor of works lest any should boast Eph 2.8 9. As Paul the Gospel-Minister doth witnesse in his Affirmation who did not as you do in your confusion set up a form of words without Spirit and Life grounded upon the Popes practice or generall Councell held at Trent or at Trull And bid people get these to say and be catechized c. And say them over to the Pope or Arch-bishops Persons Preists Rectors and Curates upon pain of damnation neither doth his words warrant you so to do Therefore are they not your warrant from God for that work Neither did Paul go and write out a few words out of the 20. Chap. of Exodus and the 6. Chap. of Matthew and set the people to get them upon pain of damnation and salvation Which words he had before you and witnessed the life in the spirit and power of Christ for the killing of Ignorannce Sin Error and Miscarriages Eph. 5.13 Eph. 6.10 11 12 13 14. Gal 2.19 20. and to quicken the mortall body Rom. 8.10 11. as well for the purifying of the heart and the soul 1 Pet. 1.22 23. Which you have shewed your Ignorance in and to be out of And therefore Pauls words is not your warrant from God who are out of that righteous life And Paul said they were delivered from the law that being dead wherein they had been held their service stood in the newnes of the Spirit and not in the oldnesse of the Letter Rom. 7.6 But your service stands in the oldnesse of the Letter and the old Law and not in the Gospel and newnesse of spirit Rom. 1.16 16. as your fruits and Agreeement doth manifest Therefore you that serve in your wills and set people to serve in theirs and in the oldnesse of the Letter without the Gospel and power of God to salvation and the newnesse of Spirit Clo. 2.21 22 23. Eph. 2.14 15 16. Rom. 1.26 you are not by Pauls words warranted from God to do it who was himself a minister not of the Letter but of the Spirit as he hath witnessed 2 Co. 3.6 c. Therefore your garnishing your selves with his words and wanting his ministery and spirit to guide in the ministration and worship of God that spirit John 4.23 24. 2 Cor. 3.17 18. you are but as founding Brasse and tinkling Cymbals being in the envy and out of love the of the Father as the false Prophets was therefore let Pauls words rest where they are 1 Cor. 13. H s 16.9 Mic. 3.11 Iude 11. till you depart from your lusts and go make restitution for the Lord is against you and all such who are yet without warrant from God for all your stealing of words to garnish your selves as your fore-fathers did But thus saith the Lord therefore behold I am against them that steal my words from his neighbour I sent them not nor commanded them Therefore they shall not profit the people at all Ier. 23.30 c. And now that you are without warrant from the Scripture being out of the life of truth and reviving your fore-fathers works taking a ground from the sixth-Generall Councell held at Trent or at Trull in the time of the Pope or Bishopps Matth. 7.15 16 17 20 22 22 26 27. ver 2. and are you not also left without warrant from them then where are you now and what ground do you stand on are you not without ground or bottom and on the Sandy foundation ready to be washed away when the floods come c. Whose fall as Christ saith therefrom is like to be great and as may be Read Math. 7.26 27. Let the Priests minde and see If they know From whence they came BEhold and see from whence you came and minde your return was not your Original I head root and foundation the Pope or Arch-bishops and Bishops amongst which was not the Bishop of Rome called the Pope Chiefe Supreame head c. Untill the time or raign of Henry the 8. Late King of England as by the Lawes of this Nation may appeare c. And the Called Arch-Bishopps and such as received Orders from them to be Priests Ministers Deacons and Clarks c. Were they not called the body Spirituall and were and are they not called the English Church c. And after the Pope was put out of Tythes and that which he had begott by Henry the 8 the Arch-Bishopps your fathers Priests Ministers Deacons Rectors Clarks
day of the 11th month in the yeare 1655. Richard Farnsworth To the Catechisme c. Set forth by the 42. Priests c. ANd in your Catechism you say you believe there is one only God in 3 persons I answer That there is one God is true and you are proved and have confessed that you are wrongers of his Son Christ Jesus and then of him for he and his Father is one Joh. 10.30 And there is three that beare witnesse in Heaven the Father the word and the Spirit and these three are one 1 Joh. 5.7 but where is those three persons you speake of are you not liers therein for he that abides in the doctrine of Christ hath both the Father and the Son 2 Joh. 9. and the Holy Ghost remaines within in the Saints Joh. 14.15 16 17. and these three are one and agree in the unity 1 Joh. 5.7 8. and as Christ hath said I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one Joh. 17.23 and the unity stands in the eternity which is shut out of the reach of your carnality that are out of the unity and in the enmity and selfe separation wrongers of men and of Christ as you say you are therefore you speake of things which you are not in the true knowledge of and feeds peoples fancies with your conceivings and imaginations you say also that God made man for himselfe but you are gone farr from the end for which you were made that are turned wrongers of him in wronging people and his Son and in running further from him as your selves confesse and so under the curse for you say that he gave a law requireing perfect obedience upon paine of death and if he requires you perfectly to obey him upon paine of death are you not under that penalty and lyable to that paine and punishment that instead of yeilding perfect obedience denieth it in denying perfection and so perfect obedience who live in miscarriages growing worse and worse and running further from God and saying that the doctrine of God the Father and his Son viz the doctrine of Sinlesse perfection were bred by the Devil and detested by Christ and never received by any that had grace c. When the same doctrine was preached and commanded both by God and Christ and both believed in and received by such as had grace guiding them and such as yeild perfect obedience to the divine will and law of God them you revile and are not ashamed to call them heretiques and cast them into Prison if they do but walke up into the same things which you preach in words and speake of and seeing you out of the life of the same tell you of it though now you have confessed it that you are of what you set others to get instead of owning perfection and yeilding perfect obedience to the law and will of God you persecute them that do and lives your selves in the disobedience to the divine law and will of God and are in your covenant with sin and imperfection in the miscarriages and as you say wronging both Christ and men as thou Richard Baxter and you 42 hath done but thou and you all are seen and your covers will not hide you but leaves you bare who are out of the doctrine of Christ and under condemnation and in danger of stverlasting paine and death due to the disobedient except you consider betime and truly repent give over deceiving of soules yeild perfect obedience as you say that you may come out of imperfection and persecution and forsake your miscarriages and give over wronging Christ and men make restitution and humble your selves under the mighty hand of God and make it manifest not by your flatteries and excuses serpent-like and still continue or grow worse and worse in the miscarriages and wronging God men c. but by ceaseing your persecution and your preaching for hire and beareing rule by your meanes c. and turning to that of God which reproves in secret for your miscarriages and forsake them and your lusts and make your amendment and returne manifest by your fruits and live not in your flatteries but as you have confessed your wrong to the people and promised your amendment make good your word and go make restitution for them for the same and give over your trade of dâ—ceit there is many Scriptures which you have summed together and set people to get over mixing your deceipt and imaginations amongst them and hath not the Pope and Bishops as you do garnished and painted themselves in their masse books Pulpits and Catechisms c. with the Saints words when they was as farr from the Saints Spirit life and practise as you are and you for all your painting and garnishing your selves are as farr from the Saints life and practise as they were And if the people get all your words to say over will that change their nature which hath not yet changed yours and did not your Fore-fathers use it before you and yet left you where they was except more painted outwardly and grown more subtle but within full of venome cruelty and persecution and out of the life and power of truth as is made manifest for you say in your third Answer where you speak your own condition that as men did willfully sin and fall from God and happinesse you say in your 19 page that you are wrongers of Christ and men and in the neglect of the work of God and in miscarriages c page 3.4 in your Agreement then are not you in that condition entered willfully into them through Satans temptation and are not you in that condition under the wrath in the fall under the curse nay do I say any more herein then you have confessed for you say that man being tempted did willfully sin and I say you that are wrongers of Christ and of men you have done the same and so fell from God and hapinesse into miscarriages persecution and wickednesse under the wrath of God and curse of the law and the power of the Devill through disobedâ—ence as you are so say you in your third answer we are by nature dead in sin I say then you are not by grace yet quickened who are from the divine life and what can dead men act in that death and life of sin for God but against him and is not that the cause that the killing ignorance you speake or remaines yet unkilled amongst you and your people that are asleep as you say in security in sin unturned to God ignorance of that which concernes their salvation and therefore doth make it appeare that you are strangers from the life of Jesus and the covenant of promise and knoweth not the life of truth nor the quickening of the soule nor yet how to kill the killing ignorance that remaines amongst you unkilled and dead men that are dead from the divine life set up dead Papers and dead words without life
left without foundation and bottom c. Who were not one amongst themselves 24. H 8.12 and the 25.8.20 neither are you the same this generation that was the last before but alters and changes with times and men c. As your fore-fathers and Priests of England and their predecessors have done and is it not manifest that in the time of Henry the Eight the late King of England their predecessors denied the Pope for their head 2. and 3. of Ed. 6. Chp. 1. and owned Henry the Eight for their head c. viz. the Priests Arch-Bishops and Bishopps c. And in the time of Edward the sixth did not their predecessors viz. the Priests and your fore-fathers denie the Masse-Book and instead thereof received the Common prayer-book at this hand c And again in Queen Marry her time they denied the Common prayer-book and received the Masse book c. Sessio secunda Anno Mariae primo Chap. 2.3 And after that in the time of Queen Elizabeth they denied the masse-book and again received the common prayer-book c. 1 Eliz. Chap. 2. And in the time of the late Parliament was not the Common Prayer Book denied and the Directorie received by you rather then you would deny your worldly honours and possessions and what you now own is manifest to all the Children of light c. And how that you are setting up your fore-fathers works and though you be made sensible of your deceipts and the unprofitablenesse of your Ministry yet rather then you will deny your selves of what you have received by tradition from your forefathers and forsake your deceipts you rather would keep people still by force as it were under your dead dark cold barren Ministrie and destroyes their soules for your own ends who are wrongers both of them and of Christ and are made sensible of it as you say pag. 19. and feares least God require their blood at your hands c. And Richard Baxter and the other 40. and odd who calls your selves Ministers of Christ and are the untaught teachers out of the doctrine of Christ and are in the miscarriages growing worse as you say you have in the grounds and reasons in your Agreement and Catechisme acknowledged the same and so hath made your selves also manifest to be both the untaught teachers and the unprofitable servants and wants your pardon and then you must needs want your warrant from God for the same therefore as you are proved by Law and Gospel to be without warrant you are also proved by your own confession so to be in your Agreement for you say page 3 We the Ministers of Christ whose names are under written c. do humbly bewaile our too great neglect that we have not employed our care and time and labour on so great a work according to the strict and holy precepts and paterns in Gods word c. We earnestly begg of God to pardon this our great neglect c. Here you have proved your selves to be the untaught teachers that are neglecters of the work of God Act. 6.4 Act. 20.20 21 22 23.24.25.26 27. for such as are taught of God and abide in his doctrine are diligent in the work of the Lord and do not neglect it as you do who are the idle loyterers and now you idle loyterers and unprofitable servants are you made so farr sensible of your idlenesse and negligence in that work which as you say is according to the strict and holy precepts patterns in Gods word and yet you would shelter your selves under the name of Christ whilâ—st you are such and also wrongers of men and of Christ page 19. c. And calls your selves the Ministers of Christ whil'st you are acknowledging your idlenesse negligence miscarriages page 4. c and the wrong you do to men and to Christ and yet without a pardon for the same Be ashamed of your idlenesse and negligence in that which you have professed and for which you have taken peoples monys for your idlenesse and negligence miscarriages and wronging men and Christ which you your selves also confesse therefore be ashamed of your deceipt and of your miscarriages and the wrongs you have all this time done to men and to Christ and have taken their mony for the same Goe and restore four-fold and cease your deceivings be ashamed also of your lies never call your selves the Ministers of Christ whil'st you are the idle loyterers wrongers of men and Him and such as neglects his work as you do and have all this while done and that according to your own saying too If you have all this while beene in the miscarriages unpardoned as you say you must needs be the untaught teachers as you are and if you have all this time beene wrongers of men and of Christ as you say and unpardoned for the same you must needs be the enemies of God and good men and so no Ministers of Christ for he doth not teach his Ministers to live in miscarriages as you do nor to wrong him and men as you do who are not taught yet to deny and forsake the same therefore you are out of his doctrine who receive not his teachings and so are ye untaught teachers as well as the unprofitable servants and cursed deceivers for if you have all this while beene in the miscarriages doing wrong to God and Men and also idle and out of the work of God and now being sensible of it confessing the same and bewailing your idlenesse and negligence and wants yet your pardon for the same whose works have you done all this while Mica 3.5.11 Isa 56.10.11 Jer. 5.30 31. Isa 55.2 3. Ezek. 34. the Devils or your own and for what have people spent their meanes and money on you for your idlenesse and negligence keeping them in blindnesse and ignorance and for doing God and them wrong who have confessed the same and that you have beene idle and neglected to do the great work of God according to his word therefore in neglecting that and being idle therein and instead of doing the same Your third Answer agreeing with page 3.4.17 have beene wronging both Men and Christ himselfe you have cleared your selves from being his Ministers and proved your selves to be the cursed deceivers and are found and proved to be the unprofitable servants being idle and neglecters of the great work of God by you left undone and then you must needs have beene doing the works of your Father the Devill John 8.44 and your own who are wrongers of God and men and so hath deceived their soules and taken their meanes and mony for the same and for that which is not bread as the false Prophets and idle Shepherds aforetime did therefore you that are such your judgment and condemnation will be the greater Mark 12.38.39.40 Have you both wronged men and of them sought your own ends and gaines and luld them asleepe in security and taken their money
yet you say you and all the adjacent-churches will set apart a day publickly to fast and pray for a pardon c. I say the church in God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Thes 1.1 Which is the pillar ground of Truth 1 Tim. 3.15 doth deny you and all wrongers of God and men and persecuters of the Innocent and such as are called of men masters professing themselves Christs-Ministers and all such as deceive souls for dishonest gain and lives in perfection and such and the like miscarriages as you and your generation do and the prayers of the wicked are sin such as turneth their care from hearing the Law in the heart and of God Jer. 31.33 their prayer is an abomination to the Lord God Pro. 28. and 9. ver And such as you that neglect the work of God and lives in persecution the work of the Devill and in the miscarriages wronging God and men as you do they are those that turnes their care from hearing the law and their hearts from receiving the truth standing in opposition aganst it as you do and therefore their prayers are abomination to the Lord as yours and all that work such wickedness as you do is for thus faith the Lord unto such Isa 1.15 when ye spread forth your hands I will hâ—de mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not heare your hands are full of blood and hearts as well as houses are full of deceit and over passeth the deeds of the wicked Ier. 5.26 27. and such like and they that neglect the work of the Lord are cursed children having hearts exercised with covetuous practices 2 Pet. 2.3 13 14. And what Churches are you and you that are such who are in the cursed nature and wicked practices in sin and unturned to God Isa 59.2 What is your fasts worth that lives in strife and debate persecution and wickednesse behold in the day of your fasts do you not find pleasure And are you not bringing forth persecution as in this Nation is manifest as well as you exact all your labours Isa 58.3 behold do not ye fast as hypocrites and persecuters do that fast for strife and debate Matth. 23.4 5. c. who smite with the fists of wickednesse causing your voice to be heard on high afflicting the soul for a day and hanging down the head as a bullrush and instead of loosing the bands of witkedness you strengthen the hands of evil doers instead of undoing the heavy burthens you bind them Pharise-like upon mens shoulders and will not your selves touch them with one of your singers sueing some for Tythes and taking treble dammages c. And instead of letting the oppressed go free you and your generation cast the Innocent into prisons-holes and dungeons as your prisons in these parts against you may sufficiently witnesse and are not these the fruits of Jezabel and of the Hypocrites fast and not that which the Lord doth require Isa 58.3 5 6 7. Wherefore be ye witnesses against your selves that you walk in the false Prophets and Pharisees your fore-fathers steps as your fruits make you manifest and as you may read Math. 23.31 32 33 34. c and you have under a cover confessed the same who wants a pardon for your negligence in the work of God as you say for your former miscarriages which was before the 4. day of May as aforesaid and therefore you want a pardon for your perfecting and imprisoning of Tho. Goodaire once in Kiderminster twice in Worcester before that time and some others hath been imprisoned at Worcester and in Worcest Anne Himing Richard Keâ—bey for Tyths c. and many at Evesham since your hypocriticall false hearted and deceitfull confession promising amendement and rather growes worse and worse so manifesting your hypocrisie and filling up your measure of iniquity as your forefathers did leaving both your words and actions to be standing witnesses against you as they did that it may appeare for all your Evasions and Colourable glosses that you are their off-spring and beareth their marks by which you are known Maâ—th 7.20 Matth. 7.15 c. And seeing that your ministry takes little place in working any good effect in your hearers but leaves them ignorant in matters of salvation page 19. of your Agreement you are resolving in your wills and miscarrying wombe or nature and Spirit from whence your continued miscarriages proceeds to revive your fore-Fathers worke and set up a forme of words for them to get to say over to you as was used to be done to the Bishops at Trent or at Trull and you promise salvation upon the performance and threatens damnation upon the refusall Pope-like saying that that way of using Cathechising familiar and personall instruction and to have the people to get the Creed the Lords prayer and ten commandements or any other * And is not those which you call any other Orthodox Catechisme such as were set out by he old Bishops and their off-spring that were in the miscarriages as you also are c. And confesse page the 4. of your Agreement Orthodox Catechisme and your expositions to say over to you and so that will be a meanes you say to kill ignorance But the same meanes hath been used by the Bishops and Prelates and yet it hath not done that which you would have it to do and do you think that if it did not do it by your fore-Fathers applying that it receives any more vertue or power from you to do it by your revieing their work and useing the same meanes and with the same miscarrying nature and wrongfull Spirit which they did make use of it with all but your covers are too narrow and leaves you bare and ignorance remaines still amongst your hearers Math. 11.27.28.29 Act 4.11.12 Heb. 7.25 and the miscarriages amongst you their untaught teachers as it did with your fore-Fathers And you say the diligence of Papists and Sectaries will condemne you if you will not do halfe so much in a right way to save mens soules Math. 6.24 Math. 7.13.14 â—5 16.17.18 â—9 28 as they will do in a wrong way to pervert them would you not here have people to set you up as their saviour and so cause them to neglect coming from you to look unto Christ for teaching who is a true Saviour and teacher of his people and perfectly able to save all that come unto God by him without you but your designe is seeme and all your covers will not hide you who seeks to cast that off from you to the Papist and Sectaries which your selves are guilty of and found in for if the way of neglecting the work of God and living in miscarriages wronging Christ and Men growing worse and running yet further from God as you do and have done be not the wrong way and destructive to mens souls what is for there is but two waves the right and
for dead minds to feed on which will neither kill sin nor quicken the soul and so your dead Catechismes will work as little effect as your dead Sermons have done and that is so little and as you say that people are so ignorant that they can scarse speak a word of sence abort matters of salvation and how should untaught teachers teach to perfect who manifest you are not sent of God that are as you say in the third Answer of your Catechisme you say you are by nature dead in sin and therefore not quickened by grace for they that are quickened are not dead but you are not quickened and so dead but those the Lord sends he quickens before he send them but you are not quickened and therefore not sent who are Children of wrath and naturally are as you say in the present time dead in sin so servants to divers lusts and pleasures and from thence proceeds miscarriages and persecution wrong to Christ and men which are the fruits of wrath and disobedience and how should it be otherwise whil'st you continue therein seeing you are naturally dead in sin and so the naturall men who knowes not the things of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.14.15 neither do you receive them because they are spiritually discerned and that is known after quickening for they that are quickened by grace discernes in the gift Eph 1.4 5 6. 1 Joh. 5.20 whereby they understand salvation and happinesse therefore saith the Apostle to such as were quickened and knew the salvation By grace you hath he quickened who were dead in sin and are raised up together and made to sit with Christ Jesus in the heavenly places who gave them an understanding to know the same that wore so quickened and knew the matters of salvation which you and your hearers are ignorant of which things are known after quickening but you are not quickened and therefore to you they are not known but as you say in your third answer you are not only dead in sin but you are prone to do more evill continually and so are Children of wrath and servants of divers lusts as is afore said and so growing worse then where is your amendment ye flatterers and hypocrits that do not grow only worse and worse but you say you depart further from God also And I say â—hat needs not to be for you are far enough from him allready that are dead in sin wronging Christ and men living in Miscarriages promising amendment and yet sayes you grow worse and so are of those that oppose themselves saying and unsaying confuting and contradicting your own sayings in your Agreement and growing worse and running further from God Jer. 5.27 28 29 30 31. Jer. 6.13 14 15. you must needs be of those that turns the grace of God into lasciviousnesse Jude 4. and of them that runs further from Goodnesse into Miscarriages and wickednesse Jer. 5.25 And so dead men cannot quicken and how should they that run from God lead unto God but you run further from God as you say then how can you lead unto God And how should they that live in Miscarriages grow worse lead others out of them into the truth to grow in grace so become better but you live in miscarriages and grow worse as your selves confesse in your Agreement and your fruits make manifest who are naturally dead in sin c. And how should the blind and dead lead others into the way of truth and into the life thereof that are out of it themselves as you are and how should you lead others from under the curse whil'st you are in the fall under the wrath c. and how should you turn people from darknesse and from the power of Satan that are yet in and under the same according to your third Answer And how should you be examples and leaders of others to come out of the Miscarriages and evill who your selves are in the miscarriages and prone you say to do more evil continually and to grow worse and depart yet further from God and then whilst you are doing that and departing from him you are not amending not yet leading to him and therefore you are very unfit to disciple the undiscipled and to be leaders of others from evill unto good that are your selves dead in sin and not alive in grace being in the self-separation and in Miscarriages continually prone to do mere evill and grow worse and depart further from God therefore you are very unfit to lead out of the evil unto God and that is the cause your people are so Ignorant as you say and in sin unturned to God because their teachers are so and the Scripture fulfilled which saith like Priest like people Hos 4.9 Whose teachers instead of turning to God run further from him and therefore you being untaught to come out of Miscarriages c. and abide not in the Doctrin of Christ are very unfit to teach others the way of God or lead into the covenant of lite and as you say you grow worse continually it appeares so by your fruits daily your actions doth declare it as well as your words but how should it be otherwise whilst you continue therein and run on in the same seeing as you say you yet depart further from God and so from grace and goodness into persecution and your Miscarriages c. And are you not under that saying of the Prophet like such that are greivous revolters Jer. 6.28 30 walking with slanders where lie saith Reprobate silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them who trusted in lying words and were given to wickednesse and though they said The temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord they did not amend their wayes and their doings but lived in oppression Wrath Envy and the Miscarriages growing worse and worse and ran further from God tor they neither obeyed the voice of the Lord nor received correction truth was perished and cut off from their mouthes as appeares by the saying of the prophet Jer. 7. Chap. Jer. 7. Chap. For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousnesse and from the Prophet unto the Priest every one doth falsely Jer. 6.13 Like such as you who live in miscarriages growing worse and prone to do more evil continually and running further from God as your Agreement doth witnesse against you therefore thus saith the Lord I will lay stumbling blocks before this people and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them and the neighbour and his friend shall perish Jer. 6.20 And in your fourth Answer you tell of Gods love and giving his onely son to be a redeemer c. I answer yea so he did though you be Ignorant of it that are dead in sins and not quickened then not redeemed yet such as are quickned and taught by him to come out of Miscarriages and out of the
against you with these words or do his messengers delight more in these words in repeating these abominations then formerly Or which of the Prophets Christ or the Apostles that could be silent in the sight of such wickednesse Mica 3.5 11. Hos 6.9 and will this excuse you to say you love not these things and yet live in them and contend for them and imprison your brethren as you have called them and spoiled their goods if you have them not are ye seeking their souled while you are casting them into Prisons Had Christ ever such a ministry and yet your hearts be filled with rage and madnesse that you cannot beare it to be told of it Joh. 15.18 19 20. Math. 6.24 25. c. John 16.1 2 3. Heb. 11.36 37.38 1 Cor. 9.16.17 18 19. 2 Cor. 1.4.5.6 2 Tim. 3.10.11 1 Pet. 3.18 19 1 Pet. 4. by such as seeke your returne and not your destruction And all the returne you make is to complaine to the magistrates that you are disturbed and that they must protect you in your peace which is not in the doctrine of Christ nor way of his Ministers but if any of you be Christs Ministers come forth in his life and power and do his worke and receive of him what is meete and not from the world and so make proofe of Christ in you by his fruits and then let him be accursed that railes against you come out of your stately houses your tithes and great parsonages and with Christ and his Ministers wander in the desolate places of the Nations and preach to the people that sit in darknesse who have souls but no parsonage leave your master-ships and come to be servants to such for Christs sake cease bearing rule by your means and rule by the spirit of the lambe seeke the souls and not the gaine cloth your selves with Christs suffering and not with the wooll cease to hale their bodies into Prison and minister to the soules in Prison to the opening that eye your Fathers have blinded with their daubing and to the quickening that which they have quenched and slaine that you may present them living to God Ephe. 5.4.5 6. 12. 1 Pet. 1.4 5 6 7 8 9. Act. 17.16 17 c. Act 17.24 25. Act. 7.47 48 49. Math. 6.25 26. spirituall men and women that you may become makers up of the breach that is made by the lying divinations of those that went before you let us see you in the streets of your Townes and Citties declaring against wickednesse who are not ashamed to act abominations before the Sun come out to witnesse against your stage plaies and curious arts which you call pastimes and recreation the Devils invention to steale away the minds of people from their God come into your markets and concourse of people and witnesse against all sweareing lyinâ— idle words and foolish jesting which to heare doth vex the soule of the righteous and all that know the condemnation that must come upon such things this was the Ministry of Christ in Prophets and Apostles which if you were called to and faithfull in you would cease to lay snares for him that doth reprove sin in the gate nor will you then counâ—â—â— breaking the peace cease casting one another out of your livings to put your freinds or some of your forme in their stead and goe forth and declare against all the Idols worship performed in the Idols Temple and all formes crept in by the man of sin since the Apostles and lead to the same forme and foundation without adding diminishing or wresting that the Saints were who were led out of the Idols Temple to cry out against them and the hirelings therein then will you cease to beate in your Synagogues and hale before rulers and partake with them that are so used then the Scriptures will justifie your practise and preaching without meanings and the life will answer the words which came from it and when the sheeps clothing is on the sheeps back and the nature of the sheepe guiding in the inward parts then such as call you wolves your practise will prove them liers and the Scriptures will to you witnesse and you to them without meanings then may you lay by your Heathenish expositers and commentators and imitaters too when with the same Spirit you are acted in the same way and so become examples to the people in somthing of selfe-deniall besides your words you have long told your hearers of your faith and beleiving God for your soules but let them see how farr you have learned to trust God for your bellies and that you have some faith at present and not all in another world for that faith which leadeth not to cast all care upon God for the body ill but do little good for the soule in time of need for the body is more then rayment and the life more then meate Math. 6.25 26 so that which will not carry above the carnall will never bring you to the eternall and little do they know of faith who take that for it and now let your faith be tried in the life before the world to whom you preach for the truth is come and tried you must be and that faith which wil not over ballance the world wil be found too light in the sealed ballance and so will that practise that will not hold with the Scriptures without wresting for the evill tree cannot bring forth the good fruit Math. 7.15.16.17 18. nor will that which was spoken by the Spirit of Christ beare witnesse to the waies worships and works of Antichrist and herewith are you tried all you Parish Masters Teachers of the Nation your doctrines your meanings your means your maintenance your preaching and profiting of the people and how the Scriptures is your standing rule to walke by and whether you be of the unchangeable Preist-hood that changeth not as the times change according to the preferment and estates politique or you be of those who have no other rule for your way of worship then people have for the forme of their habit and so you are rightly called nationall Ministers as every Nation hath its severall kinde so this also and all pretend Scripture and by wresting it can make them all lawfull in their account and count all heretiques that speaks against them so long as the eatthly powers takes their part but when they change the face of that Ministry falls and thus it is with all sorts whose Ministry the Scriptures will not own both in matter and forme and maintenance without the least adding diminishing or wâ—esting Reve. 22.18.19 for the Ministry of the Gospel changeth not and whosoever God appointeth to rule in the Nations or what lawes ever they set up the law of Christ stands in his servants who have received the law giver in Spirit so when the wicked raigne such rather suffer then change from the truth who worship and serve the Creatour more then
the Creature and these were never ordained by the world but by their own Master Christ Jesus by whom the world was made who agrees with his servants about what he sees meete but never made use of the hireling who takes his wages from the world for it is not like that the world who loves their evill deeds should uphold that Ministry which brings them to light so with the light you are seene and what you have been doing these many yeares and what you are now doing and your works and your fruits are come to light you Parish masters who have given your servants which attend you your liveries who serve and worship and bow to you and they are Joh. 8.3.4 2 Pet. 3.3 Act. 17.5.6 worne in your streets and by them it is knowne whose servants they are they are your servants who are now found scoffing and scorning and dirting the simple innocent harmelesse Lambes of Christ punnishing beating and haling in your synagogues and haling before rulers and swearing against and false accusing to add to the afflictions of the afflicted strengthen their bonds whereby the Scriptures is fulfilled upon you and them the sweareing lying filthy communications drunkennesse that is seen in your streets Rom. 1.28 29. c. the stage playes and foolish sports invented for no other end but to fulfil the lust draw the minds of people from their God which you have invented fine names for calling them pastimes and recreations which the Saints never did nor lived in the vanity pride and oppression that abounds in your Townes couzening fighting and suing and all abominations is found in your servants and you are their Masters which they who have no master but Christ abhors to live in so your livery is worne and your marke is received and known you are in the light and read your names and the number of them your servants and service with the worke they are found in which you must own though you rage when you are told of it yet all these belong to some of you Reve. 13.18 Reve. 12.7 Reve. 12.7.8 9 12 13. and by this thus gotten are you maintained and you own them and their Prophets their service and worship and the servants of Christ they are seene who cannot worship any but him and so they suffer with him all those things to be done unto them as was done unto him and in the light they are known and the enmity is begun and is great between the seed of the woman and the seed of the Dragon and there is no more hiding place for the Serpent nor in Heaven have they any place so to the earth they are cast and there they are rageing disquieting the inhabitants thereof and stirring up the powers thereof against the lambe to battel and many are gathered and gathering and the numberlesse number is making up to goe out against a scorned and contemptible weake and foolish people with envy and in great rage with all manner of lying divinations that they may beset them round and smite them on every side and the masters and their servants are all at worke some they are laying snares and setting gins for the innocent who is set by the Lord to reprove sin openly in the gate and they are ready to sweare against them that they are peace-breakers and turbulent pestilent fellows when they have almost murdered them in the streets all blood and bruised dirted and stoned yet they to prison must for offenders for the words they have spoken and if any be moved to goe to the Idols Temple amongst them you call the Churches to speak a word or if they speak not a word Act. 17.5 6 7 8. Act. 21.28.30.31 ver Act 24.5.6 Joh. 15.18 19 20. Joh. 16.1 2 3. if they be but known to be of that seed which will not bow in the house of rimmon there they are haled and beat and teared and pulled by the haire and beat with their Bibles and struck downe so that your Churches are more cruâ—ll then your markets as they are further from God so they are further from mercy justice and Judgment not one of you once to consider that for this very thing it was that the servants of God Prophets and Apostles did formerly suffer beating whipping imprisonment bonds and death but as though all this was nothing to you who are the Masters of this worke you still cry out like men stark drunk with blood to the rulers for greater punnishment to be infflicted upon those who have none on earth to plead their cause So that having prevailed to the filling of most of the Prisons in the Nation more then ever your fore-Fathers the Bishops did so that such a list may be given of your inprisoning stocking beating whipping and blooding in these three last yeares since the Nation had outward peace as will not be produced in three score yeares of your Fore-fathers and further to blood you are hasting as fast as you can prevaile with the Magistrates to fulfill your thirst how many petitions have beene formed by you Parish masters to the Magistrates against the despised people under the names of heresies and errors and blasphemies and as envious names as your envy cold invent to incense people and powers against them but never yet could convince us to our faces thereof by the Scriptures and the Saints lives without wrestings neither did you ever deale so Christian like as to desire that your practise and ours may be brought face to face before the magistrates and the Scriptures to stand as judge betwixt us and you as it is a declaration against heresies error and blasphemy but if you may not be our Judges and your own and the Scriptures too you cry out of heresie and fall a rageing and false accuseing shewing your selves to be of the generation of backbitters who will not come to the light to convince nor be convinced but cry out to the Magistrates that they must prepare greater punnishments against us shewing to all that you seeke more to destroy the bodies then save the soules crying out to men to Judge us and censure us but will not bring us to be tried by the Saints lives and practice how many of us have beene censured by drunkards and swearers and carnall men by your meanes but did you ever bring the Scriptures to lay before us and out and of that censure and Judge us as it is without your meaning added to it but this you know would fall upon your own backs and condemne your own practice if we be such heretiques as you call us why are we not convinced before authority by the Saints practice and judgment can any law judge of heresie but the law of God and is that which we do now more heresie then formerly being the same both in pure life and judgment you use to accuse us falsly saying we deny the Scriptures yet are we denied the benefit to be proved and judged thereby and because you say we are so that is sufficient in your account whereon to passe sentence and upon this account hath Christ suffered all along by your generation and doth at this day who have erred after the error of Balaam for gists and rewards and goe after the way of Caine in envy and murther and both these are one Spirit the covetous the murtherer seducer are one against the light which shews your evil deeds and the ground of your envy is the same wherefore did Cain hate Ids brother because his deeds were evill and his brothers good so for declareing freely the way of truth for reproving sin in Preists and people high and low as we are moved now we beare the envy of all whose deeds are evill and cannot endure reproofe For them whom the world reproacheth under the name of Quakers who are hated and persecuted for the Testimony of Jesus