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<DATE>2011-04-18</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
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<P>THE Boa&s;ter bared, AND HIS ARMOUR Put off without a Conque&s;t, by the QUAKING PRINCIPLE.</P>
<P>IN AN ANSWER TO ENOCH HOWETS, CALLED, Quaking Principles da&s;ht in pieces.</P>
<P>Written by <HI>James Nayler.</HI></P>
<P>LONDON, Printed for G. Calvert, and are to be &s;old at his &s;hop at the Black Spread Eagle, neer the We&s;t end of Pauls, 1655.</P>
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<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD><HI>THE</HI> Boa&s;ter bared, And his Armor put off without a Conque&s;t by the quaking Principle. IN An An&s;wer to <HI>ENOCH HOWETS,</HI> called <HI>Quaking Principles da&s;ht in pieces.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THat Principle which cau&s;ed <HI>Mo&s;es, David, Daniel,</HI> the prophets &amp; holy men of God to quake &amp; tremble, hath been often &s;truck at by a Principle of Darkne&s;s which knows not the Word at which the Saints Trembled,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>I&s;a.</HI> 66.5.</NOTE> and this alwayes under a pretence of Truth, &s;aying, let God be Glorified; but it never could be da&s;hed in pieces though many weapons have been formed again&s;t it which are carnall and out of the truth: And it is the &s;ame now, as wil appear by this which thou <HI>Enoch Howet</HI> ha&s;t written, wherein thou wilt be found in the &s;ame ground of oppo&s;ition, gathering up fal&s;e accu&s;ations to ca&s;t on the the truth, where it is manife&s;ted, and being blind, thou thinks thou do&s;t God &s;ervice therein, that the Scripture may be fulfilled upon this Generation, who are gathered as the &s;and of the Sea for multitude,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Mat.</HI> 24.6.</NOTE> again&s;t the de&s;pi&s;ed people of God. And the &s;even-Heads thou ha&s;t lifted up again&s;t the Truth, with the many horns ari&s;ing from thence, pu&s;hing at the Saints with many lies, which heads thou calle&s;t our mi&s;takes, but &s;ix of them, as thou ha&s;t di&s;cri|bed them, are thy own mi&s;takes (if not thy malitious &s;landers) as wil ap|pear upon tryall when with truth they come to be weighed, to which thou adds many lyes to make up thy number.</P>
<P>Before thou comes to the &s;even heads, thou begins an oration: The God of the whole earth is now about to declare his glory to the Gentiles, and
<PB N="2" REF="3">the Kindoms of this World are about to become the lords and his Chri&s;ts.</P>
<P>I An&s;wer: Many &s;uch as thou in a vain minde, have long fed your &s;elves with what wil be, but for the pre&s;ent, lives in your own wils and plea&s;ures, and are not &s;ubject to the Kingdom of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Luke</HI> 17.21.</NOTE> nor that way in which he raigned when he was upon earth (which the litterall knowledg could never owne,) and while&s;t we fed with you upon the&s;e vain words without knowledg and life, we were beloved of you, being of this world with you, but now being come to the knowledg of the Lord by the name of (I am) and &s;eeing his glory (having denyed the glory of the world in our &s;elves and others) to own Chri&s;ts Kingdom wherein he reigned above the worlds plea&s;ures, now you hate us, and out of all forms are you gathered again&s;t us,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.8. <HI>&amp;c</HI></NOTE> and on every &s;ide are we be&s;et, but not de&s;troyed, neither can thy boa|&s;ting words da&s;h in pieces that principle wherein we &s;tand, and when thou ha&s;t made way with thy fair &s;peeches, then thou begins to pu&s;h with thy horns, wherein is the names of Bla&s;phemy, ca&s;ting out thy lyes, &s;aying, that we call the God of this world that blinds the eyes, a God of light, and all this darkne&s;s, &s;piritualne&s;s, and that we can hardly endure what is written, but run to unwritten notions,
<HI>&amp;c.</HI> whenas we own no Light but that which God hath made to &s;hine out of darkne&s;s, wherein he hath &s;hi|ned in our hearts to give the knowledg of him&s;elf,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2
<HI>Cor.</HI> 4.6.</NOTE> which is the light of Chri&s;t, and thou that calls this the God of this world, or an unwritten no|tion, makes it appear thou ha&s;t not the light in thee, nor the Te&s;timony of Je&s;us. And thus (being not born of the truth) thou &s;erves the Land of thy Nativity (as thou &s;aye&s;t) with fal&s;e accu&s;ations, and calling Chri&s;t thy Ma&s;ter, wil not hide thee, for &s;uch works he never owned.</P>
<P>Now thy fir&s;t head thou &s;ets up to oppo&s;e us with, is, that we &s;light the Written Word, To which I an&s;wer: If thou means the Scriptures, I &s;ay thy accu&s;ation is fal&s;e, for the Scripture we own which te&s;tifies of the Word, which Word was in Spirit, and &s;piritually di&s;covered in them that &s;pake forth the Scripture, before they &s;pake it or writ it in Letters, which Word we witne&s;s in &s;pirit according to Scripture, <HI>Gal.</HI> 1.11, 12.15, 16,
17. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3.6. di&s;covered in us &s;piritually, which thou denies to &s;et up a litte|rall di&s;covery:<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>2</HI> Cor. <HI>13.15</HI> to the <HI>7.</HI> ver&s;e of the <HI>4.</HI> chap.</NOTE> And the Vaile being untaken away, by turning to the Lord, which is that &s;pirit, thou can&s;t not &s;ee the Go&s;pell Light, nor the end of the Scriptures, which were given to lead to the &s;piritual light and Word that gave them forth, where the life eternall is, which they who think it to be in the letter without, deny it in &s;pirit, as the Jews did and thou do&s;t; and thou that denies this end of the Scriptures, art he that de|nies the Word to &s;et up the Letter in his place, and calls it by his Name who is the word before the Letter was, which we dare not do, which the Letter doth not. Now if thou calls this &s;lighting of the Word, then did not the Saints al&s;o &s;light it before us, who called what they writ a Decla|ration of the Word?
1 <HI>Ioh.</HI> 1.22.3. <HI>Luke</HI> 1.1. And its called the words of <HI>Ieromiah,</HI> to whom the word of the Lord came; a cleare di&s;tinction, be|tween
<PB N="3" REF="3">the invi&s;ible Word that came to him in &s;pirit, and the vi&s;ible wri|tings declared from that word, for the words were many, but the Word is but one from whom the&s;e words were &s;poken, <HI>Ier.</HI> 1.1. 2. And thou goes on in thy Book often repeating, It is written, it is written;<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iohn</HI> 1. i. <HI>Rev.</HI> 19.i3.</NOTE> now it is writ|ten that God is the Word, and Chri&s;t his name is called the word of God; but where is it written that the Letter is the Word, or of a written word? And now it wil appear who owns what is written, and who adds to it, or would take from it, prove what thou &s;aye&s;t with plaine Scripture, then thou mai&s;t boa&s;t of its written, thou holds out ignorance of the Scriptures to be the ground of error, which if thou meane&s;t litterall knowledg, I de|ny what thou &s;aye&s;t, for many &s;uch as thou knows the hi&s;tory, but ers from the life, for it is the ignoronce of the Spirit and power that the Scriptures declare of, thats the ground of error, without which knowledg puffs but up to oppo&s;e the life and power; and for thy rancking us among&s;t the Papi&s;ts, and &s;aying we per&s;wade you to the u&s;ele&s;ne&s;s of the Scriptures; calling &s;ubtile devils and the like; the&s;e are but lying &s;landers to make us odious and on thy head &s;hal they fall, for the Devil is known by his works, a ly|ar and fal&s;e accu&s;er he was, and &s;o he is, as it is written, and his &s;ubtilty he u&s;es to uphold his Kngdom of &s;in, and not to pul it down, and in that work thou art found in thy book by his &s;ubtilty, pleading for &s;in again&s;t perfection, for re&s;pect of per&s;ons his own kingdome: and whereas thou charge&s;t us with lu&s;t, envie, pride, idolatry, luxury, and uncleanne&s;s; I &s;ay the&s;e are thy own, we deny them, and that &s;pirit that acts them, el&s;e we &s;hould not be &s;o hated by tho&s;e that live in them: Thou &s;ai&s;t your &s;ound|ation is laid upon the doctrin of the Apo&s;tles &amp; Prophets: If thou means that &s;pirit that was in them, that foundation I own, but if thou mean&s;t the Letter, then where had thy foundation been, had&s;t thou never &s;een the Letter; and that foundation I judge which &s;tands in the vi&s;ible, to be none of <HI>A|brahams</HI> foundation, which was laid before the Letter was,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4 18. <HI>Heb.</HI> 8.i0, 11. <HI>Iohn</HI>
16.18.</NOTE> and thou tells of the Scripture being the bridle that checks lu&s;t: But thou that knows no|thing nearer then the letter to bridle and check lu&s;t, thou knows not the law of the New Covenant written in the heart, nor the Spirit of Chri&s;t that reproves the world of &s;in, but without book, without bridle, and its no &s;trange thing that &s;uch &s;hould plead for a being for &s;in whileft they live, who have no bridle for lu&s;t but when the Bible is in their hands, un|le&s;s thou meane&s;t that keeping it in the hou&s;e wil do it: and how that bri|dle (thou tels of) hath kept thee and many more it is evident by your practi&s;e. The words you have, but not the life, it &s;eems thou had&s;t forgot thy bridle when thou wrote this book, el&s;e thou dur&s;t not have vented &s;o many lyes and fal&s;e accu&s;ations again&s;t the truth, which they that are checkt by that &s;pirit that &s;pake what is in the Letter, bears witne&s;s again&s;t. Thou &s;ai&s;t if wi&s;dom to &s;alvation be contained in the Scriptures, and if the Scriptures are the means of comfort and hope, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> But why do&s;t thou not &s;peak plain, that &s;alvation is in the Letter contained, and that
<PB N="4" REF="4">the Letter is the means of comfort and hope, it &s;eems thou dares not po|&s;itively &s;ay it is, and therefore puts in [if] thou dares not wholly exclude Chri&s;t, thou wilt allow him a name in the thing, though thou give the power to the Letter, for to &s;ay &s;alvation, wi&s;dom, is contained in the Let|ter, and that the Letter is the
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">eans of comfort, is not this to deny Chri&s;t and the Letter too? where is it &s;o written? Thy places thou make&s;t u&s;e of wil not prove it, without adding or wre&s;ting, and to prove that the Let|ter is &s;o, thou brings that of
<HI>Dan.</HI> 10.21. where the Angel when he would comfort <HI>Daniel</HI> &s;aid, I will &s;hew thee what is written in the Scriptures, where it plainly appears that <HI>Daniel</HI> for all his wi&s;dom could not know what was the life and comfort declared of in the Letter, without the Spirit &s;hewed it to him; and here thou ha&s;t wel proved the life, wi&s;dom, &s;alvation and means of comfort to be contained in the &s;pirit &amp; its opening, which be|fore thou &s;aid&s;t was contained in the Scriptures, and thus while&s;t thou art about to da&s;h in pieces the quakers principles, thy pot&s;heards are cla&s;hing one again&s;t another: Thou &s;aid&s;t thy expectation is from the Scriptures, but where findes thou it &s;o written? the Saints expectation is from God, Is the Scriptures thy God? And then to cover thy &s;elf thou &s;ay&s;t thou makes not the Scriptures thy &s;ole cau&s;e of knowledg: I an&s;wer: That's the &s;ole cau&s;e of knowledg, wherein is contained the wi&s;dom to &s;alvation, and which is the means of comfort which thou ha&s;t a&s;cribed to the Letter, and now this cover wil not hide thee: Thou &s;aye&s;t it is able in the hand of the eternall Teacher to make wi&s;e to &s;alvation the man of God; but thou had&s;t done wel to have given thy judgment clearly, whether thou thinke&s;t the Eter|nall Teacher can make wi&s;e to &s;alvation without it, or the man of God can be &s;aved without the Letter? Thou &s;aies the Scripture proves the work of the New Birth, but is it &s;o written? Shew me that place, the new Birth was before the Letter, and does the latter prove the former? It is written the Spirituall Man proves and judgeth all things, but not the litterall; and here thou come not with,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.i0.i5.</NOTE> it is written, this is but imagined, and this is thy fir&s;t mi&s;take again&s;t us: and now thou comes to the &s;econd head, which thou calls our mi&s;take, and that is our &s;peaking to that vvithin.</P>
<P>I an&s;wer: This only of thy &s;eaven we own, as it is laid down, and thou that knows not that within to &s;peak to,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Pet.</HI> 3.19.</NOTE> knows not his Mini&s;try that prea|ches to the &s;pirits in Pri&s;on, nor that quickned in thee, that death hath pa&s;&s;ed over, but art &s;til dead in &s;ins and tre&s;pe&s;&s;as, and knows not the &s;eed of <HI>Abraham,</HI> to which the promi&s;e is, which is not after the fle&s;h nor of the fle&s;h, which &s;eed Chri&s;t takes upon him to renew the Image of God: And whereas thou denie&s;t it to be Gods language, and calls it Satans Langu|age: I an&s;wer:<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.4. 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4 2.
<HI>Iohn</HI> 5.25.</NOTE> What language &s;pake the Apo&s;tles when they &s;pake in de|mon&s;tration of &s;pirit, and commended them&s;elves to that in every mans Con&s;cience in the &s;ight of God, and what is that dead that mu&s;t hear the voice of the &s;on of God and live? what is the inward man and the outward man, if there be nothing in man to &s;peak to? and what was that which
<PB N="5" REF="4">Chri&s;t &s;pake to in <HI>Peter,</HI> when he &s;aid,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2
<HI>Cor.</HI> 4.16. <HI>Mat.</HI> 16.18.23.</NOTE> Upon thee will I build my Church and pre&s;ently after get thee behind me Satan? was this all one thing in <HI>Peter?</HI> or was it to him alone as he was a Creature? and herein thou de|clares thy &s;elf to be an unbeliever, for he that believeth hath the witne&s;s in him&s;elf, i <HI>Ioh.</HI> 5.10. which witne&s;s thou knows not in thee: And &s;aith the Apo&s;tle, my Con&s;cience al&s;o bearing me witne&s;s, in the &s;ight of God I lye not: And what eyes was <HI>Paul</HI> to open in the Gentiles?<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Acts</HI>
26.19.</NOTE> was it not an eye within? Or was he but only to preach to men outwardly blind? here thou ha&s;t manife&s;ted thy &s;elfe to be a blind guide, who ha&s;t not a witne&s;s of God in thee thou knowe&s;t of, to exerci&s;e thy Con&s;cience towards God and man, therefore the devil hath h s wil in thee, lying, &s;landering, and fal&s;e accu&s;ing, calling the inward man in the Saints, Satan, or &s;ome of his Legions, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4.i6.</P>
<P>Now to thy third head, That we deny the u&s;e of rea&s;on or con&s;ideration in matters of God. I an&s;wer: If thou meane&s;t carnall or naturall rea&s;on, I &s;ay it knows not nor di&s;cerns the things of God, and we deny to con&s;ult with flesh and blood to know the things of God, and &s;hew where that is written,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor.</HI> 2.14. <HI>Gal.</HI> 1.i6. <HI>Iude</HI>
10.</NOTE> that natural Rea&s;on is to be con&s;idered with about the things of God: but if thou &s;aye&s;t thou meane&s;t &s;pirituall Rea&s;on, I judge thy accu|&s;ation to be fal&s;e, for that Rea&s;on we own which &s;tands in the faith of God and leads to rea&s;onablene&s;s. And whereas thou accu&s;e&s;t us, that we wil not do as Chri&s;t and his Apo&s;tles did, to di&s;pute with gain&s;ayers of the truth: Herein let mo&s;t of the Pri&s;ons in the nation be witne&s;s again&s;t thee, where|in we are and have been impri&s;oned for going into your Synagogues and Idols Temples to di&s;pute and rea&s;on with gain-&s;ayers of the truth, and herein we are not different from the words and practi&s;e of Chri&s;t,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Acts</HI> 17.2.</NOTE> as thou accu&s;e&s;t us to be, which thou in thy rea&s;on a voids and &s;aves thy &s;elf, lea&s;t any of tho&s;e things that befalls Chri&s;t and his Saints now, &s;hould befall thee; and here is thy own rea&s;on wherein Satan is conver&s;ant (as thou &s;ayes) that will not &s;uffer thee to follow Chri&s;t and his Saints herein, further than thou can&s;t have thy own plea&s;ur s, honor, and ea&s;e, and worldly beloveds, that thy lu&s;ts may live, and &s;o throws by the Cro&s;s of Chri&s;t and his afflictions, for which thou accu&s;e&s;t us. And thou layes down wayes in thy rea&s;on, to know the things of God, as by the aire and &s;un, and by the Creation of the world, to know the new Ieru&s;alem, and Rome at the day of Iudgment, and many &s;uch things of Gods &s;ecrets thou wilt know, without in thy rea&s;on; but thou ha&s;t lo&s;t (it is written) for it is written, that which may be known of God, is manife&s;t in them,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 1.i9.</NOTE> for God hath &s;hewed it to them; but where is it written that God is known by rea|&s;on? And many words thou utters not worth an&s;wering. And thou tels of a day Star ri&s;ing in the heart, now thou wilt confe&s;s &s;omthing within, and not all in the Letter; but what foundation thou art on, that art thus to&s;|&s;ed to and fro, is manife&s;t to the Light, but the blinde mu&s;t needs &s;tum|ble.</P>
<PB N="6" REF="5">
<P>And now to the fourth head: That we deny the a&s;cen&s;ion or being of the body of Chri&s;t, and when thou ha&s;t rai&s;ed this &s;lander, thou goe&s;t about to di&s;prove it, and &s;o thou di&s;proves thy own and not ours, for the body of Chri&s;t we own,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iohn</HI>
3.13. <HI>Iohn</HI> 1.1.14. <HI>Iohn</HI> 3.13 <HI>s Iohn.</HI> 53; <HI>to the</HI> 56.</NOTE> and the a&s;cen&s;ion of it, and that it is the &s;ame that came down from heaven, which became fle&s;h, and is reall fle&s;h and bone, which fle&s;h is our food to &s;piritual life, but if thou &s;ai&s;t this body is carnal, (as the Prie&s;ts do, let us know thy meanining in plain words, for a carnall Chri&s;t I own not, but if thou &s;ai&s;t Chri&s;t cannot be real fle&s;h except he be carnal, I &s;ay thou knows not the Scripture nor power of God, for Chri&s;t is not be|gotten by carnall generation, nor by fle&s;h, but the &s;pirit of promi&s;e: Si|lence fle&s;h and &s;top thy mouth, for into this MYSTERY thy Rea&s;on can|not enter, but Chri&s;t and his fle&s;h we know, therefore does the world hate us, had the flesh of Chri&s;t been Carnall, it had corrupted as thine mu&s;t, but being &s;pirituall it could not.</P>
<P>Thy fifth head is al&s;o a filthy lye: That we deny all Ordinances of Chri&s;t, and that there is nothing which Chri&s;t hath commanded as Lord over his heritage, but we deny it, O that ever any should profe&s;s the pure name of God, and utter &s;uch abominable lyes, that all that ever knows our practi&s;e or judgment may witne&s;s again&s;t thee, for all the Ordinances of Chri&s;t we own in their place, and the end of them in Chri&s;t, who is the body and life of all, yet cannot we give or attribute that to the figure which belongs to the &s;ub&s;tance;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Col.
<HI>2.8.</HI> to the end.</NOTE> and otherwaies prove if thou can&s;t that we deny any one thing that Chri&s;t ordained; but it may be thy meaning is that we deny the worshipping in the Idols Temple, or your churches as thou calls them, which thou pleads for in another place, or &s;princkling Infants, &s;inging <HI>Davids</HI> words in rime, hour-gla&s;s preaching from a text as now it is u&s;ed, preaching over the dead, churching women, taking tythes and &s;et wages, and much &s;uch like &s;tuff, which neither thou nor all the prie&s;ts in England can prove any one thing of them that Chri&s;t ordai|ned as now they are u&s;ed, but had their ri&s;e from Rome, and are inventi|ons of men which have the pope for their predece&s;&s;or, which thou accu|&s;e&s;t us withall, who deny &s;uch beggarly popish rudiments, and bears wit|ne&s;s again&s;t them both in them and you; and here be ashamed of thy &s;lander, and let it return upon thy own pate, and thy reproofe be to thy &s;elfe, who denies the Lord to &s;et up tho&s;e traditions in &s;uch a way as hee never commanded: And whereas thou mentions bapti&s;me and the Lords &s;upper, I &s;ay that bapti&s;me we own which is with one &s;pirit into the death of Chri&s;t into one body,<NOTE PLACE="marg">1 <HI>Cor,</HI> 12. i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">.</NOTE> which is the bapti&s;me of Chri&s;t; and the bapti&s;m of <HI>Iohn</HI> we own in its place, and the Supper of the Lord we own, and the bread we breake is the communion of Chri&s;ts body, and the Cup we drink is the Communion of his blood, and we being many, therby become one body, and one blood, &s;oul, and minde, and the Lords body we di&s;cern, and eat not damnation but eternall life: And thou that calls this denying of tho&s;e ordinances, thou knowe&s;t not the end for which they were ordained:
<PB N="7" REF="5">Thou &s;ayes, have we a &s;pirit to guide us without a written Word?<NOTE PLACE="marg">He that bad not the Spirit to guide without the Letter, went to the Familiar &s;pirit, &amp;c. Sam. <HI>128.13.</HI> Iohn <HI>16</HI> Rom. <HI>8.14.</HI></NOTE> Thou &s;ai&s;t we may be familiar &s;pirits for ought thou knowe&s;t: O thou <HI>Bla&s;phe|mer,</HI> is that a <HI>Familiar Spirit</HI> that guided the <HI>Saints</HI> in all <HI>ages</HI> before the <HI>Letter</HI> and without the <HI>Letter;</HI> and is not that <HI>Spirit</HI> the &s;ame now to tho&s;e that know it? Doth not <HI>Chri&s;t</HI> &s;ay the <HI>Spirit of Truth</HI> &s;hall guide into all
<HI>Truth,</HI> and doth he &s;ay, not without the <HI>Letter?</HI> And was that a <HI>Familiar Spi|rit?</HI> how do&s;t thou denie the <HI>Spirit</HI> and <HI>bla&s;pheme</HI> again&s;t it, to &s;et the <HI>Let|ter</HI> in its &s;teed: And thou make&s;t a di&s;&s;embling as though thou pittied us; but wert thou not blinde thou would&s;t bewaile thy &s;elf who art &s;piritually blind, who ha&s;t not the <HI>Spirit</HI> of <HI>Iudgment</HI> to guide thee and to try all things, but by the <HI>Letter</HI> would&s;t try the <HI>Spirit,</HI> when a <HI>lying Spirit</HI> in thee mu&s;t read it; its no wonder that thou &s;hould'&s;t call <HI>Light Darkne&s;s,</HI> and &s;ay the
<HI>Letter</HI> is the <HI>Rule</HI> of <HI>Life</HI> and <HI>Love,</HI> and &s;o denies
<HI>Chri&s;t</HI> to be the <HI>Rule</HI> of <HI>Life,</HI> unle&s;s thou &s;ai&s;t the
<HI>Letter</HI> is <HI>Chri&s;t.</HI> And whereas thou hold'&s;t forth as that all that
<HI>Chri&s;t</HI> commanded to any, is to be ob&s;erved by all: Then why do not all that reads tho&s;e commands, go <HI>Teach</HI> and <HI>Baptize</HI> all <HI>Nati|ons:</HI> And why art thou in thy certain dwelling hou&s;e, and art not wandring without <HI>Bag</HI> or <HI>Scrip,</HI> freely
<HI>Preaching</HI> and working <HI>Miracles?</HI> And why was not <HI>Paul</HI> &s;ent to
<HI>Baptize</HI> as wel as the re&s;t, if they had not their parti|cular <HI>Calls?</HI> Art not thou now he that hath lo&s;t <HI>Scripture</HI> and thy <HI>Rea&s;on</HI> too which thou &s;landers us withall? All that are not blinde like thee may &s;ee thee; Thou goes on lying all along, &s;aying, that we de&s;ire to overthrow the <HI>writings</HI> of the <HI>Spirit</HI> of
<HI>God,</HI> and to &s;hake off all rules, and thou brings Mr. <HI>Pope</HI> to witne&s;s thy
<HI>filthy &s;landers;</HI> but ha&s;t not thou ca&s;t off <HI>Chri&s;ts rule</HI> and the
<HI>writings</HI> of the Spirit too, in <HI>lying</HI> and calling <HI>Pope, Ma&s;ter?</HI> which
<HI>Chri&s;t</HI> forbids.<NOTE PLACE="marg">Chandler.</NOTE> And thou &s;ayes none ever promi&s;ed &s;o much liberty to them|&s;elves as we do, and tels of <HI>Chandler</HI> as being our head formerly, who is one that we never knew; &amp; &s;uppo&s;e that he did own the truth in &s;hew, wilt thou &s;lander all the eleven for <HI>Iudas?</HI> here thou &s;hewe&s;t but thy envie and fooli&s;hne&s;s, to &s;lander tho&s;e that abide in the Truth, for one that falls from it; &s;top thy mouth and be a&s;hamed of thy <HI>lyes,</HI> Is this thy religion? that knows nothing in thee to bridle thy tongue and guide thee in the truth, thy refuge of <HI>lyes</HI> mu&s;t be &s;wept away, and the Truth cleared.</P>
<P>Thy &s;ixt head is, That we deny honor to men. To which I an&s;wer: If thou mean&s;t &s;uch honor as &s;tands in the Lord, wherein every one is bound to honor one another without re&s;pect of per&s;ons, or if thou meane&s;t <HI>&s;ub|jects</HI> to the <HI>power</HI> of <HI>God,</HI> in whom&s;oever it is, without re&s;pect of per&s;ons, as to Magi&s;tracie, <HI>&amp;c.</HI> Or if thou meane&s;t Old Age, without re&s;pect of per&s;ons or parents, or Ma&s;ters in the Lord, &s;uch honor as God requires; this we own and practi&s;e both in doing and &s;uffering, and thy &s;lander can|not reach us herein; but if it be that honor that &s;tands in the pride or ri|ches, or re&s;pect of per&s;ons, we deny it, and thee in it; and do &s;ee thee in <HI>Hamons</HI> condition, who vvould have the &s;eed of God to bovv to thede|vils pride, but vve have not &s;o learned Chri&s;t, God is no re&s;pect or of per|&s;ons
<PB N="8" REF="6">Chri&s;t is no re&s;pecter of per&s;ons, and they that are in the faith of Chri&s;t are no re&s;pecters of per&s;ons; and thou that art, read thy &s;elf in the Scriptures, wert thou not blind thou &s;hould'&s;t &s;ee the devil reproved and re&s;i&s;ted with (it is written) 2 <HI>Sam.</HI> 14.14. <HI>Rom.</HI> 2.11. <HI>Acts</HI> 10.34. <HI>Luke</HI> 4.7.8.
<HI>Math.</HI> 22.16. <HI>Iohn</HI> 5.44. <HI>Iam.</HI> 2.1. to the 10. <HI>Iob.</HI> 32.21.22.
<HI>E&s;t.</HI> 3. The&s;e and many more places might be added to them,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iob.</HI> 32.21.22.</NOTE> which all forbid re&s;pect of per&s;ons: Now all may &s;ee how thou regards what is written but for thy own ends; thou perverter of Scriptures, &s;top thy mouth for &s;hame, or &s;hew me one Scripture that commands me to honor any for their pride or riches; til then, all the examples of the world is nothing to me, I fol|low Chri&s;t and his commands, and not the traditions of men, good or bad. And whereas thou brings that command, Levit.
19.32. <HI>Thou &s;halt-ri&s;e up before the hoary bead, &amp;c.</HI> But how is that command fulfilled? when gray haires mu&s;t bow down to pride in young ones, or el&s;e &s;uch as thou wilt accu&s;e them to commit a &s;ad offence again&s;t what is written: ha&s;t thou not brought this again&s;t thy &s;elf? and now who is the Conjurer or famill|ar Spirit (thou tels on) but thou, who by alledging Scriptures woulde&s;t lead contrary to Scriptures, &amp; the commands of Chri&s;t, &amp; his practi&s;e, wherin the Scriptures condemns thee. And whereas thou woulde&s;t po&s;&s;e&s;s people that we have Familiar Spirits and are wizards, becau&s;e we wil not bow to mens per&s;ons who are proud and rich; O thou Serpent! How do&s;t thou ca&s;t out thy venom again&s;t that &s;eed that would never bow to thee? Had Chri&s;t a Familiar Spirit, who would not bow to the Prince of this World, who would allow him no &s;hare in its Glory if hee did not? Had
<HI>Mordecai</HI> a Fa|miliar Spirit, who would not bow to the Devil in <HI>Haman,</HI> who el&s;e would kil him and all that &s;eed? Or was he a wizard, becau&s;e thou &s;ayes, they that are wizards u&s;e not to bow or honor mens per&s;ons? Was <HI>Elihu</HI> a wizard? Or had the Apo&s;ile and they that he wrote to Familiar Spirits? O thou Bla&s;|phemer! Thou &s;halt now know that thou ha&s;t &s;poken again&s;t the Holy Gho&s;t;<NOTE PLACE="marg">Iames. 2.</NOTE> And I charge thee, and all thy proud generation to prove ever any who required bowing to their own per&s;ons, or per&s;ecured, hated, and accu&s;ed for not &s;o doing, but &s;uch who had the &s;pirit of the Devill, and the &s;ame &s;pirit that tempted Chri&s;t to it, tempts his Saints to it: And now &s;ee how thou be-lyes what is written, neither can the Saints weakne&s;s prove Gods commands nor our obedience to them, no more than <HI>Davids</HI> Adultery, or <HI>Io&s;ephs</HI> &s;wearing by the life of <HI>Pharoah,</HI> though thy brood who loves &s;uch things take liberty by them, and &s;o wre&s;ts the Scriptures to their own de&s;truction: Thou goes on in thy bla&s;phemy, and &s;ai&s;t, thou art &s;ure that the&s;e two are both &s;ins a like, viz. being a wizard, and not bowing to men, or honouring mens per&s;ons, for &s;o is thy meaning, or el&s;e thou touches not us, then mu&s;t needs follow that Chri&s;t, <HI>Mordicai,</HI> and <HI>Elihu</HI> committed that &s;in, and the Apo&s;tles exhorts to that &s;in, when he &s;aith my brethren have not the faith of Chri&s;t in re&s;pect of per&s;ons; for if you do re&s;pect per&s;ons, you commit &s;in, and tran&s;gre&s;s the Law, which Law
<PB N="9" REF="6">thou woulde&s;t bring to prove re&s;pect of per&s;ons: And here thy &s;pirit is try|ed to be contrary to the Apo&s;tles, for he brings the Law to &s;orbid re&s;pect of per&s;ons
<HI>Iames</HI> 2. and thou would'&s;t wre&s;t it to prove it,<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Iames.</HI>
2.</NOTE> and this is the Spirt of Satan, for that Law which &s;aith, honor thy Father, &amp;c. &s;aith, thou &s;halt not bow to any creature, &amp;c. And herein thou can&s;t not accu&s;e us, but thou mu&s;t accu&s;e Chri&s;t and the Saints that followed him. And why do&s;t thou
<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">o often bring that word (Ma&s;ter) unle&s;s thou intends to bring the practi&s;e of <HI>Ahrahams</HI> &s;ervant, to di&s;prove the expre&s;s Command of Chri&s;t <HI>Mat.</HI> 23. which if thou do&s;t deale plainly, (for I know that command is much in the way of Prie&s;ts and proud Teachers;) and when thou ha&s;t pre&s;&s;ed re&s;pect of per&s;ons, and calling (Ma&s;ter) and &s;uch things (though Ma&s;ters and Servants we deny not.) Then thou &s;aye&s;t, though the&s;e things wil vani&s;h away in the day of re&s;toration, yet abide in them til that day: What art thou affraid that we &s;hould come too &s;oon into the practi&s;e and command of Chri&s;t? It &s;eems thou art convinced, the Kingdome of thy Father mu&s;t down, but thou wilt &s;et too thy &s;houlder to uphold it as long as thou can&s;t: All that are not blind may &s;ee who&s;e work thou art doing; and &s;ai&s;t thou, though forms and ordinances &s;hall cea&s;e (and Churches as thou calls them) yet let us wor&s;hip in them til Chri&s;t come, which if thou meane&s;t Chri&s;ts comming to his in &s;pirit, then its plain thou ha&s;t not received him, who art &s;til in the&s;e things, and pleading for them, which mu&s;t peri&s;h at his comming: But if thou meane&s;t his comming at the end of the World, then it &s;eems thou woulde&s;t take a long day for them to con|tinue, even as long as God is to have any wor&s;hip here, and &s;uch &s;tuff as this thou brings forth, to da&s;h the quaking Principle a pieces. Is this thy &s;tanding truth that lyes thus in confu&s;ion? But it is no wonder to &s;ee thee oppo&s;e Chri&s;t and all that follow him, who knowe&s;t him not yet come, nor the day of re&s;toration, and yet in a bu&s;ie blind zeale (without Chri&s;t) would&s;t &s;et judging the things of God, Chri&s;t, and his Saints, with a re|probate Spirit that knows not Chri&s;t in thee, and with thy carnall &s;pirit would&s;t keep up carnal Ordinances, and yet would&s;t accu&s;e us for wizards,<NOTE PLACE="marg">2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 13.5.</NOTE> but read the <HI>Epi&s;tle</HI> of
<HI>Paul</HI> to the <HI>Galatians,</HI> and there thou mai&s;t read thy &s;elf, and how the
<HI>Galatians</HI> were bewitched by &s;uch wizrads, holding up carnall commandments again&s;t the &s;pirituall life,<NOTE PLACE="marg">For we own a time of Death, a time of quick|ning, a time of growth, and a time of perfecti|on, and with the Light of Chri&s;t we &s;ee it, which the world doth not, nor when we was in death we did not.</NOTE> but thou art much wor&s;e than they, who art holding up that which was never commanded but for|bidden; and here the witch is found out, but not in the quakers, and into thy pit thou ha&s;t digged thou art falne, and let thy mi&s;chief be upon thy own pate, but peace and truth be upon I&s;raels &s;eed for ever.</P>
<P><HI>Now to thy la&s;t head, which is not thy lea&s;t lye, that is, affording ab&s;olute per|fection at one in&s;tant, and that we admit of none but perfect men into conjun|ction, and when thou ha&s;t doubled the lye, that thy bonds of wickedne&s;s may be &s;trong, then thou goes about to di&s;prove it; and here thou raves and rai&s;es up much mud and dirty &s;tuffe, as &s;hooting and hitting, and &s;tating the matter to ca&s;t upon us, as though we held Ab&s;olute perfection at one in&s;tant, but he is blinde
<PB N="10" REF="7">that cannot &s;ee thy &s;hooting is again&s;t any perfection, and yet thou dare&s;t not &s;peak out: The great controver&s;ie at this day between Christ and Antichrist, and their Mini&s;ters is about perfection, and being free from &s;in, God made man per|fect and free from &s;in, but the Devil having led man out of his perfection into &s;in, labours there to keep him, and God in love hath given Chri&s;t and furni&s;hed him with power, to lead man again to his perfection and freedome; and now here is the conte&s;t between Chri&s;t and Antichri&s;t and their Di&s;ciples, Chri&s;t gave out his Mini&s;ters for the perfecting of the Saints, and to bring them into one faith unto a perfect man, unto the mea&s;ure of the Stature of the fulne&s;s of Chri&s;t, Eph.</HI> 4.11.12, 13.<NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Col.</HI> 1.28.</NOTE> <HI>And all that ebelive in him, preach this and pre&s;s after it, and none of the&s;e did ever plead again&s;t perfection, or &s;ay, none could be free from the being of &s;in while they live, but believed in perfection and freedome, and this faith &s;tands in Chri&s;t, who is able to &s;ave to the uttermo&s;t all that believe in him. Now Antichri&s;t he hath his M<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ni&s;ters &s;ent out under the name of Chri&s;t, and making u&s;e of Scripture to beget a &s;aith in all that will believe them, but quite contrary, (that is) that none can be free while they live, but when they dye then they may; And thus each ma&s;ter hath his Mini&s;ters pleading for their Ma&s;ters Kingdome here in this life, who &s;hould be &s;erved in this life; now becau&s;e the Devil hath nothing at pre&s;ent to give to deceive withall but &s;in and filthine&s;s, therefore he alwayes deceives tho&s;e that believe him, with promi&s;ing a thing that is to come, per&s;wading them to do his work here, and they &s;hal have Chri&s;ts wages hereafter; This is the lyar; Now &s;aith Chri&s;t I am the Son, and if you know the Son, he &s;hall make you free even from the committing of &s;in,</HI> John. 8.32. <HI>to the</HI> 37. <HI>But then the works of the Devil mu&s;t not &s;tand, for to this and I am made manifest to de&s;troy the works of the Devil,</HI> 1 John 3.3.9. <HI>and you cannot &s;erve two Masters &s;aith Chri&s;t, me and Mammon; now all that believe in Chri&s;t believes this, and &s;o denies the works of the devil and follows Chri&s;t, and the&s;e never want power, for they have him who is the great power of God to &s;alvation, and as they grow in the knowledge of Chri&s;t, &s;o they know Power and Victory, and their faith is that which overcomes the world and the Devill,</HI> 1 John 5.4. <HI>Now the other hath a Faith without Power,</HI><NOTE PLACE="marg"><HI>Rom.</HI> 1.16.</NOTE> <HI>which with&s;tands the power, (that is) to believe they can never be free from &s;in till they dye, and yet belives there is a God that will re|ward accordingly, and this the Apo&s;tle calls the faith of the Devill,</HI> Jam. 2. <HI>And this faith is to uphold his own Kingdom, but perfection and freedom de&s;troys it. And now read thy &s;elf who&s;e Mini&s;ter thou art, and who&s;e faith thou preaches, and according to thy faith &s;o &s;hall it be unto thee (and every one el&s;e) and that the Devill knows wel enough, that makes him thus rage, that any &s;hould believe freedome, for he that comes to God mu&s;t fir&s;t believe that he is able to &s;ave, or el&s;e he ju&s;tly cuts him&s;elf off by his unbeliefe, But all that know God have learned to deny thee and thy Faith and Doctrine, and with that light which is before &s;in was, art thou comprehended and judged, who art to&s;&s;ing and &s;earching out ways, and gathering up tho&s;e Scriptures to plead for &s;in, that holy men wrote to lead out of &s;in; and the Saints imperfection in their growth thou u&s;e&s;t, to make people be|lieve they never came further; and when thou ha&s;t wre&s;ted many Scrip|tures
<PB N="11" REF="7">to that end, to keep all blinde that are blinde, for tho&s;e that &s;ee, thy mi&s;t cannot hurt. Then thou falls to thy lying again, repeating them over, lea&s;t they &s;hould have forgotten them; in this confu&s;ion thou ha&s;t led them through: And thou tells again of denying Chri&s;ts Body and his Ordinances; and thus thou leads them that will believe thee, into thy practi&s;e to tell it after thee, but lea&s;t any &s;hould behold thy practi&s;e and ours, and &s;o come to &s;u&s;pect thee, or own us, thou &s;huts the Kingdom again&s;t them, thus, Satan (&s;ayes thou) may let them be pure and holy in regard of outward holine&s;s or Iu&s;tice between man and man, and freedom from the pollution of the world through lu&s;t, if he can make them be of tho&s;e that deny the Lord that bought them: This error is &s;in enough to damn them, as though a man could be free from the pollutions of the World through lu&s;t, and yet deny the Lord that bought them; here &s;hall all that know freedom from pollution through lu&s;t judg thee that thou never yet knew it, who &s;aye&s;t it may &s;tand with denying Chri&s;t. And thus being convinced that our practi&s;e will prove thee a lyar, thou wilt hide it as wel as thou can&s;t. It &s;eems thou owns not freedom from the pollu|tions of the World through lu&s;t, to be the redemption of Chri&s;t, unle&s;s they jump with thy fancie; then to conclude thy lying &s;lander, and to make us odious indeed, thou &s;ai&s;t, the Ranters were our forerunners, when all that know us may witne&s;s again&s;t thee that no people in the Nation more differ, both in judgment and in practi&s;e than they and we; but were we one with the Ranters, we &s;hould have more of thy favour and le&s;s oppo&s;ition; for thou and many of thy generation have writ many Books again&s;t us, but I never heard none of you write a book to oppo&s;e them. Thou tels of</HI> Franckling, <HI>what he is I know not, accu&s;e us with what we own, and not with what we deny, who is gone out from us, are not of us, nor do we own their practi&s;e. And lea&s;t any &s;hould &s;pie out thy envy in often repeating thy fal&s;e Accu&s;ations, thou &s;ai&s;t it is for &s;everal purpo&s;es, but all for good of &s;ouls; but who &s;ought the good of &s;ouls dur&s;t never lye, &s;lander, nor &s;peak evill of the things they knew not, nor pleaded again&s;t perfection nor freedome from &s;in, nor for re&s;pect of per&s;ons, this was never for the good of &s;ouls, nor did he ever love &s;ouls that &s;et thee on this work; but thou knows not of what &s;pirit thou art of, who knows nothing in thee contrary to thy own will to guide thee, and to exer|ci&s;e thy con&s;cience towards God and Man, which is in God and in Man. But when thou comes to an end of thy wickedne&s;s, and &s;halt cea&s;e to deale treache|rou&s;ly; then &s;hall the witne&s;s ari&s;e, and thou &s;halt &s;ee what thou ha&s;t done in pu|&s;hing again&s;t the Lamb. Thy Heads and Horns, with thy Names of Bla&s;phemy, mu&s;t be da&s;ht to pieces with that Principle at who&s;e pre&s;ence the Saints quake &amp; tremble, which now thou &s;corns and them that own it; till then I leave thee to run thy cour&s;e, yet in thy greate&s;t zeale (if thou minde) thou mai&s;t &s;ometimes find a check in thy Con&s;cience, that is not of thee nor of thy ways, that is a witne&s;s again&s;t thee, which &s;ometimes wil hint to thee thy latter end, and what then &s;hall befall thee, who now hates to hear it, or be reformed by it; at that day it will ap|pear thou had&s;t better have been &s;ilent, then out of a lofty proud zeale in thy blindne&s;s to have &s;poken again&s;t the things thou knowe&s;t not.</HI></P>
<P>There is a bundle of lyes more in thy Book, not worth an&s;wering, all
<PB N="12" REF="8">that know our practi&s;e &s;hal witne&s;s again&s;t thee in them; As, that we work upon people to cau&s;e a di&s;e&s;teem of the Scriptures, That we deny the Lord that bought us: That the Papi&s;t is our Predece&s;&s;or: That we wil not have Chri&s;t to rule over us, but deny both his Per&s;on and Word: That we have not Faith, but a bewitching Spirit: That we u&s;e un&s;eemly ki&s;&s;ings in our meetings: That we deny the way of righteou&s;ne&s;s: That we deny the ver|tue of what is written: That we fear not God, nor care for man: That be|ing one time wrought upon we are perfect: That we deny any man being under frailty: That we leave Chri&s;t neither Body nor Laws extant, and &s;o no being no Son: Divers more there is not worth the raking up: The&s;e I re|turn thee into thy bottle from whence they came, there to rot. Is this thy Religion? What a &s;pirit art thou guided by? Ha&s;t thou done as thou would&s;t be done unto? But this is thy fruit, who ha&s;t denyed any thing within thee to exerci&s;e thy con&s;cience towards God and man: O &s;hame! &s;hame with thy guide and his fruits, thy envy again&s;t the truth.</P>
<P>Did God create man in Sin, Imperfection, and re&s;pect of Per&s;ons? &amp;c. Or is it in the Fall: which if it be, Then &s;ee who&s;e work thou art doing that pleads for it, and a continuance of it while man lives, and again&s;t &s;uch as witne&s;s Redemption from it; did&s;t thou ever read any of Gods children in that faith or works?</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>IAMES NAYLER.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="8">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
