TO satisfie your earnest desire to me, I have put pen to paper, to answeare the ungrounded Arguments of your Friend, which you communicated unto me; but to tell you my Judgment of them, in few words: They are of such Insufficiency, and so ungroundedly com­piled, without all Authority of holy Scripture; that I doe assure you, if it had not been my promise to you to reply unto them, I should not once more have spent my precious Time and Paines in a second view of them: For in the laying downe of nine Arguments, he hath not one Portion of Gods word to prove them all, but only one; and that is nothing perti­nent to his purpose: but runnes on most deceitfully to prove Logicke by Logicke. Truly, I am affraid he is too neer of kinne to the Prelate of Can­terbury and Pope of Lambeth, and the rest of his brother Bishops, that passed Censure upon that Worthy man Dr. Bastwicke at his Censure in the High-Commission Court, who there Blasphemously affirmed, that the Scrip­ture is the Refuge of all Heretiques and Sismatiques, as you may read at large in the Tenth and Eleventh Page of his Answeare to Sr. John Bankes his Information: and I beleeve your Friend that gave you these Arguments thinkes so too, or else he would have proved that which he had underta­ken; by the Authority of the Sacred Word of God. But Antichrists Owles love and desire Darknesse, and cannot endure to bring their sayings and actions to the unerring Touch-stone of the Holy Scripture, and there to try them, whether they be drosse or Gold, for he that doth, or saith evill hateth [...] [Page 4] Divells Institution, and Invention, with which the Limbs of the Beasts Kingdome have for many hundred yeares together, and still doe fight a­gainst the trueth of God, and the Kingdome and Scepter of the Lord Jesus Christ. And therefore I exhort you, and all those that desire to feare God and walke in his wais, and love the Salvation of their owne Souls, to take heed of such an Erronious Sophister, as your supposed Freind is, that gave you these Arguments. But because I heare he doth bragge and boast, that none of the Seperation dare come to particulars, but only run upon generals; therefore to prove him a falsifier of the knowne trueth, and also a lyar; I leave my generall speech to you, and come to the unfolding and ripping up every particular in all his Arguments.

Therefore to my Opposite, I direct my speech. And in the first place you say, You have sent her (your Friend) those Arguments which doe prove your Mother the Church of England to be a true Mother.

To which I answear, she is a true Whorish Mother, and you are one of her Base-begotten and Bastardly Children, for you know a Whore is a woman as truly as a true wife, and she may have Children as proportionable as the Children of a true wife; yet this doth not prove her Children which are Base-begotten are true-begotten Children because they have all the parts and Limbs of Children that are begotten in a true married Estate and con­dition: even so say I, the Church of England, neither is, nor never was truly married; joyned, or united to Jesus Christ, in that Espousall bond which his true Churches are and ought to be: but is one of Antichrists Na­tionall, Whorish Churches, or Cities spoken of Rev. 16.19. united, joy­ned, knit to the Pope of Lambeth, as Head and Husband thereof; being substitute to the Pope of Rome, from whom he hath received his Arch-Epi­scopall Power, and Authority, as you may read in the beginning of God­wins Catalogue of Bishops, and in the last Page of Francis Masons Epistle Dedicatory to George Abbot: William Lauds Predicessour, in his booke of Bishops, Priests, Deacons.

Againe, you confesse the Church of England is a Scratched and Defor­med Mother, in some respects which you could wish were reformed, and removed from her. To which I reply, she is a Whorish Mother, and that is Deformity inough; for though a Whore be never so personable, and Compleat a Woman in all outward respects, yet if she be a Whore, there is Deformity inough in that alone, to spoyle all her personall Comlinesse [Page 5] and parts. But it is much you will confesse your Mother is Scratched and deformed in some respects, seing in your ensuing Arguments you say, you have the true matter of a Church, and true Forme, true Salvation, true Religion, and true Worship: but if you have all these, it is a wonder to me, wherein her Deformity can be; therefore I pray you the next time no­minate, and particular your Mothers Deformities, that I may know them by your owne confession. But put the case I should deny (as justly I may) that you have neither true matter, true Forme of a visible Church, nor true Religion, nor true Worship: I doubt I should so perplex you to prove it, that all your Sophisticall, decievable, Logisticall, Philosophicall Arguments would be to scant to make it good: but I let it alone in this place, and re­ferre it to the ensuing discourse, where it will come in more pertinent.

But if you could wish your Mothers Deformities were removed, then, why doe you not tell her of them? and labour to discover them unto her, that so her Deformed Face may be made strait and Comly? truly in my judgement you are but a very unnaturall and unloving sonne, that sees your Mothers Deformities, and wishes they were removed from her, and yet will not strive to your utmost (as is your duty) to purge her from them that she may be, instead of a deformed Mother, a wholl and beutiful Mother.

Againe, in the Third place you say, That your Labour may be effectuall to your Friend, you would have her to observe these five things.

• 1 Rightly to apprehend the trueth of your Arguments.
• 2 To hold her thoughts largely upon them.
• 3 To strive to beleeve them.
• 4 That she should strive to remember the danger that will follow the neglect of them.
• 5 That she should goe to God by Prayer to make them effectuall to her, for her good.

For the answearing of which, in the first place, You would have her right­ly to apprehend the trueth of your Arguments. But how can she apprehend trueth in those Arguments that have nothing but falsity in them, as by Gods assistance I shall make it appeare in my ensuing discource, and if she should apprehend the trueth of them indeed, she may justly say thus much of them, that they are all Sophistry and ungrounded Arguments, being de­stitute of any Authority from the holy Scriptures.

[Page 6]2. In the Second place, You would have her hold her thoughts largly upon them. Truly if she should doe so, she should exceedingly wrong her owne Soull, for will you have her put Confidence in the broken Reeds of Egipt? which will pierce and runne into her hand when she most trusts to them? but such are all your Arguments, being no better then Bulrushes which the Two-edged Sword of Gods Word, at one blow will cut them all in pieces: and if she have no better Weapons to defend her felfe with, then these, she may come to beundon by them, by being more strenghtened & confirmed in Errour and so lie open and liable unto Gods heavy Judgments, Plagues and Vengence, which he hath threatned to pour downe in aboundance upon all those that worship the Beast. Rev. 14.9.10. and this is the Beast that she shall get by keeping her thoughts largely upon them: and therefore her sa­fest course is to compare them with the infallible Word of God, by which she shall see it is her duty to keepe her thoughts upon them as litle as she can, least she pay too deere for her so doing Rev. 19.20.

3. In the third place, You would have her to beleeve them. I pray tell me whether you have the Spirit of God infallibly? that you cannot erre in that which you say: that you would have her so confidently to beleive your Arguments, without any proofe unto them from the Authority of the Word of God, which is the only binder of the Conscience. Indeed she hath but a blind Guide of you, & an ignorant Leader, & if she follow your guiding & leading, you will lead her into more Rebellion against Jesus Christ his Scepter and Kingdome; and so bring misery inough upon her, for Christ hath threatned to slay all those his enemies, which will not have him to rule over them, Luke 12.21. and if he dyed without mercy under two or three witnesses, that rejected Moses Law, of how much sorer punishment thinke you shall they be worthy of, that reject the commandements of Jesus Christ? as both shee and you do for the present: therefore, let her looke to it, and take heed of giving to much credit to your Hereticall and Erronious sayings, for are the things that you say of more authority then the sayings of Christ himselfe, or his Apostles, or the Angells of heaven, that she must believe them before by the divine Scripture you have proved them? truly you take more Authority upon you then Christ would doe, for he would not have the Jews to beleeve him upon his bare sayings, but the Scripture that did beare witnes of him Joh. 8.17.18. It is written in your Law (saith he) that the Testimony of two men is true, non (saith Christ) I am one that beare witnesse of my selfe, and my Father [Page 7] that sent me beares witnesse of me. So that you see Christ would not have the Jews to beleeve him upon his bare sayings only, but he brings his Father and the holy Scripture to beare witnesse what he is, and then commands them to beleeve him. Also Paull would not have the Galathians to beleeve either him or an Angell from Heaven, but to hold them accursed if they bring any thing contrary to the Scripture Chap 1.19. but you would have your Friend to be­leeve your Arguments, and yet doth not bring two Portions of Scripture to prove them all: therefore I againe advise her neither to beleeve you nor your sayings, because there is no light of trueth in you, seing that you goe not to the Law and the Testimony to prove that you say, as you ought and should do, Esay. 8.20. therefore she is bound to reject your Arguments, as Vngrounded, Antichristian, and Erronious, and to Search the Scripture her selfe, for that is it that truly testifies of Christ, and of his waies. Joh. 5.39.

4 You would have her to remember the danger that will follow upon the neg­lect of them. Your saying were very good if it were grounded upon the word of God but seing (as I have already, and will more fully make it appeare) they are not, I would have her remember the danger that will follow the obser­vation of them, which will be very great, and terrible, for the things that you would have her to give Eare unto, will teach her to rebell against the voyce of God himselfe, who hath commanded all his faithfull people and servants, to give Eare to Christ only, and alone, in all things that pertaine to life and Salvation, and his Worship and Service. Act. 3.22.23. For Mo­ses truly said unto the Fathers, a Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your Brethren, like unto me, him shall yee hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you: and it shall come to passe, that every Soull that will not heare that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the People. So you see what Doome the Scripture saith will befall all those that will not give Eare, nor stoope unto all the Lawes of Christ, as well for the governing of his Church, as the Salvation of their Soules: for Jesus Christ hath been as faithfull yea more faithfull in his House, then Moses was in his, under the Law. Hebr. 3. who was strictly tied to make all things according to the patterne shewed him in the Mount: yea, even to the very Pinnes of the Tabernacle. Exod. 25.9.40. and 26.30. and 27.9. Which Moses caused accordingly ex­actly to be made, and accomplished. Ex. 30.43. & this Moses did but as a servant but Jesus Christ was faithfull in all things that pertains to the wel­fare of his [Page 8] Churrch under the Gospell, as a sonne: and none may adde or defract from that which he hath done, and left in his last Will and Testament: but now if she should give Fare to your Grounds, she should declare and say in her actions, that Jesus Christ hath not been so faithfull in his house, or Church, as Moses was in his; which were to tell the Spirit of God he lyes, therefore let her looke to the danger that will follow her keeping those things which you would have her to observe.

5 In the fift and last place, You would have her to goe to God by Prayer to make them Effectuall to her, for her good: but if she should doe so, she should put up an unacceptable and sinfull prayer, for the prayer that any puts up to him for the keeping and confirming them in their Errours, is detestable and Odious to him; but those things that you would have her to goe to God for, that they might be Effectuall for her good; are grosse Errours, and therefore I affirme it is her sin, if either she pray to be kept in them, or doe not forthwith reject them.

Well, but now to come to grapple with your strong Arguments, and the first of them is thus framed.

Arg. 1 That People or Nation that is dayly within the voyce and call of God, cal­ling them to Repentance, that so they may be saved, that same is a true visible Church.

But the People (generally) of England are within the voyce of God, calling upon them to repent, and beleeve; that so they may be saved.

Therefore the Church of England is a true visible Church.

Answ. 1 This is the Frontispiece of your worke, and in the laying of it downe you declare, that you doe not in the least understand what the matter of a true Church is, which is to consist of beleevers Acts. 2.41.47. and not of people uncalled to God, and the knowledge of his trueth Act. 2.30.5.13. And this I will (by the strenght of God) fully prove by and by, and therefore if the rest of your Arguments be no stronger then this, they will prove no stronger to bind your opposers, then the Philistims flaxen Cords were to bind Sampson, who when he had a mind to be loosed from them, they became as flax burnt with fire: and just such are your Argu­ments, no more able to hold off and keepe backe the trueth from being set at Liberty, then Dellilahs greene Withes with which she tyed Sampson were able to keepe him bound that his Enemies might cease uppon him; for he broke them as a Threed of Tow is broken when it toucheth the [Page 9] fire, Judg. 16. 9. But now to the matter. I absolutely deny your Argu­ment.

And first for your Major. I cannot but expresse my Sorrow for you, to see you, who are so mighty a Champian as you boast your selfe to be, to reason so shallowly and ungroundedly, for if your Argument be true, then all the Nations under Heaven are true visible Churches of Christ, for it is not possible that the Heathenest Nation in the World should runne out of Gods Voyce and Call. Psal. 139.7.8.9. For (saith Dauid) If I ascend up into Hea­ven thou art there if I make my Bed in Hell behold thou art there, if I take the Wings of the Morning, and dwell in the uttermost part of the Sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me, if I say surely the dar­knes shall cover me, even the night shall be light about me, yea, the darknes hideth not from thee, but the night shineth as the day, the darknes and the light are both alike to thee. And also see Amos. 9.1.2.3. Where you may also read that no place can hide a people from Gods presence or call; so that I say no place can exempt a people from Gods voyce, but wheresoever they are he can find them out, and by his Judgements laid upon a Nation or Peeple, whether they be Pagans, Heathens and Infidels that professedly serve and worship I­dols, and nothing else: or whether they be a Nation of seeming Christians (as England is no more) like the Samaritanes that professe the Worship of the true God, and yet serve their Idols. 2. King. 17.32.33. yet take them in which sence you will, I say they are within the Ʋoyce and call of God, and by his Judgements and Plagues laid upon them for their sinnes, he calls them to Repentance that so they might not perish, but be saved: as the Apostle Paull in the first of the Romans doth largly prove. Ʋers. 18.19, and so forward. So that by your Argment, all the Nations under Heaven are visible Churches of Christ, for I thus frame my Argument according to your owne grounds.

All the Nations of the Earth that are within the Ʋoyce and call of God, cal­ling them to Faith and Repentance that so they may be saved are true Churches.

But all the Pagan and Heathen Notions in the World are within the Ʋoyce and call of God, as I have already proved.

Ergo. They are true visible Churches.

Deny any part of the Argument if you can, and prove against it.

But for the proofe of your Argument you cite. Math. 20.16. where it is said, Many are called, but few chosen. the first part of the words, Many are called, (you say but doe not prove) that we are to understand them of the visible Church, which are called to the outward preaching of the word: to which I answere, and say, you are not an Oracle of God that we must be­leeve your sayings without ground, for you bring no proofe for what you say, but your owne bare Affirmations, but if you will be an Oraclo, it is but a lying Oracle, and not of Gods: you say they are called to the outward [Page 10] preaching of the Word, it seemes to me that you will have all the people in a Nation, that are within Gods call to be Preachers (and then what shall be­come of all your Preists? for if this be not your meaning, I know not what you drive at, but for that place of Scripture many are called, but few are chosen, I understand it thus, many there was that heard the Word of God, and seem­ingly, professed it, as they that came to Johns Baptisme, and Herod that refor­med many things, and those many great multitudes that Christ preached un­to, many of which made an outward profession of him for a time, but it was but for the loaves, as he himselfe doth witnesse, John 6.26.27. so here are many called to the outward profession of, the Gospell, but saith the Text few are chosen, that is to say, ehough there be many that make a formall professi­on of Christ, and have the ouiside of Christianity, yet few are they that are chosen, either to Christs glorious kingdome with his father, or are chosen and admitted as visible members and Subjects in his visible Church, or King­dome, which in Scripture hath many and divers names, as, Syon, Jerusalem, his holy Mountaine, the Lords holy place, the kingdome of Heaven, Psal. 54.7.147.12. Fsa 62.6.65.9.11. Psal. 68.17.33.46.4. Mat. 20.1. Rev. 21.1.10. this exposition of the place I plainly prove from Christs preaching to so many as he did, the most of which for a time did outwardly prosesse him, yet all those great multitudes that he preached unto, and wrought Miracles amongst at his death there was but an hundred and twenty that entered into commu­nion to worship him in a visible Church, Acts 1.15. and in the second of the Acts Peter preached to a great multitude of people yet that multitude were not members of a true visible Church, neither before he preached to them, nor after, but only so many of them as declared and manifested faith which were to the Number of three Thowsand, and they were added or joy­ned to the Church, and the Apostle commands them to save or seperate themselves from the rest of the multitude which he preached unto, seing they did not peleeve, nor were never the better for his preaching: saying, Save your selves from thes untoward Generatron. Ʋers. 40.41. For the Lord would not have them to joyne Riffe Raffe and all sorts of people to the Church, to whom the Word was preached, but only those that declared the worke of Grace to be wrought in their hearts, therefore the Spirit of God saith The Lord ad­ded to the Church daily, such as should be saved.

Now though I grant the Kingdome of England is within the Ʋoyce and call of God, calling the people thereof to Repentance, that so they may be saved, yet I grant no more then what all the Nati­ons under Heaven are, therefore you cannot conclude from this Ground that the Church of England is a true Church of Christ seing the [Page 11] Whol Nation, good or bad, wicked or righteous, godly or ungodly, have all one and the same Priviledge, by virtue of their being professed Membees of your Ch. & therefore from that which hath been said, I frame this Argument.

That the true visible Church of Christ under the Gospell, doeth not consist of all sorts and kinds of people to whom the word of God is preached, but only to such persons, who by their outward Conversation may be judged to be true Beleevers. Esay. 4.3.35.8.9.10.51.11. Rom. 1.7. 1. Cor. 1.7. Rev. 22.14.

But the Church of England is not made up, nor doeth not consist of true Beleevers, that is to say Saints by calling and practice, but of all sorts and kinds of wicked persons, as Witches, Sorcerers, Whoremungers, Drunkards I­dolaters, Swearers, Blasphemers & all sorts of Prophane, Lewd & Wicked livers.

Ergo, It is no true Church of Christ, but a false and Antichristian Church of Antichrists, 2. Cor. 6.9.10. Rev. 9.20.21. and 13.8.16.17. and 21.27. and 22.15.

Both the Proposition and Assumption, I have already strongly proved by the Authority of the Scripture. and deny either of them, and prove against them, if you be able.

Againe, your second Argument to prove the Church of England a true Church is this. That Ministry which doeth accomplish the same and which the Ministry of the Apostles did, must needs be a true Ministry. But the Mini­stry of the Church of England doeth accomplish the same ends that the Apostles Mi­nistry did, namely conversion and confirmation. Therefore the Ministry of the Church of England must needes be true.

But to prove your Argument, you bring not one Place of Scripture but take that for granted which I confidently thinke neither you nor none in the Ch. of Engl. are ever able to prove, therefore I absolutely & in every respect deny your Arg. & two manner of waies prove against it. 1. I will prove that if the Ministry in the Ch. of Engl. did accomplish the same ends that the Mini­stry of the Apostles did, yet for all that, that is not sufficient to prove it a true Ministry; for to judge the cause by the effect is a Leaden and false Rule. 2. I will prove that the Ministry in Engl. doth not accomplish the same ends that the Ministry of the Apostls did, & therfore by your own Arg. is no true Ministry.

Now for the first of these which answers the Major of your Arg. I say it hath beene and still may be possible, for a man to accomplish the same ends that you here speake of, namely to be an Instrument to bring Gods people to the ma­nifestation of Faith, & also to build them up, & yet be no true Officer or Mini­ster in the Ch. of God, & I prove it out of the Acts of the Apostles in which we read that when the Ch. began to encrease, Saul raised a great persecution against it upon which, all the brethren viz. the members of the Ch. were scattered abroad, & they went up & down preaching the word Act 8.3. but the Apostles themselves [Page 12] they stayed still at Jerusalem. Ʋers. 1. Now all those that were scatterd a­broad were not true Officiall Ministers, for they were but Lay-men according to your distinction in the Church of England, yet divers of them who were no true Officers, but Bretheren, Disciples, or private men as you call them, yet they preached the Word to the Gentiles there & begot by their preaching ma­any of them to the Faith, for the Text saith. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of them beleeved, and then came Barnabas from Jeausalem, who was yet no true Officer in the Church of God, being as yet uncalled to his Apostleship, and he confirmed and strengthened, and more fully built them up in the Faith of Christ and in the Know­ledge of the wayes of God. Also Aquilah, and his wife Priscilla did further in­struct and build up that Eloquent man Apollos. Act. 18.26. Also there were certaine women that laboured with Paull in the Gospell. Phil. 4.3.

So that here you see, and I have proved it, that people may be called to the manifesttaion of Eaith, and further built up by those that are no true Officers or Ministers in the Church of Chirst: but if your Argument were true then it would follow that all those men, yea and the women too were true Offi­cers and Ministers in the Church of Christ, because they were Instruments of bringing Gods people to the manifestation of Faith, and further built them up, but your Argument is rotten and unsound, and falls here flat to the ground, and therefore if I should grant it (which I doe not) that your Mini­sters by their Ministry did accomplish the same ends, that the Apostles by their Ministry did, yet this would not be sufficient to prove them true Officers or Ministers, for the excecution of an Office doeth not prove an Officer but only a true and lawfull call into the Office, which all your Priests and Minni­sters in England want, and therefore are no true Officers, nor no true Ministers of Jesus Christ. For you know that a King hath many in his Kingdome besides himselfe, that doe those actions & administer those administrations that is peculiar to him alone to doe and administer, unlesse they were Au­thorized by virtue of a power given and derived from him to do such actions without a lawfull Authority given and received from him, they might loose their lives for the doing of them: but now if your Argument were true, that all those men that are meanes, or Instrumensts to bring Gods People to the manifestation of Faith, and obedience to the Law and will of Christ, were true Officers and Ministers of Christ, it would follow by the same Argument, that all those men that doe the actions of a King, or accomplish the same ends, that Kings by their actions doe ac­complish, are true Kings but so to conclude in England is little better then High Treason: Therefore your Argument is erroneous, [Page 13] and false, and hath not validity in it: for if so be you will have their Admi­nistrations to prove the lawfulnesse of their Office, then I pray you, wherein doth the execution of their Office consist? for an Office and the execution of it are two distinct things: for a man by virtue of being instated into the Office of a Judge though he never live to execute any of those acttions, or Admi­nistrations that belong to his place, or Office: but he must first receive power to sit in Court of Judicature, before he dare take upon to fit there as Judge; and when he hath receiced power from the King by virtue of which he is in­stated into his Office, and doth become an Officer, then doth he lawfully sit in Court of Judicature, and condemneth fellons and guilty persons, and ac­quit the innocent, and doth there passe sentence according to the Lawes, for the King under whom he is a Judge: But now if this Judge should usurpe his place, and come into it by virtue of a false Authority, and then condemne the Kings Subjects to death, though they be theives and malefactors, yet he would be in danger of loosing his life for all that, though he doe the act and actions that belong to a true Judge to doe, because he had no lawfull Autho­rity from the King so to doe: for it is the Kings Authority placed upon a man, that doth make that person, to be an other kind of person then before he was; for before he had received this power he was but a private man, but now he is an other kind of man; namely, a a publike person, in Office, and Authority, and may lawfully do those actions now, which if he should have done before would have cost him his life: Even so is it with the Ministers and Officers which Jesus Christ hath instituted in his New Testament, and left personally to officiate in his Church; they must be members of an incor­porated or constituted City, body, or visible Church, and then if the Church find any amongst themselves fitted, or qualified according to those guifts, and qualifications which the Apostle layes downe in the first of Timothy the 3. & 5. chapters, and the first or Titus: then the Church hath authority to chuse them for her Officers, Num. 8.9.10. Ezeck. 33.2. Acts 1.23.6.3.5. & 14.24. but though they be never so fitted, guifted, and qualified, yet they are not to take upon them to officiate in the Church of God, by virtue of an Office, be­fore they have a true and lawfull Call from the Church, who only and alone hath power from Christ, her only King and Head to instate them into that Office, and whereas before they were but members or private men, (as you in the Church of England call them) and could not lawfully doe those actions that belong to a true Minister, or Officer in the Church of God to doe, yet now they may doe them upon grounded grounds, for it is only their lawfull Call, into their Office that puts a distinction betwixt them, and the other members, or Brethren of the Church, as is plaine out of the first of the Acts, where Joseph and Matthias were by the Apostles and Brethren set a part for the Apostleship, and Joseph for any thing I know was as well fitted for the Office as Matthias was, for the Church was not able to put a difference be­twixt [Page 14] them, which was the more fit, but yet for all this they were not both Apostles, but only Matthias who was lawfully chosen, and immediatly called by God into the Office, and then those actions that he did and Adminstrations that he administred, was the execution of his Office, so that it any should have questioned him whether he was an Apostle or no, he would not runne to the Administration or Execution of his Office to prove himselfe a true Apostle, but he would goe to his Call into his Office which was from God, and which gave him a being in his Office, and power to Officiate and doe those actions that he did: and though he had nev [...] lived to have executed any of those actions that belonged to his Office, yet he had been a true Apostle for all thae; by vir­tue of his Call into his Apostleship. So that I say to you of your Ministers, it is not sufficient for them when they tre questioned about their Calling, and put upon it to prove it, whether it be from God or the Diuell (the one of which it must needs be) to runne to the Execution and Administration of their Office, to prove the lawfullnesse of their standings in their Office; but they should goe to the power and Authority that instituted them into their Office of Priesthood, and prove it whether it be true or no, which if they cannot doe: I say they are all false and Antichristain Officers and Ministers, which all Gods people are bound in Conscience to detest as the Divell, and oppose to the ut­most of their power, and strength, and therefore I put you upon it to prove (if you can) the lawfulnes of their standing, for doe you thinke that they which are Antichrists Ministers have a greater priveledge of exempion from proving the lawfulnes of their Calling and Office, when they are questioned, then either that great Prophet Jihn the Baptist, or Josus Christ the sonne of God, and his Apostles had? truly I see no Ground nor Reason for it, unlesse you will say their bare word is of greater Authority then the words of the E­ternall Sonne of God, and his Apostles.

For first of all, John the Baptist when he was questioned by the Scribes and Pharisees what he was, he doeth not say It is sufficient that I doe the worke of a Prophet, and therefore you need not nor have noe ground to question me any fur­ther about my Authority: no he knew such an Answer would not serve their turne, and therefore when they aske him what he was, he confessed that he was not the Christ, what then art thou? say they to him: art thou Elias? and he saith I am not, who then art thou? he said I am the voyce of one caying in the Wil­dernesse make straight the way of the Lord as saith the Prophet Esay as Joh. 1.19.20. and so forward.

So you see John brings Authority from the Scripture to prove his Office, & doeth not runne as your Priests doe to the Administration or Execution of [Page 15] his Office, to prove his Office, or the lawfulnesse of his standing in it. Also Christ himselfe when he was questioned by the Jewes about his miracles, and those great workes which he wrought, by virtue of what authority he did them, he answers, and saith, If I beare witnesse of my selfe, my witnesse is not true, and there­fore he brings his Father, and John the Baptist, and the holy Scripture to beare witnes of him, that he did not take up his authority that he exercised of him­selfe, neither did he come unto them of his owne head and in his owne name, but brings the voyce of his Father, and the authority of the Word, to bear wit­nes that he was sent of God, & prophesied of old to be the Messias, John 5.31.32.37.46. & 8.17.18. Also the Apostle Paul when he was questioned by his ene­mies about his authority, or the lawfulnes of his office, he goes unto his Call into his office, and that authority that placed him in it, and by that proves, that he tooke not that authority that he exercised upon him without good grounds, but had it placed upon him by Jesus Christ himselfe, Acts 22.10.11. & so for­ward. Also when he was questioned by the false Apostles at Corinth and Ga­latia about his authority, he answers for himselfe, that he was an Apostle, and was free, for I have (saith he seen Jesus Christ) who placed me in my office, and by his authority gave me my Apostleship, and called me by his voyce there­unto, so that my authority, and calling is not from men (as you false A­postles are, nor by men, (as the Ordinary Officers of the Church are, who are called by the Church, who hath authority from God so to doe) but immediately from Jesus Christ our Lord, as all his true Apostels are, 1 Cor. 9.1. Gal. 1.1. So that you see Paul proved he was an Apostle, and a true officer of Jesus Christ, before ever he preached his Gospell, and before ever he was an instrument to bring any to the knowledge and obedi­ence of the truth, and before ever the Corinthes became (being begot by his Ministery) the Seale of his Apostleship. And doth John Baptist, Christ, and his Apostles whensoever they are questioned about their authority by their op­posers, prove their calling into their office, by virtue of which they doe offici­ate, and administer those administrations they administer? and thinke your Ministers those Preists and Deacons of Antichrist to have more exemption then Christ or his Apostles had? and therefore if they be ministers of Christ (as they say they are) I put you and them upon it to prove their calling and office from him, that they were instated into their Ministry by virtue of his power and Lawes: which he hath left recorded in his last Will and Testament for the bodies of his particular visible Churches to elect, chuse, and ordaine their owne Officers: either let them doe this, or else I say, and will against them all main­taine it, that they are Antichrists Ministers, set in by the power of Satan in the [Page 91] Kingdome of the seaven headed, and ten horned Beast in direct opposition, and professed hatred against the Kingdome and Septer of Jesus Christ the eternall S [...]n of God, for they are but false Prophets, false Shee Pheards, and false Teachers, like those in Jeremiahs time, that runne before ever God sent them, and say they are of his sending, when as indeed thiy lye, Jer. 14.14. & 23.21.32 Ezeck. 18.6.7. for he never sent any of them, Rev. 9.3. Therefore doe you, and all those that are under their Jurisdiction looke to it, as they and you love your owne soules: for the Lord hath not only threatned to plague false Prophets, false Ministers, and false sheepheards, but also all those that give care and submit unto them, and are seduced by them, Esa 9.16. Jer. 14.15.16. & 23.15.16.34.39. & 27.15. & 29.8.9.18. Ezeck. 13.8.9.10. So that it is not enough for a man that takes upon him to be a Prophet, and a Sheepheard to come in the name of the Lord, and doe part of those things which a true Prophet, and Sheepheard of the Lord doth; but first of all he must prove his Authority, and that he is of the Lords sending, else none of Christs Sheep are to give eare unto him, John 10. the beginning; for Christ hath bid them beware of such, seeing many of them were, and still a [...]e to come abroad into the World, coming in such a foule deceiving flattering way, that they should deceive if it were possible the very Elect, Mat. 7.15. & 24.11.24. Mar. 13.22.23. 2 Pet. 2.1. 1 J [...]hn. 4.1. and the reason wherefore they should beware of them, and try, and examine their Authority from whence it is, as the Church of [...]esus did, for which she is highly commended, Rev. 22. is because that false Apostles, and false ministers, all of them are deceitfull workers, trans­forming themselves into the Apostles of Christ and ministers of righteous­nesse. Therefore all Gods people had need exceedingly to labour for true know­ledge and understanding is it is their duty, that so they may be able to try, and know false Ministers, and Sheepeards from true ones, least their soules run vpon the Rockes, and so be in great danger of suffering shipwrake in submitting and giving [...]eare unto those Ministers, and Preachers that never were of the Lords sending, nor never received their errand from him in the number of which are all the Ministers in England, as well the best as the worst, done of them being Christs true Ministers, but Antichrists Locusts, which came out of the smoake of the bottomlesse pit, and are fully described in the ninth of the Revelation.

But I know what evation you will have to prove your Bishops, Preists, and Deacons, true, which is to fetch, and derive their lineall succession (which Rabby Pocklington in his Sunday no Sabboth boasts of) from his impiety of Rome, that Antichrist and man of Sin, and Son of Perdition, 2 Thes. 2.3. and so thinke to avoyde all that I have said against them, and also you will rune to your greasie mouldy Consecration, and laying on hands, by which you give them your own Holy Ghost, namely the spirit of errour, of blindnesse and ignorance, and therefore if you goe to the Pope [Page 17] and derive their authority from him: as of absolute necessity you must, this be­ing your best, and only Argument you have to prove them true, which Mason to the utmost makes use of against the Papists, who deny your Bishops, Preists and Deacons to be true ones, because you schismed away from them, and so they want Cannonicall Ordination (as they call it) and therefore Mason in his booke of Ordination of Bishops, Preists and Deacons, proves it at large to be a false accusation, and that they are true having, had an inviolable cano­nicall Ordination and Consecration from the Bishops of Rome, as there you may largly read, pag. 10. 41. 58. 62. 64. 88. and so forward to the end: Now if you goe this way to worke too, as of necessity you must, having no other way, at all to goe to prove them true, then what doe you else but even you your selfe, prove your Ministers to be Antichristian, whom Mason in his fore­said Booke, pag. 77 doth prove by the authority of the Scripture, that if they be so, it is the duty of all Gods people to seperate from them: And as for laying on of hands, I say it was but a Ceremony, which ceased when the visible working of miracles ceased, which if you say to the contrary, I put you upon it, to prove it, a durable and permanent action in the Church of God, abso­lutely essentiall to the making of a true Pastor, Teacher, Elder or Bishop: Also you will say, one minister must make an other, but your ministers and officers are made by other ministers and officers, therefore they are true: But I de­ny that either he that is made, or he that made your ministers is true: But for the Argument, I absolutely deny the proposition, and I affirme that it is not essentiall to the makeing of a true Bishop or elder, (which is all one, Titus 1. to be made by other Bishops or Elders, for those Bishops, Elders and Deacons, that were made in the Apostles times, were elected and made by the Church, who only hath power for that end, and the Apostles and Evangelists did no­thing else by that action of laying on of hand, but shew their likeing and appro­bation of that action that the Church had performed, and of those persons that the Church had made Officers, to officiate in her, and at the laying on of the Apostles hands, God was pleased to worke miracles, even to give the Holy Ghost unto those upon whom they was layd, which were no officers in the Church, Acts 8.17.18. & 19.6. and also at the curing the Father of Publius of his Feaver, Paul laid his hands upon him and healed him, Acts 28.8. yea Ananias who was no officer in the Church but a Disciple or a private man (as you call them) yet he laid his hands upon Saul, at the doing of which he received his sight, and also the Holy Ghost, Acts 8.20.17. So that you see l [...]ying on of hands in the primative time, was not only peculiar to the Apostles and Evangelists themselves, bat also to others which were no offi­cers, but Brethren, out of office, and was not only used at the shewing their approbation and likeing of those men that the Church had chosen into office, but also at the workeing of miracles, as the giving of the Holy Ghost, [Page 18] and healing of the Sicke, so that I affirme, that Action ceased when the visible working of Miracles ceased, and is not in the least essentiall to the making of Officers. Againe, in the New Testament you doe not find, neither are you a­ble to prove or shew one example that an Apostle was made by anorher Apostle, or that on? Evangelist was made by another Evangelist, or that one Bishop or Elder was made by another Bishop or Elder, or ever that one Officer made ano­ther Officer in the same Office that he himselfe was in: so that your making of Bishops by other Bishops is an Invention of the Man of Sinne, and his Fellowes, therefore to make Officers by Officers will never be proved by you nor any o­thers, to be Essentiall to the making of an Officer, and therefore I say of your Officers, that both the makars and those that are made by them, are all of them false, not only in regard this action is a siction of your owne Invention, but al­so because your Church is false and Antichristian. Therefore if every Parish in England had power in themselves (which in the least they have not) to chuse and make their owne Officers, yet for all this they would be false, for a false and Anti­christian Church as yours is, can never make true Officers and Ministers of Jesus Christ: and though that the Churches of the Seperation want the Apostles in per­sonall presence to lay hands upon their Officers which lawfully they chuse out from among themseves, yet have they their Lawes, Rules and Directions in writing, which is their Office, and is of as great Authority as their personall presence. Mat. 7.12. Luk. 16.29.31 Joh. 5.45. Act. 13.27. & 15.21. & 21.21. 2. Cor. 3.15. All these writings doth shew that the Scriptures & Lawes of Moses & the Prophets was their Office, for they themselves were dead long before Christs time, but their writings did still remaine, wherefore the spirit of God is pleased to call them by their names, shewong that they are of as great Authority as their per­sonall presence were, and those that now read them if they doe not obey them, is as inexcusable as those that lived in their daies & heard them from their mouthes and yet rejected them. Even so now though we have not Peter & Paul & the rest of the Apostles in personall presence, yet we have now their Lawes, Rules, Epi­stles & directions which they sent & gave to the Churches of God that was planted in their times, & these are there Office, & are of as great Authority & Suffici­ency as their personall presence, yea and of greater, as the very false Apostles themselves those enemies of Paul doe confesse for his letters say they are waigh­ty & powerfull, but his bodily presence is weake & his speech contemptible. 2. Cor. 10.10. For Paul in the writing of the Scripture was so powerfully guided by the Spirit of God that it was not possible for him to erre in the doing of it, whereas in his other personall actions he was subject to sin & failings as well as Peter was Gal. 2.11. & the rest of the Apostles: some of which we read of Act. 22. which was his going into the Temple with others, after the Ceremoni­all Law of Moses to purifie himselfe, when he knew his Lord & Master Christ at his death had abolished and put an end both to the Temple & all the Mosaica [...] Rites [Page 19] Ceremonies & Worship, and he himselfe with the rest of the Apostles Act. 15. but the Spirit of God had decreed the same, which they commanded the Churches inviolably to observe, and also he himselfe before did preach the same, so that I say the Apostes Lawes is their office, and is of as great, yea greater authori­ty then if now we had them in personall being: therefore in my judgement those that doe maintaine Apostles now in personall being, doe maintaine an errour, seing that the Apostle Paul calls himselfe and Barnabas the last, as it were men apoynted to death. 1 Cor. 4.9. & if they were the last then none were to follow or succeed them in their Office, therefore your Bishops are all Liars, in calling themselves the Apostles successours, for they are Antichrists Lo­custs & Frogges which are said to come out of the smoke of the bottommlesse pot, or out of the mouth of the Dragon, Beast & false Prophet Rev. 9.3. & 16.13. So that I affirme the Officers in the true Churches of the Sepearion, that are called by virtue of the Apostles Lawes, though they want them to lay hands upon them, to shew their aprobation of their fitnesse for their Office, yet they are as true Officers as those that they themselves caused to be made, and laid their hands upon.

And thus have I sufficiently by the authority of the sacred word of God proved all your Officers & Ministers, false & Antichristian & none of Christs, which if you can groundedly contradict, shew your best skill challeng I you, & put you to [...] prop to hold up your tottering & sandy Ch. & Min. or else your great brags will prove no better then wind and fables, and you, your selfe found to be a liar.

2. Againe in [...]he second place if your Preists by their ministery do not ac­complish the same ends, that the Apostles by their ministery did, then by your own grounds they are no true Ministers of Christ: and that they doe not by their ministery accomplish the same ends, that the Ministery of the Apostles did, I prove it out of the 1 Cor. 11.2. where the Apostle doth praise the Corinthians, that they did remember him in all things, & keep all the ordinances as he had delivered them unto them; here was one maine end that the Ministery of the Apost. did accomplish; namely to bring the Saints in the ch. of God to the o­bedience not only of some but of all the Lawes of Christ, but your Ministery never did, never will, nor never can, so long as they stand in their pre­sent calling, and office accomplish this end, in the heart: & lives of those [Page 20] that heare and give eare vnto them, but rather by their Ministery they teach them flat Rebellion to the Lawes and Ordinances of Christ.

1. As first Christ is not only the alone Preist of his Church and people to reconcile them by his blood to God his Father, but also he is the alone and only Prophet of his Church, to whom alone they are to goe for counsell and knowledge, and to whose voyce only they are to give eare, and to no other Prophet, and this did his Apostles teach his people to observe, Acts 3.22.23. for Moses truly said unto your Fathers, a Prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you of your Brethren like vnto me him shall you heare in all things what­soever he shall say vnto you, and it shall come to passe, that every soul that will not heare that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people, and Gal. 5, 1, there Paul bids them stand fast in the Liberty wherewith Jesus Christ hath made us free and b [...] n [...]t againe entangled in the yoke of bondage. And in his giving Lawes to the Corinthians, he would have them follow him no further then he follow­ed Christ 1. Cor. 11.1. But your Ministers in their actions and practise do declare and say unto the people that they will not owne Jesus Christ for the only Prophet or his Church. and therefore they teach the people to worship the Lord with Ceremonies, and Wil-worship, as Capping, Cringing and Du­king, clean contrary to the seccond Commandement: and also with Holy G [...] ­ments as they call them, and with booke prayer translated out of the Popes cursed Masse-booke, as worthy Dr. Eustaricke doeth in the third part of h [...]s Letany, declare and prove: by which they teach the people to leave the naked simplicity of that worship, which Jesus Christ hath instituted in his New Testament, John 4.23.25. saying to the woman of Samaria, the hower cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him, for God is a spirit, and they that worship rim, must worship him in spirit and in truth; and tie, and bring the people to worship God, with a worship which is meerly and altoge­ther sinfull, mens inventions and foolish devises, which worship is odious, detestable, hatefull, abominable to God, Esa 1.11.12.13. & 66.3.4. Jer. 6.19.20. & 25.6.44.21.22.23. Amos 5.21.22. Mat. 15.8.9. Marke 7.7.8. Col. 2. So that I may truly say, of the Church of England, and the worshippers therein, as the spirit of God said of Judah in the second of Esa 8.9. their Land also is full of Idols, they worship the workes of their owne hands, that which their owne fingers have made, and the meane man boweth downe, and the great man humbleth himselfe; therefore forgive them not.

3. Againe in the third place, as Jesus Christ is the only Preist, and Porphet of his Church, so he is the only King and Lawgiver of it, and to it, and none else, Psal. 2. & 149.19. Esa 9.6.7. & 83.20. for the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, (saith the Church of God) the Lord is our King, [Page 21] he will save us? now the Apostles by their ministery taught this to the Saints, and Churches of God, That Jesus Christ is the only King, and Lawgiver of, and to his Church, vnto whose Lawes and Septer alone, and to none other they must stoope, submit, and yeild unto, Ephes. 1.21.22. & 2.22.23. Col. 2.2.3.6.7. Heb. 3. begin. & 20.28.29. & 12.25.

But your Ministers by their Ministrery teach the people to rebell and bid de­fiance against the Septer, Lawes, and Commands of Christ, as though he had not had wisedome and power enough, to have erected and governed his owne spirituall Kingdome, and to have instituted sufficient Offices as voyd places for his people, by virtue of his Lawes to elect and chuse Officers to administer, therin for the building of them up, till they come to perfect then in the know­ledge of God, and unto the measure of the fulnes of Christ; contrary to what the Apostle affirmes by the spirit of God, Ephes. 4.11.12.13. and therefore they teach the people to run to Antichrist, and seeke for more Officers: A­way with such horrible wickednes as this which your Bishops, Preists, and Deacens, those litle toes of Antichrist dayly, and howerly perpetrate and com­mit, as if so be Jesus Christ had not been so faithfull in his House, as Mo­ses was in his, and as though he had not had so sufficient a care of his Church under the Gospell, as Moses had under the Law, and therefore they goe unto Antichrist, Christs professed enemie, and there would teach the people to seeke for Lawes for the governing of the Church of God under the Gos­pell, rakeing them out of his cursed counsels, Bookes of Articles, and diabolicall Traditions, and in their doing of this, which is their constant practises, they teach flat Rebellion, and High Treason againg the Septer and Kingdome of the everlasting Son of God, who will have his church governed by his owne Lawes, which he instituted, and left recorded in his last Will and Testament, which he hath bequeathed to his church, commanding them, as they will answer it before his dreadfull appearing, to observe and keep them strictly without violati­on in the least; and also by his owne Officers therein expressed, who are only five, who are to be permanent, officiating in personall presence and Being for the freedome of his church; namely, Pastor, Teocher, Elder, Deacon, and Widdow, Rom. 12.7.8. Phil. 1.1. 1 Tim. 3. & 5. chap. But they teach the people to goe to the Lawes, and Officers of Antichrist, which are a great multi­tude in number, as, Patriarkes, Primates, Metrapolitanes, Arch-Bishops, Lord Bishops, Deanes, Chancellours, Vicar generall, Prebends, Doctours of the Civill Law, Doctours of Divinity, Proctours, Registers, Arch-Dea­cons, Sub-Deacons, Preists, Jesuites, Parish-preists, Parsons, Vicars, Cu­rates, Cannons, Petty Cannons, Chanters, Vestrey men, Church wardens Sworne men, Side men, Parish clarkes, damnable and divelish Pursevants, Sum­mers, Apparritours, with a great many more.

And therefore in this respect doe not by their Ministery accomplish the same [Page 22] ends that the Ministery of the Apostles did, and so by your owne grounds are no true Ministers.

And a [...] for those two things, of conversion, and confirmation, or building up in the wayes of God, which you speake of, if you meane by conversion, an opening of the eyes, to turne them from drunkenes to light, and from the power of Satan unto God: Or if you meane, by conversion, a deliverance from the power of darkenes, and a translation into the Kingdome of the Son of God, both of which the Apostles Ministery did accomplish in the hearts and lives of Gods people, Asts 26.18. Col. 1.13. I absolutely deny it, that your Ministery in England doth this: And therefore I desire you to declare, what you meane by conversion, and prove your definition by the holy Scripture and also prove that you in England are so converted, which when you have done, I shall further answer you, by Gods assistance. And as for their building them up in the wayes of God as all true Sheepheards ought to build, up their sheepe, as Acts 20. 1 Pet. 5. yet I deny it, that your ministers doe it, for how can they build them vp in that which they themselves are ignorant of, and enemies unto; for as Jannes and Jambres which withstood Moses, so doe these men also resist the truth, being men of corrupt minds, and de­stitute of the truth, 2 Tim. 3.8. and doe feed you with huskes and chaffe, being neither willing to embrace it themselves, nor to let those that would, as their constant preaching and speaking against the truth, of God, and the King­dome of his Son doth witnesse.

And in the conclusion of this your Argument, you say, when the Separati­on can prove conversion in an Antichristian Church, you will say more to them; this belongs to you to prove, for we doe not plead for Antichrist, but against him, and all his: And therefore have I taken the paines by the Word of God, and demonstrable Argument grounded therevpon, to prove the Church of England Antichristian: And when you or any other doe by the Authority of the unerring and pure Word of God, sufficiently confute what I have writ against it, I doe promise you, I will be a member of the Church of England againe; but if that be not done, I will by the strength of the Lord of Hosts for ever separate from Church, Ministery, and worship in Eng­land, as all and every one of them Antichristean and false: yet thus much I say, and doe acknowledge, and the Scripture proves it, that God hath a people or an elect number in spirituall Babylon, yea in the Kingdome of Antichrist, part of which the ch. of England is, and none of them shall perish, but [...]e eternally saved: yet I say, it is the duty of all Gods Elect & chosen ones, that as yet in the whorish [...]os [...] of the ch. of Engl. or in any part of Antichrists regi­ment i [...] separate away from it, and come out of it, least God plague them for their staying there, [...] and [...] forward, & 51.6.9.11. 2 Cor. 6.16.17. Rev. 14.9.10. & 18.4. Now from all that which hath been said, I frame these Arguments [Page 23] First that every lawfull Pastor, Bishop, Minister, or Officer in the visible Church of Christ ought to have a lawfull call, and be lawfully chosen into his Office, before he can be a true Officer in the Church of Christ, Acts 1.24.25. & 26. & 24.23. Gal. ^c 11. Heb. 5.4.

But the Ministers and Officers in the Church of England have not a law­full call, neither are lawfully chosen to be Officers in the Church of Christ see the Booke of Ordination of Bishops, Preists, and Deacons compared with the Scripture.

Therefore, all your Ministers are false and Antichristian Officers, Rev. 9.3. 2. Secondly, The doing of those actions that belong to the execution of an of­fice, doth not prove a man to be a lawfull officer, but a lawfull power instating him into his office, Acts 8.4. & 11.28.24. & 18.24.26.

But all the Ministers in the church of England have nothing to prove the law­fulnes of their standing in their Ministery, but the actions of a Minister, and are not able to prove that they are instated into their Ministery, by vertue of a lawfull power and authority.

Therefore, they are not true Ministers of Christ, but false and Antichristian Ministers of Antichrist.

3. Againe in the third place upon your own grounds I frame this Argument. Those that by their Ministery doe not accomplish the same ends, that the Mi­nistery of the Apostles did, are no true ministers.

But the ministers of the church of England doe not accomplish the same ends by their ministery, that the ministery of the Apostles did, 1 Cor. 12.2.

Therefore, your ministers are no true ministers.

So you see I have overthrown your second Argument, and that in your own way, and deny that which I have said, and prove against it if you be able.

3. Againe your 3. Arg. to prove your scratched and deformed mother a true visible church is this.

Whatsoever people doe enjoy & outwardly submit themselves to the true worship of God, they are a true visible ch. of Christ. But the people of Eng. d [...]e outwardly en­joy and submit themselves to the true worship of God. Ergo the people of England are a true visible Church.

Answ. 3. And for the proofe of your Arg. you say that the Separation grant and teach the proposition, but the assupmtion they stifly deny (as well they may do) but you will stifly maintaine, and prove it to their shame But first of all I will prove your Arg. false to your shame, and then I will examine your proofe of it: Therefore I deny your proposition, assumption, and conclusion. And first you say the Separation teach where there is true worship, there is a true Church, what they teach I doe not very well know, for I never heard any of their Sermons, but only one, neither have I read but very few either of their Books or writings; but yet I say your Major is not found, for true worship doth not prove a company of people, to be a true visible church of Christ, for they must be a true visible church before they ten­der [Page 24] and offer up any publike worship to him: therefore true worship doth not prov [...] a true church, but rather a true church proves true worship, for the cause must ever goe before the effect which it produceth; but a true Church produceth true worship, and not true worship a true Church: Now to the makeing of a true Church, there must not only be true matter, but also a true forme, 1 Cor. 15.13. Col. 2.5. or an entrance into that heavenly state, or spirituall city, called the New Jerusalem, which comes downe from heaven, and which is (in the last end) described in the Word of God, and so becoming a politike Kingdome or Body that makes them a true church; or an vniting, joyning, or combining of a company of Beleivers together amongst themselves, and so unto Christ their only and alone head and King, promising perfect obe­dience to all his Lawes, and to walke in all his wayes, that gives them the denomination of a true visible church of Christ, by virtue of which they come to have Christs power to execute all the Lawes that Jesus Christ hath left and bequeathed in his last will to his welbeloved Spouse, and to administer all his administrations, which out of this state cannot lawfully be administred: as I have already proved at large in my Answer to W. G. an eminent Pro­fess [...] in your Church, but yet an earnest pleader for Antichrists Kingdome and dominion, as well as your selfe, and therefore for this particular I referre you to that.

And as for your Minor and Assumption, which is that you in the Church of England doe enjoy, and outwardly submit your selves to the true worship of God: It is most false and a notorious, lie and untruth, and as well might wicked Faux, and the rest of the Gun-pouder plotters say, that they submitted unto noble King James Lawes and Septer, when they went about to blow up the Parliament House, that so they might destroy him and all his; for you doe not only oppose, and justle out the true worship of God, and throw downe and trample upon the Septer of Jesus Christ his Son, but also you set up a false and Antichristian worship, the inventer of which is the Divel, and the man of Sin, his eldest and most obedient Son: Therefore I am ashamed to heare you who boast your selfe to be such a mighty champion, as you [...]ay you are (having as I heare you have said, that you have confuted many of the Separation) to reason so shallowly and ungroundedly, and against the knowne and confessed truth and therefore you are but like Goliah the Philistins great champion, who exceedingly reviled as you doe, the Hoast of the Lord, and kept a mighty challinging of them, as though none of Gods people had been able to encounter and graple with him; when as poore David that yongue stripling with his sheepheards staffe and a company of smooth stones flung out of a slinge overcame and destroyed that mighty Giant, who thought none so stronge as himselfe, 1 Sam. 15. and justifieth an one are you, and will prove to be, for you fight for the spirituall Phi­listims, [Page 25] the enemies of the Lord, namely for Antichrist, and his Kingdome, and you send forth great bragges & boastes against the truth of God amongst your ignorant acquaintance, but indeed they are nothing but wind and chaffe not able to stand before the breath of Gods sacred truth, which his weake ser­vants for their conquering weapons make use of, as I have already, and shall more fully by the strength of God make it appeare in my following lines, and therefore to confute your Argument, and lay it even with the ground, I will bring your owne Writers weapons, who were members in the Church of England, who doe not plead for Separation, but for Reformation therein read but the Lincolne-shire Ministers Abridgment, and Mr. Cartwrights Defence against Bishop Whiteguift, sometime Pope of Lambeth, and Dr. Ames his Fresh Suite against Humaine Ceremonies, and you shall see your worship proved to be Antichristian, and none of Christs, but of the Divels invention. Also read the Scots Dispute printed in Holland the last Summer, and you shall see the greatest part of your worship, and all your humaine Ceremonies, with which you serve God, proved to be Idols, as your holy garments, and your invented gestures of bowing, and cringing, and your kneling at the act of receiving the Sacrament, &c. Also read a litle Booke of Mr. Damfords (sometime Minister of Colmanstreet in London) against the Service. And noble Dr. Bastwickes book called The Ʋanity and Impiety of the old Letany. and you shall see the Wickednes, Sinfulnes and Vngodlines of it set forth to the utmost, for there it is proved to be an Idoll, which as he there faith, sends more soules to Hell in a yeare then all the prophanenesse, deboystnesse, wickednesse and ungodlynes in the King­dome doth besides, and that nothing could have been invented either by the Divell, or the Pope, for a greater meanes to pull downe the Kingdome of Christ, and for the maintaining and building up the Kingdome of Antichrist, and therefore I put you upon it to Answer their writings, and confute the Ar­guments of your own Authors, which have fully proved that your worship is no divine but humane worship, and therefore not a true but a false worship.

Now if you should deny that your humaine invented diabollicall Booke of Common prayer, and your sacred Ceremonies (as your Lords and masters the Bishops cals them) are not the worship, with which you in the Church of England worship and serve God, the Booke of Common prayer it selfe will confute you, for there in the Preface before that Booke of devised Service, and wicked mans invention they ascribe to the dumbe Ceremonies, a Sacramen­tall naature, and the very Office, and worke of the spirit of God, the doing of which makes them all to become Idols, and all those Idolaters that use them, or partake with them that doe it, for there they say, they are apt to stirre up the dull mind of man to the remembrance of his duty to God by some notable and speaciall signification whereby he might be edefied: Also in the act of vnifor­mity [Page 26] they themselves doe confesse that they are but of mans Invention, and device, and to worship God with mans devices and Inventions, is odious and detestable unto him, as before I have fully proved: and therefore you in En­gland have not the true Worship of God, and so by your owne confession are not a true Church of Christ.

But now to answer your Argument which you bring to prove your Assump­tion, which is this: You have had those that have lived and dyed in the same Wor­ship which you still have, and have beene saved in it, therefore it must needes be a true Worship.

This you say, but doe not prove it in the least, but still take that for granted which I deny; which is, that it doth not therefore follow because some in the Church of England have been saved that have used your Worship, that therfore it is true Worship, for then it would follow that the Worship in the Papistry, which in some respects is more grosser then yours, is a true Worship, for you dare not deny it, which if you doe, you are not able to prove it, that in the Pa­pistry there hath not beene many people that have lived and died therein that have been saved, for the Scripture doth declare that God hath a people there, which he calls uppon to come out thence. Rev. 18.4. for he ownes his Elect e­ven in Spirituall Babilon: yet for all this it doth not follow that their Worship is or ever was a true Worship, though the Riches of the Grace, and unfathomable Goodnes of the Kindnes and Love of God doth reach and extend so far as to save some that live and dy in that Worship as well as in the Worship of England; yet I say it is as extraordinary a worke as the manifestation of Gods love to the Thiefe upon the Crosse was, but for all that, I will maintaine it, that none of those that yeild and submit themselves unto your or their Worship, cannot by the Scripture prove himselfe to be a visible Christian or a true beleever, if they should be put (by Gods people) to prove it. Joh. 14.21.23.24. & 15.8.14. Col. 15.19 to the end. Eph, 5.8. Col. 1.21. Tit. 1.16. & 2.14. 1 Pet. 2, 9. Heb 9.14. Jam. 2.17, 18. 1 Joh. 3.8. & 2 Joh. 9. Rev. 13.8. & 14.1.4.9.10. & 19.20.

Now from that which I have said I frame these Arguments.

1 That Worship which is of the Divells and Antichrists Invention, Institution & setting up, is no true divine Worship.

But the Worship of the Church of England is of the Divells & Antichrists Invention, Institution & setting up, as the forenamed Authors, and the 13. Chap of the Rev. doth fully prove.

Ergo. The Worship in the Church of England is no true Morship.

2. That Worship which is a main meanes & cause of pulling downe the King­dome of Jesus Christ, & establishing, maintaining & upholding of the Kingdome of the Devell & Antichrist, & sends more Soules to Hell then all the wickednesse [Page 27] Impietie, ungodlinesse in the Kingdome doth besides, is no true Worship of God [...] but ought to be detested and abhorred of all his people.

But such is the Worship of the Church of England as worthy Dr. Bastwicke in the third part of his Letany doth prove.

Ergo. It is no true Worship, but ought to be detested & separated from by all Gods faithfull ones.

And thus much for the answering of your third & fourth Arguments, which you say are so strong and true, that you say you need spend no more time in the proofe of them, but indeed you are exceedingly mistaken, for you have not in the least proved either of them, as I have made it manifest. Well now to come to your fift Argument, which is thus framed.

If the Church of Engl. have the true matter and forme of a true Church then it must needs be a true Ch. But the Ch. of Engl. hath the matter & forme of a true Church. Ergo. It is a true visible Church.

Ans. 5. I Answer, if it had the true matter & forme of a true visible Church, then ti were true indeed, for these are both and only essentiall to the being of a true Ch. but I say, you want them both: But you for to prove it say, that the matter of a true Ch. is a company of men and that you have: and you say the Forme is a profession of true Religion: truly you bewray the blindnes and ig­norance of a man whse braines and understanding is infatuated and made drunke with the spirituall cup of fornication of the scarlat whore, not in the least understanding what you say and affirme: yet to answer your Arg. though I grant, that where true matter and true forme is there is a true Church, yet I ab­solutely deny that you have either true matter or true forme, which you say you thinke none will deny; so that the begging of things, and takeing that for granted which I deny, and which you are never able to prove, is the best ground you have to prove your false Arg. true. But now for the matter of a true Ch. you will have it to be a company of men, making no distinction, but let them be what kind soever they will serve it seemes to be true matter in your ch. whether they be a company of men possessed with Divels and uncleane spirits from whose mouth Christ will owne no confession, nor service, but absolutely commands them to hold their peace and not to take his name in their mouthes to speake of him, Mar. 1 s 25.34. oa whether they be Inchanters, Sorcerers, or divi­ners, or wether they be whoremongers, fornicatorss, Idolaters, adulterers, drunk­ards, swearers, blaspheamers, prophane persons, lyars, or those that commit the sin against the holy ghost, so they be but men, let them he what kind of men they will, you say they are fit matter for a true church; indeed I confesse they are the fittest matter for your church that you can have, and your church is made up, and doth consist of all such sorts & kinds of wicked persons, which doth evident­ly & and undenyably prove it to be an Antich. Ch. and one of the nationall Citties that is under the government of the Beast, for he is said to compell all as you doe both rich and poor, high & low, bond & free, to become his servants & subjects and to worship him according to his lawes, and whosoever will not, shall not [Page 28] live neither in peace nor quietnes. Rev. 13.15.16. and this is the practice of your Church daily and hourly: for the most unfittest matter for your Chur­ches are the Consciencious Saints that desire to glorifie God as well in their Bodys as in their S [...]ules, and to walke unblameably in all his waies, and if there be a­ny such among you, they are cast out of your Synagogues by you and prohibi­ted either to buy or sell with you though such as these alone be the only true and fit matter for the visible Church or Kingdome of Jesus Christ. Esay. 35.10. & 51.11. Jer. 4.5. Act. 1.14.15. & 2.41.47. & 11.21.23. Rom. 1.7. 1 Cor. 1.2. 1 Pet. 2.9. Rev. 22.14. For all uncleane, wicked and ungod­ly persons of what sort soever, are no fit matter to become members of Christs holy City, new Jerusalem which is said to come downe from Heaven, or visi­ble Church, for all such should and ought to be kept out from thence. Act. 2.40. 1 Cor. 5.13. & 6.9.10. Rev. 21.27. & 22.15.

In the second place you say the proffession of true Religion is the forme of a true Church, & this you in England doe and have, and therefore are a true Church. For answer to which I say, that I have already in the foregoing dis­course fully proved, that your Religion is not a true Religion but a false, seing you worship and serve God, not accoding to his Lawes and commands, but with, and according to your owne devises and Inventions, but yet I doe confesse that yee doe professe (like the Samaritane) the worship of the true God, but for all that (with them) you serve your Idols, therefore by your owne grounds you have not the forme of a true Church, wherefore by the same Ground it followes that you are not a true Church. But now punctually to answer your Argument, I affirme that th [...] forme of a true Church is for a company of beleevers who are washed in the bl [...]od of Christ by a free and voluntary Consent or willingnesse to enter into that heaven­ly and holy State, City or Kingdome, which in the word of God is plentiuflly described, and by the power of Christ to become a constituted or Polytique Body or Corporation, or an inclosed or fenced Garden or Vinyard, and then by vir­tue of their combination uniting & joyning themselves together each to other & so unto the Lord, promising to walk in all his waies & to yeild obedience to all his Lawes & commands, as he requires they should. Gen. 17. 2 Cor. 6 17.18. they become a true visible Church of Jesus Christ. Deut. 29.9.10.11. 2 King. 11.17. 2 Cron. 15.12. Nehe. 10.29. Psal. 110. 3. Jer. 50.4.5. Act. 23.24 & so hath power from Christ her head, to cast out offenders. 1 Cor. 5. to chuse elect & ordaine her own Officers Act. 6.3.5. & 14.23. & they ordained them Elders in every Church by Election. as the Originall and Beza's Transla­tion with others, read it (though the word, Election, by the Bishops fraud and Pollicy, be left out in our last English Translation) and to re­ceive in beleevers. 2 Cor. 2.7.8. and to keepe out wicked persons Rev. 21.27. and 22.15. and to reprove and admonish her owne Officers Bishops or Overseers Col. 4.17. or doe her selfe any sprituall good, or [Page 29] exclude from herselfe any evill shee feares, or is like to come upon her without the helpe or assistance of any either church or officers besides her selfe, Rev. 1.2.3. ch. but the Ch. of Eng. neither hath, or ever had this forme in the least, as I have fully manifested elsewhere: as also you may read in a litle Booke lately printed called the Three Estates, that is to say, the Civill State, the rrue Ecclesiasticall Sate, and the False Ecclsiasticall State, and also you want the pro­fession of the true Religion, and therefore your Ch. is no true Ch. of Christ, for it is vnited by profession & subjection to the Pope of Lambeth, who is substi­tute to the Pope of Rome, whome Mason in his Epistle Dedicatory before his Booke of Ordination of Bishops, Preists and Deacons, cals the Head and cheife over the Ch. of Engl. for they in their publike Court of High Com­mission at the censure of that noble and worthy Dr. Bastwicke have renounced the King as Head thereof, and have placed it upon the Bishops of Canterbu­ry, as you may read at large in the 10. and 11. p. of his Answer to sir John Bankes, if Canterbury be her Head, as Mason and others affirme, then sure I am, that Christ is none of her head, for his body is no monster, to have two heads Therefore the Church of England is a whorish and Antichristi­an Church, and none of Christs, having nothing to doe with Jesus Christ. nor any of his Lawes, Worship, Offices, Ordinances or Administrations; but in the next place you bring an Argument to prove the Religion in the Church of England to be true, and you thus lay it downe.

That Religion which will lead men on into the true way of salvation, that must needs be the true Religion.

But the Religion which we professe leads into the true way of salvation, for men to looke for salvation in Gods free mercy in Jesus Christ.

Therefore (say you) your Argument must needs be true.

I answer that if it were granted (which in the least I doe not) that your Religion is true, yet this alone were not sufficient to prove your Church true. But I absolutely deny your Argument, and affirme that your Religion neither is the true Religion, nor that it leads men the true way to salvation, for I have already proved it to be a false Religion, and that it leads men the true way to Rebellion against God, and his Son Jesus Christ. But you will say how comes it to passe that some are saved, which professe our Religion, which you affirme to be false? I answer in Moses words, hidden things belongs to God, but revealed things to us and our Children, Devt. 29.29. but yet when I seriously consider of it, and with a deliberate eye looke into the holy Scrip­ture the revealed will of God, it makes me thinke, say, and cry out with Paul, Rom. 11.33. O the depthes of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God, how unspeakeable are his judgments, and his wayes past finding out, who can save his People, those elect ones, even in the bosome of Antichrist his cursed Kingdome of darknesse, contrary to all grounded rea­son [Page 30] that the wit of man is able to give or render from his revealed will, but only must say, it is alone his meer mercy, and gratious, and omnipotent plea­sure so to doe, who is tyed to no meanes, place or person, but can worke, and bring to passe his owne ends, and purposes without meanes, yea and beyond all outward meanes, 1 Kin. 19.10.17. Ezec. 57. for the holy one of Israel is not limited. But to prove this Argument you lay downe an other after this man­ner. If men professing the same way to salvation that we doe, have lived and dyed in the profession of it, and been saved, then is the Religion and way to salvation that we professe a true Religion and way to salvation. But men that professe our Religion have been saved. Ergo it is true. what childish reasoning is here to beg things after this manner, and to judge the cause by the effect contrary to the whole currant of the Scripture, for it doth largly shew, that a bad and wicked cause or action may produce and bring forth a good and glorious effect and this is just as they said in Pauls time, let us doe evill that good may come of it, but saith he, such mens damnation is just, Rom. 3.8. and if you have read the Scripture, (which it appeares you have not very often) you may know, that the Midwives, and Harlot Rahabs lying saved the Israelites children, and the Spies lives, Exod. 1. Josh. 2. for which act of mercy they are commended in the Word of God, and also it produced good effects to them, for the Lord cau­sed the Midwives to prosper, and saved Rahab alive, yet for all this they sinned in lying, and doe you not know, that the Word of God saith wee must not doe the least evill that the greatest good may come of it: but yet by your reasoning a man may, which to affirme is the height of wickednes, and im­piety, and also by your reasoning a man may defend and justifie all the sinnes and sayings of Gods people, and others recorded in the Booke of God, out of which that God that is able to bring light out of darkenes, and good out of evill, hath brought much glory to himselfe, as out of Pharaohs hard hearted­nesse and blood thirsty cruelty that he exercised upon Gods people, it pro­duced good to them, by working their deliverance, and glory to God, by manifesting his power and goodnes, yet for all this Pharaohs sin was never the lesse. And also according to your reasoning Judas his trea­son might be excused, for that sin of his brought a world of glory unto God, and salvation and eternall glory to his elect and chosen ones; yet though his betraying of Christ did produce such a good and glorious effect it did nothing at all excuse his sin.

Againe your Arg. is nothing to the purpose to prove that which you have undertaken, for we are not reasoning of the way and meanes of salvation, which is only and alone by faith in the Lord Christ, which is possible may be had in a false Ch. yea also in no Ch. but the thing we are about is to prove & see whether the Ch. of Eng. be a true Ch. of Christ, or a false Ch. of Antichr.

But yet more fully to Answer your Argument what though it [Page 31] be confessed that many of God Elect have been saved, that have professed your false and Antichr. Rel. it will not therefore follow, that your Religion is a true Religion, nor your church a true church, because some have been saved, that have professed it: I hope you will not so conclude, which if you doe, then I say by your owne grounds, that the chruch of Rome is a true church, the Religion there a true Religion, for many therein have lost their lives for the maintaining of some truths, which have yet adheared to the Church of Rome, & of many of their eternall happines, as good grounds may be given as the most of the mar­tyrs of the ch. of Eng. yea, and I verily beleive, that God hath had, and still hath a people there which belongs to his Election of grace, which both hath and will save, and so by your owne grounds their church and Religion are both true, because it is possible that some that professe have been and still may be saved But if you will maintaine this, then you contradict your owne writers, which have plentifully proved the Religion in Rome and the church thereof, to be false, and yet have granted that some have been saved there, & therefore for you to goe about to prove rhe church of Engl. true, and the wor­ship therein true, because some of the members thereof that have professed the Religion therin have been saved, is an erronious & unsound ground, for by this ground it will follow, that the Crosse upon which the Theife was han­ged was a true church, for there he had salvation & the apprehension of Gods love, & his assurance of his enterance into the Kingdome of glory, as fully as ever any in the ch. of En. had; and also it will follow, that the Chariot in which the Eunuch rode, Acts 8. was a true ch. for there he came to the knowledg of his salvation & the apprehension of the true love of God in Christ; also you know God by his almighty power saved Daniel & the three children alive even in the Lyons den, and in the hot burning furnace, and because God by his power did this, shall I therefore goe cast my false into the fire, and among the Lyons, & say, they have no power to burne me, or kill me, but I am safe enough because God preserved Daniel, and the three children alive in the like condition: every wise man would conclude surely I were out of my wits: So you see how er­ronious, rotten, insufficient & unsound all your grounds & arguments are in the lying downe of which you run with your deceitfull Logike, like a blind horse in a mill, about, & about, and still come to the same place, where you begun, never in the least prove any thing you say by the authority of the word of God, nor yet by any grounded reason, but ruly your false affirmations, for the wind that comes out of you. mouth, is so weak and feeble, that it will scarce blow away a straw if it lie in your way

And then in the last place, you bring an Arg. in the necke of this, being of the same nature with the former, and it is this. That because Latimer, Hooper & Bradford, with many others were martyrs in your ch. and were saved ss [...] by the judgment of charity (not infalibly) wee may judge were saved, and knew the corruptions of your church, and yet did not separate away [Page 32] from it, therefore it is a true Church, and need not be separated from, see­ing men may be saved in it. Truly I must confesse unto you, I am almost weary with answering your paultery, old, rotten, mouldy stuffe, and you are such a novice in the misteries of God and godlynesse, and the Kingdome of his Son Jesus Christ, not understanding what you say, or affirme, nor bow to prove an Argument, that I am almost loath any more to contend with you in regard the victory in overcomeing you will be so poore and meane, and your wares are such paltery, and peplary commodities, that I am even tyred with lookeing upon them and turning them over: but yet for all this I will a litle reply to this your last Argument, but I hope you do not hold that maxime in the Church of Rome, extra ecclesia nulla salus, that is, out of the Church no salvation, if you doe, it is most erronious, for I have proved it, and the whole New Testament doth declare it, that it is possible for a man to be saved, though he be a member of no visible Church; yea and that some that are joyned to a false Church may be saved, but yet if they may be so, it is no ground for their staying, or abiding there, for God cals, and commands all his people to be separated from the World, and all false churches, 2 Cor. 6.16.17.18. Rev. 18.4. but it seemes by your reasoning, you hold that if a man get salvation, and get to heaven, and so get his own ends served, let Gods glory goe a begging, and lye at the stake a bleeding for all you, but truly such a servant deserves no wages, but rather punishent; for a­las man this is but selfe seeking at the best, in which a man can have no spiri­tuall comfort, and joy: But God would have his people to joy and rejoyc in walking in his wayes, and sing and be merry, and be of a chearefull counte­nance, as it doth become the heires of the Crowne of glory, and he would have them not only as it were creep into Heaven, but to strive and labour to have an abundant enterane thereinto, 1 Pet. 19.10.11. but by your reaso­ning you would have them never be merry, joyfull, nor chearfull (for in false wayes there is no peace nor comfort, Esa. 59 8 9.11. Mal. 2.2.) but live like forlorne men destitute of all comfort, hanging downe their heads like bulrushes, and so dishonour their God and their Christ in the eyes of the men of the world, who will glory and triumph over them, as though there were not that sweetnes, beautifulnes, amiablenes, fulnes, satisfaction and con­tednes in the enjoying of God in his Son Christ, that might make them walke with merry counterances, chearfull hearts and reioycing soules, as it becomes the Sons and heires of the King of glory, disdaining, contemning, and lightly esteeming the base and empty moth eaten contents of this present world, and to have their affections crucified to it, and it to them, and though they be in the world, yet to walke as those whose conversation is already in Heaven, longing and desiring to be dissolved to be with Christ which is best of all: A­way man, Christ hath no need of such unserviceable selfe seeking servants as you [Page 33] on are, to weare his glorious and rich Livery, and let me tell you, God never sent his sonne Christ to save us for that end to live at ease, and delight, as we lift, or in the fashion of the World: but that we should glorifie him in being unlike to the World in our lives and conversation by an unblameable walking in all his wayes, labour­ing and endeavouring to yeild obedience to all his Lawes and commaunds, not suffering our hearts to be possessed with base feares of the world, nor be in love with the things thereof, but that wee should hold forth the profession of the purity of his truth and Gospell without feare before the eyes of the world, and though wee suffer persecution, affliction and tribulation for it, that wee should joy and rejoce in it and esteem it our Crown and happines that the Lord counts us worthy to suffer for, his sake: And truly let me tell you, he that seekes but his own ends, and so that he could be but saved cares for no more, not regarding or takeing thought what becomes of Gods glory, honour and praise, it is an evident and demon­strable signe, that that man doth not belong to God, nor never shall be heire of glory, John 14.23.24. & 25.8.14. 1 John 3.8.10. & 2.9. Rev. 12.11. & 14.4.

And what if Latimer, and the rest of the martyrs had communion with the Church of England, is that a sufficient ground, that therefore wee must not separate away from it,? I hope not, for what if God winked at their blindnes, darkenes, and ignorance, yet now let me say with Paul, that in truth he will have all his people to come to the knowledge of his truth and wayes, Acts 17.20. because he hath appoynted a day, wherein he will shortly judge that great scarlet whore of Rome, and all her nationall churches, cityes, or daughters that depend vpon her, one of which England is; and woe to that man at that day, that is found within her territories, or the Paile of her great catholike church, or the walls of her great wide and farre spread spirituall citty.

Alas man there is a great deale of difference betwixt King Edwards and Queen Maryes times, and ours now; the martyrs and people of God were then but newly enlightned, to see the blake and spirituall darke Kingdome of Satan, and Antichrist, in which they were brought up, the darkenesse whereof was so great, the Sun and the Aire was both clouded, Rev. 9 2. and the bright, shining light of the old and new Testament shut vp in much obscu­rity to what it is now, and they did but see the abominable wickednes of his kingdome a farre of, like the man in the Gospell, whose eyes Christ opened, who at his first looking up, did see men walking a farre off like trees, even so they saw but the truthes a farre off, which made them rejoyce at a little Reformation, and highly to esteeme of those things in the worship and service of God, that now are made manifest by the light of truth before the open Sun, to be no fitter for Gods worship and Service then kennell dirte, being meer Idols, and those Idolaters that communicate with them, and though they rejoyced at a little Reformation of Antichrists errours; but now [Page 34] it is made manifest that no Reformation of his Kingdome will serve the turne, but it must be now annihilated and nullified before the visible Kingdome of Christ can flourish, and become the praise of the whole Earth, and you know and confesse they would have no Communion with the Church of Rome from which they thought they had seperated, neither with that abominable Idoll the Masse which you confesse they counted detestable, though they had communion with the Church of England and the Service-Booke, but now the Church of England is proved againe and againe by hundreds of the Seperation, and others in their disputes, Sermons and writings, to be as Antichristian as the Church of Rome and the Service Booke to be as detestable as the Idol of the Masse, being even one and the same with it, saving that it is in Latine and this in English (as No­ble Dr. Bastwicke hath proved) And what though the abomination and fornica­tion of that great Red WHOORE of Rome, in King Edwards time was not so ful­ly laid open, but that the Martyrs and chosen people of God did then commit some spirituall Fornication with her, must we therefore doe the like? no, God forbid! for the Lambe that standeth upon mount Syon with an Hundred fourty and four Thow­sand of his Elect and chosen ones having his Fathers name written in their Fore­heads hath proclaimed and made it manifest, that Babilon or spiritaall Rome is now fallen and is become the habitation of Divells, and tho hold of every soul spirit and the Cage of every uncleane and hatefull, Bird: with whom Gods people now at no hand are not to be mixed in spirituall Society or Communion.

And what though the everlasting Gospell then was not so fully preached and revealed as now it is, so that Gods people then were exceeding ignorant of it, and by their blindnesse thought they thought they had seperated away from the Beasts Kingdome, yet were they in it, and did worship him, must it then follow that we must doe so too? no: for now the great City Rome is, much more fallen and descovered then it was: and now a third Angell hath proclaimed it with a lowd voyce having his Commission from God so to doe that seing now the Booke is opened, and the trueth of the everlasting Gospell is prea­ched and Light is now brought into the world: so that now if after all this a man worship the Beast and his Image, or receive in his right hand or in his forhead his marke, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is powred out without mixture into the Cup of his Indignation, and he shall be tormented with Fire and Brimstone in the presence of the Angells, and in the presence of the Lambe, and the smoke of their Torment ascended up for ever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night that worship the Beast or his Image, or receive the marke of his Name. Rev. 14.8.9.10.11. Wherefore saith the Spirit of God, Came out of her any people, that ye be not partakers of her sinnes, [Page 35] and that yee receive not of her plagues, chap. 18.5. here is the expresse command of God himselfe to all his chosen and elect ones to separate away from all An­tichristian Assemblies, and not in the least to partake with them in any of their worship, ordinances, or administrations, which precept if any of them refuse to obey, let them know, that God will plague them, and though for his Covenant sake, he save their soules, yet it will be through much difficulty, ac­companed with many an heavy and sad heart, and many a bitter uncomfor­table Crosse. Therefore let all Gods people that yet are in her, or in the bo­some of the Church of England, her daughter, as they love their own inward peace, and spirituall joy, and looke that their soules should prosper and flo­rish with grace and Godlines looke to it, and withdraw their spirituall obedi­dience and subjection from all Antichrists Lawes and worship, and now joyne themselves as fellow Cttizens of the City of God, to worship and serue him in mount Syon the beauty of holynesse, and there only to yeild all spirituall obedi­ence to Christs spirituall Lawes and Scepter.

Now my Opposite, I have fully by the authority of the sacred and pure word of God, particularly answered your trifling, childish and frothy arguments, and proved against you and them, that the church, ministery and worship in Eng­land is all of them Antichristian, from which all Gods people are bound in consol­ence, ind in paine of undergoing the Lords high displeasure hnd indignation, and heing portakers of his fearfull and dreadfull plagues, to separate away from it, and to have no communion with it.

Therefore to you my Opposer I say with the Prophet to backstyding Israel, I [...] God be God follow him, or if Baall or Antichrist or Rome he God then fol­low him.

And so much for the Answering of your erronious Arguments.

BUt now you will, it may be say, if salvation as you have confessed and proved may be had in a false Ch. yea in no Gh. then wherefore doe you enter into, and become a member of a true Church? My Answ. to this is, in the first place negatively: I doe not enter thereinto for to be saved thereby, or for to seeke for Jesus Christ, as though I wanted either, for I have both Christ and salvation, as all those ought to have, that become fellow citzens of the City of God, as I have before largely proved, neither doe I enter into into it to live securely and carelesly in sin & pleasure, loosenes of life and con­versation; no, none such are fit to be there, and if any such creepe in thither, us it is possible they may, they ought to be cast out from them, 1 Cor. 5.13. But affirmatively in the second place I answer, That I enter into it, First in o­bedience to Gods command, Es [...]. 26.20. who hath commanded and enjoyned me, and all his faithfull people to become Citizens of his City, and members of his visible church, there to worship him Syon, the beauty of holynes, accor­ding to his owne Lawes and appoyntment. Againe I enter into a true Church [Page 36] estate, to honour and glorifie my God, who hath passed by so many thousands as he hath done, and left them in their sins, and yet hath chosen me freely before the foun­dation of the world was laid; out of the riches and abundance of his grace, and through and for his Son Christ my Saviours sake, by whose blood my soule is wash­ed and cleansed from all my sins and pollutions, and presented spoiles and blameles before his and my heavenly father, by which I am made fit, being an beir of glory, to partake with him in eternall glory in the never ending Kingdome of glory, with unspeakable grace, mercy, and favour, ties and binds me to walke uprightly and is blameable without feare or selfe respects in all his wayes and commaunds, and with all my strength and might to set forth his prasie, and to honour and glorifie his great and holy name, which is done by my publike and open pro­fessing of the purity of his truth, and walking inoffensibly and unreproveable in all his pathes, endeavouring to the utmost of my power, being assisted with his renuing spirit, (who is the worker of all my workes in me and for me) to yeild willing and cheerfull obedience to all his Lawes & commaunds, by the doing of which, light doth shine so before men, that they may see my good workes, and so glorifie my father which is in heaven. Also by this I become a witnesse bearer against the world, leaving them without the least excuse before God in the day of their great accon [...]nt, in that I esteem the enjoying of God in his Christ above all earthly favours & riches, the sweetnes of which makes me with wilingnes and cheerfulnes freely & willingly to part with all worldly treasures, delights, & pleasures aed with rejoyceing & glorying to suffer perse­cution, tribulation, and all sorte of affliction for the enjoying of him, and yet though I professe the truth of God amongst the men of the world, and doe so highly prize it, and esteem it worthy the loosing of my life for it, yet they nei­ther doe nor will imbrace it, has despise and reject it, which makes their sin inexousable. Also I enter into a true church estate, as into a speaciall place of shelter, and resume, Esa. 4.5.6. where God in an espeaciall manner hath pro­mised to be a shielder & defender of me from harmes and dangers which when I see are, I may presse him with the makeing good of his promise, who in espe­ciall manner hath promised to be an hiding place to his people walking here in his wayes; whereas though I be his, yet if I walke in false wayes, and have communion with false Assemblyes, which it is possible for Gods owne people to doe, then am I without all promise of protection, peace and com­fort; for God is terrible and dreadfull out of his holy place, or in false wayes or in wayes of our owne invention we shall neither find nor know prace, Esa. 29.13. & 50.10. & 59.8.10.11. & he hath threatned to curse those blessings that are got therein, Mal. 2.2. for the vine thereof is as the vine af Sodom, & of the feilds of Gomorah, their grapes are grapos of gall, and their clusters are bit­ter, their wine is the poyson of Draggans, and the cruell venome of Aspes, Deut 32.32.33. but his visible Ch. (or Kingdom) is his City walled, Rev. 21 which he will save & protect his vineyard fenced, Esa. 5. which he will keep [Page 37] Esa. 27.3. his Garden enclosed, which he will preserve; his Spring shut up, which he will de end; his fountaine sealed, which he will not suffer to be be broaken open, Can. 4.2. his body pelitique, over which he [...]s Head, Ephes. 1.22. and therefore bearing a a tender love to the members thereof, Ephes. 5.23.25.30. he will not suffer them to be wronged, but will defend them from their enemies, and keep them in the midst of all afflictions, Esa. 43.1.2. & 41.10.11.14. & 54.17. Heb. 13.5.6. Also I enter into a true Ch. estate, there to find Gods espeaciall presence, which he hath promised therein Psal. 0.11. & 4.6.4.5.68.16. Jer. 8.3. Rev. 21.3.22.23. and that I might grow & increase in grace which he hath promised there, Ps: 132.13.14.15.16. & 133.3. Jer. 8. for he hath said he will water it every moment Esa. 27.3. that so his people may become fruitfull and grow [...]d like tall Cedars in Lebanon. Lastly, I enter into it, that I might draw more to my God, and gaine more and more spirituall fellow­ship, and communion with him, and that I might make my election & salva­tion sure, that so an enterance abundantly may be administred unto me, to en­ter into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord & Saviour Jesus Christ, 9 Pet. 1.10.11. and that so I may walke comfortably, irejoyceingly & cheerfully, as it doth become one vnited to the Lord of glory, in the professing of whom alone so much riches, treasure, comfort, rejoyceing and unspeakeable joy is to be found & had, that a beleiver may spend largely & plentifully all his dayes upon and live like a King, and be never able to exhaust it. And those are my rea­sons amongst many others. Wherfore though God hath manfested his love and kindnes unto me in his son, yet I desire according to my duty to enter into a visible Church, as a visible christian, there publikely in the eyes of his people to worship and serve hem only according to his owne Lawes, without any mans inventions whatsoever.

But now to say a litle to that, which followeth your Arguments, and so I will conclude. You desire to let your Freind know, there have been known wick­ed men in a true Ch. and therefore though in the Ch. of Eng. there be all sorts of wicked men, yet Gods people may have communion with them, because there were wicked men in the Ch. of the Jewes, and the Corinthes: And this is that you labour to prove, let me tell you, you might have saved your selfe a great deale of paines, for the Separation de confessi & acknowledg, that there hath been wicked men, and also corruptions in a true Ch. and that still may so fall out, that yet in may be so, and yet not the essence of it destroyed: but what get you by this? for this will not serve turne, to warrant communion with the Ch. of Eng. in regard I groundedly & absolutely deny, that either the Ch. of Eng. is or ever was a true Ch. and till you have proved it true, all the paines that you have taken in proving that it is possible for corruptions and wicked livers to be in a true Ch. is spent in vaine and to no purpose, and I am confident, that you nor none else will ever be able to prove the Ch. of Eng. true, nor any other Nati­onall Ch. for Jesus Christ by his death did abolish the National Church of the [Page 38] Jewes, with all there Lawes, rites and Ceremonies thereof, and in the new Testament did never institute no nationall Ch. nor left no Lawe, nor Offi­cers for the governing thereof,, but the Church that he instituted, are free and indedendant bodies, or Congregations depending upon none but only upon Christ their Head: Therefore, nationall Churches under the Gospell are of Antichrists, that man of sins institution and ordaining, who only hath ordained Lawes and officers of his owne for the governing of them, as I have sufficiently proved at large in my foresaid Answer to W. G. and but put the ease, the Ch. of Eng. had been a true Ch. as it never was, yet those abomi­nable corruptions, and most detestable, grosse, open, notoriovs wickednes and prophanes, would have utterly destroyed long ere this her Essence and Being, and have made her utterly to have forfeited her Charter, and have ceased to a true Ch. for if God threatned to unchurch the Ch. of Ephesus, Rev. 2. and to take his heavenly state, Charter, and Candlesticke frow her, for but forsake­ing her first Love; and the Gh. of Pergamus for having some in her that taught the Doctrin of Balam; and the Ch. of Thiatira for suffering Jesabels doctrine to preached amonst them: doe you think that he would haue spared the Ch. of Eng. to this day, who for many hundred yeares, even ever since her first consti­tution, take her at her best, hath been ten times worse then all these, in which all manner of false doctrines have been manifestly maintained and preached, and all kind of prophanes & wickednes by her nembers practiced & perpetra­ted. Therefore for you, or any other to say, and affirme, that this monster­ous, ugly, botched and skabbed body, is Christs true Spouse, is dishonourable to his blessed Being and Mediatorship, who gave himselfe for his Ch., that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, & that he might, preserve it to himself a glorious Ch. not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy, and without blemish, Ephes. 5.26.27. for the name of this City, is the Lord is there, Ezr. 48.15. all the true In­habitants of which, are to be righteous as the servants and elect ones of the Lord, Esa. 60.21. & 65.2. but in the Ch. of Engl. he that is most acute in teach­ing false doctrine, and setting up Antichrists wicked Kingdom, climbes to the highest preferment and Church dignity, as they call it, witnes, the prophane ignorant, sottish, athiesticall Bishops, who are so voyde of understanding in the misteries of God and godlines, that they dare not publikely dispute with the yonguest boy, that doth oppose them, though they have been challeng­ed to it. Also he that commits the most widkednes and ungodlynes, is the best loved and respected, and those that labour to oppose false doctrine and walke more holyer then others, are the most hated, despised and reejcted, and this even in the bosome of your Church, even by the Pillars and corner stones thereof, witnes those late, bloody, barbarous, and tyrannicall cutting of mens eares at the Pillory, and whipping others at the Cart, that even for conscience sake: therefore doe you thinke, or have you any ground to imagine [Page 39] that if ever your Ch. had been true, but that these transcendant, exceeding grosse & vile corruptions, would not have nullified destroy'd and annihilated her, and [...]e made Christ long ere now, to have given her a Byll of Divorce, as he did to [...]keslyding Israel, and to have taken her Charter from her, as he hath done from all those famous, flourishing & renouned Churches recorded in the New Testament. It is true, The Ch. of the Jewes had grosse & mighty cor­ruptions in her, which was the height of her sin, for which God severly plagud and punished her many times: And what if she had such things in her, that will not in the least defend the mighty corruptions in your Ch. seeing as I have proved, it never was a true Ch. no nor never so long as she stands in that falfe Antichristian, Nationall state as she doth; but as for the Ch. of the Jewes, it was a true Ch. unto whom God truly gave his Lawes & Ordinances, in the ob­servation & keeping of which, she might have continued lovely, amiable, and beautifull in his eyes, but yours hath not her Power, Lawes and Ordinances from God, but from the Divell & Antich. Rev. 13.2.4. It is true, it was the sin of the Jewes to commit such grosse evils, as they did, and to suffer the offen­ders amongst them to goe unpunished, contrary to their wholesome Lawes & Gods own commaund, who had ordained & commanded them, that the soule that committed such & such evils, should be out off, & destroyed from amongst the people (as you may largely read in the 4. last Bookes of Moses) because the Land as well as the people was an holy Land by virtue of Gods institution of it, and setting it a part for himselfe, as well as the people; and therefore he would have had haynous transgressours to be destroyed, or killed, least the Land should be polluted & desiled with their wickednes, as he himselfe speakes, now because they would not observe the Lawes & Ordinances that he had given them, though he suffered their manners long, and bare much with their sin, in that he fatherly chastised and corrected them againe & againe, be­fore he utterly destroyed them, and anhialated their nationall Ch. that so they might be left without excuse, but seeing no Reformatton after so many cor­rections could not be had, but their prophanations and grosse abominations were so great and continued in, it caused him at the last utterly to renounce them, and for ever put an end unto their nationall C. and Ceremoniall Law, which was done at the death of Christ, when he spake, and said, it is finished and now he will never any more returne againe unto them, to become an hus­band, as he was to the Nation of the Jewes, though yet he hath, as the Scrip­tures declare an elect remnant and company amongst them, and at the end of their Nationall Church, Jesus Christ the eternall Son of God by virtue of that power, which he had received of and from his Father, changed their Lawes & Ordinances, as the History of the Acts of the Apostles with the rest of the new Testament doth fully declare, and he institued no nationall, but particular Churches or Congregations, many of which may be in one Countrey or nati­on, & all of them independant bodyes, depending upon none, but only upon [Page 40] Christ their head, and withall instituted for it spirituall matter, the particu­lars of which are to be Beleevers, as I have already largely proved, & from them only and alone he will accept Service and homage Esay. 43.21. & 51.7. for they alone & no others have true right to take his name in their mouth, & to de­clare his Statutes & to meddle with his Law, & Testimony Psal. 50.16. Prov. 15:8.9. & 21.27. Esay 8.16. Mar. 4.34. & also instituted for his Church a spiritu­all Worship, spirituall Lawes, spirituall Government spirituall Ordinances, spirituall Administrations, which none upon pain of Rebellion against Jesus Christ the sonne of God & Wisedome of his father, are to adde to, or detract from.

Againe, in the second place, it is true, that many of those Churches which Christ in his new Testament instituted, as the Church of Corinth for one, in processe of time became corrupt, and had grosse Offenders in her, yet though at the first Constitution of the Church of Corinth, Rome and others did consist of Saints by calling, and sanctified in Christ Jesus Rom. 1.7. Cor. 1.1.2. Gal. 1.22. that is to say, such as by their outward conversation did declare, that they were united by faith to Jesus Christ; and what though afterward they had corruptions in them, yet that makes nothing at all for you, for first, I put you to prove, that ever your Ch. was true, which if you cannot doe, to plead that corruptions may be in a true Church, will doe you no good, nor serve nothing to your purpose, nor be no way advantagious to your Ch. which alway even from the first day hath been false & antichristian, and what though Corinth had offenders in her, did God winke at them, or did Paul the Apostle of the Gentiles connive at their wickednes? no, for he com­maunded them to cast out the incestious person, or give him over to Satan, Epist. 1. chp. 5. as he himselfe did, Hymeneus & Alexander, that so they may learne not to blaspheame, 1 Tim. 1.20. which casting out into the world under the Gospell, is as great a spirituall punishment, as killing of the body was to the Jewes cor­porall. Also he commaunds them, that if any of their members were a forni­catur, or coveteous, or an Idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, that they should avoyde him, and not keep companie with him, no not so much as to eate with him▪ ver. 11. But now if this rule should be narrowly observed in your church, as it ought to be in all true visible churches of Jesus Christ, I wonder with whom a man should have any spirituall society or communion, sure I am, not with one amongst ten thousand in your Ch. no nor with one at all, it being in every respect so grosly papisticall, antichristian & idolatrous.

Againe, as for that place which in the 2 Cor. 12. last end you cite, where he saith, that he was afraid, that he should be troubled among them, not finding them such as he would, and that he should be humbled among them, in bewayling mamy which have sinned already, and have not repented of their uncleanenes, fornication, and lasciviousnes, which they had committed, but if you read the next chap. you shall see how he threatneth them, and tels them, that at his comeing againe [...] th [...]n, though before he had vsed gentilenes and mildnes, yet now he will not [Page 41] spare them, but exercize warrantable sharpne [...]s and rigour towards them, accoding to that power which the Lord had given unto him to edificati [...]n, and not to destru­ction, seing (as he saith) he can doe nothing against the truth but for the truth, so that you se, though there were corruptions amongst them and grosse sinners yet there is no conniving at it, nor no tollerating of it, but sharp and bitter reproving of it. And as for the rest of those other Scriptures which you cite I answer to them as before, and grant that there was grosse corruptions in many of the Churches recorded in the New Testament, yet I say and affirme, it was their sin to suffer, for which God admonished and threatned them, as you may read in the 2. & 3 Chap. of the Rev. which became they continued constant in their sin, and would not reforme and amend themselves as they ought and had power to have done, God hath taken away his Candlesticke o [...] heavenly state from them: Whose examples serve for all other Churches war­ning, for God hath cast them all off and unchurched them, taking the fo fe­ture of their heavenly Charter, as is to be seen at this day. Yea also the Chur. in and at Rome it selfe, though once the Faith thereof was spoken of to the praise of the Saints therein throughout the whole World Rom. 4.8. Yet they also are cast off, and are now no Church of Christ, but is become long and many years since the seat of Antichrist the man of sinne, that sonne of perdition who opposeth and exalteth himselfe above all that is called God. 2 Thess. 2.3.4. that is to say, above all Civill Magistrates, yea Emperours kings and Princes, which the Spirit of God in the Booke of the Psalmes calleth Gods. And is become the Habi­tation of Divells and the hold of every fowll spirit, and a Cage for every uncleane and hatefull Bird to rest in, with whom all Nations have been made drunke, and still are, with the wine of the wrath of her spirituall Fornication, with whom the Merchants of the Earth are growen rich through the ahoundance of her delicacy [...]s Rev. 18.2.3. that is to say, her Officers, which the Spirit of God calleth here, Merchants, by virtue of their Offices, have got fat and rich benefices, which they call Spirituall Promotions, by which they are mightily swelled up with Pride, Venerie and Luxury, but their day is shortly a comming, wherein they shall cry with weeping and wailing for the finall destruction of the great spiri­tuall City of Babilon, saying Alas, Alas, for in one hower she is made desolate & naked. Ʋer. 15.16.17.18. For she doth been drunke with the Blood of the Saints and of the Martyrs of Jesus Christ which she hath spilt in great aboundance, like water upon the ground, but the day is almost come, wherein the Justice of God will render her a full recompence with Vengence and Fury: Wherefore to you all Gods people that yet is in her, Come out of her & depart from her, for if you stay in her you will partake of her sinnes, in dsobeying Gods commands and so will be lyable and open to his Plagues, wrath and Fury: for her sinnes have reached unto the Heavens, & God hath remembred her Iniquities. There­fore let us call together the Archers & valiant Spear-men of the Lord, and ac­cording [Page 42] to our duty Let us set our selves in Array against her, & campe rownd about her, & shoot at her, without mercy: and let none that belong unto her escape your spirituall Darts, but let us reward her even as she hath rewarded us, & dou­ble unto her double according to her workes, in the Cup which shee hath filled to us, let us fill to her d [...]uble: for she hath beene exceeding proud against the Lord of Hoasts, even against the Holy One of Israel. Jer. 50.8.14.29. & 51.6.9.10. Rev. 18.4.5.6.

And also, I will maintaine that the Church of Rome as it is called,, and as at this day it stands, and hath done for above a Thousand years, neither is nor never was, a true visible Church of Christ. It is true, there was a true Church in Rome and at Rome, but never of Rome: the members of which were Saints and Beleevers, but the Church of Rome now consists of all sorts and kinds of wicked and ungodly persons, which they force by spirituall Tyranny if they refuse to submit unto them. Rev. 13.15.16. Yea the common Strum­pets & Whores, that pay so many thowsands in the year to the Popes Gracelesse Impiety for keeping publique and open Stew-houses even in Rome it selfe, for all eommers and goers: are as good members of the Church thereof and as well accepted of as the best they have. And thus I have punctually answered the second thing that you desire your friend to take notice of, which is, that Corruptions may be in a true Church, which I have granted, but yet have proued that it is their sinne: & the continuance in their corruptions, will overthrow their Essence & being, & make Christ to begon from them and so unchurch them.

Also I have shewed that it serves nothing to the benefit of your Church, seing you are not able to prove that ever it was true.

Now to that which I have said, and by the Authority of the sacred word of God proved, I chalenge your particular and punctuall Answer in writing wishing you to goe to W. B. and G. W. who hoth have been main sticklers & enemies of late to the truth of God, professed by the totall Seperation; and desire their best and ablest asistance, for I beleeve that some of your nine flexible Erronious & Antichristian Argumenss were digged out of their Leaden Mines, wherefore with importunity, without any deniall, desire them to helpe you to reply in writing, to this my publique answer, otherwise I will say and pro­claime it, that you all three are fearefull cowards, and but the ignorant, darke, night, bragging and screeching Owles of Antichrist. Now out of that you have largely proved you say (but I affirme) you have proved nothing at all to the purpose, you infer those four Conclusions.

1. That all the Descriptions & Definitions of a visible Church, given by the Separation are all false, because they will have none but Saints in their Church, to be the matter of it. 2. That all their buildings are false. 3. That the ground of their Separation is not sound, seing that in a true visible Church there have [Page 43] beene knowne wicked men. 4. From hence you infer, that it is lawfull and war­rantable to have spirituall Communion mith known wicked men in a religious wor­ship seing they are the greatest part of a visible Ch. & then to conclude all, you say many more things you might have set downe if time had permitted, but these you say are sufficient.

To which I answer, that these four Conclusions are all of them wicked, Antichristian and damnable: without all warrant in the least from the Scrip­ture, as as I have already largly proved; therefore they are not in the least suf­ficient to satisfie the Conseicnce of any man or woman: I trvly desire to walk-in Gods ways, therefore if you would still keepe your Freind a subjected ser­vant to Antichrist, as you your selfe are, then publiquely in writing aunswer that which here I have writ, otherwise I beleeve and hope that you will loose her with many moe besides ere long, so leving you unto Baall for whom you plead and stand vp salyng with the spirit of God in Rev. 22.11. he that is unjust let him be unjust still, and he that is filthy let him be filthy still, and he that is righteous let him be righteous still, he that is holy let him be holy still; yet for all that if you belong to Gods Election of Grace, I desire for you, as it is my duty, that God would reveale his truthe, counsels and secrets unto you, which he doth lesse or more to all those that truly feore him, Ps. 25.12.14. Pro. 3.32. Mar. 4.34. and that you may give true declaration of your unfai­ned repentance for your great sin, for standing for Antichrists Kingdome, with all your might, and for so bitter and malitious opposing and reviling the truth of God, and the true professours thereof, which if God give you not grace to doe, assuredly know, that seeing you have fallen upon the cheife corner stone Jesus Christ, he will destroy and breake you, but if he fall upon, as you may justly feare, he will grind you all to dust and powder, Mat. 21.44. Therefore as you love your soule, looke to it, seeing you are now admonished by me your Opposite. And so

I rest your opposing Oppugner in the truthes behalfe against all Antichrist are [...]ours and maintainers thereof, though in most cruell and close imprison­ment in Irons with my bloody Prelaticall enemies desire and hope will short­ly put a period to my dayes.