<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>6-27-08</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Added TEMPHEAD, checked ID, and added TYPEs to DIVs in order to validate. Checked for N=""s. Checked for GROUP tags. Proofed title page. Checked ^s. Reviewed structure; moved some NOTEs. Checked placement and completeness of PBs. Checked for damage GAPs, #s, @s, oes, --s, and UNCLEARs. Corrected $s and $Word$s. Checked for &amp;cs with incorrect spacing. Checked for LBs. Checked for startqs and endqs, q;s, abq's, Ae's, and Qs. Checked italic I / J and U / V. Checked for missing page GAPs. Checked for EPIGRAPHs and ARGUMENTS. Checked proofsheets and made corrections. Checked CLOSERs, TRAILERs, SIGNEDs, OPENERs, SALUTEs, BYLINEs. Sample: 2 minutes. Proofing: 25 minutes. Tag review and corrections: 50 minutes. DONE.</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A77969">
<STC T="W">B6051</STC>
<STC T="T">E910_3</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99866546</BIBNO>
<VID>118822</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>TRUTH (the Stronge&s;t of all) Witne&s;&s;ed forth in the Spirit of Truth, again&s;t all <HI>DECEIT:</HI> And Pleading in Righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e its owne cau&s;e, to the under&s;tanding of the Simple, again&s;t a very great number of lyes, &s;landers, per|verting of the Scriptures, contradictions and fal&s;e damnable doctrines, held forth by the INDEPENDANTS.</P>
<P><HI>AND</HI> In particular by one JOHN BUNION, (one of Gogs Army) in two &s;everall Bookes put forth by him, again&s;t the de&s;pi&s;ed &s;cattered People called <HI>Q&V;AKERS.</HI></P>
<P><HI>AND IS A</HI> REPLY Unto his &s;econd Book, <HI>CALLED A VINDICATION,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Wherein what was wanting in his former of fulfilling wicked|ne&s;&s;e is now appeared; by his adding &s;in unto &s;in, again&s;t God and again&s;t his owne &s;oule.</P>
<P>And this is to cleer the Truth from above 100 of <HI>John Bunions</HI> foule dirty lyes and &s;landers: By a friend of the Truth as it is in Chri&s;t Je&s;us; and not as it is in mens carnall apprehen&s;ions, EDWARD BURROUGH</P>
<P><HI>LONDON:</HI> Printed for <HI>Giles Calvert,</HI> at the Black<HI>-&s;pread-</HI>Eagle, near the We&s;t end of Paules 1657.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>TO THE READER.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SALUTE>FRIEND,</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THO&V; ha&s;t here a very great number of <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">about 100 or more as may be proved inpar|ticular if need <HI>require.</HI></NOTE> lyes and &s;landers, and unju&s;t dealing, and fal&s;e doctrines, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Laid open and reproved in plaine&s;se, and not in hypocri|&s;ie, and of contention there is not &s;ud|denly an end being begun; therefore &s;eeing the unbe|lieving heart of <HI>John Bunion</HI> cannot believe me when I &s;peake the truth in ju&s;tne&s;&s;e, nor may I beleive his lies and &s;landers uttered in hypocri&s;ie; what is laid downe is left to thee, &s;oberly to judge of betwixt us, while we are both &s;ilent: And this know the one is a Deciever and the other is <HI>as a Deceiver yet true;</HI> and thus may thou weigh things equally.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, con&s;idering of many lyes and &s;landers truly charged upon him in my fir&s;t, of which he is guilty from his first, and he hath not at all cleared him&s;elfe of them in his &s;econd, which an hone&s;t man ought to have done, before he had gone further; for I &s;oberly de&s;ired witne&s;&s;e of what he &s;aid: But be hath added to the number of his wickedne&s;&s;e, and not proved ju&s;tly what he hath &s;aid again&s;t us: And it is not for his &s;ake, for little hopes I have of his conver&s;ion, but the rather that he will be
<PB REF="3">
hardened, nor for my owne &s;ake as if I were un&s;atisfied concerning him that this is written, but to undeceive the &s;imple of what his wickedne&s;&s;e may fal&s;ly &s;ugge&s;t in|to the minde as if all were truth that he &s;poke, if his wickedne&s;&s;e were not reproved.</P>
<P>Againe, Con&s;ider that I have cleared the truth of my words which he hath wre&s;ted and thereby taken occa|&s;ion again&s;t the truth, by an&s;wering his owne concepti|ons and not my plaine words, &s;o my words (which are words of truth) being defended, all his reply is made void: So I have not &s;o much de&s;ired to an&s;wer every particular of his words, as to vindicate my owne words, and the truth from his fal&s;e &s;landers and accu&s;ations.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>London, <DATE>12. month, 1656.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>E. B.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
<PB N="1" REF="3">
<HEAD>TRUTH <HI>(the strongest of all)</HI> Witne&s;&s;ed forth in the Spirit of Truth Again&s;t all <HI>DECEIT.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_O HOW hath Satan filled the hearts of men, in this generation (as well as in former ages) with envy again&s;t the truth, and with wrath again&s;t the way thereof, and how hath he filled them with craft, and deceitfull &s;ubtilty, to offend the way of the Lord, in all manner of per&s;ecuting, and evil &s;peaking again&s;t it openly, and al&s;o in &s;ecret gain&s;ay|ings, in hipocri&s;ie, and how are men armed to defend them|&s;elves in their naughtine&s;&s;e, laying hid under the vaile of fair &s;peeches, and fine arguments, u&s;ing the Scripture in the words of mans wi&s;edome, to oppo&s;e the power and life of righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, even as the Scribes and Phari&s;ees of old, how zealous were they in their ob&s;ervances, and in fulfilling the Commands and traditions of their fathers, having &s;et them&s;elves in <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> &s;eat, profe&s;&s;ing <HI>Mo&s;es</HI> and the Prophets words, and yet per&s;e|cuted Chri&s;t the life, and &s;ub&s;tance of <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and the Prophets, and as it was then, &s;o is it now, how are Chri&s;ts words, and
<PB N="2" REF="4">
the Apo&s;tles profe&s;&s;ed and preached by &s;uch who are enemies o the life of Chri&s;t made manife&s;t in mortall fle&s;h, and &s;ecret|ly oppo&s;ing the doctrin of the Apo&s;tles, who &s;aid, <HI>Know ye not, that Chri&s;t is within you, except you be Reprobates.</HI> But the mighty day of the Lord is come, and comeing, wherein all hearts are made manife&s;t, and the &s;ecrets thereof di&s;covered, and the light is &s;pringing out of darkne&s;&s;e, and the Sun is breaking thorow the clouds to give light to all men and Nations, and the great whore which hath decked her &s;elfe in divers colours to deceive, &s;hall be made naked and bare, and the day of great &s;triving is come, and now every man &s;tands up for his intere&s;t, to defend his po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion, for the ju&s;t Judge &s;tandeth at the doore, to enquire by what Law every man holds his Inheritance, and he findeth many holding their Re|ligion, and Profe&s;&s;ion, by the traditions of men only, and not by the Revelation of Chri&s;t Je&s;us in them, and &s;uch he will di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e, though they &s;trive again&s;t him, yet all is in vaine, and though they plead Antiquity, yet that will not prevaile, and in that the day of great &s;triving is come, betwixt the Lamb and his followers, the Draggon and his followers, every one of that Party appearing with &s;uch weapons as the Devil hath armed them withal, and with &s;uch Armour as the wicked hath they come, appearing under divers colours, to fight again&s;t <HI>Zion,</HI> yet under one Head, and Prince of darkne&s;&s;e, and unto one Purpo&s;e, even that the &s;eed of <HI>Jacob</HI> may be rooted out, and that the way of truth may not pro&s;per, that then the wicked may goe on in their wickedne&s;&s;e, without reproofe, and ungodlyne&s;&s;e may be hid under hypocri&s;ie and above all other means, that is u&s;ed at this day, to keepe up the Kingdome of the Devil, and to offend the Kingdome of Chri&s;t; this is Cheife, &s;triving again&s;t the light of the world, oppo&s;ing it, and denying it, and by crafty arguments, and cunning &s;peeches, &s;eeking &s;utable Scriptures, (as they &s;uppo&s;e) to ground their fal&s;e arguments upon, again&s;t this very thing, that the light of Chri&s;t is given to every man that comes into the World, or that the light which convinceth and Reprooveth every man of &s;in within him, is not the light of Chri&s;t, nor worthy to be ta|ken notice off, but naturall and &s;uch like, and no way &s;uffici|ent
<PB N="3" REF="4">
to life and &s;alvation; if the unju&s;t men per&s;ecute, it is &s;uch as walke in the light of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, that cannot fulfill the wills and cu&s;tomes of men, and &s;o are not of the World, but contrary to it, in all its wayes and workes which are evil, and if the wi&s;e men of the World make any argument, it is again&s;t the light, with which Chri&s;t lightneth every man that comes into the World, &s;o that all the envy of the Devil, whether under this or that colour and appearance, is again&s;t the light of Chri&s;t Je&s;us and them that walke therein, and if the light be but denyed, and not balieved in, nor regarded, then may the Devil have whole Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the heart of man, and if the light of Chri&s;t Je&s;us within, be owned and loved, and walked in, then Chri&s;t is received, and there the Devil is di&s;po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed, and therefore it &s;tands him upon, above all other things to po&s;&s;e&s;&s;e people again&s;t the light within, which Chri&s;t hath given, that then he may not be di&s;covered in the heart; but may keepe all his goods in peace, and have quiet Po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion in his habita|tion? Well, be it &s;o, though all men of that Kingdom doth gain|&s;ay the light of Chri&s;t, by this or that way of wickedne&s;&s;e, yet it is precious unto us, and I cannot but earne&s;tly contend for it again&s;t all gain&s;ayers, and yet &s;trives not for ma&s;tery to our &s;elves, nor to exalt any thing of our &s;elves, but only the Lord and his truth, which he hath made more deare to us, then either life, or name, or liberty, and though &s;o it be, that this way be &s;poken evil again&s;t every where, yet the Lord owneth it, and us who are faithfull therein, in the pre&s;ence of our enemies, to the confounding of the wi&s;dome of this world; and whereas <HI>John Bunion</HI> hath formerly &s;et him&s;elfe divers wayes to oppo&s;e the truth under the account of his great zeale again&s;t error; but e&s;pecially in a Booke &s;ometime &s;ince, put forth by him, thinking thereby to offend the way of righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e; and now a &s;econd time hath appeared, with a de|fence upon his former, called <HI>A Vindication,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Of the former and his defence, is more to the laying open his folly, and to the uncovering of his blindne&s;&s;e and wicked|ne&s;&s;e, then his fir&s;t offence given by him, which cau&s;ed me to write in &s;hort four &s;heets of paper, to clear the truth from what he had &s;poken again&s;t it.</P>
<P><PB N="4" REF="5">
And now having again a &s;econd time appeared in many words without knowledge yet in great zeale, hath brought forth ma|ny things reprovable, even lyes and &s;landers, and evil &s;peeches in abundance, yet with great pretence of holyne&s;&s;e, and &s;ober|ne&s;&s;e, and he hath not only helped me, but the truth which is my cheife, and moving cau&s;e, (that the truth may be clear) of this my &s;econd <HI>Reply</HI> unto him, and not for my own &s;ake in any thing, for I more prize to be accounted a foole, and di&s;|pray&s;ed in the world, then to be honoured thereby, and when iniquity &s;hall come to an end, and tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion &s;hall be fini|&s;hed, his &s;hall be the Kingdome and the Inheritance of Re&s;t eternall, that hath kept him&s;elfe clean and pure, from a lying and &s;landerous tongue, and who hath done righteou&s;ly and fulfilled the will of God, <HI>For it is not every one that &s;aith Lord, Lord, that &s;hall enter into the Kingdome, but he that doth the will of the Father which is in heaven,</HI> and in that day when the Booke of all con&s;ciences &s;hall be opened, and every thing brought to judgement, then &s;hall the light in every ones con|&s;cience an&s;wer the Lord in the ju&s;tne&s;&s;e of his dealings, and even then (if not before) &s;hall this <HI>John Bunion</HI> know the light in all mens con&s;ciences is of force; when he &s;hall be judged and then &s;hall he &s;ee, he hath wronged the Lord, and dealt evil again&s;t his own &s;oule, in &s;peaking evil of what he hath not known, and in giving fal&s;e judgement of what he hath not under&s;tood, and till that day I leave him (without praying for fire to devoure him) only may reprove his lyes errors, contradictions and fal&s;e dealing, and clear the truth from his fal&s;e <HI>Charges,</HI> and only to the mo&s;t cheife&s;t things whereof he accu&s;es us, in &s;hort I may <HI>Reply.</HI></P>
<P>And whereas thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>There is one that hath ventured to &s;tand up again&s;t the truth, and hath publi&s;hed a booke in which there is a great number of Here&s;ies cunningly <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">ented by him and al&s;o many things there fal&s;ly Reported of thee,</HI> To which I an|&s;wer, that &s;ame Booke publi&s;hed called <HI>The true &s;aith of the Go&s;pel contended for,</HI> &amp;c. Shall clear it &s;elf from this reproach that I have not &s;tood up again&s;t any one truth, or uttered any Here&s;ie or lye again&s;t thee, <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Several lies and &s;landers was proved again&s;t him in that book, which he can|not clear him|&s;elf of; mark that.</NOTE> but in that Booke did witne&s;&s;e forth the truth again&s;t many things falfly layd down by thee
<PB N="5" REF="5">
again&s;t the <HI>Quakers,</HI> and that &s;ame Booke with &s;oberne&s;&s;e read, without partiality and prejudice, doth clear it &s;elfe from the&s;e fal&s;e a&s;per&s;ions, and prove thee a lyer herein, and I leave it to the hone&s;t hearted to judge, who reads that book while I with patience and not &s;eeking any revenge, doe bear thy reproaches, counting them greater riches then thy prai&s;e.</P>
<P>And farther thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>Only by the way thou thinke&s;t good to mind me of my cloathing my &s;elfe with the words of the Pro|phets and Apo&s;tles,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> true enough <HI>by the way,</HI> out of the truth, and out of Chri&s;t who is the way, hath thou &s;poken this, and &s;o hath uttered in fal&s;ehood, and <HI>by,</HI> or out of the <HI>way,</HI> neither have I cloathed my &s;elfe, and yet am I cloathed, with the life of the Prophets and Apo&s;tles, and not only with their words, nor do I fight again&s;t them (though thou fal&s;ly &s;ay it) but bears wit|ne&s;&s;e unto them, in doctrine and conver&s;ation, and again&s;t thee, all the &s;eed of evil doers, and take backe thy own words to thy &s;elf, who art in that generation, which hath the words, but art without the <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Lying per|verting Scrip|ture is an evil l<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">fe.</NOTE> life in the evil life.</P>
<P>Farther thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>I have broken out with a fal&s;e Te&s;timony of John Burton and thee,</HI> at which thou &s;eeme&s;t to be much offended, that I &s;hould &s;ay thou art joyned with the broken Army of <HI>Magog,</HI> and hath &s;hewed your &s;elves in the defence of the Draggon, again&s;t the Lamb, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> what neede&s;t thou be troubled at this, have I not &s;po|ken the truth, and have I not &s;aid well herein, for you are joyned with all the wicked in the Nation, and as lyars and &s;wearers and drunkards, per&s;ecutes with violence, and as the proud and wanton are filled with &s;corning and &s;inging wicked rimes in the &s;treets, even &s;o al&s;o are you come in Print, and all of you again&s;t them called <HI>Quakers,</HI> the drunkards and &s;wearers they beate, them and abu&s;e them, and ca&s;t them as for dead into diches, with &s;toning in the high wayes, and in the &s;treets beating downe with &s;taves, and the wanton they &s;ing there rimes in &s;corne in Alehou&s;es, and Taverns again&s;t them, and thou and thy fellowes and generation appeares in open Print, &s;landering and reviling them (yet in pretence of zeale for God) and all this you doe again&s;t us who have the
<PB N="6" REF="6">
witne&s;&s;e that we are of God, and that the whole world lyes in wickedne&s;&s;e, and now are not you all joyned as an Army, and doe you not &s;hew your &s;elves in the defence of the Draggon, <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">lyers and flanderers is of the Dra|gons party;</NOTE> what wrong I have done you, let the upright in heart judge, whether I have given fal&s;e te&s;timony again&s;t you or no, and though you have noted it for a lye in the Margent, yet the lye is thy own, who hath gain-&s;aid the truth herein, and called it a lye, and I have dealt ju&s;tly with thee, in the &s;ight of God and all that know him, and when the booke of thy con&s;cience is opened, thou &s;halt al&s;o confe&s;&s;e to this thing, when thou &s;tande&s;t condemned with them, with whom thou art now joy|ned, again&s;t us, who have the te&s;timony that we are of God, and wor&s;hippers of the Father in the &s;pirit and truth, and my words were &s;poken by the &s;pirit of the Lord, and that in thy con&s;cience &s;hall witne&s;&s;e them, in the day of the Lord&punc; though now thou Opprobriou&s;ly &s;ay, <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">I &s;aid that de&s;olate <HI>Zion</HI> is compa&s;&s;ed about with enemies to make her a|de&s;truction, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> here are <HI>flung into the wind.</HI> And whereas thou &s;eemesto be greatly offended, that I &s;hould &s;ay parte of the fir&s;t booke is a Corrupted grain of <HI>Babylons</HI> trea&s;ure, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>But have not I &s;poken the truth herein al&s;o, when I &s;ay, I have numbred up part of your work and this is the &s;um thereof, that part which I have numbred <HI>viz.</HI> your lyes and fal&s;e reproa|ches again&s;t the <HI>Quakers,</HI> is a corrupted grain; yea, and of <HI>Baby|lons</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">The&s;e are &s;ome of the words which he &s;ayes flung into the wind.</NOTE> trea&s;ure too. I am not a&s;hamed of my words, though thou would defend your worke by &s;aying, <HI>Your di&s;cour&s;e was of the Birth Righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, death, blood, &amp;c. And of the &s;econd coming of the &s;on of Mary,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>To which I &s;ay, the&s;e things and the knowledge of them, by the &s;pirit of God, is not counted by me Corrupted nor of <HI>Babylon,</HI> though now I an&s;wer as in my la&s;t, the words I own, but thy voice I deny, and knowes it to be the voice of the &s;tranger, and for this &s;aying, ha I not, nor never &s;hall have any burthen upon my Con&s;cien<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">e, (though thou would &s;ay it) but 'tis cleared in the &s;ight of God, even though I &s;ay all that thou &s;peake&s;t&punc; I deny, or thy &s;peaking of any thing of the Kingdome of God; with thy lying &s;pirit.</P>
<P>And whereas thou art offended, that I &s;hould &s;ay you are de&s;cribed to be the flock of <HI>I&s;hmaell,</HI> and of the &s;eed of <HI>Cain,</HI>
<PB N="7" REF="6">
who&s;e line reacheth to the murdering Prei&s;ts, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>And thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>I am very &s;en&s;orious, and uttere&s;t many words without knowledge,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Yea, your words doth de&s;cribe your nature, for by your voice I know you, to be none of Chri&s;ts &s;heepe, and ac|cordingly I judge, in ju&s;t judgement, and in true knowledge, and doe not falfly &s;en&s;ure, nor utter words void of know|ledge, and my words &s;hall be witne&s;&s;ed by you in the day of the Lord: Envy is of <HI>Cains</HI> nature and &s;eed, and in that you are, and lyars are of <HI>I&s;hmaels</HI> &s;tock, and you are guilty of that, let the &s;ober Reader try; and you are among the murdering Prei&s;ts party, and clo&s;e joyned to them, in doctrin and practi&s;e e&s;pecially in writing again&s;t us.</P>
<P>Now no wrong have I done you, that thou neede&s;t to be troubled, and &s;eekes to cover your &s;elves by thy faire words in thy an&s;wer as if you were righteous, but all will not hide you, your works make you manife&s;t to be no le&s;&s;e then what I have &s;aid of you.</P>
<P>Then farther thou art hot again&s;t me, in that I &s;ay, you are found enemies to Chri&s;t, revealed in his Saints, and this thou ha&s;t noted it in the Margent for fal&s;e, but thou do&s;t not well to be angry; it is true, what I have &s;poken, thy own words doe prove it, in &s;aying there was nothing in thee, to be taken notice of; this was a denying of Chri&s;t within, and &s;uch as deny him are found enemies to him within, So the lye is thy own, who ha&s;t denyed truth, let the wi&s;e Reader judge, and thy many words in a pretending an&s;wer will not cover you from the guilt of what I have charged upon you and not fal&s;ly, and what I have &s;aid hitherto is true, and not fal&s;e, though thou fainingly &s;ay, <HI>thou marvels I &s;hould be &s;o over-&s;een, as to utter &s;o many fal&s;e things in &s;o little a &s;pace;</HI> nay, my under&s;tanding was open, when I wrote forth that book, at which thou art &s;o tormented, that it hath cau&s;ed thee &s;ome months travellin angui&s;h to cleare thy &s;elfe, and yet cannot be at re&s;t, and thou art over-&s;een who re&s;i&s;ts the reproofe of thy wickedne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>Then thou goes about to ju&s;tify thy brother <HI>Burtons</HI> words, who wickedly laid it down, as thou immpudently goe&s;t to
<PB N="8" REF="7">
ju&s;tify it, who joyned in his accu&s;ation, and &s;landers <HI>Quakers</HI> with <HI>Ranters,</HI> and this would thou ju&s;tify we are one, again&s;t my ju&s;t an&s;wer, which denyed them in the fourth page of my fir&s;t where I &s;aid, between <HI>Quakers</HI> and <HI>Ranters</HI> there is no more union <HI>&amp;c.</HI> then betwixt light and darkne&s;&s;e, good &amp; evil, and that an&s;wer &s;tands untouched by thee, and is true, and in ju&s;tifying <HI>John Burtons</HI> wicked &s;lander, thou art more wicked in comparing the Principles, and &s;ai&s;t <HI>it will appeare they agree in one</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>But what a wicked cour&s;e ha&s;t thou taken to clear him, by adding thy own wickedne&s;&s;e, let all con&s;ider that reads, for doe not I de&s;ire in plainne&s;&s;e in my fir&s;t, in the&s;e words, if thou dare lay <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>viz.</HI> That the Quakers deny Chri&s;t to be a reall man: Second|ly, that they fancie him to be God manife&s;t in their fle&s;h; Thirdly, that they make his humane na|ture with the fulne&s;&s;e of the God|head, to be but a tipe of God: the&s;e things were charged up on us.</NOTE> the Charge only upon the <HI>Quakers,</HI> write in plaine&s;&s;e, and bring te&s;timony of thy accu&s;ation, and thou may receive a farther an&s;wer but not a word in plain an&s;wer, to this is returned, though &s;oberly de&s;ired, neither time nor place, nor witne&s;&s;es evidenced to clear your &s;elves, of your fir&s;t &s;landers, which had been more hone&s;t, then to have &s;lan|dered, afre&s;h pa&s;&s;ing over your fir&s;t, but it &s;eemes you can|not cleare your &s;elves in hone&s;ty, and &s;o fulfill your wicked|ne&s;&s;e by adding to your lyes and &s;landers, as thou impudently doth in thy comparing the principles of the <HI>Ranters</HI> with the <HI>Quakers.</HI></P>
<P>And to &s;ave thy brother from &s;hame &amp; guilt, thou art fallen thy &s;elf into the &s;nare, &amp; ju&s;tly may be judged, to exceed him in wickedne&s;&s;e; and thou &s;ai&s;t, (with &s;hame to thy &s;elfe, I re|peat it) that the <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">This is a lye;</NOTE> <HI>Quakers will not own Chri&s;t without them,</HI> but thou brings not te&s;timony of this a&s;&s;erion, til then, be thou reckoned, and &s;hall be plauged for a lyar, which will be for e|ver for we own him as he is a&s;cended far above all heavens who fills all things, yea and without us too, &s;o that in&s;tead of proving the fir&s;t fal&s;e accu&s;ation, thou adds another &s;lander and the <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">That the Ranters and Quakers deny all teaching but the teach|ing within; and yet con|demnes prin|ciple by pract|i&s;e.</NOTE> &s;econd thing wherein thou compares them, is un&s;ound for though we witne&s;&s;e, (yea thou&s;ands) yet we need no man to teach us, but as the anointing with in us, as the Saints did 1 <HI>John,</HI> yet we cry not down the mini&s;try of God, but ownes it, and cryes down &s;uch by whom people cannot come to the knowledge of the truth, though they be ever learning, who
<PB N="9" REF="7">
Preaches for hire and goes for gifts and rewards, and loves the wages of unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and this was the Apo&s;tles doctrin, as it was ours, and is no here&s;ie (though thou may &s;o judge it) &s;or we &s;ay by the &s;ame &s;pirit as the Apo&s;tles did, they that are of God heareth us who are in the truth, which is but one, and there is not another; and the Apo&s;tles which witne&s;&s;ed the Saints needed no man to teach them, did exhort them, and yet did not condemn principles by practice.</P>
<P>Then thou goes on, and &s;ayes <HI>The Ranters are not for bap|ti&s;me, and breaking of bread, and are not the Quakers the &s;ame?</HI> But what doth this prove, and thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>the Ranters are with|out &s;in, and how farre &s;hort of this opinion are the Quakers, and the Ranters would not own the re&s;urrection,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>And how &s;ay you, <HI>Doe you believe the very bodies &s;hall ri&s;e,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Friend this is farre &s;hort of proving the&s;e things up|on us, by querieing them to us, let the Reader con&s;ider: But it may be impudency hath not &s;o wholy eaten out hone&s;ty in thee, as that thou dare charge us wholy with the&s;e things, but would Intrude into us by thy Que&s;tions, as though the thing were &s;o indeed, but thou may be a&s;hamed of thy worke, is this &s;ufficient proofe of evill again&s;t us, to aske us whether it be &s;o? what ha&s;t thou proved in all this again&s;t us (if we were guilty) thinke&s;t thou we will accu&s;e our &s;elves, this is ab&s;urdity, and wickedne&s;&s;e in thee, fal&s;ly to charge us, and to bring no better evidence, but thy bare words; and as we deny the <HI>Ranters,</HI> &s;o doe we thee, and &s;ees you both to be enemies to the life of God: But thy la&s;t and cheife proofe (as thou thinke&s;t) that we are one is that <HI>the Ranters are &s;inners, and the Quakers are lyars,</HI> the fir&s;t I will not vindicate, but this la&s;t is di&s;pu|table, and thy proofe of it is fir&s;t thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>from what thou ha&s;t &s;aid already, to &s;ome pages of my fir&s;t booke, to which I have Re|plyed, and leaves it to the Reader,</HI> only doth &s;ay, thou ha&s;t not yet proved one lye again&s;t me in the &s;ight of God not men, thou art the lyar if thou &s;ay thou ha&s;t and hone&s;t men &s;hall be judge betwixt us: and thy &s;econd proofe is more to the di&s;co|vering of thy ignorance then yet hath been, and to clear thy &s;elfe from my <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">In my fir&s;t Booke.</NOTE> charge again&s;t thee <HI>(viz.)</HI> to be a wre&s;ter
<PB N="10" REF="8">
of the Scripture, which yet I &s;tand to, thou art fallen into grievious error; my fir&s;t charge is true upon thee, that thou perverted or wre&s;ted that Scripture; <HI>Rev.</HI> 13. 18. in &s;aying the Lamb was &s;lain <HI>before</HI> the foundation of the World; for that Scripture &s;aith <HI>&s;ince,</HI> or from the foundation of the world, ha&s;t thou no more &s;ence, art thou and all thy company &s;o ignorant that you know not betwixt before and &s;ince a time, how are you blinded, and yet per&s;i&s;ts in your wickedne&s;&s;e, and will not be reproved, therefore this is a double iniquity in thee, to thy &s;hame remember it, for I have &s;aid true, though thou under|&s;tand it not <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">in my fir&s;t booke I &s;aid,</NOTE> there is as much difference, betwixt <HI>before,</HI> and <HI>&s;ince</HI> in that thing, as betwixt a lye and truth, for to &s;ay the blood was &s;hed before the foundation of the world, as thou do&s;t is a very lye but to &s;ay it was &s;hed <HI>&s;ince</HI> or <HI>from,</HI> is truth, and that Scripture is truth, <HI>Rev.</HI> 13.</P>
<P>And thou art the lyar, &amp; wre&s;ter of it &amp; I have not wronged thee in my fir&s;t, though thou impudently and ignorantly would clear thy &s;elfe, and lay iniquity upon me, but further to clear thy &s;elfe thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>thou &s;aid, in Gods account it was &s;hed, before the world was:</HI> and this is little le&s;&s;e then bla&s;phemy, what, is God a hypocrite like thy &s;elfe? to account that for truth, which is a lye as I have proved, O horrid error and perfect blindne&s;&s;e! but this wil not cover thee, nor thy &s;hame, from the eye of men, where is thy proofe for &s;uch a doctrine, that God accounts that which is a lye for truth? largely is manife&s;t thy folly; Repent if thy heart be not void of &s;hame, for what thou ha&s;t &s;poken herein; and let the Reader under&s;tand this diffe|rence, thou &s;ai&s;t the blood of Chri&s;t, was &s;hed before the foun|dation of the world, according to that Scripture, <HI>Rev.</HI> 13. I &s;ay thou perverts the Scripture, and lye&s;t gro&s;ly in the maine thing it &s;elfe, and &s;aith it is <NOTE PLACE="marg">Read the Scriptutes mark the &s;ence. <HI>betwixt before.</HI> and <HI>from.</HI></NOTE> <HI>&s;ince,</HI> or <HI>from</HI> the foundation of the world; let the hone&s;t judge, and now it is &s;een, the lye re&s;ts upon thy own head; who wre&s;ts the Scripture; and belyes the Lord, and me, and goes on in thy wickedne&s;&s;e after re|proofe, and take thou the <HI>Ranters,</HI> they are thy companinons, in lying and &s;inning, and not ours.</P>
<P>And further thou art offended that I &s;hould &s;ay, and would faine reckon it for a lye, that all thy worke is a &s;ecret &s;miting, and an ob&s;cure &s;hooting again&s;t the manife&s;tation of Chri&s;t
<PB N="11" REF="8">
within, which words I own to be truth concerning the&s;e, and am not a&s;hamed of them, though thou &s;ay, I &s;ay fal&s;ly, and when the booke of thy con&s;cience is opened, thou &s;halt con|fe&s;&s;e it, only I leave <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>viz</HI> that which you &s;aid; <HI>there was nothing in any man to be taken notice of;</HI> this is a denying of him with|in.</NOTE> this to be con&s;idered&s;eriou&s;ly and judged by them who are &s;pirituall, and they &s;hall be my witne&s;&s;es, and the lye is of thee and thy father, who&s;e wickedne&s;&s;e is &s;ufficiently &s;een by what is &s;aid, if I &s;hould &s;ay no more; again thou &s;ai&s;t it is an untruth of thee, to &s;ay thou art one of tho&s;e that doe preach for hire, through covetuou&s;ne&s;&s;e making mer|chandize of &s;oules, my words are not &s;o laid down, thou ha&s;t re&s;ted them for thy purpo&s;e, though it availes nothing: but I &s;aid thou art in their &s;teps, that through covetuou&s;ne&s;&s;e with fained words, makes merchandize of &s;oules and thou art found among them that preaches for hier, and I have &s;poken the truth herein, let the light in all con&s;ciences judge, who are not &s;eared in many things, I might in&s;tance that thou art in <HI>their &s;teps, and among them</HI> that act &s;uch things as further may be proved, and the wi&s;edome of God &s;o fore &s;aw, to keep me clear and my words to be defended, though I expected no le&s;&s;e from thee, as to this thing, then is come to pa&s;&s;e, but the lye is of thy &s;elfe, who would deny the <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">the truth is he is in their &s;teps, and among them;</NOTE> truth; the next thing that thou wilt charge upon me to be a lye, I pa&s;&s;e, here the Reader may expect it in its place, and though thou &s;ay the <HI>Ranters and I and my fellowes are of the &s;ame mind in many things</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>To which I <HI>Reply,</HI> Their practices I deny, and the ground in which they &s;tand and their fal&s;e doctrines yet dare we not deny any truth as it is in Chri&s;t; though they, as thou may profe&s;&s;e it in words, which is &s;eldome they doe, for we have re&s;pect unto the truth, for the truths &s;ake only, but how un|charitable art thou in thy mea&s;ure and judgement: Con&s;ider, as if he &s;hould &s;ay, <HI>J. Bunion</HI> is of the &s;ame mind with the Pope in many things; the Pope holds Chri&s;t was born of <HI>Mary,</HI> and was crucified and rai&s;ed again, and a&s;cended, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And this holds <HI>John Bunion,</HI> and is of the &s;ame minde with the Pope in many things; and therefore mu&s;t partake of the &s;ame plagues with the Pope as thou &s;aid of us, though thou ha&s;t by unequall mea|&s;ure thus judged us, yet I render not evil for evil, but in love to thy &s;oule, &s;hewes thee thy folly and weakne&s;&s;e.</P>
<P><PB N="12" REF="9">
Then thou goes on having pa&s;&s;ed by the two <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg"><HI>viz.</HI> that the Quaker<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"> undervalues the Lord Je|&s;us, and doth not lay him for their <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">oundation.</NOTE> &s;landers ca&s;t upan us, by <HI>John Burton,</HI> in your fir&s;t booke which I charged you withall in mine to which not one word as to evidence your &s;landers but hath &s;lipped it over as a foule guilty man, which charge &s;tands upon you both; that you are &s;landerers herein, and my fir&s;t an&s;wer I am not a&s;hamed of, though you &s;narle much about it, and would taint it or undermine it: but thy &s;ubtilty is to weake, truth confounds thee and thy &s;impli|citie, which is that we pri&s;e the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, God man to be precious unto us, and hath owned him alone to be the foundation whom God hath lyed, and in his light we are &s;a|ved, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>As I &s;aid in Page 7. again&s;t which words thou can&s;t not ju&s;t|ly except, nor yet prove the contrary and yet as a man that loves to heare thy owne tongue, thou layes down many things impertinent as to the cau&s;e in hand.</P>
<P>But it had been more hone&s;t to have helped thy brother <HI>Burton,</HI> from under my true charge and cleared the truth if thou had been able, but thou ha&s;t left him in the dirt under the charge of a &s;landerer; and art unfaithfull to him, and goes a|bout to inquire what it is (as thou &s;ai&s;t) to lay Chri&s;t for a foundation; thou confe&s;&s;es <HI>what I have &s;aid is fairly &s;poken,</HI> and yet thy envious minde and unbelieving heart &s;eemes to be offended at my words, and to them that can believe I &s;peake plainly, and doth not bege thy beliefe, nor any maes, but com|mends my &s;elfe to every mans con&s;cience in the fight of God, and knowes no other Je&s;us, nor Saviour, nor Foundation, then he that <HI>John</HI> was &s;ent to prepare the way before, who was, and is, and is to come; who &s;aid I am the light of the World, and now my words are defended to be truth in the fight of them that are &s;pirituall; and thou and &s;uch may heare&punc; but mu&s;t not under&s;tand, who have hardened your hearts lea&s;t you &s;hould believe, and therefare is given up to gain&s;ayings, till the wrath of God breake out again&s;t you; and let <HI>John Burton</HI> remem|ber my words, where I &s;aid he is fallen into the pit which he digged for another, and he undervalues the Lord Je&s;us&punc; who&s;e doctrine is to &s;peake truth, but he hath lyed and &s;landered and &s;o is out of Chri&s;t the foundation, and undervalues him,
<PB N="13" REF="9">
who keepes not his &s;ayings, but is a worker in darkne&s;&s;e, and not in the light: And as to that where I &s;ay, thus much is the mind of the penmans &s;pirit, (of the fir&s;t Epi&s;tle of the fir&s;t Booke) &s;ecretly &s;miting at the doctrine of true faith and &s;al|vation (to wit) Chri&s;t within, I have &s;aid the truth in righ|teou&s;ne&s;&s;e, and doe own my words though <HI>thou &s;ay I have done him a great deale of wrong,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>But I leave it to be judged by them that are &s;pirituall, and not unto thee, to give fal&s;e meaning of my words, and doth not he &s;ay in that Epi&s;tle of &s;ome <HI>that have been depending too much upon &s;ome thing they call Chri&s;t, and the rigteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t within them,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Let the wi&s;e in heart judge, whether this be not as I have &s;aid, even a &s;ecret &s;miting again&s;t Chri&s;t within, without which as I have &s;aid, there can be no &s;alvation, for he that hath not Chri&s;t in him, is a reprobate, and this I &s;peake, not in oppo&s;i|tion, but as a te&s;timony of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, that dyed, and ro&s;e againe, and a&s;cended, who is within, and without al&s;o, and if any preach another Je&s;us, let him be accur&s;ed, and repent, who art in the wrong doing thy &s;elfe, fal&s;ly charging me; no|ting in the Margent, with <HI>&s;peaking fal&s;ly,</HI> when I &s;pake the truth, and the fal&s;e &s;peaking re&s;ts at thy doore, and is driven thither with the power of truth.</P>
<P>Then whereas thou would ju&s;tify thy former wickedne&s;&s;e, in charging the <HI>Quakers</HI> to be decievers, again&s;t my ju&s;t an|&s;wer <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">The chil|dren of God were ever counted de|ceivers by this generation, but the way which he cal|led delu&s;ion doe we wor|&s;hip, the true God, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></NOTE> in page 8. of mine; which &s;tands free from any of thy vaine arguments, and uncontroled though re&s;i&s;ted, but it ap|peares my words &s;ticks clo&s;e unto thee; and torments thee, and that we are deceivers thou &s;ai&s;t it will ea&s;ily appeare with much impudence confidence, thy arguments we &s;hall try.</P>
<P>And (&s;ai&s;t thou) Fir&s;t, the <HI>Quakers</HI> deny the man Chri&s;t Je&s;us without them, and own Chri&s;t no other wayes but as he is within, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> How impudent art thou in forging lye after lye, and building them up in thy worke one upon another, and a wick|ed cour&s;e thou takes to clear thy former &s;landers, truly char|ged upon thee in my fir&s;t, even by laying another upon it.</P>
<P><PB N="14" REF="10">
Friend, By this thy deceitfull flander, while thou ha&s;t thought to prove us deceivers, hath proved thy &s;elfe one, even a fal&s;e accu&s;er, may&s;t thou not blu&s;h to &s;ay we own Chri&s;t no otherwayes, then as he is within? we own him which was, is, and is to come, who is within us, and without us, as I have &s;aid in my fir&s;t, we own him as the Scripture &s;peakes of him, and it is known to the Lord, and in his &s;ight we are approved, whether thou be ieve it or not; for I begg not beleife of thee, but leaves thy double &s;landers to be read, and judged of, by all hone&s;t people, and in the interim, know it is a bad way to prove us deceivers by thy lyes, this the rather is a witne&s;&s;e to us that we are of God, and again&s;t thee, to be of the Devil, who was a lyar from the beginning, and thou his Child &s;ucceeds him; in lying.</P>
<P>Thy &s;econd proofe is, That we are deceivers, becau&s;e (&s;aith thou) <HI>We doe per&s;wade &s;oules that Chri&s;t is crucified in them, dead within them, kept down with &s;omething within them, which was never taught by them that &s;poke the Scriptures,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> The&s;e words are fal&s;ly laid downe, but what thinke&s;t thou of &s;uch who might crucifie to them&s;elves <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Or in them|&s;elves.</NOTE> a fre&s;h the Son of God, and put him to open &s;hame, as it is written, this they could not doe, above Starrs, they being men upon the earth, and Chri&s;t was &s;ent to preach to the &s;pirits in Pri&s;on, he that can read let him under&s;tand this doctrine was preached by them that &s;poke forth the Scriptures, who had the &s;pirit of God, but in b<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">indne&s;&s;e I finde thee, and I think &s;o I mu&s;t leave thee: and doth not feed the Serpent, yet my words are plain to him that hath an under&s;tanding, and an eare open, and de|ceiver belongs to thee, and at thy doore it lyes, and thou can|not remove it.</P>
<P>Farther (thou &s;ai&s;t) <HI>We per&s;wade &s;oules that that man that was borne of the Virgin</HI> Mary, <HI>is not above the clouds, and the Starres, when as the Scripture &s;aith a cloud received him out of their &s;ight.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> This is another lye, uttered without fear or know|ledge, or hone&s;ty, we doe not per&s;wade &s;oules to believe any &s;uch thing, but beares witne&s;&s;e to the truth of that Scripture, that a cloud received him out of their &s;ight, and we &s;ay he is out of their &s;ight and mu&s;t appeare
<PB N="15" REF="10">
againe in &s;ight, and this is a wicked way of thee, to prove us de|ceivers, by &s;landering us, adding more to thy own &s;in, and the more will be thy burthen, in the day of the Lord when plagues and torment is thy portion, from which thou &s;halt not flye, though now thou be above &s;hame.</P>
<P>Farther, (&s;ai&s;t thou) <HI>We per&s;wade &s;oules not to believe that, that man that was crucified, and ro&s;e again,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Shall &s;o come again to judgement, as he went away, and &s;hall rai&s;e up men and women out of their graves, and cau&s;e them to come into the valley of</HI> Jeho&s;haphat, <HI>thou &s;ai&s;t we &s;trive to beate &s;oules off from be|lieving this,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> O how &s;wiftly thy lying tongue runs without feare, as though neither God nor man took notice of thee, or that e|ver thou &s;hould be called to que&s;tion for them, many lyes to|gether thou ha&s;t here foulded up in one, thy lyes I deny, and this to be one; ha&s;t thou &s;et thy &s;elfe to tell lyes O abomi|nable wickedne&s;&s;e mai&s;t thou not tremble? when thou con&s;iders what thou fal&s;ly &s;ai&s;t of us contrary to my words, who &s;aid in the truth of my heart, we own him to be what the Scripture &s;peaks of him and not otherwi&s;e? it &s;eemes thou cannot believe when I &s;peake truth; I number up thy lyes and returnes them backe to thee to read, and by all this; is it not true, that thou art of the &s;ame &s;pirit with thy fellow, and abounds more in lyes, as I &s;aid in my fir&s;t, his was but about 3, thine manyfold more, but thy lyes is no te&s;timony again&s;t us, that we are de|ceivers, but they &s;hall lay heavy upon thee at one day, when we &s;hall be cleare, for in the affirmive.</P>
<P>I further &s;ay that, that Chri&s;t Je&s;us that was crucified, and ro&s;e again, &s;hall come as he went away to judgement, and the dead &s;hall be rai&s;ed, and every man &s;hall receive according to their deeds, and he &s;hall &s;et to judge the Heathen round about, according to <HI>Joel</HI> 3. and thy portion in that day &s;hall be how|ling and gna&s;hing of teeth, for the lyars Portion is the lake.</P>
<P>Thou &s;ai&s;t again the <HI>Quakers make no difference between that light, wherewith Chri&s;t as he is God hath enlightned all, and the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t he gives not to all.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> I put thee to prove that they are contrary or devided
<PB N="16" REF="11">
one again&s;t the other, for thus Chri&s;t &s;aith, I will &s;end you the comforter even the &s;pirit of truth, which mu&s;t needs be the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t and he &s;hall reprove or convince the world of &s;in, and of righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e; now mark that &s;ame &s;pirit of the Father and of the Son, who is the comforter of the Saints is the &s;ame, and not another that doth reprove the world, he that can read let him under&s;tand the world cannot receive the com|forter yet have they given to them that which doth reprove them; which is with the light of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, of the &s;ame, and not contrary nor divided; if thou ha&s;t an ear, thou may heare, the error is in thy &s;elfe who art without under&s;tanding.</P>
<P>Further thou &s;ai&s;t, They &s;ay that every one hath that which is like the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, even as God, as the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, which thou &s;ai&s;t is de&s;perate bla&s;phemy, and cryes out with an out-cry, <HI>O wonderfull deceit!</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> I would have all to take notice, that thou ha&s;t wronged my words, in wre&s;ting of them for thy wicked pur|po&s;e, to have a ground of &s;lander, there is no &s;uch words in the tenth Page of my book, which thou quoate&s;t, but in one place, I &s;ay, till thou prove the light of Chri&s;t <HI>John</HI> 1. 9. (which thou confe&s;&s;es every man hath) to be contrary to the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, (Mark) I &s;hall &s;ay every man hath that which is one in union, and like the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, even as good as the &s;pi|rit of Chri&s;t, according to its mea&s;ure; the&s;e words I mu&s;t own.</P>
<P>But let the &s;ober Reader take notice how fouly thou ha&s;t wronged my words <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Till he could prove the light, <HI>Jo.</HI> 1. 9. to be contra|ry to the Spirit of Chri&s;t, when he prayes his I may &s;hut my mouth.</NOTE> leaving out the &s;trength of them, to take occa&s;ion of &s;lander, when thou had proved the light of Chri&s;t (which in <HI>John</HI> 1. 9. is &s;poken of) to be contrary to the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, then had been a better &s;ea&s;on, for this charge again&s;t me:</P>
<P>O thou impudent and &s;hamele&s;&s;e man! &s;o unju&s;tly to deal again&s;t the upright, who envies thee not but pitties thee there|fore when thou or any man can prove the light of Chri&s;t &s;po|ken of <HI>John</HI> 1. 9. and <HI>John</HI> 8. 12. to be contrary to the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, then I may own the judgement and charge upon me, but till then thou art proved a lyar; for the light of Chri&s;t &s;poken of <HI>John</HI> 1. 9. that light is one in union, and not contrary, and is of the like|ne&s;&s;e
<PB N="17" REF="11">
of the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, and as <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">The wit|ne&s;&s;e is as good as the Judge; in mea&s;ure.</NOTE> good in its mea&s;ure, and the&s;e words I &s;tand to, to vindicate again&s;t all thy lyes, and wre&s;ting of words and out-cryes, who is an unfit fellow to judge what bla&s;phemy is, who is &s;o blind that thou knowe&s;t not the difference of words, betwixt, <HI>before,</HI> and <HI>from,</HI> as I have &s;hewed:</P>
<P>Repent, If &s;o be thou may find mercy.</P>
<P>Then further thou &s;ai&s;t <HI>to cover my &s;elfe and deceit, I doe ap|ply, that which &s;hould be to the children of God,</HI> &amp;c. And yet cannot reprehend my an&s;wer, which is ju&s;t and &s;aithfull, that the Children of God were alwayes counted deceivers, and this is true, as thy &s;elfe confe&s;&s;es but wickedly &s;aith in thy an&s;wer, and mo&s;t lyingly too, and bla&s;phemy is fallen out of thy mouth, <HI>The Devil knowes how to take Childrens bread, and ca&s;t it to doggs.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Now let all con&s;ider what thou ha&s;t &s;aid, Chri&s;t Je|&s;us is the bread of life that came downe from Heaven, the childrens bread, and they have no other, Now the Devil can|not take Chri&s;t Je&s;us who only is the childrens bread, and give him to doggs, O horrid! can&s;t thou behold this, and not be &s;mitten to the heart, what wickedne&s;&s;e and ignor ance lodges in that heart that can utter tho&s;e things; Though thou think, thou ha&s;t done bravely in thus &s;aying, yet the wi&s;edome of God turnes thy words upon thy own head into confu&s;ion and grievious error, I deny it though thou affirme it, that the Devil can take, or knowes how to take Chri&s;t Je&s;us and give him to doggs.</P>
<P>Further thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>I am grieved, that thou &s;houlde&s;t &s;ay none but a company of Notioni&s;t and Ranters,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>are carried with the Quakers,</HI> &amp;c. and &s;ai&s;t thou, <HI>this appears in all mens &s;ight,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Thou art a lyar, I am not greived at thy flanders and wicked reproaches, But rather rejoyces therein, that I am one worthy to beare them, and all men that can &s;ee, &s;ees thee a fal&s;e accu&s;er herein, for &s;uch who have feared the Lord, and &s;erved him, and are, and have been hone&s;t and upright to God and man, have owned us, and have been neither <HI>Ranters</HI> nor &s;uch like; and we rejoyce, if any that hath been &s;o, be turned from it unto God, to live in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e though thou note
<PB N="18" REF="12">
it for a fal&s;e thing in the margent. (But to make it appear fal&s;e thou ha&s;t corrupted my words) which are though &s;ome of all &s;orts of people be brought to God, yet thou <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">The words <HI>&s;eems to be</HI> are left out, by him which carrie the &s;trength of my words.</NOTE> <HI>&s;eems</HI> to be of|fended herewith, and the&s;e my words are true upon thy head, for I aske not with&s;tanding &s;ome were &s;uch, are they &s;uch who are in wickedne&s;&s;e, &s;ince they owned us? then why do&s;t thou wickedly (as though thou wert offended at it) upraides us, that &s;uch, or &s;uch are carried away with us, as though none el&s;e which is thy lye uttered in thy ha&s;tine&s;&s;e.</P>
<P>And whereas thou art offended, (thou &s;ai&s;t) that I &s;hould &s;ay thou art like the Phari&s;ees, whether I &s;pake &s;o or no, how ever I own that thou art like them (at lea&s;t) even one among them.</P>
<P>As further I &s;hall manife&s;t, then thou ha&s;t over-leapt (with a fal&s;e excu&s;e of pa&s;&s;ing by many railings as thou &s;ai&s;t) which it &s;eemes troubles thee that I &s;hould truly <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">In my fir&s;t booke.</NOTE> charge thee to bring forth lyes without feare, and that the <HI>Ranters</HI> and light Notioni&s;ts, and thee we deny, till you to turne to the Lord by repentance, and if you turne from your iniquity we dare not deny you.</P>
<P>And further I truly charge thee, that thou art puft up in thy lyes and &s;landers, and advanceth thy &s;elfe above the Innocent, who exceeds thee in faith towards God, and in good workes towards man, and who&s;e conver&s;ation is in heaven, but thine is among the hirelings, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And this thou ha&s;t skipped over, as a deceitfull child, with a poore excu&s;e, which thou may be a&s;hamed to call the&s;e railings, but that thy heart is void of &s;hame, let the &s;ober Reader judge el&s;e, then thou &s;ai&s;t I &s;tum|ble at that, wherein in thy fir&s;t thou &s;aid the Devil per&s;wades the&s;e men to believe,</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, That &s;alvation was not compleatly wrought out for &s;inners by the man Chri&s;t Je&s;us, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Here thou art a lyar again, I &s;tumble not, for I walk in the light and doth not &s;tumble, but I reproved thy lye, and &s;lander, and &s;aid this accu&s;ation is clearly fal&s;e wickedly ca&s;t upon us, for there is no &s;alvation in any other, neither is it wrought by any other, but by Je&s;us Chri&s;t, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> As page the 9 of my fir&s;t may be read, but thou ha&s;t not at all removed,
<PB N="19" REF="12">
the true charge again&s;t thee, that I charged upon thee, upon the&s;e words <HI>(viz.)</HI> a believer of lyes, a &s;landerer, a fal&s;e accu|&s;er, which &s;tands true upon thee &s;till, and will for ever till thou remove it by repentance, for thou can&s;t never clear thy &s;elfe a|ny other wayes, and thou &s;ai&s;t I have left &s;ome words out, but this is but a poore catch, for doe I not make an <HI>Et caettera</HI> at the end of thy words, and if thou wert not too ignorant, thou mighte&s;t under&s;tand that which followes is included and con|joyned.</P>
<P>Then thou goe&s;t on, and &s;ai&s;t I am offended that thou &s;hould &s;ay the Devil deceives &s;oules by bidding them follow the light that they brought into the world with them, telling them that will lead into the Kingdome <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Now my an&s;wer to this is &s;ober, and ju&s;t <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Page 10. of my fir&s;t.</NOTE> as will appeare, though thou &s;ay vainly, <HI>I &s;eem to be gravelled,</HI> becau&s;e I in|formed thy mi&s;take, who &s;aid pervertingly either in &s;ubtilty or for want of wit, the light which they brought into the world with them; when as the Scripture &s;aith, Chri&s;t is the light which lighteth every man that comes into the world, <HI>Joh.</HI> 1. 9. which light as I did I doe affirme, will lead into the Kingdome of peace and re&s;t, and deny it if thou can&s;t, for the light of Chri&s;t, doth reveale Chri&s;t, and the light lighteth every man that cometh into the world, then thou heapes up many words though thou fal&s;ly &s;ay, I corrupt that Scripture <HI>Ja.</HI> 8. yet I lay it down in its own words, and &s;aith, that is or was the true light, that lights every man that comes into the world, and that light (which hath &s;o done) will lead all that believes in|to the Kingdome, for Chri&s;t &s;aith I am the light of the world, and though thou ignorantly would &s;eem to &s;ay this is error, yet I affirme it that h<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">, the &s;ame which &s;aith I am the light of the world, is he, and no other, which lighteth every man that comes into the world and this I &s;uppo&s;e thou wilt call a filthy error, but the filthine&s;&s;e is in thy owne heart and error too, through ignorance of the knowledge of the things of God, who would faine (if thou could) make it appear, that that Chri&s;t which lighteth every man that comes into the world, <HI>John</HI> 1. 9. is not the &s;ame that &s;aith I am the light of the world, <HI>John</HI> 8. 12. Thy confu&s;ed words &s;eems to carry this meaning,
<PB N="20" REF="13">
let the Reader judge, whether that be not the &s;ame Chri&s;t Je|&s;us, which <HI>John</HI> &s;peaks of; <HI>Jobn</HI> 1. 9 as it is written of <HI>John</HI> 8. 12. and though thou ignorantly &s;ay I would have roome to broach my folly, yet thou lets out of thy ve&s;&s;el in&s;ides of leaves, of lyes &s;landers and folly and thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>when he &s;aid I am the light of the world, he was without he did not meane any light within, and thou pre&s;umptuou&s;ly bids me deny this if I can,</HI> to which I &s;ay, the &s;ame Chri&s;t, which &s;aid I am the light of the world, was he which was before <HI>Abraham,</HI> who was a light to the Gentiles, and lighteth every man in the world; yea, he was and is given to be a light, where his per&s;on (which was &s;uppo&s;ed the &s;on of <HI>Jo&s;eph)</HI> never came, and doe thou deny this if thou can that all men may &s;ee thy folly, for there is not many Chri&s;ts, but one Chri&s;t, which is not only within but without, not only without, but within, but is all and in all, let him that reads under&s;tand.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>the light wherewith Chri&s;t, as he is God, lighted every one, is the &s;oule of man, which is the life of the body, and is a creature and hath one faculty of its owne Nature called con&s;cience.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Now lets try this doctrine and con&s;ider what thou ha&s;t &s;aid, it amounts to thus much that con&s;cience is of the na|ture of the &s;oule of man&punc; and the &s;oule is the light of Chri&s;t, as God.</P>
<P>Therefore thou ha&s;t &s;aid the con&s;cience is the light of God which mu&s;t needs be without &s;in, this is more then I have or dare &s;ay, I might here fitly ask thee, if thou knowe what the word con&s;cience &s;ignifies, in true under&s;tanding, and yet though thou ha&s;t uttered this that con&s;cience is a faculty of the &s;oule, which thou &s;ai&s;t is the light of Chri&s;t as God, which light of God mu&s;t needs be of the nature of God pure and not impure, yet in the next page thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>Con&s;cience is a poore dunghill, creature in compari&s;on of the &s;pirit,</HI> &amp;c. and in another page <HI>calls con&s;cience poore, &s;oe empty beggerly things,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>What now <HI>John Bunion;</HI> is that which thou ha&s;t concluded to be the light of God, but a dunghill creature and loe, and empty and beggerly in compari&s;on <HI>&amp;c.</HI> For &s;hame cea&s;e &s;uch Divinity, lea&s;t all thy fellowes reproove thee; O how doth thy ignorant zeale lead thee into &s;nares and trape thy owne feet
<PB N="21" REF="13">
Con&s;cience which thou &s;ai&s;t is the light of God, is Nature it &s;elfe&punc; then it mu&s;t needs be that every mans nature (which is &s;infull &s;ay I) is the light of God, O what horrible doctrine this proves in its explanation!</P>
<P>Blu&s;h, and be a&s;hamed when thou con&s;iders; then thou cryes out in reproofe; O wonderfull &s;ayes thou, <HI>That men &s;hould make a God and Chri&s;t of their con&s;ciences!</HI> I know none that doth it, nor that ever &s;poke &s;o highly of con&s;cience, as thou ha&s;t here done, yet we &s;ay our con&s;ciences beares us wit|ne&s;&s;e in the holy Gho&s;t, and this is our rejoycing, the te&s;timo|ny of our con&s;ciences; and if our con&s;ciences condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God, and yet makes not God and Chri&s;t of our con&s;cience, as thou &s;ecretly would charge us withall; then thou goes on and would &s;eeme to prove but cannot, that &s;omething be&s;ides the light of Chri&s;t con|vinceth of &s;in, but thy reach is too &s;hort, though thou wind a|broad, and lets thy thoughts into the pit of thy owne rea&s;on, to bring up a thing to confound truth, but cannot; for this is thy proofe, where they were all convinced by their owne con|&s;ciences <HI>Jo.</HI> 8. Now all the&s;e I &s;ay were men come into the world, and therefore according to <HI>Jo.</HI> 1. 9. were lighted with the light of Chri&s;t, and thou ha&s;t confe&s;&s;ed that con&s;cience is the light of Chri&s;t as God; which is no le&s;&s;e then I have affir|med, then wherefore ha&s;t thou waded &s;o farr, when at the end thou art forced to confe&s;&s;e my po&s;ition, thy words being ex|plained, that it is the light of Chri&s;t that doth convince of &s;in, and can find no other thing be&s;ides that, then thou &s;ai&s;t, here is &s;omething be&s;ides the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t that doth convince of &s;in <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>But yet I &s;ay, nothing be&s;ides the light of Chri&s;t, as thou ha&s;t confe&s;&s;ed, and that was that only which I affirmed in the 10 page of mine&punc; about which thou ha&s;t made all this &s;tir and to no purpo&s;e, (as to prove any thing convinceth of &s;in but the light of Chri&s;t) and in that I &s;aid he that convinceth of &s;in a|gain&s;t the law leads up into the fulfilling of the law, which &s;till I own, though the world would contradict it but cannot, and I clearly &s;ee thou ha&s;t not reached the under&s;tanding of my words, But an&s;were<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="blotted" EXTENT="1 letter">hy owne conceiving and not my
<PB N="22" REF="14">
words, for I doe not &s;ay or thinke that righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e comes by the law, yet that is righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, which condemneth that which breaks the law, if thou ha&s;t an eare thou may heare, and as I &s;aid it is the word of truth, the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of the law mu&s;t needs be fulfilled in judgement, upon you all, and by Chri&s;t Je&s;us in you, if ever you receive the &s;alvation to your &s;oules, and thou ha&s;t not yet learned what I mean, and though thou &s;ay that for ju&s;tification, thou lookes beyond the law to the &s;onne of <HI>Mary;</HI> but I &s;ay thou mu&s;t not look beyond it for condemnation; who are in tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, and not recon|ciled to God, through condemnation in the fle&s;h, for it will reach you to condemnation, and thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>Thou under&s;tands that I doe in all my di&s;oour&s;e di&s;owne Chri&s;t without, by preten|ding to a Christ within,</HI> To which I &s;ay thy under&s;tanding deceives thee, who, it may be feared, blinds thy owne eyes; that thy con&s;cience may not condemn thee for &s;landering, but while I am approved in the &s;ight of God, of tho&s;e things whereof thou accu&s;es me fal&s;ly, and wickedly, I matter no|thing what a lyers judgement is of mee, my an&s;wer to thy 6 <HI>Query</HI> &s;hall prove me clear, and thee a lyer herein, that we own Gods Chri&s;t as the Scripture deelares of him as I have &s;aid, and the darkne&s;&s;e of my words is to blinde the eye of &s;ubtilty, and not to deceive the hearts of the &s;imple, (though thou would &s;ay it) &s;ee if thou now can tell what I &s;ay.</P>
<P>And whereas thou art offended that I &s;ay many more things in thy Booke I pa&s;&s;e by, as being not pertinent to the thing in hand, my words are true, for the thing in hand was proving us decievers, and that was the mo&s;t of that I medled withall, or <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">urpo&s;ed to oppo&s;e; and to other things that thou &s;peake&s;t of in &s;hort, my an&s;wer was, and is the words (or &s;ome of them) I own, and thy voice I deny without any bla&s;phe|ming or error, in the view of all the world <HI>(though thou would &s;ay it)</HI> for what&s;oever a lying &s;pirit &s;peaks, I deny it to be the voice of Chri&s;t, though it may be &s;ome of his words and thy &s;pirit is a lying I pirt; &amp; though thou be offended that I &s;hould &s;ay fooles loves to be medling; yet its true enough, is not he a &s;oole who is alyer and a &s;landerer, <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="2 letters">at under&s;tands not be|twixt
<PB N="23" REF="14">
before a time, and &s;ince a time, judged in thy own con|&s;cience, and thy faire words, as that it mu&s;t needs be (&s;ai&s;t thou) <HI>That the Saints of God mu&s;t be called foolos,</HI> &amp;c. I &s;ay neved pre&s;ume the name of Saint, but clear thy &s;elfe of thy lyes and &s;landers, and perverting Scriptures, and learne the Fir&s;t principle of Religion, Even that which Condemns thee.</P>
<P>And as to that which I &s;ay is true, that the Pope can &s;peake as much of Chri&s;t without as thou, I own it, and may add; I beleeve he can &s;peake more then thou of Chri&s;t without, and with as good or better under&s;tanding; though both a like &s;ar from the Kingdom of God; yet in thy an&s;wer, thou askes me <HI>if I put no difference betwixt the &s;peaking of; and beleeving in Chri&s;t without;</HI> Yea, I doe a great deale for he that beleeves in in him hath the witne&s;&s;e in him&s;elfe of him, and his heart is purifyed, and he is a new creature, which thou art not, but thou I &s;uppo&s;e would be reckoned a Believer, for I think the Pope hath both more words, and more good workes and makes as much con&s;cience of lying and fal&s;e accu&s;ing as thou, for ought as may be under&s;tood, of a tree by the fruites, which is our way to judge as Chri&s;t hath given us example; then in that I &s;aid thou ha&s;t an&s;wered thy &s;elfe a que&s;tion de|ceitfull, thou art offended, and boa&s;ts thy &s;elfe again&s;t me, Charging me <HI>to be an enemy to the truth, and the like,</HI> in that I did not manife&s;t thy deceit; but now I &s;hall, therefore to &s;top thy proud boa&s;ts in that an&s;wer thou calls it a &s;ad doctrin <HI>which &s;aith, follow the light which Chri&s;t hath enligh ned every man withall,</HI> and other &s;uch like things following that que&s;ti|on which are deceitfull, and wicked, and thou thereby is pro|ved the enemy to truth thy &s;elfe, and thou and thy words are both deceitfull and therefore boa&s;t not thy &s;elf: then thou an|&s;wers my Que&s;tion which was, doth not the Scripture wit|ne&s;&s;e that all who have not Chri&s;t within are Reprobates; the Que&s;tion is &s;ound, and of worth to be noted, and in thy an|&s;were thou &s;ayes, <HI>yes it is true,</HI> to which I &s;oberly <HI>Reply,</HI> then what a condition are all in, that hath not Chri&s;t within, nor no knowledge of him, but what they have of him as he is without, by the letter without doe thou con&s;ider this; and
<PB N="24" REF="15">
whether it be not of the cheife&s;t prize to life and &s;alvation, to waite for him, and &s;eeke for him within, &s;eeing all that have not him within are Reprobates.</P>
<P>But farther thou would &s;eeme to manife&s;t a great deale of folly in me when all the folly lyes in thy own bo&s;ome, and by thy confu&s;ed words, I under&s;tand, thou grounds thy an&s;were upon a lye, and fal&s;e under&s;tanding, and therefore brings thy fal&s;e reproofe, as if I &s;hould hold forth that every man hath received Chri&s;t or the Spirit of Chri&s;t in him.</P>
<P>This I have never &s;aid, but that every man hath the light of Chri&s;t given him which I &s;ay is one in union, with the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t; and I &s;ay Chri&s;t is given to all, but all re|ceives him not and I &s;ee thou under&s;tands not my former words that I write in an&s;wer to one of thy Queries thou can|not di&s;tingui&s;h betwixt a thing being given of God, &amp; a thing being received by man, &s;o that the folly is fallen back, on thee take it who under&s;tands not my words but oppo&s;es thy own conceivings and fal&s;e under&s;tanding and though I might more truly apply this word <HI>folly</HI> in that extent, then thou applyed the like word to thy &s;elfe in this &s;ame page, yet I leave it to the judgement of the &s;erious Reader, and &s;ayes thy folly is want of wit in the World, and not for Chri&s;ts &s;ake, then thou would defend thy fir&s;t wickedne&s;&s;e, in that thou &s;aid the De|vill deceives &s;oules by per&s;wading them to follow the light within, which all men have, but my an&s;wer to it thou ha&s;t not reached, in that I &s;ayd, he that comes to life eternall mu&s;t fol|low the light within which Chri&s;t hath given, which &s;tands o|ver thy head for ever to be truth, but yet how blind art thou in confe&s;&s;ing the light within, even con&s;cience is the light of Chri&s;t as God, and it &s;ayeth the Devil deceives &s;oules by bid|ding follow the light within.</P>
<P>O abominable doctrine! what doth the Devil deceive &s;ouls by bidding follow the light of Chri&s;t as God? &s;o <HI>John Bunnions</HI> doctrine is, let it be noted; now &s;ee thou thy folly how it is manife&s;t, and thy pittyfull eva&s;ions are weighed, in&s;tead of contradicting my former &s;ufficient an&s;wer, which thou could no way reach to wre&s;t, or otherwi&s;e to an&s;wer it, askes a que|&s;tion,
<PB N="25" REF="15">
which I may an&s;wer as &s;oon as thou ha&s;t &s;ufficiently re|plyed to my former an&s;wer and this is in part an an&s;wer to it, it is heri&s;ie to &s;ay that the light of God (any light of God or Chri&s;t) can or doth deceive the &s;oule, and though thou &s;tumble at it, I &s;aid well in &s;aying that thy whole purpo&s;e is a &s;ecret &s;miting again&s;t the light within, let the Reader judge&punc;</P>
<P>And now to manife&s;t thy ignorance fuly; thou ha&s;t confe&s;&s;ed the light within even con&s;cience is the light of God; ha&s;t not thou cau&s;e to repent of the&s;e ab&s;urdityes and blindne&s;&s;e who holds forth that the Devil deceives &s;oules by the light of God, &s;eeing thou can find no light within man but that which thou confe&s;&s;es.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;ayes, <HI>Thy whole de&s;igne was fir&s;t to &s;hew &s;oules where &s;alvation is to be had, namely in Christ without,</HI> and yet hath confe&s;&s;ed all that hath him not within are Reprobates, and &s;uch have not &s;alvation by him without; Con&s;ider there|fore without Chri&s;t within no &s;alvation, as I have &s;aid, and thou ha&s;t confe&s;&s;ed it, (Mark it) then to cleare thy &s;elfe from con|tradiction which I charged thee with, thou would ca&s;t a con|fu&s;ion upon me, in that thou &s;ayes, <HI>I would make a defiled con|&s;cience, the law and &s;pirit of Chri&s;t to be all one,</HI> This is fal&s;ly &s;poken, I have never &s;aid nor thought that a defiled con&s;cience is the Law and Spirit of Chri&s;t a lyar thou art to be noted, and this lye adds to the number and yet con&s;ider thou ha&s;t &s;aid (&s;everall times) that con&s;cience is the light of Chri&s;t, as God; and now calls con&s;cience defiled, is the light of God defiled? <HI>J<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">hn Bunion</HI> &s;aith &s;o, O horrid! read thou thy confu&s;ion and grievious error which is brought to thy doore, and there I leave it; thou may blu&s;h and all thy witne&s;&s;e at this; and in that thou calls my an&s;wer <HI>Scoulding,</HI> again&s;t thy Epi&s;tle, and pre&s;umptuou&s;ly &s;ai&s;t, <HI>The truth of which thou could be wil|ling to &s;eale with thy Blood.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Scoulding I deny, but I have reprooved thy lyes in the authority of the Lord, and be not &s;o proudly puft up in boa&s;ting: what &s;ayes thou? &s;hall thy blood goe for this that the Quakers are deceivers <HI>and that the Devill deceives &s;oules by bidding them follow the light within</HI> wich thou &s;ai&s;t is con|&s;cience,
<PB N="26" REF="16">
which thou confe&s;&s;es <HI>is the light of God,</HI> &amp; that the blood of Chri&s;t was &s;hed before the world was, and that the Scrip|ture &s;ay &s;o, and that we deny that Salvation was compleat|ly wrought by the man Chri&s;t Je&s;us, with &s;everall other things noted for lyes; what &s;ayes thou <HI>John Buniot?</HI> art thou &s;o de|&s;parate as that thou wilt hazard thy blood upon this account? if it be &s;o, &s;ure the Devil hath great power over thee; cea&s;e thy boa&s;ting lea&s;t the Lord make thee an example, and though thou would exhort me, thy &s;pirit I deny, and &s;o thy words I judge, and cannot receive good from an evil Spirit; then thou comes on falling on thy own foule ignorance againe, and would faine clear thy &s;elfe, but by thy &s;tirring thy owne wickedne&s;&s;e here|in, thou makes it ca&s;t an odious &s;ight to all that pa&s;&s;e by, (we may follow thee a little, &s;eeing thou art not yet weary) and faine would thou make it appear that the blood of Chri&s;t was &s;hed before the world was; <HI>&amp; &s;ai&s;t it was in Gods account,</HI> but to this I have &s;poken and largely &s;hewed thy blindne&s;&s;e to all men, and adds this upon thy head, thou art a lyar and perverter of Scripture to &s;ay that the blood of Chri&s;t was &s;hed before the world was.</P>
<P>And further thou art a lyar, to &s;ay that God accounts a thing for truth which is a lye, a &s;ad error and wicked.</P>
<P>And further thou art a lyer, to &s;ay that I corrupt thy words, for I had not laid open thy nakedne&s;&s;e &s;o fully, if thou had not per&s;i&s;ted in thy blinde&s;&s;e, as now I am forced to doe, but e|nough of this and more then ever thou can&s;t clear thy &s;elfe of hone&s;tly, and yet to cover thy owne &s;hame charges me fal&s;ly <HI>with folly to &s;peake evill of things I know not, or el&s;e with mad|ne&s;&s;e,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Friend be not &s;o confident, I know the difference be|twixt, <HI>before,</HI> and <HI>&s;ince,</HI> or <HI>from,</HI> and know that God accounts not a lye for truth (as thou holds out) thy own folly and mad|ne&s;&s;e, behold, who commits iniquity, in lying on the Scripture, and on God, and on me, and yet per&s;i&s;ts after a &s;ober reproof, and re&s;i&s;ts the reprover with opprobrious words, let confu|&s;ion of face cover thy impudent forehead, while I forgive thee and &s;eekes not vengeance again&s;t thee, then through thy mi|&s;take of my words, thou ha&s;t fal&s;ly gathered a &s;ubject to op|po&s;e,
<PB N="27" REF="16">
and fights with thy own under&s;tanding mightily, and thinkes thou confounds me, and its thy &s;elfe&punc; for however thou under&s;tands my words, either for want of wit, or otherwi&s;e, it never entred into my thoughts, with charging thee to believe that Chri&s;t is a tipe, only I charge thee that thou &s;aid &s;o of o|thers, So that I thinke this is a mi&s;take in thee for want of knowledge to under&s;tand my reher&s;all of thy words, being tran&s;cribed at the &s;horte&s;t, not to fill volumes, and through thy owne mi&s;under&s;tanding of my laying downe the words, thou heavily yet vainly charges me with corrupting thy words, which God is my witne&s;&s;e I have not done, though thou be guilty herein.</P>
<P>But further, I deale plainly, and &s;landers not in &s;ecret, as thou do&s;t, we doe not look on Chri&s;t to be but a &s;hadow and tipe, if thou affirme I &s;hall an&s;wer further, and as to that (thou &s;ai&s;t) I &s;ay Je&s;us is the &s;ub&s;tance of that an&s;wer to I &s;tand though thou &s;ay, <HI>Thou doubts I doe not &s;peake plainly,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> As I have &s;aid I &s;eek not a proofe of my faith of thee, nor any man, nor doe I begg thy beliefe, while I am ap|proved in the &s;ight of God, herein I matter not what a lying &s;pirit doubts of me, &s;o that what vain arguments, or Queries thou rai&s;es from thy owne fal&s;e doubt I pa&s;&s;e by, being by the pre&s;ent thing branching out in things on the by, if I &s;hould ex|amine every particular, I might fill a vollume.</P>
<P>And whereas thou ha&s;t an&s;wered my que&s;tion, which is; did Chri&s;t put an end to the law for them, who yet live in the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the law, or doth he ju&s;tifie that which the law condemns, before the worke of the law be fini&s;hed? In thy an&s;wer thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>Chri&s;t did put an end to the law for righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, for all that the father hath given him,</HI> This is little to the Que&s;tion:</P>
<P>I &s;ay that tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors of the law are not Chri&s;ts but chil|dren of di&s;obedience, and children of wrath, and &s;uch God hath not given to Chri&s;t, who are his enemies, nor Chri&s;t to them is not given, but to condemne them in that e&s;tate and thou &s;ai&s;t there is many given to Chri&s;t, who yet lives in their &s;ins, the Apo&s;tle <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, he that &s;ins is of the Devil, and hath not known God, and &s;uch as are of the Devill are not Chri&s;ts,
<PB N="28" REF="17">
and in that I &s;aid doth Chri&s;t ju&s;tifie that which the law con|demns before the worke of the law be fini&s;hed, and not one tittle of the law &s;hall faile, till all be fulfilled, thou ha&s;t not reached the under&s;tanding of my words, for while di&s;obedience &s;tands &amp; the tran&s;gre&s;&s;or lives, the work of the law is not fini&s;h|ed nor fulfilled, but to that is condemnation and not ju&s;tifica|tion, if thou ha&s;t an ear thou mai&s;t heare, for he that tran&s;|gre&s;&s;eth the law is an enemy to Chri&s;t, and Chri&s;t fulfills not the law for his enemies they mu&s;t beare their own burthen, and though this thou cannot under&s;tand now, yet in the day of judgement &s;halt thou feele it, and when the burthen of thy own iniquity is upon thee, then &s;halt thou confe&s;&s;e to what I have &s;aid, and read me in what now thou can&s;t not under&s;tand, and in the meane time I deny that Chri&s;t hath put an end to the law for thee, who art a lyer, and breaks one, and &s;o is guilty of all.</P>
<P>Many of thy words might be weighed and &s;earched, but I am no picker of quarrells, but to my la&s;t Query, thou &s;ai&s;t little to the purpo&s;e, which is; what a&s;&s;urance have any, that the law is fulfilled for them, who are yet tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors of it, in them|&s;elves? but &s;ai&s;t, <HI>A&s;&s;urance comes through believing and obedi|ence to the law is a fruit of believing,</HI> &amp;c. <HI>Saying every one that hath the hope of the Son of God purifies him&s;elfe as he (Chri&s;t) is pure.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Then he that hath not the fruit, <HI>(viz.)</HI> obedience to the law, we may judge by the fruit, or for want of fruit is no believer; and he that is not purifyed as he is pure (Chri&s;t) hath not the hope of being the Son of God, but is without hope, now &s;ee where thou art, why it breaks the law, and is without (thy owne noted) fruit of believing neither is puri|fyed as he is pure, and &s;o is without hope, this is according to thy own affirmation, if thou cannot beare it blame thy &s;elfe for laying downe &s;uch a po&s;ition, as hath proved thy &s;elfe to be an unbeliever and without hope; and &s;o without God in the world; one that is for condemnation, and to be judged into the &s;tate where now thou &s;tands.</P>
<P>And whereas thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>I would lay a&s;&s;urance on obedience to the law.</HI> thou lye&s;t in this al&s;o, my words are, the law mu&s;t
<PB N="29" REF="17">
be fulfilled in you by Chri&s;t, in judgement and in righteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e, if ever you receive &s;alvation&punc; and the&s;e words are true again&s;t all thy oppo&s;ition, neither doe I affirme that by the deeds of the law any fle&s;h living &s;hall be ju&s;tified (but the con|trary) though thou would fal&s;ly (yet &s;ecretly) ca&s;t it upon me, and wickedly calls this <HI>my frothy argument,</HI> where I &s;aid the Law convinceth and is a School-ma&s;ter to bring to Chri&s;t, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>But the froth proceeds out of thy mouth, for this argument comprehends thee, and &s;tands out of thy reach for all thy de|te&s;table &s;peeches again&s;t me, and the truth, and the re&s;t of my following words thou ha&s;t pa&s;&s;ed by, where I &s;ay, who ownes not that which convinceth of &s;in, how can they own him that takes it away by his blood? and this is truth, and tell me in ju&s;tne&s;&s;e according to my fir&s;t Query in that page, how is &s;in taken away from thee, more then from the Pope, &s;eeing neither of you hath the fruit of cea&s;ing to commit &s;in, and art not thou in the froth, who oppo&s;es me as though (I &s;hould &s;ay yet never did nor thought) that ju&s;tification mu&s;t be &s;ought by the deeds of the Law and &s;o gathers a fal&s;e conception, and fights with it, and keeps thy &s;elf doing in 9 &s;heets again&s;t 4 and yet hath pa&s;&s;ed over many &s;peciall things, almo&s;t the chiefe&s;t, and though no fle&s;h &s;hall be ju&s;tified by the deeds of the law, yet mu&s;t all fle&s;h living be condemned for the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the law by Chri&s;t, who freely gives life to all that believes, if thou ha&s;t an eare thou may heare; in the next thou &s;eems (or would at lea&s;t) to defend thy &s;elfe from my charge which &s;hall (if it doth not) ley heavie upon thee, which is that I call thee &s;landerer, and truly too, from thy words where thou fal&s;ly ac|cu&s;ed the <HI>Quakers</HI> with boa&s;ting, and hipocri&s;y, and in thy an&s;wer thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>I need not be offended, for thou do&s;t not know our fellow for boa&s;ting in that</HI> (thou &s;ai&s;t) <HI>we cry up our &s;elves and condemn all others,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>But this is no proofe of the former accu&s;ation but an addi|tion to thy former wickedne&s;&s;e, let hone&s;t men con&s;ider I as|ked thee when thou did heare any of them boa&s;t or &s;ee them live in hipocri&s;y, but not a word to this &s;ober de&s;ire, but adds &s;in to &s;in a bad way to cleare thy &s;elfe and thy God; be a&s;ha|med,
<PB N="30" REF="18">
crying up &s;elfe, we deny, but yet mu&s;t &s;ay or el&s;e &s;ay fal&s;ly that we are of God and the whole world lyes in wick|edne&s;&s;e, and he that is of God heareth us, and is one with us and this is as the Saints te&s;tified, and is neither boa&s;ting nor hi|pocri&s;y, then to my que&s;tion which was, will that faith which is without works ju&s;tifie, and thou fai&s;t no, &amp; c,</P>
<P>Then I <HI>Reply,</HI> what is thy condition and theirs, who are not only without works of faith; but in the very works of darkne&s;&s;e, as lying and &s;alfe accu&s;ing, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And &s;eeing thou &s;ai&s;t no, Con&s;ider, whether thou have faith and whether thy works which are like good workes proceed not from the un|beleiving ground, and this I adde to my next I asked which thou ha&s;t pa&s;&s;ed by, mu&s;t not every one receive according to their deeds, in the day of judgement, and then thou runs out in high words again&s;t me, in that I &s;aid, if to talke of him (Chri&s;t) his birth, blood, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Were faith in him, and liv|ing by faith, then few would want it; and further I add the Pope him&s;elfe would have it, and my words are ju&s;t and ho|ne&s;t, without exception or contradiction, but only that &s;ome|thing thou mu&s;t needs &s;ay; though thou &s;ay many can talk of Chri&s;t, that will fall &s;hort of Heaven, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And askes me a que&s;tion, and &s;ai&s;t is there not enough in them, <HI>(viz.)</HI> birth blood, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> to ju&s;tifie, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> I an&s;wer the knowledge of all things what&s;oever without, will not ju&s;tifie, except Chri&s;t be within, and if he be within, the power of his life, blood, birth, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> is known and received and felt, and in this I preach, not any other Go&s;pel then the Apo&s;tles, who &s;aid, &s;ay not who &s;hall a&s;cend or de&s;cend to fetch him, (Mark) but it &s;aith it, the word of faith (or of the Go&s;pel) which are not devided, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Rom. 10.</NOTE> is nigh thee in thy mouth, and in thy heart, and thou fal&s;ly againe charges the <HI>Quakers with corrupting, (and beguiling many) by tho&s;e Scriptures.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Beguiling is thy owne, and corrupting of Scriptures too, as is proved, and while thou accu&s;es us fal&s;ly in the&s;e things, thy &s;elfe art proved truly guilty, in the &s;ight of all that are &s;pirituall, and as to thy charging me <HI>That the man Chri&s;t Je&s;us is not very plea&s;ant to me,</HI> And with <HI>Scoulding,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><PB N="31" REF="18">
Thy &s;landers I beare with patience, and thy reproaches which is not for evil but for Chri&s;ts &s;ake, who dyed at <HI>Jeru&s;a|lem,</HI> and is revealed in me, and for &s;hame cea&s;e to &s;ay <HI>Thou art ruled by Scripture,</HI> a lyer, and &s;landerer, and perverter of Scriptures, is not led with the &s;pirit that gave forth the Scrip|ture but is ruled by the Devil, and is out of Scripture rule, then thou goes on and would ju&s;tifie thy ignorant &s;aying, <HI>How are they deceived who owne Cbri&s;t; no otherwi&s;e then as he was be|fore the world began,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>And my <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Page the 14 of my fir&s;t.</NOTE> an&s;wer to it thou ha&s;t not touched nor truly con|tradicted which &s;tands over thee and is &s;ufficient to all hone&s;t people, and Chri&s;t we owne the &s;ame ye&s;terday to day and for ever; and doth believe the father granted that reque&s;t, and he is glorified with the &s;ame glory that he had before the world was, and though thou tell me <HI>of a double meaning</HI> yet in plainne&s;&s;e I &s;peake without doublene&s;&s;e the fault is in thy weakne&s;&s;e, and &s;otti&s;hne&s;&s;e, and blindne&s;&s;e of heart, who knowes not that which is infinite and immortall, and eternall the fle&s;h of Chri&s;ts body is &s;o.</P>
<P>Then thou fal&s;ly charges me again (in that I &s;aid) if eve|ry &s;pirit be of God which doth in words confe&s;&s;e thus <HI>(viz.)</HI> that Chri&s;t was with the father before the world was (was borne and &s;uffered in the fle&s;h and was buried and rai&s;ed, <HI>&amp;c.)</HI> then is not the Pope him&s;elfe antichri&s;t, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> As (in my 14. page) <HI>which putting on a vaile and ventering upon thy words.</HI></P>
<P>But I have &s;poken the truth herein let that in thy con&s;cience an&s;wer in nakedne&s;&s;e without a vaile, the vaile is on thy heart, and thou cannot under&s;tand me, and &s;o this is thy &s;imple poli|cy to &s;ay the vaile is on me, and what of that if I ventred on it, it is but in the feare of God, though I &s;hould &s;ay I deny all that thou &s;ai&s;t, or the &s;peaking of any thing, for I doe not own thy voice, though &s;ome of thy words be true, and though thou &s;peake words of truth, yet therefore I reprove thee, and &s;ometimes may not let it pa&s;&s;e for truth, for Chri&s;t is my ex|ample herein, who reproved the Devils, though they confe&s;|&s;ed him, (Mark that) but the chiefe part of my words are pa&s;&s;ed over, and read over again and &s;ee if it is not truth it
<PB N="32" REF="19">
&s;elfe, where I &s;aid it is not much better nor more accepted to confe&s;&s;e Chri&s;t in words to become, and yet in works to deny him, then it is both in words and works to deny him, the one is wicked in prophane&s;&s;e, the other in hipocri&s;y, the one is a lyar, and the other a fal&s;e witne&s;&s;e, and let the hone&s;t Judge; then whereas I &s;aid Chri&s;t is a my&s;tery and unto him he is light, and &s;hall be &s;alvation where his per&s;on, &s;uppo&s;ed &s;onne of <HI>Jo|&s;eph,</HI> never came; which words are true, not gain-&s;aied by thee, though thou aske, <HI>Did he obtain &s;alvation for any with|out that body which he took of the Virgin.</HI></P>
<P><HI>An&s;w.</HI> That body which was begotten by the holy Gho&s;t is not &s;o carnall as thou &s;uppo&s;e&s;t, and that &s;pirituall Rock which followed them &s;aved them, and the &s;ame &s;on of God the Saviour who was borne a Child to them, was the Prince of peace, yea, the everla&s;ting Father, but thy eye &s;ees not this, and therefore thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>Heer's the place where he is not, and the place where he hath not been,</HI> (Now thou &s;ai&s;t) <HI>Thou pa&s;|&s;es by many things which thou might ju&s;tly examin, and al&s;o ma|ny un&s;eemly expre&s;&s;ions.</HI></P>
<P>O thou deceitfull heart <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"> and tongue, is this thy excu&s;e when my words are beyond thy reach either to under&s;tand or contradict; thou wants that Spirit which can examine of truth, be it knowne unto thee, and what are tho&s;e un&s;eemly expre&s;&s;ions? wilt thou &s;lander alwayes in &s;ecret without evi|dence? and if the&s;e be they in that I &s;aid our innocency will &s;peake when thy black vaile of lyes is taken away, and this is truth, and is no way but &s;eemly to be &s;poken to thee, who art an enemy of God; then thou would ju&s;tifie thy further &s;lander, who &s;aid, <HI>we wre&s;t that Scripture, Jo.</HI> 1. 9.</P>
<P>And my an&s;wer is, we take it without adding or dimini&s;h|ing, which is true and no lye, nor wre&s;ting of it, neither in thy <HI>Reply</HI> can I find that thou proves it, though many words utte|red little to the purpo&s;e with adding to thy former &s;landers, in &s;aying, <HI>We would hold that that light is the Spirit of Chri&s;t this is not &s;poken in all my Book,</HI> but that it is one in union I &s;ay, and not contrary to the Spirit of Chri&s;t, but witne&s;&s;eth of it and to it.</P>
<P>And thou further &s;aith, <HI>We &s;ay many things which thou know|e&s;t
<PB N="33" REF="19">
to be bla&s;phemy,</HI> This is another lye, prove one bla&s;phe|my.</P>
<P>And further thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>Chri&s;t as he is Mediator doth not enlighten every one that comes into the world,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Well, thy ignorance and wickedne&s;&s;e vents it &s;elfe forth a pace, let any man read that fir&s;t of <HI>John,</HI> and &s;ee whe|ther he doth not &s;peake of Chri&s;t as Mediator, he &s;aith he was in the beginning with the Father, and was made fle&s;h and dwelt with the Di&s;ciples; and his life was the light of men, and the light &s;hined in darkne&s;&s;e, and what was he which ligh|teth every man that comes into the world, and he came to his owne but they received him not, but as many as received him to them he gave power to be the Sons of God, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>What &s;ai&s;t thou, Was not this &s;poken of Chri&s;t as Media|tor, con&s;ider &amp; be in&s;tructed rather then let thy blood go for it, however I leave thy doctrin, thy errors herein to be judged by them that are &s;pirituall, and for &s;hame cea&s;e &s;uch doctrin, the more I rake among the filth, the more vilely and odious it appeares, and for thy proofe of this doctrine, thou brings <HI>Mat.</HI> 11. 25. and &s;aies here the Father and the Son are &s;pea|king one to another, but what doth this prove though it be &s;o, doth it any way follow that <HI>John</HI> did not &s;peake of Chri&s;t as Mediator, <HI>John</HI> 1. what vaine productions thou brings from thy impertinent proofes, let them be weighed and taken no|tice of hone&s;tly, and thou bids me under&s;tand thus much, <HI>That nature which is con&s;cience, is the light of God.</HI></P>
<P>I under&s;tand thy blindne&s;&s;e; if this be &s;o as thou &s;ai&s;t, then mans nature is pure without &s;in, as the light of God is; and this is error abominable, contrary to the Scripture which &s;aith, all by nature are the children of wrath, is all by the light of God (as thou &s;ay&s;t nature is) children of wrath; &s;o thy Divi|nity, and take it as it is truly interpreted, I de&s;ire not to wrong thy words, thou gives me to under&s;tand the greate&s;t ignorance from tho&s;e things that lately I have heard, no not the like in <HI>England;</HI> and it is very true, as I &s;aid thy folly appeares by thy much medling.</P>
<P>Then thou askes me, <HI>What I will have the light called, where|with every man in the world is lightned,</HI> and becau&s;e I doe not
<PB N="34" REF="20">
call it the Spirit of Chri&s;t, thou (as it were) murmurs; be|cau&s;e I have cut of thy occa&s;ion, and thou cannot bend thy tongue with any &s;eeming advantage again&s;t the truth; but in that I &s;ay the light of Chri&s;t convinceth of &s;in, which is true, thou on a &s;udden produces thy bad con&s;equences, and askes if I call nature the light of Chri&s;t, and &s;uch like, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>But they all doe not prove the contrary, &s;o that which con|vinceth of &s;in, is worth minding and takeing notice of, by all that ever is &s;aved, and as to that where I &s;ay, that which may be known of God was manife&s;t in them even in them that was given up to worke unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>I &s;aid the truth which thou art not able to contradict in equity, though thou very ignorantly bend thy an&s;wer (as if I had &s;aid) the knowledge of God was made manife&s;t in them, when I &s;ay plainly in my Booke that they were turned from the knowledge of God, and yet that which might be known of him was manife&s;t in them, and this thou can&s;t not deny, and though my words as layd down are not in the Scripture words in terms, yet have not I &s;aid fal&s;ly herein, and doe not be a pro|ver of that which thou cannot thy &s;elfe deny, then thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>How feeble an argument is this to prove, that every one hath the Spirit,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Thou blind man, did I goe about to prove any &s;uch thing or make any argument thereupon; we are about the light which Chri&s;t hath given or lighted every man in the world withall, which light convinceth of &s;in, and is not con|trary to the Spirit of Chri&s;t, unto this was I &s;peaking and this I &s;tood by, and thou conceives another thing from my words and fight again&s;t thy own con&s;equences like a man too irrati|onall to under&s;tand common Engli&s;h, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Then thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>Thou pa&s;&s;ed by other lame argu|ments which I tumble over like a blinde man in a thicket of bu&s;hes.</HI></P>
<P>O be a&s;hamed for ever! thus to evade and &s;huffle, with &s;uch &s;cornefull words; I &s;aid that which reproves of &s;in is the gift of the Spirit of God. <HI>John</HI> 16. and that which makes mani|fe&s;t &s;in, is light, and what&s;oever is reproved is made manife&s;t by the light <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 5. how dare thou call the&s;e lame argu|ments
<PB N="35" REF="20">
tumbling over? what impudence is in thy heart, &s;o to &s;ay? when thou art put to confu&s;ion, then &s;uch excu&s;es thou brings; Well, &s;ome may &s;ee thy folly? then to my Que&s;tion which was, whether that light which every man is lighted withall, is &s;ufficient in it &s;elfe for life and &s;alvation to every one that believes; if thou &s;ay, not wherein is the blame, in God in his light or in the creature, thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>No it is not &s;ufficient,</HI> I take it for an an&s;wer, and leaves it to be weighed by the &s;ober Reader, and though there be ve&s;&s;els of honour and of di&s;honour made of the &s;ame lumpe as thou &s;ai&s;t, yet I further <HI>Query,</HI> is not every mans blood that peri&s;heth of his owne head, and is not the Lord clear from the blood of all men, even though they goe to de&s;truction, and if the Reader try thy Book over he may judge who&s;e arguments are lame.</P>
<P>Then whereas thou &s;aid, <HI>Chri&s;t as God hath lighted every man that comes into the world,</HI> To which I &s;aid, then why do&s;t thou &s;ay we wre&s;t that Scripture <HI>John</HI> 1. 9. &s;eeing thou thy &s;elfe ha&s;t confe&s;&s;ed no le&s;&s;e then what thou calle&s;t wre&s;ting in us, and this is truth let all men con&s;ider el&s;e; that when thou confe&s;&s;es Chri&s;t as God hath lighted every man in the world, it is no le&s;&s;e then what we &s;ay, and that Scripture &s;ay, which is, that Chri&s;t is the true light, and that is he which lighteth e|very man that comes into the world; and mai&s;t not thou be a&s;hamed to call this &s;o &s;cornfully <HI>a glavering An&s;wer,</HI> not be|ing able to clear thy &s;elfe from my ju&s;t charge, in that herein I charged thee with confu&s;ion to oppo&s;e us, in that which thy &s;elfe confe&s;&s;eth to be true con&s;ider well of it, and let not thy blood goe for the truth of all what thou &s;ai&s;t, for I de&s;ire it not.</P>
<P>Further thou cries out, <HI>Is this all the wit I have, and won|derfull ignorance,</HI> Becau&s;e I &s;aid it is not good to neglect fol|lowing the light, but that every one minde the light of Chri&s;t Je&s;us in them; in an&s;wer to thy words which was haveing &s;aid the light which convinceth of &s;in is the light of Chri&s;t as God, which the neglect of, will be &s;ure to damne, as thou &s;ai&s;t, and now let wi&s;e men judge of my an&s;wer, but thou falls heavi|ly on it; proving that obedience to the law will not ju&s;tifie, and the like which I doe not at all affirm but to that I &s;ay, the
<PB N="36" REF="21">
law having its opperation upon the di&s;obedient; the ju&s;tifier comes to be &s;een, which is he that is the end of the Law, and the law mu&s;t by him be obeyed or fulfilled in thee, if ever thou be &s;aved from being damned by it.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider of this, when thou ha&s;t a better under&s;tanding, for its yet hidden from thee, then when thou ha&s;t thus cried out again&s;t my ju&s;t <HI>An&s;wer,</HI> tbou tells me what I &s;hould have &s;aid, Alas poore man, thou reaches not what the knowledge of things eternall is, by that wi&s;edome in which thou art, I need no man to teach me, but the Lord.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;ai&s;t. <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t hath obeyed the Law and ju&s;ti|fied thee,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> Nay hold, repent fir&s;t and be turned from thy in|iquities, and believe in him, and boa&s;t not thy &s;elfe &s;o proud|ly; thou art in the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions of the Law in di&s;obedience to it, a lyar, &s;landerer, and &s;corner, one that the Prince of the power of the Aire rules in a childe of wrath, and every one &s;hall dye for his owne iniquity, and the &s;oule that &s;ins &s;hall dye, and wrath to every one that doth evil, and the revelati|on of the judgements of God; Learne what this meanes, or ask them that are of a better under&s;tanding then thy &s;elfe.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;eems to minde me of &s;ome weakne&s;&s;e and cries out, <HI>Wonderfull fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e I &s;aid the light of Chri&s;t given to every man, <HI>Jo.</HI> 1. 9. as thou confe&s;&s;e&s;t, is not contray to the Spirit of Chri&s;t, and to the grace of God, but is one in their nature (Mark) and a man cannot po&s;&s;ibly love one of them and hate ano|ther, therefore one they are, in the union leading in the &s;ame way, unto the &s;ame end, and where doth the Spirit of Chri&s;t give light, or that grace of God work or lead if not in the con|&s;cience? <HI>&amp;c,</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e are my words, Now let hone&s;t men con&s;ider and <HI>John Bunion</HI> be &s;ilent, what fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e or wonderfull weak|ne&s;&s;e, is in the&s;e words, but is onely to the wi&s;edome which is devilli&s;h, which de&s;pi&s;eth truth? or what cau&s;e was there to blu&s;h when I wrote them? as he impudently &s;aith, who can|not contradict them, nor reprove them, and yet railes upon them: no marvell that thou would pa&s;&s;e them, as thou &s;ai&s;t
<PB N="37" REF="21">
with &s;uch a poore &s;hift to evade with a lye that thou ha&s;t &s;po|ken to it already, when as thou ha&s;t not medled of the&s;e things.</P>
<P>O let not thy impudency &s;o &s;otti&s;hly carry thee, for thy &s;hame is &s;een and laid open, its good (in thy light) to pa&s;&s;e that which confounds thee, which is pa&s;t an&s;wering, &s;o to &s;ave thy credit among thy fellowes, the cau&s;e to blu&s;h is in thy &s;elf, and its brought to thy doore.</P>
<P>Then thou pleads for the Scripture to be the rule in oppo|&s;ition to my <HI>Que&s;tion</HI> which is not an&s;wered, which was, can there be any &s;urer thing for the creature to look to, to walk to life, or to come to God by, then the light of Chri&s;t which every man hath given him, &amp;c.</P>
<P>But thou may for &s;hame cea&s;e pleading for Scripture rule, being thy &s;elfe art &s;o farr contrary to it, for he that walkes in the life of the Scripture I have union with him, and the light of Chri&s;t is a more &s;urer te&s;timony either to witne&s;&s;e ju&s;tifica|tion or condemnation, then any mans words without, what&s;o|ever; then my other <HI>Que&s;tion</HI> was whether the <HI>Turks Jewes,</HI> and thee and others doe &s;erve &s;in and lu&s;t, becau&s;e Chri&s;t hath not given you light to di&s;cover your &s;ins, or becau&s;e you hate that light, that is given, and much to this thou &s;peake&s;t not pertinent, nor an&s;wered in plaine&s;&s;e, I leave it to the Reader to judge, and to read my an&s;wer Page 17. of my fir&s;t, which clears truth from all what thou ha&s;t &s;aid again&s;t it in this par|ticular.</P>
<P>Now I come to the next thing, where thou fooli&s;hly char|ges me, <HI>That my doctrin is not according to truth, but a lye, Charigng me to affirm that which the Apo&s;tle doth deny,</HI></P>
<P>Becau&s;e I &s;aid the &s;pirit is given to every man, though eve|ry man receives it not, and it &s;trives with the wicked though he follow it not, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>My words herein are truth, and no lye, neither contrary to the Scripture, and let the Reader be Judge betwixt us, the Apo&s;tle &s;aith the manife&s;tation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withall, and &s;ome of the&s;e to whom he writes thus; was wicked, given to ince&s;t and idolatry, and other &s;ins, here I prove, it was given to the wicked, and thou confe&s;&s;es
<PB N="38" REF="22">
the righteous had it, and there is but the&s;e two on the face of the earth; Now if thou can find a man that is neither wicked nor righteous then thou ha&s;t advantage, then &s;ome hath not the manife&s;tation of the Spirit, the Saints had the Comforter the Spirit of truth, and he (the Spirit of truth) convinced or reproved the world of &s;in; they that were not Saints, but wic|ked had it reproving them, Marke the&s;e things; and let hone&s;t men judge while both you, and I am &s;ilent, whether thy doctrine which denyes that which the Scripture affirmes, or mine which bears witne&s;&s;e to the &s;ame thing which Scriptures &s;peaks, be to be di&s;owned, let an equall line mea&s;ure; the &s;hame, and fal&s;e doctrin is fallen upon thee, and thou art of|fended (that I &s;hould &s;ay thou brings other vain arguments) with a vapour &s;aying <HI>Neither I nor my fellowes are able to an|&s;wer,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>But I &s;ay true, the arguments are vaine, one is, <HI>The Devils are convinced but hath not the Spirit,</HI> or &s;uch like, Now what is this to the purpo&s;e, that thou contends in that wherein no|body &s;trives with thee, nor none affirms again&s;t thee, and it is a vaine argument to parelell the Devill in &s;uch a cau&s;e, as ha|ving the Spirit, but thou art &s;o blind, its hardly po&s;&s;ible to let thee &s;ee thy ignorance herein. I may not much &s;trive with thee, onely Ile tell thee of tho&s;e things, and the &s;ober Reader &s;hall judge, to in&s;tance a thing impo&s;&s;ible to prove things po&s;&s;ible, is vaine arguments, &s;o that I have herein done thee no wrong. Then thou cries out of my weakne&s;&s;e, and that I <HI>Bla&s;pheme,</HI> and of <HI>a great deale of ignorance di&s;covered in me, and bids me be &s;ilent,</HI> and fal&s;ly charges me with <HI>Pre&s;umption,</HI> and &s;uch like, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Becau&s;e I &s;aid thus much I leave with thee, till thou prove the light of Chri&s;t, (which thou confe&s;&s;eth e|very man hath) to be contrary to the Spirit of Chri&s;t, I &s;hall &s;ay every man hath that which is one in union and like the <NOTE PLACE="marg">John 1&punc; 9.</NOTE> Spirit of Chri&s;t, even as good as the Spirit of Chri&s;t according to its mea&s;ure, the&s;e are my words, Page 18. and I own them, and thy an&s;wer to them is no contradiction, nor ju&s;t confuta|tion of them, but lye&s;t in &s;aying I call con&s;cience and nature it &s;elfe the Spirit of Chri&s;t, this is fal&s;e never &s;poken by me, &s;o that thou ha&s;t uttered a pack of railing words without any
<PB N="39" REF="22">
knowledge or feare of God, in &s;tead of a &s;ober An&s;wer, the bla&s;phemy and great deale of ignorance and pre&s;umption ap|pears not in my words, they are truth, and thou ha&s;t not pro|ved that the light of Chri&s;t is contrary to the Spirit of Chri&s;t, Nay, thy &s;imple policy is too &s;hort, when thou had done &s;o, then had been a time to have ca&s;t the&s;e opprobrious &s;peeches at mee, like venomne from a Viper, but the weakne&s;&s;e (or &s;trength of error) and bla&s;phemy and the great deale of ig|norance and pre&s;umption <HI>&amp;c,</HI> is fallen at thy doore and there I leave it, clear thy &s;elfe from it as thou art able, who without any confutation of the words, falls impudently to charge me thus highly and fal&s;ly from the words, be thou &s;ilent whi&s;e the Reader Judges; then thou goes about to defend thy fir&s;t wickedne&s;&s;e in that thou &s;aid the Devill doth deceive poore &s;oules by bidding them li&s;ten within; and turne the minde within, and &s;ee if there be not that which doth convince of &s;in, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>And my <HI>An&s;wer</HI> to this is &s;ound, and &s;tands over thee, and unreproved by thee, though many words thou &s;peake&s;t, yet from the Scripture doth not prove or by hone&s;t arguments, that the Devill doth deceive any, by bidding them to turne to the light within, which convinceth of &s;in, if thou would have cleared thy &s;elfe, thou &s;hould have proued thy a&s;&s;ertion, ac|cording to my de&s;ire I asked thee, was ever &s;uch a thing &s;po|ken that the Devill can deceive any by the light of Chri&s;t, but to this not a word in proofe, but faith, <HI>Every man hath not the Spirit of Chri&s;t,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>But further then I <HI>Query,</HI> Doth the Devil deceive any by bidding them to turn in, and li&s;ten to that light &s;poken of <HI>John</HI> 1. 9. for that light am I contending for, and not any other con|trary to it, then thou &s;ai&s;t&punc; thou denyes <HI>That Paul bid listen within, telling me of making &s;helter for my error,</HI> &amp;c. This is no error to &s;ay that <HI>Paul</HI> bids li&s;ten within, let the Reader judge from that Scripture, <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. 9. The righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of faith &s;peakes on this wi&s;e, <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 6 (which is the voice of the Go&s;pel) and <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 9. what &s;aith it, the word is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart, was not that the end of the&s;e words to li&s;ten within? the word is in the heart, what &s;aith it there? now the
<PB N="40" REF="23">
error is thine, that denyes the truth, and the lye is returned to the founder, who denyes that <HI>Paul</HI> bids li&s;ten within, when its plain he &s;aith the word is in the heart, what &s;aith it there?</P>
<P>O that a man profe&s;&s;ing knowledge and enterprizing &s;uch things, &s;hould be &s;o &s;otti&s;h! and &s;o unable to fini&s;h what he hath begun then thou cryes out-hidiou&s;ly and notes it in the margent for wre&s;ting of thy words, in that I &s;aid, thou &s;ai&s;t, they are ignorant of the Go&s;pel who clo&s;es in with the&s;e mo|tions of the light within (or con&s;cience) which doth com|mand to ab&s;taine from the evill, and to practi&s;e good, and thy owne words are, now the poore &s;oule through ignorance of the Go&s;pel clo&s;es in with the&s;e motions of its owne con&s;ci|ence <HI>(viz.)</HI> the motions which convinceth of &s;in within, which doth command to ab&s;taine from this evill, and practice this good, &s;o let wi&s;e men con&s;ider whether I have wronged that intent of thy words, and be not &s;o &s;oon angry, for thou can&s;t not vindicate, that they that clo&s;es in with the&s;e mo|tions of the con&s;cience or the light of Chri&s;t within, which con|vinceth of &s;in within, which doth commmand to ab&s;taine from this evill, and to practice this good, is ignorance of the Go&s;|pel and doe not evade it by words without knowledge, in picking of quarrels and &s;eeking offences (by different tearms of words) where no occa&s;ion ju&s;tly is given thee. Then my Que&s;tion thou &s;eeme&s;t to an&s;wer, which was, what, and how doth the light of the Go&s;pel worke, if not in the con&s;cience, and to command from evill, and to practice good? this <HI>Query</HI> &s;tands over thy head not con&s;uted nor fully an&s;wered, for the true under&s;tanding of it thou ha&s;t not comprehended, but to thy own conception, thou ha&s;t an&s;wered as if I &s;hould &s;ay that every man hath the light of the Go&s;pell working in them to &s;alvation which I never &s;aid nor thought, &s;o thy an&s;wer is not to the purpo&s;e.</P>
<P>Then thou ha&s;t pa&s;&s;ed by ful &s;lightly (as di&s;able to clear thy God and his Spirit, that guides thee, which is the God of this world) of that great &s;um of wickedne&s;&s;e ju&s;tly charged upon thee, Page 19. of my la&s;t, which according to true col|lection is; by turning the mind within to the light which doth
<PB N="41" REF="23">
convince of &s;in, and li&s;tning thereunto and cla&s;peing in with the motions of the con&s;cience, which doth command to ab|&s;taine from evil, and to practice good, and clo&s;ing with &s;ome|thing within which thou confe&s;&s;ed is the light of Chri&s;t, the&s;e things preceding, then thou &s;ai&s;t, hereby or thus, is the poore &s;oules carried headlong, and at the end of its life doth fall in|to the belly of Hell, this is indeed a &s;um of wickedne&s;&s;e &s;et forth by thee, which when thou receives it in againe &s;hall re|ceive the intere&s;t upon it, of indignation and vengeance, and though thou ha&s;t &s;lipped it now, it &s;hall then be reckoned on <HI>Jobn Bunions</HI> &s;core. Remember thou owe&s;t to prove this be|fore thou be heard any more.</P>
<P>Then againe thou cries out, <HI>That I have naughtily belyed thee,</HI> and the like, becau&s;e of mi&s;placeing a word, and &s;aying the light of the world, in&s;tead of the light brought into the world, thou art an unju&s;t Judge who makes offenders for a word mi&s;placeing, but it is plaine, thou means by light brought into the world, that light <HI>John</HI> 1. 9. which every man in the world is lightned withall, and if thou doe then thou art a lyar in &s;aying in thy fir&s;t Booke and in this, the Devil counterfeits the new birth, by per&s;wading it is wrought by that light, and if thou meane not that light, <HI>John</HI> 1. 9. but that of the Spirit, <HI>John</HI> 16. (which I &s;ay is not divided) then thou art a lyer al&s;o, and now while thou charges me to be guided by Satan, and to be a lyar, in the very time ha&s;t an&s;werd thy &s;elfe in a lye and cannot get out, Mark it.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>Thou pa&s;&s;es by many urgeing expre&s;&s;ions, which thou might charge with unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> I asked thee by what is the new birth wrought, and how, if not by following the light of Chri&s;t in the con&s;cience is there any other way to God but Chri&s;t Je&s;us, who hath lighted every man that comes into the world, this is part of that thou ha&s;t pa&s;&s;ed by, with thy lyeing excu&s;e of Rageing expre&s;&s;ions of which thou may be a&s;hamed to equivocate thus poorely to &s;ave thy owne credit, the charge of unrighteou&s;|ne&s;&s;e ju&s;tly falls upon thy own head.</P>
<P>Thou further &s;aith, And eates up thy owne wickedne&s;&s;e who &s;aid then, and &s;aith it now but mo&s;t ignorantly, <HI>That
<PB N="42" REF="24">
Satan makes the &s;oul believe i&s; it will but be lead by what &s;hall be made known to it, from the light (or con&s;cience) within it &s;hall doe well,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>My la&s;t <HI>An&s;wer</HI> to this, is &s;ufficient, onely I ask thee a proof out of the Scripture for this doctrin, that the Devil doe de|ceive any by the light of Chri&s;t, in the con&s;cience within, and till then minde my words, in my la&s;t <HI>An&s;wer,</HI> if ever thou know God, it mu&s;t be by following, and by being led with the light within, which God hath made known unto thee, el&s;e that light is thy condemnation eternally.</P>
<P>Then againe thou charge&s;t me with corrupting thy words for wrighting <HI>thee,</HI> for <HI>their&punc;</HI> Now a &s;corner I charged thee to be, from thy words, and that I yet &s;ay of thee, taking thy words in thy own &s;ence, as <HI>Page</HI> 77. of thy fir&s;t doth manife&s;t thee, unto the &s;ingle eye, and thou &s;ecretly charges us, with <HI>following our own &s;pirit, and &s;peaking by our own &s;pirit,</HI> but our own Spirit we have denyed, and have received the Spirit of the Father through the light of Chri&s;t; whereby every man in the world is lighted to life, or to condemnation, then thou &s;eemes to be highly offended that I &s;hould &s;ay, thou do&s;t not profit people at all, noting it for fal&s;e in the margent, but thou needs not be &s;o angry, though thou &s;ay <HI>The people in the Con|trey where thou dwells will testifie the contrary,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P>To which I &s;ay thou ha&s;t no cau&s;e to boa&s;t of the fruit of thy mini&s;try, nor they of much profit received by thee, witne&s;&s;e a meeting in <HI>Bedford,</HI> where a company of thy cheife&s;t mem|bers, I &s;uppo&s;e, uttered much wickedne&s;&s;e in lyes and &s;landers as many can witne&s;&s;e, and witne&s;&s;e three of thy brethren, te&s;ta|tors of this Booke, who &s;ay they know that to be truth, which thou ha&s;t declared, and thou art proved a lyer in many things, let them read them&s;elves fal&s;e witne&s;&s;es and lyars like thy &s;elf, and the&s;e things being con&s;idered as I &s;aid with other things at the end of this, thou ha&s;t no cau&s;e to boa&s;t of thy mini&s;try, nor they of their profit, by it in that Contry, who art uncon|verted yet, from lying and fal&s;e accu&s;ing, and &s;o art not turned from Satans power to the power of God, and as for a carnal mini&s;try of which thou &s;peakes, they are very bad that exceeds thy &s;elfe in carnality, in thy under&s;tanding of the things that
<PB N="43" REF="24">
are &s;pirituall, Then further thou goes on &s;eeming to bring witne&s;&s;e of thy former &s;landers, having in thy la&s;t, fal&s;ly ac|cu&s;ed us with &s;ad bla&s;phemies and horrible doctrins and thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>My &s;peech bewrayeth me, that I am one of them,</HI> be|cau&s;e &s;ai&s;t thou, I &s;ay that every man hath the Spirit of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>O thou lying tongue when wilt thou cea&s;e thy wickedne&s;&s;e! I never &s;aid nor thought &s;o.</P>
<P>And further thou &s;ai&s;t, I &s;ay there is that in every man which is as good as the Spirit of Chri&s;t, my words are the light of Chri&s;t, lighteth or is given to every man that comes into the world, which light is not contrary to the Spirit of Chri&s;t, but one in the union and as good in its nature according to its mea&s;ure, and till thou prove that that light <HI>John</HI> 1. 9. is con|trary to the Spirit, which yet thou ha&s;t not done, &s;top thy mouth and take &s;hame to thy &s;elfe, for being fouly guilty thy &s;elfe of corrupting my words, which thou fal&s;ly charges on me.</P>
<P>Other things thou &s;ai&s;t, that our <HI>&s;ociety &s;hould affirm,</HI> but I may have ground to Judge thou art, &s;o &s;landerous a tongue on me, that the like thou may doe of others.</P>
<P>And whereas I &s;aid thou art, confounded in thy di&s;cour&s;e I &s;aid true herein, as in&s;tance, thou &s;ai&s;t, that con&s;cience may be &s;eared and evill, and another place that con&s;cience is the light of God, can the light of God be &s;eared, or is it evill? thou holds it forth.</P>
<P>Con&s;ider, is not this confu&s;ion, other things I might collect, but this one is &s;ufficient to prove thee in confu&s;ion and though thou reckon us &s;ome time with the Ranters, and &s;ome|time with the Phari&s;ees, with many words of bitterne&s;&s;e and envy yet we beare thy reproaches, and when they are taken off then &s;hall we appear, and thou appear and be judged, as we are, by him that is above all. Then thou fal&s;ly charges me with corrupting that Scripture, in <HI>John</HI> 3. 19. Whereas, I neither added nor dimin&s;hed but &s;poke it as is to be &s;een in my booke. Further chargeing me that I doe not under&s;tand a difference between tbe light of the law, and the light of the Go&s;pel, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P><PB N="44" REF="25">
Friend, I rejoyce in that I am hidden from thee, and that my words are a &s;tumbling to thee, for in that &s;tate thou &s;tande&s;t the entrance into the Kingdome of God, thou &s;halt not know who&s;e wi&s;edome is fooli&s;hne&s;&s;e with God, and though thou &s;ay the light of Chri&s;t is a &s;aving comforting light, &s;o will it be to thee a condemning light, and of all lyars and &s;landerers, and this &s;halt thou know though thou art bu&s;ied up and down, in thy minde &s;eeking occa&s;ions again&s;t me, from my words, not clearing thy &s;elfe from what I have truly charged upon thee, but accu&s;ing me fal&s;ly, and this is come to pa&s;&s;e, that thy &s;hame might openly appeare, as to that difference of the law, and Go&s;pel; thy wi&s;edome with my knowledge of it, I &s;hall not &s;eed, yet I leave the Reader to con&s;ider, <HI>Deut.</HI> 30. from <HI>ver&s;.</HI> 11. <HI>to</HI> 16. And <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. 7, 8. And what I &s;aid yet re|maines upon thee undone to prove by the Scripture, &s;omething to convince of &s;in without, and be&s;ides or contrary to the Spirit of God, which thou art never able to doe, for though thou &s;ay (as none affirmes) the light in every mans con&s;cience is not the Spirit of God, yet how do&s;t thou prove; or when that it is contrary to the Spirit of God, which in my la&s;t I put upon thee, and now I leave it with thee, and then thou would excu&s;e thy fir&s;t words, in that thou called the Quakers found hipocrites, but ha&s;t not yet proved that they live in hipocri&s;y, and &s;o art a lyer &s;till, and my words are ju&s;t upon thee, a perverter of the right way of God thou art, and in the day of judgement it &s;hall be proved by thy recompence. Then thou goes about to prove that a naturall man may have power over &s;in, and ab&s;taine from tho&s;e things forbidden in the law, and for thy proofe thou in&s;tances in <HI>Paul,</HI> who &s;aid he was blamele&s;&s;e, <HI>Phil.</HI> 3. Now this was before the com|mandement came from God to him, which let him &s;ee the law was &s;pirtuall, and this doth not prove that he had power over &s;in, for he was in envy, and &s;o a murtherer, and had not power over &s;in, according as I asked thee, if thou &s;ai&s;t he had power over &s;in, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>As thou &s;eems to doe before he was convicted, while he was a naturall man, then it was no &s;in to per&s;ecute Je&s;us, and this would be bla&s;phemy, the product of thy doctrine, but
<PB N="45" REF="25">
this thou ha&s;t cuningly &s;lipped, where I asked thee to get pow|er over &s;in, and to ab&s;tain from tho&s;e things forbidden in the Law, is it not further then thou ever came? and becau&s;e thou wilt not an&s;wer, I doe and &s;ay yet, and concludes, that <HI>John Bunians</HI> &s;tate is not &s;o good as <HI>Pauls,</HI> while he was a per&s;ecu|ter according to his own doctrine, and thou &s;ai&s;t the Gentiles did by nature the things contained in the Law; true, but their &s;tate was not condemned, but ju&s;tified, before the circumci&s;i|on, and I aske thee, is any condemned by the Lord, who are excu&s;ed in his &s;ight, or is any ju&s;tified who is accu&s;ed, and my words are &s;ound, which thou ignorantly comments upon where I &s;aid I rather cho&s;e to be of that profe&s;&s;ion which ab|&s;taynes from tho&s;e things forbidden in the Law, and to have power over &s;in then to live in the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the Law, and under the power of &s;in; yet talking of beliefe in the Son of <HI>Mary, &amp;c.</HI> Let the Reader judge whether of the&s;e Religi|ons is more accepted in the &s;ight of God, thy Religion is pro|ved to be talking of beliefe, in the Son of <HI>Mary</HI> and art in the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion of the Law, a lyer a fal&s;e witne&s;&s;e in envy and backbiting and &s;uch like, thy fal&s;e beliefe will not &s;ave thee in the day of the Lord.</P>
<P>Then further thou &s;till confe&s;&s;es that as he is God, Chri&s;t lighteth every man that comes into the world, then, where|fore do&s;t thou make all this adoe, in oppo&s;ing us, in this par|ticular, yet let's try thy Doctrine, whether it be &s;ound, thou &s;ai&s;t, this light wherewith Chri&s;t as God hath lighted every man, is con&s;cience; and yet &s;ometime &s;aith this con&s;cience is &s;eared and hardned and evill; What is the light of Chri&s;t as God, &s;eared, hardened, and evil? <HI>J. Bunian</HI> holds it forth; this is thy great Ignorance and Bla&s;phemie, and &s;omtime thou &s;ai&s;t this light is Nature, and Nature is corrupted and &s;infull. And in it, all are children of wrath, what is the light of Chri&s;t as God corrupted and &s;infull, and is all by it children of wrath? <HI>John Bunians</HI> Doctrine holds it forth; Though blindnes po&s;|&s;e&s;&s;ed thee, when thou write this, yet may&s;t thou blu&s;h at the reading hereof.</P>
<P>Then thou goes to give a meaning upon my words; in that I &s;aid the Law is light, and light is the Law, which is truth,
<PB N="46" REF="26">
but I &s;poke them not for thee to Interpret with thy lying &s;pi|rit, but let &s;pirituall men judge of them then much adoe thou makes in an&s;wering my que&s;tion to thee, but hitts not my words at all: I asked thee and bid thee &s;hew if thou can&s;t any &s;in which is not again&s;t the Law but this thou can&s;t not doe, though you would prove if thou could, that unbeliefe is not a &s;in again&s;t the Law of God; then thou &s;peaks of the obedi|ence of the Sonne of <HI>Mary</HI> imputed to us, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But I &s;ay the obedience of him without doth not ju&s;tifie any; who are in the Nature of enmity again&s;t him, who is not a new creature nor condemned in the fle&s;h; and whereas thou &s;ecretly char|ges us, with mingling Law and Go&s;pell together; I tell the we know the operation of each, and doth witne&s;&s;e the Mini&s;trati|on of each, and they are not devided nor oppo&s;ite one again&s;t the other; but that one is the fulfilling of the other, and though thou &s;aid <HI>you leape over the Law, for Ju&s;tification,</HI> yet it is too high for the to leape over for condemnation. Re|member this, and all thy fained faith while in that Nature thou &s;tands uncondemned, is but as the &s;tubble for the fire; then whereas I charged thee with preaching another Go&s;pel, then the Apo&s;tle preached, &amp; my charge is true upon thy head, and my proofe is &s;ound, again&s;t thee, he directed to the word with|in, in the heart <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. what &s;aith it, the word is in the heart, and he turned to the light from darkne&s;&s;e; but thou &s;aith who &s;hall a&s;cend to fetch him, men mu&s;t follow him to the Cro&s;&s;e without, and to Heaven without, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> And &s;o art one that &s;aith loe here and loe there; but the&s;e things thou ha&s;t pa&s;&s;ed by, with thy lying excu&s;e of quarrelling, a many poore &s;hifts thou art faine to make, and in that I &s;aid thou was a lyer, in &s;aying the light <HI>(viz.)</HI> of Chri&s;t as God, doth not &s;hew the &s;oul a Saviour or deliverer, my charge upon the is true and &s;tands vnremoved, and I asked thee, if the light of Chri&s;t doth not &s;hew Chri&s;t to all that walke in the light, then what can but this; thou ha&s;t pa&s;&s;ed al&s;o mo&s;t deceitfully which &s;tands upon thee to an&s;wer or to &s;top thy mouth, then thou would excu&s;e thy contradictions charged upon thee, in that thou &s;aid they are wickedly deluded, who own Chri&s;t no otherwi&s;e then as he was before the world&punc; and yet &s;aying
<PB N="47" REF="26">
God onely is the Saviour and there is none be&s;ides him, and all thou &s;ai&s;t cleares not thy &s;elfe from contradiction herein, let hone&s;t men be judge betwixt us both, for thou judges fal&s;e|ly me to be naught, and I am &s;ure thou art naught, and thou will not take my judgement, I may not take thine, (let impar|tiallity judge betwixt us) then thou would excu&s;e thy &s;lan|ders charged ju&s;tly upon thee, in &s;aying that Quakers make light of the Re&s;urrection, and to prove thy wickedne&s;&s;e, thou askes us whither it be &s;o, i'ts time enough for us to an&s;wer when thou ha&s;t brought evidence of the fir&s;t accu&s;ation, what poor proofe is this for to cover thy &s;elfe, though to add to thy wickedne&s;&s;e. Thou &s;ay, thou knows we deny it, I aske thee when it was, or where it was, O thou enemy of Righteou&s;nes, yea thou &s;halt ari&s;e in the day of judgement to &s;hame and contempt, and this I affirme except thou repent of this thy wickedne&s;&s;e;</P>
<P>Then whereas thou urges me, that I &s;hould have an&s;wered, the Querie rai&s;ed from <HI>Eph.</HI> 4. 10, better, or confuted thine, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Doe not boa&s;t but heare what I &s;ay, thou &s;ai&s;t in that an&s;wer, that Chri&s;t a&s;cended to the right hand of the Father in your Nature. Mark now, thy Nature and your Nature who are one with thee, is &s;infull and wicked and of the Divell for &s;o all lyers are, and it is Bla&s;phemie to &s;ay &s;infull wicked divilli&s;h Nature, &s;uch as <HI>John Bunians</HI> is, and his fellowes, is at the right hand of God in Heaven, O horrible! con&s;ider of this, and &s;ee what thy begging an an&s;wer hath brought upon thee, I deny though thou affirme it, that thy and your Nature which is wicked&punc; or, a man in that Nature is a&s;cended into Heaven, and therefore boa&s;t not thy &s;elfe another time, This nakednes of thine might have been covered but for thy own boa&s;ting, and thou &s;ai&s;t <HI>Acts</HI> 1. proves it, let the reader &s;earch, If he can find that Chri&s;t a&s;cended in &s;infull wicked Nature, &s;uch as theirs is, who are one with <HI>John Bunian,</HI> and this is another lie of the Scripture, and though thou with much impudent confidence affirme the Quakers to be deluders <HI>&amp;c.</HI> I &s;ay from that we rather love di&s;prai&s;e then prai&s;e, and are as our fore Fathers were counted deceivers and yet are true, and thou art deceived in thy own heart, in that thou under&s;tands my words,
<PB N="48" REF="27">
that I &s;hould &s;ay as though there were no fal&s;e Prophets now, becau&s;e I &s;aid they were in the Apo&s;tles dayes, which is true, and yet are they now too; even its witne&s;&s;ed by thee, and thy fellowes, who are in their &s;teps, who through coveteou&s;|nes making merchandize of &s;oules, and your people are ever learning, and not able to come to the knowledge of the truth, and goes for gifts and rewards, and are fal&s;e accu&s;ers and &s;uch like. Nay but under&s;tand me better, for I &s;ay thou art a fal&s;e Prophet, and thou art now, though thy root &s;prang forth in the time of the Apo&s;tles of which thou art a branch, and thy fellows; And though I &s;aid that Antichri&s;t was in the dayes of <HI>John,</HI> and this was before a Quaker was heard of, my words I own, prove that, that the Chri&s;tians was called Quakers at that day if thou can&s;t, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> I alow not thee to be my Inter|preter, except I found thee more hone&s;t, but doth condemne thy meaning upon my words, and though thou &s;ay in&s;tead of proving our &s;elves not fal&s;e Prophets, we prove our &s;elves no Chri&s;tians, becau&s;e I &s;aid (that word) Quakers was not <HI>heard of</HI> in tho&s;e dayes. Now con&s;ider, are they no Chri&s;ti|ans now, who&s;e title or name without, was not given or heard of, in the Apo&s;tles dayes, then Prote&s;tants are no Chri&s;tians, nor Independants are no Chri&s;tians, nor Anabapti&s;ts are no Chri&s;tians, becau&s;e they were not called &s;o in the Apo&s;tles dayes, and while thou ha&s;t thought to prove us no Chri&s;tians, ha&s;t ca&s;t out thy &s;elfe al&s;o, then thou art no better then we, and what poor arguments the&s;e are, let the wi&s;e con&s;ider, and vaine con&s;equences, I did not &s;ay there were no Quakers then, but not a Quaker beard of <HI>(viz)</HI> by that name; for there was thou&s;ands of Quakers, who trembled and quaked at the word of the Lord, <HI>Mo&s;es,</HI> and <HI>David, Jeremiah, I&s;aack, Paul</HI> with many more were Quakers, and tremble<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">s, though not then &s;o called, but as I &s;aid, &s;uch as thou ha&s;t &s;uch thou brings, and thy ma&s;ter will accept thee.</P>
<P>Then thou &s;ai&s;t, <HI>I fling durt in thy face,</HI> becau&s;e I &s;aid if we &s;hould diligent &s;earch thee, we &s;hould find thee in their &s;teps, through feigned words through coveteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, making mer|chandize of &s;oules, loving the ways of unrighteou&s;ne&s;&s;e. And further I &s;aid <HI>among them</HI> thou art found, who art preaching
<PB N="49" REF="27">
for hire, and loves the error of <HI>Balaam</HI> who went after gifts and rewards, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Now thou &s;eemes to be grieved, and calls this <HI>a fal&s;e accu&s;ation,</HI> but lets try; the cau&s;e admits di&s;pute, art not thou in <HI>their &s;teps,</HI> and <HI>among them</HI> that do the&s;e things? aske <HI>John Burton</HI> with whom thou art j<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">yned clo&s;e; to vindi|cate him and calls him Brother, he hath &s;o much yearly, 150. <HI>l.</HI> or more (except thou ha&s;t &s;ome of it,) which is unrighteous wages, and bire, and gifts, and rewards. What &s;ai&s;t thou, art thou not in his &s;teps, and among and with him and them that doe the&s;e things? if he be thy Brother, and thou &s;o own him, what is evill in him whom thou vindicates, I lay upon thee, but tell me, who have heard thee deny him, and the re&s;t of the In|dependants, in the&s;e things which thou knows he doth act, and in thy an&s;wer I cannot find the fully clearing thy &s;elf by deny|all, but &s;ai&s;t <HI>that &s;pirit that lead me out of this way is a lying &s;pi|rit,</HI> out of what way I &s;ay, out of the way of preaching for hire, do&s;t thou meane; nay its a lying &s;pirit in thee, that goe in their &s;teps, and among them that goes in this way, and though thou bid me have a care of receiving by hear-&s;ay, what I have (&s;aid) received in this, is truth, though thou evade it ne|ver &s;o much.</P>
<P>As to that of &s;ome bidding thee throw away the Scriptures, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Indeed upon &s;uch termes, it might be &s;poken &s;o as to be owned, a lyer and a &s;landerer is an unfit fellow to meddle with the Scriptures, or to take the name of the Lord, or of the man Chri&s;t Je&s;us, in his mouth, and I may &s;ay truly what ha&s;t thou (unrighteous per&s;on) to doe, to take his name, and truth in thy mouth, hateing to be reformed.</P>
<P>And in that I &s;ay of thy crying again&s;t Chri&s;t within, this is true who &s;aid there was nothing in thee, nor any man (with|out acception) to be taken notice of, as we may prove by witne&s;&s;e though thou deny it; then, was not Chri&s;t within, and what le&s;&s;e is this, then to cry again&s;t him, when as thou de|nyed him within, or el&s;e concluded he is not worth taking no|tice of. And though thou &s;ay I fal&s;ely &s;peak of thee in &s;aying thou calls the Doctrine of Chri&s;t within, fal&s;e opinions, and take in hand to di&s;cover it, but the fal&s;ene&s;&s;e is in thee, who hath utterd that which is untruth, and contrary to the Go&s;pel,
<PB N="50" REF="28">
and now denyes it, or would hide thy wickedne&s;&s;e; for thou having framed an objection, and &s;peaks of &s;ome that are for a Chri&s;t within, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> and then thou &s;ai&s;t, thou will di&s;cover the fal&s;ity of &s;uch opinions, Now thou do&s;t here reckon the Doc|trine of Chri&s;t within fal&s;e opinion, (or among them at lea&s;t) let the Reader judge, and be thou &s;ilent for &s;hame; but all thou &s;ai&s;t cleares thee not, from what I &s;aid of thee, God &s;hall judge thee thou lying tongue, and deceitfull heart.</P>
<P>Then thou charges me with folly and to eat my fir&s;t words, and to be un&s;table in judgement, and to fight again&s;t the truth, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> From my que&s;tion asked, doth not the Scripture &s;ay, Chri&s;t is within, except you be reprobates, and is not this thus much, all is reprobates but they in whom Chri&s;t is within, and yet becau&s;e I &s;aid the mea&s;ure or manife&s;tation of the Spirit, is given, to every man, this thou ha&s;t catched. at, and would prove it un&s;ound, but truth is over thee, and both the&s;e are true; and further, I &s;ay that Chri&s;t is given into the world, yea to all, but all receives him not, and they that doe not re|ceive him are reprobates, though he be given but not received, and the folly and fighting again&s;t truth is in thy &s;elfe, who &s;aith it is contrary to the Scriptures to &s;ay the Spirit is giving to every one, thou here lye&s;t of the Scripture as its proved and I doe not befoole my &s;elfe in &s;aying the words (or &s;ome of them) I own in thy book, though I have written again&s;t the book, for though thou &s;peak Chri&s;t words and the Apo&s;tles words, yet thy voyce is the &s;trangers and thy voyce I deny, what ever words thou &s;peakes, and is not befooling my &s;elfe, and here I could ju&s;tly end my di&s;cour&s;e, and what is &s;aid is &s;ufficient, to manife&s;t thee and me, to the hone&s;t Reader. And thus far thy weapons of &s;landers are broken, and thy refuge of lyes are layd-wa&s;t, and this al&s;o is ca&s;t by, as our &s;poyled prey of <HI>Babylons</HI> trea&s;ure, and trampled upon, and know that we are of God, and he that is of God heareth us; and to our God, &s;hall all bow; and before him tremble.</P>
<P>And whereas thou &s;eemes to be greatly offended, and &s;tum|bling very much, at my an&s;wers to thy Queries, becau&s;e thy carnall conceptions is not &s;atisfied, nor thy vaine minde grati|fied, having as thou think&s;t great occa&s;ion again&s;t me thereby,
<PB N="51" REF="28">
which cau&s;es thy mouth to be opened in vapouring words a|loft. again&s;t the &s;implicity of the Go&s;pel, not under&s;tanding my words, for the things of the Kingdome of God is a parable to thee and &s;ealed from thee, never to be known in the rea|&s;on in which thou judge&s;t.</P>
<P>But in &s;hort thus I <HI>Reply,</HI> I did not purpo&s;e to an&s;wer ful|ly to them to feede any mans wi&s;edome with my knowledge of the things of Gods Kingdome; for the Queries were not fully directed to the Quakers; &s;o that quench thy anger, and according to my an&s;wer, goe &s;eeke a further an&s;wer, (or el&s;e be thou &s;till un&s;atisfied) from them who are led with a &s;pirit of delu&s;ion, for &s;uch a direction requires no full an&s;wer from me, nor any of us who are in the truth and not in the delu&s;i|on, neither did I purpo&s;e nor doe I at any time to an&s;wer fully to &s;uch things are directed in a great part to others, I am not a &s;ervant e&s;pecially to them that are led with a &s;pirit of delu|&s;ion, to fulfill thy will, But yet the &s;hort an&s;wers that I gave, (which was not in the behalfe of delu&s;ion) but for the truths &s;ake, I &s;till own though thou cannot under&s;tand them, but products many bad lying wicked con&s;equences from them, and my purpo&s;e was not to feed thy fooli&s;h wi&s;edome in an&s;|wering; nor to &s;atisfie thy rea&s;on to receive prai&s;e from thee or any man for &s;o I know it mu&s;t be in hearing and &s;eeing, thou mu&s;t not perceive nor under&s;tand, who art of the genera|tion hardened and in parable is the Kingdome of heaven unto thee, and I rejoyce the rather in being a &s;tumbling to thee, in that &s;tate wherein thou &s;tande&s;t, then that I &s;hould have gra|tified thee, for I &s;eek not nor receives honour from man in what I doe; but is covered from the worlds knowledge, and know this, if thou cannot receive the Kingdome of Heaven as a little leaven; thou &s;halt never know it; But yet how wicked art thou in this al&s;o, though not under&s;tanding me, in what I &s;aid yet, &s;o fouly wronging me with above 30. fal&s;e charges and &s;landers from my words, which thou reaches not the know|ledge of, &s;o it will be enough.</P>
<P><HI>Reply,</HI> to &s;um up thy lyes and &s;end them backe to thee to &s;eeke them out, and an evidence for them and the <HI>Queries</HI> and my An&s;wers &s;hall &s;tand as they are to be judged of by ho|ne&s;t
<PB N="52" REF="29">
men, while we are both &s;ilent in our own cau&s;e, they are to be &s;een at large in my fir&s;t Book, <HI>The true faith of the Go&s;pel contended for,</HI> &amp;c. in the 26, 27, 28. pages.</P>
<P>And whereas further I &s;peake at the end of my An&s;wers of Chri&s;t within the hope of glory and &s;aid, it is that mi&s;tery which long hath been hid from ages, but now is made manife&s;t and declared, and though the wi&s;e of this world cannot receive it, but &s;peaks evill again&s;t it, yet it is deare unto us, and &s;o much more precious becau&s;e de&s;pi&s;ed by &s;uch as him and &s;uch things are a te&s;timony to us and again&s;t you, <HI>(viz.)</HI> our en|emies, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> As in my 29. Page of my fir&s;t may be &s;een; and mo&s;t wickedly this, or part of it, he calls bablings, and &s;aies he pa&s;&s;es by it.</P>
<P>O horrible impudency! what marvell that he &s;hould &s;o be|lye me, when as he hath called the very Scripture truth, &s;poken forth in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, bablings? and the&s;e things I leave the Reader to Judge of, and all his lyes thrown upon me impu|dently and con&s;ider, what ground this man hath from my an|&s;wers to be &s;een in my fir&s;t booke to broach out and belch out &s;uch a number of lyes and &s;landers, in 5. &s;ides of paper, not a|ny one of them (charged again&s;t me fal&s;ly) were &s;poken by me, or ever in my thought to &s;peake, or ground given by a|ny of my words for &s;uch productions, as it is &s;een what lodges in the heart of &s;uch a fellow even de&s;perate wickedne&s;&s;e who is without any &s;hame or hone&s;ty, who dare utter &s;uch things again&s;t the upright, who hates not his enemies, but while I am clear in the &s;ight of God, from all his fal&s;e &s;landers, I matter not what <HI>John Bunion</HI> &s;ay of me, who is as a man given up to wickedne&s;&s;e who in le&s;&s;e then a &s;heet of paper hath uttered 30. lyes or more, which I may particularly manife&s;t before he can find evidence; a great wickedne&s;&s;e? can this mans converts be good, while him&s;elf is unconverted? is he a mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t? for &s;hame let it not be told &s;o; well I beg not vengeance again&s;t him, but leaves my an&s;wers to be read, who wil clear me from his lying con&s;equences, mo&s;t wickedly conceived, and as wickedly uttered <HI>(By one of Gogs Army)</HI> again&s;t a member of Je&s;us.</P>
<P>Now I come to reckon up his damnable Doctrines, and er|rors, which are contrary to the truth; as will manife&s;tly ap|peare,
<PB N="53" REF="29">
to him that is &s;pirituall; &s;ome of them damnable with|out compari&s;on.</P>
<P><HI>John Bunian</HI> &s;aid, <HI>That Chri&s;ts &s;econd coming, is not his com|ing</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">To this is two witne&s;&s;es.</NOTE> <HI>in Spirit, for his coming in Spirit is no coming.</HI> He &s;aith, this (or part of it) is a lye made of him by me; when as &s;everall witne&s;&s;es, doth te&s;tifie in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, that tho&s;e very words were &s;poken by him, in <HI>Paules</HI> &s;teeple-hou&s;e in <HI>Bedford</HI> towne, <HI>May</HI> 23. 1656. as is witne&s;&s;ed, and yet this man is &s;o impudent, that he denyes what he &s;pake, (or is a|&s;hamed of his words) and &s;o would ca&s;t the lye upon me, who is cleere, and the wickedne&s;&s;e lyes at his door, and where|as he would prove that the &s;econd coming of Chri&s;t, is not his coming in Spirit, I &s;ay I will not begg him to believe it, but as he believes, &s;o be it unto him, and all that he &s;aith doth not prove, but that Chri&s;t promi&s;ed, and fullfilled to his Di&s;ciples, <NOTE PLACE="marg">John 14.</NOTE> that he would come againe to them, (mark) againe is a &s;e|cond time, If any man hath an ear let him hear. And then he &s;aith he will not trouble him&s;elfe to lay this to my charge in that it was &s;aid of him; <HI>Chri&s;ts coming in Spirit is no coming,</HI> it may be he repents of what he hath &s;aid, being better con&s;i|dered, &s;ince he hath already fal&s;ly charged me with it, as &s;ome in the County of <HI>Bedford</HI> knows very well, that he hath fal&s;ly charged me and denyed his own words, &s;poken by his own mouth.</P>
<P>Al&s;o he &s;aid, <HI>Take notice that I affirme that there is nothing in me nor in any man to he taken notice of,</HI> The&s;e are his own words &s;poken by him <HI>Aprill</HI> 12. 1656. at <HI>Patnam,</HI> witne&s;&s;ed by three men, who heard it from his mouth, and this charge he doth not fully deny, but in a great mea&s;ure he a&s;&s;ents to it, yet would cover his &s;hame a little with a lye, in &s;aying, <HI>Di|rectly in this forme of words he did not lay them downe,</HI> but this will not &s;erve to hide his reprobate &s;tate, for to his face it maybe te&s;tified he &s;poke the words, as I have laid them down, and therefore con&s;ider again&s;t whom I am yoaked, again&s;t one that is a reprobate, and without Chri&s;t in him, one that have denyed Chri&s;t in him, or el&s;e thinks Chri&s;t not worth taking notice of. O abominable ignorance, why &s;hould &s;uch a fellow take the things of God in his mouth, who hath denyed Chri&s;t
<PB N="54" REF="30">
in him, and the Spirit of Chri&s;t indeed it appears that he doth take notice of nothing in him, el&s;e he would have been woun|ded with the light in his own con&s;cience, before he had brought forth thus many lyes, it &s;eems he takes notice of no|thing in him, but is pa&s;t feeling, damnable doctrine indeed, without compari&s;on, that ever one profe&s;&s;ing a Mini&s;ter of Chri&s;t, &s;hould be &s;o &s;tark blind and wicked, yea, we have ta|ken notice of what thou ha&s;t &s;aid and it &s;hall be recorded for ignorance of the greate&s;t &s;ort, but he would evade the thing and give a &s;ence upon his words, and in &s;uch a &s;ence he ownes, and in &s;uch a &s;ence he denyes it, but what is this to the pur|po&s;e, except he confe&s;&s;e it, (as it is) that he is unregenerate, and if &s;o, he confe&s;&s;es the light of God is in him and then to be taken notice of, if it be but to condemne him.</P>
<P>O blindne&s;&s;e to be marked! well, this mans folly hath ap|peared &s;ufficiently, who confe&s;&s;es this light in every man is the light of Chri&s;t as G&oacute;d, and yet &s;aith, he affirmes there is no|thing in him, nor any man, (regenerate or unregenerate) without exception) his words here &s;poken, worth the taking notice of.</P>
<P>The re&s;t of the particulars charged upon his fellowes is pa&s;|&s;ed by with the excu&s;e of wanting the names expre&s;&s;ed, may be he is glad to be ignorant in this thing, but lets &s;earch, <HI>John Burion</HI> &s;aid, That Chri&s;t had two bodyes, one our of the &s;ight of the Saints, in <HI>Bedford, May</HI> 23. 1656. And to this <HI>John Bunian</HI> confe&s;&s;es but would excu&s;e it if he could, and would manife&s;t that Chri&s;t hath two bodies, cleane contrary to the Scripture which affirms <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 4. 4. Now no marvell that he gain-&s;ayes me, when as he hath gain &s;aied the Apo&s;tle, who &s;aith expre&s;ly, <HI>There is one body,</HI> but they &s;ay two bodies; let them be a&s;hamed for ever, thus to contradict Scrip|ture,</P>
<P><HI>John Spencly,</HI> (one of the Te&s;tators of this lying &s;crole, a <NOTE PLACE="marg">May 23. 1656 I<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>Bedford.</HI></NOTE> member of the &s;ame &s;uppo&s;ed Church) &s;aid that Chri&s;t and the word of life were two things, and &s;o would divide Chri&s;t con|trary to the 6^t^h^. of <HI>John</HI> 48. where Chri&s;t &s;aith he is the bread of life, and contrary to 1 <HI>John</HI> 1. 2. The 23. of the 8. month, 1656.. <HI>John Bunion</HI> and one <HI>Fer.</HI> and <HI>J. Child</HI> laid down.</P>
<P N="1"><PB N="55" REF="30">
1. That God dyed, <HI>And that very God, and the everla&s;t|ing Father dyed contrary</HI> to many Scriptures, as <HI>Dan.</HI> 4. 34. <HI>Dan.</HI> 12. 7.</P>
<P N="2">2. They affirmed, <HI>That the word that was in the beginning was crucified upon the Cro&s;&s;e,</HI> contrary <HI>to the</HI> 1 Peter 1. 23.</P>
<P N="3">3. They affirmed, <HI>That ju&s;tification is without obedience,</HI> But yet &s;ay I, None is ju&s;tified in di&s;obedience but all condem|ned in it, let them mark that, and there is but either in obedi|ence, or in di&s;obedience, and he that is a Believer and ju&s;tified, is not without obedience.</P>
<P N="4">4. That <HI>There is a light which convinceth of &s;in, be&s;ides the light of Chri&s;t,</HI> and <HI>John Bunian</HI> in all his Booke cannot prove any is convinced of &s;in, that hath not the light of Chri&s;t or that any thing be&s;ides the light of Chri&s;t doth convince of &s;in, &s;o that his con&s;u&s;ion doth appeare,</P>
<P N="5">5, That <HI>There is no &s;aving knowledge but what comes with|out from Heaven,</HI> contrary to 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 6, 7. where it is &s;aid the light &s;hone in their hearts out of darkne&s;&s;e, <HI>J. Child</HI> denyed that the man Chri&s;t Je&s;us had given <HI>a light to every man that comes into the world,</HI> contrary to <HI>Joh.</HI> 1. 9.</P>
<P>Al&s;o he denyed, <HI>That every man was lighted, that they might believe,</HI> contrary to <HI>Jo.</HI> 12. 36. 35. <HI>Jo. Burton</HI> &s;aid, <HI>That a man might be upon the foundation and yet deny Chri&s;t,</HI> Now the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>Matth.</HI> 10. 33. He that denyes Chri&s;t &s;hall be denyed of the Father, and the Father denyes not any that are on the foundotion as they affirme.</P>
<P>Another of them &s;aid, <HI>That the word that was hid in Davids heart was the outward Scriptures.</HI></P>
<P>Another of them affirmed, <HI>That he was ju&s;tified from all his &s;ins, past, pre&s;ent and to come and &s;aid there was Scripture in the Acts to prove it.</HI></P>
<P><HI>John Burton</HI> &s;aid, <HI>That a man is not ju&s;tified by the Spirit, John Bunian</HI> &s;aid, the 30. of the 11. month, <HI>That the Spirit of Chri&s;t doth nothing</HI> (Mark) <HI>within man as to ju&s;tification,</HI> he affirmed, <HI>That the fle&s;h of Chri&s;t is not within any man,</HI> then there is no man that hath life in him if Chri&s;ts words be true, <HI>Jo.</HI> 6. 53. and Chri&s;ts words is true, and therefore <HI>Jo. Bnnions</HI> doctrine is, he &s;aid, <HI>That by the Kingdome of Heaven, within
<PB N="56" REF="31">
the Phari&s;ees Luke&punc;</HI> 17. <HI>Chri&s;t &s;peakes of him&s;elfe there as a per|&s;onall</HI> <NOTE PLACE="marg">This is wit|ne&s;&s;ed by ma|ny.</NOTE> <HI>man to be that Kingdome of heaven,</HI> Mark here what the &s;ub&s;tance of this is, doth he meane that the per&s;on of Chri&s;t was in the Phari&s;ees.</P>
<P>O horrid blindne&s;&s;e! not to be parrelelled.</P>
<P>He &s;aid, <HI>The be&s;t thing in a naturall man is Impure,</HI> and yet in this Book confe&s;&s;es that the light of God is in all men, &s;o that mu&s;t be impure, el&s;e <HI>J. Bunians</HI> doctrine is a lye; but the light of God is pure, and therefore <HI>Jo. Bunians</HI> doctrine is a lye,</P>
<P>He &s;aid, that the Scripture, <HI>In every place doth not mean as it &s;peakes,</HI> and in&s;tanced that in <HI>Peter,</HI> not to mean as it &s;peaks, where it is &s;aid, yea, as lively &s;tones are built up a &s;pirituall hou&s;e, and where it is &s;aid, have &s;alt in your &s;elves, <HI>He asked if a mans belly must be filled with &s;alt,</HI> Mark this expo&s;itor, and his blindne&s;&s;e and ignorance, and the cau&s;e why he is &s;i|lent, <HI>And forbears to aggravate &s;in is, lea&s;t hard thoughts &s;hould be entertained again&s;t him,</HI> Let men judge, whether this be not an unfaithfull man to the Lord, who rather then har&s;h thoughts &s;hould be again&s;t him in the wicked, he will be <NOTE PLACE="marg">His own book holds this forth.</NOTE> &s;ilent, and hide and cover &s;in in &s;inners. O wickedne&s;&s;e in|deed!</P>
<P>He &s;aith, that Chri&s;t <HI>A&s;cended into Heaven in our nature, (viz.)</HI> in his nature, and they that are one with him, and he and they are proved to be in corrupt nature, as they will con|fe&s;&s;e it. O what wickedne&s;&s;e to hold forth that Chri&s;t is at the right hand of God in &s;infull nature, as his words holds forth from his owne mouth.</P>
<P><HI>Jo. Burton</HI> &s;aid, <HI>That men may depend too much upon &s;ome|thing called Chri&s;t, and the righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t with|in.</HI></P>
<P>He &s;aith, that the Devil <HI>Knowes how to take the Childrens bread (viz.)</HI> Chri&s;t Je&s;us who onely is the Childrens bread) and give him to dogs. O &s;ad error and damnable.</P>
<P>He &s;aith, <HI>That the Devill deceives &s;oules by bidding them follow the light which they brought into the world with them.</HI></P>
<P>And he confe&s;&s;es that light is the light of Chri&s;t (as God)
<PB N="57" REF="31">
O unutterable ignorance! can a &s;ober man read this, and not be a&s;hamed, to hold forth that the Devil deceives &s;oules by bidding them follow the light of Chri&s;t (as God)?</P>
<P>He &s;aith, they that follow Chri&s;t aright, <HI>mu&s;t follow him without, to the cro&s;&s;e without for ju&s;tification, or mount Calvery without; they mu&s;t &s;eek for ju&s;tification without, and the Spirit of Chri&s;t it leads to Chri&s;t without.</HI></P>
<P>Reader, &s;ee if this be not near unto Poperey, or enquire el&s;e what he meanes, as if he would have people to goe a Pilgri|mage, and this is contrary to <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. 6, 7, 8.</P>
<P>He &s;aith, <HI>That the &s;oule of man is the light wherewith every man is lighted by Chri&s;t as God,</HI> and this is the light that every man brought into the world with him, and the Devil deceives &s;oules by this light <HI>(viz.)</HI> by the &s;oule, this is true from his owne words, let it be marked by &s;ober men, what damnable doctrines the&s;e are, hardly fit to be raked in.</P>
<P>He &s;aith further, <HI>That the Devil deceives &s;oules by per&s;wa|ding them to follow the light within,</HI> which he confe&s;&s;es is the light of Chri&s;t, and that all men hath it.</P>
<P>He &s;aith, <HI>Con&s;cience is the light of God,</HI> and yet in another place &s;aith, <HI>Con&s;cience is defiled,</HI> what concurrence is here, let the Reader judge, to hold forth that the light of God is defi|led, his words plainly &s;hewes, to &s;ay that the law is the School|ma&s;ter to bring to Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>He &s;aith, <HI>This is a frothy argument.</HI></P>
<P>And to make up his wickedne&s;&s;e he &s;aith, <HI>He is ruled by Scripture,</HI> con&s;ider whether tho&s;e doctrins and lyes be not quite contrary to Scripture, what impudency is in this mans heart to &s;ay he is ruled by Scripture, he &s;aith, <HI>They that look up|on</HI> <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Compare this doctrin with <HI>Heb.</HI> 13. 8. and his doct|rine is proved to be <HI>damna|ble.</HI></NOTE> <HI>Chri&s;t no otherwayes then as he was before the world was, he dare to be bold to &s;ay they are no Chri&s;tians but Antichri&s;tians,</HI> he &s;aith, <HI>That</HI> <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Contrary to <HI>John</HI> <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">. <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> <HI>Chri&s;t as he is Mediater, &s;o he doth not lighten every man that comes into the world though as he is God, he doth,</HI> Markhere, he would divide Chri&s;t, not to be the &s;ame, the Son, as he is the Father; yet he confe&s;&s;es in his Book, <HI>What the Fa|ther doth, the Son doth al&s;o,</HI> &s;ee what contradiction here is? not worth the raking in, O blindne&s;&s;e that may be felt in the gro&s;&s;e&s;t darkne&s;&s;e he inhabits. He &s;aith, <HI>That the Devil hath
<PB N="58" REF="32">
more experience of the knowledge of the eternall power, and God|head,</HI> then unregenerate men; Mark, the word <HI>more</HI> &s;ignifies &s;omething. He &s;aith, <HI>The light of Chri&s;t as God, is con&s;cience and nature it &s;elfe,</HI> Mark, nature is &s;infull, and wicked, and all are children of wrath, in it &s;o are all by the light of Chri&s;t as God; wicked &amp; children of wrath if <HI>Jo. Bunions</HI> doctrin be true, let him make it good as he can: O wonderful tra&s;h &amp; muddy &s;tuff, unheard of before. He &s;aith, <HI>The Devil deceives &s;ouls, by bid|ding them li&s;ten within, and &s;ee if there be not that which doth con|vince of &s;in,</HI> Mark his doctrin well. He denyes, <HI>That Paul bids li&s;ten within,</HI> contrary to that Scripture, <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. 8, 9. He &s;aith, <HI>con&s;cience may be hardned and &s;eared, and is naturally e|vill,</HI> and yet &s;aith, <HI>Con&s;cience is the light of Chri&s;t as God,</HI> &s;ee what an agreement is here, the light of Chri&s;t as God, is hard|ened and &s;eared, and evil, el&s;e <HI>J. Bunion</HI> mu&s;t revoke his doct|rine, or el&s;e prove this, Con&s;ider what &s;tuff this is, which is held forth by him.</P>
<P>He &s;aith, he preaches not for hire, indeed, he had no need to receive mony for &s;uch doctrin as the&s;e.</P>
<P>He &s;aith <HI>Chri&s;t is &s;ome four or five foot long,</HI> This is more then he can tell.</P>
<P>He reckons the doctrin of Chri&s;t within a fal&s;e, (or among fal&s;e) opinions.</P>
<P>He &s;aith, <HI>It is contrary to Scripture to &s;ay the mea&s;ure</HI> (or manife&s;tation) <HI>of the Spirit is given to every man,</HI> though <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith &s;o plainly to the <HI>Corinthians,</HI> 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 12. 7.</P>
<P>Mark here he hath &s;poken quite contrary to Scripture, de|nyed that which <HI>Paul</HI> affirmed or el&s;e counted <HI>Pauls</HI> words again&s;t Scripture.</P>
<P>He &s;aith, <HI>They that are borne of God doe daily &s;in,</HI> ab&s;olute contrary to the 1 <HI>John</HI> 3. 9. And therefore he would give the Apo&s;tle the lye.</P>
<P>Now Reader con&s;ider, whether thou wilt believe <HI>John Bunian,</HI> or the Apo&s;tle <HI>John,</HI> for they are at ods, and &s;peaks quite contrary one to the other.</P>
<P>He &s;aith, <HI>That the light that &s;hewes thee there is a God,</HI> and <HI>that this God is eternall, would lead to life, then might the De|vils be delivered from damnation, and the Devils knowes God as a Creator,</HI> &amp;c.</P>
<P><PB N="59" REF="32">
He &s;aith, <HI>That the light &s;poken of</HI> John <HI>the</HI> 3<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter"> <HI>is the man Christ Je&s;us,</HI> and yet &s;aith, <HI>that the man Chri&s;t Je&s;us, is not a condemning light.</HI></P>
<P>Mark that Scripture, &s;aith that light was condemnation to them that did evill, he &s;aith not, who mu&s;t you believe.</P>
<P>He &s;aith, <HI>That the lyar and &s;landerer is an unbeliever, and his condition is &s;ad.</HI></P>
<P>Con&s;ider here, how out of his owne mouth he is condem|ned, who is at large proved a lyar and &s;landerer, out of his own mouth will the Lord condemn him.</P>
<P>He &s;aith, That a man cannot give a more right de&s;cription of a fal&s;e Prophet, then the Prophets, Chri&s;t, and the Apo&s;tles did give. <HI>Reply,</HI> In this thou ha&s;t truly &s;aid. Now lets con&s;ider, how thou ha&s;t&punc; confe&s;&s;ed to thy own &s;hame, and laid open thy own nakedne&s;&s;e, the Prophets &s;aid &s;uch was fal&s;e Prophets as preached for hire, and divi|ned for mony, and fed them&s;elves, and clothed them&s;elves with the woole, and that u&s;ed their tongues, and &s;aid the Lord &s;aith it, when God had not &s;poken to them, and that cryed peace to the wicked, and Chri&s;t &s;aid &s;uch were deceivers, who had the chiefe&s;t place in the a&s;&s;embly, and &s;tood praying in the Synagogues, and loved the uppermo&s;t rooms at fea&s;ts, and that were called of men ma&s;ter, and &s;uch like, and the A|po&s;tle &s;aid &s;uch were deceivers, to take gifts and rewards, and lucre, and that loved unrighteous wages, and that were back|biters, and fal&s;e accu&s;ers, and covetous, and having a forme of Godline&s;&s;e, but denying the power, who ever taught, and the people were not able to come to the knowledge of the truth, with many other &s;uch like. Now this is my appeale to all mens con&s;ciences, in the &s;ight of God, whether thou art not found under &s;ome of the&s;e carrectars (at lea&s;t) or whether thou art not one in union and fellow&s;hip, with &s;uch who act the&s;e things, yea, thou art&punc; among them and not crying again&s;t them, and &s;o art guilty of their &s;in, though not as fully in the act as are &s;ome, may be; &s;o that I doubt not, but they who have not hardened their hearts, and blinded their eyes will &s;ee, how thou ha&s;t condemned thy &s;elf in confe&s;&s;ing the truth, and the time is coming that further it will be made manife&s;t concer|ning
<PB N="60" REF="33">
thee, only at pre&s;ent thou art &s;ufficiently di&s;covered, to be out of the truth in the way of perdition, and how ever though thou ha&s;t covered thy &s;elfe, as much as is po&s;&s;ible&punc; from the &s;troke of thy owne hand, and from the guilt of thy own confe&s;&s;ion, yet <HI>Jo. Burton,</HI> thou ha&s;t condemned an hundred, I thinke of <HI>Independant</HI> Mini&s;ters, (&s;o called) thy brethren, who are known to be found guilty of tho&s;e things, all or mo&s;t of them, which thou confe&s;&s;es are marks of a fal&s;e Prophet, and while thou bids us examine our &s;elves, thou art the man (or a|mong them) that are proved truly guilty.</P>
<P>He &s;aith, He is not come to one of the dayes of the thou&s;and yeares, of Satans being chained, and this is truly confe&s;&s;ed, and &s;o he is in the reigne and government of the Devill, and Satan is not bound but at liberty in him, (as it well appeares) and Chri&s;ts reigne is not known, and &s;o it mu&s;t needs be true, that he is of the Army of the Draggon again&s;t the Lamb.</P>
<P>Some of the &s;ame members with him &s;aid, in <HI>Bedford,</HI> That they &s;corned that light which convinceth of &s;in, (which the Quakers &s;peaks of)</P>
<P>Further, mo&s;t fal&s;ly I am charged by him with railing again&s;t the Lord Je&s;us, which is ab&s;olute fal&s;e; my words are &s;poken in feare and reverence of the Lord Je&s;us. Reader, the&s;e things I leave to thee, to be judged of, his fal&s;e &s;landers and his dam|nable doctrins, and wicked lying accu&s;ations; and contradicti|ons which his 9 &s;heets of paper is filled with, as if he had &s;et him&s;elf to lye, and &s;lander and &s;peak wickedly again&s;t the truth which is over him, and is a te&s;timony again&s;t him, and though oppo&s;ed by him, yet not confounded, but him it confounds, and by it he &s;hall be judged and condemned; and the time comes when further he may be made manife&s;t, if this be not &s;uffici+ent &punc;out of the abundance of his heart, hath his wicked tongue tered the&s;e things, which are but a little of what lodges in him, but let him prove the&s;e things fir&s;t, and then utter more.</P>
<P>AND now <HI>John Bunian,</HI> thou and thy fal&s;e witne&s;&s;es&punc; and all thy company and brethren in iniquity, Remember and repent for the day of your vi&s;itation is upon you, ble&s;&s;ed were you, if you could receive it, before it be &s;pent, not to be
<PB N="61" REF="33">
recalled; and before the long &s;uffering of God come to an end and you be &s;hut up in utter darkne&s;&s;e, and indeed friends the day ha&s;tens wherein every man &s;hall receive according to his deeds; he that hath done evill &s;hall not be cloaked, and he that hath done good &s;hall not be uncovered, in that day when the &s;ecrets of all hearts &s;hall be laid open, and &s;earched with the eternall eye; the end of my worke is to clear the truth, and the way thereof, (God is witne&s;&s;e) from thy &s;landerous and lying and perverting tongue, and onely I reproove thee, by the Spirit of the Lord, and &s;o leaves thee to receive thy re|ward from the ju&s;t God of righteous judgement; who upon thy head will render vengeance in flames of fire, in his dread|full day, which upon thee comes &s;uddenly, even when thou and you cries peace, peace, then &s;hall de&s;truction come as an armed man from which thou &s;halt not fly to e&s;cape, though now you all be hardened again&s;t the Lord and his way and truth, and hath even bent thy tongue for lyes, and hath reproached the innocent, to the peirceing of thy own &s;oule, and one day &s;halt thou know it, therefore bow and tremble before the Lord God, thou and all thy companions, a lyar and &s;landerer thou art, a perverter and wre&s;ter of the right way of God, and of the Scriptures, a hipocrite and di&s;&s;embler, a holder forth of damnable doctrines an envious man, and fal&s;e accu&s;er, condem|ning another fal&s;ly in what thy &s;elfe is fully guilty of; the&s;e things I lay to thy charge ju&s;tly in the pre&s;ence of the Lord God, and upon thy account are they reckoned by him, and proved by te&s;timony in the &s;ight of man (and may be more fully hereafter if any thing be wanting) and one day &s;halt thou feele the burthen of them, though now thou be above &s;hame; and all thy lyes, &s;landers, deceits, confu&s;ions, hypocri&s;ies, con|tradictions, and damnable doctrines of Devils, with impuden|cy held forth by thee, &s;hall be con&s;umed in the Pit of venge|ance, and then &s;hall the witne&s;&s;e in thy con&s;cience ju&s;tifie the Lord (in condemning thee) &amp; me, to be true in reproving thee, and this I &s;ay to thee, and you all, the liveing God you know not, nor his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t; but are enemies to God and <NOTE N="*" PLACE="marg">Witne&s;&s;e one of their brethren a Ju&s;tice of peace (&s;o cal|led who im|pri&s;oned fal|&s;ly the Inno|cent to all their &s;hame.</NOTE> per&s;ecuters of the Lord of life, and &s;hall peri&s;h among the un|circumci&s;ed, yee fal&s;e witne&s;&s;es, and wicked helpers; you may
<PB N="62" REF="34">
be a&s;hamed of your te&s;timony &s;ub&s;cribed at the beginning of his lying &s;cribble, will you yet &s;ay <HI>through Grace,</HI> tho&s;e things are true; the father &s;top your mouthes in the du&s;t, who hath offended the Lord, more then defended him, or your &s;elves; and be a&s;hamed in the pre&s;ence of God and man, much more may be &s;aid hereafter, to lay you further open, if you yet hard|en your hearts in your wickedne&s;&s;e, but I doe rather reprove you, then &s;trive with you, and rather de&s;ires your return to God, then your condemnation by him, and with this I &s;hall end, and by what is &s;aid in &s;hort is &s;ufficient to manife&s;t you, and <HI>John Bunian</HI> to all hone&s;t people, what generation you are of, and that you are guided by a lying and unclean &s;pirit, and that you are doing the Devils worke in gain-&s;aying the way of truth and righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, by your multitude of lyes and &s;landers, and damnable doctrines, and whatever you account or fal&s;ly judge of me, yet am I true (though as a deceiver) and the Lords &s;ervants, and a witne&s;&s;e for him and again&s;t all your lyes and &s;landers, and wickedne&s;&s;e hatched among&s;t you and brought forth by a lyeing orator whom you have made your mouth into the view of the world, even a cur&s;ed birth, and the father of it; and the womb that conceived it, and it &s;hall rot, and peri&s;h as the dunge and not accompli&s;h any part of the end, of your de&s;ire, for &s;o loath&s;ome it is, being truly &s;earched and laid open that it hath not obtained neither the prai&s;e of God nor man, but is defamed by men, and con|demned of God; alas, alas, for thee <HI>John Bunian</HI> thy &s;everall months travell in griefe and paine, is a fruitle&s;&s;e birth, and per|i&s;hes as an untimely fig, and its prai&s;e is blotted out among men, and its pa&s;&s;ed away as &s;moak; <HI>Truth,</HI> is a top of thee, and out-reaches thee, and thy formed weapons cannot pro&s;per, and it &s;hall &s;tand for ever to confound thee, and all its enemies; and though thou wilt not &s;ubject thy mind to &s;erve it willing|ly, yet a &s;lave to it mu&s;t thou be and what thou do&s;t in thy wickedne&s;&s;e again&s;t it, the end thereof brings forth the glory of it, and thy owne confounding and &s;hame; and now be wi&s;e and learned, and put of thy armour, for thou mai&s;t under&s;tand the more thou &s;trives, the more thou art entangled, and the higher thou ari&s;es in envy, the deeper is thy fall into confu&s;ion
<PB N="63" REF="34">
and the more thy arguments are, the more increa&s;ed is thy folly, let experience teach thee, and thy own wickedne&s;&s;e correct thee, and thus, I leave thee, and if thou wilt not owne the light of Chri&s;t in thy owne con&s;cience, now to reprove thee and convince thee, yet in the day of judgement thou &s;halt owne it, and it &s;hall witne&s;&s;e the ju&s;tne&s;&s;e of the judge|ments of the Lord, when for thy iniquities he pleads with thee, and behold as a theife in the night, when thou art not awarre, he will come, and then woe unto thee that art poluted,</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="errata">
<PB REF="35">
<HEAD>ERRATA.</HEAD>
<P>IN Page the 2. line 2. for o, r, to, and l. the 20, r. and before the dra|gon, in P. 4. l. 5. for helped, r. belyed, take notice of it; in Page 5. line 17. r. and before all, In Page 6. l. 16. for here r. they, and line 34. for tis, r. is, Page 7. l. 7. for doe r doth, for falfly, r. &s;al&s;ly, Page, 9. l. 12, after Ranters, r. they would profe&s;&s;e they, P. 11. l. 11. for re&s;ted, read wrea&s;ted, P. 12. l. 2. for upan t. upon, and l. 9. for &s;impli|city, read, &s;imple policy, and line 11. for lyed, r. laid, and l. 25. for maes, r. mans, and l, 26, for fight r. &s;ight, and l. 30. for fight r. &s;ight, and l: 33. for therefare r: therefore, P: 13. l: 30. for impuden ce r impudent, P: 19. l: 24. for <HI>Ja,</HI> r: <HI>Jo,</HI> and P: 20. l: la&s;t, after feet, r: and to confound thy &s;elfe thou &s;ai&s;t, P: 21. l: 36. for the world r: thou, P: 22. l: 10. for are r. art, P: 23. l: 1. for judged, r: judge, and l: 17. before for, r: nay, P: 24. l: 7. for therefore, r: therefrom, l: 31. for it: r: yet, P: 25. l. 13. after coufe&s;&s;es, r: is the light of God, l: 30. for wit|ne&s;&s;e, r. witne&s;&s;es, P: 27. l: 16. for of read to, and leave out to; P: 28. l: 29. for why it, r: who yet; p: 30. l: 16. for &s;aith, r: faith, l: 28. for it, r: what, P: 32. l: 26. for &s;peak, r. appeare, l: 28. for further, r: for|mer, P: 33. l: 10. for what r. that, l: 31. for &s;o, r: &s;ee P: 24. l: 19. r: I, before have; and for prover r: reprover, l: 28. &s;tood r. &s;tand, and l: 29. for fight r: fights, P: 36. l: 30. for that r: the, l: 34. after but, omit is, P: 38. l: 8. for you, r: thou, P: 41. l: 6. for &s;oules, r: &s;oule, l: 9. for &s;et, r: let, l: 27. for an&s;wered, r: fnared, l: 29. for urgeing r: rage|ing, P: 42. l: 12. for thee, r: the, P: 45. l: 4. for yet r: yes, P: 46. l: 15. for that r: the, P: 48. l: 17. for not, r: no, l, 37. for wayes r; wages P; 51. l; 15. before are, r; as. P; 55. l; la&s;t; r. <HI>damnable</HI> after is, P. 58. l; 29. for again&s;t r; no, in P. 49. l; 6. for he hath r; hath he not, &s;o it is in the manu&s;cript.</P>
<PB REF="35">
</DIV1>
</BACK>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
