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<NAME>John Latta</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
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<P>Truth Vindicated. OR, AN ANSWER TO A LETTER <HI>SENT FROM JOHN PERROT O&V;T OF</HI> JAMAICA INTO ENGLAND, &amp;c.</P>
<P><HI>London,</HI> Written in the Year, 1665.</P>
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<DIV1 TYPE="treatise">
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<HEAD>Truth Vindicated, &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>WHereas a Letter of <HI>John Perrots</HI> from <HI>Jamaica</HI> to <HI>Mary Booth, John Coopland, Margaret Bradi&s;h</HI> and <HI>Francis Walker,</HI> bearing date the <HI>12th.</HI> of the <HI>4th.</HI> Moneth 1665. was produced by <HI>Robert Cobbet</HI> to <HI>Morgan Watkins</HI> in favour to <HI>John Perrot</HI> or intentionally for the clearing of the &s;aid <HI>John</HI> from &s;uch things as had been reported of him or charged again&s;t him to be incon&s;i&s;tant with Truth, and contrary to the leadings and tea|chings of the Principles and &s;pirit of Truth, which we have re|ceived, and which he profe&s;&s;ed though afterwards he apo&s;tatized or departed therefrom to hide him&s;elf under the Earth, or di&s;|appear as in re&s;pect of the Lord and his Truth; &s;o that the &s;aid Letter by <HI>Robert Cobbet</HI> produced as afore&s;aid doth not &s;erve to the u&s;e, intent, and purpo&s;e for which it was produced, but ra|ther to confirme and make good &s;uch things as were reported of the &s;aid <HI>John,</HI> or charged again&s;t him to be incon&s;i&s;tent with Truth, and contrary to the dealings of God and the experiences of his &s;ervants and me&s;&s;engers whom he hath &s;ent forth to declare and manife&s;t truth unto many, who have in love received the &s;ame, and do manife&s;t their faithfulne&s;s unto God by continuing there|in under the Go&s;pel Di&s;pen&s;ation.</P>
<P>Fir&s;t, The &s;aid <HI>John Perrot</HI> (in that Letter) &s;aid, Children I never told you otherwi&s;e at any time, and now tell you again weeping, that I never deemed my &s;elf to be more then a man of Infirmity; if he was infirme in his judgment, councel, principles, doctrine, impo&s;itions, and practi&s;es, then he was un&s;ound in the bottome or root of the matter, and contrary to the &s;pirit and mind of Chri&s;t Je&s;us, and therefore no fellow labourer with God in the work of the Mini&s;try; for they who are acquainted with God, and have received the &s;pirit and power of God as the true Go&s;pel Mini&s;ters do, and aforetime did, to enable them to be as
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workers together with him in their Mini&s;tration received of God, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 4. 1. who hath made them able Mini&s;ters of the New Te&s;tament, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 3. 5, 6. enabling them for his own &s;ervice that they are as workers together with him, 2 <HI>Cor.</HI> 6. 1. In all things approving them&s;elves as the Mini&s;ters of God, their &s;ufficiency is of him; but they who &s;peak of them&s;elves and act from their own wi&s;dom and rea&s;on, and the mans part only, and not from the &s;pirit and power of God, are no more indeed then men of Infirmity as in re&s;pect of their Mini&s;tration; And if <HI>John</HI> was any thing more then a man of Infirmity, and if he was not un&s;ound and infirme upon the afore&s;aid con&s;ideration, why &s;hould he have made mention of it upon the account that he hath done, &s;eeing he hath &s;o much cryed down man, and would have man to be nothing, but the Lord to be all, who is not un&s;ound or infirme in any thing, if <HI>John</HI> was no more but a man of Infirmity then he &s;poke of him&s;elf, and his &s;peaking, &s;tanding, and acting was of him&s;elf, and &s;o his Natural parts and abilities were his &s;ufficiency, therefore it was of &s;elf and not of the Lord; and &s;elf &s;ufficiency we deny as incon&s;i&s;tent with Truth, in re&s;pect of the Mini&s;try, and acknowledge to the Lord and his power to be our &s;ufficiency, not that we are &s;ufficient of our &s;elves to think any thing as of our &s;elves, but our &s;ufficiency is of God, who al&s;o hath made us able Mini&s;ters of the New Te&s;tament.</P>
<P>And whereas he (in that Letter) &s;aid unto them (by way of accu&s;ation of others) whil&s;t many have come forth in fury as an Ho&s;t of armed Men with In&s;truments of War in attempts and pur&s;uits to &s;lay me, yet are they no more in mine eye then as Children labouring to beat the air. Whereby it appears that <HI>John</HI> in his own account hath not been hurt, nor at all harmed by them that he hath &s;o fal&s;ly accu&s;ed, who deny that they have gone forth in any fury as an ho&s;t of armed Men in pur&s;uites with In&s;tru|ments of War to &s;lay him, neither could he prove it, who turned fal&s;e accu&s;er of the brethren, and that is the work of old Antichri&s;t and for joyning with him therein, he might expect a reward from the hand of the Lord according to his doings. And whereas he &s;aid many are &s;triving in an evil day. That may &s;tand for him&s;elf and tho&s;e that &s;trives on his behalf by an evil &s;pirit to &s;ow the feed of di&s;&s;ention, and lead people into a &s;eparation from that which
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God leadeth into: And that indeed is an evil work which he and others were &s;triving to accompli&s;h, but the Lord is bla&s;ting and will &s;poil their Antichri&s;tian de&s;ign.</P>
<P>And whereas in that Letter he &s;aid unto them it &s;hall go well with you and me if we all keep in the root of their matter, and in it be hid under the Earth till the winter is pa&s;t and gone, is not that to make no appearance for God, neither in meeting or prea|ching, or any thing el&s;e that may expo&s;e them to &s;ufferings for Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;ake, if &s;o, is not that an Antichri&s;tian trick of de|ceit, and altogether incon&s;i&s;tent with Truth. And did not <HI>John</HI> lead you to for&s;ake the practi&s;e and te&s;timony of Truth, and center under the Earth in the root of deceit, from whence pro|ceeds un&s;oundne&s;s and infirmity in Councel, Doctrine, Judgment and Practi&s;e, which is nought in the foundation thereof, and root of the matter, and what was ami&s;s and nought in the foundation could never be made good by <HI>John</HI>'s confirmation. And if by the root of the matter be meant the principle of Truth, and the Hea|venly gift or Talent, which God hath committed to any for his own u&s;e and &s;ervice to beget and gather to the brightne&s;s of his ri&s;ings, that is neither to be hid in the Earth, nor laid up in a Napkin untill troubles, trials, afflictions, and per&s;ecutions for Righteou&s;ne&s;s &s;ake (which may be accounted the Winter) be pa&s;t and gone: Therefore <HI>John</HI>'s judgment and councel in the ca&s;e was un&s;ound and infirme, and of the mans part in him, which as he him&s;elf accounted was never otherwi&s;e; therefore incon&s;i&s;tent with Truth, and not according to the direction, judgment and councel of the &s;pirit and power of God (in man) which is &s;ound and firme, or el&s;e it would &s;ignifie nothing for a &s;ouls in&s;truction, confirmation, &s;atisfaction and con&s;olation. And that &s;pirit which leads people who have received any heavenly gift or talent from God wherein they have appeared in principle and practi&s;e on the behalf of the Lord, to hide the &s;ame under the Earth again, &s;o as to di&s;appear in re&s;pect of the work of the Lord by hiding them|&s;elves under the Earth, and &s;o lie hid in ob&s;curity for their &s;elf &s;afely untill troubles, trials, afflictions, and per&s;ecutions cea&s;e and be gone, is not the &s;pirit that we have received of God, but a con|trary &s;pirit, as <HI>John Perrots</HI> was, which we have already denyed, and by the truth it's condemned, for they who hide them&s;elves
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under the Earth as <HI>John</HI> advi&s;ed to do, are covered with Earth and deceit, and not with the &s;pirit and power of truth, and the woe again&s;t them is already pronounced, for woe unto them that cover with a covering, but not of my &s;pirit, &s;aith the Lord: And it's very evident and plain unto us that <HI>John Perrot</HI> was as that branch (he &s;poke of) which hath &s;triven to bud out of its natural &s;ea&s;on, and that is the cau&s;e his blo&s;&s;omes did fall, and its boughs wither according to his own rea&s;on.</P>
<P>And whereas <HI>John Perrot</HI> in that Letter &s;aid, I was once a Mini|&s;ter of Truth and Righteou&s;ne&s;s among&s;t you and many others, and was faithful in what I did, though &s;omethings of the My&s;tery of the Go&s;pel could not be borne of my Elders.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> What is that to the purpo&s;e if he was once a Mini&s;ter of Righteou&s;ne&s;s or numbred among&s;t them that are &s;o, &s;eeing that by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion he fell from it, and turned down under the Earth to hide him&s;elf there, and turned enemy to them who are Mini&s;ters of Righteou&s;ne&s;s, and in preaching the Word are in&s;tant both in &s;ea&s;on and out of &s;ea&s;on according to the charge given before the Lord; he is no more to be accounted of: <HI>Judas</HI> was once num|bred among&s;t the Apo&s;tles of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t, and had received part of the Mini&s;try and Apo&s;tle&s;hip, <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act. 1. 16, 17, 20.</NOTE> but he afterwards by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion fell from it, and his end was mi&s;erable, and he no more accounted of but <NOTE PLACE="marg">Act 1. 23, 24. 25. 26</NOTE> as a Traytor and an Apo&s;tate; however that part of the Mini&s;try and Apo&s;tle&s;hip which he fell from, was de&s;irable and prayed for, &s;o that truth is truth, though &s;ome may betray their tru&s;t and depart or fall from it, and it will outlive all deceit and Apo&s;tates; and as for tho&s;e things of the My&s;tery of the Go&s;pel he &s;poke of, which he &s;aid could not be borne by his Elders, what were they but &s;uch things as tended to faction, as teaching people to be irreverent in keeping on their Hats at Prayer: And fora&s;|much as he acknowledged Elders he &s;hould have kept in a place of &s;ubjection, and not have pre&s;umed to impo&s;e things upon them, for the Lord hath required that the Younger do &s;ubmit to the Elder; and what is it that maketh true Elder&s;hip but the eternal Spirit and power of Truth, that doth open the my&s;tery unto them to whom its given to know the My&s;teries of the Kingdom: And how dur&s;t <HI>John</HI> ri&s;e up in fal&s;e accu&s;ations and judgment a|gain&s;t
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them as he hath done, did not that be&s;peak great pride in his heart, and that he a&s;pired to be great in a &s;elf exaltation, and now the Lord hath aba&s;ed him for &s;o doing.</P>
<P>And whereas he &s;aid, I am not provoked unto ha&s;t &s;eeing all times will have their Revolution, and I wait untill a change cometh, and a renewed commi&s;&s;ion is given from above, that if I &s;ound the Trump of the Lord it &s;hall not be at uncertainty.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> It &s;eems that what he &s;aid then and before was but at un|certainty, and he was no Mini&s;ter of Truth and Righteou&s;ne&s;s then in his own account, nor in the account of <HI>Robert Cobbet,</HI> who confe&s;&s;ed that he had jealou&s;ies of <HI>John Perrot</HI> before us, and grea|ter jealou&s;ies then we had, and &s;aid he was then no Mini&s;ter, for his commi&s;&s;ion was ended, what change was it that <HI>John</HI> waited for to &s;ee come, was it to &s;ee per&s;ecutions and afflictions over and be gone; and what commi&s;&s;ion was it he waited for &s;eeing that he hath formerly &s;aid that pleading the cau&s;e that is truly righteous, and bearing his te&s;timony of the power of love was fini&s;hed, and if that was fini&s;hed as he &s;aid it was, would he have had a commi&s;|&s;ion to plead the cau&s;e that is unrighteous, and to bear te&s;timony again&s;t the power of love; if &s;o, he might expect that from old Antichri&s;t, for the Lord would never grant him any &s;uch, and becau&s;e he hath rejected the Lord in rejecting his Councel, he was rejected of God &s;o as to be any Mini&s;ter of his.</P>
<P>And whereas (in the Letter afore&s;aid) he &s;aid to <HI>Mary Booth,</HI> In reading thy particular lines I find that thy love would have me become yet again very honourable in <HI>I&s;rael.</HI> Seeing he acknow|ledged <HI>Mary Booths</HI> love in wi&s;hing his Re&s;toration from that which renders him di&s;honourable in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> ought not he to have accepted her love &s;o as to have &s;ought to return to that which in her apprehen&s;ion he was fallen from, for it appeared that both in her and his own accompt he was degenerated and fallen from what he once either really was, or at lea&s;t was by them apprehended &s;o to be, for <HI>Robert Cobbet</HI> &s;u&s;pected <HI>John,</HI> and had jealou&s;ies of him, before he &s;o fell; And when that he was fallen the love of <HI>Mary Booth</HI> in wi&s;hing that he might become once again very honourable in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> be&s;poke in her mind unto others that he was fallen from that which in her account once made him honourable in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> and that he was then di&s;honourable therein, or among&s;t them; and
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her love de&s;iring that he might become once again very honour|able in <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> be&s;poke that he &s;tood in need of a Re&s;toration unto that which he had lo&s;t by degeneration, which thing he told her he &s;ought not, having once &s;een the great evil and &s;nare that hath attended &s;uch a condition, both as touching what it might prove to others and to him&s;elf; and for that cau&s;e (he &s;aid) it was be&s;t to him to be the mo&s;t contemptible, and it was with him at that pre&s;ent to walk and live both in re&s;pect of judgment and fellow&s;hip void of the appearance of having it with any Creature.</P>
<P><HI>An&s;.</HI> Whereby it appeared that an honorable e&s;tate and condi|tion in <HI>I&s;rael</HI> was not in his account to be &s;ought or de&s;ired after, becau&s;e it might be attended with danger, thereby be&s;peaking di&s;tru&s;t in his mind, as if God could not pre&s;erve out of the &s;nare. 2. That it was better for him to be in that which made him con|temptible, then in that which makes honorable in <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> and <HI>Judas</HI> was contemptible enough, when by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion he was fallen from what he received, as in re&s;pect of the Mini&s;try, the which if he had abode in, might have made him honorable, doth it therefore follow that becau&s;e <HI>Judas</HI> might have been honorable if he had abode in the Mini&s;try received, but being attended with temptations departed from the Lord, and by tran&s;gre&s;&s;ion fell from his Mini&s;try, (and into compliance with the &s;pirit of the World, and &s;o became contemptible and a &s;tink to this day, as &s;uch are and will be who depart from the truth, and walk in <HI>Ju|das</HI> way of Apo&s;tacy) that therefore the way of the Lord, and the work of the Mini&s;try, is not to be de&s;ired and if any fall from it that its be&s;t for them to be contemptible in not &s;eeking or endeavou|ring a Re&s;toration, if the love of the Lord thorough any de&s;ire it, or if the Lord call thereunto. And thirdly, that in re&s;pect of judgment, and fellow&s;hip he &s;aid he did walk, and live void of the appearance of having it with any Creature, and did &s;tand &s;till for a &s;ea&s;on as one dumb and mute, looking round about him to &s;ee which way the world mans mind would roul, which is not &s;ound Doctrine, for God is Light, and they that walk in the Light as he is in the Light they have fellow&s;hip one with another, who would therefore have depended upon <HI>John Perrot,</HI> except &s;uch as declined in their hearts from the Lord, and incline to the world, and are
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&s;eeking an occa&s;ion to for&s;ake the truth and break off from the way of the Lord, who&s;e minds are preparing for Ranteri&s;me, and to walk in the way of &s;eparation from God and his People, by following a &s;pirit of delu&s;ion, to turn unto any thing that &s;uites with a fle&s;hly communion according to the worldly imaginations, under pretence of liberty in a my&s;tery which is not bounded by the &s;pirit of truth and holine&s;s, and let them take heed lea&s;t the &s;pirit of delu&s;ion which entred <HI>John</HI> do enter them, &s;o as to pre|pare them to center in Ranti&s;me: for he &s;aid, Children be not offended if I ask &s;omething that the light in you may in due time an&s;wer you, did God by his light in us draw us from any thing of appearance, or the formal cu&s;tomes outward which are not of wor&s;hip in them&s;elves, but through the cro&s;s which &s;tood again&s;t our carnal affections in them things, and now if we are naturalized to a cu&s;tome which the natural affection taketh part of, is not the cro&s;s to be to that, and would it not be now a cro&s;s to us to do tho&s;e things which were never &s;in &s;imply in them&s;elves, which once through the cro&s;s we were led from, con&s;ider all manner of ge&s;tures, &s;alutations, and external, formal appearances for the great my&s;tery of the Go&s;pel, and Righteou&s;ne&s;s, thereof is held in the cro&s;s, which touching many things no man can mea&s;ure in another.</P>
<P>What's that to the purpo&s;e if no man can mea&s;ure &s;uch things the &s;pirit of God in man, and the true mea&s;uring time can mea&s;ure the&s;e things in all that appertain to the Go&s;pel, and the Righte|ou&s;ne&s;s thereof. Therefore it was deceit in <HI>John</HI> that &s;o &s;poke, and made the afore&s;aid inquiry whereby they might if they were not blinded in their under&s;tandings &s;ee how the old ranting &s;pirit was making way for its de&s;ign, and how the Serpent is <GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1+ letters">ing and twining to wind in his &s;ubtlety, and thereby to turn their minds from the &s;implicity of the Truth for the fitting of them to conforme to any thing but truth, in the life and power thereof, as if God did by the light of his Son di&s;cover an evil, and lead from the &s;ame, and afterwards lead back from the good into the evil again: It &s;eems that the continuation in any practice, doctrine, or thing that God by the light of Chri&s;t Je&s;us doth lead men into, and work them into love with the &s;ame, was accounted by <HI>Iohn</HI> a forme, and to be naturalized into the thing, for which God may
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cro&s;s Men, and lead them therefrom again, becau&s;e they are in love with the &s;ame which was but <HI>John</HI>'s fancy and vain imagination, and contrary to &s;ound Doctrine, for &s;aid the Apo&s;tle and Amba&s;|&s;ador of our Lord Je&s;us Chri&s;t unto <HI>Timothy,</HI> That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Gho&s;t which dwelleth in us: This thou knowe&s;t that all they which are in <HI>A&s;ia</HI> be turned away from me, of whom are <HI>Phygellus</HI> and <HI>Hermogenes,</HI> 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 1. 14, 15. for &s;ome are already turned a&s;ide after Sathan, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 5. 15. as <HI>John Perrot</HI> did, and they that received his &s;pirit have done, who may take notice of their examples to be &s;uch as afore&s;aid, who turned away from the Apo&s;tles of Chri&s;t, and turned a&s;ide from the Truth after Satan: But the Apo&s;tle exhor|ted <HI>Timothy</HI> to take heed to him&s;elf at &s;uch a time, and unto his Doctrine to continue therein, for in &s;o doing he &s;hould both &s;ave him&s;elf and them that heard him, 1 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 16. And they who have received a Mini&s;try from God are to continue in the &s;ame, and in preaching the Word to be in&s;tant both in &s;ea&s;on and out of &s;ea|&s;on, to reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long &s;uffering and Doctrine, 2 <HI>Tim.</HI> 4. 2. and not do as <HI>John Perrot</HI> did, if the con|tinuation in the Doctrines, Principles and Practices which the light of God leads into, became a cu&s;tome in <HI>John</HI>'s e&s;teem, and if be|cau&s;e the outward man be naturalized into love with the Truth, or made conformable to the inner Man, and be affected with the &s;ame, mu&s;t be cro&s;t and broken off to go a&s;ide into Men's traditi|ons and the worlds vanities again, <HI>John</HI> therein was greatly mi&s;ta|ken, for as God by his Light and Spirit of Grace within us hath led us from the Will-Wor&s;hips, by the &s;ame light he will never lead us into them again: 2. As God by the Light of Chri&s;t in us hath led us in the Cro&s;s to our wills to keep on our Hats and not put them off in re&s;pect of honouring Mens per&s;ons, he will not by the &s;ame light and &s;pirit lead us to put them off again upon the &s;ame con&s;ideration: 3. As God hath led us by the light of Chri&s;t in us to a&s;&s;emble and meet together to wait upon him in the way of his wor&s;hip in the cro&s;s to our wills, he will never by the &s;ame light and &s;pirit of grace lead us from the continuation of that godly practice, though we be affected with the &s;ame, becau&s;e of his pre&s;ence with us who doth enjoyne his People to continue therein; for it is the duty of the People of God to continue in
<PB N="11" REF="6">
the &s;ame, becau&s;e the Lord hath led into it, and doth own them therein, and it is a danger to be negligent in that re&s;pect through the workings of Satan, for God will not lead us from the conti|nuation in that godly practice, though the Natural Man may par|take of the knowledge and virtue of God with the Spiritual man, for the Earth as well as Heaven &s;hall be filled with the knowledge of God as it is written: 4. The &s;ame light and &s;pirit of Grace in us that hath led us into acquaintance with God, and hath led us to put off our Hats in time of Prayer, and owned us therein all along from the fir&s;t to this day in &s;uch a practice in our &s;upplicati|ons to the Lord in the A&s;&s;emblies of his people from who&s;e ble&s;|&s;ed and heavenly power we have received many refre&s;hings and Te&s;timonies for our confirmation, &s;atisfaction and con&s;olation will never lead us to keep on our Hats in the time of Prayer in the A&s;&s;emblies of the Saints in oppo&s;ition to Gods pre&s;ent and former leadings, did not <HI>John</HI> go about by his Imaginations to change the Truth of God into a lie if he could, and to &s;et the Lord in oppo&s;ition to the leadings of his own &s;pirit and power, which he could not do, and to make God as changable as he was contrary to the Lords own &s;ayings, who hath &s;aid, I am God, I change not, therefore ye &s;ons of Jacob are not con&s;umed: Might not <HI>Iohn</HI> have as well &s;aid, that God would not have People to be fixed and centred in an unchangable thing &s;o as to continue therein, and in the practi&s;es that he leadeth into, and confirmeth them in under a &s;piritual di&s;pen&s;ation: And likewi&s;e might he not as well have &s;aid that the &s;ame light and &s;pirit of Chri&s;t Je&s;us that hath led Men out of the vanities and wickedne&s;s of the World into love with God and his Truth, may lead them from Him and his Truth again, becau&s;e they are naturalized or made conformable to it, &s;o as to abide and continue therein, and are in love with him: Oh dam|nable Doctrine! for they that are ju&s;t and faithful to God mu&s;t continue in that and tho&s;e things which the eternal Spirit and po|wer of God hath led them into, and enjoyned them by his own Spirit therein to abide, that they may not be as wandring Stars, but fixed in the Firmament of Truth, and keep their &s;tanding and place in the power of God, &s;o will their Con&s;ciences be kept void of offence in the &s;ight of God as they &s;tand approved in his &s;ight by continuing in that and tho&s;e practices and things which the
<PB N="12" REF="7">
Lord leadeth his People into, and enjoynes them to continue and abide therein, under his own &s;piritual and heavenly di&s;pen&s;ation.</P>
<P>And whereas <HI>Iohn</HI> &s;aid, that the <HI>My&s;tery</HI> of the Go&s;pel and the Righteou&s;ne&s;s thereof is held in the Cro&s;s, and &s;aid keep to your own, and &s;ee that for Con&s;cience &s;ake ye have no more re&s;pect (through any cu&s;tome, form of greeting or &s;alutation) to plea&s;e one &s;ort of People pa&s;&s;ing only under one denomination, then caution in your hearts by &s;uch cu&s;tome to di&s;plea&s;e others of other denominations, and if that offend man you are to bear the Cro&s;s, which the <HI>Iewes</HI> would naile you unto.</P>
<P>If by the <HI>Iewes</HI> he did mean and intend good ancient old friends who continue and abide in the Truth, as his Writing imports; and if by nailing them to the Cro&s;s (who are given to change their Principles and Practices as he did) be to fix and fa&s;ten them to the power of Truth, or My&s;tery of the Go&s;pel, and the Righteou&s;|ne&s;s thereof, (which is held in the Cro&s;s that they may continue and abide in the &s;ame, be the nailing of them thereto that he &s;poke of, that they may not run into delu&s;ions and turn from the Truth to conforme unto and comply with all &s;orts of People under eve|ry denomination in that which the Spirit and power of Truth doth not allow of and own, wherein are they to be blamed? for &s;o fixing and fa&s;ting them to the Truth for their e&s;tabli&s;hment, confirmation and continuation therein? But if by the <HI>Iewes</HI> he did mean the enemies of Chri&s;t, and accounted good friends to be &s;uch; and if by the nailing of them to the Cro&s;s be to expo&s;e them to &s;ufferings for Righteou&s;ne&s;s, as the <HI>Iewes</HI> did Chri&s;t by nailing him to the Cro&s;s; he was greatly mi&s;taken, and did fal&s;ly accu&s;e the brethren, and ran him&s;elf into confu&s;ion and &s;elf con|tradiction, and &s;o was en&s;nared by the words of his mouth; and if all &s;orts of People under every denomination, who have an outward profe&s;&s;ion of Godline&s;s mu&s;t be conformed unto and complyed with in &s;uch manner of ge&s;tures, &s;alutations, and ex|ternal, formal appearances for the plea&s;ing of them in that and tho&s;e things which the light and &s;pirit of God doth not allow of nor own where is the Cro&s;s taken up and &s;tood in, to tho&s;e things, for as the light of Chri&s;t doth di&s;cover the evil and cro&s;s the car|nal affections when they would run out into &s;uch actions as the truth doth condemn, &s;o they who for&s;ake that w^c^h the Lord leadeth
<PB N="13" REF="7">
into, they run in their own will, and carnal affections into that which the World's fellow &s;hip &s;tands in, whereby they go through their fle&s;hly wi&s;dom and natural affection to cro&s;s the Light and Spirit of the Lord, and &s;o they for&s;ake the true Cro&s;s, which is of power to crucifie them to the World, and the World unto them; and that's the cau&s;e why the enmity remains, and a life is pleaded for and &s;ought after, which the &s;pirit and power of Truth doth condemn. And whereas <HI>Iohn Perrot</HI> in that Letter hath &s;aid my heart meditates the thing that is ju&s;t and equal among all, but can hardly yet come to this very rule, becau&s;e of pre&s;ent evil in me, which I cannot e&s;cape, which is of having a greater re&s;pect in the general of the &s;atisfaction of <HI>Quakers</HI> in me rather then others, but this mu&s;t be overcome, and I wait for it, though none have per&s;ecuted me as <HI>Quakers</HI> have done.</P>
<P>It &s;eems <HI>Iohn</HI> had not then wholly and altogether gotten into a perfect &s;tate of Ranti&s;me becau&s;e he had not altogether &s;lain the witne&s;s and got over the &s;ame, &s;o as to conforme unto and run into any thing that truth doth not own, &amp; account it no &s;in, for it &s;eems the witne&s;s in him that did bear witne&s;s unto the People of God, reproachfully called <HI>Quakers,</HI> was not wholly overcome in him at that time, becau&s;e he could not but have a greater re&s;pect in him to them then unto others, but he accounted it an evil in him to have a re&s;pect to the <HI>Quakers</HI> more then to others, &amp; he expected to overcome that, and waited for it; who was turned to be a fal&s;e accu&s;er of them, for he &s;aid he never was &s;o per&s;ecuted by any as by them; whereby it appears that he never was per&s;ecuted to do him any harme, neither hath he been in any wi&s;e wronged or hurt by them; for he hath fal&s;ly accu&s;ed the brethren in that thing, and hath before cleared them from the force of the &s;aid fal&s;e accu&s;ati|on, confe&s;&s;ing in effect that they never did him any harme: But however the Innocent People of God reproachfully called <HI>Quakers</HI> are clcar from his A&s;per&s;ions, and do deny all per&s;ecutions, and he al&s;o hath cleared them whom he hath &s;o unju&s;tly accu&s;ed by ac|knowledging that they have done him no harme as afore&s;aid.</P>
<P>And as for that unity he &s;poke of or having unity with candid|ne&s;s of heart of <HI>Iohn Swinton</HI> in a paper of his lately given forth to <HI>I&s;rael;</HI> he hath &s;o much the more di&s;covered and manife&s;ted his &s;pirit in oppo&s;ition to friends; and <HI>Iohn Swinton</HI> may take
<PB N="14" REF="8">
notice what &s;pirits they are whom he hath &s;o gratified by his paper as afore&s;aid: But it's certainly true that offences mu&s;t come, and the Woe is pronounced from God again&s;t them by whom they do come. And it's certainly true that the enemy did heretofore enter <HI>Iohn Perrot,</HI> and made u&s;e of him as an In&s;trument, to offend many of the little ones that believes in the Lord Je&s;us, and to cau&s;e the way of Truth to be evil &s;poken of, and he might expect to bear the di&s;plea&s;ure of the Lord for &s;o doing; and as for <HI>Iohn Swinton</HI> in what he hath written again&s;t Friends the Lord doth not own it, for it did not proceed from his own power and &s;pirit; and there|fore the witne&s;s of God in his People do deny it, and it cannot be received into the &s;pirit and power of Truth, becau&s;e it proceeded not from it, &s;o that he hath not the an&s;wer of God in the hearts of his People for its acceptation, but is te&s;tified again&s;t, becau&s;e it is for condemnation; therefore <HI>Iohn Swinton</HI> had better never have writen the &s;ame, but it may be a warning to him for the time to come to take heed how he pre&s;umes to do any &s;uch thing.</P>
<P>And as for the ground and cau&s;e of <HI>Iohn Perrot</HI> for&s;aking his Mini&s;try, he &s;aid, he had cau&s;e as well natural in Manhood and ten|der affection to his Wife and Children, as &s;piritual in obedience to that life which drew him for example &s;ake to labour in his proper &s;tation. It &s;eems his ground was fir&s;t earthly, and proceeded from a Natural cau&s;e, that was the fir&s;t motive to lay down his Mini&s;try, <HI>viz.</HI> in re&s;pect of his Wife and Children, not con&s;idering that they who have received a Mini&s;try from God are to continue faith|ful to the Lord in their Mini&s;tration, and in preaching the Word, to be in&s;tant in &s;ea&s;on and out of &s;ea&s;on, notwith&s;tanding Wife and Children; for Chri&s;t hath &s;aid he that loves any thing more then me is not worthy of me; and that which a man mo&s;t loves that he is mo&s;t con&s;tant unto, and can do the mo&s;t for, and do it mo&s;t freely. And as for the &s;econd cau&s;e, it was but a pretence and meer deceit, as if God &s;hould give a Mini&s;try to one, and after|wards lead him from it again to be covered over with earth as an example to others, which is contrary to the truth, and to the command of the &s;pirit of Chri&s;t in the true Go&s;pel Mini&s;ters, who &s;aid walk as ye have us for Examples. And they did not do as <HI>Iohn Perrot</HI> did, for if he &s;hould have been followed as an example, then all the Mini&s;ters of the Go&s;pel of Chri&s;t might for&s;ake their
<PB N="15" REF="8">
Mini&s;try according to <HI>John</HI>'s account, and turn into the Earthly Imployments, and lie hid under the Earth, and no more appear for the Lord and his Truth; &s;o that it appears his Mini&s;try &s;tood in his own will to di&s;pen&s;e with, and now he is laid a&s;ide as one u&s;ele&s;s. And whereas he &s;aid, he could not bear; that the Go&s;pel &s;hould be chargable on his part, but was willing to lay forth his all for the glory of Gods &s;ake that was concerned therein. That's but deceit that &s;poke in him, for who hath been chargable like un|to him upon that con&s;ideration, and then he had for&s;aken that which he made &s;o chargable to his &s;hame and confu&s;ion, and is tur|ned into the Earth again, which is his proper &s;tation or place ac|cording to his own &s;aying. And as for <HI>Iohn Harwood, Iohn White|hou&s;e,</HI> and <HI>Dorothy White,</HI> they are denyed, di&s;owned, and judged by <HI>Robert Cobbet</HI> as he hath acknowledged to &s;ome of us; and we do deny them to be of us, and hereby declare that we do not own them but do te&s;tifie again&s;t them, and all &s;uch factious &s;pirits.</P>
<P>And whereas <HI>Iohn Perrot</HI> in that Letter from <HI>Iamaica</HI> &s;aid, he was to&s;&s;ed on every hand yet not moved by any. If he was not moved by any, hath he not hereby contradicted them who &s;ay that Friends drove him from the Truth, to drive a man from the Truth is to move him, but Friends did not drive him from the Truth; and <HI>Iohn</HI> in effect hath cleared them from &s;uch an a&s;per&s;ion; &s;aying, though he was to&s;&s;ed on every hand, yet not moved by any; if not moved by any then not removed or driven from the Truth by Friends; therefore <HI>Iohn</HI> in effect hath cleared them from the force of &s;uch an accu&s;ation or charge as afore&s;aid. And whereas <HI>Iohn Perrot</HI> &s;aid in that Letter, I am given to be this day the reproach of many. Who hath given him to be &s;o? did he not give him&s;elf unto the delu&s;ions of Satan to be an occa&s;ion of the reproach of many? and who are they that he was a reproach unto? a reproach he was, and one that was given, to change both Mini&s;try, Doctrine and practi&s;e, which God hath led his People into, and enjoyned them to continue in, and not do as <HI>Iohn</HI> did, (and tho&s;e that followed him for their example) have done; there|fore he hath been a reproach to the truth, &amp; to them that keep their fir&s;t love, who abide in the Covenant of Grace, and he might be a|&s;hamed of his doings, and &s;o may all they who joyned with him in that and tho&s;e things that tends to devi&s;ion and &s;eparation from God and his Truth, and to bring a reproach upon them who con|tinue
<PB N="16" REF="9">
and abide in the Principles, Doctrines, practice and power of God received. And &s;eeing that <HI>John Perrot</HI> by hearkning to Satan and in yielding unto him as the principal cau&s;e of his remo|val from truth, who being thereby &s;o removed was the in&s;trumen|tal cau&s;e or only man who made &s;uch di&s;&s;ention among&s;t Friends that were in &s;o great love and unity before, and hath led many in|to Markes of &s;eparation, which God doth not lead his People in|to: And &s;eeing that <HI>John</HI> did become a reproach unto many as a|fore&s;aid, this may teach all &s;uch as are pre&s;erved out of his &s;pirit, and the deceivable workings and ways of Satan to mind their &s;ted|fa&s;tne&s;s to and continuation with God, his Truth and People in that and tho&s;e things which makes for unity peace and reconcilia|tion, and they may for ever pri&s;e the love, mercy and power of God, which pre&s;erved them that they did not meddle with up|holding and following the fantafies and imaginations of him the &s;aid <HI>J<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="missing" EXTENT="1 letter">hn,</HI> or any of them that are given to change, and do as he hath done, and it may be a &s;hame to them who either follow or plead for &s;uch an example, &s;o as to mind the light of Chri&s;t Je&s;us to move them to con&s;ider how they went out from unity with us and in obedience to the manife&s;tation, direction, and calling of the Principle and Spirit of truth, to return from whence they are fal|len, and from tho&s;e markes of &s;eparation, and from &s;uch things as <HI>John</HI>'s impo&s;itions, example and practice in his to&s;&s;ed e&s;tate and condition &s;ince he began to quarrel and wrangle with Friends they have been led into, which we and the truth cannot own.</P>
<P>And to te&s;tifie our love to the Lord, his Truth, and People, who continue and abide in unity and peace with God, and one with an|other in the refre&s;&s;ing life, love, virtue and power thereof, and in that godly order and practi&s;e which the Lord hath led us into, and by his own &s;pirit enjoyned us therein to continue and abide; and in te&s;timony again&s;t all &s;uch &s;pirits, actions and things aforementi|oned meant &amp; intended as do devide and &s;eparate from the truth, and turn to the reproach of our profe&s;&s;ion, and to the di&s;honour of God whom we profe&s;&s;e, and to the turning of the weak out of the way of the Lord and to the reproach of his People. We have hereunto &s;ub&s;cribed, who&s;e Names are here under written.</P>
<P><HI>Richard Farneworth, Morgan Watkins, Solomon Eccles, Thomas Loe, Stephen Cri&s;pe, John El&s;on, J<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;i<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">h Coale, Samuel Newton, Gerrard Roberts, Thomas Green, Am<GAP DESC="illegible" REASON="faint" EXTENT="1 letter">r Stodard, Gilbert Laty.</HI></P>
<TRAILER>THE END.</TRAILER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
