into the world, are in the idolatry. And every man that comes into the light which he is enlightened with, is in that which was before any natural lights were: and the natural lights are the sun, the moon, and the stars. And they delude and deceive people that say, the light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world is a natural light, and they keep people in idolatry; and so shut up the kingdom against men, and go not in themselves, nor suffer others; for all idolatry is out of the light.

P. He saith, To be carried up to the power, and to the spirit which resembles fire, whether this be not antichrist like a Lamb; to call fire from heaven to come down in the sight of men? And whether the power be from God or from satan, that brings people into a trembling and shaking like Belshazzar,' &c. See page 20, 21.

A. That power was not of satan that broke down the head of gold and the breasts of silver, neither was that power of satan that made Belshazzar to shake and quake: and that power all must know, before the Most High rules in the kingdoms of men. And to be carried up by the power and spirit of God, is not antichrist, nor is as the beast which, with his lying wonders, caused fire to come down from heaven, for the power, the spirit of God fathoms all such things; and saw those were the spirits that were erred from the apostles, and the life they lived in, that did so.

P. He saith, The most righteous man falls seven times a day, the scripture tells us.' See page 22.

A. The scripture doth not speak any such thing as seven times a day,' but it saith, the just man falleth seven times, and riseth again, but the wicked fall into mischief.'

P. He saith, such as have fasted till their neighbours who lived nigh them have not known them; they have been as though they had been come out of the jaws of death: whether this be not as the Pharisees, and an occasion to satan?' &c. See page 24. A. What would ye have said to David in his days, when he fasted till he might number his bones, and was a stranger to all his acquaintance? was this as hypocrites. fast? And because some now, by the same power, are moved of the Lord so to do, is this like the Pharisees that appear to do so? Have not all ministers and teachers showed their ignorance of the scriptures, and the life that gave them forth, and to be such as cannot divide the word aright, nor speak a word in season? But they are rather such as burthen and oppress the just, whereby the poor groan and cry; not distinguishing between the fasting of the servants of God, and those that appeared to fast. So in this you show that you put no difference between the precious and the vile, and are not able to judge of things that differ; so are judged with that which doth

put a difference in things that differ. And David was a wonder to his neighbours.

Francis Higginson's book, called A Brief Relation of the Religion of the Northern Quakers. His principles follow.

P. HE saith in his epistle, 'The great number that are fallen away from the word of God.'

A. The falling away from the word of God was before the apostles' decease, and the world is since gone after you and them that are fallen away; and so you put the letter for the word, the scriptures which are words, and so run into all opinions and sects. But now are people coming to the light, and so to the word Christ Jesus, him by whom the world was made; from you apostates, to the word and the apostles,

are we come.

P. Again he saith, I do not detest Popery itself more heartily than I do your religion, Quakers,' &c.

A. I do believe thee, for Popery itself is thy stock: the tithes, the universities, the steeple-houses, mass-houses. So I know thou must be a friend to Popery, and detest us before thou canst Popery; the kingdom would otherwise be divided against itself, and then it were not like to stand. But Popery and you have come up in the apostacy since the days of the apostles, and so with the power of God ye are denied.

P. He again saith, 'Beware of false prophets; for there shall arise false prophets, and false Christs, and if it were possible, they should deceive the very elect.' Matt. vii. and Matt. xxiv.

A. Christ said they should come, and that they should be inwardly ravening wolves,' but would be clothed with the sheep's clothing; he told his disciples this, and before the disciples' decease they saw that they were come, the false prophets and the antichrists, as in 1 John ii. 4. which went from them. And in the Revelations he saith, 'all the world went after them:' all the world wandered after the beast,' and the false prophets. And the beast had power over all nations, and kindreds, and tongues, and peoples. And the beast and false prophet made war against the saints, and overcame them. And so you false prophets and antichrists have had the sheep's clothing, but have been the wolves, ravening and devouring the lambs. Ye could not have deceived, if ye had not had the sheep's clothing upon you: and so the beast hath his names, which hath had power over all nations, kindreds, and tongues. So the beast and whore have been upon your tongues, (which makes

you orthodox men,) which John calls waters: here have been the beast and his names, who have had power over all nations. And all nations have drunk of the cup of the mother of harlots, the great whore; the inhabitants of the earth are drunk with the wine of her fornication; and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her; and she sits upon the waters, and the waters are peoples, and tongues, and nations, and multitudes. You have told the poor people long, that the false prophets are but now come, and the antichrists are but now come, and bid them come to Matt. vii. and Matt. xxiv. and so have showed your ignorance of the scriptures, which say they were before the apostles' decease, as in the first epistle of John; they went forth from the apostles; these were the false prophets, antichrists, and false spirits, which Christ said should come, and the world since has gone after them. Now doth your ignorance of the scriptures appear, and that your are not men able to divide the word aright. The discerning now is risen among people, that they begin to see and know who divides the word aright. And to bid people go to Matt. vii. and Matt. xxiv. and say false prophets should come, all this hath been but for pretence. Now we see you to be one with those John spoke of when he said, they were come, and all that dwelt upon the earth went after them.' Ye have had the form of godliness, but the power hath been denied; and so you have burst into names, and heaps, and sects. But now are the vials, and thunders, and plagues, and trumpets sounding and going forth, and the seven woes going out: and now are the kings of the earth, and false prophets, and antichrists, and the mother of harlots, and the beast, and his names and horns, gathering together, with the old deceiver the devil, to battle against the Lamb, and the saints of the Lamb. But the Lamb and the saints have got the victory, and the rivers of living waters are opening to all that thirst. Sing and rejoice, let us give glory to God, for now is the marriage of the Lamb come.

P. Again thou makes a great pudder, that any one should witness he is equal with God,' &c. page 2.

A. In a catechism of the assembly of the priests (called divines) which they put forth to the nation, they have laid down, (for young children, and old men and all to learn,) that the holy ghost and the son are equal in power and glory with the Father.' Yet if any come to witness the son revealed in them, or come to witness the holy ghost in them, as they that gave forth scriptures; or witness the mind of Christ, and witness. that which is equal with the Father, that equality which you speak of, you priests destroy that which you have put forth to the nation, and cry out horrid blasphemy.' And thus ye confound that which you have set up, and kill that which ye have begotten.

P. He saith, I shall mention their errors, 1. They hold their VOL. III.

17

speakings are a declaration of the word Christ in them. 2. That the letter of scripture is carnal. 3. That Jesus Christ is come in their flesh, that he is in them as man. 4. And that the scriptures are not the written word of God. 5. That the soul is a part of God, or a divine essence. 6. That they enjoy God here, and Christ here. 7. And attain to a state of perfection. 8. That sprinkling of infants is a mark of the beast. 9. And our church, and worship, and temple, are idols' temples, and beast-houses. 10. And not to be called of men master. 11. And the not speaking to a single person in the plural number,' &c. These he calls errors.

A. All your temples set up (imitating the temple Solomon built) since the days of the apostles, are idols, for God never commanded them. And have not the Papists had them? And have they not been mass-houses, and beast-houses, and are they not such? Is God worshipped in temples made with hands? Is not he worshipped in the spirit and in the truth? And the scriptures are words of the prophets, and apostles, and Christ; they are words, and so called in the scripture; they are not called the written word, but words, and Christ, the word, cometh to fulfil them. And all you that do not speak from Christ the word in you, if your declaration be not from it, you are the spirits gone out into the world, apostatized from the spirit that was in the prophets, Christ, and the apostles. The letter is written in paper and ink. Now paper and ink are not spiritual, but that which it speaks of is spiritual. And 'thou' to one, and 'you' to one, makes it appear that neither thou nor you ever learned your accidence yet, neither are perfect in the bible: for neither the bible nor accidence teacheth to speak any such language as 'you' to a particular. Therefore, ye are pitiful men to go to instruct the nations, and cannot endure sound, righteous words, nor simplicity of speech, but stumble at it. And again, 'God will dwell in you, and walk in you,' and 'your bodies are temples of the holy ghost.' And 'Christ is in you except you be reprobates,' saith the apostle. And again, God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul.' For that which came out from God was the cause that man became alive, a living soul, and is not this of God? And God hath all souls in his hand, and Christ is the bishop of the soul; and is not that of God which comes out from God? Is not that of his being (who hath the soul in his hand) and so divine? And is not Christ in man? And doth not Christ say they must eat his flesh? And how can any eat Christ's flesh, if his flesh be not in them. And doth not the scripture say, that he was manifest in the apostles' flesh? And how can ye call him Christ in man, without the man be there? And as for sprinkling infants, it is a thing which the scripture doth not hold forth, but has been got up since the days of the apostles, it is not witnessed by scripture, but is a tradition of men, an invention of men; and

6

then all may see if it be not a mark of that beastly spirit that is erred from the apostles, and out of the power! And Christ saith, Be not ye called of men master; for ye have one master, even Christ, and ye are all brethren. So thou and you that oppose the commands of Christ, and teach men to practice the contrary, are antichrists, and show yourselves in the spirit of error, from Christ's spirit. Now let all read and see if this man divides the word aright to people?

P. He saith, They have an unction, need not that any man teach them, and wait for the spirit to come down upon them, by inspiration, and give them utterance.' And saith, 'they sit silent, and not a whisper among them. And they do not own David's psalms to be sung.' See page 12, 13, these are errors, saith he.

A. Is it not the apostle's doctrine, that they need no man to teach them but as the same anointing teacheth them that abide in it? And were not they seducers that drew people from it? 1 John ii. And did not the apostles wait for the receiving the holy ghost, the comforter, the spirit of truth? And did not the holy men of God speak as they were moved by the holy ghost? and so the gospel and the things of God, were revealed to them. What they had heard, and seen, and had revealed to them, they spoke as the spirit gave them utterance; and prayed for a door of utterance; and others were to pray that they might have a door of utterance given to them, when they were to preach. And to sing David's psalms without David's spirit, is not to sing with the understanding. Now, in all these things, have ye not showed and made manifest that your spirits are the false spirits gone out into the world, from the apostles' spirit, and the holy men's spirit that spoke forth the scriptures as they were moved, and waited for the spirit, which led them into all truth, and revealed to them the things of God? So you that are out of this revelation, and preach against this, you have preached up your spirits, out from the apostles; and declared your folly to all the nation. And then because they wait in silence, and not a whisper among them;' is not that agreeable to the apostles' doctrine, and the prophets'? Is there not a learning in silence?' And was not whispering forbidden by the apostle? And do such things as these offend thee? Thou hast showed thy spirit.

P. He saith, They meet in the night, and make the object of their teaching, ministers and tithes; and the pure light that is in every man that cometh into the world. And for any man to know what is in another, by looking at him, or upon him, or discern his soul,' this he suspects to be an evil eye.' And that the learned men, and ministers, and physicians are in the power of satan,' &c. pages 16, 17, 18. A. Here again ye have made manifest your power, who are gone. forth from the apostles, into the mystery of iniquity, which hath long