it, and not believing of it, and that is the cause the conscience comes to be seared, whereby comes condemnation; and that in the Romans, proves no such thing as thou layest down.

P. That every believer hath not the witness in him.'

A. That is contrary to scripture and the ministers of Christ's doctrine, who say, he that believes hath the witness in himself, (mark, he,) and after he believes, he comes to be sealed with the spirit of promise, and can set to his seal that God is true, and comes to believe the record of his son, which is the spirit that recordeth all things.

P. That the gospel is not the power of God.'

A. The gospel is the power of God; in this thou art contrary to the ministers of the gospel, who said, the gospel was the 'power of God to salvation to every one that believes,' and in this thou hast proved thyself to be an unbeliever.

P. He would make Christ speak blasphemy; leaving out half his words.'

A. That is false: thou couldst not make Christ, the power of God, the light, the life, the truth, speak blasphemy in leaving out many of his words; for all blasphemy is out of the truth, and the power of God, and in the power and life of God there is no blasphemy.

P. That a man may persecute Christ in the saints, and be a righteous man, and that the scriptures save instrumentally.'

A. A man cannot persecute the saints, and be in the righteousness of God, or the righteousness of the law, but they that persecute Christ, are in their own self-righteousness. And the scripture saves not instrumentally, but as men are in the faith; and men know not salvation, but as they are in the life that gave the scriptures forth, and Christ, the saviour they speak of; and there is the instrumental saving that the scripture owns, for Christ asked them that had the scriptures how they could escape the damnation of hell, that were out of the life.

P. They that did not swear broke the law of God and man.'

A. They that swear are not come to Christ the end of the law, and they are out of Christ's doctrine and the apostles,' who said 'swear not at all, not by heaven, nor by earth, nor any other oath; but let your communication be yea, yea, nay, nay, lest ye fall into condemnation, for whatsoever is more than this cometh of evil.' So all swearers are in the evil, they are false brethren, they fall into condemnation, they are out of the doctrine of Christ, and break his command, and are none of his ministers.

P. He did believe in a Christ that died at Jerusalem, but not in a Christ within.'

A. He that believes not in a Christ within, doth not believe in a Christ at Jerusalem, and he that doth not believe in a Christ within, and preach Christ within, is a reprobate, and out of the apostles' doc

trine, Col. ii. 2 Cor. xiii. and he is not a true believer of Christ without, who believes not in a Christ within, but is in the devil's belief, and believes as the devil doth.

P. "That if there be one grace within, it is created, and he believes not in any created thing.'

A. The grace that is within, that establisheth the heart, is brought by the revelation of Jesus; the loins of the mind being girded up, it knows the grace by which it is saved, which brings salvation, which is sufficient: this comes from the Creator; which grace teacheth us, said the saints, to deny ungodly lusts, and to live soberly.

P. That light which Christ hath enlightened every man with, is carnal and darkness.'

A. The light which Christ hath enlightened every man that is come into the world with, was before carnal or darkness was; and believing in it, it leads every man from darkness and his carnal estate, into unity with God: for no man sees his carnal estate and darkness, but by the light which makes it manifest. And the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, is that which all professors that were without life, in all ages stumbled at.

P. He knew no scripture that the world was in the heart of man,' and that it was 'nonsense.'

A. Thou art ignorant of Solomon's words, who saith 3 Eccles. 'He hath set the world in their hearts, that they cannot find the beginning or ending of the work of God.' And here thou hast showed thyself of the bottomless pit, without the beginning or ending of the work of God; and he is in the nonsense that is not in the beginning or ending of the work of God.

P. That men cannot be saved that have no other light.'

A. The light which hath enlightened every man that is come into the world, is the saviour, and no man is condemned, but for not believing in that light, and no man is saved but who believes in that light.

P. That there is no perfection attainable in this life.'

A. There is no perfection but in wickedness, in the life of Adam in the transgression, and there men live in sin, and have it in their body, and carry a body of sin and transgression, which came by the devil; but Christ, the second Adam, destroys the devil and his works, and the power of death, who saves men from sin, and blots out the sin and transgression, and redeems from the earth; and they who are in Christ, the second Adam, are in perfection, and in that which is perfect, and makes free from sin, and the body of it, and death, and him that hath the power of death, and they come to be perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect. And the work of the ministers of Christ, was to the perfecting of the saints, and thou that dost deny perfection, hast

denied the ministers of Christ's work, who preach Christ within, and preached every one perfect in him.

P. That the scripture is the word of God.'

A. The scriptures are the words of God, as you may read, Exod. Matth. and Revel. and Christ is the word of God, in whom the words end, before the words were spoken forth; and man without the Spirit cannot interpret scriptures.

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P. That the ministers of this nation, are the ministers of Christ and the gospel, and that it is a sin to despise them.'

A. The ministers of this nation, or any where else, are not the ministers of Christ and the gospel, that deny the light that enlightens every man that comes into the world, and hold up swearing. Neither are they the men that are to interpret scriptures; for they cannot see without the light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world, and which was before the world was made, which is the end of the prophets, by which the prophets' words are seen and the end of them. And so such before mentioned are to be turned from, that turn from the light; and it is no sin to obey the apostles' commands, 2. Tim. iii. to deny them who have come up since the apostles' decease, having the form but denying the power.

P. That they may lawfully take tithes of the people.'

A. And you that take tithes of the people, are of the pope's tribe, got up since the days of the apostles, who said the priesthood was changed that took the tithes, the law was changed by which the priesthood was made, and the commandment disannulled that gave tithes. And Christ was the sum, the end of all similitudes, who was before Abraham was that paid tithes, Heb. 7. The pope is your author in taking tithes, in the apostacy since the days of the apostles, and Christ is the end of the law.

P. Richard Mayo saith, that it is not unlawful to say you to a single person.'

A. In this thou showest thou never read the Accidence or Bible; and it is unlawful to speak unrighteously, and to say there are many when there is but one, to call one many, or say you to one.

P. That ministers may exhort men to walk by the light of reason, as well as the light of the gospel.'

A. No man walks by the light of reason but he who is in the faith, who is in the light of the gospel, and all other reason is as the beasts of the field; that which makes men reasonable, is faith, and all that are in the faith, are in the light of the gospel, and this is one, which all unreasonableness is out of, and in the transgression; for none are in the reasonableness, but such as come out of transgression; and such as are reasonable walk by the light of the gospel.

P. That the gospel itself is but a dead letter.'

A. The gospel itself is the power of God, that which the letter speaks of, and many may have the letter, the form, and deny the power of God, and so have not the gospel.

P. That the gospel is no more the power of God, than the rose cake that lay in his window.'

A. The gospel is the power of God preached in every creature, more than a rose cake; the gospel gives every creature its living and being; for it relieves the oppressed, and turns against the oppressor; so it is called glad tidings, for the gospel is preached unto every creature in heaven. The gospel is the power of God which turns against that which bondageth, to wit, the corruptions, and so gives liberty and freedom to the captives; and this, which is the power of God, is glad tidings, and is more than any creature, and all the creatures; that which gives liberty and freedom to all, is glad tidings.

Richard Mayo further said, it was no matter to him if the devil was the original of tithes, if the law of the land would give it him, he would have it.'

A. We do believe thee; his servant thou art, thy seared conscience and hardness of heart discover it. But the ministers of Christ and the gospel never preached nor held forth such doctrine, nor would ever act any thing from that which the devil was the original of, and thou dost say thou wouldst take tithes though he was the original of them, if the law of the land would give them to thee! He hath been the original of them, and the pope's laws first set them up, whereby the saints' goods are strained, and spoiled, and made havock of; and you are not contented with the spoiling of their goods, but you bring their bodies into your priests' den; and thus you eat up people, and swallow up the needy for a thing of nought, as they did of old, as your forefathers did transgress for a pair of shoes.

P. He saith, Cain was no vagabond after he had built a city,' and he said, 'there was no scripture that the apostles had no certain dwelling place;' and that the steeple-house was the church.'

A. This is contrary to scripture; for Cain, though he builded a city, was a vagabond, and disobeyed the command of God, and lost his habitation in God; so all great men upon the earth, though they build a city, and are lords, and earls, and dukes, and princes, and kings, if they disobey the command of God, and do not dwell in him, they have no habitation, but are all vagabonds. And though Paul had no certain dwelling place, 1 Cor. iv. 11. yet he had a habitation in God, and was no vagabond. And the steeple-house is no church, but the old masshouse, set up since the days of the apostles, since they lost the true church, Thess. 1.

Priest Bushel's principles. These words were given forth by Seth Bushel, priest of Whitley, as follows, the 25th day of the first month, 1658.

P. MEN are not converted by the light within them"

A. If Christ be not in you, the body is dead, and he is light within. And the light that shines in the heart gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus.' And none are converted but they that are in him, and they are converted by him within; and the light that shines in the heart, gives the knowledge of conversion and unconversion; and there are none come to conversion but by it, the light, which is Christ.

P. He saith, that he denies that the light that lighteth every man is Christ,' as John speaks, John 1.

A. In this thou hast denied John's doctrine, who said, 'He is the true light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world.' And as many as received him, he gave them power to become the sons of God.' And thus thou art ignorant of the scriptures, much more of the power of God.

P. He saith, "The light which every man is enlightened withal, never converted any man to God.'

A. Here thou goest about in thy doctrine to prove that Christ never brought any to God, who is the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world,' who is the way to the Father, who saves men from sin, and destroys death, and he that hath the power of it, and brings men into that which the devil is out of. Thou and thy doctrines are comprehended and condemned by the light; and no man is converted to God but by the light which hath enlightened every man that cometh into the world.'

P. He saith, That the light which lighteth every man is the broad way.'

A. Here people may all see this priest to be a minister of darkness and wickedness; for the light which doth enlighten every man is Christ Jesus, who is the way to the Father, and leads people out of the broad way, which is come up by Adam, sin, the devil, and transgression; and all are in the broad way that deny the light.