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But now he is redeeming and recovering that which hath been lost, since the days of the apostles, in this night of the apostacy. The light is come, the night is gone, the Lamb and the saints are going on conquering, and to conquer. The throne of the Lamb is set up; and all those false prophets, beasts, antichrists, mother of harlots, great whore, and kings of the earth, and the devil, are making war against the Lamb and the saints.

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Now are all the antichrists appearing, and are in arms, and rising against Christ and his light. The Lamb is on the white horse, who slays with his sword, which are the words of his mouth, and the Lamb and the saints shall have the victory.' Glory in the highest! and rejoice, ye holy prophets, over her.

P. They say, 'The mystical body may sometimes be subject to distempers, and humours, and wants.' See page 1.

A. Are you judges? Can you judge of the mystical body which the saints are baptized into? Are the humours, wants, and distempers in the body which the saints are baptized into? Are they not in your body? Do you in this divide the word aright? distinguish things in the ground, and speak aright of things? And yet ye would not be judged, and say, 'Judge not.' And is not mystical, spiritual? P. You say,The scriptures are the word of God.'

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A. The scripture itself saith, The word is God.' Christ's 'name is called the word of God,' and the scriptures are words, the words of God, the words of Christ, the declaration which the ministers of the word set forth; which words end in Christ the word, who fulfils them. And they are called the scriptures of truth which cannot be broken; and so ye do not speak as the church did that gave forth scripture. And the spirit of God was the rule in speaking forth the scriptures, which brings to know the right use of them again.

P. They say, 'To call that light in every man Christ, is to slight Christ's glorious person in heaven, and to nullify it.'

A. Have you not in this showed your ignorance? and to be those that went forth from the apostles, and so are hardened from the spirit they were in; who said, 'Christ is all in all,' which 'doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world?' And none see the person of Christ in heaven, but who are in the light that he hath enlightened them withal; yea, the covenant of light to the Gentiles and heathens as well as Jews, and so God is not a respecter of persons. And all that are from this light, are now making war against the Lamb and the saints, and the accuser of the brethren is cast out, and the light which enlightens every man who comes into the world, is Christ.

P. They say, 'It is a delusion for them that are in the light to see what men's inward states are before God.' See page 29.

church of Christ,' and is Have ye not manifested Christ the apostles were

A. Have ye given yourselves the name there not a spirit of discerning among you? here that ye are harlotted from the church of of? And how can ye minister, or teach people, if ye do not discern their states, how they stand before God? How can you commend yourselves to every man's conscience in God's sight? How can ye present the souls of men to God, and see not how their states are in his sight? How come ye to have fellowship in the spirit? How can you, or any, minister to the state and condition that people are in, and see where they are, and not know how they stand in God's sight? In this how have you showed your ignorance of the scriptures, and the epistles written to the saints, which speak to the state and conditions the saints were in! Ye have a name, but how have ye declared yourselves dead from the life! How have ye stained your own glory, and marred your own beauty, and set yourselves out of the steps and paths of the church of Christ!

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P. Simpson saith, If my heart deceive me not, I could wish that God would recover you out of the devil's snare.' See page 40. And ye speak of breaking of bread, and ordinances, and the Lord's supper, and baptism.' See page 35.

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A. The prayers of the faithful that are in the spirit, are acceptable; but he that doubts, knows not his own heart, and prays without discerning, being out of that which purifies it. And for baptism, and ordinances, and the Lord's supper, and the bread that the saints broke, ye have all been ignorant of them in this night of apostacy since the days of the apostles. Paul told the Corinthians, what he had received of the Lord, he delivered unto them;' and 'as oft as they did eat that bread, and drink that cup, they did show forth the Lord's death till he came,' and they were to do it in remembrance of him. And afterwards the apostles wrote again to the said Corinthians, and told them, the light that shined in their hearts would give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus;' and said, 'while we look not at things that are seen, but at things that are not seen: for the things that are seen are temporal, (bread, wine, and water are seen,) but the things that are not seen are eternal.' And bids them examine themselves, and prove their own selves, and said, 'Know ye not that Christ Jesus is in you, except you be reprobates?'

P. He saith, He hath been a preacher of the gospel at Bristol and Wells, and he hath not need to seek a proof of any man.' See page 43. And he saith, I am no preacher, to bid every man turn to the light within him, neither did I ever read or hear, that any of the apostles or holy men of God preached such a gospel.' And they said of

Sarah Latchet, who had been one of them, and was excommunicated, "it was fittest to send her to Bridewell.'

A. This was not the work of the ministers of the gospel, to wrestle with flesh and blood, which is yours. And they in the sight of God had witnesses, and they could seek them; which thou sayst thou needs not. And they turned people from the darkness to the light; and Christ bid them believe in the light while they had it, that they might become the children of the light.' And the apostle's doctrine was, ' that the light that shined in their hearts, would give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus,' and this thou never heardest of, as thou sayst. And thy gospel that is not this, and agrees not to the apostles,' is another, and so accursed. And the saints were one another's epistles written in one another's hearts, read and seen of all men. And thou hast been a bad preacher at Wells and Bristol, that knowest not the light.

P. They say, 'A man may be a christian, a believer, a converted soul, he may be in Christ, and yet not have received the spirit of sealing and establishing,' page 53.

A. This is like the rest of their doctrine, who, being out of it themselves, are not able to judge of the state of babes, believers, and converted souls who are in Christ. For they that are in Christ have the spirit; and they that are converted, are converted by the spirit. And he that believeth, cometh to be sealed with the spirit of promise.

P. They say, 'The light in every man is a notion,' and yet say 'they seek God by prayer, solemnly.' And 'they shut up the kingdom of heaven against men, that bid all men turn to the light within them, and from the believing on the person of Jesus Christ,' page

60.

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A. None open the kingdom of heaven to all men, but who turn people to the light which Christ Jesus hath enlightened every man with that cometh into the world.' And none believe in Christ, but who believe in the light which Christ, the light, hath enlightened them with; and such have the witness in themselves, and can set to their seals that God is true; and they see their sanctification, justification, and redemption. And none ever pray the acceptable prayer of the Lord, but who are in the light that cometh from Christ; and such call not the light 'a notion,' for all notions are among such as are out of the light, with which Christ doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world.' They are from the rock, the foundation, and sanctification, and see not Christ. And this is not to deny Christ, but receive him, and believe in him. And all upon the earth are antichrists, that deny the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world,' and are from it. VOL. III.

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P. And as for your speaking of judging, and not to judge before the time, until the Lord do come,' &c.

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A. That was spoken to the Corinthians, and the apostle adds, "who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart.' Now the same apostle said to the same Corinthians, that God would dwell in them, and walk in them,' and they were not to judge before the time until that he did come. he told them the saints should judge the world,' and the world should be judged by them. Now where the Lord is come, such as have the son, and the Father, and bring this doctrine, they are to be received; and they know where sin and transgression are finished, and where it is standing. So if any man have an ear to hear this, and can receive it, let him.

And as for the rest of the things in your book, your silence might have covered your shame, 'for every man's words shall be his burden.' Therefore, he that hath the word of God, speaks that which shall be so, which now comes to be richly known, and is known among the saints and believers, the true church which is come out of the apostacy, since the days of the apostles, to that the apostles were in.

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Jonathan Clapham, a labourer of the gospel,' as he saith, and William Jenkin: their book to the protector, called A discovery of the Quakers' doctrine.' Their principles, &c.

P. HE saith, I dare not say that I am infallible, as the pope and the Quakers.' And 'the magistrate in this external politic kingdom is a mediator, though he is no officer nor magistrate in the spiritual kingdom of his church. And if this be received by magistrates, that they have nothing to do with the worship of God, Christ is little beholding to them. Then they may protect the worship of Mahomet, as well as Christ's.' And yet ye say, 'That the magistrate is the officer of Christ.' See his epistle to the protector.

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A. How is it, then, if the magistrate be no officer of the church, that you make use of magistrates to prison, to persecute, to give you tithes, and to quench the spirit when any thing is revealed to another that sits by?' Were not the magistrates in all ages stirred up by the blind priests, prophets, and teachers, to persecute and prison such as they judged to be blasphemers? And so, did not all the saints in all ages suffer, not as for truth, but as for blasphemy; yea, by them that had the form, covered with the sheep's clothing?

Now the magistrate that is in the power of Christ, is beyond an

external kingdom, and sees over the kingdoms of the world; and as he is a help-governor for Christ, he is a member of the church, and knows who worship God, and who worship idols. And who worship God are in the power of God, in that which sees over all external kingdoms; that is the higher power which the soul must be subject to, and that is the true magistrate. And thou not being infallible, art not in the spirit, and so art not a minister, and art not able to judge of powers, nor magistrates, nor kingdoms, nor churches. For who is in the infallible, is in the spirit that Christ was in, and the apostles and prophets that gave forth scriptures. But we say, that thou, nor the pope, thy elder brother, (in the apostacy from the apostles,) are either of you infallible, nor in the infallible spirit that the apostles were in; but ye are both erred from it in the apostacy, as your fruits declare.

P. They say, 'The magistrates are to protect the church from the ravenous wolves; for ye are to stop the freedom of the Quakers in your dominions, and their license, and the Lord bless your highness. his epistle to the protector.

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A. Before, thou saidst they were not officers in the spiritual church, and now wouldst thou have them to limit and quench the spirit? and to be your executioners, by telling them the Quakers seduce people? Ye have manifested your own spirits, that ye have not the spirit to resist their spirits, but are crying to the magistrates. And did John bid the saints call to the magistrates, to the outward powers of the earth, to try seducers, or did the saints so? And have not you manifested yourselves to be them that cry, help men!' against Christ and the saints? and cry to the mountains to cover you; crying to the magistrates, Help men of Israel! these are the men that will turn the world upside down,' and so go to the arm of flesh? Have not ye here showed your spirits to be them that should come, who were inwardly ravened, who John saw were come, and to be the wolves in sheep's clothing, and the blasphemers; such as you cannot tear, yourselves, you would have the magistrates to tear. But the Lord hath opened an understanding among many of them that they see you.

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P. He saith, We dare not contest with the Quakers, they teach men, by minding the light in the conscience, to attain a moral righteousness, that is the highest; and as if they had accomplished it wholly now, and not to be fulfilled in another world.' See epistle to the pro

tector.

A. We do believe that you are not able to resist the Quakers, who have appeared in that that cannot be shaken. Therefore, is it not a shame to you to say you are a church and ministers, and to say the magistrate is no officer in the spiritual church; and yet fly to the magistrate, and tell him you dare not contest with the Quakers, and

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