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gives power to become the sons of God? And he that believes in the light, shall not abide in darkness, but shall have the light of life,' and so it is sufficient. And he that doth not believe, is condemned already; and he hath it to believe in, or to condemn him.

P. He saith, Thousands stumble because they have no light in them,' &c. page 44.

A. They are such as hate it, and do not receive it which hath enlightened them, and not walking in it, it is their condemnation; and it shineth in the darkness, and the darkness comprehends it not: and so they are in darkness, and here is the unregenerate state.

P. He saith, The Pharisees were far enough from having the kingdom of heaven within,' &c. page 45.

A. Contrary to Christ's words, who said, it was within them.

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P. He saith, It is a notion to say, the light of Christ is in every one,' &c. page 47.

A. Which is contrary to John's doctrine. It is not a strange thing to the saints for these priests and teachers to question the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world; for the Jews, priests, and Levites stumbled at it in the days of John, and it set them all in an uproar as it does you; and they examined and questioned John, and he said, 'This is the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, that all men through him might believe.'

P. He saith, None were ever baptized into the name of the Father, son, and holy ghost, that were not baptized with water,' &c. See page 52.

A. Where was Matthew, or Mark, or Luke, or John baptized? and many more whom the apostle said, he thanked God he had not baptized, &c. although he had begotten many? Baptizing is making disciples to the Lord Jesus, and baptizing them into his name, that is, his power. And he told the saints they were baptized with one spirit, into one body, and said that he thanked God he had baptized but a few: [viz. with water.] But he told of the spirit's baptism, and brought the saints off from things that were seen; and water is seen and its baptism. And as for all thy rabble from thy contentious spirit, and thy railings, and unsavoury expressions, they will turn home upon thyself; and thy own words will be thy burthen; and the witness in thy conscience will answer in the day of thy judgment.

Francis Harris' book, called Queries to the Quakers,' &c. His principles follow.

P. THOU saуst, 'Do not these people that pretend to the light, stumble at noon day as in the night, and there is no gospel light, we mean of the revealed and written gospel light, in them?' &c. See page 9.

A. The gospel light is that which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world: and they who hate it neglect the gospel light, and receive not the power from God which is the gospel; for the gospel light is Christ Jesus, that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world. And they that walk in this light stumble not; they stumble that are out of the light, which light is the way to the Father. And many may have the written words, yet be out of the gospel light, and the power of God which is the gospel, (as Rom. i.) which brings people where the sheep lie down at noon day.

P. He saith, 'What did Christ mean when he bid people search the scriptures, or Peter when he called the scriptures the sure word of prophecy, the light shining in the dark place? And yet scripture without is a dead letter,' &c. See page 12.

A. And yet they call it the light, and the word, which is a dead letter.' Christ bids the professors of scripture to search it, that thought to have had life in it, not that they should find life in it, but that they should search it, and see how it testified of him who was the life; that was his end. And those that were come to Christ the life, were come to him the scriptures testified of, as John i.: We have found him of whom Moses and the prophets wrote.' And those were they that were come from John; the others were they that stuck in John, and came not to the life, but went to the scriptures to have had life in the scriptures, and came not to him the scriptures testified of, but persecuted him. And Peter means as he speaks; he tells them of the sure word of prophecy,' and bids them take heed to it, as unto a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in their hearts.' He doth not say, this is the scriptures without;' which thou sayst, are a dead letter.' How can that which is dead, shine?

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P. He saith, Doth not this draw people to gross idolatry; to bid people take heed to the light in you, which you call the pure light of God; not the light of nature? And whether you do not delude people, by saying there is a pure light of God and Christ in every man and woman by nature,' &c. See page 14. 17.

A. The light which enlightens every man, &c. leads from all idolatry: for all that are out of the light, that enlightens every man that comes

into the world, are in the idolatry. And every man that comes into the light which he is enlightened with, is in that which was before any natural lights were: and the natural lights are the sun, the moon, and the stars. And they delude and deceive people that say, the light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world is a natural light, and they keep people in idolatry; and so shut up the kingdom against men, and go not in themselves, nor suffer others; for all idolatry is out of the light.

P. He saith, To be carried up to the power, and to the spirit which resembles fire, whether this be not antichrist like a Lamb; to call fire from heaven to come down in the sight of men? And whether the power be from God or from satan, that brings people into a trembling and shaking like Belshazzar,' &c. See page 20, 21.

A. That power was not of satan that broke down the head of gold and the breasts of silver, neither was that power of satan that made Belshazzar to shake and quake: and that power all must know, before the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men. And to be carried up by the power and spirit of God, is not antichrist, nor is as the beast which, with his lying wonders, caused fire to come down from heaven, for the power, the spirit of God fathoms all such things; and saw those were the spirits that were erred from the apostles, and the life they lived in, that did so.

P. He saith, The most righteous man falls seven times a day, the scripture tells us.' See page 22.

A. The scripture doth not speak any such thing as seven times a day,' but it saith, the just man falleth seven times, and riseth again, but the wicked fall into mischief."

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P. He saith, such as have fasted till their neighbours who lived nigh them have not known them; they have been as though they had been come out of the jaws of death: whether this be not as the Pharisees, and an occasion to satan?' &c. See page 24.

A. What would ye have said to David in his days, when he fasted till he might number his bones, and was a stranger to all his acquaintance? was this as hypocrites fast? And because some now, by the same power, are moved of the Lord so to do, is this like the Pharisees that appear to do so? Have not all ministers and teachers showed their ignorance of the scriptures, and the life that gave them forth, and to be such as cannot divide the word aright, nor speak a word in season? But they are rather such as burthen and oppress the just, whereby the poor groan and cry; not distinguishing between the fasting of the servants of God, and those that appeared to fast. So in this you show that you put no difference between the precious and the vile, and are not able to judge of things that differ; so are judged with that which doth

put a difference in things that differ. And David was a wonder to his neighbours.

Francis Higginson's book, called 'A Brief Relation of the Religion of the Northern Quakers. His principles follow.

P. HE saith in his epistle, The great number that are fallen away from the word of God.'

A. The falling away from the word of God was before the apostles' decease, and the world is since gone after you and them that are fallen away; and so you put the letter for the word, the scriptures which are. words, and so run into all opinions and sects. But now are people coming to the light, and so to the word Christ Jesus, him by whom the world was made; from you apostates, to the word and the apostles,

are we come.

P. Again he saith, I do not detest Popery itself more heartily than I do your religion, Quakers,' &c.

A. I do believe thee, for Popery itself is thy stock: the tithes, the universities, the steeple-houses, mass-houses. So I know thou must be a friend to Popery, and detest us before thou canst Popery; the kingdom would otherwise be divided against itself, and then it were not like to stand. But Popery and you have come up in the apostacy since the days of the apostles, and so with the power of God ye are denied.

P. He again saith, Beware of false prophets; for there shall arise false prophets, and false Christs, and if it were possible, they should deceive the very elect.' Matt. vii. and Matt. xxiv.

A. Christ said they should come, and that they should be inwardly ravening wolves,' but would be clothed with the sheep's clothing; he told his disciples this, and before the disciples' decease they saw that they were come, the false prophets and the antichrists, as in 1 John ii. 4. which went from them. And in the Revelations he saith, 'all the world went after them:' all the world wandered after the beast,' and the false prophets. And the beast had power over all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, and peoples. And the beast and false prophet made war against the saints, and overcame them. And so you false prophets and antichrists have had the sheep's clothing, but have been the wolves, ravening and devouring the lambs. Ye could not have deceived, if ye had not had the sheep's clothing upon you: and so the beast hath his names, which hath had power over all nations, kindreds, and tongues. So the beast and whore have been upon your tongues, (which makes

you orthodox men,) which John calls waters: here have been the beast and his names, who have had power over all nations. And all nations have drunk of the cup of the mother of harlots, the great whore; the inhabitants of the earth are drunk with the wine of her fornication; and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her; and she sits upon the waters, and the waters are peoples, and tongues, and nations, and multitudes. You have told the poor people long, that, the false prophets are but now come, and the antichrists are but now come, and bid them come to Matt. vii. and Matt. xxiv. and so have showed your ignorance of the scriptures, which say they were before the apostles' decease, as in the first epistle of John; they went forth from the apostles; these were the false prophets, antichrists, and false spirits, which Christ said should come, and the world since has gone after them. Now doth your ignorance of the scriptures appear, and that your are not men able to divide the word aright. The discerning now is risen among people, that they begin to see and know who divides the word aright. And to bid people go to Matt. vii. and Matt. xxiv. and say false prophets should come, all this hath been but for pretence. Now we see you to be one with those John spoke of when he said, 'they were come, and all that dwelt upon the earth went after them.' Ye have had the form of godliness, but the power hath been denied; and so you have burst into names, and heaps, and sects. But now are the vials, and thunders, and plagues, and trumpets sounding and going forth, and the seven woes going out: and now are the kings of the earth, and false prophets, and antichrists, and the mother of harlots, and the beast, and his names and horns, gathering together, with the old deceiver the devil, to battle against the Lamb, and the saints of the Lamb. But the Lamb and the saints have got the victory, and the rivers of living waters are opening to all that thirst. Sing and rejoice, let us give glory to God, for now is the marriage of the Lamb come. P. Again thou makes a great pudder, that any one should witness he is equal with God,' &c. page 2.

A. In a catechism of the assembly of the priests (called divines) which they put forth to the nation, they have laid down, (for young children, and old men and all to learn,) that the holy ghost and the son are equal in power and glory with the Father.' Yet if any come to witness the son revealed in them, or come to witness the holy ghost in them, as they that gave forth scriptures; or witness the mind of Christ, and witness that which is equal with the Father, that equality which you speak of, you priests destroy that which you have put forth to the nation, and cry out 'horrid blasphemy.' And thus ye confound that which you have set up, and kill that which ye have begotten. P. He saith, I shall mention their errors. VOL. III.

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1. They hold their

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