tion, for the priest said he would admonish him, and he went to hear him; and when he had admonished him, he spake to him, and bid him prove himself in the doctrine of Christ, and they whom he admonished out of it, and then gave them a bill of divorcement. But the priest went to the court, and got a warrant from the justice, and so cast him into prison, and when he was in prison, excommunicated him, and said he disturbed him. And here his devilish wicked art and doctrines appear, which shows him of Cain's stock, where is nothing but persecution, murder, and envious slayers, vagabonds, and cursed speakers, that went on in the way of Balaam, or Core; that make merchandize of the people through their covetousness, and feigned words to the people; and give forth their curses in their congregations, and all the people are to say amen, to them as follows:

The priests' first curse, that all the people were to say amen to.

P. 'Cursed be all they that say grace is free, and let all the people say, amen.'

A. And so they curse the apostles, and the apostles' doctrine, and all that witness to it, who said, 'the free grace of God, which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men,' Titus ii. 11. and was the saints' teacher. These things the apostles commanded to teach with all authority, Titus ii. 15. but the ungodly men turn this grace of God into wantonness, who are of old ordained for condemnation.

Ye are the raging waves of the sea, sending and foaming out your own shame, whose fruits wither, neglecting the common salvation; read Jude. Ye are like to Sodom and Egypt, clouds without water, who run greedily after the wages of Balaam, going in the way of Cain, and shall perish in the gainsaying of Core, and walking despitefully against the spirit of grace; and they that turn the grace of God into wantonness, deny the Lord that bought them, 2 Pet. ii. Jude 11.

Ye are the trees without fruit, wells without water, carried about with tempests, cursed speakers; teaching the people to say amen to your cursing the apostles' doctrine, and so willingly ignorant, that your damnation may be just, that your madness and folly might appear to all; and so you are sensual, not having the spirit, waves of the sea, wandering stars, reserved for blackness of darkness; read Jude.

"The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,' Titus ii. 11. So that which brings salvation and hath appeared to all men, ye curse; that which is the grace of God, which ye with your damnable doctrine, and doctrine of devils, curse, them that witness it, 2 Pet. ii. 1 Tim. iv. upon whose consciences the hot iron hath come, which hardened them that went to the doctrine of devils,

to them that did not hold forth the saviour of all men, 1 Tim. iv. 10 These things command and teach, let no man despise thy youth.'

Now they that went to the doctrine of devils, from the saviour of men, but especially them that believed, and from the grace of God which hath appeared to all men, which brings salvation, are they which have turned the grace of God, which is the light, into wantonness, who are ordained of old for condemnation, Jude iv. Such are in Cain's way, from the command of God; Core's way from the truth, and Balaam's way from the spirit; those are the clouds and tempests upon whose heads comes the wo.

The priests' second curse, which all the people were to say amen to.

'Cursed be all they that say the scripture is not the word of God; and let all the people say amen.'

A. Here they have cursed Luke, who calls the scripture a declaration of the word, Luke i. 1; and Acts i. 1, where it is called a treatise. And they have cursed their own company, who say the scriptures sinify writings; and they have cursed John, who did not say the scripture was the word, who said, 'In the beginning was the word,' John i. 1, and the scripture is words, as in the last of Revelations, he that addeth to the words;' and Christ's name is called the word of God; Rev. xix, 13. And the scriptures are words, not a word, Exod. xx, and which words Christ came to fulfil.

The priests' third curse, to which all the people were to say amen.

'Cursed be all they that say faith is without sin, and let all the people say amen.'

A. Faith is the gift of God, and the gift of God is without sin, Ephes. ii. 8. Faith is that which gives the victory, John iii. 4. And that which gives victory is without sin. And here they have cursed the apostles and their doctrine, who say, faith is without sin, and faith is precious, 1 Pet. i. 7, and that which is precious is without sin. Faith is the gift of God, and the gift of God is perfect, and that which is perfect is without sin, and gives victory over sin. Without faith a man cannot please God, and that which men please God in, is without sin, Heb. i. 6. And so ye have cursed the apostle and his doctrine, the just and that which is pure, that by which they were healed, through faith they were justified, Rom. iii. 28, and what is not of faith is sin, Rom. xiv. 23. So what is of faith is not sin, and what is righteous is not sin, and the scripture speaks of the righteousness of faith, Rom. iv. 13. Faith is not of sin, but what is not of faith is sin, faith gives victory over sin, 1 John iii. 4, in which faith man is justified, and hath

peace with God, Rom. v. 1, and it is a mystery held in a pure conscience, 1 Tim. iii. 9.

The priests' fourth curse, to which all the people were to say amen.

'Cursed are all they that say every man hath a light sufficient to lead him to Christ, and that within him, and let all the people say amen.'

A. Here they have cursed the apostle's doctrine, who said, God would dwell in them, 2 Cor. vi. 16, and 'Christ in you the hope of glory,' Col. i. 27, and God is light, 1 John i. 5. And they have cursed the prophets, who said, 'I give him for a covenant, a leader of the people. I will dwell in them, and walk in them,' saith God, Jer. xxxi. 31. Heb. x. 16. And he saith, I will send you the spirit of truth, and it shall lead you into all truth,' John xiv. 17. John xvi, 13. 'And I will be their God,' to rule them, and they shall be my people,' Jer. xxxi. 33. Thy curses are but wind, for we are redeemed from the curse; and the apostles said, 'the light that shined in their hearts was to give them the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,' 2 Cor. iv. 6. And they that are led by the spirit of God are the sons of God, Rom. viii. 14, and the light to guide our feet in the way of peace; and he that hath the son hath the father also.' And if any bring another doctrine, receive them not into your houses, neither bid them God speed, 2 John ix. 30. You have here showed yourselves in the cursed estate, out of the apostles' rule, the same spirit of truth that led the disciples into all truth, that shall reprove the world of sin, John xvi. 8, 13.

The priests' fifth curse, to which all the people were to say amen.

'Cursed be all they that deny the Sabbath-day, and let all the people say, amen.'

A. Here they have cursed themselves, and all the apostles, and the saints, and their own generation; have not you and your own generation denied the Sabbath-day the Jews met on, which is the Sabbathday according to the scripture? do not ye meet together upon the first day? and was not Christ crucified on the sixth day? and did not he arise on the first day? and did the saints meet together on the first day? and not keep the Jews' Sabbath-day? do not you work upon it yourselves, and keep markets and fairs on it? But, as it is said before, we are redeemed from the curse.

These are the particular sentences whereupon Matthew Markell, and the rest of the priests present with him, did excommunicate those people called Quakers, in the presence of many witnesses, and he required his hearers to say amen to every particular sentence.

John Humes, Priest.

P. They who have not the scriptures, know not the attributes of God, by the light of nature, but the scriptures declare the great mystery of the three persons in trinity, which they who want the scriptures know not.'

A. Thy principle is a lie, and who had not the scriptures knew God and Christ, as Abraham and Enoch, and the scripture doth not declare of the three persons, nor of the trinity; and the natural man receives not the things of the spirit of God.'

P. That the scriptures reveal the great mystery of election, the great works of the creation, and the work of redemption.'

A. There thou hast set up the scripture instead of God, and before God and the son, for it is God that doth reveal to babes and sucklings, Matt. xi. 25, and God did reveal by his spirit, 1 Cor. ii. 10, and God shall reveal, Phil. iii. 15, and the things of God are hid from the wise and prudent (Matt. xi. 25.) that have the Scriptures; the Jews had the scriptures: and God reveals his secrets to the prophets, his servants, Amos iii. 7. No man knows the Father saving to whom the son shall reveal him, Matt. xi. 17. Now the son reveals, and the Father reveals, and the things of God are revealed by his spirit, 1 Cor. ii. 10. The Jews had the scriptures, and knew not the son, 1 Cor. ii. 8, nor the Father, as in John, nor the things of God by a natural light, as they call it. The Jews had the scriptures, and did not know the election, Isa. xxiv, because they were from the Spirit. So it is God that reveals the son, and redemption, and election, and not the scripture; the scripture was given forth from them that had the revelation from God.

P. That we and the Papists and Jesuites, and priests, do agree all together, that the scripture is the word of God that liveth and endureth forever.'

A. I do believe that you and the Papists and Jesuits, agree all in one; but ye do not agree with the apostles and ministers of the word, for the ministers of the word call the scripture a declaration, as ye may read Luke i. And ye do not agree with them that set forth the Acts, that called it a treatise, Acts i. Likewise ye do dot agree with some of your own, who say the scriptures signify writings, and writings will not endure forever. So ye are Babylon, and do not agree with Christ, nor with John, Rev. xxii. who saith the words;' nor with Moses, nor God, who 'spake all these words,' Exod. xx. In the beginning was the word, and the word is God, and the word liveth and abideth forever; but the scripture is words, and the scripture cannot be broken.

John Nasmith, Priest of Hambleton, his Principles.

P. That the soul of man is a reasonable sinful substance.'

A. How can that which is sinful be reasonable? and if that which is unsinful be reasonable, and sinful be reasonable both, then they are one, in unity. The Lord will take the soul for an offering for sin; doth the Lord take that which is sinful for an offering? Isai. liii. See how thou and the prophet agree here! But what is that soul that the wicked are not able to kill? is it not that which God hath in his hand? And this is a lie, to say that which is reasonable is sinful; thou puttest light for darkness. God, who hath all souls in his hand, 'breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul,' and the soul is immortal and Christ the bishop of it is immortal, and God hath it in his hand, which goeth against him that doth evil, whose hand is immortal; but man transgressing the commands of God, the soul lies in death. So Christ is the bishop of souls: so they that came to know Christ, their souls rejoiced in God their saviour, Luke i.

P. That the evil spirits are both sinful and reasonable.'

A. This is a lie, for reasonable is not sinful, but unreasonable is sinful, 2 Thes. iii. they have not the faith: and if the evil spirit be reasonable, and the good reasonable, they are both one, who then is unreasonable? If the evil spirit be reasonable, thou puttest no difference between the precious and the vile; thou hast the mark of a blind guide, and a false prophet in the forehead.

P.

That one of the Quakers is worse than the devil.'

A. This is a lie, with his strange wonder, for there is nothing worse than the devil, whose children ye are; for when he speaks a lie he speaks of himself, and he is the father of it.

Henry Foreside, Priest of Lingiah in Dunbartonshire, his doctrine and Principles.

P. 'That God commands all men every where to repent, to the end that they should not have it to say but they were warned, but not that he would give them grace to repent.'

A. Here thou makest God that he does not intend that which he speaks, and so thou wouldst make him unrighteous; though the Lord commands all men every where to repent, Acts xvii. 30, who hath made all nations of men of one blood to dwell upon the earth, and all being concluded under sin and unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all, Rom. iii. 9. For both Jews and Gentiles, all were under sin, and none of them did good, no not one. And God's intent is, that when