the same spirit the prophets, and apostles, and Christ had, or immediate revelations from heaven as they had. So then you are in another ordination than they were in, and usurpers into the ministry, and intruders into those things you never saw. And cannot any one be as good a pastor or minister as you, seeing all your teaching is but from books and other men's writings? Why may not others learn the same books and writings, and so come to be teachers and pastors as well as you, seeing you have nothing but from books and writings, and old authors? Why may not all that read those be pastors and teachers, and so then where would be the hearers? And so with the life are you all judged, the spirit of God which gave forth scriptures, which was before your old books and authors were.

Thomas Higginson's book, called, The Testimony of the true Jesus.' His principles follow.

P. HE saith, The word is not righteousness without the flesh,' &c. See page 3.

A. The word is righteous itself, and the flesh righteous as it be

came.

P. He saith, Men are presented perfect to God, and without spot, before any work done, or good whatsoever,' &c. page 3.

A. There is none doth the work of God but who believes; and he that believes overcomes the world, and his works are wrought in God, and he hath the word of reconciliation in him. And by this doctrine of thine all the world is presented perfect to God; for he is the offering for the whole world. But those that believe are partakers, and those that do not believe are condemned. Yet I say, the Lord helps the unbelief of many, who is the saviour of all men, especially of them that believe; and men are not presented to God while they do evil, and before they are sanctified and holy.

P. He saith,The invisible things of God, and the eternal power and glory of God, may be known by that of God in every man, but not his good pleasure or purpose of grace,' &c. See page 4.

A. Is the glory seen and known, the godhead known, the invisible things of God, and the eternal power, and not the good pleasure of God, nor his purpose of grace? Doth not the godhead dwell in Christ, and his fulness, bodily? And is not Christ the power of God? And doth not he that knows God, and his glory, and his eternal power and god

head, know the son? Consider that; For he that hath known the son, hath known the Father also,' and grace, and the purpose of God.

P. He saith, Man may know God, and his eternal power, and godhead, and glory, and yet know nothing of the mystery of Christ, nor can that (which thou say st shows these things) lead unto the mystery of the knowledge of Christ,' &c. See page 4.

A. Where the eternal power and godhead is known, his power, his glory, and the invisible things of God, there is something of Christ known, the mystery. For there is none knows the Father but the son, and he to whom the son reveals him.' And he that knows the Father knows the son.

P. He saith, To say that Christ is within man, is to worship angels, and not to hold the head Christ,' &c. See page 5.

A. None come to witness Christ the head, but who witness him in them, that the angels must worship, that died and suffered at Jerusalem; and they that worship him in them, worship not the angels; and they that are not worshipping him in them, are worshipping men, devils, or angels.

P. He saith, 'It is a bewitching of the mind, to preach Christ within the saints,' &c.

A. Did not the same apostle that spoke to the Colossians, of worshipping of angels, not holding the head,' preach Christ in them? And he told them of intruding into things they never saw.' Did not he say, Christ in you the hope of glory, whom we preach, warning every man, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus? How contrary to the apostles and Christ Jesus dost thou divide the word, that callest this doctrine bewitching? And thou that preachest another doctrine contrary to his, art accurst.

P. He saith, To say the light in every one (wherewith Christ Jesus hath enlightened them that come into the world) is the way to Christ and the Father, and is the sure word of prophecy which people are to take heed unto, this is to deny the person of Christ, as the object of faith, and the scriptures as the rule of faith, and faith itself,' &c. See page 8.

A. In this thou hast showed thy ignorance; for none know the person of Christ but with the light that comes from him: none know the mediator, none know the author of their faith, but with the light that comes from Christ: and none know the scriptures of truth but with the light. And Christ is the rule of faith, and author of it, and the giver; and many may have the scriptures and not faith. So in this thou dividest not the word aright, but art incapable of dividing the word. And that is the sure word of prophecy that shines in a dark

place, which people are to take heed unto, 'till the day dawn and the day star arise in their hearts.'

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P. He saith, To say that redemption and righteousness are wrought within, is to bring Christ down from above out of heaven, or raise him from the dead, and to make the blood of Christ as another man's,' &c. See page 9.

A. Now Christ is not known to be the justification, but as he is known within, and redemption out of Adam's state in the fall. For 'he that believes hath the witness in himself,' and 'ceaseth from his own works, as God did from his, and enters into his rest.' The world may profess Christ without them; but if he be not within them, they are reprobates, and shall fall short of justification and redemption. And if they have not the son of God, they have not life; and many will say, Lord, but do not the thing that he commands. And one of thy generation of professors that wrote against the Quakers, said, that the blood of Christ was corruptible,' (and so it was like the blood of another man,) and thou sayst it is not. Now we say, that blood which cleanseth from all sin is incorruptible; and they that witness Christ in them, and justification and redemption, need not say, 'Who shall raise Christ from the dead, or fetch him from above,' as thou say st.

P. He saith, Obedience to the spirit within, and Christ a worker and a lawgiver in their conscience, and a worker of it in their persons, but not as a saviour: and what of God is felt or wrought in them, that they believe. While the unspeakable righteousness, operation of life in Christ reserved, with faith, liberty, joy and peace, &c. are hid from their eyes,' &c. See page 10.

A. Now can any be obedient to the spirit within, and to Christ a worker, and a lawgiver, and feel the work of God in themselves, and yet the unspeakable righteousness, and the operation of life hid in Christ, and faith, and liberty, joy and peace be hid from their eyes? Can a man know all these things, and yet not know Christ to be a saviour? Here thou art judged, and thy knowledge; for he that knows these things, knows a saviour; and let the righteous, whose eyes are open, judge how thou divides the word.

P. He saith, Faith holds things as true in Christ, though hid from sense and feeling,' &c. See page 11.

A. How cometh the just to live then, if there be not a feeling in his faith? And how then cometh he to have the victory over the world? And how doth faith purify, if there be not a feeling? And how is it held in a pure conscience, if there be not a feeling? And how cometh he to have access to God through faith? And doth not the scripture speak of them that were in the faith, felt and handled the word of life?

And was this without the faith of God's elect, or of sense? Therefore in this thou mayst see how incapable thou art to divide the word.

P. He saith, They that put spiritual working for the grace of Christ, destroy Christ Jesus.' See page 11.

A. They do not destroy Christ Jesus, that put spiritual working for the grace of Christ, for the works of the spirit do not destroy Christ; for where the works of the spirit are, there is the grace of Christ Jesus; and none own Christ, but who are in the works of the spirit, and his graces; and they destroy Christ, and deny him, that are out of the works of the spirit, and his graces are spiritual workings.

P. He saith, The sight of the Godhead without faith in Christ, is the foundation of all false worships,' &c. See same page.

A. Can any have a sight of the Godhead, and not see Christ and have faith in Christ? And who have faith in Christ, do they not see that the fulness of the Godhead dwells in him? And were not their minds turned from that of God in them (which declared the invisible things of him from the creation, even his eternal power and godhead) whom the apostle found fault with? Let all examine and judge, and read the scripture, Rom. i, and try.

P. He saith, Obedience to Christ within is a sentence of the law, not of grace, and denying Christ, overwhelming the afflicted in sorrow without hope, and turning the feet of the lame out of the way.' And bids beware of such doctrine, &c. See page 12.

A. If so, people must beware of the doctrine of the apostle who told them to whom he preached, Christ was in them except they were reprobates.' And Christ was within them the hope of glory.' They turn people out of the way who keep them reprobates, without hope, and it is a denying of Christ, not to preach Christ within, and a keeping people under the law, which Christ is the end of. And where Christ within is, there is obedience, which is the end of the law, and there is grace.

P. He saith, The justification and redemption by obeying the light within, appears to his understanding to be a mystery of iniquity,' &c. See page 13.

A. Thy understanding must come to nought, for he that believeth is justified from all things, and comes not into condemnation, and he hath the witness in himself. And that lets him see his redeemer, his mediator, and saviour, the light, which, walking in, he is cleansed from all sin, and so no mystery of iniquity, for the mystery of iniquity is out of the light: none sees justification and redemption but with the light within, which comes from Christ who hath enlightened him. P. He saith, The ministration of grace cannot be known by the VOL. III.

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light which Christ hath enlightened every man that cometh into the world withal,' &c. See page 14.

A. Contrary to John, who saith, As many as receiveth him, to them he gives power to become the sons of God;' and no one knows the ministration of grace, but by the light which comes from Christ the covenant of grace.

P. He saith, None can know the mystery of God in Christ with the light in them,' &c. See page 14.

A. Which is contrary to scripture, I will give him for a covenant, for a light to the Gentiles, he shall be my salvation to the ends of the earth,' saith the Lord. So as this was the salvation, it gives the knowledge of the mystery of salvation; the light that shines in the heart gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus,' who is the mystery that shines in the heart of them that believe in it; and them that do not, are condemned with the light. And so they are reproved with the spirit of truth, which leads the disciples. into all truth, which spirit the world cannot receive, for they do not receive the light, and so are not like to receive the spirit of truth. P. He saith, The light of Christ (in natural man) knows nothing of the spirit,' &c. And the scripture was the image of Christ without,' &c. See page 14.

A. Scriptures without are writings, and endure not for ever, but the power, Christ the power of God, endures for ever. And whoever is in the light, cometh to know Christ in the spirit, him who is the life. And it leads the natural man from his natural state, that believes in it; for all by nature are the children of wrath: those who believe in it, it leads from the nature, and from the wrath, and these are made free from the wrath to come; and they that believe not in the light are reproved by the spirit, and that which reproves them is manifest to them, and so they know it.

P. He saith, To affirm the light in the conscience (which we say is the light of Christ) to be the way or guide to Christ, whereto only we should attend, is a dark some, fleshly, and most legal principle,' and calls it 'the grave wherein Christ is buried,' &c. See page 15.

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A. This is contrary to Christ's doctrine, who saith, He that believes in the light shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." And he that does believe in the light, hath entered into his rest and come to the sabbath, out of the grave, out of the legal, and out of the fleshly, and out of condemnation. And none come to the son Christ, but they who come to the light which comes from him, who hath enlightened them with it.

P. And again he saith, To say the light in every man is Christ the redeemer, is a two-fold error,' &c. See same page.