fulfils them.

And the scriptures of truth are not God, nor a God, but are his words that cannot be broken, and must be fulfilled by Christ the word.'

George Johnson, priest of Orford, said,

P. THAT the light which John bare testimony to, is the light of nature.'

A. Which is contrary to the scriptures; for the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, was before any natural lights or created lights were.

P. That the Americans were never ordained for grace and salvation; and that the grace of God had never appeared to the Americans.'

A. Which is contrary to the scriptures, which say, 'The grace of God which brings salvation hath appeared to all men,' &c. And, 'I will give him for a light, a covenant to the Gentiles, a new covenant to the house of Israel and Judah, and that he may be my salvation to the ends of the earth.' And many in America have received truth and salvation.

P. That none can be free from sin, nor perfect, whilst they live upon the earth; and that none are able to keep the commands of God.' A. So he hath denied the one offering, and shown himself to be out of the love of God, and the circumcision of the spirit, which puts off the body of sin, and out of the blood of the new covenant.

These are the principles of the priests of Orkney.

P. JAMES MORRISON said, that Christ which is within men is a devil:' and that all who said they had Christ within them, were devils and witches,' and so bid the people take notice of it.'

A. Contrary to the apostle to the Colossians, who said, 'Christ in you, the hope of glory.' And to the Corinthians he said, 'Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates.' And they are in the witchcraft, and of the devil, that have not Christ in them, and are reprobates; and this was and is the doctrine of the ministers of God.

Witnessed by Luke Liddall, soldier, with all the rest of the priests' hearers.

G. W.

George Larcum, priest of Cockermouth, in Cumberland. His principles as followeth.

P. HE said, He would come to Christ, and never own the light within him.'

A. None come out of transgression to the second Adam, but who come to the light within, which is the way to the Father, and that is it which gives the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,' which comes from him.

P. George Larcum said, 'I would to God I had power, thou shouldst be severely punished.'

A. Here thou hast showed thou art limited, and thy weapons and thy armour, and art not a minister of Christ, in the armour of God, the shield of faith, nor shod with the gospel; but such are the priests and false prophets, who are in the form but deny the power of God, who get the magistrates on their side, that they may be ready to help them against the truth whenever it ariseth.

Thomas Warwicke, priest, came to the meeting of those called Quakers, on a green, and struck John Grave, and plucked him off the green; and his wife struck and beat sore, and drew blood of Friends. And the same priest said, 'If the law were rightly executed, thou might not stand there, it would cut off all your necks.'

Thomas Dentham, priest, called me out of the meeting to him, and said he would stand to prove his practice, and then went his way, and bade the people take me away, hang me; and at his words the people did beat me, and pulled the hair off my head.

JOHN GRAVE, witness.

A. You show yourselves not to be ministers of Christ, but to be such that ever were out of the saints' life, who were found in the spirit of murderers and persecutors; of him you are that is out of the truth, that would drink the blood of the saints: this is the mark of the beast and false prophets, that would kill creatures, and wrestle with flesh and blood.

P. That the devil is a minister of Christ in some sense.'

A. Christ the seed of the woman, bruises the serpent's head, and destroys death, and him that hath the power of it, and destroys the works of the devil, and judges the prince of this world, and takes him, together with the false prophets and the beast, and casts them alive into the lake of fire, that he shall deceive the nations no more. And so he will not suffer the devil to minister; and thus the devil and his apostles are bound under with the truth, which he is out of.

P. The scribes and Pharisees were ministers of Christ in the same

sort as Moses was, when Christ commands to hear them, though in a lower degree of manifestation.'

A. The scribes and Pharisees were not as Moses; for Moses was in the life and light, with which he saw Christ. The Pharisees had the words of Moses, and the law and prophets, but were out of the life that Moses and the prophets were in; though got up in Moses' chair, they stood against Christ, and saw him not as Moses did; Christ cried wo against them. So they were not the ministers of Christ, but against him who was the end of the prophets.

John Owen, who calls himself a Minister of the Gospel, in his Catechism, which he gives forth, 1657, has these principles.

P. 'ALL truth concerning God and ourselves, is to be learned from the holy scripture, the word of God.'

A. There was truth learned before the scriptures were written; and the scriptures of truth are the words of God, which end in Christ the word; and there is no truth learned, but as the spirit doth lead into all truth, which comes from Christ the truth, which was before the scripture was written. And the spirit of truth leads into all truth of the scripture. And many have the scriptures, but know not Christ the truth, but as the spirit leads them, and reveals him; and so he hath excluded Christ and the spirit.

P. There is one God in three persons,' &c.

A. Where doth the apostle tell us of three persons, but tells us of Father, son, and holy ghost; but thou and you get this out of the massbook, and old common-prayer-book, who are the mutterers about three persons.

P. 'I am conceived in sin, and born in iniquity.'

A. Then thy parents were not believers, so children unholy. For, by nature children of wrath,' that is in the unconverted state, in the transgression, unbelievers; for they who by nature are children of wrath, are not born of the believers; for the unbelievers are sanctified by the believers, else were their children unholy, but now are they clean.

P. We have not kept the commandments of God, but are all sinners, and transgressors of them.'

A. We do believe thee, John Owen, and the rest of you, who call yourselves ministers of the gospel, and yet have not kept the ten commandments, and would include all men with you to be sinners and transgressors of them. Nay, John was separated from you, who said, VOL. III.

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'He that loves God, keeps his commandments.' But what! are you not false witness bearers that call yourselves ministers of the gospel? and coveters after other men's goods, houses, &c.? Are not you committers of adultery and stealing? Are not you murdering men in holes for goods, like a troop of robbers, as the company of priests did in the day of the law and prophets? Do not you live in dishonouring your parents and God, and taking it to yourselves? And do not you all come short of keeping the sabbath, who are bearing of burdens, making a fire, gathering your meat when you should be at rest? Are not you all taking God's holy name in vain, both in pulpit, town-house, ale-house, streets, market houses, and naming Christ's name in your iniquity, so not held guiltless? Are not you all making images, and graven images, and hanging them up in your steeple-houses, and on signs, and in houses, and gardens, and highways, of things above, and things that are beneath? And do you think that people do not believe you, when you tell people in your catechism, that you have broken all the ten commandments, when we see your fruits have declared it? And are you not ashamed to set forth such a catechism, who say you keep not the commandments?

P. The sacraments are the seals of the covenant of grace.'

A. It is God that seals the son, and sent him into the world, and not outward shadows. And as for thy word sacraments, the pope was the author of them in his common-prayer-book. And as for the rest of thy work in thy book of catechism, it is like unto the old doctors of the Jews that broke the commands of God, that loved him not, whom Christ cried wo against.

S. Palmer, and R. Hooke, who say they are the Servants of Christ, their principles in a book, called 'The Form of Sound Words;' and who direct their book to the Friends, Neighbours, and Parishioners of Gedling and Sowdham.

P. "THAT henceforth ye be not children tossed to and fro, and earried about with the slights of men;' which is in reference to false prophets, of whom this land is now full. You say, 'that a man cannot be made free from sin, and cannot keep the commandments of God perfectly.'

A. Are not you in the tossing to and fro, and tossing people to and fro? And are not you the false prophets who Christ said should come, who John said were come, and the world hath been after you, who tell

the people that they cannot keep the commandments perfectly? Contrary to John, who saith, he that loves God keeps the commandments of God. And the beast made war against them that kept the commandments of God;' and 'herein is the love of God perfect.'

P. You tell people of 'a sacrament, a creed, and three persons.' A. The scripture tells no such thing, but the common-prayer-book doth, and so you do not teach the form of sound words in your catechism.

P. Out of the scriptures we may learn the knowledge of the true God.'

A. That which gives the knowledge of the true God is the spirit that gave forth the scriptures; for the Pharisees that had the scriptures knew not God.

P. The state of man in this life is threefold, creation, corruption, regeneration.'

A. In regeneration the life is changed out of that life which is in the fall. So regeneration and corruption are not one in the new life.

P. 'A man by his own power cannot get into regeneration, for they are dead in sins and trespasses.'

A. Some are sanctified from the womb, and some children are holy; so all are not dead in sins and trespasses, for they that are so, are but unbelievers.

P. All men have not salvation by Christ, and there are many that have no share in the salvation purchased by Christ.'

A. This is contrary to scripture, which saith, that he is the offering for the sins of the whole world, and the saviour of all men, and especially of those that believe. And they that turn the grace of God into wantonness, deny their salvation; and they who hate the light which enlightens every man that cometh into the world, hate their salvation to the ends of the earth,'

P. The scripture is the word, and God is in his word, and God in the scripture offers Christ: God in his word offers Christ, which you call scriptures.'

A. The scriptures of truth are the words of God, and Christ the word comes to fulfil them; and God was in them that gave forth scriptures, and Christ was in them who gave forth scriptures, and the scriptures testify of him; and the scripture doth not say that God is in the dead letter, paper and ink. But his power ye are ignorant of, and err, not knowing the scriptures; and the scriptures are not God.

P. You say, 'that God works inwardly by his spirit, and outwardly by his word, and our faith is summed up in the apostles' creed.'

A. Christ is the author of faith; and the apostle doth not tell us of a