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and this blood is felt within, for it purgeth the conscience from dead works to serve the living God. And here is the great mystery of God, and the wisdom of God, which covers all the wisdom of the earth, the knowledge and wisdom of the understanding ones of the earth. The seed and the blood of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,' which sacrificed and offered up the body prepared, who fulfilled all types, figures, offerings, ends them and all other bloods, whom death and the grave could not hold, dead, raised again, set at the right hand of God, manifest in the saints, and in the midst of his church singing praise, was dead, and is alive, and lives for evermore,' manifest in the saints. And he that hath him hath life, and he that hath not him, hath not life. And they who witness Christ within, witness the end of imputation, they witness the thing itself, the end of their belief, and they possess the sanctification, and such come to know faith and love. And such as may have all the scriptures, and preach of justification and sanctification without them, and not within them, are as the Jews, are as the witches and reprobates. They are reprobate that witness not Christ within them, nor sanctification there, nor justification there, and so witness not faith, and love, nor the faith that works by love; and they are in the error and shifts thou talks of, and Babylonish; and none come to witness the reconciliation, but who witness Christ within. So these are out of justification and sanctification. If he be not within, they cannot witness reconciliation: if they are not believers in the light of Christ, they cannot witness justification, but condemnation. But in the light, in Christ, Christ received in them, justification, sanctification, and reconciliation are received, Christ Jesus the light, that which reconciles to the Father.

P. He saith, The body of sin is the natural body, consisting of flesh, and blood, and bones, and the living soul is immortal,' page 140. And 'sin will dwell in the house, until the house be plucked down over its head, which is the natural body. And there is not one saint that is absolutely free from the in-dwelling and working power of sin,' page 140. To plead for perfection, is inherent holiness, and to serve under antichrist's colours, and to make void the suffering of Christ. He that holds the saints perfectly fulfilling all the law, in all degrees of obedience and conformity to it, in this life before death, hath drunk antichrist's cup,' page 144.

A. The saints after they witnessed the body of sin put off, and a being made free from sin, glorified God in their bodies, souls, and spirits. And so the body of sin is not the creature, for that causeth the creature to groan, before it cometh into the liberty of the sons of God, that causeth the body of sin, the clothing that comes upon the creature, the old man, which cometh by transgression, the first Adam, the light that VOL. III.

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leads out of transgression, brings the creature into the liberty of the sons of God,' and so, who is in Christ is a new creature;' and 'old things pass away,' and the body is the temple of God, a holy temple. And the living soul is immortal; yet many of thy generation say it is human, that is, earthly, yea, that Christ's soul was human, as ye may see in this book, in the principles of them that call themselves teachers and pastors, whose souls are in death, and in whom life and immortality are not come to light, through the power of God, which is the gospel. So you have showed your ignorance of the soul. And they who witness the perfect holiness, and preach up that, come from under antichrist's kingdom. They that preach up imperfection, wear antichrist's livery, and his colours, and sound the trumpet of antichrist; and who are in the righteousness, are in the perfection itself, without a thing merited by man in his will. And who loves God, keeps his commandments, and to him they are not grievous. And this was the seed, that kept the commandments of God, that antichrist, beast, mother of harlots, and false prophets made war against, as you may read in the Revelations. But this seed are a burthensome stone unto you all, that keep the commands of God, that love God; and they that are born of God do not commit sin.' And the natural body, which is flesh, blood, and bone, is not the body of sin; it was never read so in the scripture, that that was the body which was to be put off; for the saints had bodies after they witnessed the body of sin put off, and were made free from sin. P. He saith, That R. F. is against the doctrine of sin continuing in the godly till death,' page 148.

A. That doctrine of sin was never preached up by the apostle, that it should continue in the godly till death. I say, it continues not in the godly, for the godly are like God, out of sin; it continues in the ungodly that are not like God. And he that is in Christ, is at the end of the law, and the precepts, and the statutes, and the ordinances, and the commandments, and is in the substance, God's righteousness.

P. He saith, The letter is no dead letter, and it hath life in itself. And if there be but this letter or ministry, it is Christ's two-edged sword,' pages 153. 155. It serves unto his design of searching hearts.' And the apostle would take people off from the conceit of perfect attainments,' page 162. And may not filthy hearts transform themselves in the fancy of perfection, as the devil into an angel of light?'

A. The devil transforming himself into an angel of light, or into a similitude, is like unto all the filthy hearts who fancy perfection without them, not within them, and speak of Christ without them, not within them, as the devil did. But it was the doctrine of the apostle, who preached Christ the covenant of God, to bring people from that

which made nothing perfect, to that which was perfect, and bid them be perfect, and of one mind; and he spoke wisdom among them that were perfect;' so he did not bring the people from it, but to it. And the letter itself is dead, as it is of paper and ink. And all ministers of letters and books written in paper and ink, and who speak from letters of paper and ink, and have not received from God what they preach, are ministers of the letter, and they are the ministers of death, though they minister all the letters written in the scripture, and have but the sheep's clothing, and beget not to God; but only make proselytes as such ministers did in old time, among the Jews. But they that were ministers of the spirit that gave forth the scriptures, had the sword of the spirit,' which the Jews, the ministers of the letter, had not. They that are out of the spirit, though they have all the scriptures given forth from it, are out of the spiritual weapons. And that which searcheth the heart, is that which gave forth the scriptures, which led all the holy men of God to speak them forth, who is the Lord, the searcher of the hearts. Which spirit owns all the words of the scriptures of truth declared forth from the spirit; but the spirit was before the scripture was given forth.

P. He saith, 'Men that are redeemed from all earthly worships, perfeetly justified before God, sincere in their sanctification, yet they are in concupiscence, and blemishes, and conflicts,' page 166. And the word of God doth not abide in them that say they have no sin,' page

179.

A. They who are redeemed out of all earthly worships, and sanctified, are redeemed from blemishes, from conflicts, from concupiscence, and by their redemption they come to witness the kingdom of God that stands in righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy ghost,' out of conflicts; and they who are in the spirit, are in that which mortifies sin. And the word of God makes clean where it dwells; they are sanctified by the word, and made clean. It comes, and finds the sin, and takes it away, and makes clean, and hammers it down, cuts it down, burns it up, reconciles to the Father,' whom sin and iniquity separated from.

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P. He saith, Sacramental water, and sprinkling baptism and water, &c. shows our being ingrafted into the body mystical,' pages 176. 178. which consists of a sign of a thing signified.'

A. Sprinkling infants is a sign of your own making, and sacramental water the scripture doth not hold forth, but it is a thing presumed above what is written. And that sign, a tradition, doth not bring into the body mystical, but leads from it; neither doth any elementary thing. But that which baptizeth into the body is the spirit, whereby all come to be one. And that baptizeth not into an elementary body,

but into a glorious body, the spiritual body. For there are lying signs come since the days of the apostles, which are out of the apostles' practice. You can show nothing for your sprinkling with your sacramental water. But the baptism that the scripture declares of, is owned in its place, and that of the spirit.

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P. He saith, Bread and wine are spiritual institutions, and are not carnal in a sense as set in opposition to spiritual institution: and that is not mere carnal bread and wine after Christ's institution to be used, nor an ordinary bread and wine.' And he saith, In the Lord's supper is Christ's body, and it is his blood,' page 188. And this is my body and blood, the word of a command is, do this,' page 191. And Christ fed not the souls with wheat bread, and red wine,' &c.

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A. By all this what differ ye from the Papists? have not ye laid their foundation, and laid their ground? Bread and wine, are but bread and wine, temporal things, things seen, and may turn to ashes; but the body and blood of Christ will not do so. And bread is not spiritual, and wine is not spiritual, but are things seen and visible. And who eats the flesh of Christ, and drinks his blood, hungers no more, and thirsts no more;' but who eats temporal bread and wine, 'hungers more, and thirsts more.' And Christ did say, 'as often as ye do eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye show the Lord's death till he come.' And that which the apostle had received of the Lord, he delivered to the Corinthians. 'As often as they ate that, and drank that, they were to do it in remembrance of him, showing the Lord's death till he come.' But then saith the same apostle to the same Corinthians, in his last epistle, Examine yourselves. Know you not that Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?' And said, 'while we look not at the things which are seen; for the things that are seen are temporal.' So bread and wine are things that are seen, are things temporal, but the things that are not seen, are eternal.' Now bread and wine, are but bread and wine, not spiritual after consecration; it is but the same bread that it was before, and is no nearer the body of Christ after they have consecrated it, than it was before. Who is in the life and power of God, that gives every creature its being, and causeth every creature to come forth, is in the life and virtue of all creatures, and the being of all creatures, and the wisdom of all the creation, that is spiritual. He that giveth every creature its being, and causeth every creature to come forth, and gives the sense and feeling of all creatures, is spiritual. And here the soul comes to be known, and the seed Christ, and his body, and his blood.

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P. He saith, The worship of God in the spirit stands out of man's will, and they must wait in the light to feel the spirit; but let all lost

souls beware of this counsel. And to bring people to the commands of the spirit is opposite to the scripture letter,' page 204.

A. All true worshippers of God that he seeks to worship him, are in the spirit, and in the truth, that which the devil is out of, which man's will is out of; and in the spirit that gave forth the scriptures, all poor souls come to worship God aright, and magnify God, and glorify God, and to pray in the spirit, and to stand in the counsel of God. For 'no prophecy of the scriptures came by the will of man.' That which led them to speak forth scriptures, was beyond man's will. So men's will getting the scriptures, which no prophecy of it came by, they cannot worship God in the truth, nor in the spirit, but in their own wills. But who are in the spirit and truth, that led them to speak forth the scriptures, that learned of God the Father of spirits, and God of all truth, this is not will-worship. Now, will-worship is among them that have the scriptures given forth by the spirit of God in their own wills, which no prophecy of it came by: and can sing, pray, preach, and read in their own wills, and are out of the spirit that gave it forth; they are in a will-worship, out of the worship of God in the spirit. And such are opposite to the scriptures, and cannot agree with the letter of the scriptures, that are fighting about words, falling into sects and heaps about the words. But the worship of God is in the spirit that gave forth scriptures, and they who have learned of God the Father of spirits, own all the scriptures in their place, and are not opposite to them.

P. He saith, Never were psalms sung as they ought to be, but they had some musical tune or poetry,' page 205. And The holy ghost made overseers and elders over the church, but that was not immediate,' page 207. 'That no man can read out of scripture that Paul was free from covetousness,' &c.

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A. Paul saith, Let not covetousness be once named among you, as becometh saints.' And that no covetous one should enter into the kingdom; and he saith, it is idolatry.' And the apostle lived the life of the son of God through faith, witnessed he was made free from the body of sin, and had victory over it, and thanks God, that there was no condemnation to them that were in Christ Jesus.' Paul was in Christ, where there was no condemnation, which covetousness is out of. And the holy ghost is immediate that makes the officers in the church. It is the same that was in them that spoke forth scriptures. And as the holy ghost, that leads men to speak forth the scriptures, makes elders and overseers in the church, these are not made by men, but these see the fulfilling of the scriptures, and come into that which fulfils it, and are in it. And for your singing your psalms, and your poetry, and setting them in frame and a musical way, these are come

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