captive soul; this is glad tidings to the just. Such a one is a true workman, that divides his work aright, and is not ashamed of his work, of his building, but presents the soul to God, and knows when it is in death, and when it is living. And so they who are come up into the bishop, Christ, are one soul, they know the hand of God which the soul lives in, (which is the power,) and so know it from eternity to eternity. And so ye priests who do not discern the soul and its state to eternity and from eternity, ye are not in the mystery of the gospel which gives liberty to it, neither have ye it; for ye are stumbling at the light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world, which comes from Christ the bishop of the soul, and so your darkness cannot comprehend that. And so what fellowship hath the light with darkness? It hath no fellowship with it, for your darkness cannot comprehend it, though it shines in your darkness. So for you to talk of saints judging the world, and meddle with such things, who are to be judged by the saints, who are in that darkness which cannot comprehend the light that shines in you, you have not light to comprehend the saints that are in the light, who have the just weight, measure, and balance, who are the judges of the world, reaching, measuring, answering agreeable to that of God in every man. And you are stumbling at such as are become the sons of God, adopted sons and heirs, and of the flesh and bone of Christ, and of his mind and spirit, who are in the possession of the scriptures, the durable life of the saints, which makes you (that cannot comprehend the light in your own particulars) to rage; for none come to witness the sonship and heirship, but who come to the light in their own particulars, and receive it, and with it comprehend darkness, which the light expels away. Such see over the night, and are the children of the day. And you five priests have shamed yourselves, that do not know the soul from eternity to eternity. P. It is blasphemy to say the soul is a part of the divine essence.' A. Ye may read in this book that some of the rest of the priests that are called ministers, say Christ is human, and the soul is a creature. Some again say, it is a part of the divine essence, it is immortal; and again, it is appetite and pleasure; and in this now is their confusion made manifest. The soul is that which came out from God, and is in God's hand, which hand goes against him that doth evil, and transgresseth against the principle of God that is in him, which goes against the lust which wars against the soul, which hand the soul being in, praises God, the hand is felt, the power felt that turns against that which wars against it. Here the soul magnifies God, rejoiceth in God the saviour, and praiseth God. Here is God's pleasure. The living Lord taketh pleasure in the living soul. And appetite and pleasure are human; these are not immortal, which the soul is. And so you five have judged

yourselves to be blasphemers, who said the soul was part of the divine essence, and yet it is blasphemy to say so.

P. Christ is to rule as a king; but in all he doth not."

A. Those, and you, that hate the light, will not hear him, nor have him to rule over you and them; such are for the sword, and to be slain before him.

P. And the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, is not sufficient to salvation, nor gives a light sufficient to bring to the gospel, to know the mediator; and that light which hath enlightened all men, is not the way, but a created light by Christ.' A. All lights were made and created by the light which doth enlighten every man that comes into the world, and this is the eye of the soul, which gives to see Christ the bishop of it, from whom it comes. And this light is the covenant of God which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world; and this light doth let see the mediator, the salvation, the gospel. And all that are from the light are out of the truth; they that went out of the truth, the god of the world hath blinded their eyes, lest the light of the glorious gospel should shine in them, which is the image of God. So created lights were created by it; and none know the truth but by this light; and all men's professions are but from that nature, that are out of this light which hath enlightened every man that cometh into the world, which all men must come into, before they come into unity with God. And none

can know the mediator, nor Christ, by the created and made lights, which were made by the light Christ; but as they come into the light by which they were made, that gives them the wisdom of the creation, and lets them see how they were made. And so they that hate the light, receive not the spirit of God, but remain in their natural state; and what such know, they know naturally, from books, authors, and studies. So men who hate the light, come not to Christ the author of their faith.

P. How ridiculous is it to say, Christ dwells in all, so is in all.' A. Christ is the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world; and the scripture saith, Christ is searching the hearts of the wicked, and trying their reins, and bringing their thoughts to the light that shines in the darkness, and the darkness comprehends it not. He was in the saints, and the saints were in the light, so he 'is in all, over all, and through all,' and blindness and darkness compre

hend him not, who fills heaven and earth. If thou goest to the

utmost parts of the earth he is there; if thou goest to the deep, and to the nethermost hell, he is there; where wilt thou fly from his presence?' Have not the holy men of God found this? Are all ye ministers of the letter so ignorant of the letter? so short of the state that gave it

forth? And I say, such as sit under the shadow of darkness shall feel, if they do but hearken and listen; and such whose hearts are bad shall feel him searching and checking them. And such as go down to the nethermost hell, and to the utmost parts of the earth, shall feel him present, if they never stirred forth, and should not need to wander for a habitation; but should feel their habitation. Such then should come to know their soul's progress, which is an inward travail, before it come into its bishop, Christ, the rest, him by whom the world was made, who was before it was made, glorified with the Father before the world began.

P. And it is an error to say, that the righteousness of Christ, justification, sanctification, and redemption, are all within.'

A. If Christ be not within, they are reprobates; and reprobates can talk of Christ, and they that are out of the truth and the life, can talk of Christ, and bring the scriptures; but they who have Christ within, have sanctification, redemption, and justification, they have the wisdom and power of God; for reprobates are talkers without, but he that hath Christ hath all the other, redemption, sanctification, wisdom, righteousness, and the work is known within as he comes out of the fall of the first Adam.

P. It is error to say, the light that discovers sin, justifies.'

A. The light which is the covenant of God, that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, discovers sin, makes it manifest, blots it out, justifies, sanctifies, redeems, and condemns them that. hate it.

P. It is an error that the light within men will bring men to the fear of God, and lead men to justification, sanctification, and righteousness.'

A. None come to justification, to righteousness, who are out of the fear of God, nor to receive his righteousness; but they who come to the light within, which comes from Christ the righteousness, the wisdom, come to the justification, and sanctification; and ye are in the error that are not in this light that lets see and leads from it.

P. Perfection in holiness cannot be attained in this life, for Adam was under such a covenant, he had no mediator upon the breach of the command.'

A. God said to Adam, the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head,' Christ, the promise, the mediator, made the way, which was the way in again to God, the way of man's redemption, and got down the serpent's head which got up in transgression, that Christ the head should bear rule; that the seed of the woman should have dominion, the second Adam, the seed Christ Jesus, the Lord from heaven. Perfection is not to VOL. III.

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be attained to by the life ye live, until ye come to the principle of God in you; but the life that David lived in saw an end of all perfection. And all who come to Christ the second Adam, come to perfection; and all who attain to him, attain to perfection in the life of God out of the first Adam; but who deny the light that enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world,' and rest in the first Adam, the life they live in, denies perfection, and they never own it in the life they live in. But those who come into perfection, come into Christ, a new life, out of Adam in the fall, in transgression. All physicians to sick men are to make them perfect. And do ye say, make none whole, make none perfect, makes never a man perfect? For being made whole, they are made perfect, for sin wounds; for the ministry of God was to bring people to the perfect man, to present them perfect.' These were physicians of value and of worth, whereby the body, soul, spirit, and all, were cured, and they glorified God in the body and spirit.'

Now ye, that say they shall not be perfect, and that none shall be without sin upon the earth, no perfection in the life we live in, are physicians of no value; ye are not worthy to have the name of physi cians, ministers, nor teachers, Thomas Weld, Richard Prideaux, Samuel Hammond, William Cole, and William Durant; for ye are plead. ing that while men are upon earth they must have a body of sin, and that he that saith otherwise is a deceiver. And so ye keep them in their wounds and sores, putrifying and imperfect, and are not makers up of the breach, and binders up of the wound. And the Lord saith, Though their sins be as red as crimson, I will make them as white as wool, and will blot out sin and transgression.' And this tender love and kindness of the Lord, and mercifulness to sinners and transgressors, hath the Lord made manifest amongst them whom the world in scorn calls Quakers. And it is not a strange thing that you would not have people to forsake the fashions of the world, who are thus hung about with ribands, and cuffs, and scarfs, and your double boot-hosetops, more like stage-players than ministers.

P. Perfection is a fancy. Those were not words of true physicians who brought men to a perfect man, to the growth up in perfection amongst the perfect ones who speak wisdom.' They say, "It is no where said that the law is fulfilled in any saints in this life.'

A. They that love God keep his commandments. Christ 'is the end of the law to every one that believes,' and who are in him are in the end of the law. And all that dwell in love, dwell in God, and love is the fulfilling of the commandment; they who are of the seed of God keep the words of God, but the beast and false prophets since the days of the apostles, who have inwardly ravened, are turned against the royal

seed of God, that keep the commandments of God; and none of you that raven from the spirit of God can keep God's commandments, though ye have all the saints' words; for the saints witness the end of the law, and witness perfection and a perfect man, and spoke wisdom among them that were perfect, and growing up to perfection.

P. That Christ gives to every man a saving light, we utterly deny.' A. He is the true light that enlightens every man that comes into the world,' (saith John the minister of God,) and he is salvation to the ends of the earth,' and they that hate the light, neglect their salvation, and turn the grace of God into wantonness,' and deny the Lord that bought them. And every one that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh to the son; and none hear or come to the Father, that come not to the son; none but they who come to the thing that is transgressed in them, and the light that every man that cometh into the world is enlightened with; nor do they hear or learn of the Father, or come to the son, but by that; and the light that lighteth every one that cometh into the world is the salvation to him that believes, and he that doth not, it is his condemnation.

P. But how dare these men lift up themselves in their blasphemous pride, to say they are pure as God.'

A. Doth not Christ say, Be ye perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect?' is that blasphemy? And is it not said, 'Be ye holy, for I am holy?' is that blasphemy? Whose ministers are you? Was not this the work of Christ and the apostles? Without holiness ye shall never see God,' and' as he is so are we in this present world.'

P. The word of God is contained in the scriptures.'

A. The scripture saith God is the word, and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him.' Are ye not more like men void of reason, than ministers, whose ignorance of the scriptures thus appears? They say God is the word, and the scripture is the word, and Christ is the word who fulfils them.

P. The scriptures were given forth, some more darkly, some plainer.'

A. They who gave forth scripture, and they that are in that in which it ends, to them the scripture is not dark; but such as are from the principle of God in their ownselyes, they are in darkness, which blinds their minds, and the scriptures were not given forth darkly, but in the light, but you who are from the light are dark..

P. The apostles ordained them elders by a mediate call: and we are convinced clearly of a mediate call to the work of the ministry and of the word.'

A. That which made the officers and overseers in the church amongst the saints, before the apostacy, was the holy ghost, which