Page images
PDF
EPUB

were made by it. The natural light, or made lights, are created lights. He made the sun, the moon, and the stars, they were made. And here are the natural lights to the natural eye. And the light that every man is enlightened with that cometh into the world, was before these were made, 'glorified with the Father before the world began,' and before the name conscience was, or things were made, and named. And the light doth exercise the conscience towards God and towards man; which light cometh from Christ the author of faith, which is held in the pure conscience, who before the world began was glorified with the Father.

P. Again, the light which cometh from Christ, which enlightens every man that cometh into the world, which discovers the evil, which will give power against it, man walking in it, and brings to the rest, to the Father, this they call free will,' &c. See page 12.

A. Which light brings out of the will of man, into the will of God, from whom it comes, to him that is not born by the will of man, in which light men dohis will, and know his doctrine. So here they are corrected again; for the free-will and will-worship, are out of the light which is Christ, which John speaks of. And they that hate the light are out of Christ, and are not made free from the wrath to come; but they that are in the light are made free from the wrath to come, in covenant with God. So you that would set up another light than Christ, are antichrist, in your own wills; for all will-worship, and feigned humility, are out of the light, in the transgression.

P. They say, 'That God made a difference where there was none.' See page 13.

A. And the apostle said, they were all gone astray.' And God puts a difference between the precious and the vile, judgeth righteously, and respects no man's person, and makes a difference in judgment. And they say, 'God checks and chides the wanderings of his people;' and yet say, 'God makes a difference where there is none,' and you are to be checked and chidden.

P. Again they say, "The children of God are all their life time. found groaning under sin,' &c. page 14.

A. The apostle tells you plainly, 'He that is born of God doth not commit sin, neither can he, because the seed of God remains in him: and he keepeth himself, that the wicked one toucheth him not; and these are made free from sin. And here the apostle corrects you again; for those are not groaning under sin, when the wicked one toucheth them not, but these reign over it.

P. They say, who put men to the light of the eternal word with which they are enlightened, put men beside the way of life, and put men beside the way of salvation.' See page 16.

A. None know salvation but by the light which comes from the VOL. III.

9

eternal word, nor the way of life, which is Christ, which every man that cometh into the world is enlightened withal, and so the salvation 'to the ends of the earth.'

P. Again they say, that the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, shuts up the kingdom of heaven against men, and takes away the ministration of the gospel, and destroys the ministry of man,' &c. See page 17.

A. None come into the kingdom of heaven, but who come into the light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world; it opens the kingdom of heaven, but it destroys man's ministration, and brings in the ministration of God and the gospel. And this light ye call law,' or 'works,' that enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world, which he that believeth in hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his, and comes to the end of the law.

P. Again they say, 'The scriptures are the means of faith."

A. And so have thrown out Christ the author of it, and God the giver; and the scripture is but the declaration of the saints' faith, and it saith men had faith before scripture was, as for instance, Abraham and Enoch.

P. Again they say, 'As for the expected dictating the scriptures by the spirit to us as to the writers, thereof it is groundless,' &c. See p. 18. A. So showing of what spirit you are, who with the true spirit are corrected, that have the scriptures dictated to you, but not by the same spirit the prophets and apostles had.

P. They say, 'Instruction in the scriptures is the way of sowing the seed in children,' &c.

A. And the scripture saith, The seed is the word,' and Christ is the seeds-man, who was before scripture was; and yet 'it doth no good except they eat the book,' and so they confute themselves. And many had the scriptures, who stood against the seeds-man as you do now, and the devil out of the truth makes a cloak of those things, who will not feed upon the word.

P. So the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, which we say is the covenant of God, they say, 'That is to break down the enclosed garden.' See page 20.

A. This is that which confounds Babylon the great, and brings it into remembrance with God, and brings the great whore into judgment. The light, which is the way into the garden of God, breaks down their enelosed garden, that have apostatized from the apostles.

[ocr errors]

P. They say, that the power to justle out the form is an error,' &c. See page 24.

A. It was the apostles' work to bring from the form into the power, the substance Christ, which was not an error. But you being in the

error, keep people in forms out of the power, and so not in the apostles' work.

P. Again they here say, 'It is blasphemy to say God is in all,' &c. See page 30.

A. And the apostle saith, God over all, through all, and in you all, blessed for ever.' Ephes. iv.

P. They say, 'It is not a transgression if men pray not, nor preach for many days, weeks, and months together, though necessity is laid upon them,' &c. See page 32.

[ocr errors]

A. Contrary to Christ's command, who bid them watch and pray.' And contrary to the apostle's doctrine, who said, 'Wo be unto him if he did not preach the gospel.' Where there comes a wo there is transgression: so likewise where Christ's doctrine is denied. And the apostle said, Pray always,' but without wrath and doubtings;' and 'lifting up holy hands,' and 'pray for enemies.' But you pray in the wrath, and hands full of blood, and persecute Friends, as your jails may witness; so, as pastor Eaton saith, you never heard the voice of God.' And Micah said, 'Night is upon priest and prophets, that divine for money, and preach peace to the people, if they put into their mouths, if not, they prepare war against them.' Such have no answer from God.

P. They say, that apparel is for distinction of qualities of persons,' &c. See page 36.

A. That is but in the world; for that which distinguisheth persons is the word, the person of Christ from the persons of Adam in the fall, and who are in the transgression, and who are out of it, and who are vessels of honour and dishonour; and your wearing of gold and costly apparel, distinguisheth you from the apostles' doctrine. And the holy women of old who were honourable, it was not the apparel that made them so, but the hidden man of the heart, which was of great price with the Lord; these were brought to do the commands of God. That honour which is in the world for clothes and respect, God will stain, which stands in the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, and the lust of the flesh, and there stands the world's honour, in transgression.

P. They say, 'It is most true, the Jew inward desires not the praise of men,' &c. See page 38.

A. Then all that desire the praise of men, and respect to persons, are not the Jews inward by their own conclusion, but the Jew outward. And so, priests, judge your work and fruit, how many Jews outward you have begotten; for that which begets the Jew outward, which hath the praise of men and respecting of persons, is the outward Jew; and that which begets the inward Jew, is the Jew within, who hath his

praise of God; and Christ who was the king of the Jews, was not a respecter of persons.

P. Again they say, 'It was not Christ's command to give your coats to the next beggar that asketh them.' See page 42.

A. The scriptures say, 'He that hath two coats, let him give to him that hath none;' and the rich will give to the rich, and thus they affront the scriptures. God gives wisdom how to distribute, and to whom to distribute, and how to honour the Lord with the substance; and so you show yourselves ignorant of Christ's doctrine, in letting so many poor beg at your doors and in the streets, and yet you will have boothose-tops, and double cuffs, and ribands about you, who are more like stage-players than ministers, and are not like to give your coat to the next beggar; which double cuffs, and boot-hose-tops, and ribands, you have got for tithes of poor people that have hardly a coat to put on; but they that obey Christ's command, that have two coats give to him that hath none.

P. Again they say, 'The son of man is not come; and these are false prophets and false Christs who say he is come.' See page 43.

A. And so they call John a false prophet, who tells that the son of God was come. 1 John v. For we know that the son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding.' And you are the false prophets and antichrists in the world, that deny Christ come in the flesh.

Again we say, you are them that come not in by the door, who draw people from the teachings of God, from the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world.'

P. And you tell them it is natural.' See page 43.

A. The light is the door, which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world;' but ye blind Sodomites are groping for the door, but cannot find it, raging without, and would kill the just who are in the light, which is the door. And all are blind, though they say they see, that do not see the light which lighteneth every man that cometh into the world,' by whom the world was made.

[ocr errors]

P. Ye say, The apostles went out of their own nation without money or two coats, without a bag either,' &c. See page 44. A. Which of all of you in your own nation goes without your stipend, or augmentations, tithes, or glebe lands? which of you all will go into your own nation without this? So not going, have ye not all judged yourselves by the apostles' practice which ye speak of? and with your own words?

P. And ye say, 'That the greatest part of the persecution in the nation is ceased,' &c.

A. Ye say so that to persecution are turned, whose persecuting fruits have been seen more within these late years, than for several

scores, nay these hundred years past; and you are turned the persecu tors of them that will not put into your mouths that you do no work for, and for speaking to you, as your jails bears witness.

P. Again they say, 'To be called of men master,' (and so transgress Christ's command,) is but a civil respect to their public employment.' A. Pharisee-like have they showed that they condemn Christ's commands, and unlike ministers of him, but antichrists, that condemn Christ's command, and call it a civil respect in their employments.' For you do not read of Mr. Paul, and Mr. Peter, &c.

P. Again they say, 'That is it which makes many ears to tingle, and is a desolation, to say God is coming to teach his people himself, and to redeem them from all their teachers,' &c. See page 47.

A. Now are the prophets fulfilling, They shall not need every man to teach his neighbour' or his brother. Now are people coming to hear the son, who is the salvation to the ends of the earth, God's covenant. Now is that coming which shall make your ears tingle; and now are people come to the anointing, that they need not any man to teach them.' Now are people ceasing from men whose breath is in their nostrils, and looking to Christ the Lord, the salvation to the ends of the earth.

P. Again they say, that satan, transformed into an angel of light, is helping on good motions and fair compliances with rules of right, to an ill end.' See page 49.

A. That is like your doctrine, that satan should make use of good motions, and fair compliances with rules of right! The rule of right and the good are out of his power.

P. Again they say, 'Why may not satan help on mortification,' &c. page 53.

See

A. Nay, that which mortifies is out of the power of satan; that goes against his power, and brings down to the death of Christ and his resurrection, which they that are out of mortification know not.

P. And the persecutors, when they have persecuted the children of light, which light enlightens every man that comes into the world,' say, 'they expose themselves to suffering.'

A. And this light is it which torments them. So striking at the light, they strike at the foundation, as we find these seven men's work is to strike at the light, the foundation, Christ Jesus, so are satan's ministers. And abundance of lies is their book stuffed with, which are not worth mentioning, which will turn upon themselves; in the day of fire and judgments they shall feel their works: in their conscience the witness shall answer. They that prison the just in themselves, turn against them that are in the covenant of light, where the prisoner shows himself forth; for there is no persecution in the general,

« PreviousContinue »