these, the oath of God, in whom their faith stood; and to whom all the angels must bend and bow, to him that saith, Swear not at all.' But your swearing now is not like to the Jews, for they swore by the Lord, not by the book of the prophets' writings; neither did they swear by the tables in which the law was written. Neither did the apostles nor the saints swear by the epistles, nor Christ's words, after they were written and recorded. Now this is worse than the Jews, for they were to swear by the Lord, from whom the law came; they were to swear by the Lord of whom the prophets learned, and not by the tables, nor by the prophets' words. The heathens were to swear by Moloch, and to swear by Baal, and kissed Baal; and the children of Israel were to swear by the Lord, not by any writings or declarations of the prophets, or Moses. Neither do we read that the saints swore by the Epistles, or the Revelations, or Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, and kissed the book. For the true christians that witnessed Christ, the end of the prophets, the end of Moses, a greater than Solomon, him by whom the world. was made before it was made, before Abraham was, who reigns over the house of Joseph, and Jacob, to whom the angels must bow, saith, 'Swear not at all.' This is my beloved son,' saith God, hear ye him.'

P. He saith, A believer hath both the rise and furtherance of his faith and evidence from what is written. And if the scripture be a dead letter, and the word in the heart be one with the scripture, then that in the heart is dead,' page 246. Let them tell the world how the scripture is the declaration without contradiction, and yet the word in the heart.' See page 247.

A. The scripture as it lies, and is in itself, is a dead letter; but as the word is felt in the heart that gave it forth, then it is its own words. Now to them that are from the word within, to the dead mind, the dead letter. And so the words themselves give not life, but as the words are raised up within, as they were in them that gave them forth: and that is it which gives life, and that sees the scriptures, and the fulfilling of them; and then that knows the scriptures that cannot be broken, and in that, the word Christ, the words end. And that is it that gives life to all people, and saves the soul, which the letter doth not, as it is in itself, without that which gave it forth, and that is not dead. And the author of a believer's faith is Christ, and he is the giver of it. And if he have all that is written, and be not in the light Christ, who is the author of his faith, he wants the foundation of God that stands sure, Christ Jesus, that all the fathers and holy men of God rested in, who were in the faith before any scripture was written; in him stood their faith, the foundation of God, Israel's glory, the light of the Gentiles; this is that which fulfils all scriptures, and ends the faith, the salvation.

And the ministers of the word took in hand to set forth in order a declaration of the things wrought among them, who had a perfect understanding from the very first, of what Christ both said and did.' And so this declaration was given forth to be read, believed, fulfilled, and people to enjoy the thing it speaks of, that which the apostles preached to Jews and Gentiles, the new covenant, the one offering, the blood of Jesus Christ, him the end of the first priesthood, that Abraham and David saw, Moses had the type of, and the prophets wrote of. Now, they who enjoy him that these all spoke of, saw, and preached, have the end, the comfort of the scriptures. And here is the declaration seen and known, and here is the substance possessed, and here are the words of God, and here is the word of God that fulfils the words, which word was before the words, in which word the words end, and are all summed up in.

P. For to say Christ and faith are not to be found in scriptures,' he saith, I hope no humble saint will pin his faith upon this,' &c. 'they crying up thee and thou to a particular,' &c.

See page 247.

A. Christ was before the scripture was written; and Christ is life, (not found in a dead letter,) and he is the end of the scriptures, and the substance of them: many had the scriptures, and could not find faith in them, nor Christ, nor life. And Christ told the Pharisees he was the life, the scripture testified of him, but they would not come to him that they might have life,' who is the end and substance of the scriptures, by whom the world was made.' And as for the words thee and thou, they who are stumbling at them, show they have never learned their accidence nor Bible. So, short of the language of the spirit, that teacheth to speak sound words that cannot be condemned, who are ignorant of the literal knowledge.

P. He saith, The scriptures were breathed forth by the spirit of God; but we receive the spirit another way than they did that gave forth the scriptures. And the scriptures were given forth immediately: but thus the scriptures come not to us, nor the understanding of them. We have books, and canons, and printed translations in the mother tongue,' page 248.

A. Notwithstanding all your books, and canons, and if ye have all the scriptures printed in all the languages of the world, and have not the same immediate inspiration that gave them forth, ye understand not the scriptures. And we do believe you, that ye have not an immediate inspiration as they had, nor receive the spirit as they did that gave forth the scriptures, who are ravened from it. But whoever knows the scriptures of truth, it is by the same spirit that gave them forth: with and by this are the scriptures of truth, the excellent words, known again to what state and condition they were spoken.

P. He saith, The spirit is in the letter, or the whole scripture,' page 254. And 'They that wrote forth the scriptures were imperfectly holy; but God's word was holy. To conclude, the spirit is in the letter, and given by it, daily experience demonstrates it. And they that own not the spirit's dwelling in the letter, have lost their faith of the spirit's presence, and run to other gospels and doctrines; the spirit of error is in all men's doctrines, that have not the spirit in them,' page 255.

A. They were holy men of God that gave forth the scriptures, as they were moved by the holy ghost; the apostle said they were holy, and we shall believe him before we believe any of you apostate teachers, who say they were not holy. And the spirit that was in them that gave forth the scriptures, was received of God the Father of spirits, and dwells in God. And they that are from the spirit of God within, which gave forth the scriptures, are such as follow their own spirits, and use their tongues, and get the good words, the sheep's clothing, deceive the hearts of the simple, and tell them 'the spirit is in the letter,' which never did any of the experienced saints say; but did conclude the spirit dwelt in their hearts, the faith in their hearts, the light in their hearts, the word in their hearts, the anointing within them, God dwelt within them, Christ within them, the law in their hearts, the witness within them, 'the ingrafted word that saved their souls,' the gift within, the hidden man in the heart, strength in the inward man; the holy ghost moved them, the spirit of the Father spoke in them; this led them to speak forth scriptures. These never said the spirit was in the letter, as all the filthy dreamers say, who are in the sensual separation from the spirit of God, and in Cain's, Core's, and Balaam's way, 'turning the grace of God into wantonness,' ravened from the spirit of God inwardly, only wolves in sheep's clothing. These are such as have got the good words, but deceive the hearts of the simple, make a trade of them, tell people the spirit is in the let

These have ravened from the spirit of God in their own particulars, and so they deceive people, and keep them from the spirit of God in their particulars. But the spirit that gave forth scriptures is witnessed, by which they are known; they cannot deceive any longer: who are 'reprobates concerning the faith,' who crept into houses before the apostles' decease, who have kept people always learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth,' 'led away with divers lusts.' So have kept people in spiritual Egypt, Sodom, and Gomorrah, and have been guarded with magistrates, and powers of the earth, all over the world. But now is the light breaking forth and shining, that ye are all discovered. And so they have set up other gospels, and lost the faith, that tell people the spirit is in the letter,'

when the spirit and the faith were in them that gave it forth, and are to be in all them that know it again, and know God the giver of it.

P. He saith, He that is born of the spirit, is born of the holy word written,' page 257.

A. He that is born of the spirit, is born of that which gave forth the scriptures, the word which was before the scriptures were given forth, which lets him see the end of the words: so cometh to dwell in God, of whom they learned that gave forth scriptures.

P. He saith,If setting the scripture in the heart of every man, be nothing else but telling people they have a light of conscience within them, and stirring up that light which every man hath that cometh into the world, they delude poor people, who never heard that light called scripture before,' page 257.

A. They that never heard the scripture outwardly, being turned to the light that every man hath that cometh into the world, with that they will see Christ, with that they will know scripture, with that they will be led out of all delusion, and come into covenant with God; with which they will come to worship God in the spirit, and serve him, and that is more than conscience.

P. He saith, "The light which John speaks of, which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, is a dim light; and it is a piece of the mystery of iniquity, as subtle as any antichrist, to say that the light shines in the darkness, and shineth out of darkness, the light of Christ for salvation,' pages 261, 262. He saith, Christ in you, the light in every man, is a poor, base, beggarly scrap,' page 264.

A. The light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, is Christ the substance, the righteousness of God, and not beggarly; but all the beggarly are out of the light, and it is not dim, but all are in the dim that are out of him the light, that with which he hath enlightened them. And all are in the mystery of iniquity, and are antichrists, that see not the light that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world, where it shines, and where it shineth out of the darkness. These are the true ministers who are in the spirit that gave forth the scriptures, ministers of Christ within, witnessed and seen. And John was not antichrist, nor Paul, who said, 'light shined in darkness;' and who said, 'light shined out of darkness;' and who said, "This was the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.' Now ye are all ignorant of the prophets before John, who said, 'I will give him for a covenant, for a light unto the Gentiles, and a new covenant to the house of Israel, and to the house of Judah;' mark, here was 'every man.' And John, the greatest prophet born of a woman, saith, 'This is the true light that lighteth every one,' &c. Christ Jesus, him by whom the world was made before it was made,

'in whom is life, and the life was the light of men: and the light shined in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.'

man; but I deny the highest And the saints' light is not to And he saith he knows he is

P. The law written in every man's heart doth not condemn all sin, nor the branches of it, nor original sin, nor unbelief,' page 266. He saith, To say that every man in his first state is natural, and every man in his first state is as a beast, is a contradiction. And I every where deny the natural light of every degree of light to be here attainable. be seen while we are under the sun.' more brutish than a man, and hath not the knowledge of the holy,' page 272. And the light that shineth in the scriptures, that I profess myself to know nothing of; 'the least degree of it is above the highest degree of the light that every one that cometh into the world is enlightened withal,' page 273.

A. The light which every one that cometh into the world is enlightened withal, was before degrees, and ends degrees, and is not natural; for it was before the natural was made or created; and this bears not witness against the natural, the sun, moon, and stars, but owns them in their places. And the light which every one that cometh into the world is enlightened with, which comes from Christ the son, they not believing in it, it is their condemnation. And that which doth make manifest and reprove sin, is light; yea, all sin, branches, and roots, and original, and unbelief, that which doth make it manifest is light; and where this light is that makes all this manifest, there is the law in the heart, and new covenant written, the law and the spirit of life that makes free from the law of sin and death. And believing and receiving the light which every man is enlightened with, they come into covenant with God, they come to know the law of God in their hearts; for that is the law of God in their hearts, the light which doth enlighten every man,' &c. And every man is in his first state, in the transgression; many are worse than beasts, and brutish; and what they know they know naturally, as brute beasts.' And thou, and all of you, who are ravened from the spirit of God inwardly, what ye have known, it hath been naturally, as brute beasts; for ye are gone from the spirit that should give you to know and understand, and so that is no contradiction. And we do believe thee that thou art brutish, who lookest for the light in the letter of scripture, and sayst the light of scripture is higher in the least degree, than the 'light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world.' Alack for thee! the light which doth enlighten every man, &c. was before scripture was given forth. And the saints that receive the light that doth enlighten every one, &c. receive Christ the perfect light, and receive God, and Christ the substance, the end of degrees. And thou shalt never see the