per words, which is the plant of renown. And as for being called of men master, Christ saith, 'Be not you called of men master, for ye have one master, even Christ, and you are all brethren ;' and they are in error that slight his commands and trample them under feet; and they are hypocrites, who, after they have trampled his commands under foot, make a profession of his words. Thomas Leadger, thou professest thou esteemest the scripture highly, above ordinances, above angels, and is not this scripture which saith, 'Be ye not called of men master,' and is it not Christ's command? Yet thou deniest these scriptures and tramplest them under thy feet.

P. The scripture is the lantern of obedience, and it directs men to Jesus.' And he calls the scripture the word of God, the sum of truth.' And they could not have known there had been a Christ, or a mediator, or grace, or glory, or worship, or Father, or spirit, or light, but as it is declared in scripture.'

A. I do believe that you who are got up since the days of the apostles, in the apostacy, inwardly ravening from the spirit of God, had not known there had been a Father, or spirit, or grace, or worship, if the scripture had not declared it; but they that had not scripture, had faith, had the holy ghost, had the Father, knew the Father, knew Christ, knew the spirit; they that had the scripture, the Pharisees, knew not the father, knew not the holy ghost, nor the redeemer, but resisted (as it was in Steven) him that was born of the spirit. Now they that had not the scriptures knew all these things, that had the spirit that gave them forth, while they that had the scriptures, and not the spirit, knew not these things, they that had the spirit of error, that were in heaps about the saints' words. Now the Pharisees had the scriptures, yet walked in darkness, had not David's lantern to their feet, and so could not see Christ as David did. Saith the apostle, their table was their trap, there they stuck. David that had the life that gave forth the scriptures, had the lantern to his feet; and had not they a lantern before the scripture was written? Abraham, Enoch, what led them all to give forth scripture? are not all they that have the scripture and are out of that which they were in that gave them forth, out of the light, and out of the lantern? And they had a rule of obedience before the scripture was given forth, the word of God, that lives, and abides, and endures for ever; that is the word of faith, in which the scripture, the words of God, ends. And those that had the scripture and were from the life that they were in that gave it forth, knew not Christ.

P. The gospel is the scripture.'

A. Many may have the scripture and deny the power of God which is the gospel, and many had the scripture and the form, and stood against the son, the truth, Christ Jesus, the power of God, the gospel.

And as for thy other lies and slanders which are not worth mentioning, which come from thy drunken spirit, when the spirit is awakened that suffers by it, thou shalt feel every word thy burthen, and thou that dost set the scriptures above Christ, and God, and the spirit, art a heathen.

Thomas Leadger's 'Antiquakers' Assertions. His principles in it

follow.

P. HE saith, The divine nature is without mixture of sin, but it doth not destroy wholly the sinful nature that is in us;' and 'the being of sin dieth not until the body die;' and 'sin hath been in us to humble us.'

A. Sin is that which doth not humble, but lifts up. That which humbles people, and brings down the sin, is the humility which bears the sin and iniquity, which is Christ. And the saints were made free from sin while they were upon the earth, and had the body of sin put off. And they who have received the divine nature, know it, and have escaped the pollutions that are in the world, and the lust of it; and so the divine nature destroys sin in its being.

P. Again he saith, The scripture is a quickening spirit, the wisdom of God, the power of God unto salvation, the words of the blessed scriptures every line of it. I have had (saith he) the righteousness of God revealed in my soul; I have had the love of God, the grace of Christ, the communion of the holy ghost manifest in me, but I trample upon all attainments, the highest, as dung.'

A. Many had the scriptures, and stood against the wisdom of God, and stood against the power of God, yea, killed and persecuted the Lord of life and glory; they that had the dead letter without the life. And many got the form, and denied the power, and denied the quickening spirit. And the spirit of Christ doth not bring to trample upon attainments, not upon the love of Christ, nor the righteousness of Christ. The love of Christ, the grace of Christ, the righteousness of Christ, were never esteemed as the dung, nor trampled upon as the dung. Such as were transgressors were as dung, and they trampled upon the love of Christ, the righteousness of Christ, but who come into this, trample upon their own notion.

P. He saith again, That perfection is a golden dream, and the scriptures are the word of God.'

A. Perfection is over all dreams be they never so golden, and it ends them all, and is above them all. And Christ's name is called

the word of God,' and the scriptures are the words of God, which Christ, the word of God, by which all things were made, came to fulfil.

A book called A Serious Review of some principles of the Quakers.'

P. 'No man hath reason to say that the spiritual substance is in the creature, the divine essence is subject to change as is the soul of man, and every one is enlightened that comes into the world by the light of Christ,' and this he calls a natural light.' And 'that some persons are come up out of the fall, is an error. I do not own a perfection without sin, and it is an error to say there is any perfection without sin.'

A. All erring is in the fall, and that which is come up out of the fall is come out of the error, into the second Adam, where no error is, which many witness, for all error is in the first Adam in the fall, and in him that tempted. And the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, by which the world was made, which was before the world was made, by which all things were made and created, in whom is life, and this life is the light of men; and men being in the light which they are enlightened with, and coming by the light to him from whom the light doth come, they come into the perfection, out of sin; for all sin and imperfection are in the first Adam, in the earth. And perfection is in the second Adam, Christ Jesus, who bruiseth the serpent's head, the author of imperfection. And they who are in him, are in a perfection without sin, and there is no sin in erfection, nor any error in the perfection of Christ. And all who are n the unreasonableness are ignorant of the spiritual substance, and ower of God, and holy ghost, the spirit of truth, the spirit of Christ, the nature that dwells in the saints, all which are substance and not hadow, and the divine power, and the power of the Lord God. And God doth not change, nor his spirit, nor the soul, nor his power; so ead thyself. God doth not change in his being, neither doth that which comes from him, that which he hath in his hand, and in his hower.

P. He saith, 'That which is imperfect can be reconciled to God, nd that they are poor blind creatures that say the light doth enlighten very man that cometh into the world, and need no light and discovery o help, and the scripture doth no where call Christ the word, but the scripture is the word, and so these poor creatures err, not knowng the scripture. To speak in the singular number is nonsense, and VOL. III.

52

they that translated the words thee and thou, might have translated them you.'

A. The spirit gave to speak the proper language, singular and plural; and spake such words as cannot be condemned. And if translators that are out of that, translate the words given forth from the spirit into what form soever they will, yet the spirit will find it out; and the light which doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world,' by which all things were made, the made lights, and created lights, Christ Jesus the light, which doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world, need not have these outward lights or discoveries; they were all `made by the light, which light was before these were made. And they who are come into the reconciliation with God, are in perfection, out oi the imperfection, from under the wrath. And the word reconciles, hammers down, cuts down, and burns up that which is contrary, and sanctifies, and makes clean. And Christ Jesus, his name is called the word of God; the scripture saith so; and they say that the scriptures are the word, but they are the words of God, and Christ the word, which was before they were given forth, comes to fulfil them; and that which is imperfect is done away.

P. To say that God is substantially in man, as essentially one with him, can be no other but the man of sin, the devil himself, having transformed himself into an angel of light, and if it were possible would deceive the very elect.'

A. The scripture saith, that God will dwell in man, and walk in him, and the saints had unity with the Father and the son; and all that hate the light which Christ the light hath enlightened them with, have not the Father and the son. In such the man of sin reigns, and in such the devil may transform; but the elect he cannot deceive, the elect have the victory and dominion, who were elected in him before the foundation of the world. Glory for ever! And as for all the other words in thy book, they are not worth mentioning, they will be thy own burthen, they will fall heavy upon thee in the day when thos shalt give an account to God.

James Brown's book, called, 'Antichrist in Spirit. His expressions and principles as followeth.

P. THAT the light in every man is a certain guide and rule in all things; this is the means whereby scriptures are slighted.'

A. No one knows nor owns the scriptures, but as the light of Christ that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, doth guide

and teach him, the light of Christ within, which gives them 'the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus,' and of the scriptures, and to see the scriptures, and doth not slight them.

P. To witness God, and Christ's glorious resurrection, and heaven, and the happiness of New Jerusalem,' this is looked upon as an error. A. Christ is within, who is the resurrection, the glory, the kingdom of heaven is there; and David who witnessed him was in hell, he was upon the earth too, and he that witnessed the New Jerusalem, and that happiness, was upon the earth. And they that have all these words, not possessing the life, they have no comfort in what they speak, nor in what they profess; and the babes and the children that are free, know their mother that is from above.

P. If there be no outward means but light within, what need of the scriptures?'

A. The light, Christ within, was in the saints before the scriptures were given forth, and that was it which was their guide to give forth the scriptures, wherein they walked, and did not stumble; and that is it which gives to see the scriptures again, to what condition they are spoken, and the use of them.

P. The day is not yet dawned, nor the day-star, the bright and morning-star.'

A. The apostle tells the saints of the day-star, and they were children of the day, and the night was over, the true light shined, and the darkness was past. Though some indeed were not come to the daystar, and the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. Where darkness rules, there are the works that are out of the light; and among such as have apostatized since the days of the apostles, the day-star is not risen to them, they see it not; but amongst he children of light it is seen, and they that see it not, are comprehended. The day-star is risen, and they are children of the day.

P. And them that bring people to look at the light within them, are as Corah, Dathan, and Abiram.'

A. All that go from the light within them are as Corah, Dathan, and Abiram amongst the Lord's prophets, exalting themselves, and persecuting.

P. All men are not so taught of God as they shall be at Israel's return.'

A. All men are taught of God that are in the covenant, whether Israel hear or not.

P. I know that many of the Quakers are temperate, sober, selfHenying people, but this is but the tithing of herbs.'

A. It was the doctrine of the apostle, who preached Christ the end of tithing and herbs; and self-denial, soberness, and temperance were