comes atop of their own heads, and truth is clear, and filth is wiped and wiping away, and the refuge of lies is flying away that people shall not make them their refuge. And those persecuting professors and priests take occasion to speak of one James Milner, in whom the Lord did open true prophecies, and mighty things to him, but in some things his mind ran out, and that he condemns; and yet these wicked men will go tell the nation of it, so what will they have more of a man but his life, for abundance they have cast into prison. And again these persecuting professors and priests have published in one of their books to the world of one Hugh Bisbrowne of buggery, who had some time come to the Quakers' meetings, but was turned from them, and durst not meet them, for he had been judged by the Quakers, before such things were heard of him by them; and yet these filthy men will vilify truth with such things, that they might make it odious to the world. But the sober people see all these things are but their envy. And again these persecuting professors and teachers have put in their book, that they have published to the world, one Cotten Crossland, and they say he was a professed Quaker, and that he knew higher things than the ministers, and that he hanged himself, and he was buried in a cross way, and a stake was driven through him, that passengers might take heed of quaking. This man I saw once at a meeting, and another time in the rude multitude. The first time he said little, and the second time he spoke something amongst the rude multitude, which the Quakers did not own; and he raised a grievous lie against G. F. and said, he said he was Christ, which was on a market day among the market people.

This was the third time that ever I saw him amongst any of the Quakers; and he told G. F. he had witness to prove it, and G. F. told 1 him, he was Judas; and he went away, and after awhile hanged himself. And Christ in the male and female, he spoke of, was Christ the seed, and the seed was Christ; but he did not speak it, as of a creature. And here is the priests' and prefessors' Quaker, who turned against the Quakers, and would have betrayed them. But quaking we own, and trembling, which you all must do, before you know your salvation wrought out with fear and trembling. And many lies you have gathered up together and stuffed up your book withal, and make them your refuge, and think the world will take refuge under them, but alack for you! people begin to see it was nothing but envy in you. And it was known that Gilpin was never long a Quaker, though the devil was made to tremble in him. And the Lord will reward you according to your work. The witness in your conscience shall answer it in you all in the day of your judgment.

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the immortal seed? or like transgressors, the unsanctified ones, not worthy to have the name saints? for such as mocked God, and were in abominations, and must lament for it, were not sanctified, nor were they come to know the immortal seed: but the saints and the immortal seed, reigned over all mockers, and over such as were cankered with the world, and mocked God, and were in their abominations; they came to reign over all that in the wisdom of God, with which they ordered the creation to his glory. You call yourselves servants of Christ. If your people be cankered and mockers of God, and in the abominations, you have laboured in vain, and this shows you have not profited them at all, but are false teachers.

P. You say you have reigning abominations, cruelty to servants and children, exacting labours, taking no time to counsel them, and have mourned that you have had so great a hand in this trespass, and not borne testimony against your ministers.'

A. This hath been your condition; your fruits have declared it: therefore it is time for you to repent, and amend your lives and doings, and turn to the Lord; for while you have time, prize it, for you that have stood against the light that doth enlighten every man that comes into the world,' are not of the church of Christ; for none come to it, but through the light.

P. Though slavish fear had stopped our mouths, until the mouth of iniquity hath almost devoured the poor church of Christ.'

A. The church of Christ is the pillar and ground of truth, it cannot be devoured by the mouth of iniquity, the gates of hell cannot prevail against it; but through your mouth of iniquity, enmity, and envy, you have almost slain yourselves, who are turned against the truth: who have not been slavish for it, but against it; mad in your blind zeal; the mouth of iniquity hath been open in you, with all the world, against the truth, but by the truth in a great measure it is stopped.

P. These evils have been so strong that they have wrested all weapons out of the hands of saints and ministers, that have been formed against them.'

A. These have been pitiful weapons, that you ministers and saints have had in your hands, that the evil wrested them out: they have been carnal, not spiritual; for the spiritual weapons the evil one cannot wrest out of the hands of saints and ministers of God; but by them his holds, and high places, and spiritual wickedness, are plucked down; the evil dares not come nigh the saints' weapons, which are spiritual.

P. You say, We desire no longer to rest in a testimony of words, but to take an effectual course, that sin and sinners may be purged out of the house of God; we desire the church would set some days apart. wherein they may bewail iniquity and pollution; that ministering

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of God. But for all these things you are judged, you and your epistle, and your words to be unsavoury; they are judged by the life of God that gave forth the scriptures, and by them that are of the house of God, and the church of God, where no pollution nor canker is, nor comes; the witness in your conscience shall answer it in the day of the Lord.

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A paper, called 'The Judgment and Advice of the Assembly of the Associated Ministers. By us, Richard Baxter, &c. Pastor of the Church of Kidderminster. Their principles in it follow.

P. THAT ever there should be so much to do among christians, yea, the leaders of Christ's flock, to bring them to so clear a duty, that after all their labour, there is no more done!'

A. You have been them that God never sent, and are found to be such as Christ cried wo against, and so you have not profited the people at all, and you have not been the leaders of Christ's flock, but have been such as turned against them; that hath been your duty; therefore are all the people on heaps.

P. That all men must know that we are Christ's followers, if we love one another; for he that saith he loves God and hates his brother, is a liar.'

A. In this, poor men, you have judged your ownselves; for are not debate, and strife, and vain glory, and persecution, and prisoning, found among you? Cain turning against his brother Abel, and slaying and killing him, whose blood cries for vengeance upon you? So it is a proof that you are out of the faith that works by love, in which are the community and love with God, and one with another. And so instead of making up breaches, you are wounding, and bringing confusion, being out of the faith and life that Christ and the apostles were in; so you are in heaps about their words.

P. It is not our business to change men's minds, from infidels and heresy to the faith; but to bring the churches of Christ to understand each other to be true churches, which take the holy scriptures for our rule of faith and life, and believe it to be the infallible word of God; and this rule is divine, so our faith is divine; had we but a human rule we could have but a human faith; proud men thrust their opinions into the church's creed.'

A. Your business, it is true, is not to change men from infidels and heresy, and to bring them to the faith, so not into the unity; for you bring no people into that, nor to the faith, and you do not bring the