P. He saith, They say, that scripture may be bought and sold, and it doth not profit; but the light within is of an eternal nature, an infallible guide; so obeying it, they shall be sure of perfection and eternal life. Now (saith he) those that say so are the poor, ignorant, and unstable souls.'

A. Cannot ye buy and sell the scriptures, and your sermons, and prayers? And can any have the comfort of the scriptures, and an infallible guide, perfection, and eternal life, and the soul established, and come out of ignorance, but who come into the light and spirit of God within that gave forth the scriptures, with which they come to know God the Father of spirits, of whom they learned that gave forth the scriptures, and so come into the spirit, and the bond of peace, and unity with the scriptures, with God, and one with another? And the spirit of God doth not bring men to a dislike of scriptures, nor ministers of Christ, but to see what estate and condition they were spoken forth to.

P. Thou sayst, 'The measure of Christ must be so, that you ought to lay down your lives for the brethren, and love one another, much more to lay down your estates.'

A. When was there a priest in the nation that did lay down his estate for the love of Christ or his brethren? but he had a selfish principle in another thing. Or when saw you a priest lay down his estate to save others out of prison? but he is rather casting into prison till death, because they cannot give him tithes. The apostle doth not say, have not we power to take tithes, but, have not we power to eat and drink.' And they that preach the gospel live of the gospel.' And they bring glad tidings; but that is not glad tidings to cast into prison, and hale before courts; and they that preached the gospel lived on the gospel, that opened the hearts of people without men's compelling power.

P. He saith, You must not give ear to the Quakers, for they tell you your ministers look for their gain from their quarters, and are hirelings,' and this, he saith, is deceiving, and the depth of satan, and a lying, malicious spirit.'

A. The prophets' spirit was not a lying and malicious spirit, that cried against them that sought for their gain from their quarters, and said they were hirelings, in which spirit are the Quakers, and they see you walk in the same steps. And take away your gain from you, and your hire, and you are suing in the courts, and haling up and down, which shows your spirits to be the false spirits the apostle speaks of, which went out into the earth.

P. Thou sayst, 'Above all things, beware of covetousness.'

A. If you had heeded that, you would have been better examples to the nations about you; but in covetousness you are swallowed up, and

so are excommunicated out of the life which the prophets, Christ, and the apostles were in; and so your reward from him you shall have. And you are finding fault that the people are covetous, and thus complain to the whole nation. You should have complained of yourselves for being out of the power of God that should have struck down that, and that you are not in the life and power the apostles were in; and so your teaching hath not such an effect with it as the apostles' had. So you have manifested and shown your spirits to the nations, and show you want your covering. And the apostles did not write abroad to the world, that their church was covetous, and send to the magistrates, and complain to them. Had not they here dishonoured the power of their church, if they had done so, and shamed it, as you do yours?

P. He saith, Many false prophets are gone out into the world; believe not every spirit; and satan transforms himself into an angel of light.'

A. These things the apostles saw come into the world before their decease, the devil transforming himself into an angel of light, and false prophets and false spirits gone out into the world, and since the days of the apostles all that dwelt upon the earth went after them and the beast, but those who have their names written in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world. And the apostle, when satan was transforming himself into an angel of light among the Corinthians, brought them to the light in them, which would 'give them the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.' And John saw they that Christ said should come were come, the false prophets and false spirits, and bid them not go after them; and John told them they had the anointing within them, to teach them, and needed not any man to teach them, but as the same anointing taught them;' and they should continue in the son, and in the Father,' where no false spirit was. These false spirits, prophets, and antichrists, which Christ said should come, which John saw were come, and went forth from them, have drawn tongues, peoples, multitudes, and nations to be waters, and these are their fruits, as Rev. xvii. 18. And now are peo

ple but coming from these waters and false spirits, to the rock. And these are they that draw the nations to be as waters that have turned against the saints and the Lamb; but the Lamb and the saints shall have the victory. Nevertheless, these false prophets, beasts, antichrists, false spirits, all inwardly ravened from the true spirit, have had the sheep's clothing, else they could not have deceived the world, and led the world after them, and could not have brought nations to be as waters; and herein hath been the beast's power over all kindreds, tongues, and nations, and his heads and names in the nations, and among the tongues. Yet all these heads and names have agreed together in one

against Christ, the light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world.' And the devil, beast, and false prophets, made war against the saints and overcame them; but the saints and the Lamb shall overcome them, and the devil shall be taken, and with him the beast, and the false prophet, and Babylon shall be confounded, and the Lamb and the saints have the victory. Rejoice, ye saints and holy prophets, over them! the Lamb and the saints shall have the kingdom, and power over all kindreds, tongues, and nations, who are redeemed from them, and from the earth, to reign with Christ, and atop of the devil and his angels, which cannot get into the seed.

P. He saith, 'It is a boast of the Quakers, to say that they have the eternal spirit of God in them,' and saith, they may properly use the word you to one; and taking off the hat is reverend, due, and honour; and he must not quench the smoking flax, but be courteous; and custom to whom custom; and to the law, and to the testimony.'

A. He that hath not the spirit of Christ is none of his,' and that is eternal; and he that saith you to one, shows he hath neither learned accidence nor the bible; and the hat is the honour of men below, in the earth, Adam's honour in the transgression, but Christ, the second Adam, saith, I receive not honour of men.'How can ye believe that receive honour one of another, and seek not that honour that is of God only? And so this is the mark of an unbeliever. And the apos tles did not observe the Jews' customs, nor the heathen's customs, for if they had, they needed not have been persecuted by them. To be courteous, is to do one another good; but how is this practised amongst you, when you cast into prison those that cannot put into your mouths, and for whom you do no work? Where is your courteousness, here? They break not the bruised reed nor quench the smoking flax, that own the light that doth enlighten every man that cometh into the world, and these neglect not their salvation; but they that deny the light that enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world, neglect their salvation, and such are they that break the bruised reed, and quench the smoking flax. The light brings to own the law and tes timony; but many may have the scriptures, and not the law and testimony; for the law is light,' and the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy,' and this was before the New Testament was written, as Isaiah viii. and that was before Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, or any of the epistles were written. And as for the rest of thy lies, slanders, and hard speeches, they shall fall upon thyself, and be thy own burthen; the witness in thy conscience shall answer me in the day of thy judgment. And they that have not the eternal spirit are

none of his.

Thomas Weld, Richard Prideaux, Samuel Hammond, William Coles, and William Durant, their book called, A discovery of a generation of men called Quakers.' In it are the following principles.

P. FIRST, that the soul is a part of the divine essence.'

A. That which comes from God, which God hath in his hands, which Christ is the bishop of, is of God, and divine and immortal, which many of the priests say is appetite, lust, and pleasure; and the soul of Christ,' say they, is human,' which is earthy. And so you that a re come from one mother are not agreed here among yourselves, and people begin to see you; the time hath been they knew not which of you to believe, but now they believe in Christ, who is the bishop of their souls.

P. There lies a mystery of iniquity in saying, "the world calls them so," by such and such names, or gives them their christian name.' A. There are names given by the heathen, the heathen outwardly, by which men are called, and there is a new name, which the world knows not, written in the book of life; here is the new man known, created after God in righteousness and true holiness. Now who is this new man? and this new name? The world may call him by the old. So it is not a mystery of iniquity to say the world calls him so.

P. It is a sinful neglecting of their families to wander up and down.' And the forsaking of changeable apparel, he calls 'monkish holiness.'

A. When people run into transgression from the life of God, into the earth, then comes up the lust of the eye, the lust of the world, and the pride of life, which leads them into all the fashions of the world; which is not of the Father, but of the world.' Now the lusts and affections must be mortified, which have outwardly transgressed the pure principle of God within, whereby the mind hath gone out into the creatures, and things without, whereby it falls under the creatures, and so comes thereby to worship the creatures more than the creator, who is God blessed for evermore; being gone from the principle of God in their own particulars. That is it which mortifies the world, when men turn to it; and this brings off from all the lusts of the world, and excess, and affections, and professions, whether they be such as thou calls monkish, or those of notionists, or whatsoever; it brings into the possession, into the life which mortifies. For this which thou calls 'monkish holiness,' is like your own, who have not the spirit that they lived in who gave forth the scriptures; all holiness which stands out of that, is self-righteousness. And the apostles, and the faithful in

all ages, that wandered up and down, did the will of God, spoke the word of God, were commanded and moved of the Lord, forsook all for Christ. Christ did not teach men sin. And he that doth not forsake all, is not worthy of him, house, lands, wife, children, whatsoever, he that esteems any of those more than Christ, lives still below, he lives still, not given up, he is not worthy of him. And they that do not forsake all and come out of all, are in the sinful neglect of the family of the Lord of heaven and earth, and they stick below in their own ceiled houses, habitations, nests, holes, and rocks, calling unto the mountains, and there garnishing the sepulchres, and living in all fashions, customs, honours and pleasures of the world. And the priests' work hath been this, to teach the people to keep in the lust, and not to forsake and come out of all their lusts to Christ, (who are not worthy of him,) and if any do, they look upon them to be sinful neglecters of their family; which wisdom was before all things were made, and is the preserver and finisher of all things, and not the destroyer, but that it rebukes, and in this are men ordered to God's glory.

P. The Quakers deny imputed righteousness, prayer, baptism; church government, ministry.

A. That ever ye five that are called ministers should thus publish your lies to the nation! The higher powers; the one government; the church, the pillar and ground of truth; the ministry that is in the spirit, that ministers to the spirit in the prison; baptism with the spirit into the one body; prayer in the spirit; the Lord's supper, who dwells in the saints and walks in them, and sups in them; the gospel, the power of God, and imputed righteousness to the believer, are owned. 'Abraham believed, and it was accounted to him for righteousness;' and 'Christ come,' and Christ in you,' is the end of the belief, who is the justification itself, and righteousness itself, nigher than when they did believe. And so here is justification itself without imputation, the righteousness of God; here the belief ends. And all these things are owned according to the scriptures; but all such teachers that are in the earth, and teach for money and means, we deny; and you who baptize, and sell your prayers, and preaching, and supper for money, we deny.

P. Will a discerning of the gospel mysteries prove a power to discern the state and condition of the soul, what it shall be to all eternity? is not this a large ignorance?'

A. The ministers of the spirit watched for the soul, the prophets and apostles knew its state, and knew Christ the bishop of it, and saw when the soul was in death, and saw when God had pleasure in it, when it lived, and saw the soul in God's hand. For who have the mysteries of the gospel, which is the power of God, which gives liberty to the