words, and saying, 'the spirit speaks in the scriptures,' which spoke in the holy men of God that spoke them forth, and learned of God the Father of spirits. So who have not the spirit, have but letters, and are ministers of the letter, and not of the spirit. And the kingdom of heaven is within you,' said Christ, in Luke xvii. to the Pharisees; and thou sayst with, or among them.' And I say, that is the kingdom within them which never consented to sin, and in you all, which one day ye shall witness; which the eye and ear of the gazer, and observer abroad, is closed and stopped to, which he must come to, before he be as a little child, and know the leaven that leavens up the new lump;' and know the kingdom, which is like unto a grain of mustard seed; and where the diligent waiting is, the soul comes to live, and the everlasting covenant is felt. And thou that brings souls to be prepared for death, thou art more like to do that, than to present them to God; a slayer and executioner, so not a servant to the bishop of souls, where the soul liveth, and rejoiceth, and comes out of death, and magnifies God the saviour. And so the work of all the ministers of Christ, is to prepare souls out of death, for life.

P. He saith, The Bible is the soul's physic: and people must depend upon the spirit's speaking in the scriptures.' He saith, 'the person of Christ is not his manhood: and the natural light the Quakers call Christ within, and nature grace.' And saith, "The body of sin is in the believer till he lay down the body.' Epistle.

A. The soul's refreshment is Christ, and its physician Christ; many have the Bible, and do not know it, and the scriptures, as the Pharisees had; the soul's physician is that which the scriptures speak of: many may have the words, the Bible, and yet have not the thing it speaks of; and they that have the thing it speaks of, have both. And many holy men had their soul's physician before the scriptures were written and printed: and they that had the spirit that gave forth scriptures, had the soul's physic; and they knew all the springs were in God, and the soul was in the Lord's hand. And such as are in the spirit they depend upon that, and they come to see the scriptures by the spirit from which they were given forth; and such come into the unity of the spirit. And the light, which is Christ within, by which all things were made and created, was before the natural lights were, and before nature; for all the naturals that were made, were made by the light, Christ Jesus, who is the wisdom of God, by which all things were made, with which wisdom we see over the natural lights, and over nature. And the grace (that comes from the throne) that brings salvation, which is the saints' teacher, teacheth not to call nature grace.' And he that believeth is born of God,' and he 'overcometh the world,' and entereth into his rest, and shall never die. And he that believeth

hath victory, yea while he is upon the earth; he cometh to witness the circumcision that puts off the body of sin, and makes free from it, which the synagogue of satan cannot witness.

P. He saith, The scriptures are the word of God,' page 4. And the spirit is given by the letter.' And he saith, the spirit proceeds from that which is put within the book or Bible,' page 5. And I judge them that pretend the spirit without the scriptures. And the scripture is a more sure rule than visions and revelations,' page 7. And 'God that gave the letter, gives the spirit with it, and by it,' page 9.

A. God gave the spirit before he gave forth scriptures. The devil and wicked men may get scriptures, but they have not the spirit, and none have it, but as they come to feel it given from God, as it was given to them that gave forth scriptures. And so people are to find the spirit of the Father speaking in them, as it did in them that gave forth scriptures; then the spirit answers to the spirit that gave forth scriptures; then there is an unity with the words, and with God of whom they learned; but many may have the Bible, and not know the spirit that spoke it forth, but be erred from it. And the scriptures are the words of God, the words of truth: 'God spake all these words,' 'He that adds to these words,' The words of God are pure.' Christ is the word, 'his name is called the word of God,' who was before the words were spoken forth, who comes in the volume of the book,' to fulfil the words. And the spirit was before the scripture was given forth; for it led them to speak it all forth, the words of God, as they had learned of God: so the spirit comes not by the letter, but the letter comes forth from the spirit. And many had the scriptures, and knew not the revelation, and judged the revelation of the son of God, and judged Christ who was come, the end of the vision which was for an appointed time. So therein thou hast concluded thyself to be among them that have the scriptures, and set them up beyond the revelation of the son of God, which is the end of scriptures; and none know the Father but the son, and he to whom the son reveals him,' though they may have all the scriptures. And the things of God are revealed by the spirit of God. P. And he saith, The scriptures are the rule and the guide of saints.' And saith, the old administration of the covenant of grace is abolished,' page 13. He that understands, Matt. xi. 2. 27. of immediate revelation only, shuts out all mediate revelation by the scriptures, and falsely accuseth the Lord of the scripture,' page 14. 'And the apostle saith not that the spirit reveals the deep things of God. If we should deny the scriptures to be the rule, we should deny the scriptures of God,' page 18.

A. The saints' rule was the spirit that gave forth the scriptures, and the word of God which fulfils the scriptures; without him they can do

nothing, if they have all scriptures. And the spirit of truth shall lead into all truth.' And none know the scriptures, nor God, nor can be a minister of the spirit by a mediate revelation, but a minister of the letter; for who are ministers of the spirit are immediate, and are in the immediate revelation of the scriptures to them by the spirit that gave them forth; and these minister to the spirit, and bring people to God the father of spirits, that they may know what to reveal to others they minister to. And all they that have the scriptures, and not the spirit that gave them forth, are on heaps about words and want the rule. And the covenant of grace, which is the end of the old covenant, is witnessed and established, and cannot be abolished, which ends the decaying covenant. And as for abolishing the covenant of grace, thou dost not know what thou speaks of. And the apostle said, 'The deep things of God were revealed by the spirit of God,' and no one knows the scriptures and the things of God, but as God doth reveal them by his spirit. In this thou hast shown thy ignorance of that spirit which guided the saints to God the father of spirits, which revealed unto them the deep things of God, with which spirit again the scriptures are known; and which spirit always ruled the saints, and guided them up to God, and to speak forth the scriptures. They did not deny the saints' words spoken before, but were in unity with them in the spirit, and so came to the spirits of just men,' which none do but those who are come into the saints' rule that gave forth scriptures. And so people have had the scriptures, but have been inwardly ravened from the spirit, thou and the rest of thy fellows, and have been all on heaps about words, and so void of the revelation that they were in that gave forth scriptures. For all are unlearned upon the earth that are not in the immediate inspiration as they were that gave forth the scriptures, and in the tongue of the unlearned, like the Egyptian Sea.

P. He saith, Printing was a rare invention, and it was the gift of God,' page 21. And only God's servants preached by the written copies, and since by the printed volume,' page 22.

A. That which men have invented, is not the gift of God. And men only preaching from the copies written, and since by the volumes printed; in this hast thou shown that you have had only the sheep's clothing, and that hath been it which hath made you ministers. For they that were the ministers of the spirit, their preaching was not from copies and volumes, that did not make them ministers, but what they had received from the Lord, that they declared,' and were not ministers of copies and writings only. But had you the copy and writings of the scripture, in the life that gave them forth, you would have gathered people into the unity, but being ravened from it, you bring them all upon heaps.

P. The letter or writing of the spirit of God is the law, and touch

stone,' page 23. He saith, the scriptures are the spiritual sword,' page 26. And the scriptures are the ground of all saints' actions. And have not I written unto thee excellent things in counsel and knowledge?' page 32.

A. The Pharisees had scriptures, and had not the spirit that gave them forth; so they wanted the word of God, the sword of the spirit, and stood against the substance of the scriptures. They had scriptures, but they were out of the saints' actings; for they turned against the just: and so do all upon the earth that have the scriptures, but are out of the spirit that gave them forth; they are out of the ground of the saints' actions. And none know the excellent things written of knowledge nor counsel, but who are in the spirit that gave forth scriptures. Though they have the scriptures in their own knowledge and wisdom, yet they understand not the excellent things written, but as they come into the spirit that gave them forth. So thou art a man not dividing the word aright. And many may have the scriptures, yea, the whole world may have the scriptures, and not being in the spirit that gave them forth, they break into sects among one another. And the devil may come with scriptures, but hath not the spirit to fight withal, who is out of the truth.

P. He saith, Women are excluded from speaking, though endued with more than ordinary gifts, and they are not allowed to teach.' See page 34. And the canon of the apostles is the key to open the scriptures. And the sure word of prophecy is the scriptures.' See page 38, which is a more sure word than an immediate voice from heaven.' He saith, The word which the apostle speaks of to the Romans, in the mouth and in the heart, is the gospel promises without. Deut. XXX. And the scriptures, books, and chapters, is the light that shines in man's heart, and the new creature is too narrow for a rule.' See page 44.

A. The new creature is subject to the law of God, for he is in Christ who is the end of law, types, figures, shadows, and parables; and there is rule, direction, counsel, wisdom. And the old man cometh to be subjected, which is not subject to the law of God; and here comes the blessing and the peace of the Israel of God, who walk according to the rule of the new creature; for he walks in the life that gave forth scripture, which the old man walks out of. And he may say, 'The scripture is his rule,' but if he is not subject to the witness of God in himself; nor owns the 'light which Jesus Christ hath enlightened him withal, but doth the evil, and loves the darkness, the light is his condemnation. And the law is light,' and the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.' And many have had the old and new testament, and stand against the light, the spirit of prophecy within. And

many may have the scriptures, books, and chapters, and stand against the light, Christ Jesus, that doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world. And so put the letter for the light, and walk from the light in their own particulars, which should lead them into a new life. Such come not to know the new life, nor the blessing of the Israel of God. And the woman (the Evah) must be silent, for she was first deceived; and the woman Jezebel, that calls herself a prophetess, that must not be suffered to teach, or to usurp authority; but Christ in the male, and Christ in the female, is beyond the first Adam, or Evah, or she that calls herself a prophetess, or the great whore that reigns over the kings of the earth. There are all their languages under; Christ in the females shall comprehend this as well as in the males, and give judgment, and the daughters shall prophesy as well as the sons. And such as limit or quench the spirit in the males or females, are they that are apostatized and ravened inwardly from the spirit of God, and despise prophecy, only have the sheep's clothing, (such as thou and you,) and know not the spirit, but are ravened from it, the spirit of God that hath power over all flesh, and so make yourselves ignorant of it, and are such as quench it in others. And the spirit of God in the apostles being witnessed, it opens the scriptures, is the key, lets to see what hath been since the days of the apostles, and has ruled and reigned, and had the dominion, the wolf in the sheep's clothing, which has deceived the nations; and such as have led the world, and brought them all upon heaps, and have never heard the voice of God, (as they have published in the nation in print,) nor the voice of Christ, and have not the same infallible spirit the apostles had, and no immediate revelation nor inspiration as they had: so these have taken away the key of knowledge from among people since the days of the apostles; and as for the word canon, ye may go to the Papists for that. The apostles showed the fulfilling of the scriptures, that Christ was come, and the apostles saw what Christ said should come, those who inwardly ra vened, went forth from them, whom the world hath gone after; we now, with the same spirit the apostles were in, which you all are ravened from, do see you, and what hath reigned since the days of the apostles. Now is the fulfilling of the prophets. And the word was in the apostles, and in the saints, yea, the word of faith, and this comes to fulfil the scripture, this word of faith which was preached in the heart and in the mouth; and which was promised before. And the light that shined was in the apostles' hearts, and the sure word of prophecy that did let see, and foresee, was in the hearts of people, which led them to give forth scriptures. And that which fulfils the scriptures, the prophecy, is of Christ, who ends it; and the spirit that led them to speak it forth, was the spirit of prophecy: many may have the scriptures, and