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<DATE>2010-08-17</DATE>
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<NAME>Alexis Jakobson</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>A DISCOVERY Of The Man of Sin, Acting in <HI>A My&s;tery of Iniquitie,</HI> Pleading for his Kingdom, again&s;t the coming of Chri&s;t to take away Sin.</P>
<P>OR, An ANSWER to a Book &s;et forth BY
<LIST>
<ITEM><HI>Tho. Weld</HI> of Gate&s;head,</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Richard Prideaux,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Sam. Hamond</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Will. Cole,</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>and <HI>Will. Durant</HI> of Newca&s;tle.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>By way of Reply to an An&s;wer of <HI>James Nayler</HI>'s to their former Book, called <HI>The Perfect Phari&s;ee:</HI> Who call them&s;elves Mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t, but are found mini&s;tring for the kingdom of Antichri&s;t.</P>
<P>Publi&s;hed for clearing the innocency of the Truth from their malicious &s;landers, and di&s;|covering their deceits.</P>
<P>By one whom the world calls <HI>James Nayler.</HI></P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Printed for <HI>Giles Calvert,</HI> at the black Spread-Eagle neer the we&s;t-end of <HI>Pauls.</HI> 1654.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="to the reader">
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<HEAD>To the Reader.</HEAD>
<P>_TO no mans wi&s;dom are we known, nor do we de&s;ire by it to be approved; but to that in every ones Con|&s;cience (which is the light of Chri&s;t) are we made manife&s;t: and as that ari&s;es, by it &s;hall we, and what we declare, be approved: and to that do we &s;peak in every one, to be known; and by that &s;hall we eternally be witne&s;&s;ed, when the book of Con&s;cience comes to be open|ed. Now, Reader, to &s;trive for the ma&s;tery by multitude of words, is not the way of the Spirit of God; nor wilt thou finde it practi&s;ed in this Volume: but lyes and &s;landers are denied, and plain truth in few words is declared, not from the wi&s;dom of man, nor to the wi&s;dom of man, but for the &s;imple ones &s;ake, in obedience to God, from a pure Con&s;cience, to &s;trengthen the &s;implicity, and of any pure de&s;ires which may be in thy minde towards God. And if there be any thing (by the Spirit of the Lord) rai&s;ed in thee, which convinces thee, and lets thee &s;ee how unprofitably thou ha&s;t &s;pent thy time in running from one man to another, (which call them&s;elves Mini&s;ters) and hast got no true bread for thy &s;oul, but art yet in thy fallen e&s;tate, thy carnal minde ruling, (which is death reigning.) And if thou ha&s;t any de&s;ire and hungerings after truth and righteou&s;ne&s;s, wait upon the Lord in thy de|&s;ires, and in the light which convinces thee; and by the Lord &s;hall thy &s;oul be &s;atisfied. And if there be in thee any &s;imple hone&s;t de&s;ires, to know who the fal&s;e Prophets deceivers and &s;educers are, (which in this day of the Lord is to be revealed) go not to any man to know, but wait in the light which is in thy con&s;cience, which &s;hews thee &s;in in thy &s;elf: which light will di&s;cover the man of &s;in in the world; for that is
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the brightne&s;s of his coming: and of this light every one hath a med|&s;ure; (though the&s;e five, and all that love the deeds of darkne&s;s, who would not be di&s;covered, &s;trongly deny it:) and &s;uch are again&s;t Chri&s;t the light of the world: and there is Antichri&s;t di&s;covered, and the man of &s;in: and here in thy mea&s;ure thou art partaker of the &s;ame light, by which the&s;e five and all their generation are di&s;covered, and have been in all generations, by the children of light; and thereby are we &s;eparated out of the kingdoms of the world, into the kingdom of Chri&s;t; for which they hate us, and would devour us: but <HI>Michael</HI> our Prince is ri&s;en, and the war is begun with the Dragon, the Bea&s;t, and the fal&s;e Prophet: but the Lamb &s;hall take the victory; and wo unto them that are found upholding the Bea&s;t and the fal&s;e Prophet: for he that help|eth, and they that are holpen, &s;hall fall together: for now the Lord is ri&s;en, to be avenged of his enemies; and down they mu&s;t, though their number be as the &s;and of the &s;ea for multitude. Take heed whom you &s;ide with, you Powers of the earth.</P>
<P>Friends, I was moved in my An&s;wer to your <HI>Perfect Phari&s;ee,</HI> at the end of it, to write a few words to you five who had &s;ub&s;cribed that book; that upon the con&s;ideration of the many lying &s;landers there ca&s;t upon us, &s;ome gathered by fal&s;e reports, and &s;ome out of books, which books did witne&s;s &s;o plainly again&s;t you, both to you, and to all that have read them, that if it might have been the will of God, any of you might have &s;earched your con&s;cience (by that light which would teach you to do as you would be done by) and have come to repent, and found mercy: for &s;o I thought, that perhaps &s;ome of them may be drawn to believe lyes through report, that when they &s;ee them laid open, will not per&s;i&s;t in it: for &s;o was my heart in love to you, if there had been but any innocency in any of you, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">hat it might have been awakened to have pleaded again&s;t the deceit, and led you out of it; which was and is my de&s;ire. But &s;ince you are the &s;ame, yea wor&s;e, (according to that Scripture, <HI>Evil men and &s;educers grow wor&s;e and wor&s;e)</HI> wherefore I leave you to the righteous Judge of all cau&s;es; and for the &s;ake of the &s;imple, (who el&s;e may come to be deceived by your &s;ubtilties and &s;landers) proceed to lay open &s;ome of your deceits in plain words, as God &s;hall move.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="tract">
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<HEAD>A Di&s;covery of the Man of Sin, Acting in a My&s;tery of Iniquity.</HEAD>
<P>_ANd fir&s;t, a few words to your boa&s;tings, where|in you would make me vile and contemptible, and glory much in what you have done, as though you were the only men, and had o|verturned all before you: <HI>To which I an&s;wer,</HI> You might have &s;pared your great boa&s;tings of your &s;elves, (if your pride would have &s;uf|fered you) and have left it to the Judgment of tho&s;e, who are guided by a &s;pirit of Judgment, both yours and mine, to have been judged of: for it is not your great &s;welling words that can overturne the truth, but you mu&s;t appear to be <HI>proud boa&s;ters</HI> that the Scripture, <HI>Rom.</HI> 1. 30. 2. <HI>Tim.</HI> 3. 2. <HI>Jam</HI> 4. 16. may be fulfilled upon you in this, as it is in other marks left in Scripture, by which tho&s;e of your generation have been known, and are at this day.</P>
<P>1. You charge me, <HI>That I have not &s;ufficiently an&s;wered your Book called, The Perfect Phari&s;ee.</HI> To which I an&s;wer, That which mo|ved me to write what I did in an&s;wer to the &s;landers in it, was not to &s;atisfie your wils, nor wi&s;dom, nor any who &s;tand in their own wils or wi&s;dom for then had I become a man-plea&s;er, <HI>Gal.</HI> 1. 10. and &s;hould have for&s;aken the direction of the &s;pirit of God, which did never in a|ny age &s;erve and &s;eed the &s;erpents wi&s;dom; but what it &s;poke was foo|li&s;hne&s;s and a my&s;tery to the wi&s;dom of the world; and it is the &s;ame at this day: But that which moved me, was for the &s;imple ones &s;ake, le&s;t he &s;hould come to be deceived by the &s;leights of your &s;landers, and by the envious &s;erpent: And I know and am a&s;&s;ured, it hath and &s;hal ac|compli&s;h the end for which it was &s;ent forth, and &s;hall not returne in vain but &s;hall be a &s;avor of life unto &s;ome, according to his purpo&s;e by whom it was &s;ent forth: for it was not my own, nor in my own will and wi&s;dome: and though you would make the people beleeve it is not an&s;wered, that &s;o you might glory in your &s;elves, and provoke others to glory in you al&s;o; yet any that is wi&s;e may &s;ee, that what your envy
<PB N="2" REF="4">
hath ca&s;t upon us, in your 17. particulars. That which we hold and practi&s;e, is owned and proved by Scripture, and that which is fal&s;e is denied in plainne&s;s of &s;peech without deceit: but to follow you in your janglings and wre&s;tings of Scripture, wherein you bring one Scripture to cro&s;s another, (as is plain in your Book) and &s;o walke unprofitably, was not my way, but rather to edification, for your confu&s;ion is plain to any &s;piritual eye, and I need not add to it, nor do I delight in &s;uch things, further then for the truths &s;ake I am moved, for the day is come that all &s;hall be manife&s;t, and you cannot be hid.</P>
<P>Secondly, You accu&s;e me for gro&s;ly perverting the Scripture: <HI>to which I an&s;wer,</HI> I &s;uppo&s;e the Reader will not finde any private in|terpretation by me put upon any Scripture, but quoted as they are, without adding any &s;en&s;e to them, but leaves them to the Reader to view; now whether I pervert them, who quotes them as they are in plain words as they are &s;et down, or you who give your private mean|ings on them, and brings one to oppo&s;e and cro&s;s another, and who perverts the Scripture, is plain to any who are guided by the &s;ame Spi|rit who gave them forth, and I leave it to &s;uch to judge.</P>
<P>Thirdly, You accu&s;e me with <HI>palpable &s;hufflings:</HI> to which I an|&s;wer, Shuffling and deceit I abhorre, and love and practi&s;e plainne&s;s and truth, and that is your advantage you have again&s;t us; as all your forefathers the per&s;ecutors ever had again&s;t Chri&s;t and his Saints, who when they could not condemn them by any witne&s;s without them, yet they would aske them many que&s;tions to en&s;nare them; for the &s;ubtil &s;erpent knows that they who are of the &s;piritual Seed, dare not deny that before men, which they own before God, though they &s;uffer for it: and I know I &s;hall not be accu&s;ed as &s;huffling in my an&s;wer; by a|ny but tho&s;e of your Generation; and in my Con&s;cience I am cleared of it in the &s;ight of God, and &s;o your &s;landers toucheth me not, but &s;hal be your own garments to wear.</P>
<P>Fourthly, You accu&s;e me of <HI>mi&s;erable weakne&s;s,</HI> and you &s;ay, <HI>you cannot but &s;mile at it, and may laugh at my ignorance:</HI> to which I an&s;wer, Herein you declare to all men, what Spirit you are of, who glory in your own &s;trength, and laugh at the weakne&s;s of others, which none that ever was guided by the Spirit of Chri&s;t ever did; but laugh on a while, yet know, your woe is coming, and your laughter &s;hall be turned into weeping and howling: and for my weakne&s;s, (as you call it, where is my &s;trength) and ignorance, at which you &s;o much rejoyce; if the &s;trength and wi&s;dom of God be but made perfect in it, that is it
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I wait for, and herein &s;hall the Scriptures be fulfilled, 1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 1. 27. that <HI>God hath cho&s;en the weake and fooli&s;h things to confound the mighty and wi&s;e:</HI> take notice of it betimes, you &s;turdy oakes, and tall cedars, and tremble ye mountains at his pre&s;ence.</P>
<P>Fifthly, You accu&s;e me with <HI>horrible rayling:</HI> To which I an&s;wer, What language have I u&s;ed again&s;t you, except &s;uch as the Spirit of God in Scriptures gives to tho&s;e of your generation? if I have not the language of the &s;ame Spirit, why doe you not mention it in particular, but &s;o often accu&s;e in general, to render me odious? but deceit is got in|to &s;uch fine colours, that it cannot beare a plaine language, for the di|vel would not be di&s;covered and plainly dealt with, where he is, and therefore he hath bred up his children in manners, that they mu&s;t not call him that vents his lyes a lyar; nor him whom he hath deceived and &s;ent out deceive others, a deceiver; nor one who takes hire, a hireling, though they be found in the very act; but &s;ome finer words mu&s;t be u|&s;ed; and here you that cannot beare the Scripture language, but cals it rayling, &s;hews to all, what brood you are of, who would not be plain|ly dealt with: but who is guided by the Spirit of God, is taught not to flatter, but to u&s;e plainne&s;s of &s;peech, yet not in envy; and who&s;oever is free from opinion, and reads over both our writings, may ea&s;ily finde out raylers, &s;corners, lyars, &s;landerers, and fal&s;e accu&s;ers: and let &s;uch judge.</P>
<P>And now a few words to the re&s;t of your &s;landers in particular: as for that you call a &s;hort draught of my an&s;wer, I &s;hall not &s;ay any thing to it here, being the many lyes that are in it, are &s;o plainly di&s;|covered to all who have read my an&s;wer, and will more fully be layd open hereafter when we come to the particulars.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t &s;lander is grounded upon my &s;ub&s;cribing my &s;elf, one whom the world cals <HI>James Nayler,</HI> and you &s;ay you are jealous of a my&s;te|ry of Iniquitie from the&s;e words; and though you confe&s;s the ground to be your own jealou&s;ie, yet you proceed to &s;lander upon it; and tels where the my&s;terie lyes, and this you &s;ay is to cloake our pre|tence of being equal with God, and that we herein depart from Scrip|ture, and would conclude God and Chri&s;t under carnal ob&s;ervations, or el&s;e teach them to &s;peak. To which I an&s;wer, How any whom the&s;e men love not, can be free from their a&s;per&s;ions, let any man judge; who can &s;o highly &s;lander upon the ground of their own jealou&s;ie; and how this jealou&s;ie is grounded, any may judge: For fir&s;t, are not the words true? am not I one whom the world cals <HI>James Nayler?</HI> and
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they know no other name, and yet the Scripture &s;peaks (<HI>Rev.</HI> 2. 17.) of <HI>him that overcometh,</HI> having <HI>a new Name, that no man knows but he that hath it;</HI> and how do we here depart from Scripture? nay&punc; who witne&s;s the new man e&s;tabli&s;h the Scripture, and witne&s;s the pro|mi&s;e of Chri&s;t fulfilled in him: and here I charge you in the pre&s;ence of the living God, to be coatrary to the Scriptures, and the Spirit that gave them forth, and with it &s;hall be judged eternally; and that new name you know not, as you make it appear; and how we exclude God and Chri&s;t under carnal ob&s;ervations, or teach them to &s;peak in owning the promi&s;e fulfilled: and if this be not a mo&s;t wicked and wil|full &s;lander ca&s;t upon us, to make us odious, let the Reader judge.</P>
<P>And you would have the people beleeve that the man of &s;in is to be found at <HI>Rome,</HI> that &s;o they may not di&s;cover him neerer hand in your &s;elves: but they who ob&s;erve your practi&s;e, preaching <HI>loe here,</HI> and <HI>loe there,</HI> and printing&punc; for the upholding of the kingdom of &s;in, making people beleeve they &s;hall never be free from it, while they are on the earth: they where the Spirit of Chri&s;t is doth di&s;cover the man of &s;in neerer hand; for whoever oppo&s;eth the end of Chri&s;ts coming&punc; which was to take away &s;in and to &s;et free from it, and to pre&s;ent perfect un|to the Father without &s;pot or blemi&s;h, &s;uch are Antichri&s;ts, and the man of &s;in acts in them&punc; to uphold his own kingdom, which is &s;in: and there you are, as your practi&s;e, printing, and preaching, may witne&s;s; and are di&s;covered by the Spirit of Chri&s;t where it is, though you have long acted in a my&s;terie, for are not you the &s;ame men who have had great &s;ums of mony for crying out again&s;t &s;in? but now that the king|dom of &s;in begins to fall&punc; you have changed your voyce, and tels peo|ple they mu&s;t never be free from &s;in while they live, nor ever attain to perfection, and &s;o takes peoples money for pleading again&s;t the com|mands of Chri&s;t, who &s;aith <HI>Be ye perfect even as your heavenly Fa|ther is perfect,</HI> Mat. 5. 48. <HI>Be ye holy, for I am holy</HI> 1 Pet. 1. 15. 16. Eph. 5. 27. and &s;o being found to mini&s;ter again&s;t Chri&s;t, he is blinde who cannot &s;ee you to be mini&s;ters of Antichri&s;t for they who were mini&s;ters of Je&s;us Chri&s;t prayed and preached <HI>for the perfecting of the Saints, that they might perfect what was lacking in their faith</HI> 1 The&s;. 3. 10. <HI>that they might pre&s;ent every one perfect in Chri&s;t Je&s;us,</HI> Col. 1. 28. and bring up to perfection, <HI>even to the mea|&s;ure &s;tature, and fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t&punc;</HI> Eph. 4. 12. and &s;uch &s;aid, <HI>how can you that are dead to &s;in, live any longer therein? Rom.</HI> 6. which you deny, that any can attain to perfection or freedom from
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&s;in, while they are here, and &s;o are acted by a contrary Spirit to Chri&s;t and all that ever he &s;ent forth, and would make people beleeve, that Chri&s;t had commanded that which none &s;hould ever attain to: and tho&s;e who witne&s;s it, and would pre&s;s others to pre&s;s after it, in the power of Chri&s;t, &s;uch you reckon up among tho&s;e you call bla&s;phe|mers, and heretical doctrine: but all this is, that you may be made ma|nife&s;t who&s;e mini&s;ters you are.</P>
<P>And whereas you reckon us up among the Papi&s;ts, thereby to make us odious unto people, but are you not a&s;hamed of it, who are found among&s;t them your &s;elves in many things which you call your wor|&s;hip? wherein we deny both them and you; and they are one with you again&s;t us, in per&s;ecution and revilings: have not they builded the Idols Temples, and you wor&s;hip in them? are not you one with them in ob&s;erving many dayes, and times, and forms: as &s;prinkling infants, &s;inging, and many &s;uch like things? are you not one with them, in bea|ring rule as lords and ma&s;ters over the Common People, and would have to doe in ordering of the State-affairs? are you not one with them, as in your tythes and fat par&s;onages, and divers other things which might be mentioned? all which we deny yours and their practi&s;e as being contrary to the Saints in Scripture, and commands of Chri&s;t. And where is there one Papi&s;t ownes us? I command you all, (<HI>you Prie&s;ts</HI>) to make your &s;lander good, or el&s;e lay your hands on your mouths in &s;ilence&punc; and confe&s;s your &s;elves to all the world to be lyars.</P>
<P>And now to the particulars wherein you charge us to be one with the Papi&s;ts: I charge you to be lyars, and do an&s;wer&punc; As we receive not the ground of what we practi&s;e from the Papi&s;ts or you; neither do we deny what is truth, becau&s;e they or you may profe&s;s it, but &s;hall owne it before all the world, though by you we be reproached for it.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t, You charge us <HI>with denying Ju&s;tification without us, and for witne&s;&s;ing ju&s;tification by Chri&s;t alone in us&punc;</HI> which we owne, Chri&s;t in us, according to the mea&s;ure made manife&s;t: our &s;anctification, ju&s;tification, redemption from &s;in, and the hope of glo|ry, <HI>Col.</HI> 1. 26, 27. and this we owne within us which is a my&s;tery, and hath been hid from ages, and is now hid from you and the wi&s;|dom of the world, as you make it appear. And here he th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">t &s;its in Heaven may have you in deri&s;ion, and you to be ignorant of the my|&s;tery, who have &s;hewed forth your folly.</P>
<P>For the &s;econd, You charge us, <HI>for being ju&s;tified by inherent
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righteou&s;ne&s;s:</HI> which word we deny; it is a word of your own coyning: but by being <HI>made the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God in Chri&s;t,</HI> (2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 5. 21.) and denying all our own righteou&s;ne&s;s, are we ju&s;ti|fied. And this Chri&s;t and this righteou&s;ne&s;s we witne&s;s within us in mea&s;ure.</P>
<P>Thirdly, you charge upon us that we &s;ay, <HI>Every Saint is perfect&punc;</HI> and <HI>that it is po&s;&s;ible to be perfectly holy, and without &s;in, and yeeld perfect obedience to the Law of God.</HI> I an&s;wer: To your fir&s;t, it is a lying &s;lander, that we &s;ay every Saint is perfect: for we witne&s;s the Saints growth, and the time of pre&s;&s;ing after-perfection. To your &s;e|cond: we own it, that it is po&s;&s;ible to be perfectly holy and without &s;in: and herein we have the Saints in Scripture to witne&s;s with us; which I charge you to be ignorant of, and not come to the fir&s;t prin|ciples: who witne&s;&s;ed the new birth, freedom from &s;in, and perfection. <HI>Heb.</HI> 10. 14. As to your third, I an&s;wer, that <HI>not one jot or tittle of the Law &s;hall pa&s;s, till all be fulfilled:</HI> and it was the end for which God &s;ent his Son manife&s;t in the fle&s;h, that by him <HI>the righte|ou&s;ne&s;s of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the fle&s;h, but after the Spirit,</HI> Rom. 8. 3, 4. And herein we have the Saints in Scripture to witne&s;s with us. The fourth thing which you charge upon us&punc; is, <HI>That the Spirit is not to be tried by Scripture.</HI> To which I an&s;wer: That Spirit which is of God, is one with that which gave forth the Scripture, where-ever it is: yet can none who have not that Spirit, try the &s;pirits by the Scripture: for they who have not that infallible &s;pirit that gave forth the Scriptures, have the &s;pirit of Errour, and judge ami&s;s both of Spirit and Scripture, as the Scribes and Phari&s;ees did, and you do. But they who have that infal|lible &s;pirit which gave forth the Scripture, have that which tryed the &s;pirits before the Scripture was: and &s;uch have their touch&s;tone wit<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">|in them, and not without them; and &s;uch need not go to the letter to try the &s;pirits. The fifth thing you charge upon us&punc; is, to <HI>cry down the nece&s;&s;ity of the written Word and call it a dead letter, and that it is but a declaration of them that &s;poke it forth.</HI> To which I an|&s;wer: Where read you of a written Word? But if you thereby mean the Scriptures, which we call a declaration of them that &s;pake them forth; It is true, we do &s;o; and they who &s;pake them forth, witne&s;s them with us to be a declaration, (<HI>Luke 1. 1. 1 Joh.</HI> 1. 3.) and the letter, and not the &s;pirit. But that we cry down the nece&s;&s;ity of the Scriptures, is fal&s;e: for they are our own, and we &s;ee them of u&s;e
<PB N="7" REF="6">
every day, in bearing witne&s;s with us again&s;t you and your Heatheni&s;h Wor&s;hips, and un&s;anctified lives, who are <HI>belly-gods, evil bea&s;ts.</HI> And for you that &s;ay the four books are the Go&s;pel, make it appear: you never knew him who is the glad things&punc; which Go&s;pel was manife&s;t before the&s;e books were written, and is <HI>everla&s;ting.</HI> Sixthly, you charge upon us <HI>the owning of an immediate call, and the Word of the Lord coming to us.</HI> To which I an&s;wer: Let all the Prophets and Apo&s;tles, and holy men of God in the Scripture, witne&s;s again&s;t you; who all owned the immediate call, and the Word of the Lord; and be you witne&s;&s;es again&s;t your &s;elves, that you never had the Word of the Lord coming unto you, but are of tho&s;e who &s;ay, <HI>Thus &s;aith the Lord when the Lord never &s;poke unto you, (Jerem.</HI> 23. from ver&s;. 21. to 33.) but are lyers and fal&s;e Prophets by your own con|fe&s;&s;ion, who reckon it up as a bla&s;phemous doctrine, to witne&s;s the Word of the Lord coming unto us: and be al&s;o witne&s;&s;es again&s;t your &s;elves, who deny an immediate call, that you never were called of God: for his call is immediate, whereby he hath called his, and &s;ent them forth: which call I witne&s;s from the mouth of the Lord. But you are of tho&s;e who run un&s;ent, and therefore do not profit the people; who&s;e call is mediate, and &s;o never any was called by God, and &s;o are made Mini&s;ters <HI>by the will of man.</HI> And as your Call is carnal and medi|ate&punc; &s;o is your Mini&s;tery, who have not the Word of the Lord, but what you &s;teal from your neighbour, out of a book; which none of the true Pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">phets of the Lord ever did; and &s;o out of your own mouth be ye judged, and di&s;covered to all the children of light to be in the errour. Seventhly, you charge us with <HI>putting abundance of ho|line&s;s in fa&s;ting, beggerly apparel, wandering up and down the world.</HI> To which I an&s;wer: Our holine&s;s is in Chri&s;t. But you that &s;corn fa&s;ting, and wandering up and down&punc; &s;corn that which the holy&punc; men of God ever owned. <HI>Heb</HI> 11. 37, 38. Chri&s;t fa&s;ted, and the Prophets and Apo&s;tles were in fa&s;tings often. Chri&s;t wandered up and down and had not whereon to lay his head: and many followed him. And the Apo&s;tles wandered to and fro, and had <HI>no certain dwelling place&punc;</HI> 1 Cor. 4. 11. Now had you lived in their days you would have reproached them, as you do tho&s;e that follow them now: and &s;o here I charge you to be acted by a contrary &s;pirit to Chri&s;t, the Pro|phets and Apo&s;tles. And for <HI>beggerly apparel:</HI> you that reproach us becau&s;e that we have ca&s;t off needle&s;s pride and exce&s;s, (for no o|ther beggerly apparel do I know u&s;ed among&s;t us) you would have re|proached
<PB N="8" REF="7">
tho&s;e who wandered up and dow in &s;heeps skins and goats skins, lodged in dens and caves of the earth: for &s;uch were hated by your generation then, as we are now. And now let all judge by what &s;pirit you are acted, who would make the world believe the&s;e were the fruits of the man of &s;in, and the my&s;tery of the Babyloni&s;h iniqui|ty. And for your &s;miling at my weakne&s;s, in &s;aying that <HI>Gog</HI> and <HI>Magog</HI> are gathered together again&s;t Chri&s;t and his&punc; kingdom, which you would put far off from your &s;elves to the Turks and Saracens, at the conver&s;ion of the Jews: I tell you, The Jews are converting, and you are of tho&s;e Heathens who are banding together again&s;t Chri&s;t, with <HI>Gog</HI> and <HI>Magog;</HI> who is king of the Jews, and you are di&s;co|vered to be enemies unto him: and the Trumpet is &s;ounded, and the Battel is begun; and your rage is great, with the re&s;t of the Heathen. But the Lamb mu&s;t take the kingdom: ble&s;&s;ed be our God for ever.</P>
<P>And whereas you accu&s;e me for &s;aying <HI>that you can &s;carcely agree among your &s;elves in that which you call the wor&s;hip of God:</HI> Have I &s;poken here any thing but truth? as they that know you may wit|ne&s;s with me; though you would put it off to matters of Di&s;cipline. And you accu&s;e <HI>A. P.</HI> to report it; which is fal&s;e: and here I charge you Prie&s;ts to mini&s;ter lyes, and to &s;lander him: for he hath not re|ported it to me. But it &s;eems your con&s;ciences accu&s;e you, and you would charge it upon him: but your practice reports it.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay <HI>this doth not make you like Herod and Pi|late:</HI> neither do I &s;ay that onely doth, but your joyning together in one again&s;t Chri&s;t and his kingdom, and your hatred again&s;t the truth&punc; therein you re&s;emble them.</P>
<P>And whereas you bring <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Peter</HI> to warrant your divi&s;ions; you may let their conditions alone: for few in the Nation live more unlike <HI>Paul</HI> and <HI>Peter</HI> then you: therefore go not about to make them like your &s;elves, who live in pride and covetou&s;ne&s;s, as Lords and Ma|&s;ters over your hearers, &s;uing or compelling them to pay you tythes or wages; running from place to place for more money, and call that your call to the Mini&s;tery, and deny the immediate call of Chri&s;t, and the word of the Lord coming to you; which the Apo&s;tles never did: therefore for &s;hame never compare your &s;elves to the Apo&s;tles, who are found among&s;t the hirelings and fal&s;e prophets.</P>
<P>And whereas you would excu&s;e your &s;elves from &s;peaking evil of our for&s;aking the world, and would cover it over with deceitful words; Let any that reads your words judge, if they be not &s;poken in reproach
<PB N="9" REF="7">
to that our practice; who call it but <HI>a pretence:</HI> and our obedience in an&s;wering the call of Chri&s;t, in for&s;aking the world, this you call <HI>a &s;inful neglect of our families.</HI> And do you not belye the Apo&s;tle, when you &s;ay he calls tho&s;e <HI>the rudiments of the world?</HI> And do not tho&s;e who for&s;ake the world, for&s;ake the pride and lu&s;t of it, which you live in? And whereas you &s;ay it is a &s;inful neglect of our fami|lies, and you know it to be a &s;in; and yet you &s;ay you &s;peak not again&s;t the world in its proper Go&s;pel-&s;en&s;e: and you in&s;tance <HI>Fox</HI> and <HI>Nay|ler</HI> as two evident examples of it.</P>
<P>And you &s;ay <HI>We do &s;infully neglect our callings.</HI> To which I an|&s;wer: Je&s;us Chri&s;t having called us forth by his immediate voice, to leave all and follow him to do the work he hath for us to do. Whether obeying and coming forth, contrary to our own wills, taking up our Cro&s;s and following him, or di&s;obeying, and abiding in our e&s;tates and plea&s;ures in the world; now in a Go&s;pel-&s;en&s;e whether of the&s;e is a &s;inful neglect of our callings, let the Scriptures of the Prophets and Apo&s;tles, and all the holy men of God judge, who have been called, and obeyed, and come forth; and condemn you and your &s;lander who are ignorant of the call of Chri&s;t, and do oppo&s;e it in them who obey it, and call it &s;inful: and you bring Scriptures to oppo&s;e it&punc; which will fall upon your own backs. As for providing for our families, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5. 8. they are provided for by him who provides for us; and they want nothing.</P>
<P>And as for <HI>tho&s;e that do not work, that they &s;hould not eat;</HI> and <HI>tho&s;e who live di&s;orderly, not working at all,</HI> 1 The&s;&s;. 3. 10. 11. how are you not a&s;hamed to take the&s;e Scriptures into your mouthes, when all that know you may witne&s;s this again&s;t you, that no &s;ort of people in the Nation lives like you for idlene&s;s, like bea&s;ts and &s;wine: for 1. Your families are provided for by the &s;weat of other mens brows. 2. You are tho&s;e that walk di&s;orderly not working at all&punc; and therefore ought not to eat. 3. And for abiding in our callings, we are in them, and there abide with God: but you are crept in and are not called of God, by your own confe&s;&s;ion, who never heard his voice.</P>
<P>And whereas you make an Objection, le&s;t we &s;hould &s;ay that the Apo&s;tles left their callings and followed Chri&s;t: and you &s;ay, <HI>'Tis true, the Me&s;&s;iah had his di&s;ciples following him: but Paul after Chri&s;ts a&s;cen&s;ion left a &s;tanding rule</HI> (&s;ay you) <HI>for all to abide in their cal|lings.</HI> As if when Chri&s;t &s;hould ever call out any more, they &s;hould not obey him; as though <HI>Paul</HI> had left a &s;tanding rule to the contra|ry.
<PB N="10" REF="8">
And thus you bring <HI>Paul</HI> to oppo&s;e the commands of Chri&s;t, and one Scripture to cro&s;s another; and yet would not be counted wre&s;ters of Scriptures, nor oppo&s;ers of Chri&s;t. But you are found out, and can no longer be hid.</P>
<P>And whereas you tell of them who were called forth, having an im|mediate call, and to pub like work in the Mini&s;tery; herein, I &s;ay, &s;i|lence fle&s;h, who knows nothing of that immediate call to that publike work, but denies it.</P>
<P>And whereas you tell of <HI>Paul</HI> reproving Chri&s;tians for leaving their callings: I an&s;wer: Did <HI>Paul</HI> reprove them for leaving all, and com|ing forth at the commands of Chri&s;t? O with what &s;ubtilty do you go about here to make people believe that Chri&s;t &s;hould never call out any more, not they obey!</P>
<P>And whereas you tell, that a man may for&s;ake the world, and yet enjoy his po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ions in it: I an&s;wer: Such a for&s;aking of the world plea&s;eth you well; and &s;o do you for&s;ake the world, when you leave one Par&s;onage, to go to a greater Living: and this is all the for&s;aking of the world that you know or can judge of. But did ever any that Chri&s;t called forth to be Mini&s;ters, for&s;ake the world &s;o? but they left all at his command.</P>
<P>And whereas you tell of <HI>u&s;ing this world as not abu&s;ing it,</HI> and many &s;uch-like words, which you know nothing of: I an&s;wer: When you come to live in what you &s;peak, and &s;o to u&s;e this world, you will cea&s;e to compel your hearers to pay you Tythes or Money for your hours talk, or one to pull out another for greater Livings: for he who &s;poke tho&s;e words did no &s;uch things; and till you come to live that life, you have nought to do with tho&s;e words.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay you &s;poke not a &s;illable of the pride and lu&s;ts of the world, in your Epi&s;tle, but it is foi&s;ted in by <HI>James Nayler:</HI> I an&s;wer: Doth not he that for&s;akes the world, for&s;ake the pride and lu&s;ts of it? which you live in&punc; and &s;eem to &s;peak evil of them that do for&s;ake the world, as is plain in your book: and then what wrong have I done you? for I do not charge you with the words, but with the thing.</P>
<P>And now for tho&s;e things you have &s;et down as trivial ob&s;ervances, they are the&s;e; our <HI>not &s;aluting;</HI> which we witne&s;s a command to the contrary: our <HI>not putting off the hat before the Magi&s;trate;</HI> wherein we have the example of Chri&s;t and all the Apo&s;tles and Saints, and are plainly forbidden to <HI>have the faith of Chri&s;t in re&s;pect of
<PB N="11" REF="8">
per&s;ons:</HI> and our <HI>Thouing every one;</HI> which is the Scriptures lan|guage, and none of the holy men of God ever u&s;ed any other to a par|ticular: and our <HI>not calling men Ma&s;ters;</HI> which is the command of Chri&s;t in plain words. Now you that call your &s;elves Mini&s;ters, and call the commands of Chri&s;t <HI>trivial ob&s;ervances;</HI> I charge you in the pre&s;ence of the living God to be in the doctrine of devils, and there are &s;een by all the children of the light; and makes it plainly ap|pear, how little you regard the language of the Scriptures given out by the Spirit of God; or the practice of the Saints, who were guided by the &s;ame Spirit, or the expre&s;s commands of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, but &s;tand up to maintain the cu&s;toms of the world, again&s;t all the&s;e: and here you plainly appear to whom you belong; for you who are guided by the &s;pirit of the world, &s;tand up to maintain the cu&s;toms of the world; and they that are guided by the Spirit of God, are led into the &s;ame way, words, wor&s;hip, and obedience, that tho&s;e walked in who were guided by the &s;ame Spirit before them: and none can live in the king|dom of Chri&s;t and conform to the cu&s;toms of the world: neither doth the Apo&s;tle &s;peak of any of the&s;e, when he &s;aith, <HI>Touch not, ta&s;te not, handle not,</HI> as you would make people believe; but of your carnal Ordinances. And whereas you &s;ay we place Holine&s;s and Religion in the&s;e things; It is fal&s;e; our holine&s;s is in Chri&s;t: but the&s;e things we cannot neglect, being the commands of Chri&s;t to us, and practice of the Saints in Scripture.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay we will not &s;ubmit to Chri&s;ts righteou&s;ne&s;s, I charge you to be lyers and &s;landerers: and that we al&s;o deny many other truths, with full oppo&s;ition to Go&s;pel Ordinances, Prayer, Ba|pti&s;m, Supper, Church-Government and Mini&s;tery; which is all fal&s;e, and a lying &s;lander: for the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t we own, and in him alone are we made <HI>the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God&punc;</HI> 1 Cor. 5. 21. But your righteou&s;ne&s;s which live in &s;in, and talk of righteou&s;ne&s;s without you, and are not made conformable to Chri&s;t, but are conformable to the world, that righteou&s;ne&s;s we deny. And Chri&s;t the Go&s;pel-Ordi|nance we own, and deny your carnal Ordinances, and &s;et Forms. And Prayer we own, which is with the Spirit; and as the Spirit helps our infirmities, &s;o we ask and receive of the Father: and deny the vain bablings of you Heathen, and you that <HI>under pretence make long prayers.</HI> And the Supper of the Lord we own, which is &s;piritual; and deny your carnal Sacrament, for which there is no Scripture; and your mixt multitudes. The Bapti&s;m of Chri&s;t we own, and are bapti|zed
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<HI>by one Spirit into one body.</HI> And the Holy Gho&s;t and the fire we own, and do witne&s;s, but deny your &s;princkling of Infants for which there is no Scripture. Church-government, we own&punc; and Je&s;us Chri&s;t the head and governour of his Church, to whom we &s;ubmit, but deny your Cla&s;&s;es, A&s;&s;emblies, and Ma&s;ter&s;hips, by which you rule and go|vern in your own wils: &amp; the Mini&s;ters we own, which is of Ie&s;us Chri&s;t and immediate call to it, and deny all who&s;e call is mediate, and are made mini&s;ters by the will of man: and here I charge you in the pre|&s;ence of the Lord, to be &s;landerers and fal&s;e accu&s;ers, who &s;ay we deny the&s;e things. And whereas you would deny that you per&s;ecuted us, and would put it upon tho&s;e who are &s;ent to you from the Lord, to witne&s;s again&s;t your deceit&punc; as though they were the per&s;ecutors: but whether tho&s;e whom the Lord &s;ent out to cry wo again&s;t the fal&s;e prophets and hirelings, calling them greedy dumb dogs, blinde guides, and many &s;uch like playn words, or they who cau&s;ed them to be haled before Rulers, there accu&s;ed them, ca&s;t them into pri&s;on, and put them to death: whether of the&s;e were the per&s;ecutors then? the &s;ame are the per&s;ecu|tors now, as &s;ome of us can witne&s;s, who have been haled before Ma|gi&s;trates, and there vehemently accu&s;ed, and ca&s;t into pri&s;on, and &s;ome &s;toned; and not a few of you who call your &s;elves mini&s;ters, have had a hand in it, and been the cau&s;e of it: and whereas you &s;ay, <HI>You have been hindred in the &s;eed of the word;</HI> I an&s;wer, What word have you to &s;ow, who deny the word of the Lord coming to you? but your &s;eed being &s;tollen, makes a bad harve&s;t, and little fruit to be reaped: and whereas you tell of bringing our &s;elves within the compa&s;s of the Law, for declaring our me&s;&s;age to you from the Lord, and that we &s;uf|fer as evil doers; here take notice who&s;e mini&s;ters you are, who have had papi&s;ts Law, that guarded the Je&s;uites contrary to the Scripture, to defend you with, which the mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t never had: and Chri&s;t &amp; all the Saints &s;uffered as evil doers in the account of tho&s;e, who were protected by carnal Laws: &amp; whereas you &s;ay <HI>You are &s;et for the con|firmation and defence of the Go&s;pel:</HI> I pray you who &s;et you &s;ince you deny the immediate call of God, and &s;o have &s;et your &s;elves, or are &s;et by the will of man? and that the Go&s;pel &s;hould be defended by per&s;ecution, and per&s;ecutors was never known.</P>
<P>Now a few words to your reply to my an&s;wer; and fir&s;t, to your fir&s;t po&s;ition: as touching your accu&s;ing <HI>George Fox,</HI> that he &s;aid, <HI>that he was equall with God:</HI> and you &s;ay, your proof is not at all
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denied. I an&s;wer, That tho&s;e words were &s;poken, is not denied: but that they are the words of <HI>George Fox,</HI> is denied. And you u&s;e many words, and &s;ay I make a difference between <HI>George Fox</HI> and him&s;elf; &s;o that though <HI>George Fox</HI> is not equal with God, yet he that is called <HI>George Fox</HI> is equal with God. And thus when you have made up a piece of deceit to blinde the people, then you go about to frame an an&s;wer to confute it: and &s;o you confute your own deceit, and not my words. For the &s;um of mine an&s;wer was this, <HI>That George Fox was denied as du&s;t; but the Spirit that &s;poke in him is equal with God:</HI> according to the Scripture, and the words of Chri&s;t, who &s;aith, <HI>When you are called before Rulers for my Names &s;ake, take no thought what to &s;peak: for it is not you that &s;peak, but the Spirit of your Father which &s;peaketh in you.</HI> Matth. 10. 20. Now <HI>George Fox</HI> being called before Rulers for the Name of Chri&s;t, he denies <HI>George Fox</HI> to &s;peak, and the creature who is but du&s;t, and wit|ne&s;&s;eth the Spirit of the Father &s;peaking in him, (though the words pa&s;s through <HI>George Fox</HI>) and the words of Chri&s;t fulfilled. And are not the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit equal, where-ever they are? and mu&s;t they not be &s;uffered to &s;peak where they are? But you that are carnal know not the voice.</P>
<P>Thus the an&s;wer is plain to any &s;piritual eye: but to &s;atisfie you who cavil on purpo&s;e, is impo&s;&s;ible: but what I &s;ay is for the &s;imple ones &s;ake. And I &s;hall not follow you in your arguments: for I know they &s;hall deceive none but &s;uch as are deceived already, and are willing &s;o to be.</P>
<P>Now whereas you &s;ay <HI>I bla&s;phemou&s;ly abu&s;e the Scriptures;</HI> are you not a&s;hamed to charge me with the abu&s;ing of them, who do but onely &s;et them down as they are&punc; without giving any meaning to them? which Scriptures you take, and wre&s;t them to another end then for which the holy Gho&s;t &s;pake them forth, adding your own invention &amp; words which the Scripture &s;peaks not. For where doth the Scripture &s;peak of <HI>a Phy&s;ical or relative onene&s;s?</HI> But by the&s;e words you darken knowledge, and blinde peoples mindes, le&s;t they &s;hould &s;eek after an onene&s;s with God: for the Scripture faith&punc; <HI>He that is joyned to the Lord, is one &s;pirit,</HI> 1 Cor. 6. 17. and Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>That they may be one, even as thou Father and I are one,</HI> Joh. 17. 21, 22, 23. and, <HI>As he is, &s;o are we in this pre&s;ent world,</HI> 1 Joh. 4. 17. Which Scriptures you wre&s;t to another end, by your &s;ubril words ad|ded to them. Now who bla&s;pemes the Scriptures, whether you or I, let truth judge, and your accu&s;ation fall upon your own pate.</P>
<P><PB N="14" REF="10">And for your fal&s;ly accu&s;ing me to &s;ay <HI>I was as holy, ju&s;t, and good as God him&s;elf;</HI> what I have &s;aid in mine an&s;wer in my former book, may &s;ufficiently convince any one that fears God that I am clear of it. And whereas you bring <HI>William Baldwin&s;on</HI>'s te&s;timony which may give evidence again&s;t your &s;elves, and &s;hew it to any hone&s;t heart, both your deceit and his. For before, I was charged with this in particular, and now you &s;ay <HI>Richard Farnworth</HI> and I both &s;aid it; and he con|fe&s;&s;ed there was a great deal of people in the hou&s;e. Now it was &s;trange we &s;hould both &s;ay it, and none hear it but him&s;elf: for the great deal of people he &s;peaks of, they do witne&s;s again&s;t him in it, and divers of them have offered their te&s;timony again&s;t him. But fending and proving becometh not Saints; nor did they ever u&s;e it: nor dare I &s;tand by the witne&s;s of men, but have the witne&s;s of God again&s;t you and your &s;landers, <HI>who will reward every one according to their doings,</HI> both the &s;landerer and the lyer: and not onely by your reporting the&s;e, but al&s;o your &s;eeking evidence to back them, herein you are &s;erving the de|vil the father of lyes, and &s;o make that appear to be true which I have &s;poken of you.</P>
<P>Now for your charging <HI>George Fox</HI> to &s;ay he was <HI>the judge of the world,</HI> and you &s;ay I deny it not, but tell you that you are gro&s;ly igno|rant of Chri&s;t: I an&s;wer, If you be not gro&s;ly ignorant of Chri&s;t and the Scripture, let any wi&s;e man judge: for you &s;ay, <HI>God hath com|mitted all judgement to the Son,</HI> and yet you will not own him to be judge where he is: wherein you go about either to exclude him from being in the Saints, and &s;o would limit him into a particular place; or from being judge in them where he is. Now that you are ignorant of Chri&s;t, all that know him &s;hall witne&s;s: for all that know him, know him in them, and that he judgeth the world in them, and the things of the world in every particular: and he that is judge of the world in particular, he is judge of the world in general; for he is but one in all the Saints, who is Judge, and &s;hall be at the great day: which judgements you are ignorant of, who are carnal, and compare it with carnal judging of Ju&s;tice at the Bench, and &s;o compare &s;piritual things with carnal, and &s;o appear to be ignorant of &s;piritual things, and that <HI>&s;piritual man</HI> which <HI>judgeth all things, yet he him&s;elf is judged of no man;</HI> which &s;piritual man being in <HI>George Fox,</HI> is judge of the world; but <HI>George Fox</HI> is denied: for we look not upon the vi&s;ible, but the invi&s;ible, which is the Son of God. And this may &s;erve for an an&s;wer to your reply, and for condemnation.</P>
<P><PB N="15" REF="10">To the calling <HI>George Fox</HI> the Son of God; you know nothing of the Son of God as he was revealed in the Apo&s;tles, but are <HI>without God in the world,</HI> a ne&s;t of Serpents. This Son is the &s;ame who is the Judge of the world. And whereas you &s;peak of the Angels not being this Son of God; It is true, <HI>he takes not upon him the nature of angels, but the &s;eed of Abraham:</HI> and who &s;eeth by this eye, judgeth the <HI>deep things of God,</HI> and <HI>&s;earcheth the hearts,</HI> according to that mea&s;ure as he is born up.</P>
<P>And whereas you charge me with &s;aying to one of you, <HI>How &s;hould God reveal any thing to him, and I not know it?</HI> I an&s;wer: <HI>William Cole</HI> meeting me in the way, &s;aid, <HI>He had a me&s;&s;age to me from the Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, but that was not a convenient place:</HI> and here <HI>Cole</HI>'s &s;pirit is tryed. I told him, <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t was no re&s;pe|cter of places:</HI> and therein I di&s;owned him and his me&s;&s;age and &s;aw it to be deceit. Whereupon I told him to this purpo&s;e: <HI>If Je&s;us Chri&s;t &s;hould have &s;ent him with any me&s;&s;age to me, I &s;hould have owned it: for where the Spirit of Je&s;us Chri&s;t is, that owns the me&s;&s;age of Je&s;us Chri&s;t.</HI></P>
<P>And whereas you &s;peak of <HI>vindicating the honour of our dread Lord, and his Son Je&s;us Chri&s;t:</HI> I an&s;wer: By your lying &s;landers of the innocent, you &s;hall never vindicate his honour; for he is ho|noured by the truth: but herein you honour the devil, and do his work.</P>
<P>And here <HI>Cole</HI>'s &s;pirit is tried not to be the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t, which re&s;pects places; and his me&s;&s;age to be a lye.</P>
<P>For your Reply to the &s;econd Po&s;ition, <HI>That there is no di&s;tin|ction of per&s;ons in the Godhead:</HI> Before, you &s;aid it was in <HI>Saul</HI>'s <HI>Errand,</HI> pag. 12. and now you &s;ay you did but infer it from tho&s;e words that <HI>George Fox</HI> &s;aid, that <HI>it was but a bu&s;ie minde.</HI> But what &s;huffling is this? Are not you a&s;hamed to charge me with &s;huf|fling, and are found in it your &s;elves? What is it that you may not charge upon us by the&s;e fal&s;e inferences? And when you are plainly told of it, you call it <HI>rayling.</HI> But your folly is made manife&s;t to all men, and the ground you go upon, who &s;lander by your fal&s;e inferen|ces, and gathered up reports from the mouthes of others, and give them out for truths. Here I charge you Prie&s;ts to be &s;landerers and lyers.</P>
<P>Now for your Reply to the third Po&s;ition, <HI>That the &s;oul is a part of the Divine e&s;&s;ence:</HI> and you &s;ay I do not in the lea&s;t deny it: I an&s;wer to your charge: As to the general, I deny; and whether any &s;poke it in particular, or no, I que&s;tion; there being &s;o many lyes char|ged
<PB N="16" REF="11">
upon us from his mouth who affirms this: and how &s;hall I either deny or confe&s;s it, unle&s;s I know the truth of it? And if any word in weakne&s;s be &s;poken by one&punc; is this an hone&s;t ground you go upon, to charge it upon the whole in general? If any &s;hould gather up the prophane words and walkings of many in your Pari&s;h, and charge them upon you, would not you think your &s;elves wronged? And herein you appear to all, not to do as you would be done by. And for what is &s;aid of our not knowing what the &s;oul is: The endle&s;s di&s;|putes that are among&s;t you concerning the &s;oul of man, and what it is, &s;hall witne&s;s again&s;t you, and with me, before all men, that I have done you no wrong, and that you are ignorant of the living &s;oul.</P>
<P>Po&s;it. 4. <HI>That Chri&s;t is in every man, and in the reprobate held under corruption:</HI> and in your Reply you &s;ay, I charge you with ly|ing &s;landers, and yet confe&s;s the thing. I an&s;wer, That Je&s;us Chri&s;t is all, and in all, the light of the world, and <HI>lightneth every one that cometh into the world,</HI> without exception, is confe&s;&s;ed: but that I &s;aid, <HI>in the reprobate he is held under corruption</HI> which one of you &s;aid you received from me in conference, that is denied. And here you adde lyes to &s;lander withal; and what I &s;aid of you is true, &s;poken not in envie, nor from the fulne&s;s of my gall, as you would make people be|lieve, but in plainne&s;s and truth. And now you would &s;huffle it off to <HI>John Audland,</HI> becau&s;e he wrote in a letter to one that was fallen a|way from the Truth which he had once received, <HI>That &s;uch crucified Chri&s;t within them afre&s;h,</HI> (according to the Scripture.) But is this to &s;ay that Chri&s;t in a reprobate is holden under corruption? let any judge. And thus you &s;eem to go about to make amends for wronging of me, by ca&s;ting the &s;ame &s;lander fa&s;ly upon another. But it &s;eems you have a purpo&s;e to &s;lander, and &s;ome mu&s;t bear it.</P>
<P>And for that expre&s;&s;ion you &s;ay I u&s;ed in <HI>Edward Briggs</HI> hou&s;e; I deny it, and witne&s;s it to be no truer then the re&s;t, and from the &s;ame root. And for the Di&s;pute you &s;peak of at <HI>Pierce</HI>-bride, and <HI>San|der&s;on</HI> whom you bring to prove your lyes, which you ca&s;t upon me and others of my brethren who were at <HI>Pierce</HI>-bridge, <HI>Decemb.</HI> 12, where Prie&s;t <HI>Sander&s;on</HI> came in, and many rude people with him; and &s;aid that God had not given to every man a mea&s;ure to profit withal. <HI>C. A.</HI> &s;aid, Here is not one here which can deny but that Chri&s;t hath enlightned them; which light is the mea&s;ure of God: which <HI>Sander&s;on</HI> denied. But that any there &s;aid that Chri&s;t in &s;ome was held under corruption, they that were there may all witne&s;s again&s;t
<PB N="17" REF="11">
him. Therefore be a&s;hamed, inventers of lyes, who &s;eck others to invent them al&s;o, and are lyars, who &s;ay Chri&s;t is a true light, but not the true light, as <HI>Saunder&s;on</HI> did there; and that Chri&s;t rules in all to whom he is given for a light, which is fal&s;e: and here I charge you all&punc; <HI>Saunder&s;on</HI> &amp; the re&s;t, to be no mini&s;ters of Chri&s;t who &s;tumble at the light: for many &s;ay, we will not have this man to rule over us, <HI>and &s;o deny the light, and the Lord that bought them;</HI> and this is the con|demnation, that light is come into the world, and &s;uch abide in dark|ne&s;s, and comprehend not the light, though the light &s;hine in darkne&s;s: and here are you, who deny Chri&s;t to enlighten every one that cometh into the world, and to be in all, when the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>There is nei|ther Greek nor Jew, circumci&s;ion nor uncircumci&s;ion, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free but Chri&s;t is all, and in all.</HI> Col. 3. 11. which Scripture doth plainly witne&s;s again&s;t you, though you deny it to your &s;hame, who would rea&s;on again&s;t the infinitene&s;s of Chri&s;t, who filleth Heaven and Earth: and here I charge you to be ignorant of the Scrip|tures, and blinde guides.</P>
<P>And you undertake to open that place, <HI>John</HI> 1. 9. <HI>In the begin|ning was the Word; all things were made by him;</HI> and in your ope|ning of it, you &s;ay this was not Chri&s;t, nor a knowledge of Chri&s;t as Mediator, nor a light &s;ufficient to bring to &s;alvation, when <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, he came to bear witne&s;s to that light, <HI>and that Word became fle&s;h and dwelt among&s;t us: and in him was life, and the life was the light of men; and this was the true light that inlightneth every one that cometh into the world: and we &s;aw his glory, as the glory of the onely begotten Son of God, full of grace and truth: and</HI> John <HI>bare witne&s;s of him, &s;aying&punc; This is he of whom I &s;pake&punc; He that cometh after me is preferred before me;</HI> and this you deny to be Chri&s;t, nor a knowledge of Chri&s;t, nor a light &s;ufficient to &s;alvation&punc; but call it a created light: and here you are witne&s;&s;es again&s;t <HI>John</HI> and what he witne&s;&s;eth of Chri&s;t, and the &s;ufficiency of the light of Chri&s;t to &s;alvation; and this is your opening of the Scriptures; whereof all that read that Chapter of <HI>John</HI> may witne&s;s again&s;t you, and your o|penings; but by &s;uch openings as this, do you &s;hut the kingdom of hea|ven, neither will enter in your &s;elves, nor &s;uffer them that would.</P>
<P>And whereas you tell of <HI>James Naylers wicked bla&s;phemy, in af|firming that Chri&s;t as man dwels in him.</HI></P>
<P>I an&s;wer, That is fal&s;e, and tho&s;e words were not &s;poken by me: for being asked, <HI>If Chri&s;t as man dwelt in me,</HI> my an&s;wer was, that
<PB N="18" REF="12">
Chri&s;t I witne&s;s, who is God and man, which words you wre&s;t to &s;lander withal, but &s;peake not the words as they came from me, and you make much a doe to prove, that a natural light is not the light of Chri&s;t, and thereby would make people beleeve, that that light &s;poken of in the 1 of <HI>Iohn</HI> is a natural light: but &s;o plainly is your deceit layd open to any, who know any thing of Chri&s;t, that your arguments need no further an&s;wering: Only whereas you would prove in <HI>Mat.</HI> 13. 11. <HI>To you it is given to know the my&s;teries of the Kingdom of Heaven&punc; to them it is not given;</HI> there by you would inferre, that Chri&s;t doth not enlighten every man.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, The light of Chri&s;t hath its degrees and mea&s;ures, &s;o that though he be tendred a light to all, yet all doe not receive that light, nor walke in it, but deny it, and &s;uch come not up to the knowledge of the my&s;teries of the Kingdom of Heaven: <HI>for only to them that recei|ved him, to them he gave power,</HI> &s;o that denying the light&punc; you deny the power, and abide in darkne&s;s&punc; and are out of the fear of God, but the <HI>&s;ecret of the Lord is with them that fear him:</HI> and whereas you call that a naturall light which enlightneth every man which com|eth into the world: and <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aith, <HI>This is the true light which en|lightneth every one that cometh into the world;</HI> here you would make <HI>Iohn</HI> a lyar, and Chri&s;t who is the true light to be natural; and thus you wre&s;t the Scriptures to your own de&s;truction, and all that be|leeve you: and you &s;ay the Apo&s;tle 1 of <HI>Cor.</HI> 2. 14. makes an oppo&s;i|tion between naturall and &s;piritual light, and puts an impo&s;&s;ibilitie of di&s;covering Chri&s;t by the light of nature.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, You bely the Apo&s;tle&punc; and bewre&s;t his words, as you do ours, for the Apo&s;tle doth not &s;peak there of a naturall light and a &s;pi|rituall light, for that which is naturall is darkne&s;s, neither have you a|ny Scripture to prove that to be a natural light, which enlightens eve|ry one that coms into the world, but ye children of darkne&s;s envy the light of Chri&s;t, and would make people beleeve its natural and carnal.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, <HI>That that my&s;tery was hid from ages and generations;</HI> It is true, it was &s;o but when Chri&s;t was manife&s;t who was that light&punc; then it was revealed both by <HI>Iohn</HI> and Chri&s;t him&s;elfe, &s;aying, <HI>I am the light of the world he that followeth me &s;hall not abide in darkne&s;s but &s;hall have the light of life:</HI> and whereas you are quarrelling with <HI>A. P. A. P.</HI> may do it with authority, &s;eeing you doe terme the light of Chri&s;t to be naturall, for denying your di|&s;tinction of naturall and &s;piritual light, and you &s;ay the Lord Je&s;us and
<PB N="19" REF="12">
the Apo&s;tles are full for it, yet have you not brought one Scripture to witne&s;s that light we &s;peake of to be a naturall light; but we have Chri&s;t and the Apo&s;tles witne&s;&s;ing again&s;t you, it to be the light of Chri&s;t, &s;o that we have the authority of the Scriptures, and yours is the novell opinions you &s;peak of: and for my &s;aying <HI>that Chri&s;t mu&s;t be in the vile&s;t of the world,</HI> to &s;ee the thoughts of the heart, and judge the inward part, or el&s;e how &s;hall he judge righteous judgment upon every thought &amp; intent, which come not forth into action? &amp; this word which I &s;pake of Chri&s;ts being in the mo&s;t vile, you change to dwell in: thus by deceit you change my words into your owne lan|guage, and &s;o go about to confute your own words&punc; but not mine&punc; as I &s;pake them: though I do not &s;ay Chri&s;t dwels in Hell&punc; yet the Scrip|ture &s;aith, <HI>If I make by bed in Hell, thou art there.</HI> If you knew Chri&s;t, you would know him that &s;aid &s;o: P&s;al. 139. 8. and here you prie&s;ts ignorance is di&s;covered. And here you &s;ay it is ridiculous to inferre that Chri&s;t dwels in all, becau&s;e he knows all things.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer, For inferring and dwelling, they are your own words, but where he &s;eeth any thing, there he is pre&s;ent, though you blinde creatures &s;ee him not, but they who know him know that he is infi|nite, and that he fils Heaven and Earth, and his pre&s;ence is the life of all Creatures, <HI>Ephe&s;.</HI> 1. 23. and here I charge you to be them that hate the light, and &s;tumble.</P>
<P><HI>Po&s;ition</HI> 5. <HI>That Chri&s;t in the fle&s;h with all he did and &s;uffe|red therein, was but a figure, and nothing but an example.</HI></P>
<P>And the&s;e words you &s;ay are expre&s;ly found in <HI>Sauls Errand&punc;</HI> which I deny&punc; and bring that Book to be a witne&s;s again&s;t you, and that de|ceitfull Spirit that acts in you; and for which you &s;ay, I pretend nei|ther to Con&s;cience nor mode&s;ty, that doth challenge you there with a lye: I an&s;wer, if tho&s;e words, <HI>that Chri&s;t with all he did was but a figure, and nothing but an example,</HI> be expre&s;ly found in <HI>Sauls Errand&punc;</HI> then you may &s;ay I have done you wrong, and I &s;hall con|fe&s;s it: but if the&s;e words be not expre&s;ly found there, (as I know they are not) then all your &s;huffling will not cleare you; but the lye is found in your mouth; what I have &s;ayd of you will be found true, for it is one thing to &s;ay Chri&s;t is a figure, or example, and another thing to &s;ay, <HI>with all he did and &s;uffered was but a figure, and no|thing but an example;</HI> and whereas you bring <HI>Iohn Iaques</HI> te&s;ti|mony to &s;trengthen your &s;lander again&s;t me, that I &s;hould write to <HI>Henry Holme,</HI> that if he expected to be &s;aved by him that dyed at
<PB N="20" REF="13">
Jeru&s;alem, <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">e was deceived: I an&s;wer, Many things are ca&s;t upon us by words, and &s;o by words mu&s;t be proved or di&s;proved: but this be|ing in a letter (as you &s;ay) why is not the letter produced? which was my de&s;ire at the Se&s;&s;ions, when I was accu&s;ed, but none of you mine accu&s;ers could produce any &s;uch Letter; and I challenge <HI>John Jaques, Henry Holm,</HI> and you all, to produce &s;uch a letter of my writing that hath tho&s;e words in it, or any thing in it, wherein <HI>that Chri&s;t which died at Jeru&s;alem is denied for &s;alvation:</HI> and what was written to <HI>Henry Holm,</HI> I writ with my own hands, as divers that were pre|&s;ent can witne&s;s: and a copy of it was taken, which was afterwards delivered to the Ju&s;tices, whereby they &s;aw the envious &s;landers ca&s;t upon me, to be fal&s;e; now produce that letter that I wrote to <HI>Henry Holm:</HI> and here I command you, and charge you in the pre&s;ence of the living God, (<HI>you Prie&s;ts</HI>) to bring forth that note, and it will clear me; which I know none of you dare, le&s;t you be found lyars.</P>
<P>And whereas you challenge me to produce one Scripture, wherein Chri&s;t is called a figure: I an&s;wer, My words were, <HI>A figure</HI> or ex|ample; which in my &s;en&s;e are both one: wherein he &s;hewed or figured out the way <HI>for Chri&s;tians to follow:</HI> and the word <HI>figure</HI> I &s;pake not as from the Scripture, but in relation to <HI>Richard Hubbethornes</HI> letter, which if his own &s;ence may be taken of his words, he &s;aith, <HI>A figure or an holding out in out ward actions among men tho&s;e things that he will truly &s;piritually, and really do in the &s;pirits of his peo|ple, at his &s;econd coming:</HI> and the&s;e are witne&s;&s;ed to be his words in <HI>William Mores</HI> letter: which &s;ence con&s;idered by any charitable Chri|&s;tian, the word figure will not appear &s;o hainous a crime as you would make it, though the word <HI>example</HI> I own to be the language of the Scriptures.</P>
<P>Now for your 6. <HI>Po&s;ition, That men are not ju&s;tified by that righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t which he in his own per&s;on did fulfil with|out us:</HI> and you charge it upon us as hainous bla&s;phemy to witne&s;s Chri&s;t in us our ju&s;tification; but what a ju&s;tification is that of yours which is without, which is contrary to what the Saints witne&s;&s;ed in the Scripture? for their ju&s;tification was in the Spirit, and what is in the Spirit is within, and they witne&s;&s;ed Chri&s;t in them, for &s;anctificati|on, ju&s;tification &amp; hope of glory: and Chri&s;t was in them, which diffe|red them from reprobates; but your ju&s;tification which is without you is in the outward man, at a di&s;tance: Chri&s;t is without you, and &s;o
<PB N="21" REF="13">
God ever witne&s;&s;ed: and ye bring many Scriptures, but not one of them that &s;peaks of a ju&s;tification without. That we are <HI>ju&s;tified freely by his grace,</HI> we own: and that God hath &s;et him forth to be a <HI>propitiation:</HI> that <HI>he was wounded for our tran&s;gre&s;&s;ions:</HI> and that <HI>he laid on him the iniquities of us all,</HI> and his &s;ufferings we own: and we witne&s;s what he did, he doth &s;till in us, and bears and &s;upports us, and &s;o <HI>the remainders of the &s;ufferings of Chri&s;t that are yet behinde are</HI> by him <HI>fulfilled in us:</HI> and by his mighty work|ing in us, is the man of &s;in ca&s;t out. And this we witne&s;s the &s;uffer|ings of Chri&s;t in us now bearing your reproaches and per&s;ecution and impri&s;onments, and all the venom the Serpent can ca&s;t upon him: and by his &s;ufferings &s;hall he brui&s;e that which is head in you, and all the per&s;ecutors in the world. And this we witne&s;s&punc; and deny your ju&s;tifi|cation which is without, which &s;tands in words without power.</P>
<P>Now to the &s;eventh Po&s;ition, <HI>That men are ju&s;tified by that righteou&s;ne&s;s which Chri&s;t within us enabled us to perform;</HI> or, which is in effect as &s;ome of them have expre&s;&s;ed by <HI>inherent holi|ne&s;s.</HI> And you bring many proofs, that we &s;ay, <HI>The light in us will not onely di&s;cover &s;in, but redeem from it, and bring to the fear of God, and &s;o lead up to ju&s;tification in the exerci&s;e of a pure con|&s;cience towards God and man.</HI> I an&s;wer: For the Po&s;ition, as you have framed it up with your own words, of <HI>inherent holine&s;s,</HI> and the like, your words we deny: But that the light of Chri&s;t which we wit|ne&s;s in us, is &s;ufficient to lead out of darkne&s;s, bring into the fear of God, and to exerci&s;e a pure con&s;cience before God and man in the power of Chri&s;t, this we witne&s;s, according to the words of Chri&s;t (who is our ju&s;tification) and the Apo&s;tles; and yours to be contrary thereunto: <HI>Joh. 8. 12. I am the light of the world: he that follow|eth me &s;hall not walk in darkne&s;s, but &s;hall have the light of life.</HI></P>
<P>And whereas you charge me with &s;aying, <HI>that no unperfect thing can be reconciled to God;</HI> and you would bring <HI>Paul</HI> for a proof, who &s;aid <HI>he was carnal, and &s;old under &s;in;</HI> and <HI>what he would do that he did not:</HI> to this I an&s;wer: That in <HI>Paul</HI> which was car|nal, and &s;old under &s;in, which warred again&s;t the law of his minde, was not reconciled to God&punc; but was for death: for where reconcilia|tion is, there is no more wars. And here you &s;hew your blindene&s;s. And you &s;ay <HI>Peter</HI> when he denied his Ma&s;ter was in a ju&s;tified e&s;tate: which if he was, why did he <HI>weep bitterly</HI> and repent? But thus you blinde lead the blinde into the ditch&punc; who &s;ay that one denying
<PB N="22" REF="14">
Chri&s;t is in a &s;tate of ju&s;tification. But by whom is he ju&s;tified who denies Chri&s;t? And becau&s;e I deny ju&s;tification by our own works, and own him who worketh in us to will and to do, and herein deny &s;elf-works&punc; this you &s;ay is an old thred-bare &s;huffle of the Papi&s;ts: by which it &s;eems you di&s;own it, and would make it odious becau&s;e the Papi&s;ts hold it. But the Truth we own for the truths &s;ake, neither becau&s;e the Papi&s;ts own it, nor you deny it: for by him alone are we ju&s;tified, and the witne&s;s is within us. Here let all the children of the light judge you with the light to be in your own works with the Pa|pi&s;ts, which have gotten the form of words, as you have, but both deny the power; and with the power of God we deny you both, and &s;ee the cur&s;e upon you both.</P>
<P>Now to your eighth Po&s;ition, <HI>That God and man cannot be whol|ly reconciled, till he be brought into the &s;tate of the fir&s;t Adam, and able in his own power to &s;tand perfect.</HI> And you are offended that I &s;hould &s;ay that the book &s;hould witne&s;s again&s;t your fal&s;e &s;lan|der; and that the word is twice repeated, <HI>to &s;tand in Gods power, and not in his own.</HI> I an&s;wer: I &s;hall appeal to any &s;ober Chri&s;tian who reads the Querie, whether the words carry not the very &s;ame &s;en&s;e twice over; where it is &s;aid, <HI>Able in his power to have &s;tood if they had not for &s;aken his power, and con&s;ented to the wi&s;dom of the &s;erpent.</HI> Where if I had &s;poken of the power of man and wo|man, then it &s;hould have been &s;et down <HI>their power,</HI> and not <HI>his power,</HI> which onely holds forth the power of God. And for your deceitful rea&s;oning to back your &s;lander, wherein you would deny <HI>Adam</HI> in that &s;tate of innocencie to &s;tand in the power of God; there|in you &s;hew you know not <HI>Adam</HI> in innocencie, nor his &s;tanding with God: for while he &s;tood, he &s;tood in that power, and wi&s;dom, and coun&s;el of God: and the looking out from that, was the cau&s;e of his fall. And here all that ever know <HI>Adam</HI> in innocencie &s;hall witne&s;s again&s;t your ignorance and fooli&s;hne&s;s.</P>
<P>And whereas you charge <HI>George Fox</HI> with &s;coffing at the grace of God; and that to pray for the &s;ight of &s;in, and for power from &s;in, is a tempting of God; and to pray for light to di&s;cover &s;in, and refrain|ing from it, are needle&s;s: I an&s;wer: This &s;lander comes from the &s;ame root of the re&s;t. For &s;coffing at the grace of God, it is fal&s;e: I charge you to be lyers, in the pre&s;ence of the living God, and you for eternal condemnation: for, the grace of God he owns, as is plain, where he &s;aith, <HI>The free grace of God hath appeared to all men, which &s;hews
<PB N="23" REF="14">
&s;in and evil; which who&s;oever lives in, after it be di&s;covered by the grace of God, and yet with a pretence makes a prayer to God to give them a &s;ight of their &s;ins, when God hath letten them &s;ee their &s;ins freely by his grace, and they will not for&s;ake it: &s;uch tempt God, and their prayers are abomination; and God will not hear the prayers of them that regard iniquity.</HI> But how fal&s;ly you gather from the&s;e words, that to pray for power again&s;t &s;in, or to refrain from it, is to tempt God, or a thing needle&s;s, let any one that fears the Lord, judge, and witne&s;s again&s;t your &s;landerous &s;pirit. But wickedne&s;s &s;hall be upon the head of the wicked. And for the pray|ers and practice of the Saints, which was to overcome and for&s;ake &s;in, them we own, and have union with, in that which is holy; and they witne&s;s with us again&s;t your practice, who live in &s;in, and plead for it, and for a pretence make long prayers. And for that you call <HI>Nay|ler</HI>'s lyes, becau&s;e I &s;ay you are &s;landerers, which &s;hall appear to be true more and more to all the children of light, under your own hands. And whereas you would go about to prove <HI>Adam</HI> in the &s;tate of in|nocencie under the Covenant of Works, and that he had the Levitical Law (for that is the Covenant of Works) I an&s;wer: What were the works that he was to do for life? for the Covenant of Works &s;aith, <HI>Do this, and live:</HI> but he had the life already, while he &s;tood in it; and &s;o it was not to be obtained by working: and the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>The Law was added, becau&s;e of tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion;</HI> which if it had been before the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion, could not have been. And <HI>Adam</HI> in his in|nocencie &s;tood not by the Moral Law, as you call it: for that which was given to <HI>Adam</HI> was, <HI>Thou &s;halt not eat;</HI> which nowhere in Scripture is called&punc; the Covenant of Works. Thus while you laugh at my ignorance, as you &s;ay, you di&s;cover your own wickedne&s;s and folly.</P>
<P>Now to your ninth Po&s;ition, <HI>That no man that commits &s;in, or that is not perfectly holy, can ever enter into the kingdom of hea|ven, unle&s;s there be a Purgatory.</HI> And in your Reply, you think &s;trange that I &s;hould deny your wre&s;ting of my words to another pur|po&s;e then for which I &s;poke them. But &s;eeing your charge is grounded upon my Querie, why have you altered the words from what I wrote? as by in&s;erting the word [<HI>ever</HI>] whenas he that hath &s;inned may repent, and &s;o his &s;in be done away: and your adding the words [<HI>&V;nle&s;s there be a Purgatory</HI>] as though I owned a clean&s;ing after death. When as the Querie is, <HI>Whether you own a Purgatory or no, who &s;ay none</HI>
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can be clean from &s;in while they live. Now I &s;hall appeal to any where there is hone&s;ty, if you have not wre&s;ted my words, and you in the Papi&s;ts minde again in that Querie, whenas you charge me with owning a Purgatory, which I deny, as is plain by the&s;e words, (&s;eeing the tree mu&s;t lie as it falls) &amp; this is your deceit, which would per&s;wade the Reader to look upon my words, according to your fal&s;e interpre|tation, when you have wre&s;ted them, and not as I &s;pake them; but when my words will not &s;erve you to ground your &s;landers on, as they are &s;et down, then you take and alter them for your own ends, and that this is not a &s;huffle, (and your &s;huffle I own not, which &s;hall &s;tand for your &s;elves) but plain dealing in me, to clear the truth from your &s;landers, may appear to all, who read both our books.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, <HI>You have found me out a medium, for the wa&s;hing of the &s;ins of them that die in &s;ins, which is neither holi|ne&s;s here, nor a purgatory; but the blood of the Lord Je&s;us:</HI> Now I challenge you to finde one Scripture, which &s;aith, The blood of Chri&s;t clean&s;eth &s;inners after death; for it is onely effectual to the believers. And now let all who know any thing of faith, judge if it be not you that are &s;huffling and put to the pinch you &s;peak of, who for clearing your deceit, would make people believe that which the Scriptures &s;peak not, but is rai&s;ed in your invention.</P>
<P>And whereas you charge me with dealing fal&s;ly with that Scripture, 1 <HI>John</HI> 1. 7. becau&s;e I &s;ay, Doth it &s;ay any are clean&s;ed from &s;in, while they per&s;onally act &s;in? which I &s;ay that Scripture doth not, as &s;hall appear to all that read it; but quite contrary.</P>
<P>And whereas you charge me to imitate Satan, who when he came to tempt Chri&s;t, took what Scripture would &s;erve his purpo&s;e, and leaves out the re&s;t: I an&s;wer, Your &s;lander is fal&s;e, for I mentioned the &s;ame Scripture you &s;et down, without adding or leaving out, and herein I have not wronged you, neither will the ver&s;e following nor any other Scripture warrant what you &s;peak, <HI>That a man is clean&s;|ed from &s;in, while he per&s;onally acts &s;in:</HI> but your words are con|trary to the words of Chri&s;t, who &s;aith, <HI>He that committeth &s;in, is the &s;ervant of &s;in:</HI> but you &s;ay, <HI>He may act &s;in, and be clean&s;ed from &s;in.</HI> Now who deals deceitfully with the Scripture, and with mens &s;ouls, and imitates the father of lyes, let the truth judge. And for tho&s;e words, If we &s;ay, We have no &s;in, we deceive our &s;elves, and the truth is not in us; Whoever reads the next words may plainly &s;ee, that they are &s;poken of a condition before confe&s;&s;ion and clean&s;ing;
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el&s;e the &s;ame Apo&s;tle &s;hould contradict him&s;elf, who &s;aith, <HI>He that abides in Chri&s;t &s;ins not and he that commits &s;in is of the Devil,</HI> 1 John 3. 6, 7, 8, 9. <HI>And he that is born of God, &s;ins not;</HI> which all witne&s;s again&s;t your deceit: and for that in <HI>Rom.</HI> 4. and 5. <HI>It is true, no man is ju&s;tified by his own works, for it is he that worketh in us:</HI> but doth that Scripture &s;ay, He ju&s;tifies the ugodly in his ungodline&s;s? or him that by faith became obedient as <HI>Abraham</HI> did? And you that would per&s;wade people, that Chri&s;t will ju&s;tifie them in their ungodline&s;s, count the blood of Chri&s;t an unholy thing, which is to clean&s;e people from their &s;ins, and not to ju&s;tifie them in their &s;ins: and here I charge you by the blood of Chri&s;t, to be ene|mies to the blood of Chri&s;t; and here you rea&s;on to encourage people in ungodline&s;s.</P>
<P>To your tenth <HI>Po&s;ition, No real Saint, but he that is perfect, and perfectly holy in this life, and doth not &s;in.</HI> And in your Reply, you are offended with our charging you with pleading for &s;in, and you &s;ay, You fore&s;aw it. I an&s;wer, It &s;eems &s;omething in your con|&s;cience accu&s;ed you, that we could do no le&s;s as may appear to all who read your words, who would make people believe, the Saints are real and yet live in &s;in: but this is of the &s;ame with your former, who &s;aith. <HI>That while a man is cur&s;ing and denying Chri&s;t, he is in a &s;tate of ju&s;tification.</HI> Now what ju&s;tification you own, all may &s;ee, when you &s;ay, <HI>He that denies Chri&s;t, is in a &s;tate of ju&s;tifi|cation.</HI></P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, <HI>To di&s;cover &s;in is not to plead for it:</HI> and many deceitful words you u&s;e, and brings in a compari&s;on of a Phy&s;itian di&s;covering a con&s;umption, to that end that the patient may be healed, and this you &s;ay is the very ca&s;e between you and <HI>Nayler.</HI> I an&s;wer, Your compari&s;on will not hold, for the Phy&s;itian di&s;covers the di&s;ea&s;e, that there may be healing. But your di&s;covering, is, that none can be free from it while they live; nor do we &s;ay, You plead for &s;in in your di&s;covering of &s;in; but in that you &s;ay, <HI>No man &s;hall ever be without it:</HI> and here you plead, that men &s;hall &s;erve the devil as long as they live; for <HI>he that commits &s;in is of the devil, and the &s;ervant of &s;in:</HI> and &s;uch a one is the &s;ervant of the devil.</P>
<P><PB N="26" REF="16">And whereas you &s;ay that <HI>Nayler</HI> will not hear of the Saints being &s;ick, or under any &s;piritual imperfection; your Charge is fal&s;e: for the Saints growth I own, and the time of a childe I own, and the growth till the overcoming; and do not deny &s;eeking after the heal|ings of the blood of Chri&s;t, but witne&s;s it effectual for clean&s;ing and overcoming; which you deny, and &s;ay, that to witne&s;s perfection and holine&s;s, and the overcoming of &s;in, is really to plead for &s;in, and to &s;trengthen the bars of the kingdom of Satan. And that which the Saints have witne&s;&s;ed, and do witne&s;s, you would render it under the name of <HI>Conceit,</HI> and charge them to make the blood of Chri&s;t in vain. But whether do they who witne&s;s the end for which the blood of Chri&s;t was given, which is, to <HI>clean&s;e from all &s;in,</HI> 1 Joh. 1. 7. or they that deny it, make it in vain?</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, <HI>The practice of Quakers, both in their &s;peaking and writing, is never to &s;end &s;ouls to the blood of Chri&s;t, but to their own light to &s;ave them:</HI> O you filthy &s;landerers, who matter not what you &s;peak again&s;t the truth! Where did ever the Quakers, either in &s;peaking or writing, deny the blood of Chri&s;t, or &s;end any to their own light to &s;ave them, but to the light of Chri&s;t, and to the blood of Chri&s;t? For what is our own, is darkne&s;s: but Chri&s;t the light of the world we witne&s;s, and this light &s;hining out of dark|ne&s;s.</P>
<P>And whereas you u&s;e many words, and bring many Scriptures, as to make people believe that we hold the blood of Chri&s;t needle&s;s, or that men can be clean&s;ed without it; that is your deceit: for all are mi&s;e|rable till they be clean&s;ed by Chri&s;t: and then <HI>Who &s;hall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect,</HI> who&s;e &s;ins are taken away by the Lamb of God? And &s;uch deny &s;elf-righteou&s;ne&s;. And though <HI>Paul</HI> did witne&s;s his warfare, which we witne&s;s al&s;o in our mea&s;ure; yet after|ward he did witne&s;s his overcoming, and being more then a conqueror.</P>
<P>And whereas you talk of covering &s;ins daily; his &s;ins who are once covered, are not daily to cover, but once for ever, if he abide in Chri&s;t, and return not into &s;in again; and are made heirs of the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God: and &s;uch deny &s;elf-righteou&s;ne&s;s.</P>
<P>And whereas you charge us with bla&s;phemous here&s;ie, denying the Lord that bought us, railing, pride, lying, reproaching the Ordinance of God, and Me&s;&s;engers of Je&s;us; we deny it; and this &s;hall &s;tand for your &s;elves. For bla&s;phemies and here&s;ies, you that would draw people from the teachings of Chri&s;t, are guilty of them: and the Lord
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that bought us we own, whom you that are &s;old to &s;in cannot witne&s;s. Railing, pride, and lying, we abhor, and witne&s;s again&s;t them in you, who live in them, and therefore you hate us. The Ordinance of God we own, but deny your traditions. The Me&s;&s;engers of Je&s;us we own, and their call, and deny you, who &s;corn the immediate call of Chri&s;t, and would ca&s;t it off as bla&s;phemy, on them whom he hath called; and &s;o witne&s;s your &s;elves to be of tho&s;e who run un&s;ent: and here you are di&s;covered, and your covering is too narrow, and your bed is too &s;hort. And the words of <HI>Job</HI> we own, and deny self-ju|&s;tification, and witne&s;s our &s;elves ju&s;tified by Chri&s;t and his righteou&s;|ne&s;s brought neer unto us; which is not a broken reed, as you would call it, but will &s;tand us in &s;tead in the evil day. And our walking with God in his righteou&s;ne&s;s, is our covering from wrath; for which you reproach us, and ca&s;t it upon us as bla&s;phemy: but it is, that you may be manife&s;t, that you know not the covering of Chri&s;ts righte|ou&s;ne&s;s and holine&s;s, in which whoever walk with God, are covered from wrath.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay that Chri&s;t de&s;troyed the works of the devil for his people upon the Cro&s;s, and yet men mu&s;t commit &s;in while they live; here is your confu&s;ion laid open to all men: and you who live in &s;in, which is a work of the devil, he hath not de&s;troyed the works of the devil in you: and out of your own mouth be you judged that you are not his people; for the work of the devil is alive in you. And the cro&s;s of Chri&s;t you know not: for what Chri&s;t formerly did de|&s;troy upon the cro&s;s for his people, he doth the &s;ame now; and &s;o is <HI>the &s;ame ye&s;terday, to day, and for ever,</HI> Heb. 13. 8. which cro&s;s you that live in your pride, and lu&s;ts of the fle&s;h, will not take up, and therefore the works of the devil remain in you unde&s;troyed. And for the Scriptures you alleadge, do any of them &s;ay that Chri&s;t hath de|&s;troyed the works of the devil for them who live in &s;in? for, to com|mit &s;in, is the work of the devil. And fir&s;t, you &s;ay Chri&s;t hath de|&s;troyed the works of the devil upon the cro&s;s; and then, you &s;ay the works of Satan &s;hall be de&s;troyed in the time appointed of the Father, and he &s;hall pre&s;ent us &s;potle&s;s at his coming: which time of the Fa|thers appointment, and coming of Chri&s;t to pre&s;ent &s;potle&s;s, you ap|pear to be ignorant of: for the Fathers time is <HI>To day,</HI> to them that will hear his voice. And the <HI>coming of Chri&s;t without &s;in unto &s;alvation, and pre&s;enting &s;potle&s;s,</HI> is witne&s;&s;ed.</P>
<P>And whereas you go about to make people believe, that though
<PB N="28" REF="17">
they die the &s;ervants of &s;in, yet they &s;hall be compleat in Chri&s;t, and be made glorious, and perfect, and holy after death, which is your own imagination: here I charge you in the pre&s;ence of the living God to be in the Papi&s;ts faith, to encourage people to live in &s;in while they live, and for which you have no Scripture; for I challenge you to bring one Scripture, which doth &s;ay, That perfection and holine&s;s are re&s;erved till after death, or that any &s;hall inherit them after death; or one Scripture, that &s;aies, Men &s;hall live in &s;in, while they are upon the earth, who cannot witne&s;s them here; but as men die, &s;o &s;hall they come to judgement, and &s;o &s;hall be proceeded again&s;t, without any ho|line&s;s added to them after death. And thus you are not afraid to de|ceive &s;ouls, and hold things contrary to plain Scripture to deceive with|al, which at that day you &s;hall accompt for, which will be terrible to all deceivers: and whereas you would wre&s;t tho&s;e words of Chri&s;t, <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. 18. <HI>Not one jot or tittle of the Law &s;hall pa&s;s away un|til all be fulfilled:</HI> and this you would wre&s;t, to make the Law void, as though God did not require it to be fulfilled, and you &s;ay, this was the &s;cle and alone work of Chri&s;t; which work of Chri&s;t, you know not in your &s;elves, who puts it far from you; for they who witne&s;s the work of Chri&s;t, they know that he who did fulfil the Law, doth fulfil the it in every generation of the Saints, who believe in him, and &s;o by faith the Law is e&s;tabli&s;hed, and not made void: and whereas you &s;ay, It is not &s;aid in all the book of God, that the righteou&s;ne&s;s of the Law is fulfilled in this life, in any Saints: and here I charge you all to be lyers in the pre&s;ence of the living God. But you &s;ay the contra|ry is a&s;&s;erted. I an&s;wer, It &s;eems you hold a fulfilling of it after death, but read <HI>Rom.</HI> 8. 3, 4. and let the Scripture be witne&s;s again&s;t you, which &s;aith in plain words, That Chri&s;t came for that end, to fulfil the Law in the Saints, which they could not do, through the weakne&s;s of the fle&s;h; and there is no Scripture that a&s;&s;erts the contrary, with|out your wre&s;tings; which I deny, as you have wre&s;ted and turned many Scriptures here to your own de&s;truction, and to de&s;troy others; turning them into your &s;ence, to another end then for which the holy Gho&s;t gave them forth, for the Spirit of God did never give out the Scripture to plead for &s;in while men live, but they are &s;o plain to all, your wre&s;ting of them, that I forbear to mention them in particular: and whereas you &s;lander us to hold up Popi&s;h notions, and inherent holine&s;s, that is your own practi&s;e, and your own words, which we deny. And you that &s;ay, May not a man be in part unclean, and yet
<PB N="29" REF="17">
pure and &s;potle&s;s too, by rea&s;on of imputation. Here you now &s;hew your confu&s;ion; and I command you to &s;hew plain Scripture for this without twining. And now let any who &s;ees your pleading for &s;in and uncleanne&s;s, which Chri&s;t came to take away, judge if you are not the upholders of what Chri&s;t came to de&s;troy; and here you are Antichri&s;ts, and by your pleading for &s;in is the man of &s;in di&s;covered in you, who pleads for his kingdom, while men live: and how I am a Railer for laying open the&s;e truths, let any judge where the man of &s;in is di&s;covered, and you are found faithful to (therein you are in the doctrine of the Papi&s;ts) your Ma&s;ter.</P>
<P>The eleventh <HI>Po&s;ition, That every man in the world hath a light within him &s;ufficient to guide him to &s;alvation, without the help of any outward light or di&s;covery.</HI> And in your Reyly you deceit|fully put in that word (<HI>&s;aving light</HI>) which is not &s;poken by me, for though Chri&s;t be the light of the world that enlightens all, yet none are &s;aved by him, but who believe and follow him out of the works of darkne&s;s; but to the re&s;t it is the condemnation that light is come into world, and they love darkne&s;s and their evil deeds, and here are you to be condemned with it, who are enemies to the light, and pleads again&s;t it, and &s;o lives in works of darkne&s;s.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, <HI>None can come except the Father draw them;</HI> it's true, but tho&s;e drawings, you and all that hate the light, do re&s;i&s;t.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, <HI>Every one that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh to me;</HI> It's true, and that's the rea&s;on why you (who own not the teachings of the Father, but counts it bla&s;phemy to witne&s;s his voice) come not to Chri&s;t, but are at a di&s;tance from him: and for <HI>John</HI> 1. 4, 5. which you &s;ay, Is clear again&s;t me, and you &s;ay, They were in darkne&s;s for want of light; but <HI>John</HI> &s;aith, <HI>The light &s;hined in darkne&s;s; and he came unto his own, and they re|ceived him not</HI> John 1. And here <HI>John</HI> &s;hews, the cau&s;e why they were in darkne&s;s, was, becau&s;e they received not the light, for as many as received him became the &s;ons of God; and thus what <HI>John</HI> &s;aith you hold the contrary: and you &s;ay that of <HI>Joh.</HI> 3. 19. <HI>This is the condem|nation that light is come into the world,</HI> is full again&s;t me; but how that is full again&s;t my witne&s;&s;ing every man to have a light, let any man &s;ee; but you &s;ure think that people are bound to believe any thing you &s;ay, without any further trial; but the light is come, and you mu&s;t now lead none, but who are wilfully blinde. And for
<PB N="30" REF="18">
the third branch of my an&s;wer, <HI>That where the light of Chri&s;t is there needs no outward di&s;covery,</HI> to this you &s;ay, You have abun|dantly proved, that Chri&s;t is not in all, nor doth enlighten all. I an|&s;wer, Your proofs are contrary to plain Scripture in this, as in all the re&s;t; for the Scripture &s;aith <HI>Chri&s;t is in all, Jew and Greek, bond and free,</HI> Col. 3. 11. <HI>And this is the true light that enlightens every one that comes into the world,</HI> John 1. 9. John 8. 12. And you &s;ay you have fully proved, that all men in the world do need an outward light, and that it is the way of Chri&s;t to make him&s;elf known by outward di&s;coveries, and you &s;ay you have proved it by arguments. I an&s;wer, Your deceitful arguments I deny, and they are no proof to me, nor any that fear God, who receive that truth by the Spirit and not by arguments; but bring one Scripture in plain words: that all men need an outward light, or that an outward di&s;covery is the way by which Chri&s;t makes him&s;elf known to his people; and till then, I deny you and your Philo&s;ophy: and prove one Saint that ever knew Chri&s;t &s;ince his a&s;cen&s;ion, but by revelation. And what talk you of preaching the Go&s;pel; who denies the immediate call of Chri&s;t, or any hearing his voice? or to talke of Officers given for perfecting of the Saints, which &s;ay, none &s;hall ever be perfect while they live? which &s;hew you to be none of tho&s;e Officers given by Chri&s;t for the perfect|ing of the Saints, for you plead again&s;t &s;uch as witne&s;s that work and that end.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, That the light &s;poken of 2 <HI>Pet.</HI> 1. 19. that <HI>Peter</HI> doth not &s;end them to a light within, but to books and words of the Prophets, which Scripture &s;hall witne&s;s again&s;t your deceit and blindene&s;s; for the Apo&s;tle exhorts them to wait on the light, <HI>til the day dawn, and the day-&s;tar ari&s;e in their hearts;</HI> which is not without nor in books: and if the te&s;timony of the old Prophets, was a more &s;ure word, then that which <HI>Peter</HI> heard from the mouth of God, then it mu&s;t needs follow that the te&s;timony of the old Prophets, who &s;poke but darkly of Chri&s;t, and did not &s;ee his day, (though they de&s;ired it) mu&s;t be a more &s;ure te&s;timony then the Apo&s;tles who were his eye-witne&s;&s;es, and the words of books a more &s;ure word, then the voice that came from heaven, which was the immediate voice of God; which blinde ab&s;urdity, all who have the Spirit of prophe&s;ie, which is the &s;ure word and te&s;timony of Je&s;us &s;hall condemn your blindene&s;s, who knows not that &s;ure word of prophe&s;ie that was in them.</P>
<P><PB N="31" REF="18">And whereas you wi&s;h the Reader to ob&s;erve, that <HI>Nayler</HI> cries down the Scriptures as needle&s;s; here you would have the Reader to ob&s;erve your lyes; for though the letter doth not di&s;cover Chri&s;t, but the Spirit; yet it is not u&s;ele&s;s, for it is a witne&s;s again&s;t your practice, opinions, traditions, and ca&s;ts you all among&s;t the fal&s;e Prophets and hirelings: and herein it is of u&s;e and authority, and al&s;o is a witne&s;s without again&s;t all who will not own the witne&s;s within: nor do I cry down the publi&s;hing the Go&s;pel by the Mini&s;tery, nor the hearing God and his word, but you who deny the immediate call and the word of God coming to any now, denies both the word and Mini|&s;tery which we own and witne&s;s.</P>
<P>The twelfth <HI>Po&s;ition, That there is no need of any outward teaching, by reading or hearing the Scriptures opened or applyed.</HI> And herein you accu&s;e me of &s;huffling, railing and lying, becau&s;e I &s;ay you apply the promi&s;es of God to them who are in the fir&s;t birth, and preach them up all believers, and &s;ay men mu&s;t commit &s;in while they are here, and &s;ow pillows under mens arm-holes: now is not this true of you, who &s;prinkle Infants by the faith of their Parents, and calls them your flock, and receives them to your Ordinances? and do you not here preach them up believers, within your liberty or Pari&s;h, though they live in &s;in? and here you &s;ow pillows under every arm|hole: and then do you not fine them, who refu&s;e to pay you Tythes or hire? and &s;o you prepare war again&s;t them, who put not into your mouthes. And you hold forth, that none can be free from &s;in while they live. Now where are the lyes, or what wrong have I done you? let any that is &s;piritual judge, for lying I abhor, or to wrong any; but I &s;peak the truth of you, as your practice doth witne&s;s. And in your an&s;wer to that Scripture, which &s;aith, <HI>They &s;hall no more teach eve|ry man his neighbour, &s;aying, Know the Lord,</HI> Heb. 8. 11. This you &s;ay doth onely concern the children of God, and &s;uch as have their &s;ins pardoned, wherein you exclude all your Pari&s;h people from the children of God, and pardon of &s;in: for how many have you that are taught of God, and needs not your teaching, (as you &s;ay?) I de&s;ire your hearers that they would con&s;ider of it, that &s;o they might come to the teachings of God, and &s;o witne&s;s the children of God, and &s;in pardoned, and &s;o to witne&s;s the everla&s;ting Covenant, and no need of your teachings.</P>
<P>And whereas you tell of 4 Arguments and above 30 plain Scriptures, in your <HI>Perfect Phari&s;ee;</HI> Your Arguments I deny, and &s;ees them
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to be deceit, and there is not one of the thirty, nor in the whole book, that doth plainly witne&s;s to your way of teaching; but the whole Scriptures are again&s;t you, and all that teach for hire, and denies the immediate call, and the word of the Lord coming to you&punc; <HI>Jer.</HI> 23. 21, 32. And you ask why the Apo&s;tle wrote to the <HI>Hebrews</HI> to teach them, if that were the meaning that no man &s;hould teach their neigh|bour. I an&s;wer, To draw them to the teaching of Chri&s;t, as is plain, when he tells them of a growth that need no man to teach them: and though he &s;ay, You have need that one teach you again, which is the fir&s;t Principle of the Oracles of God, doth he &s;ay this to continue them in a need of that, (as you would inferre) or to &s;hame them, that they were not yet grown up to the teachings of God, <HI>Heb.</HI> 6. 1. and out of mans teachings towards perfection?</P>
<P>And whereas you alledge the exhortation of the Apo&s;tles, we own it, which was to draw up to the light and teaching, as is plain in their exhorting them to wait for the appearing of Chri&s;t, who was their light and life, <HI>Col.</HI> 3. 4.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, You pre&s;s all to &s;truggle after that perfection they do not yet enjoy; now how this agrees with your &s;aying they &s;hall never be perfect while they live, and what encouragement you give them to &s;truggle is evident, who tells them they mu&s;t &s;truggle, but never prevail while they live. And here you are found to be the juglers you &s;peak of, who&s;e teaching is yea and nay.</P>
<P>And whereas you charge me with ca&s;ting dirt upon the Scriptures, becau&s;e I &s;ay the Holy Gho&s;t did not put it into Chapters and Ver&s;es, but the hireling-Prie&s;ts to trade withal: Here you appear to be fal&s;e accu&s;ers, and the railers and lyars you &s;peak on; for I have not &s;poken one word again&s;t the Scriptures, but own them, as the Holy Gho&s;t gave them forth.</P>
<P>The thirteenth <HI>Po&s;ition, That the Scriptures are not the word of God, but a Declaration of the condition of them that &s;poke them forth.</HI> And in your Reply you alledge many Scriptures, but not one that &s;peaks of a written word, or that the letter is the word; but that it is a Declaration is plain, as <HI>Luk.</HI> 1. 1. 1. <HI>Joh.</HI> 1. 3. and divers other places, where they that had the word in them, declared it in writings to others, <HI>Gal.</HI> 1. 16.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay&punc; The &s;eed is the word; it's true, but that &s;eed is not the letter, nor can any &s;ow that &s;eed, but where Chri&s;t is reveal|ed in them. And you argue carnally, and &s;ay, Can the devil take
<PB N="33" REF="19">
Chri&s;t out of their hearts? I an&s;wer, Where the devil is received in, there Chri&s;t departs, and in that &s;en&s;e may be &s;aid to be taken away; but if you minde the words that follow, (<HI>Le&s;t they &s;hould believe and be &s;aved</HI>) it will appear to be the &s;eed of Chri&s;t, for in what el&s;e could they be believe to &s;alvation, but in Chri&s;t? and this &s;eed is not the letter&punc; as you would prove it to be: and for that place, 1 <HI>The&s;&s;.</HI> 2. 13. where it is &s;aid, <HI>That which the Saints heard of the Apo&s;tles, was not the words of man;</HI> I an&s;wer, It's true, and that word was Chri&s;t the word of faith, as is plain, <HI>Rom.</HI> 10. 6 7 8. neither can you prove that ever the Apo&s;tles preached any other word, but Chri&s;t, <HI>Gal.</HI> 1.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, there are two words of God, an e&s;&s;ential and a declarative word, which is your own language, but the Scrip|ture &s;peaks no &s;uch words.</P>
<P>And whereas you accu&s;e us to de&s;troy the Scriptures Divinity and Authority; but is this to de&s;troy their Authority, when we &s;ay, They were &s;poken forth by the Holy Gho&s;t, which was in them that &s;poke them forth? and ye would make people believe the letter to be the foundation of the Saints, and hath the Authority over the Soul: and here you deny Chri&s;t, to e&s;tabli&s;h the letter in his &s;tead, who is the foundation of Saints, and hath the Authority of Souls; for they who preached Chri&s;t the foundation, denied them&s;elves to preach the letter; but your mini&s;tration is of the letter, who knows no other word, but what you read in books. And this is your foundation you &s;tand on, and here it's tried&punc; and by which you get your living in the world, and here you deny Chri&s;t, for the letter is not Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>And whereas you talk of the commands of God, but his com|mands you know not, who have them to &s;eek in the letter; for his com|mands is in Spirit, and ever was, and yet this doth not de&s;troy the Scriptures&punc; but witne&s;s the &s;ame Spirit that gave them forth, and that which the Saints &s;poke was the word of the Lord, and not the letter, according to their &s;everal mea&s;ures and conditions.</P>
<P>And whereas you accu&s;e me to &s;ay that the words which the Pro|phets &s;poke was Chri&s;t, wherein your deceit appears to all that read my words, for I do not &s;ay their words were Chri&s;t, but that Spirit by which they &s;poke was the Spirit of Chri&s;t. And this is that which I &s;poke of, which came to the Prophets, which you deny to be Chri&s;t, and therewith the life of Chri&s;t and the Apo&s;tles, you are all judged out of truth, and here your deceit&punc; and blindene&s;s, and &s;landers, are laid open for every &s;piritual eye to &s;ee.</P>
<P><PB N="34" REF="20">The fourteenth <HI>Po&s;ition, That the Spirits are not to be tried by Scriptures.</HI> And here becau&s;e I &s;ay that the infallible Spirit, which is the original of all Scriptures, is the trial of all Spirits, from thence you argue, that I &s;et the minde and will of the Spirit, in oppo&s;ition to the Spirit, which is fal&s;e; for I &s;et the Spirit of God in whom it is in op|po&s;ition to all deceitful Spirits; for &s;o the Apo&s;tle bids them who had the Spirit of God, try the deceitful Spirits: and this was not &s;poken to them, who were guided by the Spirit of the world; for &s;uch cannot try the Spirits, neither with the letter nor without it, as I have formerly proved: neither did Chri&s;t &s;end them to try his Spirit, when he bad them, <HI>Search the Scriptures:</HI> nor did the <HI>Bereans</HI> try the Spirit of Chri&s;t, but &s;earched the words which <HI>Paul</HI> &s;poke from tho&s;e Scriptures that declared of Chri&s;t. And here by the vi&s;ible eye they tried vi&s;ible words; but the Spirit of God is invi&s;ible, and cannot be tried by any, but tho&s;e who have it, and are guided by it. And you that would make people be|lieve, that all that can read the letter, can try the Spirit of God, would &s;et up carnal judges over the Spirit of God; when the Scripture &s;aith, <HI>The natural man under&s;tands not the things of God:</HI> and you confe&s;s the eternal Spirit to be the trier of Spirits, though formerly you &s;eemed to deny it; but &s;ay your que&s;tion is, what the Saints had to try the Spirits by. I an&s;wer, By the &s;ame Spirit by which they are &s;anctified, and prove in Scripture where the Saints are commanded to try the Spirits by any other things, and here &s;ee your confu&s;ion; for the letter is dead, and &s;peaks nothing&punc; for the Apo&s;tles &s;aid, <HI>They &s;erved God in the newne&s;s of life, and not in the oldne&s;s of the letter:</HI> and if any man read this letter: and not by the &s;ame Spirit that gave it forth, he is not able to judge of it, but wre&s;ts it as you do for your &s;everal ends: &amp; if any man read it by the &s;ame Spirit that gave it forth, it is the Spirit that judgeth of the letter, and not the letter of the Spirit.</P>
<P>And whereas you talk of trying the doctrines of men by the Scrip|tures; it is true, they that have had the Spirit of God in all ages, have made u&s;e of the letter, again&s;t the deceitful doctrines, as we do at this day, and yet this letter is not the judge of the Spirit of God in them, for this were to &s;et the letter above the Spirit.</P>
<P>And whereas you accu&s;e us to exclude the Scriptures, becau&s;e we &s;ay the holy Gho&s;t is the original of them, which &s;lander is fal&s;e; for hereby we confe&s;s and own the Scripture to be given forth by the holy Gho&s;t.</P>
<P><PB N="35" REF="20">And whereas you &s;ay the light which a &s;piritual man hath&punc; is a Scrip|ture-light; I an&s;wer, A &s;piritual mans light, is the light of Chri&s;t, and is infallible, and cannot be altered; and therefore all that are guided by it are one, where there is no di&s;putes nor janglings; but you that have your light from what you gather out of the letter, are confu&s;ed among&s;t your &s;elves&punc; adding to it your own meanings, for your own ends, and do not &s;peak one and the &s;ame things, but every man accor|ding to his imaginations of the letter, &s;o he judgeth, and &s;o he wor|&s;hippeth, and here are you Teachers of the world divided in your &s;eve|ral judgements, and your &s;everal wor&s;hips. And thus you are putting meaning upon <HI>Paul</HI>'s words, where he &s;aith, <HI>He is pre&s;ent in Spi|rit,</HI> which you go about to deny by your meanings, and &s;o would make <HI>Paul</HI> a lyar like your &s;elves; but they who believes your wre&s;t|ings before <HI>Paul</HI>'s words, are blinde like you: and &s;o with the Apo&s;tles light you are all judged, and &s;o the blinde leads the blinde. And be|cau&s;e I &s;ay the Spirit of God was the trier of Spirits before the letter was, therefore you would make people believe&punc; that I hold forth that the Word is not to be regarded, nor the Law looked upon, nor the Scripture heeded; and when you have thus fal&s;ly &s;landered, you &s;ay you leave the Reader to laugh at it: it &s;hews that light Spirit rules in you; but whil&s;t you are thus in your laughter, and per&s;wading o|thers to laugh al&s;o, all that fear God may mourn to &s;ee your doctrine&punc; to &s;ee you profe&s;s the name of the Lord who is holy, and you to ga|ther up &s;uch filthy con&s;equences as the&s;e, to &s;lander the truth withal&punc; and when you have done, make it a matter of laughter; but the day is at hand&punc; when your laughter &s;hall be turned into howling and weep|ing, and then wo unto you, and tho&s;e that laugh with you. And for what I &s;aid of your &s;everal judgements, and wor&s;hips, and imagined Gods according to your &s;everal judgements, it is true, as all that take notice of you and your divi&s;ions through the whole Nation may witne&s;s with me, for the true God is but one, and his wor&s;hip one.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay you hold the head, the Lord Je&s;us, it is fal&s;e, for they who hold him for their head, the Lord and Ma&s;ter, denied to be called Ma&s;ters them&s;elves among&s;t the Saints, or of the world, but owned one Ma&s;ter, which is the Head, which is Chri&s;t, and they were all brethren, neither did they exerci&s;e authority one over a|nother, as the Heathen do, neither were they bowed to and wor&s;hipt with cap and knee, as you are, and do to others, for they had one Ma&s;ter, whom they wor&s;hipped and bowed their knee to, which was
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&s;piritual, in whom they believed, which faith they had not in re&s;pect of per&s;ons, but you are enemies to that faith, neither can you believe, <HI>who receive honor one of another,</HI> John 5. 44. and here you hold not the Head the Lord, but walk as Lords your &s;elves among&s;t your hearers, which <HI>Peter</HI> and <HI>Paul</HI> never did, who&s;e conditions you talk &s;o much on: and this is not my venom but a true witne&s;s again&s;t your unrighteous practice.</P>
<P>And whereas you talk of things hard to be under&s;tood in the Scrip|tures, which the un&s;table and unlearned wre&s;t: It is true, and you are tho&s;e unlearned, who were never taught of God, nor heard his voice, but reproach them that have; and you are they who wre&s;t the&s;e Scriptures to your own de&s;truction, and not rightly under&s;tanding them, cannot di&s;cover every Spirit; nay, you are &s;o blinde, that you cannot di&s;cover that &s;pirit in you that acts you in covetou&s;ne&s;s, pride, &s;lander, envie and per&s;ecution, is the &s;pirit of the devil; and that &s;pirit that acts you to plead for &s;in while men live, to be the &s;pirit of the man of &s;in; and though you talk of the <HI>word</HI> that is <HI>&s;weeter then the hony and the hony combe,</HI> and &s;o have &s;toln <HI>Davids</HI> words, yet that word you know not, nor that &s;weetne&s;s of it, who deny the word of the Lord coming to you, and know no word but the letter: for that word which <HI>David</HI> &s;peaks of, was within him, and not with|out him, which word I witne&s;s, and its &s;weetne&s;s.</P>
<P>And whereas you charge me to &s;et a glo&s;s upon that Scripture, <HI>I&s;a. 8. 20. To the Law and to the te&s;timony, if they &s;peak not according to this word it is becau&s;e there is no light in them:</HI> and becau&s;e I &s;ay, <HI>The Law of God in the new Covenant is written in the hearts of men,</HI> which is plain in the Scriptures, <HI>Heb.</HI> 8. 10. Therefore you &s;ay, I overturn all Scripture, &s;o that for me to &s;peak Scripture and witne&s;s the promi&s;e of God in the new Covenant, and the end of the old, by your deceit you would make it to overturn Scripture; and you &s;ay it hath reference to the Law written in tables of &s;tone; 'ts true, and that was in the old Covenant a type of the new, and of that Law that &s;hould be written in mens hearts in the new Co|venant, &amp; you that would deny the new Covenant to e&s;tabli&s;h the old, make it appear that you are blinde and ignorant of that Covenant, and that pure Law which is within written by the Lord in the heart, and are in your own righteou&s;ne&s;s and Covenant of works, and &s;o have no light in you, who&s;e light and Law is without, and all that are &s;piritu|al again&s;t you, who &s;aies herein I overturn all Scriptures, who wit|ne&s;s
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the Scriptures fulfilled, and as for <HI>John Gilpin</HI> whom you &s;ay is delivered out of the &s;nares of the devil, and would make him a &s;tum|bling-block to the truth, his practice &s;ince hath &s;hewed how he hath been delivered out of the &s;nares of the devil, and the judgement of God hath overtaken him: and whether they con&s;ulted with <HI>John Gilpin</HI> again&s;t Chri&s;t, who cau&s;ed his book to be printed over again, and framed it at the fir&s;t, the truth may ea&s;ily judge, and their re|ward &s;hall be according to their works.</P>
<P>To your fifteenth <HI>Po&s;ition, That there ought to be no &s;ence, meaning, or expo&s;ition given, or &s;tudying of the Scripture.</HI> And in your Reply you &s;ay, The Scriptures are in &s;ome places given out darkly, and when you have done, you &s;ay, it is from the darkne&s;s that lies on the Spirits of the Saints. Here is your confu&s;ion and dark|ne&s;s: and for the key of <HI>David</HI> you &s;peak on, it is not committed into the hands of any hirelings as you are, nor ever was, but where Chri&s;t is, and &s;uch live the life of the Scriptures, and &s;o open them in their conver&s;ation, as well as words: and till your lives witne&s;s what you preach, you &s;hut them to others, and not open them. And how long your generation have been about opening them, all may &s;ee, and yet they are &s;hut from your &s;elves, and you cannot agree about them, and then how will you open them to others? but who waits for that Spirit that gave them forth, &s;hall not need you and your openings, but by that Spirit will deny you and your openings, and with that Spirit judge you all, and the blindene&s;s of you hearers: your own practice &s;hews what openers you are; for they are a book &s;ealed to your wi&s;dom and carnal learning. Therefore let them alone as they are for they are of no private interpretation, nor are they committed to you to open, nor doth any Scripture you alledge prove any &s;uch thing.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay you have the infallible Spirit dwelling in you; I an&s;wer, Where that Spirit is, it is one, and admits of no di&s;putes and janglings; but &s;peaks one and the &s;ame thing in all that have it in their mea&s;ure; but your divi&s;ions among&s;t your &s;elves witne&s;s what Spirit acts in you, and your pride, covetou&s;ne&s;s, and conformities to the world; for that Spirit which is infallible, leads out of the world, and fa&s;hions of it, and conforms to Chri&s;t; and they who judge by that Spirit, deny the wi&s;dom and learning of the world or to enrich them&s;elves by it.</P>
<P>The &s;ixteenth <HI>Po&s;ition: They cry down bapti&s;m with water and the Lords Supper, as being but types and &s;hadows, cea&s;ing upon the
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appearance of Chri&s;t in them.</HI> And in your Reply you quarrel that I &s;hould &s;ay, <HI>Paul</HI> knew what he &s;aid, when he &s;aid, <HI>Chri&s;t &s;ent me not to baptize, but to preach, 1 Cor.</HI> 1. 17. and you &s;ay, This is to heap &s;in upon <HI>Peter</HI> and the re&s;t of the Apo&s;tles: but that <HI>Paul</HI> by &s;peak|ing the truth, or I by &s;peaking it after him, doth thereby heap &s;in upon <HI>Peter,</HI> is a &s;trange inference, but it is like the re&s;t; for there is no truth that I &s;peak, but you can inferre a &s;lander from it, and how many times in your book have you &s;landered me for &s;peaking plain Scripture? but it is to manife&s;t you to be what you are.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay we cry down bapti&s;me and the Lords Supper: It is fal&s;e, for the bapti&s;m of <HI>John</HI> we own, which is with water, and the bapti&s;m of Chri&s;t, with the holy Gho&s;t and fire, we own, and the Supper of the Lord we own, and our &s;aith feeds upon him, and the eating of his fle&s;h, and drinking of his blood is our life, <HI>John</HI> 6. 53, 54. and we deny your faith, which you &s;ay is nouri&s;hed by bread and wine which is carnal; and your &s;prinkling of Infants we deny, which you &s;ay, You can clear up to be an Ordinance of Chri&s;t, but doth not, nor can do it.</P>
<P>The &s;eventeenth <HI>Po&s;ition, That there is no mediate call of the Mini&s;tery.</HI> And you &s;ay, I contradict my &s;elf, becau&s;e I &s;ay, That the ordaining of Elders, by the direction of the Spirit of God, was not by man; which I again affirm, That it was not by man, nor of man, nor any created power; but by the Spirit of God in the A|po&s;tles, which did impower them with the gift of the holy Gho&s;t to them who were ordained, and this was not of man, but of God.</P>
<P>And whereas you would prove your mediate call from this, it will not &s;erve your turn, who are either called by the cur&s;ed Bi&s;hops, or by earthly Magi&s;trates, or el&s;e you call one another by your own wills, but no appointment of God nor gift of the holy Gho&s;t, is wit|ne&s;&s;ed among&s;t you.</P>
<P>And whereas you deny that the late commi&s;&s;ion did ever pretend to put any in the Office of a Mini&s;ter, here all the North may witne&s;s again&s;t you, that you care not what you &s;ay to excu&s;e your &s;elves and accu&s;e others, though never &s;o fal&s;e. Did not you and tho&s;e that were in commi&s;&s;ion call them before you, and examined and appoint|ed whom you would, and denied whom you would at will and plea|&s;ure? and your partiality in it, the North can witne&s;s; and now you deny it: be a&s;hamed and confounded before all men, you &s;hamele&s;s creatures: this you may call railing, as you do the re&s;t, where you are
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told of your deceit. And for your fifty five proofs you tell of, which you &s;ay are not all an&s;wered: I an&s;wer, Tho&s;e that might &s;eem to make for your purpo&s;e are an&s;wered, and for many other you bring, they are &s;o full again&s;t the end for which you alledge them, that they may an&s;wer them&s;elves, before all that know any thing of Scriptures, and to their judgement I leave them, and &s;hall not trouble my &s;elf or others, with things to &s;o little purpo&s;e. And for your &s;ending and proving your fal&s;e accu&s;ations, under hand and &s;eal, as you call it, here you &s;hew what Spirit acts in you, who pur&s;ue &s;uch unju&s;t things with &s;uch eagerne&s;s, which none of the Saints of God ever did, but your reward &s;hall be as your work is, and time &s;hall clear the truth, when you have vented your envie.</P>
<P>Now to that you call our Principles.</P>
<P>And fir&s;t, <HI>Not to &s;alute any.</HI> And here you accu&s;e us to deny high-way &s;alutes, and when you have done, you &s;ay, High-way &s;a|lutes is our known practi&s;e; but how doth this agree? hone&s;ty would never have accu&s;ed us to deny what is our known practice, unle&s;s you could have proved, that we had denied to &s;alute any, as you fal&s;ly accu&s;e us; for the &s;alutation of the Saints we own and practice, and deny your heatheni&s;h cu&s;tomes, that are u&s;ed without the fear of God.</P>
<P>And whereas you bring the practice of &s;ome in the old Te&s;tament, to overturn the Commands of Chri&s;t in the new: I an&s;wer, No con|trary practice of any, (though the be&s;t of Saints) can be a ground for me to break the Command of Chri&s;t; neither had they whom you in&s;tance, as <HI>Jacob</HI> and <HI>Abigal,</HI> any command for what they did to bow down, or fall to the ground; but rather did it out of fear and weakne&s;s. Now if any had alledged the&s;e to tho&s;e whom Chri&s;t &s;ent out, had that been a ground for them to have broken Chri&s;ts Com|mand, to follow their practice without command? and it is the &s;ame now. Chri&s;t who hath &s;ent us forth, hath commanded us to deny your vain cu&s;toms, and not to &s;alute any by the way: and this we witne&s;s and practice, whatever they did in the old time: and here we leave you who are in the world to your traditions of the world, &amp; follow Chri&s;t, &amp; &s;o witne&s;s again&s;t all the vanities out of which we are called. And for that place in 2 <HI>Joh.</HI> 10. which you would alledge to keep up the worlds cu&s;tomes, which is clear again&s;t you&punc; for the Apo&s;tle there commands, <HI>Not to bid God &s;peed to any tran&s;gre&s;&s;or that doth not abide in the
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doctrine of Chri&s;t, and who hath not the Father and the Son;</HI> for if they bade God &s;peed to any of them, they were partakers of their evil deeds. Now they who fear God, had need take heed whom they bid God &s;peed to for few are found who have in them the Father and the Son, and are no tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors: and now how this makes for your God &s;peed to all, any that fear God may &s;ee, and be warned of your deceit, le&s;t they partake of other mens evil deeds. And &s;o it's plain the Saints were forbidden to &s;alute any but Saints, though you call it <HI>Publican</HI>-like.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay in <HI>Mat.</HI> 5. 37. is a command <HI>to &s;alute all;</HI> I an&s;wer, If that was &s;o as you &s;peak, A general command to &s;alute all, then doth Chri&s;t contradict him&s;elf, when he commands, <HI>Not to &s;alute any by the way:</HI> and &s;o you will make Chri&s;t yea &amp; nay; but it is plain that Chri&s;t is there exhorting to love, and not to &s;alutation, wherein he would have them to exceed the Heathen, who &s;hewed their partiality in &s;aluting their friends onely, which was a token of their love to be par|tial; but if this were a Command of Chri&s;t, To &s;alute all, and bind|ing to them who had received a command to the contrary (which we witne&s;s) then tho&s;e who obeyed his Command, <HI>Not to &s;alute any,</HI> Luke 10. 4. was guilty of the breach of it, which to affirm, was to make Chri&s;t &s;ay and un&s;ay: and be&s;ides, there is not a word in it of &s;aluting by the way, which is the thing you are to prove, which we &s;ay, We are forbidden.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, You &s;alute the poor as well as the rich; here let your practice witne&s;s again&s;t you, who bow to the rich with cap and knee, and wor&s;hip them, and call them Ma&s;ters, but do you &s;o to the poor? and here you are the heathen. And becau&s;e I &s;ay, What we do, we do it not from the commands that were given to o|thers&punc; but by his command to us, by whom we are &s;ent forth; and this you &s;ay is a my&s;tery of iniquity, and utterly to &s;hake off the authority of the word, and you boa&s;t much of a great advantage you have got by the&s;e words: but you &s;ee not your own blindene&s;s, which is apparent, for you &s;ay, This was a particular command; now in&s;tance in Scripture, where any Saint did take up any particular command by imitation, but every particular Saint had his particular command from God, which he was to obey; and if all the parti|cular commands that was given to the Saints in Scripture be binding to us in this generation, then why do not you ob&s;erve them? as <HI>I&s;aiah</HI> went three yeers naked, why do not you do &s;o? and why are not you without money, bra&s;s, two coats and &s;hooes, and many &s;uch-like com|mands?
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And now what doth all your Scriptures prove? It is true, what is written, is for our learning, that as they waited upon God, for their commands what to do, and did obey, &s;o we &s;hould do likewi&s;e, &amp; the di&s;obedient &s;hould warn us not to di&s;obey, <HI>Mat. 15. 9, I&s;a.</HI> 29. 13. And thus you have laid open your &s;elves to be ignorant of the word of God and his commands to you, and all your obedi|nence is imitation and tradition&punc; and &s;o in vain you wor&s;hip. And be|cau&s;e I &s;ay, If we were commanded to forbear wearing &s;hoes, we &s;hould be made willing to obey in that, as well as in other things which we are commanded: and you &s;ay, This is to ca&s;t off the yoke of Chri&s;t and break his bonds a&s;under: now if our willingne&s;s to o|bey his commands be to ca&s;t off his yoke, let the wi&s;e judge, and here your charge &s;hall appear to all to be fal&s;e; for to obey the com|mands of Chri&s;t, is not to deny the authority of the Scripture, (as you would &s;lander us) but it e&s;tabli&s;hes the Scriptures authority, for herein we witne&s;s the &s;ame obedience, and the &s;ame commanding power with all Saints; and you reckon up many that have been made &s;ignes and wonders to this generation, as &s;ome have gone naked, and the like&punc; <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 8. 18. which you would ca&s;t upon the truth&punc; to make it odious to people: and you bring many Scriptures, and wre&s;t them to your own ends: to which I an&s;wer, The command of God to them that know him, is of more force to binde them to obey, then your &s;ubtil arguings and wre&s;tings to di&s;obey, and had you lived in the times of the Prophets, you would have reproached them, for obeying and being made &s;ignes in the &s;ame things, as <HI>I&s;a.</HI> 20. and others in other things, which your generation then counted madne&s;s, as you do now; and per&s;ecuted them for it, as you do now; but it is no wonder why you &s;hould thus reproach us for obeying God, when you are not afraid to contradict God him&s;elf in what he &s;aith, and give him the lye; for when he &s;aith, <HI>My &s;ervant I&s;aiah hath walked naked and bare-foot,</HI> I&s;a. 20. you go about to prove that he was not naked; and when God &s;aith, <HI>The Egyptians and the Ethiopians &s;hall be carried captive naked and barefoot, even with their but|tocks uncovered to their &s;hame,</HI> and you deny, and &s;ay, they took but off their be&s;t apparel, and left them &s;uch as was nece&s;&s;ary to cover their &s;hame; and thus what God &s;aith, you &s;ay the contrary, and go a|bout to make him a lyar, and per&s;wades people to believe your &s;ub|til imaginations before Gods plain words: and here you &s;hew the &s;erpent, who contraries God in all things, and ever did, and not onely
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here, but in all your books, your rea&s;oning and proving are for &s;in&punc; and again&s;t plain Scripture, and any that reads them may &s;ee that I &s;peak the truth of you, though you may call it railing. And you bring 1 <HI>Tim. 2. 9. That women adorn them&s;elves in mode&s;t apparel and &s;o|briety.</HI> And this you bring to ca&s;t upon them that obey the com|mands of God, but you might u&s;e it nearer home among&s;t your own wives, who go in their hoods, vails and rings, which is forbiden, and is not mode&s;ty, but pride; but the&s;e whom you reproach, go in mode&s;t apparel, though &s;ome be made as &s;ignes to you who live in pride: and this is done by a call from God, contrary to their own wills, though you who deny the word coming to you be ignorant of it, as all the fal&s;e Prophets ever were. And for that you ca&s;t upon <HI>Thomas Holms,</HI> that he &s;hould &s;ay, That it was not he that went naked, but God; It is of the &s;ame root with the re&s;t, and will not be believed by any but your own generation.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Principle, <HI>Not giving any outward token of reve|rence to Magi&s;trates, Parents, Ma&s;ters, or any other.</HI> To which I an&s;wer, Reverence and obedience to Magi&s;trates, Parents, Ma&s;ters, and others&punc; we own according to the Scriptures, but to bow down and wor&s;hip the creature, which God hath forbidden, that we deny; and though you who love greetings and bowing to you, would make people believe it's no &s;in, yet they that fear God and wor&s;hip him alone, know it to be a &s;in; and <HI>Mordecai</HI> had rather die, and all the &s;eed of the <HI>Jews</HI> be cut off, then do it, though the King commanded it; and though you &s;ay, It's a ridiculous application of that com|mand, <HI>Thou &s;halt not bow down and wor&s;hip,</HI> yet the Apo&s;tle owns it. And &s;aith, <HI>If you re&s;pect per&s;ons, you commit &s;in, and are con|vinced of the Law as tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors:</HI> now what Law do &s;uch tran&s;gre&s;s, if it be not this which convinceth, <HI>That no wor&s;hip is to be given to any but God,</HI> not to mens per&s;ons? but the&s;e wre&s;tings are as the re&s;t, to encourage to do what God forbids; for Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>How can you believe, that receive honor one of another?</HI> neither did he nor any of his ever re&s;pect mens per&s;ons, nor any that is in the faith of Chri&s;t, <HI>James</HI> 2. 1. but plainly forbids it, both Chri&s;t and the Apo&s;tles; which you plead for, and appear to be of a contrary &s;pirit, for the Spirit of God where it is, pleads for the wor&s;hip of God alone, for he is no re&s;pecter of per&s;ons, nor any that is guided by his Spirit; but they that are guided by the &s;pirit of the world, pleads for the worlds wor&s;hips and cu&s;toms; and where the &s;erpent is, he would
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be wor&s;hipped; but the Spirit of Chri&s;t where it is, keeps the crea|ture upright to God, and not to bow to pride. And notwith&s;tand|ing your light and &s;cornful words again&s;t <HI>A. P.</HI> for &s;aying, there is a power without per&s;ons, yet the Saints know that there is a power which is of God, to which they are &s;ubject for con&s;cience &s;ake whether there be any per&s;ons to execute that power or no: for many times the per&s;ons who &s;hould have &s;et up that power which is of God, have &s;et up their wills in&s;tead of it, and &s;o have turned the edge of the &s;word, (put into their hands) again&s;t them that do well, which is appointed by God for a terrour to evil doers, <HI>Rom.</HI> 13. 3. and when &s;uch per&s;ons have ruled, God hath &s;ent his &s;ervants to witne&s;s again&s;t the per&s;on and his practice, but the power they are &s;till &s;ubject to, for con&s;cience &s;ake, which is one, and is not changed nor corrupted, though the per&s;on be; for it remains, and is one with that in the con&s;cience, and that in the con&s;cience owns and honours it where|ever it is, and &s;o in &s;etting up that power which is of God, is the per&s;on honoured, (in the &s;ight of all that fear God) and not in &s;etting up him&s;elf: but you who look upon the per&s;on as your rule, and not the power, change as mens mindes change, and &s;uch will be of the &s;ame minde with the powers of the earth, turn what way they will, and by the&s;e the Saints who are faithful to God and his power, have alwaies &s;uffered, but the&s;e will never &s;uffer for any truth.</P>
<P>The third Principle, <HI>That no man mu&s;t have the title of Ma&s;ter,</HI> which is fal&s;e, for Ma&s;ters and &s;ervants we own, but to call any Ma&s;ter out of a flattering title, or for his riches, or his pride or great|ne&s;s, this we deny, being expre&s;sly forbidden of Chri&s;t, both in us, and in the Scriptures.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, You have brought at lea&s;t ten Scriptures out of the new Te&s;tament to prove calling men Ma&s;ters; I &s;ay You cannot in&s;tance one Scripture without wre&s;ting, that ever commands it after Chri&s;t forbad it; but here, as in the re&s;t of your book&punc; you would turn the Scriptures again&s;t the plain commands of Chri&s;t to maintain your pride, and here you are di&s;covered to be the Mini&s;ters of Antichri&s;t, and pleads for his kingdom, and wor&s;hips, again&s;t Chri&s;t and his commands. And for the four things you &s;ay we charge upon you, (<HI>viz.</HI>) 1. That ye love the highe&s;t places in the Synagogues. 2. That ye wear long robes. 3. Stand praying in the Synagogues. 4. That you preach for hire.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay You have proved the&s;e to be the proper guilt
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of the Phari&s;ees; I an&s;wer, There are many more may be added to them, which were marks of fal&s;e teachers, which you practice, and then what difference of the Phari&s;ees and you? for one &s;pirit acts to one and the &s;ame things in you both, and one Spirit of Chri&s;t witne&s;&s;eth again&s;t you both, to be in one condemnation. And for other things you &s;ay we charge you with, as going to Univer&s;ities, u&s;ing an hour|gla&s;s, preaching upon a text&punc; not u&s;ing the language of the Scriptures in thouing a particular, running to the powers of the world to protect you: Now are not the&s;e things true of you,? and then what need I &s;ay any more to them? And as for &s;tealing the word from your neigh|bour, what word have you el&s;e but what you &s;teal, who denies the word of the Lord coming to you, and the immediate call, and &s;corns it in them who witne&s;s it? which none ever did but the fal&s;e Prophets, who &s;tole the word from the true Prophets: and here your own mouths &s;hall witne&s;s to what I &s;ay, in the &s;ight of all men: and for the pure language you &s;peak of is not thou and thee; I an&s;wer, The Scrip|ture-language is the pure language, given out by the pure Spirit, though <HI>Babylon</HI> hath another language of it's own, and denies the Scriptures, but that language is confu&s;ion&punc; and here are you, who <HI>Ye</HI> one, and <HI>Thou</HI> another but the Scripture-language you own not.</P>
<P>And now to that you call our Practices.</P>
<P>The fir&s;t Practice, <HI>Quaking,</HI> and here you adde, <HI>groveling on the ground, and foming at the mouth</HI> to be our practice: and to prove this, you bring <HI>John Gilpin,</HI> and <HI>William More,</HI> Prie&s;t of <HI>Kellit.</HI> I an&s;wer, Your witne&s;&s;es are &s;uitable to your &s;lander; but all that ever have been at our meetings, yea, tho&s;e of your own, that have come to &s;pie, &s;hall witne&s;s again&s;t <HI>Gilpin,</HI> and <HI>William More,</HI> and you, that tho&s;e are not our practice, and the whole country &s;hall more and more &s;ee into your lying &s;landers.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, <HI>Quaking is our great perfection;</HI> It's fal&s;e, for Chri&s;t is our perfection, though quaking and trembling we own to be a condition the Saints pa&s;&s;ed through, as is plain in Scripture&punc; el&s;e &s;hould we deny the Scripture as you do, though you u&s;e it as a name of reproach.</P>
<P>The &s;landers of <HI>William</HI> may ea&s;ily be di&s;proved by what follows.</P>
<P>I <HI>Jane Withers</HI> was moved of the Lord to go to the Steeple-hou&s;e of <HI>Kellit,</HI> to &s;peak to Prie&s;t <HI>Moor</HI> the&s;e words, <HI>Thou art the bea&s;t
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that all the world wor&s;hips and wonders after: the plagues of God mu&s;t be poured upon thee.</HI> When the&s;e words came to me, the power of the Lord &s;eized upon me; but the deceit prevailed &s;o over me, that I did not obey at the fir&s;t movings; but the power of the Lord &s;o &s;eized on me again, that I was bound about my body above the middle, as if I had been bound with chains, and it was &s;aid to me, <HI>That if I went not I &s;hould repent it, and he &s;hould know it;</HI> and in the afternoon I was forced to go, and as I went in at the door, I &s;hould have &s;aid, <HI>The plagues of God mu&s;t be poured upon thee,</HI> but I did not &s;peak the words then; and then the power of the Lord came upon me: but in that Prie&s;t <HI>Moor</HI> &s;aies, I was in a trance, it is a lye, for I was as &s;en&s;ible all the while as ever I was; and for foming at the mouth I did not, that is a lye; but for the working of the power of the Lord in my body I deny not; and two of the Prie&s;ts own hearers which were clo&s;e by me, we &s;ent for, hearing this lying &s;lander was &s;ent to be printed, being examined whether or no they &s;aw her &s;ome at the mouth, the one of them did affirm that it was a lye, and &s;he laid me on her lap; and the other &s;aid, She &s;aw no &s;uch thing; but the Prie&s;t went his way, and I went after him &amp; then I &s;poke the words that was commanded, and as &s;oon as I had &s;poken them, the power cea&s;ed; and the maid that <HI>Moor</HI> &s;ent to <HI>George Fox,</HI> which carried the lyes to him, one&punc; of the women, <HI>Annes Clapin,</HI> one of his hearers, &s;aid &s;he was a lyar, and it did not matter what &s;he &s;aid&punc; &amp; this is <HI>Moor</HI>'s ground to write his letter upon to the Prie&s;t of <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> and they put it in print to mini&s;ter forth his lyes, that their folly might be made manife&s;t to all the Country, and truth confirmed, and the deceit trodden upon. And <HI>Moor</HI> which &s;ent his lying wench, as his own hearers calls her, &s;he came to me three times to <HI>Robert Wither's,</HI> and &s;he &s;coft&punc; and &s;he was asked if Chri&s;t taught her to &s;coff, and &s;he &s;aid, He did teach her to &s;coff; and before her face it was written down, and &s;he was de|nied to talk of the Scriptures that is a &s;coffer. And the lyer would have known, what Scripture there had been, for foming at the mouth, and wherever did he read of any &s;uch, unle&s;s it were &s;uch that were po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ed with the devil, &s;he &s;aid he denied that any of theirs did, till <HI>Jane Withers</HI> was pointed out, and then &s;he &s;aid he confe&s;&s;ed it.</P>
<P>Oh thou lyer and &s;landerer, God will make thee an example to all lyers, and they that witne&s;s for <HI>Jane Withers,</HI> which are of the Prie&s;ts own hearers; &s;ome will witne&s;s again&s;t thee to be a lyer&punc; and one that matters not what thou &s;peake&s;t; and before <HI>James</HI>'s face, &s;he
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was proved a &s;landerer and a lyer, and lying is a &s;in, and he denies it; and to &s;ay he confe&s;&s;ed that <HI>Jane Withers</HI> fomed at the mouth, is a lye, and many will witne&s;s again&s;t it. And here thou <HI>Moor</HI> that art for the lake, who fathers lyes, thy own hearers will witne&s;s again&s;t thee.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay &s;he asked him if lying was a &s;in, here in this you are proved to be lying and &s;inning, and &s;o with the ju&s;t you lyers are judged, and condemned for the lake eternally, though thou may think a while to plea&s;e the world. But Oh thou Harlot, thy wo and mi&s;ery is coming.</P>
<P>Some Scriptures given forth about <HI>travailing, as, I &s;aid, I will cry as a travailing woman,</HI> I&s;a. 42. 14. I&s;a. 63. 1. <HI>travailing in the greatne&s;; of his &s;trength.</HI> Rom. 8. 22. <HI>travaileth in pain toge|ther.</HI> Micah 4. 3. <HI>She which travaileth hath brought forth.</HI> I&s;a. 21. 3. <HI>as the pargs on a woman in travail;</HI> Habakkuk, <HI>who&s;e belly trembled.</HI></P>
<P>And here <HI>Moor</HI> and his me&s;&s;enger &s;eems to be ignorant of the Letter, and wonderers which are to peri&s;h. And the Prie&s;ts of <HI>New|ca&s;tle,</HI> which &s;aid they could not but &s;mile at <HI>James Nayler,</HI> hath declared them&s;elves to be the mockers that &s;hould come in the la&s;t time: and the maid which they printed her lyes, &s;aid that Chri&s;t taught her to &s;coff, before many witne&s;&s;es. And here they &s;hew what gene|ration they are on; like Prie&s;t, like people; for they who dwell in the Truth can &s;carcely pa&s;s up and down, for your &s;coffing generation; but to us your reproaches are great riches, and knowing that you and your generation is for condemnation, which &s;tumble at the light.</P>
<P>The &s;econd Practice, <HI>Railing,</HI> and you in&s;tance the&s;e words, <HI>Thou art damned, and I &s;ee the devil in thy face;</HI> and this you &s;ay is the fir&s;t &s;alute to all we meet with: to which I an&s;wer, Thou&s;ands in the Country &s;hall witne&s;s you fal&s;e accu&s;ers, which we have met with, pa&s;t by and &s;poke not one word to them: but you are &s;hamele&s;s, and care not what you &s;ay again&s;t us; and for words which have been &s;poken to &s;ome of you, which you call railing, you will finde them one day to be no railings, but the language of the Spirit upon the head of the man of &s;in in you, though for the pre&s;ent you will not own them.</P>
<P>The third Practice, <HI>Their pretending upon all occa&s;ions, to be &s;ent by a &s;pecial commi&s;&s;ion from God.</HI> To this I an&s;wer, What have
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you to do to &s;peak of, or how can you judge of them that are &s;ent by God, who deny the immediate call, and &s;corns it, and knows it not? can you judge of that you know not, who knows not the word of God&punc; nor his call?</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;ay, <HI>I knew not the things in particular, and yet I take the boldne&s;s to call them lyes;</HI> I an&s;wer, Your words are fal&s;e; for I &s;ay, I knew not the things in particular, and therefore could &s;ay little; but finding your book &s;tufe with lyes and untruths, gave me cau&s;e to &s;ee many of the&s;e to be like the re&s;t, which is not to call them lyes as you &s;ay, and now judge of your own con&s;cience as you &s;ay. And for denying that any that were before the Magi&s;trates were invited to any of your hou&s;es, are not my words; but the words of one who was before the Magi&s;trates, as will appear in the margent, though you &s;o ra&s;hly ca&s;t it upon me; and here it may be &s;een who it is that ru&s;heth upon a lye, which you charge me to do, but are found the lyers your &s;elves: neither did you invite any of them which were called before the magi&s;trates, as appears both by their own witne&s;s, and your own confe&s;&s;ion, for you &s;ay it was <HI>Tho. Tayler</HI> you invited, who was not then called before the Magi&s;trates, nor impri&s;oned. And you that call it immode&s;t for the Saints to greet one another with a ki&s;s, and would &s;lander by it, may as well accu&s;e the Apo&s;tle for immode&s;t, who exhorteth the Saints to it, and was this the thing you kept &s;o clo&s;e, when you &s;aid, (<HI>to &s;ay no more?</HI>) It &s;eemed by tho&s;e words to have been &s;ome hainous thing, and not the Apo&s;tles exhortation, and Saints practice, but you want matter to accu&s;e of. And for what <HI>Wallis</HI> &s;aid, there was witne&s;s enough; and all your fending and prov|ing cannot &s;top the truth, but make your deceit more appear. And for your rea&s;on you &s;hew, why you called your book&punc; <HI>The Perfect Pha|ri&s;ee;</HI> and you &s;ay, <HI>That title is mo&s;t properly applied to us;</HI> I an&s;wer, It's mo&s;t properly applied to them who are found to walk in the &s;teps of the <HI>Phari&s;ees,</HI> and whether that be us or you, let your practices judge, and all that &s;ee us, and all your practice &s;hall witne&s;s with me, that I have not wronged or belyed you, as you would make people believe, but let any hone&s;t heart, who reads both our books judge betwixt us who are the &s;landerers, lyers and railers, which you would ca&s;t upon me&punc; but the thing is evident to all, and you cannot be hid, who have nothing to judge withal, and it is of God to di&s;cover you to all, that you may deceive no longer. Ble&s;&s;ed be our God who is revealing the man of &s;in, who hath acted in a my&s;tery, and is deli|vering
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his people from your mouthes, and redeeming them to him&s;elf, who is holy: prai&s;es be to our God for ever, and let all the children of light prai&s;e him for ever.</P>
<P>And if any &s;cruple why the &s;ervants of God &s;hould be made &s;igns and wonders to this generation, I refer them, for &s;atisfaction, to a printed paper, called <HI>A Wo to Kendal in the County of We&s;tmore|land,</HI> in which you &s;hall finde the dear &s;ervants of God made &s;ignes and wonders, to the generation of the wicked then, and confounding the &s;epents wi&s;dom, acting &s;trange things by the immediate commands of God, into which the wi&s;dom of the world could never enter.</P>
<P>God hath made many as &s;ignes among you, as to go naked in your Steeple-hou&s;es, in your markets, in your &s;treets, as many in the Nor|thern parts, which is a figure to you of all your nakedne&s;s.</P>
<P>Prie&s;ts, in your fir&s;t page, you &s;ay, <HI>It is their greate&s;t work to deny his righteou&s;ne&s;s fulfilled in his per&s;on, to be imputed to you for your ju&s;tification.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Rep.</HI> What righteou&s;ne&s;s is there imputed to the workers of iniquity, which are cur&s;ed? the righteou&s;ne&s;s of Chri&s;t we own, which he fulfil|led in his own per&s;on, who is the Lord our righteou&s;ne&s;s, &amp; we through him are become the righteou&s;ne&s;s of God, and from this you Prie&s;ts are &s;hut out, who would do as your fathers did, who per&s;ecuted the Lord of glory; and I charge you here in the pre&s;ence of the living God to be lyers; for what Chri&s;t fulfilled and came to fulfil, we own, which Chri&s;t is the &s;ame ye&s;terday, to day, and for ever: and the &s;ame Mini&s;tery, and the &s;ame immediate call we witne&s;s, and have all the Prophets&punc; Apo&s;tles, and Chri&s;t the Corner-&s;tone to witne&s;s us in the &s;ame; and all you reprobates, and all your weapons you &s;trike with again&s;t the truth, do but confirm us, and e&s;tabli&s;h the innocent, and confirm the truth again&s;t all you oppo&s;ers.</P>
<P>Prie&s;ts, you are &s;peaking of <HI>faith being &s;wallowed up in vi&s;ion.</HI></P>
<P>I charge you to &s;hew &s;uch an expre&s;&s;ion in Scripture among&s;t all the Saints which was in faith.</P>
<P>Prie&s;ts, whereas you &s;ay, <HI>That George Fox called Mr. Nichols hypocrite in Carlile, though he never &s;aw his face.</HI></P>
<P>Here I charge you all Prie&s;ts to be confu&s;ed. And you &s;ay, <HI>How doth this bottom upon Chri&s;t, who gave it to none, but &s;uch as they had a particular knowledge of?</HI> Here I charge you to be contrary to Ch<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="apex" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;t, contrary to the Apo&s;tles, for Chri&s;t &s;aid, <HI>Judge not
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according to outward appearance as the Phari&s;ees did.</HI> And here I prove you to be <HI>Phari&s;ees:</HI> and the Apo&s;tle &s;aid, <HI>He was pre&s;ent in Spirit beholding the order of the Saints,</HI> though he never &s;aw their faces: and here I judge with the Spirits of the Apo&s;tles, to be out of their life. And you &s;ay, <HI>That Chri&s;t gave that title as hy|pocrite to Herod and the teachers of fal&s;e doctrine.</HI> Now to you I &s;peak: The Scripture it &s;elf, and Chri&s;ts words in it, &s;hall be your judge to be in the &s;teps of the <HI>Phari&s;ees</HI> and fal&s;e teachers, and in the nature of <HI>Herod&punc;</HI> which are called of men Ma&s;ters, as the hypocrites were&punc; and hath the cheif places in the a&s;&s;emblies&punc; and &s;tand praying in the Synagogues, which are painted with the Prophets, Chri&s;ts and the Apo&s;tles words, as your fathers were with the Prophets words, laying heavy burthens upon the people, as &s;ome of your fellow-Prie&s;ts have impri&s;oned &s;ome, becau&s;e they would not pay Tythes, which are pre|tended teachers: and here you are under the wo which Chri&s;t pro|nounced again&s;t your fathers, as you may read <HI>Mat.</HI> 23. and &s;o with all the children of the light you are judged, and with the light of Chri&s;t you are condemned to be out of his doctrine eternally, and for condemnation of old with the light, which gad in the way of <HI>Cain,</HI> and after the error of <HI>Balaam,</HI> who received gifts and re|wards. You are ca&s;ting out your lyes and &s;landers upon the inno|cent, but with the light of Chri&s;t, they are for eternal condemnation, and you that act them, to that in all your con&s;ciences I &s;peak, which &s;hall witne&s;s it eternally, and condemn all you that are acquainted with lyes and &s;landers, for the book of con&s;cience is opened.</P>
<P>Prie&s;ts, you &s;ay, <HI>Paul di&s;claims all equality with God,</HI> in your one and twentieth page. Here I charge you to be lyers in the pre&s;ence of the living God: <HI>Paul</HI> &s;aith, <HI>Let the minde be in you which was al&s;o in Chri&s;t Je&s;us, who being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God, yet made him&s;elf of no reputation,</HI> &amp;c. Phil. 2. 5 6&punc; 7.</P>
<P>Prie&s;ts, and whereas you &s;ay, <HI>The light which is by Chri&s;t, is the light of the fir&s;t covenant;</HI></P>
<P><HI>Rep.</HI> Chri&s;t Je&s;us &s;aith, <HI>He is the light of the world, and doth enlighten every one that comes into the world:</HI> and the Prophet &s;aid, <HI>God would give him for a Covenant, a light to the Gentiles:</HI> and here let the Scripture judge you to be out of the light, that &s;tum|bles at the light and the covenant.</P>
<P>And whereas you would have <HI>James Nayler</HI> confe&s;s <HI>George</HI> to be
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the adopted Son of God, what Son was that that was revealed in the Apo&s;tles? but the confe&s;&s;ing of the Son of God vexeth you, and &s;hews you had not life, for you that have not the Son of God, have not life: Chri&s;t &s;aith, <HI>He is that true light that enlightens every one that comes into the world:</HI> and your an&s;wer is, <HI>This light is not Chri&s;ts will;</HI> and here you bla&s;phemou&s;ly declare your &s;elves to &s;ay, The light of Chri&s;t is not his will; when Chri&s;t &s;aies, <HI>I am the light that enlightens every one that coms into the world,</HI> him that hates it &s;hall be his condemnation; and here you &s;hew you are in darkne&s;s that &s;tumbles at the light, and your darkne&s;s cannot compre|hend it.</P>
<P>Prie&s;ts, you &s;ay, <HI>The light of Chri&s;t is not a knowledge of Chri&s;t as Mediator.</HI> Here again I charge you to be lyers in the pre&s;ence of the living God: whoever comes to know Chri&s;t as a Mediator, is with the light of Chri&s;t, which hath enlightned him, and here again I charge you to be &s;tumblers at the light.</P>
<P>And whereas you &s;peak in your &s;even and thirtieth page, of <HI>a na|tural light,</HI> and &s;o bla&s;pheming the light of Chri&s;t, but with that light ye &s;hall be condemned, before you know the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Prie&s;ts, in your &s;ixtieth page you &s;ay, <HI>Chri&s;t did not give a &s;aving light to every man.</HI></P>
<P><HI>Rep.</HI> Chri&s;t the Saviour &s;aith, <HI>He enlightens every one that comes into the world and he that walks in the light &s;hall bave the light of life, and not walk in darkne&s;s, and as many as believes in him, and receives him, to them he gives power to become the Sons of God:</HI> but you which &s;tumbles at the light of Chri&s;t and hate it, &s;hall be your eternal condemnation, and all your profe&s;&s;ion to be air, and winde, and empty, and &s;hews you do not believe in the light of Chri&s;t, and &s;o with the light you are condemned, and your mouthes &s;topped.</P>
<P>And whereas you are &s;peaking of your <HI>outward helps and di&s;co|veries,</HI> or to help the light of Chri&s;t, here you declare your light to be darkne&s;s&punc; for the vi&s;ible doth not open the invi&s;ible, but the invi&s;ible the vi&s;ible, <HI>He that hath an ear to hear&punc; let him hear:</HI> but I &s;ee you have none, that &s;tumble at the light of Chri&s;t.</P>
<P>You &s;peak of a Trinity&punc; of &s;prinkling Infants, of merits, and of inherent righteou&s;ne&s;s. I command you to &s;hew a word in Scripture that &s;peaks of any of the&s;e words; you &s;peake of a moral Law, of the word e&s;&s;ential or &s;ugge&s;tion, &s;hew forth where the Scripture
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&s;peaks any &s;uch words, &s;o take the &s;lander upon your &s;elves wherewith you &s;lander <HI>George Fox,</HI> as jugling, which he abhors, and your &s;lander reacheth him not, and &s;o finde out the&s;e words in Scripture, el&s;e lay your hands on your mouths, and confe&s;s your &s;elves to be jug|lers to all the world, and let the Scripture it &s;elf judge you, that teach tho&s;e things there is no Scripture for, who &s;aies it is your touch-&s;tone and &s;tanding oyle; and &s;o the title of <HI>Perfect Phari&s;ee</HI> &s;hall &s;tand to your &s;elves, who would be ju&s;tified in the &s;ight of man, &s;o the bea&s;t &s;hall be burned, and the fal&s;e Prophet ca&s;t into the lake of fire.</P>
<P>The thing that was &s;een concerning <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> all his pillars to be dry, and his trees to be bare, and much nakedne&s;s, that they have not &s;carcely the bark, but are as a wilderne&s;s where much winde and cold comes, where there mu&s;t be much labour before the ground be brought into order; for it's a &s;tony ground, and there is much bryers and thorns about her, and many trees have grown wilde long, and have &s;carce earth to cover their roots, but their roots are &s;een, and how they &s;tand in the &s;tones, and the&s;e trees bears no fruit, but bears mo&s;s, and much winde pierce thorow and clatters them together, and makes the trees &s;hake, but &s;till the rootes are held among&s;t the &s;tones, and are bald and naked.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
