John James, I hearing that thou doest make a noise up and down in the Countrey amongst the Ignorant, and hath spoken Reproachfully, and backbited the people of God, that by such as thee are in scorn called Quakers, here is a few Queries for thee to answer in writing, and plainess of words, which if thou dost not, we shall spread them abroad and set them in places where thou comes.
1. HAst thou the same Spirit and Power as the Prophets and Apostles had.
2. Hast thou the same Revelation and Inspiration, and Spirit of Prophecy, and pouring forth of the Holy Ghost, and doest thon own the pouring forth of the spirit upon Sons and Daughters, and is not this the last time, in which it should be poured out, and the Sons and Daughters should Prophesie, and Old men dream Dreams, and Young men see Visions;
3. Hast thou heard Gods voice, and Christs voice immediately from Heaven, or art thou one of them the Lord never sent, nor spake unto, Answer me these Queries.
4. Doest thou own that Christ that dyed at Ierusalens to be the Light that Enlighteneth every man that comes into the World, and are not all Enlightened by him either to their Salvation or condemnation.
5. What and where is that which must give the knowledge of God, is it within people or without the, Aswer me according to plain Scripture.
6. Doest thou preach, that whilest a man is upon the Earth, he may be freed from sin, and the body of death, and Imperfection, and shall be perfect whilest he be upon Earth; or dost thou keep people in the state of thy Father Adam and Mother Eve in the Fall, or dost thou bring them to the state before they fell, and so to Christ that shall never fall, which of these states doest thou bring them to, and keep thy flock in, in Adam and Eve in the fall, or Adam and Eve before they fell, or in Christ that shall never fall, thou must keep thy Flock in one of these three states, and which of them is it, hast thou brought any of thy Flock whom thou drivest to that Condition and state, they need no man teach them, that is to the anointing in them, the Law in their hearts, whereby they need not say to one another know the Lord, and [Page 2] that is to the light of Christ that shines in their hearts to give them the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus, and how many hast thou brought hither.
7. What is the Mother of Harlots, and what is the Beast she rides upon, and what are the Peoples, Nations, and Multitudes; and Tongues the Whore sits upon, and what is Mysterie Babylon, and what is the Woman that went into the Wilderness, and what was her time she was to be there, and what is the Beasts and Dragons worship, and what is a will VVorship, and what is it to worship Angels, and what is that which leads Nature into its Course, and so to the glory of the first body, and what is the glory of the second body, and what is that which leads Nature out of its Course, and so sets the whole Course of Nature on Fire.
8. VVhat is the ground of that which keeps in good manners, and what is that which corrupts them, and what is the Righteousness the world is reproved of, and what is the Judgements, and what is that which lead the Saints into all truth, and hath every one the Spirit of God, and whether bowing, bending, doffing hats, scraping, cringing, saying you to one', be the honour that comes from above, or what is it, and whence comes it, and whether this before mentioned to not stand in that Nature, part and principle which is on fire, if it hath not these things, and therefore whether or noe these things do proceed from that which leads Nature into its Course, or out of its Course, and what is it that defaces the glory of the first body.
9. VVhether or no doest thou own Trembling and Quaking at the word of God.
10. Seeing thou looks upon thy self to differ from the world, and to be above them, let us see wherein, and in what it is manifest.
11. VVhat is self-Righteousness, and what is mans Righteousness, and the Righteousness that is as filthy Rags, distinguish these one from another, or whether they be all one, for our Righteousness is that which was before Adam was, whom ye in scorn calls Quakers.
12. VVhether ever thou came to see so far as Balaams Asse, that is to say, to see the Angel of the Lord.
[Page 3] 13. What are the Graves, and the Tombs, and the Sepulchres, and the fowls of the Aire, and the nests they sit in, which Christ spake of, Answer.
14. VVhether or no to pay Tyths or receive Tyths is not to deny Christ Jesus to be come in the flesh, and to deny Christ to be offered up, the offering once for all, and was not their of the Tyths a heave Offring, and was not that Offering to be ended by Christ offering up himself, and had not the Preists a Commandment to take Tyths of the people, of their brethren, and do not you transgress the Law of God which takes them of those you do not call brethren, and was not the widdows, fatherlesse and strangers to have a part of the Tyths, and was every Preist and Levit, and them that was to have a part of them, to have a particular Tyth Barn, and was Tyths to be sould, and was their any Impropriators, and whether they do not hold up the Preists of the Jews, and their Law and Commandments that take Tyths and give Tyths and so denys Christ the Preist, in holding up the Jews Preists.
15. And whether or no Melchisedeck did take Tyths of all other Nations that were under him, or any other spoile but once of Abraham, and whether he had a command for doing it, or whether it was an Example.
16. Whether the Jews did take Tyths of the Cananites or any of those Nations that lived amougst them, or of any people where ever they came that they had the power over, that was not of them.
17. You that speaks so much of Christ Reigning, whether or no Your Swords are bear into Plowshares, and your Speares into Pruning books, that you do not learn War any more; that Nation shall not life up a Sword against Nation; And whether or no this Ministration should be amongst Christians, seeing that it was Christs Doctrine, That they should love one onother and love Enemies, and he bid Peter put up his sword, and the Apostle said their Weapons were spiritual: Secondly, Doth not Peter say That the Heavens must receive Christ Iesus until the time of Restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of his Prophets since the World began, Acts 3. Now do you look at restoring of things, then by what doth Christ restore, whether by his Light and power within people or without [Page 4] them, seeing the sin is within them, and whether or no Christ doth not remain in the Heavens until all things be restored, and whether or no Christ do not now Reign, and whether or no he is not restoring, and then by what (as I said before) doth he restore seeing he is in the Heavens, and must remaine in the Heavens until all things be restored, and whether or no some was not restored, when they sate in the Heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Eph. 2. And whether or no he that remaines in the Heavens, be not also manifest in man, that is restored, and lives, and walks, and Reigns in him; Answer this thou that talks of a personal Reigne.
And Answer these Queries to the same thing queried, in writing, if thou be a Minister of Christ, as thou hast so published thy self, if not it will manifest whether thou be not one of the dumb, Sheapheards spoken of in Isa. And in thy silence it will make thee manifest to be one of the evil beasts whose mouth is stopt.
If thou do not give us thy Answer within two weeks, we may cause this to be Printed, because thou hast slanderously reported of us.