P. It is blasphemy to say the son is one with the Father, and not distinct from him.'

A. The Father and the son are one, the son is in the Father, and the Father in the son, so that which is in him, is not distinct from him; and they blaspheme that say the son is not in the Father, and deny Christ's doctrine.

P. He said, 'The Father is a distinct incommunicable being from the son, and the son a distinct incommunicable being from the Father, and the holy ghost a distinct incommunicable being from the son."

A. The son is one, and in unity with the Father, and not distinct, but equal, and thought it not robbery. The holy ghost is in unity with the son and the Father, which proceeds from them, and they are one in unity, and not distinct. Thy doctrine is dross, and you priests are not fit to judge in such things as they are, they are too weighty, and too heavy for you.

P. He affirmed, that the scripture is the power of God, and that the scripture is the gospel.'

A. The power of God led them that spoke forth the scriptures; and the power of God is Christ, and the power of God endures for ever; but scripture is writing, and doth not; and the gospel is the power of God, say the scriptures, and they do not say that the scripture is the gospel; for many had that, and witnessed not the glad tidings. And so thou art here distinct from the ministers of the gospel, and art not a minister of it, which is the power of God, but puts writings for it; which power of God was before writings were.

P. He affirmed, that the Father was the Creator, and not God.'

A. This is contrary to the scripture. For in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth;' the Father and God is one, the maker of all things; for God the Father that made the world, saith the apostle, Gal. iv. 6. is one God and Father of all.'

P. He said, that Christ was not his rule, but the scripture was his rule.'

A. I do believe thee that Christ is not thy rule; so life is not thy rule, wisdom is not thy rule, truth is not thy rule; and so Christ not being thy rule, thou art ignorant of scriptures, and knowest them not ; for he who is the substance of the scriptures, is not thy rule; so thou knowest them not, neither art subject to them.

P. He saith, that God justifieth them that are not sanctified.'

A. He that is justified is sanctified, for he that justifieth, sanctifieth. P. And another priest saith, that Christ was not the resurrection of the body.'

A. Christ is the resurrection and the life, and the saviour of the body, who brings the creature into the liberty of the sons of God.

The priests of Lancashire, their principles.

PRIEST Jacus, the foreman of them, said, 'the letter and the spirit were inseparable.'

A. Contrary to the apostle, 2. Cor. The letter kills, and the spirit gives life.' And we are ministers not of the letter, but of the spirit; so the spirit that ends the letter, was before the letter was; and men may have the letter, and not the spirit, and deny the ministers thereof. And the apostle said, they were one another's epistles written in one another's hearts, not with paper and ink, but with the spirit of the living God. And so you are contrary to the ministers of Christ; and if every one who hath the letter, hath the spirit, what need you teach? your teachings are at an end, for the spirit will open to you the scriptures.

The professors' principles at Westmoreland. Edward Briggs the leader of them, said,

P. 'It was heresy and deceiving the people, to bid people believe in the power of God.'

A. Then they must not believe in Christ who is the power of God; and it is not heresy nor deceiving of people, to bid them believe in the power of God, which is Christ, but they are in the heresy and deceiving state, that do not believe in the power of God; and are deceiving people, and keep them all in heaps under the power of the devil, and so to believe in that, which is the cause of people's destroying and persecuting one another.

P. And others of the professors said, that God had no hand in working out his salvation.'

A. This is contrary to scripture, for God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.' And God is the author of salvation, who sent his son into the world to be a leader, a captain, a teacher, and a redeemer, and a covenant. And there is no name by which men must be saved, but by this name.

Ellet and Crabs' principle, who are Baptists.

P. THAT it was blasphemy for any one to say, he was justified by

a Christ within him; and that if they should look to a light within they should not have peace an hour.'

A. If Christ be not within you to justify, you are reprobates, for he is both justification and sanctification, and you looking at the light within, it will not let you have peace, but will let you see your works, actions, deeds, thoughts, and words, which you have acted and spoken. Now the saints' peace is in the light which is within; for the light is Christ, the covenant of God.

Priest Fowler, of Reading, his principle.

P. HE said, that the scripture was the foundation of foundations.' A. Here thou hast thrown out Christ, who is the tried stone, and the sure foundation, and not the scripture; but the scriptures declare of it by the prophets and the apostles; and no other foundation can any man lay but what is laid, Christ Jesus. And thou hast laid another foundation, and so art contrary to the prophets and apostles, and thy work will come into the fire; for God laid the foundation of the waters, which is not scripture. God laid the foundation, so that all men in the lost state, all the sons of Adam that are in the transgression, might come to build upon him the foundation, Christ Jesus. When wise men are turned backward, and the soothsayers and enchanters are gone mad, and the chaff scattered, and all makers of trades of Christ and the apostles' words, Babel, and the builders fall, the foundation of God, Christ Jesus, remains; they who are built on him are sure, and remain. P. Priest Goodgroom, and the priest of Ware, affirmed and said, the scriptures were both the writings and the thing signified.'

A. By this the scripture is Christ, and God, and spirit, and life, and saviour, and devil, and hell, and error, and blasphemy by your principle and doctrine, which is all false, for the scripture is not error, nor blasphemy, nor heaven, nor hell, nor Christ, but declares of these things. How have you led people in the ditch, ye blind guides, they are wallowing in their sins in the mire, and crying out of them, and then you tell them they shall never be made free from them while they are upon earth, making a trade of saints' words!

P. That Christ justified persons, excluding and setting aside the new birth and work of sanctification.'

A. Justification sets not aside the work of sanctification, nor the new birth, but is one with it; for justification is sanctification; for they who

are justified, it is by Christ, who is the sanctifier, and they who are in him, witness the new birth; for as many as receive him, Christ, who doth enlighten every one that comes into the world: as many as receive him, to them he gives the power to become the sons of God.' And those who hate the light which they are enlightened with, this is their condemnation: for this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world; but men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil.'

P. That the letter is the word:' and denies that any were converted by a light within.'

A. The principle of God hath been transgressed within, so comes unconversion and going from God, and the higher power added upon the transgressor. The law, and they who had it, had the types, figures, and shadows, which made nothing perfect; but the bringing in of a better hope did, which hope is Christ within; and none are converted to God out of types, figures, and shadows, out of transgression, out of Adam's state in the fall, and know the renewing of the inward man, life and immortality come to light, but as they come to know the light within, Christ, who is the way to God; and he who is in him, is in conversion, translation, and regeneration, in a new life, serving God. And the scripture or letter is not the word, Christ is the word; and they that had the letter, killed him who was before the letter was; who were the blind priests and Pharisees, like yourselves.

P. That Christ justified sinners as sinners.'

A. Christ justifies them as they have been sinners, and come from it, in the faith; for by faith are they justified: and faith purifies them from their sin, but they that hate the light which Christ hath enlightened them withal, are condemned by it, and that is the world's condemnation, the light, in which light the saints witness their justification, and see Christ the author of their faith.

Lamb in the city of London, the Baptists' teacher, and some of his company. Their principles as follows.

P. HE affirmed, that the scripture was the kingdom of heaven, and that the scripture was the light of the Lamb.'

A. The kingdom of heaven is within people, as in Luke xvii. And the Pharisees had scripture, and knew not the kingdom of heaven within them, but were gazing for it without them; as thou art

gazing without, and sayst, the scripture is it, when the scripture doth but declare of it, and tells people it is within them, and saith, Christ is the light, and the scripture is a declaration of it.

P. Two of the Baptists said, that the light which doth enlighten every one that comes into the world is a natural light, and Christ was

a natural man.'

A. The light which doth enlighten every one that comes into the world is Christ the covenant of God, which was before the sun and moon and stars were, which were made by him, which are natural lights; and Christ is not a natural man, nor was not; for a natural man receiveth not the things of God, but they are foolishness unto him; and the things of God Christ did receive, and they were not foolishness unto him.

P. Two Baptists affirmed, the Quakers denied the scriptures, because they did not speak with a book in their hands.'

A. This is ignorance; for a man may speak the scripture, and have never a book in his hand, though he does not name chapter and verse, which are set up by men's wits; for the spirit that gave them forth did not set them in a frame to please men's wills withal. And the Quakers do not deny the scriptures, because they do not tell people chapter and verse, and hold a book in their hand, but are come into that which it speaks of, into that which cannot be shaken: and here the blind ignorance of the teacher appears, who can get no farther than the chapter and verse, and book in the hand. And this is like the horse which can find the pasture again when he hath been there: so when he hath seen chapter and verse, he can find it again. This is not like them who gave forth the scriptures, which they learned of God, and what they had received of God, afterwards recorded; which now you and the priests fall out about, and are in heaps, and have no unity with it nor God, nor one with another, and would tear one another's flesh to pieces about it; and here your spirits are tried.

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William Greenhill, priest of Stepny, who makes a trade of the scripture, his principle as followeth.

P. THE Scripture is the divine word and wisdom of God.'

A. Thou hast thrown out Christ in this, and put scripture in his place, and given the scripture his name, who is the word, as in the Revelation, 'Whose name is called the word of God,' who is the wisdom of God, and this the scripture testifies of, as in the Corinthians, John, and the Revelations.