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<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2008-02-23</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Jason Colman</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
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xAdd DIV TYPEs, validate
xReview structure, use BODY or rarely GROUP
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xFinal validate

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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>TRUTH DEFENDED.</P>
<P>OR, Certain Accu&s;ations an&s;wered, ca&s;t upon us who are called Quakers; by the Teachers of the World, and the People of this Generation.</P>
<P>With a cleare di&s;covery, who are the fal&s;e Pro|phets, and when they came in.</P>
<P>And who they are that deny Chri&s;t, and that Preach another Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>And who deny the Scriptures, Churches, Mini&s;ters, and Magi&s;trates, whereby the Magi&s;trates and People of this Nation may &s;ee they ju&s;tifie that which the Scripture condemns, and condemne that which the holy Men of God ju&s;tified.</P>
<P><HI>By a Servant of the Lord, who&s;e Name in the Fle&s;h is,</HI> Edward Burrough.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<LETTER>
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>The Epi&s;tle.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>To all you who call your &s;elves Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel, and all People in all relations under what forme of Wor&s;hip &s;oever in <HI>England,</HI> or in all the World, who profe&s;&s;e your &s;elves Chri&s;tians.</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>THe mighty day of the Lord is come, according as he promi|&s;ed of old, and this day is witne&s;&s;ed, wherein he is e&s;tabli&s;h|ing his Mountaine, and exalting it above all Mountaines, and is gathering his people which have been &s;cattered in the darke and long night of Apo&s;tacy, which Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles &s;aw com|ming into the Churches then, and hath had dominion long over the World, and hath raigned till now, and raignes now in all the Profe&s;&s;ors in all Formes every where. But now the time is come wherein the Kingdomes of the World are become the Kingdome of the Lord and of his Chri&s;t, and thou&s;ands witne&s;&s;e it, to the pray&s;e of his everla&s;ting name. And therefore the Nations are angry, and the Princes of the Earth, becau&s;e <HI>Michael</HI> our Prince is ari&s;en to pleade with all who make warre again&s;t him. And now <HI>Herod</HI> and <HI>Pilate&punc;</HI> and all Ieru&s;alem are in an uproare, and <HI>Ammon&punc;</HI> and <HI>Amaleck&punc;</HI> and the <HI>Egyptians,</HI> and the <HI>Phili&s;tines</HI> are joyned now again&s;t him. And all you who live in Formes, and know not the power&punc; doe now per&s;ecute and joyne your &s;elves together, being in the &s;ame nature as the per&s;ecuters of old, which&punc; were borne after the fle&s;h. And now you &s;onnes of Bon|dage&punc; and of <HI>Hagar</HI> are to be ca&s;t out&punc; and now you are all made manife&s;t that you are in the fle&s;h, for all your Bowes are bent, and all your Arrowes are &s;hot at a people which are counted by
<PB N="4" REF="3">
you as the filth of the World, and as the off-&s;couring of all things, whom the World calls <HI>Quakers,</HI> in who&s;e Foreheads is Written the name of the living God; and unto you I &s;ay that make Warre again&s;t them, and now take part with the Dragon again&s;t the Lambe, you &s;hall all drinke of the cup of fury and indignation of the Lord. And unto the living God, who is holy and jealous for his owne glory and his name, which hath manife&s;ted his minde and will by his Eternall Spirit unto us, &s;hall you all bow and &s;toope. For now the Lord hath rent the vayle of the covering which hath beene &s;pread over all the Na|tions in all Profe&s;&s;ions, and you are all &s;een by the Eternall Eye which is opened in thou&s;ands, even all, from the highe&s;t to the lowe&s;t, who have &s;tolen and painted your &s;elves with other mens Words. And all your Images which you have &s;et up, and all your traditions from men in which you have walked, are all &s;eene to be &s;tubble, and will not abide in the day of the Lord&punc; And all your Churches which you have gathered together by imitation from the letter, &s;hall all be &s;cattered; and there you all are, for you all deny revelation, and &s;ay it is cea&s;ed; and &s;o you call the letter, the light, and the Word; but with that which was before the Scripture, you are &s;een and judged, even with that which &s;hall endure for ever. And &s;eeing you have ca&s;t reproach upon the name of the God of Heaven and Earth, whom we wor&s;hip, and which you call delu&s;ion. For the truths &s;ake are we moved to lay open your nakedne&s;&s;e, that you may be judged by that which you &s;ay is your Rule: Here in this lit|tle Booke, thou who ha&s;t any hone&s;ty in thee, or any de&s;ire of truth&punc; and wilt &s;earch the Scripture, thou wilt &s;ee, that all the Teachers of the World in all Formes, and all profe&s;&s;ors ever cryed out (who had but the Forme) again&s;t them who had the life and power, as you all doe now again&s;t them who Wor&s;hip God in the Spirit, and have no confidence in the fle&s;h. And therefore, in this following Di&s;cour&s;e, which is Wretten by the &s;ame &s;pirit that gave forth the Scripture, thou &s;halt &s;ee who are the fal&s;e Prophets, and who they are that Preach another Go&s;pel, and who they are that deny the Scriptures. And thou may &s;ee when the fal&s;e Prophets came in, and who they are clearely proved to be, by their owne Rules. And all you who
<PB N="5" REF="3">
call your &s;elves Magi&s;trates and Chri&s;tians, you may &s;ee your &s;elves to hold up that which Chri&s;t, the Prophets and Apo|&s;tles cryed out again&s;t, and per&s;ecute them who &s;tand in the coun&s;ell of God, and them that declare again&s;t all the deceipt as the holy men of God did. And &s;o you are the Bea&s;t, which holds up the fal&s;e prophets, and th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e whom the Scripture decla|reth again&s;t. God is ari&s;en, to da&s;h to pieces all them who with|&s;tand him: And therefore come out of <HI>Babylon,</HI> and out of all your painted Formes, and come to own the fir&s;t principle&punc; which will change your mindes, even the light of Chri&s;t, which he hath enlightened every one withall; and by it you &s;hall &s;ee what you are doing. Now if you deny this, you deny the cor|ner &s;tone, and you &s;tumble, and &s;hall be broken; and by that which you call naturall, &s;hall all your Image of Gold and &s;il|ver, and all your mixed invented Wor&s;hip be da&s;hed to peeces&punc; and be for the pit: Therefore all be &s;ilent, and speake not evill of th<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;e things you know not; for now you are all &s;een, you who &s;ay you are Iewes, and are not, but are of the Synagogue of Sa|tan, and your voyce is knowne, for none is turned from the evill of his way; and therefore is wrath comming upon you to the utmo&s;t,</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>A lover of your Soules, but am a Witne&s;&s;e again&s;t all your deceipt. Francis Howgill.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="defense">
<DIV2 TYPE="answer">
<PB N="6" REF="4">
<P><HI>WHereas we are accu&s;ed by the Teachers and People of this generation&punc; That we are fal&s;e Prophets, and deceivers, and that we deny the Chri&s;t which dyed at Ieru&s;alem; and that we Preach another Go&s;pel then the Apo&s;tles Preached; and that we deny the Scriptures, and the Ordinances of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t; and that we hold Free-will, and e&s;tabli&s;h &s;elfe|righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and teach people to act in their owne &s;trength to obtaine life; and that we deny Churches, Mini&s;ters, and Magi|&s;tracy.</HI></P>
<P>To the&s;e fal&s;e accu&s;ations, I an&s;wer&punc; It is no new thing nor no &s;trange thing to the children of light, who are &s;eperated from the World, and Worldly Wor&s;hips, and from the Works of darkene&s;&s;e, to be accu&s;ed fal&s;ely, and to be &s;landered, by being called deceivers, and &s;educers, by the generation of chiefe Prie&s;ts and Phari&s;ees; in which generation are the Teachers and Profe&s;&s;ors of this age, who have a Forme of godline&s;&s;e, but deny the power. Chri&s;t was called a deceiver, and a bla&s;phemer; and the Apo&s;tles were called, Movers of Se|dition, Heretiques, and turners of the World up&s;ide downe, by them who profe&s;&s;ed in word what <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> was in &s;ub&s;tance, and what the Apo&s;tles witne&s;&s;ed, and &s;o it is now. We who are &s;cornefully called <HI>Quakers,</HI> doe live in, and declare forth no other thing but the &s;ub&s;tance of what the Prie&s;ts have Preached upon, and the Profe&s;&s;ors have talked upon in their carnall mindes by their imaginations. He is a fal&s;e Prophet, and a deceiver, which hath not the Word from the mouth of the Lord, but takes that which the Lord &s;poke to another, and calls it his, and u&s;eth his Tongue, and &s;aith, <HI>The Lord &s;aith it,</HI> when the Lord never &s;poke to him. And here are the Teachers of the World them&s;elves, guilty of that, whereof they fal&s;ely accu&s;e us; for they take the Prophets words&punc; Chri&s;ts&punc; and the Apo&s;tles Words to talke upon, but have not received the Word from the mouth of the Lord; and their Prophe&s;ie and Preaching would &s;oon be ended, if they had not the Scri|pture, which is other mens Words, and that which was &s;poken to others, to &s;peake their imaginations from. And the&s;e are
<PB N="7" REF="4">
the fal&s;e Prophets, and Deceivers, which runne, and are not &s;ent, which &s;peake to others, pretending to be &s;ent of God, but walking contrary to all that ever God &s;ent to declare his Name in former generations, and &s;o are knowne to us by their fruits, having no example from the Prophets, Chri&s;t, nor his Apo&s;tles for their practice; but doe walke in the example of the fal&s;e Prophets of I&s;rael, of the Scribes and Phari&s;ces, and of the fal&s;e brethren. O fooli&s;h people, which have eyes and &s;ee not, which have hearts, and doe not under&s;tand: Is the Lord changed from what he was? Were they fal&s;e Prophets and deceivers in <HI>I&s;ayahs</HI> time&punc; which he was &s;ent to cry out again&s;t, which &s;ought for their gaine from their quarter? and are not your Teachers fal&s;e Prophets now which act the &s;ame things? Were they fal&s;e Prophets and deceivers in <HI>Ezekiels</HI> time, which he was &s;ent to cry again&s;t, that Fed them&s;elves with the Fat, and cloathed them&s;elves with the wooll, and made a prey up|on the people? and are not your Teachers fal&s;e Prophets and deceivers now, which act the &s;ame thing? Were they fal&s;e Pro|phets in <HI>Michas</HI> time, which he was &s;ent to cry out again&s;t, which Preached for hire, and devined for money, and cryed peace to them that put into their mouthes, but prepared war again&s;t them that did not? and are not your Prie&s;ts fal&s;e Prie&s;ts and Prophets which act the &s;ame things? Were they deceivers of the people in Chri&s;ts time which he cryed woe again&s;t which were called of men Ma&s;ters, and which had the chiefe place in the A&s;&s;emblyes, and which &s;tood Praying in the Synagogues, and which went in long robes, and which loved greetings in the Markets? and are not your Teachers decei|vers of the people now, which are found acting the &s;ame things? Were they fal&s;e Teachers&punc; and fal&s;e Brethren in the Apo&s;tles time, which they declared again&s;t, which through co|vetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, with fained words made merchandi&s;e of the peo|ple, and went in the way of <HI>Balaam</HI> for gifts and rewards, and Preached for filthy lucre, and which <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aw come &amp; comming in his dayes, which were proud men&punc; coveteous men, &s;elfe|willed, and fierce men, heady, high minded men, having a Forme of godline&s;&s;e, but denying the power&punc; which alwayes taught people, but none were able to come to the knowledge of
<PB N="8" REF="5">
the truth under their teaching? and are not your Teachers fal&s;e Teachers now, which are walking in the &s;ame &s;teps? To the light in all con&s;ciences I doe &s;peake, which will witnes the truth. A &s;otti&s;h and ignorant people, which cannot di&s;cerne who the fal&s;e Prophets, and deceivers, and fal&s;e Teachers are; the Lord is the &s;ame as ever he was, and his &s;pirit is no whi<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> changed: Was it once an abomination to the Lord in the fal&s;e Prie&s;ts and Prophets of I&s;rael to &s;eek for their gaine from their quarter, and to Feed them&s;elves with the Fat, and cloathe them&s;elves with the wooll, and make a prey upon the people, and to Preach for hire, and to divine for money? and are not the&s;e things, and they that uphold them abomination to him now? Did the &s;pirit of the Lord in his &s;ervants declare again&s;t the&s;e things then, and again&s;t them that upheld them then? and mu&s;t not the &s;ame &s;pirit where it is made manife&s;t, declare a|gain&s;t the&s;e things, and again&s;t them that uphold them now? Was it once an abomination in the &s;ight of Chri&s;t in them to be called of men Ma&s;ter, and to have the chiefe places in the A&s;&s;emblyes, and to &s;tand praying in the Synagogues, &amp;c. and are not the&s;e things an abomination to him now in whom they are upheld? Did Chri&s;t cry woe again&s;t &s;uch things, and again&s;t them that upheld them then? and mu&s;t not the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t where it is made manife&s;t, cry woe again&s;t &s;uch things, and again&s;t them that uphold them now? were the&s;e markes of fal&s;e Teachers then, to make merchandi&s;e of the people, and to goe in the way of <HI>Balaam</HI> for gifts and rewards, and for filthy lucre, and to be proud&punc; coveteous heady, high-minded, &s;elfe-wil|led, and fierce men? and are not they fal&s;e Teachers now which beare the&s;e markes. Did the Apo&s;tles give warning to beware of &s;uch, and to turne away from &s;uch then? and mu&s;t not the &s;ame &s;pirit, where it is made manife&s;t, give warning to beware of &s;uch, and to turne away from &s;uch now? We witnes to have received according to mea&s;ure, the &s;pirit of the Prophets from which they &s;poke&punc; and the &s;pirit of the Apo&s;tles from which they &s;poke, which is Chri&s;t made manife&s;t in us, and happy are all they that receive our te&s;timony. For by the &s;ame &s;pirit of Chri&s;t doe we declare again&s;t the&s;e abominations now, as the holy men of God did then: For God and his &s;pirit is the &s;ame
<PB N="9" REF="5">
as ever was, and what he once hated, he hates for ever; and no other Chri&s;t doe we declare forth which we witnes to be made manife&s;t within, but that Chri&s;t which dyed at Jeru&s;alem, which &s;uffered by the Chiefe Prie&s;ts and Elders of the people; he was, and is the true Chri&s;t, which &s;aid, <HI>He was the light of the world, and was the light which had enlightened every one that comes into the world;</HI> and which &s;aid, <HI>Except a man would deny the world and take up his dayly Cro&s;&s;e, and follow him, he could not be his Di&s;ci|ple;</HI> and which cryed woe again&s;t them <HI>which were called of men Ma&s;ters, and that had the chiefe places in the A&s;&s;emblyes, and that &s;tood praying in the Synagogues, &amp;c.</HI> and they who denyed him to be the light of the world and which took not up the Cro&s;&s;e, and which were called of men Ma&s;ters&punc; and had the chiefe&s;t pla|ces in the A&s;&s;emblyes, and &s;tood praying in the Synagogues, and went in long robes the&s;e were Anti-Chri&s;ts&punc; and were acted by a contrary &s;pirit then the true Chri&s;t And here againe, I charge all the Teachers and people (in the pre&s;ence of the Lord God, who doe deny Chri&s;t to be the light in every one which reproves for &s;in) and who are called of men Ma&s;ters, and &s;tand Praying in the Synagogues, and goe in long robes&punc; and who up|hold &s;uch things, and who take not up the dayly Cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, but live at liberty in their wills and de&s;ires, that they are Anti-Chri&s;ts, and that their &s;pirit is not the &s;pirit of the true Chri&s;t which dyed at Jeru&s;alem, but the &s;pirit of a fal&s;e Chri&s;t, and &s;o they are guilty of that them&s;elves, whereof they fal&s;ely accu&s;e us; and the &s;ame Chri&s;t doe we witnes which the &s;aints of old witne&s;&s;ed&punc; who&s;e blood clean&s;ed them from all &s;in&punc; and in who&s;e power, they had power over &s;in, death, and hell: And here again I charge the Teachers and people, who &s;ay that the &s;aints mu&s;t not be clean&s;ed from &s;in, nor cea&s;e to commit &s;in while they are on the Earth, that the Chri&s;t which they po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e, is not the Chri&s;t which dyed at Jeru&s;alem, but a &s;pirit contrary, and not the Chri&s;t which the &s;aints witne&s;&s;ed; and all the people are blinde which cannot &s;ee the&s;e things Did the true Chri&s;t once &s;ay. <HI>He was the light of the World, of every man that comes into the World?</HI> and is that his &s;pirit in the Teachers and Profe&s;&s;ors now, which &s;aith Every man hath not the light of Chri&s;t in them? Was that the true <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> which &s;aid, <HI>Except you take up</HI>
<PB N="10" REF="6">
<HI>my Cro&s;&s;e dayly you cannot be my Di&s;ciple?</HI> and is that his &s;pirit in the Teachers and people, that hath its liberty, and live in pride, in lu&s;t, and in vanity, and their own vvills? Was that the true <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> which cryed woe again&s;t them that <HI>were called of men Ma&s;ter, and that had the chiefe place in the A&s;&s;emblyes, and &s;tood praying in the Synagogues, &amp;c.</HI> and is that his &s;pirit in the Teach|ers and people which act and uphold tho&s;e things? Was that the true <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> which the &s;aints witne&s;&s;ed, by who&s;e blood they were clean&s;ed from &s;in, and had power over &s;in? and is that his &s;pirit in the Teachers and people, which &s;aith, the &s;aints mu&s;t not be clean&s;ed from &s;in, nor cea&s;e to commit &s;in while they are on Earth? Oh blinde and ignorant people, who cannot di&s;cerne between the true <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and Anti-chri&s;t, which is contrary to <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and which leades now to act, and &s;peak contrary to what the true <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> once acted and &s;poake. And no other Go&s;pel do we Preach, but that which the Apo&s;tle Preached, which they re|ceived not from, nor by man, but by the revelation of <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> which was contrary to man, and which &s;uffered by man for the Preaching of it, who Preached to the &s;pirit in pri&s;on, to redeeme the captives, and by which the fle&s;hly man was judged in the fle&s;h, that man might live according to God in &s;pirit. And this Go&s;pel we witnes to have received not from man, but by the revelation of <HI>Ie&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> which is contrary to man; for which we are per&s;ecuted and &s;uffer by man: neither doe we &s;peake to the wi&s;edome and rea&s;on, but we preach to the &s;pirits in pri&s;on, that the fle&s;hly man may be judged in the fle&s;h, that man may live according to God in the &s;pirit&punc; this will many witnes with us, that by the preaching of our Go&s;pel, liberty is brought to the <HI>captives,</HI> and the <HI>fle&s;hly</HI> man is judged, and the &s;pirit which was in pri&s;on is &s;et free. And here again I charge the <HI>teachers</HI> of this generation, that their Go&s;pel which they <HI>Preach</HI> is not the Go&s;pel which the &s;aints <HI>preached,</HI> but another Go&s;pel, and they are guilty of that them&s;elves, whereof they fal&s;ely <HI>accu&s;e</HI> us; for they have <HI>received</HI> their Go&s;pel from man, and by man from the Printers and Stationers; and are made Mini&s;ters of it by the will of man at <HI>Schooles</HI> and <HI>&V;ni|ver&s;ities;</HI> and their <HI>Preaching</HI> is in the will of man&punc; a limited time and place; neither doe they &s;uffer by man, but are &s;et
<PB N="11" REF="6">
up with man, and &s;eed the wi&s;edome and rea&s;on of man; and the fle&s;hly man is not judged, nor the captives redeemed by their Go&s;pel which they Preach; here they are <HI>accur&s;ed</HI> which Preach another Go&s;pel according to the Scripture. And ye are a blinde and ignorant people, which cannot &s;ee the&s;e things. Did they that Preached the true Go&s;pel receive it contrary to the will of man? and can it now be received by the will of man? Did they which Preached it, &s;uffer for it by man? and can they now who Preach it be &s;et up by man, who lives in the &s;ame per&s;ecuting nature? Did the true Go&s;pel once judge the fle&s;hly man, and leade to live according to God in the &s;pi|rit? and do<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">h it now give liberty to the fle&s;hly man to live after the Fle&s;h in the lu&s;ts of it, as the Teachers and profe&s;&s;ors of this generation doe, who profes the Go&s;pel, but are di&s;co|vered not to be come to the Law? And the Scriptures we own to be a true Declaration of the life which they lived in which &s;poke them forth, and by the &s;ame &s;pirit from which they were &s;poken (which we have received) doe we &s;et to our Seales that they are true, and the Scripture is ours, who walke in the life of it; proud men &s;poke it not forth, nor they that &s;ought for their gaine from their quarter; nor they that Preached for hire; nor they that were called of men Ma&s;ter; but per&s;ecuted them that &s;poke it forth, and denyed it. And here againe I charge it upon the Teachers and profe&s;&s;ors of this generation, that they deny the Scripture, and are guilty of that them|&s;elves, whereof they fal&s;ely <HI>accu&s;e</HI> us. For they &s;ay, None mu&s;t be perfect upon the Earth; when as the Scripture declares of &s;uch as were perfect. And they &s;ay, None mu&s;t be free from &s;inne, when as the Scripture declares of &s;uch, as were free from &s;inne, and were the &s;ervants of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. They &s;ay, <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> hath not enlightened every one; The Scripture &s;aith, <HI>He is the light of the World, and hath lightened every one &amp;c.</HI> Can they now who live in the &s;ame per&s;ecuting nature, and walke in the &s;ame &s;teps as they did which per&s;ecuted them who &s;poke forth the Scripture (as the Teachers and people doe) owne the Scriptures in truth? Their profe&s;&s;ing of the Scripture is as theirs was, which made a great profe&s;&s;ion of it in the outward appearance, but put him to death who had
<PB N="12" REF="7">
the life, and was the &s;ub&s;tance of it. They then, as the Teach|ers of the world, doe now, denyed the &s;pirit and life, which gave forth the Scriptures.</P>
<P>And the Ordinances of Je&s;us Chri&s;t we owne and witne&s;&s;e, Preaching, Praying&punc; Bapti&s;me, Communion, Singing, and what&s;oever was ordained for his Saints, to practice in life and power; we witne&s;&s;e the&s;e things in the Eternall &s;ub&s;tance, ha|ving pa&s;&s;ed through the Earthly figures, which was but to &s;tand for its time; by the Eternall have we been led, by the com|mand of it within us, and not by tradition, from the Scripture without us. And we deny all &s;uch who have taken up the&s;e things in their owne wills, by conforming the outward man to the outward letter, and have not entered in at the doore. True Preaching we owne, and doe witne&s;&s;e it, which is the Cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, and in the power of God, and it is fooli&s;h|ne&s;&s;e to the World, and its wi&s;edome now, as ever it was; and we deny all &s;peaking of imaginations from Scripture&punc; which is in the wi&s;edome of the World, and which &s;tands in the will of man, limitted to a &s;et time, or day&punc; or place. Prayer by the &s;pirit, and in the &s;pirit we owne and witne&s;&s;e, whi<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">h is not limitted to a time and place. And we deny all the worlds formall cu&s;tomary Preaching, and Praying for a pre|tence. Bapti&s;me we owne, and witne&s;&s;e, wich is with one &s;pirit, into one body, into the death of Chri&s;t. And we de|ny all Bapti&s;mes which are imagined and immitated by con|forming the outward man to the outward letter, which is but a likene&s;&s;e of the true Bapti&s;me Communion we live in, which is in the light by the &s;pirit, which will endure Eter|nally. And we deny the Worlds imitation, which is in word and declaration&punc; and vi&s;ible carnall things which will pa&s;&s;e away. Singing which is with the &s;pirit, and with under|&s;tanding of the Redeemed of the Lord, we owne and Wit|ne&s;&s;e: but the Worlds &s;inging in Rime and Meeter; proud men &s;inging, <HI>That they are not pufe in minde;</HI> and prophane men &s;inging&punc; <HI>That the Law of God is deare to them;</HI> this &s;inging we deny, for it mu&s;t be turned into howling, the Lord hath &s;aid it. And here againe I charge it upon the Teachers of the World, That they deny the &s;ub&s;tance and
<PB N="13" REF="7">
power of what <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> commands his &s;aints to practice by, upholding their owne imitations, and &s;o deceiving the &s;im|ple: but where the &s;ub&s;tance is witne&s;&s;ed, the figure is in|deed, and the fal&s;e imitations are di&s;covered, and denyed. And mans free-will we doe deny, for the will of man &s;hall never enter to God, but leades out from God into the lu&s;t, and into the Fle&s;h, and keeps in the power of the Devill: And man hath free will unto that which is evill, but not to that which is good; and all who follow Chri&s;t, the light of the World, mu&s;t deny their owne wills, and take up the cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t which is to the will, and walke in the light con|trary to the will, in the &s;traite way which leades unto life, which is out of the will of man in the will of God, which the will of man doth re&s;i&s;t and oppo&s;e. And I charge it up|on the Teachers and profe&s;&s;ors who doe not witne&s;&s;e the day|ly Cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, that they live in their owne free-will, and holds it up, and are led by it into pride and covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and the lu&s;ts of the Fle&s;h which &s;tand in the will. And here they are guilty of that them&s;elves whereof they fal&s;ely <HI>accu&s;e</HI> us, living in their owne free-will, and walke not in the dayly Cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t. And &s;elfe-righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e we have denyed, and have &s;een it in the &s;ame light which <HI>I&s;ayah</HI> did to be as filthy raggs; and we declare again&s;t it&punc; and again&s;t them which live in it; for &s;elfe mu&s;t not be &s;aved&punc; it is <HI>accur&s;ed</HI> from God, it is wholly unrighteous (and makes the be&s;t of actions &s;o) and is&punc; and mu&s;t be ca&s;t out from God Chri&s;t Je&s;us made ma|nife&s;t and revealed in us, is our righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and &s;elfe is judged and condemned by him who is made unto us righte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e; nei<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">her doe we teach people to labour in their owne &s;trength to obtaine life&punc; but doe direct people to the light of Chri&s;t within them, which walking in&punc; will be &s;trength to them to leade them to life, the light which is of Chri&s;t, to which we direct all to waite in to be taught by; it will leade out of &s;elfe-righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and from under the power of &s;elfe, to witne&s;&s;e the power of God, to leade, and to act, and to wit|ne&s;&s;e Chri&s;t Je&s;us revealed the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of God And the <HI>Church</HI> which is in God, which is the body of Chri&s;t whereof Chri&s;t is head, we witne&s;&s;e&punc; and are members of it,
<PB N="14" REF="8">
gathered and joyned by the Eternall &s;pirit, and not by tradi|tion in the wi&s;edome of man. And we deny all the VVorlds <HI>Churches</HI> whereof they were made members by, by vi&s;ible things without, and were gathered by tradition&punc; whereof the &s;erpent is head, and not <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and which is the body of Anti-Chri&s;t, &s;ome of whom commit Idolatry in an Idols Temple: And the Mini&s;try of this <HI>Church</HI> we deny, for it &s;tands in the will of man&punc; and the Mini&s;ters of it are &s;uch as all the &s;ervants of the Lord witne&s;&s;ed again&s;t; the Churches the Mini&s;try, and the Mini&s;ters, are contrary to God; but the Mini&s;try which is to the &s;eed&punc; which is out of the will of man, we owne and witne&s;&s;e, which mini&s;ters life unto life, and death unto death, and divides the word aright, judgement to the fat, and to the &s;trong; and feeds the hungry, and loo&s;eth the bands of wickedne&s;&s;e, and breaks not the brui&s;ed reed, nor quenches the &s;moaking flax; this Mini&s;try we deny not, but are friends unto it; and who are Mini&s;ters here&punc; we have union withall; but proud men and &s;uch as are called of men Ma&s;ter, are ca&s;t out of this Mini&s;try, and are Mini&s;ters to the body of Anti-Chri&s;t, and know not the Mini&s;tery of the Mini&s;try of Je&s;us Chri&s;t as this to the &s;pirit in pri&s;on.</P>
<P>Magi&s;trates and Magi&s;tracy we deny not, but doe give re|&s;pect unto for <HI>con&s;cience &s;ake;</HI> for who beares the &s;word of ju&s;tice&punc; who u&s;e their power to be a terror to the wicked, and for the pray&s;e of them that doe well, are Mini&s;ters of God, and we de&s;ire that there were more Magi&s;tracy here, and that the Magi&s;trate would more u&s;e his power to be a terror to ly|ers, to &s;wearers, to drunkards, to raylers, to fal&s;e accu&s;ers, and to proud men and oppre&s;&s;ors, this we are friends unto: but to &s;uch as act by their owne wills in corrupt Lawes, and doe thereby violence to the Innocent, and &s;trengthens the hands of evill doers&punc; we cannot be &s;ubject, but choo&s;e rather (then to tran&s;gre&s;&s;e the Law of God which is written in our hearts, by &s;ubmitting to &s;uch mens wills and Lawes) to &s;uffer by the corrupt wills of men&punc; under corrupt Lawes.</P>
<P>And thus I have an&s;wered tho&s;e fal&s;e accu&s;ations which are ca&s;t upon us, and doe declare it be the &s;ame &s;pirit in the Teachers and people of this generation which accu&s;eth us&punc;
<PB N="15" REF="8">
as it was in the Scribes and Phari&s;ees which accu&s;ed Chri&s;t and his Di&s;ciples. And this the Scripture witne&s;&s;eth unto, as they did unto him, &s;o would they doe unto us.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="answer">
<HEAD>A further An&s;wer to that Accu&s;ation of being fal&s;e Prophets and Deceivers.</HEAD>
<P>JE&s;us Chri&s;t Prophe&s;ied and &s;aid, <HI>That in the la&s;t dayes &s;hould many fal&s;e Prophets ari&s;e, and &s;hould deceive many, if it were po&s;&s;ible the very Elect.</HI> Now the Teachers and peo|ple of this generation doe &s;ay&punc; That we (who by the world are called <HI>Quakers</HI>) are tho&s;e fal&s;e Prophets and Deceivers, which Chri&s;t Prophefied of. Of this their fal&s;e <HI>accu&s;ation</HI> have they drunkards, lyars, &s;wearers, and all the ungodly people in eve|ry profe&s;&s;ion to witne&s;&s;e them. But their <HI>accu&s;ation,</HI> and their <HI>witne&s;&s;es</HI> we doe deny, though they preach it among the people for doctrine. And now in an&s;wer to this fal&s;e <HI>accu&s;ation and &s;lander</HI> I am moved to write a little, and &s;hall to that principle of God in every mans <HI>con&s;cience</HI> cleare my <HI>con&s;cience,</HI> and de|clare what I know from God concerning tho&s;e fal&s;e Prophets, who they are&punc; when they came in, and how they may be knowne; and &s;hall leave it to every hone&s;t heart to con&s;ider of. The Apo&s;tles&punc; and Mini&s;ters of Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;aw the &s;ame fal&s;e Prophets which Chri&s;t Prophe&s;ied of to be come, and comming in, in their dayes; <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aid, by that they knew it was the la&s;t time; For&punc; &s;aid he, <HI>Even now are there many Anti-Chri&s;ts and fal&s;e Prophets gone out into the World;</HI> &s;uch vvere they, who confe&s;&s;ed not Chri&s;t to be come in the Fle&s;h, and they were of the world and &s;poke of the world and the world heard them. Now here I charge it upon the Teachers of the world&punc; that they are of that generetion which went out into the world then; for as they then confe&s;&s;ed not Chri&s;t to be come in the Fle&s;h, &s;o the&s;e uphold tho&s;e things vvhich vvere under the Law&punc; vvhich vvas before Chri&s;t came in the Fle&s;h outwardly, and &s;o confe&s;&s;e him not to be come in the Fle&s;h; and &s;o they
<PB N="16" REF="9">
are Anti-Chri&s;t. They uphold an outward Temple, and an outward Wor&s;hip, and take Tythes, as the Prie&s;ts under the Law did, as a Type and Figure of Chri&s;t; but when he vvas come, and &s;acrificed, the&s;e things (which were to &s;tand for a time) were put to an end. And none who witne&s;&s;ed Chri&s;t come, and were &s;ent by him to Preach the Go&s;pel, did uphold tho&s;e things, but witne&s;&s;ed forth the &s;ub&s;tance, and denyed the figure; they denyed the outward Temple, and witne&s;&s;ed they were the Temples of God, and that God dwelt in them, and denyed the outward wor&s;hip and witne&s;&s;ed the wor&s;hip of God in &s;pirit, and in truth within them, (for they who wor&s;hipped without, wor&s;hipped they knew not what, as they doe now) And they de&s;ired to take Tythes, and lived of the Go&s;pel, and &s;aid, they that Preached it, &s;hould live of it; but the Teachers of this generation are of the world, living in its pride, lu&s;ts, and vanities; and they who live in the &s;ame worldly nature, uphold them, and heare them. <HI>Iohn</HI> al&s;o &s;aid, <HI>Every &s;pirit that confe&s;&s;eth not Chri&s;t to be come in the Fle&s;h, is Anti-chri&s;t.</HI> And here I charge it upon the Teachers of the world that their &s;pirit of pride, and covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and envy, and hypocry&s;ie which rules in them, is the &s;pirit of Anti-Chri&s;t, and confe&s;&s;eth not Chri&s;t to be come in the Fle&s;h, for where he is made manife&s;t, and come in the Fle&s;h, this &s;pirit is de&s;troyed; <HI>For</HI> (as &s;aith the Scripture) <HI>he was made manife&s;t to de&s;troy the workes of the Devill. Paul</HI> was al&s;o a vvitne&s;&s;e of the fal&s;e prophets and deceivers which Chri&s;t Prophefied of in his time, For he gave warning, to beware of &s;uch&punc; and to turne away from &s;uch whom he &s;aw then come, and comming in, but came more fully in after his dayes; he &s;aid of this &s;ort, <HI>They were lovers of them&s;elves, covetous, proud, heady, high|minded, fierce men, and de&s;pi&s;ers of tho&s;e that were good given to filthy lucre, and to plea&s;ure, and were fal&s;e accu&s;ers and bla&s;phe|mers, and without naturall affection, and unthankefull, and un|holy, and taught filly Women, who were led with divers lu&s;ts, but were not able to come to the knowledge of the truth by their teaching: they were men of corrupt minds, and reprobate concer|ing Faith.</HI> And here againe I charge it upon the Teachers of
<PB N="17" REF="9">
the vvorld, that they are of that generation which came in then, For they are lovers of them&s;elves, they take money of poore people to whom they are more able to give; and they are proud and covetous men&punc; they goe in their Ribbons and Cuffes, and gaudy attire; and they Preach to them vvhere they can get mo&s;t money; and &s;ome takes money of them, and &s;ues them at the Law, to vvhom they Preach not at all: they are heady and high-minded men, for poore people bow to them in the &s;treets, and call them Ma&s;ters: they are fierce men, and de&s;pi&s;e tho&s;e that are good; if any &s;peake a|gain&s;t them (of the truth) they are fierce again&s;t, and de&s;pi&s;e &s;uch; and they are given to filthy lucre, and are lovers of plea&s;ure, for vvhere they can have mo&s;t money, there they will abide; and they live in plea&s;ure&punc; in idlene&s;&s;e, and lu&s;t, and vanity; they are fal&s;e accu&s;ers, they vvill call them deceivers which are not; and that bla&s;phemy, which is not; and they are bla&s;phemers, and vvithout naturall affection. They &s;ay the Letter is the Word, and the Scripture the light, vvhich is bla&s;phemy; for God is the Word, and Chri&s;t is the light; and they vvill &s;uffer the rude multitude, and &s;ome vvill &s;et them upon it to haile, beate, and &s;trike out of their A&s;&s;em|blyes, vvhich is vvithout naturall affection; they are un|thankefull, and unholy; they have great &s;ummes of money from the people, and are not thankefull, but compell them by a Law to pay them; and herein they are unholy by their actions vvhich are declared; and they Teach alwayes, but men and vvomen are ignorant &s;till, and none able to come to the knowledge of the truth by them: and they have a Forme of godline&s;&s;e: they profe&s;&s;e the Scriptures that the children of the Lord are taught of the Lord; and that Chri&s;t &s;aid, <HI>Take no thought what to eate, nor what to drinke, nor where|with to be cloathed.</HI> But vvho vvitne&s;&s;e them&s;elves taught of God, and that they need no man to teach them; and that take no care vvhat to eate, nor vvhat to drinke, nor vvhat to put on, and &s;o vvitne&s;&s;e the promi&s;e of God, and abide in the Doctrine of Chri&s;t, the&s;e you call deceivers, and idle, and carele&s;&s;e per&s;ons, and thus deny the power of vvhat they
<PB N="18" REF="10">
have profe&s;&s;ed; and herein their minds are corrupt and re|probate concerning Faith; for Faith is the &s;ub&s;tance, and purifies the heart from the&s;e things vvhich they are guilty of. And <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>jude</HI> al&s;o vvere vvitne&s;&s;es of tho&s;e de|ceivers and fal&s;e Prophets vvhich Chri&s;t prophefied of in their time; for, they &s;aw &s;uch vvere come, and comming in, which <HI>&s;hould bring in damnable Here&s;ies&punc; and through covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, with faigned words, make merchandi&s;e of the people; they walke after the fle&s;h in the lu&s;t&punc; of uncleanne&s;&s;e, and de&s;pi&s;e Govern|ment, and Dominion: Pre&s;umptuous are they, &s;elfe&punc; willed, they are not afraid to &s;peake evill of Dignities <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> they &s;peake evill of the things that they under&s;tand not; they have eyes full of adul|tery, and that cannot cea&s;e from &s;inne, begniling un&s;table &s;oules; an heart&punc; they have exerci&s;ed with covetous practi&s;es; cur&s;ed children, which have&punc; for&s;aken the right way, and are gone a&s;tray, following the way of</HI> Balaam, <HI>who loved the wages of unrighte|ou&s;ne&s;&s;e, they them&s;elves are the &s;ervants of corruption, ungodly men, turning the grace of God into laciviou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and defile the fle&s;h: the&s;e are murmurers, complainers, walking after their owne lu&s;ts, and their mouthes &s;peaking great &s;welling words, having mens per&s;ons in admiration becau&s;e of advantage; there be they who &s;eperate them&s;elves, &s;en&s;uall, having not the &s;pirit.</HI> And here againe I charge it upon the Teachers of this age, that they are of that generation vvhich came into the world then; for they have brought in, and doe uphold damnable Here&s;ies, telling people, that &s;prinkling Infants with Water is the Bapti&s;me into the Faith; and that &s;inging <HI>Davids</HI> ex|periences in Rime and Meeter, is &s;inging to the glory of God; and that a hou&s;e of &s;tone is the Temple and Church of God; the&s;e are damnable Here&s;ies: and they doe through covetou&s;ne&s;&s;e, make merchandi&s;e of the people; if they can get more money at another place, thither they will goe; and thus people are their merchandi&s;e: they walke after the Fle&s;h in the lu&s;ts of uncleanne&s;&s;e; they walke in pride and in lu&s;t, and &s;om<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter"> of <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">hem will be drunke, and lye, and &s;weare, and talke <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">n<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="4 letters">ly&punc; and they de&s;pi&s;e the Saints Government and D<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 span"> for they walke in the wayes of the world, in
<PB N="19" REF="10">
the cu&s;tomes and traditions of men, and follow their owne wills) And whom the &s;pirit of God governes, and hath do|minion over, followes Chri&s;t for their example, who&s;e Go|vernment and Dominion they are under. But they live in pride, lu&s;t, and vanity, and according to the Fle&s;h, and here|in they de&s;pi&s;e government and dominion, and &s;peake evill of this dignity, and of the my&s;teries of God revealed in his &s;aints, which they know not, nor under&s;tand not, calling it error; they are pre&s;umptuous and &s;elfe-willed; they have pre&s;umed to call them&s;elves Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, and all the Townes where they live mu&s;t &s;erve, and be &s;ubject to their wills. And they are adulterated from God after honour and riches, and the vanities of the World; and they cannot cea&s;e from &s;inne them&s;elves; for they &s;ay, None mu&s;t cea&s;e from it while they are on the Earth; and herein they beguile ma|ny &s;oules; for, till &s;in be cea&s;ed from the &s;oule, it is beguiled&punc; they have a heart exerci&s;ed with covetous practi&s;es, and they follow the way of <HI>Balaam,</HI> and goe for gifts and rewards&punc; and love the wages of unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e: they take money of poore people for &s;prinkling Infants&punc; and for burying the dead, which are covetous practi&s;es: they take money for Henns and Eggs, and for Smoake pa&s;&s;ing up the Chimney, which are unrighteous wages; and thus they have for&s;aken the right way, the way of God, and of all the &s;aints which &s;poke forth the Scripture; and in the&s;e things, they are &s;ervants of cor|ruption, and are <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 letter">dgodly men, and turne the grace of God, (which &s;hines in their con&s;ciences, which &s;hewes them their ungodly wayes) into laciviou&s;ne&s;&s;e; and through their lu&s;t they defile the Fle&s;h: and many of them will murmure, and complaine for want of wages, even to &s;pend upon their lu&s;ts; and they &s;peake great &s;welling words, &s;peaking of the Fame of Chri&s;t, of his Life, and Death, and Re&s;urrection, but can|not witne&s;&s;e by the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t within them what they &s;peake of him: and they have mens per&s;ons in admiration, becau&s;e of advantage: &s;ome of them had the Bi&s;hops in ad|miration, and &s;ome the King in admiration&punc; and now they have others who beare rule in admiration; and thus they de|ceitfully
<PB N="20" REF="11">
have twined to admire mens per&s;ons onely becau&s;e of advantage, many of them have &s;eperated them&s;elves, none who are not of their judgement, mu&s;t joyne with them in their wor&s;hip, but neither they, nor their &s;eperates have the &s;pirit of the living God, but doe deny an infallible &s;pirit: and they are &s;en&s;uall in their wi&s;edome, and wayes, and practi&s;es, and the&s;e have deceived many, even whole Nations. And here you &s;ee plainely when the deceivers and fal&s;e Prophets came in; they were come, and comming in, in the Apo&s;tles dayes, and then was the Prophe&s;ie of Chri&s;t fulfilling and fulfilled: and the Apo&s;tles &s;uffered under Tyrants, and were put to cru|ell deaths, and then they came in more fully; for &s;ince the Apo&s;tles dayes hath been a great Apo&s;tacy, and many Formes of wor&s;hip and wayes of Religion have been imitated from the letter through imaginations, and but one generation of Teachers&punc; though one above another, in the comprehen&s;ion and &s;en&s;uall wi&s;edome, and at enmity one again&s;t another, though all in one birth and nature. But they are all di&s;covered by the light, Pray&s;es (from all that know God) unto him for ever Since the Apo&s;tles dayes hath darkne&s;&s;e been &s;pread over all, though the Lord had &s;ome which he pre&s;erved for him&s;elfe in the midde&s;t of Apo&s;tacy and darkene&s;&s;e; who the fal&s;e Pro|phets are which Chri&s;t Prophe&s;ied of to every hone&s;t heart and &s;ingle eye may be known; Chri&s;t &s;aid&punc; <HI>By their fruits &s;hould they be knowne;</HI> And the fruits of the Teachers of the world are plainely made appeare to be the fruits of deceivers, and not of the Mini&s;ters of <HI>Chri&s;t;</HI> none have gathered Grapes nor Figgs from them. And thus I have cleared my con&s;cience in the pre&s;ence of God concerning the fal&s;e &s;lander and accu&s;a|tion which the Teachers and people of the World doe ca&s;t upon us; and to that in every ones con&s;cience it is made ap|peare who they are to whom this accu&s;ation ju&s;tly belongs.</P>
<P>Woe unto all you who &s;trive again&s;t the Lord, and ju&s;tifie that which the holy men of God which &s;poke forth the Scri|pture in the Scripture, declared again&s;t; and which con|demne that which the holy men of God in the Scripture ju|&s;tified&punc; and witne&s;&s;ed for: you who live in pride, in covetou&s;|ne&s;&s;e,
<PB N="21" REF="11">
in double-dealing, and in hypocry&s;ie, and in the lu&s;ts of the Fle&s;h,&punc; you &s;trive again&s;t the Lord God, and again&s;t the light of God which is in your con&s;ciences, which &s;hewes you the&s;e things to be &s;inne; you re&s;i&s;t the drawings of the Fa|ther, which would draw you by the light to follow the &s;ound: Woe and de&s;olation is to come upon all you who will not be taught by the light of Chri&s;t which he hath lightened you withall; which light all the holy men of God were taught by, who gave forth the Scriptures, but doe &s;et up Teachers without you, &s;uch as all the holy men of God, the Prophets, Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles declared again&s;t. Oh blinded, &s;tiffe|necked people, which are not a&s;hamed to call &s;uch Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t&punc; and of the Go&s;pel (and by your corrupt wills and Laws to&punc; defend them) which &s;eeke for their gaine from their Quarter, and which feed them&s;elves with the Fat, and cloathe them&s;elves with the Wooll; and which Preach for hire, and divine for money, and prepare Warre again&s;t them that put not into their mouthes: here you ju&s;tifie &s;uch as the Pro|phets of the Lord were &s;ent to cry again&s;t, and deny <HI>I&s;ayah, Ezechiel,</HI> and <HI>Micha</HI> to be true Prophets; for if you did beleeve that they &s;poke from the mouth of the Lord, the word of the Lord, then would you not uphold them which act tho&s;e things which they declared again&s;t; for that which was abomination to the Lord then, is abomination to him now; and that &s;pirit which declared again&s;t the&s;e things then, cannot uphold them now. And here the Teachers and peo|ple are tryed, not to have the &s;ame &s;pirit which was in the holy Prophets of the Lord, but the &s;pirit of the fal&s;e Pro|phets&punc; acting by it that which they acted, which the true Pro|phets cryed again&s;t; and thus by upholding that which the Lord &s;ent his &s;ervants to declare again&s;t. you &s;triue again&s;t the Lord ye Magi&s;trates and People. And you are not a&s;hamed to call &s;uch Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t which (walk in the &s;ame &s;teps, and act tho&s;e things that they did, which Chri&s;t cryed woe again&s;t) are called of men Ma&s;ters, and have the chiefe places in the A&s;&s;emblyes, and &s;tand Praying in the Synagogues, and goe in long Robes, and love greetings in the Markets, as they did;
<PB N="22" REF="12">
here you ju&s;tifie &s;uch as Chri&s;t cryed woe again&s;t, and deny that <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;poke the truth what was the minde of his Father; for if you did beleeve that he &s;poke the will of his Father, then would ye not uphold the&s;e that act the &s;ame things which he cryed woe again&s;t. And he changes not, that which he once cryed again&s;t, the &s;ame &s;pirit where it is witne&s;&s;ed, cryes a|gain&s;t the &s;ame things. And here againe the Teachers of the world are tryed not to have the &s;pirit of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> but the &s;pirit of the Scribes and Phari&s;ces, who act that which they acted, which he cryed woe again&s;t. And herein Magi&s;trates and peo|ple &s;trive again&s;t the Lord God, by upholding that which <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> cryed woe again&s;t. And &s;uch who are Mini&s;ters of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> and walke in his Doctrine, and in the &s;ame &s;teps, which he and his Apo&s;tles walked in, witne&s;&s;ing for that which they witne&s;&s;ed, for and again&s;t that which they witne&s;&s;ed again&s;t them you call deceivers, and fal&s;e Prophets, and accu&s;e them for vagabonds, and wandering Beggars, and Idle, and carele&s;&s;e Per&s;ons; and that they have left their Families, and carele&s;&s;ely wander up and downe. And herein you Magi&s;trates and peo|ple &s;trive again&s;t the Lord, by per&s;ecuting, and &s;landering&punc; and fal&s;ely accu&s;ing&punc; and condemning &s;uch as the Scripture ju&s;tifies, and the &s;ervants of the Lord which &s;poke forth the Scripture doe witne&s;&s;e of to be true. What would you have called <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> who had no where to lay his head? he was no vaga|bond, nor Idle, not carele&s;&s;e Per&s;on. And what would you have called the Apo&s;tles and Mini&s;ters of <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> who had lo&s;t their Families and Callings, and went up and downe, and had no certaine dwelling place, but went from <HI>City to City,</HI> and cared not for the World; not what to eate, nor what to drink, nor wherewith to be cloathed? this they did, and yet were no vagabonds, nor Idle, nor carele&s;&s;e Per&s;ons, but abode in the Doctrine of <HI>Chri&s;t;</HI> they were hated by your generation, as we are now by you: And they were called <HI>pe&s;tilent fellowes, and movers of Sedition, and Haretiques, and men of erronious judgements:</HI> And they &s;aid, <HI>they were troublers of their Cities,</HI> as you doe now call us fal&s;e Prophets and Deceivers I doe declare this generation to be the &s;ame which per&s;ecuted the
<PB N="23" REF="12">
Prophets, Chri&s;t, and his Apo&s;tles, as it doth per&s;ecute us; for by the &s;ame power we &s;tand, as they did; and by the &s;ame power we are commanded and acted, as they were: And to the power by which we &s;tand, and are commanded, &s;hall all the powers of men, and of the Earth bow, and be &s;ubject. O all you magi&s;trates and people con&s;ider of your blindene&s;&s;e, and Ignorance, who doe ab&s;olutely ju&s;tifie and uphold &s;uch as the Scripture declares and witne&s;&s;es again&s;t; and doe con|demne and per&s;ecute &s;uch as the Scripture ju&s;tifies, and wit|ne&s;&s;es of; and doe put them out of your Synagogues and Vil|lages; &s;earch the Prophets, and Chri&s;ts, and the Apo&s;tles Writings, in them you may reade your example, and our ex|ample. The vengeance of God you cannot fly, his fierce wrath will come upon you, and weeping, and bowling, and lamentation, and mi&s;ery will be your portion. O tremble to thinke upon your Ignorance, to what purpo&s;e have you made a profe&s;&s;ion of the Scriptures, who ju&s;tifie tho&s;e things, and tho&s;e men, which it plainely Declares again&s;t; and con|demne tho&s;e practi&s;es and tho&s;e men, which it plainly witne&s;|&s;eth of. Repent, and take warning betime, before the De|cree of the Lord of Ho&s;ts be &s;ealed again&s;t you, for I have cleared my con&s;cience, in letting you &s;ee your owne Igno|rance, and blindene&s;&s;e, ye magi&s;trates and people: And thus you are left without excu&s;e, whether you will heare, or for|beare.</P>
</DIV2>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
