speaks in you.' See how contrary thou art to the prophets, Christ, and the apostles!

P. He saith, The heavenly bodies spoken of in Cor. xv. are the sun, moon, and stars,' &c. See page 6

A. Let all people read the scripture and see if it hold forth that. P. Again he saith, They abuse the scriptures, because they say he that is born of God doth not commit sin,' &c. See page 6.

A. The scripture is witnessed, as it relates and speaks. And he abuseth it, when he gives private interpretations to it, and owns it not as it speaks.

P. Again he saith, He that saith he hath no sin deceiveth himself,' &c. See page 6.

A. But the scripture saith, ' If we say we have no sin,' &c. So he perverts the scripture, for it is not 'he;' if he say 'he,' he may put it upon Christ, who is without sin: and upon this principle, he may charge the elect, to whom God lays no sin, and sees no iniquity in Jacob, nor transgression in Israel.' And it is Collier's wicked eye that sees sin in the elect, they that are born of God. Thus he abuseth the scriptures, and is not able to divide the word aright; and therefore such spirits are to be kept out of scriptures, with the spirit that gave forth scripture: for he that is born of God doth not commit sin.' And there is a time for men to see they have sin, and have sinned, and a time to confess it and forsake it; and there is a time to witness the blood of Christ cleansing from all sin, and then a time to witness the birth born of God which doth not commit sin. 1 John iv. chap.

P. He saith, Here is a strange conceit of a person that fills heaven and earth with his presence, and dwells in the saints,-blindness with a witness,' &c. See page 8.

A. Here thy ignorance hath appeared again: for all power in heaven and earth is given to him, Christ Jesus, who is in them, at the right hand of God, who is dwelling in the saints, and doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world; but this to thee is a strange conceit, and blindness with a witness. Thy witness is blinded with thy conceit, which shows thy ignorance of scripture, and thy unskilfulness in the word and doctrine; since all things are upheld by his word, and his power: and there is no creature but is manifest in his sight: for all things that were made, were made by him, that he might have a name above every name; and that to his name should every knee bow, and every tongue confess to the glory of God. And God will dwell in man, and it is he that seeth the heart.

P. He saith, Sin is in the saints,' &c. See page 10.

A. Sin is not in the sanctified, but in the unsanctified. And he that saith sin is in the saints, is blinded, he is of the serpent, and he and

they are in the pollution themselves, which the saints have escaped, and are washed and cleansed; and so far as any one is sanctified, it is from sin.

P. He saith, that we will not enter into the kingdom by the blood of the covenant, that hath been often proved,' &c. See page 10.

A. And Francis Blake published it in print, that the Quakers witnessed the blood of Christ that cleanseth from all sin; and so thou prints against us, and he prints for us; thou prints that we deny the blood of Jesus, and he prints that we own the blood of Jesus; and so ye are devouring the innocent betwixt you. The blood of the seed we own, which cleanseth from all sin, which you do not own, who say sin must be in the saints, but make his blood, which cleanseth from all sin, of none effect.

P. He saith, The scriptures shall be our judge one day, which we call the letter,' &c. See page 11.

A. And the scripture saith, All judgment is committed to the son," and God will judge the world,' and the saints and the spiritual man judge all things; and thus thou art ignorant of the letter, and this shall judge thee at the last.

P. He saith, That the kingdom is not come, nor refreshing from the presence of the Lord,' &c.

A. Which shows they are like the Pharisees, unconverted, gazing here and there; but Christ told them the kingdom was in them. And they are not turned to the light which comes from Christ the refresher, whereby refreshing might come; so are not yet come to repentance.

P. He saith, 'They that say they have no sin, make God a liar.' See

page 12.

A. The scripture saith no such thing, but saith on the contrary, many were made free from sin. And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin;' and 'they that are Christ's have crucified the lusts,' and all things are become new:' and they that sin and lie are not in Christ the truth.

P. He saith, All that have been, are, or shall be converted since the gospel ministration, are converted by the apostles' words,' &c. See page 13.

A. So he hath thrown out the spirit that doth regenerate, and Christ the way to the Father, the word that sanctifieth, and Christ the power of God to salvation;' who said they would not come to him that they might be converted; so if they get all the apostles' words and come not to Christ, they are not converted; and none are converted by the apostles' words, but they who come to the life that the words came from.

P. And he opposeth and saith, 'It will be the Quakers' fall, because they say there is no other way to bring people to God, but by the light in them,' &c. See page 14.

A. Which is Christ, the way to God from whom it comes, not believing in which is man's condemnation, and so a saving light. For saith God, I will give him for a covenant, for a light to the Gentiles, that he may be my salvation to the ends of the earth;' to wit, the light shall: and all that are not in the light are in the fall, out of the covenant, in the unsaved state, and know not their salvation, as the scripture declareth; so there is death and destruction, talking of the fame of wisdom, and keeping people out of the light.

P. And he saith, That Christ is not so the light of the world, as he is the light of believers.' See page 14.

A. Christ is the light to the world, as to believers, and he that believeth in it shall not abide in darkness, but shall have the light of life. He that follows the light and believes in it, shall have the light of life, and shall not abide in darkness. He that follows not the light, but hates it, he abides in the darkness and the light condemns him, which the believer walks in, and believes in, and hath the light of life; which light is one and the same, which enlightens every man that comes into the world, believers and unbelievers.

P. He saith, That the scriptures are the rule of the saints;' and he saith, the spirit is the guide to that rule,' &c. See page 15.

A. And so would have the scripture to go before the spirit. Now the spirit was the saints' rule, that led them to speak forth scriptures, and to let them see to what condition they were spoken, and so by that. they came to the law of faith; and they were not ministers of the letter, but of the spirit. So in this ye have proved yourselves not to be ministers of the spirit, but of the letter, but the spirit was before the letter

was.

P. He saith, That the time of perfection will be when Christ comes from heaven, and not before; till then the saints must be warring, waiting, groaning, and mourning,' &c. See page 20. A. And David said, he had seen an end of all perfection,' (contrary to Collier,) and the apostle said, they should hunger no more, nor thirst any more.' And Christ saith, he that eateth his flesh, and drinketh his blood, shall hunger no more, and thirst no more.' He that believeth is entered into his rest, and shall hunger no more, and thirst no more. And the apostles and saints witnessed Christ in them, and the kingdom, while they were upon earth, and the end of groaning and growling which thou art in, that art out of this, and keeps people who are apostatized from the apostle, from the light which is the truth.

John Deacon's book, called, A public discovery of a secret deceit.' His principles follow.

And as for the rest of his lies and slanders in his book, with which it is filled, they will fall upon his own head, and be his sorrow. And all liars upon the earth, that are given up to believe and tell lies, are comprehended with the innocency and truth, by which innocency is preserved, and men shall heap to themselves sorrow by their own lies and inventions.

Nevertheless the scriptures of truth are owned in their place, to the condition that they were spoken to.

P. HE saith, that the light wherewith every one that cometh into the world is enlightened, is the light of nature, and reason, and sense,' &c. See page 5.

A. Which is contrary to John (i. 9.) who saith, 'it was the true light by which all things were made;' which as many as received, he gave them power to become the sons of God,' which is beyond natural sense and reason.

P. He saith, that the work of faith, and the growth of faith, is by the natural use of ordinances, and calls it deceitful sophistry which denies it,' &c. page 7.

A. Faith is the gift of God, and Christ is the author of it. It cometh not by the natural use of ordinances: the natural man receiveth not the things that be of God,' but faith is the gift of God. And thou art in the sophistry, and in the poison, that sayst, the work and growth of faith, are by the natural use of ordinances.

P. And he speaks of a temporal expressive word of God,' &c. See page 8.

A. But the scripture tells us of no such thing as a temporal word, but speaks of the word of God that 'lives and endures for ever;' and so the other is but his own imagination.

P. He saith, The Quakers go about to pick forth the right eye of christianity.'

A. Because they hold forth the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, Christ Jesus the covenant of God, which makes all the apostate christians blind. And your right eye must be plucked out that offends; and this the christians shall witness when their eyes are open to see the light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world,' the covenant of God.

P. He saith, The Quakers were never heard of till of late years,' &c. See page 12.

A. Which is contrary to the scriptures, in which they are spoken of

before Moses, by Moses, by the prophets and by the apostles; and the apostle bids them to 'work out their salvation with fear and trembling.' And now the great earthquake John speaks of, is coming amongst you false prophets, antichrists, harlots, and apostates from the apostles, compellers to your worship. And now are you comprehended, and with the spirit of God are you judged, who are ignorant of the salvation wrought out with fear and trembling.

P. He calls them subtle deceivers and heretics, that question the word trinity,' and says 'it came from Rome,' &c. See page 13.

A. Which he is justifying, and so he is turning to his teacher the pope, (and the common-prayer-book,) of whom he hath learned it; for the scriptures have not taught it him. And the son and the Father are in unity, and this we own that are called Quakers, and deny you and your pope, and your common-prayer-book, and your false teachers, got up since the days of the apostles.

P. Again he saith, 'O incomparable hypocritical liars! Is not this the character Paul gives of a false prophet, to speak lies in hypocrisy?' because we preach perfection, &c. See page 16.

A. It is agreeable to scripture, Christ's doctrine, and the apostles' doctrine, and the life of Christ. We are made free from sin,' saith the apostle. And again, 'As he is, so are we in this present world.' And, 'As many as are perfect are thus minded,' &c. But this thou calls hypocrisy and lies; and thus thou art out of the apostles' and Christ's doctrine and life, and like a madman ragest against them that are in it, and hast denied thy own work, the work of the ministry, which was 'for the perfecting,' and so art a physician of no value.

P. He saith, The enjoyment of immortality is not till they have put off the body,' &c. See page 17.

A. Contrary to the apostle's doctrine, who saith, immortality was brought to light through the gospel.' This was when they were upon earth, and the word of God was in them, and Christ was in them, which was immortal.

P. Again he saith, They shall not have power over death and the grave until the natural death,' &c. See page 17.

A. Contrary to the apostle, who saith, O death! where is thy sting? O grave! where is thy victory?' And they were 'passed from death to life;' and 'he that believes shall never die,' and such have power over death and the grave. They that believe shall never die, they have passed from death to life.

P. He calls them 'secret deceivers, to grant perfect purity and perfection,' &c. See page 18.

A. Which is contrary to the apostle's doctrine, who brought people VOL. III.

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