creed. The spirit and the word are one, and they are inwardly known, sanctifying. P.

The rule of Christian obedience is the law of God.'

A. That which is the end of the law, is a Christian's life and rule, who comes to the obedience of faith, in which he pleases God, and is justified, but no flesh by the works of the law is justified.

P. Brethren, be perfect, be of good comfort; be of one mind. No man is able to keep the commandments of God, we break them daily in thought, word, and deed; in the best of our duties we are unprofitable servants.'

A. Here is your confusion laid open; those that were perfect had a new mind, and their deeds were wrought in God, and their thoughts were changed that witnessed repentance, and they kept the commands of God; and their fruits were of the spirit and of faith, which are not unprofitable. But your works and fruits, who are out of the faith, and out of the spirit of God, are unprofitable, who break the commandments, but they that love God, keep his commandments.

P. Christians must attend upon God's ordinances and sacraments, to know their duty toward their neighbour, which sacraments are the seal of the covenant.'

A. The apostles tell us of no such signs or sacraments, nor such words; but that which fulfils law is Christ the son of God, which brings man to do his duty towards God, and towards his neighbour.

P. There are two sacraments, and the covenant of grace is to all that believe and receive Christ; and the two sacraments are baptism and the Lord's supper, which are visible signs.'

A. The scripture doth not any where call them visible signs, nor sacraments; and the covenant of grace is to all, whether they believe, or do not believe; receive, or do not receive; and the scripture doth not call baptism and the Lord's supper sacraments.

P.

Because infants of the Jews were circumcised, therefore are children baptized: Christ hath ordained this sacrament of bread and wine, and the sacrament is the food of the soul.'

A. This is a Popish doctrine; that which feeds the soul is immortal, and that is the soul's food which it finds rest in, Christ the bread of life, the food for the soul. And the scriptures do not tell us that the bread and wine are a sacrament; and the scriptures do not tell us that circumcision outward was a type of outward baptism, but of the inward. And you bring a scripture, which is the xxiii. of Luke and the 43 verse, and say, that it saith, that the souls of the wicked are cast into hell,' but that scripture speaks no such thing.

P. We are not to seek for happiness in this life.'

A. The saints were and are made partakers of the heavenly riches,

and of Christ's fulness, and of his joy unspeakable and full of glory in his kingdom, which is in them, while upon the earth. And for the rest of your lies and confusions, they are not worth answering.

Richard Baxter's principles, in that which he calls, One sheet for the ministers,' which is two sheets, in whose mouth is found a lie, as in his title page is to be seen.

P. THAT we are hated of all men for the name of Christ who are but ministers, who gave some pastors, some teachers; appointed for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to a perfect man; to disciple nations, baptize, and teach them. So cut down the ministers, the pillars, and the buildings will fall.'

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A. In the steps of the ministers of Christ you are not found, but in the steps of the scribes and Pharisees, 'called of men masters,' in the chiefest seats' of assemblies, in your long robes,' and 'uppermost rooms at feasts,' causing the ministers of Christ to be haled out of your synagogues, and thrust out, and persecuted, and prisoned, who are in the generation of serpents that should fulfil Christ's words. Matt. xxiii. And the work of the ministry, and pastors, and teachers, you exclude yourselves from, who received their gifts from Christ; you who deny perfection while men are upon the earth, or coming to a perfect man, you are not with them that edify the body of Christ, but throw yourselves out of that work. And you are not them that are for the perfecting of the saints, for none are the ministers of Christ, but who bring people to a perfection, out of imperfection, and to a perfect man; and these were the ministers that were haled by those priests that had the law, and tithes, and temples, and synagogues, that made nothing perfect. But your temple and tithes, and synagogues, have been invented by such as went forth from the apostles, whose successors you are, that had the form of godliness, but denied the power, and so they denied that which was perfect; and this you have held up since the apostles, in the apostacy, whose work, and ministry, and foundation, are to be overthrown with the power of God, having been that which hath drunk the blood of the saints and martyrs since the days of the apostles. But in the rising of the lamb and the saints, you are all overthrown, and rejoiced over, and slain with the sword which is the words of his mouth. Though you all, beast, false prophet, and antichrist, may rise in battle against him, the Lamb and the saints shall have the victory. You have been the pillars that have held up

antichrist's kingdom, in the usurped authority, out of the power and life the apostles were in, who were sent to preach and baptize; but you baptize and then preach, which is quite contrary to all reason and true understanding; for they must first be preached to before they be baptized. Did not John rebuke the vipers, and asked them, who had forewarned them to flee from the wrath to come,' and bid them 'bring forth fruits meet for repentance, and think not to say you are of Abraham, for God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham?' Now where is your measure, you priests?

P. He saith, I send thee to open the eyes of the blind, and to turn them from darkness to light; how many millions of souls would these wretches sweep away to hell, if they had their will, while thousands are in damnation for want of the light?'

A. All you priests and teachers who call yourselves ministers, since the days of the apostles, who are inwardly ravened from the spirit of God, are turning and have turned all people from the light to the darkness, and so have kept thousands and millions of souls in damnation, and have been turning them and keeping them in the path and way unto hell; who are satan's messengers and ministers, stopping the eyes of people from the light, and their ears from hearing the word; and this hath been the work of your ministry and hath been ever since the days of the apostles, and as at this day, the people of the whole nations have witnessed, and may witness. Now Christ's ministers were sent to turn people from darkness to light, and to bring them to perfection, to a perfect man, out of that which was not perfect. Satan, who went out of truth, the work of his ministers and messengers, whom he sends out from his authority, is to turn people from the light to the darkness, and keep them there. And this hath been your work, as your pulpits and the nations declare. So you bring not people into unity and fellowship one with another, which is in the light, but set people at enmity one with another, and keep them from the light, who are with it condemned.

P. The enemies of the ministers of Christ are playing the papists' game; that it will be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for them who despise the ministers of Christ. Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm. And the enemies

do reproach the ministers of Christ, which is the devil's game, and the sects are against the ministers of Christ, and do the same work the drunkards and whoremongers do,' &c.

A. This thou hast brought upon thine and your own heads, though thou art blind and seest not thyself. And all drunkards, whoremongers, idolaters, and the proud and covetous, have joined with you called priests, against them called Quakers, the only ministers of Christ not made by men, but by the will of God. Are not all sects joined with

you against them? Are you not reviling them, and railing upon them in your pulpits, and is not this the devil's game you are doing? And if any come amongst you to prove you, either in season, or out of season, you are they that cannot endure sound doctrine, nor able to resist their spirits, or stand against them, but cry, 'take them away;' so they are beat and knocked down in your steeple-houses, sent to stocks or prison. Are you not like Sodom and Gomorrah in this, and like the Pharisees, and the beast, and the mother of harlots, and false prophets which John speaks of, who take the blood of the saints, doing their game? Hath not the Lord reproved many of you, yea, and magistrates too, for harming his prophets, yet you go quite contrary to scripture, which saith, 'Do my prophets no harm.' And is not this the papists' game, to prison and persecute? and was it not the papists' game to set up your mass-houses which you call churches? and their game to call out, and to persecute, and make a law and decree that none should speak to them in their time of preaching, reading, or singing mass? And are not you quenching the spirit, when any are moved of the Lord to speak to you? Was not this the papists' game, which you are now doing? Did ever the apostles hale any out of the synagogues, but were so done unto themselves? But the Jews' game, and the papists' game, and your game are like one another here. Unlike the true Christians, Christ and the apostles, who wrestled not with flesh and blood, not striking at the creatures, but at the powers which captivated creatures, to the intent that the creatures might come into the liberty of the sons of God. So you that are striking the creatures, wrestling with flesh and blood, are playing the devil's game, like your mother from the beginning. Was it not the papists' game to set up all your schools and colleges, and give your names to them, and your houses, and set them in the figure of the temple? And when altered you them? do you not go on in the papists' game? Was it not the papists' game to set up tithes? and are not you playing the same game in taking them? Was it not the papists' game to set up your hour-glasses, and preach by the hour, and marking with your cross, and setting your godfathers and godmothers? and are not many of you playing this game yet? What game are you playing in your steeple-houses, but the papists have taught you it? The papists were persecutors, and so are you. They haled out of synagogues, and so do you. They took tithes, and so do you. They preached by the hour-glass, and quenched the spirit, and so do you. They preached for means and glebe-lands, and so do you. They had the cross on the top of steeplehouses, and so have you in many places. They had Trinity College, Emmanuel College, and Christ's College, and so have you. They named the saints' days, and so you follow them. They called their houses by the name of Trinity, Jesus, Emmanuel, and their mass-houses, by

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Peter, and Paul, and Mary, and so do you. Is not this the papists" game? Do not they called Quakers deny this game, and you both? And Christ thou art ignorant of, who is come to reign, and rule, and teach his people himself.

P. Ministers are spurring on the magistrates, to cast out the bad and scandalous ministers. Have not lawyers and physicians an easier life, and more honourable in the world, than the ministers? and have not the ministers been the principal instruments to pluck down deans and chapters, bishops, &c.? We ministers break our health and all our worldly interests for you. And I had rather be a ploughman or the meanest tradesman, but for the greatest necessity, and the truth's sake.' A. Have not all you ministers in this manifested yourselves? Did ever the apostles fly to the magistrates, or spur them up to cast out scandalous ministers? Had not the apostles authority, and the spirit and power, to cast out, reprove, and rebuke in the church? Had they not denied their power if they had gone to the magistrates and fallen on the mountains, which is the papists' game, and not the apostles'? Was it not the soldiers that were the cause of pulling down your rails and surplices, and your deans, and chapters, and bishops? was it not the magistrates' work? But have you had a hand in it? Have you killed and taken possession? Have you put out bishops, and got into their places, who are in the bishops', and deans', and chapters' maintenance? Will you needs make yourselves so foul and odious to all people? Were not many of you tradesmen and ploughmen's sons, poor men, and yet now gotten up into great interests, and taking great sums of people, of many whom you do no work for? How can you for shame say you leave your worldly interests, when you are but running into them when you come to be priests and ministers? Who are the proudest people in the parishes, in the glories and vanities of the world and honour of it, but the priests, and their wives, and their children? Are not you worse than lawyers and physicians, taking the people's money, and yet cannot make them perfect men, but say they must not be perfect? The physician is to make one perfect. Do they take money of people they do nought for? Are they not ashamed to do so? But you take money of them you do no work for! are you not worse than the lawyers, who are bad? Do you not take money of such people as you do not work for, and sue them, and cast them into prison? Are you not the most unreasonable men upon the earth? And this is the devil's game you are playing. And do you not live in more honour in the world, greater gain, and no work done for it, than any other people in the nation, as the jails may witness your fruits!

P. All nations that are of the Christian world, are for the ministers to this day, and they that are not, are the dry branches that are out from the church. Oh! how have I besought the Lord that he would