NOw is the time wherein the Lord God of heaven and earth is setting up a kingdome, and exalting his name in the earth, and is exalting his own Son up­on the holy hill of Sion, and is discovering the mo­ther of harlots, who hath made all Nations drunk with her fornication, and Iesabel shall be cast into a bed of torment, and the fire of the Lord God is come down from heaven, and is kindled in the earth, to burn up and destroy, and to consume to ashes, even all those that have worshipped the Beast, and hath his Image, and the false Prophets that hath deceived the Nations, and they both shall be taken alive, and cast into the pit; for the Lord is grieved and wearied with this adulte­ress and viperous generation, who are offering up that which stinks in his nostriles, and strange fire, and are professing him and his resurrection, who crucifie him, and put him to open shame, and they deny the end of his coming, and are offering in Cains nature, while they slay the Iust, and are in the gainsaying of Corah, who perished in it; and so shall all those that gainsay the Lord in his way, and now the Lord of heaven and earth is proclaiming war with the Dragon and his Angels, and they shall be cast out, and whosoever doth resist him in his way, shall be broken to pleces as a potters vessel; and thou Henoch Howet, who would limit the holy one of Israel, and bind him up in thy carnal reason, and stint him in his way, and form up things in thy imagination from the Scripture, and walks by tradition; thou art accusing us among the Papists, but let it stand for thy self, and to that in thy conscience I speak, and it will let [Page 2] thee see that all thy worship is taken on in thy will, and in that nature, in which the enmity stands, and so hath taken on things, and up things by tradition from others, and that which was commands to others, who fol­lowed the Lamb whithersoever he went, and no commands to thee, nei­ther doth God require those things of that nature, neither doth he accept it, while the bands of wickedness is not loosed, and the oppressed is not set free, and therefore let all flesh and carnal reason be silent, for God will confound the wisdome of the wise, and they that have divined in their reasons, which is in the curse, and under the curse, shall be mad; now in the day when God is raising up his own Image, and bringing back that which hath long been held in captivity, and now the men of the earth, Pharao, and all the Inchanters of Egypt, and the Sooth-sayers, and the Diviners, and Gog and Magog, among which thou Howet art found one, and they compass the Camp of the Saints about, but fire shall come down from heaven, that shall destroy all the adversaries of the Lord, and Israel shall go free.

1. That which thou cals our first principle; And first, thou saith they oppose the word Christ, to the written word; and will a word that is a discovery spiritual to be the word, but whatsoever it is they call the word, it is perfectly false, and not the truth.

Answ. Oh thou lyar and slanderer, the Lord will plead with thee, for addars poyson is under thy tongue, and thou hast a whores forehead, that art not ashamed of thy self accusing, let hundreds in the City of Lon­don who hath heard us, be witness against thee, and thy lies that thou hast Printed; and suffers them to be cryed up and down the streets, as thy filthy songs and ballads, and runs to disgrace the truth, but to the Lord who is righteous, shall thou give an account; and thou art Ianes and Iambres, that withstood Moses, and for all thy hard speeches and fil­thy lyes, shall thou give an account, for to him who is the searcher of hearts, and that in thy conscience shall bear witness against thee; and that we oppose the word Christ to the written word, as thou cals it: I charge it upon thee, that we do not oppose Christ to the Scripture, for Christ is the word, Iohn 1. and this the Scripture doth not oppose, but bears witness to him who is the word, and his name is called the Word of God, and this word became flesh and dwelt among us, as the Scripture witness, and the Word of the Lord endures for ever; but he doth not say the Letter endures for ever: but thou that art accusing that we do not own a form of sound words, here thou shalt be judged out of thy own mouth; where reads thou of a written word in the Scripture? and here thou shalt be tryed by the Scripture, and judged by it that thou art a per­verter of the Scripture; thou would have more words then one, the word is but one, the word sanctifies, sanctifie them through thy word, but he doth not say the Letter sanctifies, and the Word of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, but the Letter is not from everlasting; and the Scripture had a beginning, and was declared in time, and pro­phesie shall cease, but the Word is from everlasting to everlasting, and [Page 3] the Word of the Lord is as a hammar, and as a fire, but the Scripture doth not say that it is as a hammar and a fire, and yet the word that he spoke was spirit and life, yet the Scripture is not spirit and iife; and thou that would set up the letter in the place of God, to try all things, and search all hearts, thou makes an Idol of it, and so opposes God with it, and so would bring that to contend against the Lord, the which they witness through suffering: and I tell thee and all the world, the word is but one, and all who knows God hears that word, and it is a light and a Lanth­horn unto their pathes, but that is invisible and eternal, and what the Saints were witness of this word they declared, 1. Iohn, and the Scripture is true, and bears true record and testimony of the word, and they were true witnesses of the word of life that wrote it, and it is a true declaration or testimony of those things that are certainly beli [...]ved, Luk 1. of the which they saw and heard, and tasted; and all who come to know the Word of the Lord, reads it again, and sees it as it is written: and further, thy en­vy and shame is made manifest, that thou would accuse, and yet thou saith whatsoever they call the word, it is perfectly false, and not truth; here thou would judge, and yet thou cannot tell what we call the Word, but at last concludes its false whatever it be: and here thou blasphemes, and cals Christ Jesus in whom is all truth, false; for no other word I own but Christ, and the Scripture speaks of no word of God but one, and thou that would make the Letter the Word, it self shall judge thee; and thou makes much mincing and arguments in thy carnal reason, and saith the ground of error, is ignorance of the Scripture, and thou brings Mark and Matthew; alas, I know what Mark and Matthew wrote is true, if thou had an ear to hear, the ground of all error is because he is not known, nor his voice whom the Scripture bear record of; and thou saith we drive men into darkness, that works upon people to disesteem the Scripture, and perswades people to an uslessness of the Scriptures; let all that have heard us in the City of London, or elsewhere speak, if they heard us say the Scri­ture was usless, or did disesteem it, but on the contrary we exhorted them to search if the Scripture did not bear witness to those things we declared, and so let shame cover thy face thou falfe accuser; and thou brings 2 Tim. 3.17. that it is for the perfecting the man of God, and that its profitable to correct and instruct; this is owned, but its not the man of God, thou would have perfected by it, but such hirelings as thy self hath been, and false accusers as thou art, and I say it is profitable to us to reprove thee, and correct thee, and read thy portion; a lyars portion is in the lake, and as Rom. 15.4. its not denyed, but as Christ Iesus is witnessed, who is the Comforter, whlch the Scripture bears witness of, there is comfort and hope; and thou saith the Scripture proves the New birth, and teacheth perseverance to the end, it bears testimony of some that did witness the New birth, and that persevered unto the end; but what is this to thee, that never came one step in th [...] way,? and as for promises, there is no promise, but condemnation in the Scripture, in such as thee, and read it, the lyar and false accuser, and the envious shall not inhererit the King­dom [Page 4] of God, and their own, thy promise and thy portion.

2. Particular which thou cals a mistake, that is speaking to a thing within thee, I would fain know what can be meant of the thing within men, for there is nothing to be spoken to in man, but man.

Answ. Here thy igno [...]ance, shame and envy is made manifest, that thou that hath pretended to be a Minister, and a Pastor of a Church, and cannot tell what thou hath spoke, to what hath thou ministered, to the wind, or hast thou ministered to the devil, and preached glad tid­ings to him, who is in the transgression, and free grace to him that hath walked contrary to God it is so; and therefore thou and al [...] who are in that nature, knows not what you speak, and therefore none hath been at all profited by your Ministery; and blessed be the Lord that its hid from the eyes of the wise, and revealed to babes: and thy envious spirit is seen, that it is of thy father the Devil, who is the accuser of the Brethren, that would lay a thing down as an error, and tels of dashing in peices our principles, and yet knows not what it is, nor what we speak; dost thou accuse, and knows not for what, let shame cover thy face, that ever thou should put pen to paper, or speak of God or Christ, and speaks thou knows not what, and th [...]n thou hath hatched a thing, and concludes there is nothing in man to be spoken to, but man, and before thou knew not, and so art in confusion; for Christ and his Apostles always spoke to man, thou saith the Apostle saith, he went and ministered to the Spirits in prison, and to open the blind eye, and to raise the dead, and the dead should hear the voice of the Son of God and live, and he preached liberty to the captive, and is given for a covenant to open the blind eyes, and unstop the deaf ears, and make the lame to walk, if thou hast an ear thou may hear, but not to feed thy serpents wisdom do I speak, I will shut thee out, for into it thou cannot enter, but through death, and death wrote the book, and the Apostles were made manifest to every mans conscience in the sight of God; and the slothful servant had a talent given to im­prove, which was anothers and not his own, and that was required of him, and that will God require of man, and unto that we speak which hears us, and shall witness us eternally, even that which is not in the trans­gression, neither is of man, but is given to man to improve, and ye [...] is not far from man, but this is a mysterie, and it shall be sealed for with­out a parable spoke he not, to such as thou art, and I know this is a pa­rable; but in the end thou saith, thou knows not how they can speak to any light in man distinct from him, unless they speak unto Satan, or some of his legions: here again thy shame and ignorance is made mani­fest, we speak to the ear, and the eye in man, which the God of the world hath blinded, and this is not of man, and yet is not far from man, but distinct that is thy own word, I do not own it: bring forth the blind that hath eyes, and the deaf that hath ears; did the Prophets speak to the devil in man; we speak to the witness of God in man, and according to this shall all be judged, if thou hast an ear thou may hear: oh thou blas­phemer, dost thou call that which may be known of God, which is mani­fest [Page 5] on Rom. 2. dost thou call this a Legion of Devils, even that which declares the eternal power and Godhead, but thou art he that calls the Master of the house Beelsibub, and in that nature thou art, and the Lord will rebuke.

3. Principle, That thou cals a mistake, that is, the denying the use of rea­son in the matters of God, calling it serpentine.

Answ. The world by wisdome knowes not God, and all the disputing and twining, and lavishing of the wisdome of man, and that which thou cals reason, it is corrupted, and is shut out, and who lives in that nature, are the unreasonable men that hath not faith: now he that hath not faith, hath not reason, and he that hath faith, hath the witness in himself, but I see thee, thy witness is without thee, and so thou speaks unreasonably; and all that would understand the mysteries of the Kingdome, must come through death, for light shines in darkness, but darkness cannot com­prehend it, and therefore one cryes loe here, and loe there, and with that which thou cals reason, is Scripture torn asunder, and strife, and conten­tion, and endless disputes and striving for Mastery, which is carnal, and all this we deny: And thou saith upon this ground, they will not do as the Apostles and Christ himself, who disputed with the gainsayers, Ioh. 6. and Stephen, Acts▪ 6. and thou brings in some of the Synagogue of Liber­tines, and Syrenians, and Alexandrians, and the rest, and disputed with Stephen, and they were not able to resist him: let many hundreds of this City of London, both in publike, and in private, bear witness against, if we have not disputed, and hath not been ready to give an answer to the gainsayers, though not such a one as they desired, even as Christ our Ma­ster did not answer the Iews in their subtil tempting of him, and of those Sects that encountred both Stephen and Paul, truly I must needs say unto thee, we have met with the same generation in this City, whereof thou art one, and truly more subtil then they were, but in the eternal light you are all seen, and many though they could not gainsay, yet have resist­ed us; and after a little, thou saith thou pleads not for carnal reason, for this will not suffer any to follow Christ: further, then they can carry their own things, their honours, pleasures, ease and lusts, to that in thy conscience I speak, whether this doth not rule thee and guide thee; it will let thee see thou art pleading for honour, and respecting mens persons, and hath them in admiration, because of advantage, and brings the ex­ample of others to prove and uphold thy deceit, which they were neither commanded nor commended for to oppose the commands of Christ, and the express Scripture: and thou goes on further and saith, God is the au­thor of memory, and wisdome, and reason; but I tell thee there is a wis­dom and a reason that God will confound, for by faith we know the hea­vens were made, and see them upholden, and by faith all things is brought to our remembrance, and it is the light that convinceth of sin, even the light of Christ, and so in the eternal light I see what thou pleads for; for eating of the tree of knowledge, and there thou art till thou art become a fool, and die to that reason; thou shalt never eat of the tree of life, and [Page 6] therefore flesh be silent: and thou saith, thou doth not allow that reason that gets only a conclusion, or an argument instead of Christ; and after thou saith the day is yet to dawn, and the day star to arise, and thou pryes violently for it: and here what hath thou more for an assurance of thy salvation, then an argument, and a conclusion instead of Christ, for thou confesses the day is not dawned, and then thou art yet in the night, and in darkness, for the day dawns, and the day star arises before Christ be wit­nessed, but thou knows no such thing, as either Christ, or the dawning, if thou had not others testimony, and that is without; and thou art one Christ spoke of since Iohn, the Kingdome suffers violence, and many thrust into it, and thou art striving, and art violent, but I say thou shalt not be able till thou lay down thy contending in thy carnal wisdom, and striving, and resisting, but thou must become a fool, and sit at Iesus feet, but thou art full, and rich, and hole, and need no Physitian, and therefore thou must be sent empty away, and when the book of conscience shall be opened, thou shalt be judged for what thou hath done against the innocent.

Now something in Answer to the fourth particular, Which thou sayest is a tenent held forth by the Northern people; which is a denying of the assention, and being of the body of Christ.

Answ. O thou enemy of righteousness, when wilt thou cease to pervert the right way of God, who uttereth thy lies and slanders against the Innocent God shall judge thee, and between thee and us, whether thou hast not utter­ed lyes and false accusations in the name of the Lord, and put forth in writing unto the world for truth, that which is absolutely contrary unto the Truth; God will reward thee, thou full of subtilty, according to thy deeds who takes part with the Dragon against the Lamb, and goes about by thy lying slanders, to rend the way of truth (which thou canst not com­prehend in thy serpents wisdome) odious unto all men, but God taketh our part against thee, and will dash thy lyes and slanders, and thy Impu­dent forehead in pieces, even by that power which make the earth to quake and tremble, which is become a reproach unto this generation, many who have heard us since we came to this City (though our enemies) shall wit­ness against thee, and for us in this particular; for we have oft witnessed forth, and I do here again witness forth in the sight of God and men, that Christ Iesus is risen, and ascended far above all principalities and powers, and the same which descended into the lower parts o [...] [...]he earth, is also ascended, and raigns over all, subjecting all unto him [...]lf, that he may be Lord over all, and in all, and may be glorified by all; and members of his body we are (who thou enviously rails against) [...]nd wit [...]esses of the body we are, whereof Christ Iesus is head, and because [...]f [...]he resurrecti­on of the dead body, which is ascended, we are call [...]d i [...] question, and all Sects and opinions are troubled, and on an uproar [...]ce [...]in [...] us; and I tell thee plainly, we are so far from denying the asc [...]nsion and being of the body of Christ, that because of being called to [...]ess i [...], as being members of it, we are persecuted and reviled by such [...] thy self, whose carnal conceptions and imaginations of truth we do deny, and doth testi­fie [Page 7] unto you all, that though death is the resurrection and ascension wit­nessed, and every one that reads the Scripture is not witnesses of the re­surrection of the body of Christ; and all whose witness is onely without them, other mens words which had the witnesse within them, we deny to be true witnesses, but are found false witnesses of the resurrection, and of the ascension, and knows not Christ, nor his body but by hearsay; and whereas thou brings many Scriptures to prove his resurrection and ascen­sion: I answer, the Scriptures we own to be a true declaration of the witnesse which was in the Apostles, of the resurrection, and of the ascen­sion of Christ; but thee we deny, who art found a lyar, and a slanderer, and thy resurrection will be unto condemnation, and thy ascension will prove a descending into the bottomless pit, for ever to be tormented, ex­cept thou repent, and from the life of the holy men of God thou art ra­zed out, who art found in the way of ungodliness, and thou hast nothing to do to profess their words, who art out of their life, nor no inheritance in their words; but as thou seals them, adding thy own imaginations up­on them, and wresting them to thy own destruction, being one unlearn­ed in the way of God, and in the doctrine of Christ: And whereas thou sayest, and thus you see how these men deny the Lord that bought them, if they deny the body that was crucified for them: I answer, We deny not the Lord that bought us, for by him can we say, we have received the end of his coming, and of his death and ascension, even he hath purchased us, and set us free from the power and Kingdome of the Divel, of lyes and slanders, and false accusations after us, by whom the Man-child is brought forth, and this shall stand for thy own condition, who art a wandring star, and hath no habitation in the heavens; God will plead with thee, thou who hast set thy self against the Lord, in slandring and reviling his servants.

Now to thy fift Particular, That we deny the Ordinances of Christ, in which thou sayest, we also deny the Lord that bought us.

Answ. The way unto God, and unto everlasting life, which is Christ Iesus, we deny not, but are true witnesses, that same Christ alone which was crucified at Ierusalem, and which God hath raised from the dead, and which is ascended, in him alone is salvation, and by him also alone are all justified that believe in him; and this we declare freely unto all people, that Christ is the Ordinance of God, ordained by him, for the salvation of all that believe, and for the condemnation of all that be­lieve not in him; and that the way unto this Christ, is not any outward visible thing, but even that which is manifested from him, leads up unto him, even the light by which he hath lightned every one that cometh into the world, which is spiritual as Christ is spiritual; and whereas thou say­est, there is nothing that Christ commanded, but we deny it, mentioning onely your Baptism, and your Breaking of Bread, which is your Idol, and your Image you bow unto; the one Baptism, which is by one Spirit into one Body, into the death of Christ, we are witnesses of, and the bread which we break, is the Communion of the body of Christ, and we [Page 8] being many, are one bread; but the beggerly rudiments of the world, we testifie against, being witnesses of the substance, and your taken on pra­ctices, in that nature, which is contrary unto Christ, from the words and commands of Christ, unto them that followed him, we also testifie against, and in it you are found among the Papists, which walks by tra­dition, and not from the motion of the Spirit of God; and here thou art found a lyar, for the commands of Christ is our life, our joy, and our peace and glory, and hereby we know that we love him, because we keep his commandments, and they are not grievous unto us (which is not re­ceived by tradition from without us, but by the eternal Spirit, Christ Ie­sus revealed in us, which is not contrary to his commands without, but a fulfilling of them; for he is not a Iew who is one outwardly, whose praise is of men, neither is the obedience which Christ doth require, a confor­ming the outward man unto an outward thing, which obedience is your boasting onely, and there onely your difference lieth from all the world, in the outward appearance, Pharisee-like; but the ground of enmity, and seat of the beast, is standing within, and you are twofold more the chil­dren of the divel, and Go [...] is risen to confound you, and to break your Image to pieces, and he shall have the praise of God, who is the Iew in­ward, whose obedience and Circumcision is inward, and who have no confidence in the flesh: and whereas thou exhorts to hear one loving re­proof out of the Scripture, which their predecessors (I mean the Papists) thou sayest would have taken from us in the English tongue, and these would take from us the vertue of i [...], that is to say, the sharpness and sweet­ness of it, by working upon us a dislike to it; I answer, we do deny thy voice, and though thou may bring Scripture in thy mouth to us, it is but as the divel brought to Christ, and we deny it from thee, for if thou say God lives, thou swears falsely, and the Papists they are thy predeces­sors, who walks onely by tradition as thou dost, from a thing without them, separate from the life, and both them and thee we do deny, and bears witness against you, to be without God in the world, in the alie­nation out of the Covenant, knowing nothing of him, but what you have heard by a fame and a report, and that we in the least would take from any the vertue of the Scripture; it is a lye uttered by the divel in thee, for we testifie unto all, that it shall every tittle be fulfilled, even upon the un­godly, and thou shall know it one day to be fulfilled upon thee, thou lyar must be cast into the lake that burns for ever; and this is the sharpness and sweetness which you must have from it, who art a false accuser of the Brethren, bearing the Image of the Dragon, the Divel whose servant thou art, as it is manifest by thy writing, and this many will witness with us, that oft we do declare upon the just and the unjust, the Scripture must be fulfilled, and the righteous must have a reward, and the ungodly must have their portion in outer darkness, according as the Scripture saith and herein we establish the Scripture in its place, to be a true declaration of God and Christ, and what the righteous and the wicked shall enjoy, but that it is God and Christ, or the way unto life, we deny it; for this is its [Page 9] vertue, a declaration of that which the Saints believed, and he that wit­nesses the same life and truth which it testifies of, to be made manifest in him, is a witness of it, and it is a witness unto him, and this is the vertue of i [...]; if thou hast an ear thou may hear, and that we work upon any a dislike of the Scriptures; I charge thee to be a lyar, for to the ful­filling and establishing of it we declare, that every one may walk up in the life of it, by that which gave it forth, and to be a true witness of it, as they were that spoke it; but thee and all such we do deny, which adds your imaginations upon it, to sell for money; and whereas thou sayest by way of Query to us, hath the Scripture no power over you? have you a spirit to guide you without a written word, it is out of Gods govern­ment if it cannot be brought to the Law and to the Testimony? I answer, Iesus Christ onely hath power over us, and not a Letter without us; and the spirit by which we are guided, is no other but that which gave forth the Scripture, which spirit is the Word of God, and which spirit the Scripture bears witness unto; and this we often say, if we speak or act contrary to the Scripture, let us be judged by the Scripture, and we, as Paul did, do commend all that shall search the Scripture, to try whether these things be not so, which we declare; and herein we are under the government of God, who alone hath power over us; but you who hath not the same spirit which gave forth the Scripture, neither knows it, nor us, but out of the evil corrupt ground thou judges of it, as thou dost of us, and both thy judgement of it and us, is to be judged by the eternal light of Christ, which never erreth nor changeth; and whereas thou sayest, we may be fa­miliar spirits for ought thou knowest, what muttering and uncouth howl­ing is among us, which you cannot but impute to be a spirit contrary to the Word, if we will not come to the Word to be tryed; I answer, it is true, thou knows us not, for we are unknow to thy generation, though you have the Scripture, which our life and practices, are witness of; as Christ was unknown to the Pharisees who had the Scripture, which he came to fulfil; and thou art ignorant of the Scripture, and a scorner of the power of it, who cals the power of the Lord uncouth howling; what would you have said concerning David, who lay roaring all the day long, even as a man distracted; and concerning Habakkuk, whose belly trem­bled, and whose lips quivered, when he heard the voice of God; but here you are made manifest, who scorns that which the Scripture bears witness of, and never knew what it was to be pricked to the heart, as they were which cryed out, what shall we do to be saved; and if thou canst, thou may try by the Scripture, whether this be any other but that which the Scripture speaks of, and not the same spirit which made the servants of God to quake and tremble, which the Scripture speaks of, which this day is become a reproach, even unto them that profess the Scripture; for by the word of God, which the Scripture declares of, shall all flesh trem­ble, and be confounded, and then thy self shall be judged, into the lake that burns for ever, except thou repent; and whereas thou sayest, how shall you do to try the spirits, if we deny both the written word which is [Page 10] your rule, and reason to; for we appeal from both.

Answ. Art thou not ashamed to say the Scripture is thy rule, who art found a lyar, and a false accuser; thy rule shall try thee, and shall bear witness against thee, when God judgeth thee by Je [...]us Christ; for neither by the Scripture, nor thy corrupt reason, canst thou know the things of God, who art a natural man, in the fall, in the world without God; but again I say, let any try us, in our lives, and in our practices, and if we speak, or act contrary to the Scripture, judge us by it; but thy eye is blinded, and when thou seest the Scripture fulfilled, even crying out as a woman in travel, thou cals it uncou [...]h howling, and a spirit contrary to the Scripture; and how art thou able to try, who art blind and deaf in the mysterie of the Kingdome of God, for thy reason must never enter unto God, but is shut out, and in seeing thou sees not, and in hearing thou dost not understand; and upon thee herein is the Scripture fulfilled: And whereas thou sayest, we will not have Christ to rule over us, for we deny both his Person, and Word, which is the rule of life and love. I an­swer, O thou lyar, God shall judge thee, let shame cover, and let thy own conscence convince thee, for thy lies and slanders against the inno­cent, Christ Iesus is our head, and we are of his body, and his word is sweet unto us, even our life, and rule of life, and by him we see thee to be an enemy to him, and from him I judge thee; not his word, but the spirit of the Divel is thy rule, for he is the ruler and father of lies and ly­ars, and thy portion thou must have with him in the lake, and what thou sayest of us, it shall stand for thy own condition, thou wilt not have Christ to rule over thee; who lives in thy lust and carnal mind without the fear of God, which Christ comes to destroy, in all that witness him: and whereas thou sayest, in the name of God thou proclaims, that those men that disown the written Word, are not spiritual men, they may have the spirit of Antichrist.

Answ. Thou hast nothing to proclaim from God, but as the false Prophets, had other men words, and also I say, if thou find any that disown the Scripture, we also disown such, and do say they are not spiri­tual men, but hath the spirit of Antichrist; and of this number thou art, guided by the spirit of Antichrist, who art a lyar and a false accuser which is contrary to the spirit of Christ, and art without faith, and so art unrea­sonable in the corrupt reason, without pure and undefiled reason: and whereas thou sayest, who but the spirit of Antichrist durst countermand the commands of our Law-giver the Lord Iesus. Christ? I answer, the commands of Christ is spiritual, and in and by the spirit, and not tradi­tional from the Letter without, and Antichrist m [...]y conform to the com­mand without, as the Pharisees did, and yet be an enemy to the life and substance of his commands; and this is thy own condition as it was the Pharisees, who said he destroyed the Law, which came to fulfil it, as thou sayest we make void and deny the commands of Christ, when as we are witnesses of them, and directs all into the fulfilling of them; and thy [Page 11] spirit here is tryed to be the spirit of Antichrist, the same which was in them that persecuted Christ, and thou rails and slanders his members: and whereas thou sayest, there were never any men appeared in the world so like those that Peter speaketh of in his second Epistle, and these desire to overthrow the writings of the spirit of God: I answer, Peter spoke of such as thou art, for a cloud carried about wi [...]h the Tempest thou art, and a Well without water, and defiles the flesh, and dispises the Saints digni [...]y, and speaking great swelling words of vanity, while thou thy self art a ser­vant of corruption, serving the Devil, by lying, and falsely accusing, and that we desire to overthrow the writings of the Spi [...]it of God; thou art a lyar, for we go about to establ [...]sh it, and declares of him, who is the sub­stance of it, and God will reward thee according to thy deeds, who also accuses us of unseemly kissing in Glasiers-Hall, thou sayest if Mr. Pope do not belye us; I answer, this is another lye, which proceeds from thee, let all the honest hearted which ever hath frequented our assembly at that place testifie against thee, and Mr. Pope, and your father the Divel, whom by lying you serve, and that no unseemly actions have proceeded from us, but soberness and civility; and unseemly actions shall stand for thy own condition, they are such as thy self, who commits unseemly brawling, and folly and vain contending against the truth in Glasiers hall, as many honest hearted will witness against you, and for us who have seen your base actions, as scorning and flowting in that place; and so here you your selves are guilty of the wantonness which Peter speaks of, and of aluring through the lusts of the flesh, which thou slanderously would cast upon us; and thou further sayest, none ever premised to themselves so much liberty as these and the Ranters, in being freed from the power and tryal of the Word. I answer, both the Ranters and thee we do absolutely deny, and te­stifie against you both, to be in the enmity against God, and against us who are his servants: thou before was ranking us with the Papists, and now among the Ranters, but herein the Scripture is fulfilled upon us, as they h [...]ve done unto Christ, so they do unto us; he was numbered among transgressors by thy generation of painted Sepulchers, and whited walles, as we are by thee; and all liberty which is of the flesh, and to the flesh, we do deny, as many can witness, who are witnesses of our Ministery; and again I say, he that is able, let him try us by the Scripture; but thou art blind, and hath hardened thy heart against God, and hath neither salt nor savory, and so is good for nothing but to be trodden under foot.

And wh [...]reas thou sayest, the Lord bless every one of his from the con­dition of Chandler, who formerly was the head of a Company of Shakers.

I answer, The day is coming when thou canst not fly the wrath of God, though thou pray God will not hear thee, and if ever thou hast seen Chandler in this condition, thou might have read thy figure in him, weep­ing, and [...]w [...]ng and gnashing of teeth will be thy portion for ever; and I say unto the [...] [...]is condi [...]o [...] of Chandlers is not come up [...]n him, because he w [...]s o [...]ce a Sh [...]e [...], by the d [...]e [...]d of the Lord upon him, but because he went out from that condition, out of the fear of God into the libe [...]ty of the flesh, out of his shaking and fearing state which once he was in, and this [Page 12] he shall witness with me to be true, and against thee, who would reproach the way of truth by him, when the book of conscience is opened.

And whereas thou further sayest, th [...]ir spirit w [...]l perswade them that they are not fallen from righteousnesse, and would therefore justifie them.

I answer, We are gathered up into righteousness, and fallen from vani­ty, and this the Spirit of God perswades us, and witnesseth in us and for us, by which onely we are justified freely, and not by the works of the law, nor by any outward observance; and herein thou also art a lyar; who s [...]ith, we are fallen from righteousness, for even the righteousness of God is manifested to us, by which we deny all your carnal outward observances, by which you think to obtain life and righteousness.

Now in answer to thy sixt Particular, which thou calls a heavy and sad offence, which is a denying honour to men, which thou saist is the ex­ample of good men; to which I doe answer: God hath commanded to h [...]nour him alone, and not to bow down to any Creature, and thou h [...]st brought m [...]ny Scriptures to oppose the command of God, and so art more fully made manifest to be an enemy unto him, which would plead against him, by that which is written from him, pleading the example of good men; which is no example to us to break the command of God, no more then Davids example in committing whoredom, and Iosephs example in swearing by the life of Pharoah, is an example for any to act those things now; and I do utterly deny that any of these Scriptures which thou hast cited, will prove and maintain your heathenish custome, in your deceitfull way of honouring one another, to please the divel in one another, which is without the fear of God; and it is a sad offence to none but the divel, be­cause it weakens and disturbs his kingdome, of which thou art, as is made manifest, who pleads to uphold it from the Scripture; but vain honour with flattering titles unto any man we do deny, but yet we honour all men in the Lord, and out of him we honour none, to uphold the pride of man, for God will bring it all down, and lay it in the dust, and exalt himself, to reign over you all; and whereas thou sayest, how far are these men from the holy Writt: To which I say and answer, thou slanderously would make us to appear odious in the sight of men, but all the upright in heart will see thee, and thy blindness and ignorance, who brings that Scripture where Christ (in fulfilling the Law of God, which he came to fulfil) wor­shipped in the Temple, to prove and maintain the worship of man.

Answ. O you blind Pharisee and perverter of the Scripture, God will plague thee, thou enemy of his truth, who perverts the Scripture, to thy own destruction, and art worse then the Pharisees, who said he respected no mans person, and they shall witness against thee; and whereas thou speaks of honouring father and mother, which thou sayest we deny in this our pra­ctice: I answer, I charge thee to be a lyar, for as I said we honour all men in the Lord, and directs all children and servants, to obey their parents and masters in the Lord, and this m [...]ny can witness for us, which have more frequented our assemblies then thou hast done; but this we also te­stifie, where the obedience to any man stands in opposition to God, the o­bedience to God is rather to be chosen; and herein he that will not hate father [Page 13] or mother for Christ [...] sake is not worthy of him; but thou carnal, earthly man, is pleading for the Kingdome of the Divel, to honour man above God; and I say how can you believe that seeks honour one of another, your honour and your heathenish custome we testifie against, yet unto e­very ordinance of man we are subject for conscience sake.

Now to that which you call the seventh mistake, affording absolute per­fection at one Instant, in admitting of none but perfect men into conjun­ction.

Answ. It is a mistake in thee, for such a word never proceeded fr [...]m us, I may say it is rather an absolute lye invented by thee, to make us odious, then a mistake from us; for thy heart is desperately wicked, and thy torment is kindling by the breath of the Almigh [...]y; many which have heard us will testifie against thee, for we say the Saints have their growth up into a per­fect man in Christ, as Christ himself had, and we say also their is chil­dren and young men and fathers, as the Apostle said, but thou art not asha­med to utter thy lies and slanders, which hundreds in this Ci [...]y will wit­ness against thee for a lyar; and even thy light in thy conscience will accuse thee to thy face, that thou hast imagined lyes and mischief upon thy bed a­gainst us; and whereas thou brings many Scriptures to prove thy slanders against us to be true: to which I answer, all the Scriptures we own and bear witness unto, by that spirit from which they were spoken; but thee and thy spirit we deny, for both you and it is of the divel; and thou hast dive­lishly added thy imagina [...]ions upon them, and wrested them, which I shall not now mention, because I do deny the thing which thou assertest to be an absolute lie, and do say unto thee, God will reward thee thou slande­rous tongue: and whereas further thou sayest, in our perfection we deny any man being under frailty or capablen ss to sin to be of our communion. I answer, here again thou art a lyar, these words war never uttered by us, as thou hast set them down; but I say, he that sins is of the divel, and such we have no unity withal, nor such hath no unity with God, for no impure thing enters to him, nor hath communion with him; for whosoever works abomination, is to be cast out, and trodden in the winepress of his wrath, where the portion of lyars is, among whom thou must reeeive thy reward; for with such we have no union, who are disobedient children, but with him who in the least measure which he hath received from God, walks up in the light unto God, we have unity and communion with him; thou sayest one of us told [...]hee (that which sinned could not be saved.) I answer, it is out of the reach of thy wisdome, and thy vultero [...]s eye shall never see it; I say as the Scripture saith, the soul that sinneth must die, and every man must die for his own iniquity, if thou hast an ear thou mayest hear; and fu [...]ther thou sayest, that our doctrine may appear to be utterly against the Scripture; thou brings Rom. 7.23. where Paul was under the Law, and saw a Law in the members, warring against the Law of the mind: I answer, this Scripture we own, and are true witnesses of it; but there was also a time, that the Law of the spirit of li [...]e, had freed him from the Law of sin and death; but thy ignorance is made manifest, who brings one Scripture to opp [...]se another, and knows not the conditions in thy self, from which Paul spoke, and so art ignorant of what he spoke; for I say, [Page 14] there is a time without the Law, and a time under the Law, and a time dead to the Law, and not under it, and all these states Paul witnessed, which we also in our measure are witnesses of, which thou knowes not in thy self, and so wrests Pauls words: And whereas thou sayest, yet let not them think that we by this doctrine nourish sin, having brought many Scriptures to plead for sin; I answer, being guilty in thy self, thou art afraid, and hath a jealousie lest we should lay it to thy charge; and truly concerning thee we think nothing in this matter, for thy heart and the secrets of it is made manifest in the eternall light, by which thou art comprehended, and answered, and by which God will eternall judge thee; therefore repent lest the wrath of God overtake thee, and thou be swept away with the besom of destruction, who hath falsly accused and slandered us with lies and false reproaches: but now its the time that Pilate and Herod is made friends, and Gog and Magog is gathered together to battel, to compass the Camp of the Saints about; and even the Priests and their crew, and the Ana­baptists and their crew, and all Sects is combined against the truth, but God is with us, and in him alone can we rejoyce over you all for ever and ever; and in him make our boast all the day long, for this is our heritage, every tongue that riseth up in judgement against us shall be condemned, for the Lord is our port, and even the stone which is refused is become the head stone of the corner, and thou Howet shall be grinded to powder by it, who hath bent thy bow to shoot at the righteous, therefore consider what thou hast done, and repent, lest God tear thee in pieces, and there be none to deliver.