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whose ears were stopped, and eyes blinded, out of the Gentiles' state that go astray after the vanities of their mind. So all you, and all upon the earth, Jews, Gentiles, and Christians of what sort soever, must come to the light which every one of you is enlightened with,' before every particular comes to see his salvation or satisfaction; yea, the salvation to the ends of the earth,' the glory of Israel, the light of the Gentiles. The apostate Christians have ravened from the spirit of God within them, have got the form, but stand against the light 'that doth enlighten every man,' &c. such have caused the way of truth to be evil spoken of, yea among other nations of the heathens. They have been hot, and broiled in their lusts, having had the form of godliness, and sheep's clothing;' but all standing against the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world,' smiting, and striking their fellow servants. Such must have their portion with the hypocrites. But now the Lamb is come, and the saints reign with him, who to every one will give a reward according to their works. And the Lamb, and the saints shall have victory, him by whom the world was made before it was made, 'glorified with the Father before the world began.' Now is the seed Christ come to reign, and the just have pre-eminence. And I say to you all, the subscribers to all these books, priests, professors, teachers whatsoever, your patience would have better covered your shame and folly, than your heat, extremes, and rashness. But your folly must come forth, that to all men it might appear.

Abundance more of stuff is in it, which is not worth mentioning, whose words shall be your own burthen; the witness in all your consciences in the day of your judgment, when your works are all tried with fire, shall answer. I am a friend of your souls, and your eternal good, but judge your fruits, words, and actions; for the day of the Lord is come that will try every man's work.

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John Stalham, who calls himself a servant of the great bishop of souls, who watcheth over a flock at Terling in Essex,' in his book called The reviler rebuked.' These are some of his principles.

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P. HE saith, Immediate raptures and revelations seduce simple people's minds,' &c. And the perverse principles of their self-adorning light.' And the Quakers deny all external worship of divine authority, as not to be found among us.' And 'let learning be advanced among pious men, for God hath his witty and learned ones.'

And the life of their religion is the rule of the holy scriptures, the glory of the blessed trinity.' See his epistle to the protector.

A. The life of religion is the spirit that gave forth scriptures; for all that have the scriptures, and are out of that, are in the feigned religion. And the scripture no where speaks of a trinity, but the Papists, who are apostatized from the life of the scripture. It speaks of Father, son, and holy ghost, and the water, spirit, and blood; and the learned ones upon earth never know Christ with all their natural learning. And if one get all the naturals upon the earth, and the scriptures in all the natural languages, and one supreme power of a nation tolerate all these languages to be the original, and they have the scriptures in all these languages, these are witty ones;' but these know not God nor Christ by all this, though they have all the scriptures, while they are from the spirit of God that gave forth scriptures. For that which brings to know God, is the revelation of the spirit of God, the light which doth not deceive the mind; but their minds are deceived that are from the light. And all worship that is in the truth, and in the spirit that gave forth the scriptures called the Old and New Testament, we own, and is owned among the Quakers. For God who is a spirit, led his servants, and prophets, and son, by his spirit to speak forth the scriptures, which Christ the son is come to fulfil, who saith, 'they that worship God, must worship him in spirit and in truth,' and that among the Quakers is owned. And the light which cometh from Christ leadeth from perverse principles, and from adorning self, for it leads out of its righteousness. But perverse men ever stood against it in all ages, and so spurned at the foundation, and overthrow themselves.

P. He saith, The spirit speaking in the scriptures.' And 'them that say they have no sin, a gracious heart will slight and despise.' He saith, The kingdom of God is not within them.' Luke iv. And saith, 'The soul prepares itself for death.' See epistle to the church.

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A. Such as had gracious hearts, never despised him that had no sin, but the ungracious did. As for example, all the Pharisees against Christ, and against the apostles, and saints. And the apostle told the

they that were dead to

Romans, they were made free from sin;' and sin, how could they live any longer therein?' he slighted them not, but encouraged them. So we find thee not to be a minister of Christ, and have proved and tried thy spirit to be of such as say they are apostles, and are not.' And the spirit spoke in them that gave forth the scriptures, so they were declared forth. And men may have the scriptures, and not know the spirit that spoke in them that gave forth scriptures. That is the cause that all people are on heaps about the

words, and saying, 'the spirit speaks in the scriptures,' which spoke in the holy men of God that spoke them forth, and learned of God the Father of spirits. So who have not the spirit, have but letters, and are ministers of the letter, and not of the spirit. And the kingdom of heaven is within you,' said Christ, in Luke xvii. to the Pharisees; and thou sayst with, or among them.' And I say, that is the kingdom within them which never consented to sin, and in you all, which one day ye shall witness; which the eye and ear of the gazer, and observer abroad, is closed and stopped to, which he must come to, before he be as a little child, and know the leaven that leavens up the new lump;' and know the kingdom, which is like unto a grain of mustard seed;' and where the diligent waiting is, the soul comes to live, and the everlasting covenant is felt. And thou that brings souls to be prepared for death, thou art more like to do that, than to present them to God; a slayer and executioner, so not a servant to the bishop of souls, where the soul liveth, and rejoiceth, and comes out of death, and magnifies God the saviour. And so the work of all the ministers of Christ, is to prepare souls out of death, for life.

P. He saith, The Bible is the soul's physic: and people must depend upon the spirit's speaking in the scriptures.' He saith, 'the person of Christ is not his manhood: and the natural light the Quakers call Christ within, and nature grace.' And saith, "The body of sin is in the believer till he lay down the body.' Epistle.

A. The soul's refreshment is Christ, and its physician Christ; many have the Bible, and do not know it, and the scriptures, as the Pharisees had; the soul's physician is that which the scriptures speak of: many may have the words, the Bible, and yet have not the thing it speaks of; and they that have the thing it speaks of, have both. And many holy men had their soul's physician before the scriptures were written and printed: and they that had the spirit that gave forth scriptures, had the soul's physic; and they knew all the springs were in God, and the soul was in the Lord's hand. And such as are in the spirit they depend upon that, and they come to see the scriptures by the spirit from which they were given forth; and such come into the unity of the spirit. And the light, which is Christ within, by which all things were made and created, was before the natural lights were, and before nature: for all the naturals that were made, were made by the light, Christ Jesus, who is the wisdom of God, by which all things were made, with which wisdom we see over the natural lights, and over nature. And the grace (that comes from the throne) that brings salvation, which is the saints' teacher, teacheth not to call nature grace.' And he that believeth is born of God,' and he overcometh the world,' and entereth into his rest, and shall never die. And he that believeth

hath victory, yea while he is upon the earth; he cometh to witness the circumcision that puts off the body of sin, and makes free from it, which the synagogue of satan cannot witness.

P. He saith, The scriptures are the word of God,' page 4. And the spirit is given by the letter.' And he saith, the spirit proceeds from that which is put within the book or Bible,' page 5. And I judge them that pretend the spirit without the scriptures. And the scripture is a more sure rule than visions and revelations,' page 7. And 'God that gave the letter, gives the spirit with it, and by it,' page 9.

A. God gave the spirit before he gave forth scriptures. The devil and wicked men may get scriptures, but they have not the spirit, and none have it, but as they come to feel it given from God, as it was given to them that gave forth scriptures. And so people are to find the spirit of the Father speaking in them, as it did in them that gave forth scriptures; then the spirit answers to the spirit that gave forth scriptures; then there is an unity with the words, and with God of whom they learned; but many may have the Bible, and not know the spirit that spoke it forth, but be erred from it. And the scriptures are the words of God, the words of truth: God spake all these words,' 'He that adds to these words,' The words of God are pure.' Christ is the word, 'his name is called the word of God,' who was before the words were spoken forth, who comes in the volume of the book,' to fulfil the words. And the spirit was before the scripture was given forth; for it led them to speak it all forth, the words of God, as they had learned of God: so the spirit comes not by the letter, but the letter comes forth from the spirit. And many had the scriptures, and knew not the revelation, and judged the revelation of the son of God, and judged Christ who was come, the end of the vision which was for an appointed time. So therein thou hast concluded thyself to be among them that have the scriptures, and set them up beyond the revelation of the son of God, which is the end of scriptures; and none know the Father but the son, and he to whom the son reveals him,' though they may have all the scriptures. And the things of God are revealed by the spirit of God. P. And he saith, The scriptures are the rule and the guide of saints.' And saith, the old administration of the covenant of grace is abolished,' page 13. He that understands, Matt. xi. 2. 27. of immediate revelation only, shuts out all mediate revelation by the scriptures, and falsely accuseth the Lord of the scripture,' page 14. apostle saith not that the spirit reveals the deep things of God. If we should deny the scriptures to be the rule, we should deny the scriptures of God,' page 18.

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A. The saints' rule was the spirit that gave forth the scriptures, and the word of God which fulfils the scriptures; without him they can do

nothing, if they have all scriptures. And the spirit of truth shall lead into all truth.' And none know the scriptures, nor God, nor can be a minister of the spirit by a mediate revelation, but a minister of the letter; for who are ministers of the spirit are immediate, and are in the immediate revelation of the scriptures to them by the spirit that gave them forth; and these minister to the spirit, and bring people to God the father of spirits, that they may know what to reveal to others they minister to. And all they that have the scriptures, and not the spirit that gave them forth, are on heaps about words and want the rule. And the covenant of grace, which is the end of the old covenant, is witnessed and established, and cannot be abolished, which ends the decaying covenant. And as for abolishing the covenant of grace, thou dost not know what thou speaks of. And the apostle said, 'The deep things of God were revealed by the spirit of God,' and no one knows the scriptures and the things of God, but as God doth reveal them by his spirit. In this thou hast shown thy ignorance of that spirit which guided the saints to God the father of spirits, which revealed unto them the deep things of God, with which spirit again the scriptures are known; and which spirit always ruled the saints, and guided them up to God, and to speak forth the scriptures. They did not deny the saints' words spoken before, but were in unity with them in the spirit, and so came to the spirits of just men,' which none do but those who are come into the saints' rule that gave forth scriptures. And so people have had the scriptures, but have been inwardly ravened from the spirit, thou and the rest of thy fellows, and have been all on heaps about words, and so void of the revelation that they were in that gave forth scriptures. For all are unlearned upon the earth that are not in the immediate inspiration as they were that gave forth the scriptures, and in the tongue of the unlearned, like the Egyptian Sea.

P. He saith, Printing was a rare invention, and it was the gift of God,' page 21. And only God's servants preached by the written copies, and since by the printed volume,' page 22.

A. That which men have invented, is not the gift of God. And men only preaching from the copies written, and since by the volumes printed; in this hast thou shown that you have had only the sheep's clothing, and that hath been it which hath made you ministers. For they that were the ministers of the spirit, their preaching was not from copies and volumes, that did not make them ministers, but what they had received from the Lord, that they declared,' and were not ministers of copies and writings only. But had you the copy and writings of the scripture, in the life that gave them forth, you would have gathered people into the unity, but being ravened from it, you bring them all upon heaps.

P. The letter or writing of the spirit of God is the law, and touch

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