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clothing, ye and the pope, and so have devoured nations for this many hundred years, so have all been like ravening wolves. For who witness these conditions that they were in that gave forth the scriptures, they witness infallibility, an infallible spirit, which is now possessed and witnessed among those called Quakers: glory to the highest for ever,' that your folly now should be made manifest; the morning is springing in, the night of apostacy is going. So I say, the devil, false prophets, antichrists, deceivers, beast, mother of harlots, none of these can witness an infallible spirit, nor the well nor fountain, but the letter; though they may get all the sheep's clothing, and come in likeness of a lamb or a sheep to deceive people. But being out of the spirit that Christ, the prophets and apostles were in, that gave forth scriptures, they are not infallible as they were, but with that they are all judged out; which will answer that which they are all gone from, where the key is known, and the well was and is, in believers.

P. And the scriptures is the rule; and the Quakers dream of the light to be their rule to walk by,' page 14.

A. The word of God which lives and endures for ever, (which came to the saints of old, which caused them to give forth scriptures, and to write them,) which fulfils all the words again, is the rule: which word was spoken to the saints before scripture was written: which lets all people see that declaration, and fulfils that declaration to them, Christ the leader of the people, the covenant of God, who is the light; and they are in the dreams that deny it.

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P. He saith, But Christ, by his magistrates, hath appointed tithes. a maintenance for his ministers,' page 21.

A. Since the days of the apostles the pope gave tithes; and other magistrates that followed him: and he hath had the tenths, the tithes, since this night of apostacy, and the reprobation hath been from the apostles' doctrine. And many have had the sheep's clothing, but have been raveners from the life that they lived in that gave it forth: so have not seen to what state and condition the scriptures were spoken; being out of the life they were in that gave them forth; and see not the substance, Christ Jesus, who came to end the first priesthood, and the ministers that took tithes, tolerated by the first covenant, (which the apostle witnessed the end of,) and to bring in an everlasting covenant, and another ministry, and another maintenance to them. Since the days of the apostles, such as are ravened from the spirit of God, have lost the maintenance the apostles and Christ gave; and so have set up tithes, and another ministry, which is neither agreeable to Jews, nor Gentiles; nor Christ's, but more dark. But the night of

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apostacy is going over, the true light shines, and the light of the living is springing in.

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P. He saith, The immediate spirit excludes the word to be the rule,' page 38. And the word, and the spirit,' he saith, are different things. And the Pharisees thought right, that eternal life was laid up in the scriptures,' page 39.

A. Christ told the Pharisees they would not come to him that they might have life: and he was the life, and he was the way, and no one cometh to the Father but by him. He doth not say he was scripture, but he bids them search it, for it testified of him: and none have life but who are in him. And the word and the spirit are one: and the spirit doth not exclude the word nor the scriptures, for they were given forth from it, and it owns them again; with it are they seen, given forth in time, fulfilled in time, and they cannot be broken, and the saints' life is hid in Christ who ends them.

P. He saith, Men are saved, but not by Christ within us,' page 42. A. How is man's salvation wrought out, but by the power of Christ within? How is the old man destroyed, but by Christ within? How is the justification felt, but by Christ within? And where the seed Christ that suffered without,' is made manifest within, there is redemption, and life. 'He that hath the son of God, hath life;' redemption to God out of the first Adam. And who feels Christ within feels salvation; and who doth not is a reprobate though he may talk of him.

P. He saith, It is a fond sign to depend upon an unwritten word immediately, within themselves: and say, from that word is the life manifested within,' page 43. 'And Christ is not come to them in the flesh.' And he saith, Timothy had the gift of God freely; and elders are called ordinarily, and not immediately. This call ordinary is common to all ministers, to continue to all ages in the church,' page

47.

A. All they that have not the unwritten word in their hearts, which is immediate, know not the word of faith, know not the word of reconciliation; know not the ingrafted word that is able to save their souls, know not that which lives and abides and endures for ever; know not eternal life, neither have they it who have not the word, the immediate word within them; and know not the immortal seed. And such are in the fondness, that have the scripture and put that for the word, which is words. And since the days of the apostles, in your churches, your ministers, your elders, your makers of your ministers, have been all mediate, and so it is ordinary,' as ye call it. But before the apostacy, in the days of the apostles, we say, neither elders nor ministers were mediate. But that which made the elders, was the holy ghost, to oversee; and that which brought them to minister was

immediate, and so they were ministers of the spirit. And all elders made by the mediate, are carnal, earthly, and their weapons are earthly, and their rule which they oversee with is earthly. Therefore hath your church broken into so many pieces, and they divide (and cannot hold together) like earth, because ye are not in an immediate spirit. And so we do see it is so since the days of the apostles; neither your elders nor your teachers are called immediately, but only have the sheep's clothing, ravened from the spirit of God. And so are the wolves, tearing one another to pieces about the letter, and your apprehensions of it. And Timothy, many of you say had not an immediate call, and yet thou sayst, he had the gift of God. Doth not that which God gives to men, bring to do his will? And that which is given. from God to man, is not that immediate, and perfect? And we do believe you, ye do not witness that ye are of his flesh and of his bone,' ye have not eaten his flesh, nor drunk his blood: therefore do you say the scriptures are the fountain of life, and have been these hundreds of years; which scriptures the Pharisees had in their age, and had not life. Ye have had the scriptures, which ye call the well and fountain of life,' many hundreds of years; yet though you and the Pharisees have all scriptures, except ye do eat the flesh of Christ, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you,' neither you nor the Pharisees; which flesh is our food, and blood is our drink. But we do believe you, that these many hundreds of years ye have not eaten his flesh, nor drunk his blood: and so are not 'of his flesh, nor of his bone;' therefore cry ye so much against immediate, and infallibility.

P. He saith, 'The holiest man that is, is not able to give an infallible character of another man,' page 49. We do grant, that our ministers came from antichrist, and passed through him.' And he chargeth people 'for leaving their callings,' and says, 'that the Quakers are like to them that flee from the wrath to come.'

A. We do believe that your ministers came from antichrist, and through antichrist, for he was the channel; but the Quakers are neither of you, nor of antichrist, nor of the pope : but they are of the apostles' stock, and of Abraham, and of Christ, before the pope was, antichrist was, or you were, and so with the spirit of God and the apostles you are fathomed. And the Quakers do witness they are made free from the wrath to come, which the Pharisees that fled to John did not. And there thy measure is too short; all may see it that are in the light, and thy ignorance of the scriptures thou hast discovered and shown. And thou sayst, that the holiest man is not able to give an infallible character of another man:' hast not thou in this discovered thyself to be no minister of Christ or of the spirit? If thou canst not give an infallible character of another man, how canst thou minister to his condition?

how canst thou see where he is? how canst thou see them that be turned from the darkness, and that be in the darkness? and distinguish the one from the other, and a holy man, from an unholy man, that canst not give an infallible character of any man's state? How canst thou know when men are in the spirit; and that they are epistles written in one another's hearts, not with paper and ink, but with the spirit of the living God? Oh! a divider of the word aright hath been wanting among you dark ones! Thou mayst say right enough, your ministers came from antichrist, and through antichrist. And did not the saints leave their callings?

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P. He saith, It is a fancy to witness the righteousness of Christ within us,' page 61. And to maintain persecution, he brings Ahab's slaying the false prophets,' and for the laying on of hands, he brings the practice of the apostles.' And to stop the liberty of conscience, he saith, Must Saul be permitted to do what he will against Jesus of Nazareth?'

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A. False prophets are enemies, yet they are not to slay them. The apostles did not wrestle against flesh and blood with the false prophets, as you ministers do now; though Saul did, before he was Paul, and showed himself of your nature, unconverted. And whoever are not in that state to witness Christ in them manifest in their flesh, and there condemning sin in the flesh, that they may through him become the righteousness of God, are in their fancies; and Christ destroys the ground of all fancy, and brings to see where there is no shadow nor changing, and brings their conscience into liberty, and washeth and sprinkleth it, where the mystery of faith is held in it. And your laying on of hands, (since the apostacy from the apostles,) is not as the apostles, who have not an infallible spirit, nor are infallible, nor called immediately, as they were; none of those you lay your hands on can receive the holy ghost, when you yourselves are not in the immediate spirit, nor infallible, nor called immediately. So you all being in the apostacy from the apostles' hands and calling, your folly is made manifest, the light hath discovered you, at which ye are stumbling; and every one is wrestling against the Lamb and the saints, that is wrestling against the light: and such are antichrists, that shall be slain with. the sword, the words of his mouth: and the Lamb and the saints shall have the victory.

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P. He saith, Human learning helps to understand heavenly things,' page 70. Again, Christ enlightens men no more ways but one, to wit, by a natural light,' page 71. And the righteousness within is not that which justifies, and we are not freely justified, and saved, and redeemed (that is) through that redemption and righteousness that

is within us,' pages 74, 75. by the grace wrought in us.'

He saith, 'We are justified freely, but not

A. By grace ye are saved, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; and this is manifested in the heart, before it be known and possessed. And every one that knows justification, redemption, righteousness, and salvation, these are all known within us, else people are in the first Adam, driven from God, not come to the second Adam, not knowing salvation in the ground, justification in the ground, redemption in the ground. If Christ, the righteousness of God, redemption, justification, and salvation, be not felt within people, and found within, they are reprobates. And the reprobates may talk of it without; but where that is, there is salvation, righteousness, redemption, justification, &c. And Christ doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, him by whom the world was made, before it was made; which light people are to believe in, which is not natural: which gives to see over nature, before natural was. For the natural lights are the sun, moon, and stars, which may be seen with a visible eye: but Christ the light, the covenant of light to Jews and Gentiles, the salvation to the ends of the earth, doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world, that all men through him might believe. Here God is no respecter of persons; he that believeth in the light, shall be saved, and he that doth not, is condemned. And he comes to be a child of light, who believes in the light: and now shall the world be reproved for not believing in the light. And human learning is that which is earthly and natural; that doth not open the heavenly: that which reveals the things of God, is the spirit of God, beyond all the world's wisdom. For that you call human learning, and human soul, and human body, is earthly, not heavenly, nor understands them. The earth is below, so they that are below measure by the earthly wisdom, but they that are from above speak of the things above, and so that which gives to understand the heavenly things, is the spirit of God, and the spiritual wisdom, which is not of man, nor from man; for saith the apostle, Neither knows any man the things of God, but the spirit of God.'

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P. And the righteousness of Christ by which we are justified (he saith) is not within us.' Again, 'The Lord will pour out his spirit upon all flesh; but that is not meant that all should have the spirit, for some have not the spirit, as in Jude.' Page 79. He saith, he desires God to lighten with a better light than that which lightens every man, &c. and to lead them out of these gross delusions.' See page SO.

A. You that are not justified by that Christ that suffered without, manifested within you, shall never know justification; if the justification be not within, you are reprobates. And the Lord hath fulfilled his promise, by pouring out his spirit upon all flesh, sons and daugh

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