An Epistle to the Greeks

AN EPISTLE TO THE GREEKS.

ESPECIALLY To those in and about Corinth and Athens.

WITH Certain Queries propounded to the Priests and Doctors, and all the rest of the Members and Officers belonging unto the two Churches of Greeks and Romans, which is of concernment for the view of them all throughout the WORLD.

Written in Egripo in the Island of Negroponte, By a Servant of the Lord: J. P.

LONDON: Printed for Thomas Simmons, at the Bull and Mouth, within Aldersgate. 1661.

To the Reader.

Friends

THe Word of the Lord is the Proclamation of War, onely with the wicked, and the messengers thereof holds not the persons of men in contempt, or scorne; it casteth out the root of envy, which Satan planted in the heart, and fixeth the love of God for the souls inheritance, which floweth in pitty, and aboun­deth in mercy to others! He that readeth and receiveth, in him also hold [...], and he shall bear Testimony to the Truth and witnesse for God, that the zeal of the Lords House is nei­ther Envy, Emulation, Wrath, or vain Contention. Wherefore I say, God who hath [...] mercy, and [...] bountifully of the riches of his Grace unto me, hath freed me from the nature of evill towards my neighbour, and hath given me of his Love therewith to seek the lost, from which issues the plainnesse of my Declarations and Speeches, which without guile, fraud, or flat­teries; Love in simplicity holds forth the Truth in nakednesse, and this will stand a Yoak to the stubborn, and a Dart in the side of the rebellions; The enmity is [...] the [...]; He that hath an ear to heare, let him heare. This is verily a cha­racter of the same nature of what follows in the succedent Pages.

Given forth by a Friend in the Truth, A lover of souls, J. P.

The Day will declare the Dreadfull and Mighty Work.

IN the Councel of the wonderfull Counceller, and All mighty Father, and Fountaine of Wisdom, (who confoundeth the Councils of the wise, and the wis­dome of the Fathers of this world, in whose sight the prudent and learned amongst men, are but as fools plotting in their works, the contrivance and invention of the perpetual evil of their souls.) This is given forth to the only true intent, that the simple hearted may be rightly in­formed of the way to salvation, life and peace everlasting: For of a truth the Lord God of Heaven and earth is arisen, who for many hundreds of years hath been as a stranger up­on the earth: And now in this his mighty day which is broa­ken, and breaking forth by the work of his own hand, he will frustrate the tokens of lyars, and make the Diviners mad, and turn wise men backward, and make their knowledge foolish­nesse, who will open a door to the simple, and lead the Way­faring men, and fools, in the unerring path of Righteousnesse, and the deceit in the earth, shall no longer stand (without a heavy work) as it did in the dayes of the ancient Fathers, Doctors, and Lawyers of the world, who took from the peo­ple the key of knowledge, who entred not in themselves, but stood in the gap, and set Bryars and Thorns in the way, and hindred such as was entring. The flame of the fire of the Lord will finish the course of the former times; for, shall it not burn in a dry Countrey? And if the Nations post un­to Euphrates for water to quench the fire, shall not that River be also dryed up before they come there? And if from thence they flye unto Jordan, shall not the utter Consumption be, ere they can have help from thence? Behold the Lord will make a quick work in the earth. Let the Nations therefore repent; and now not in any upbraiding, or rash judging man­ner, but in the Councel of God, as a servant by Commande­ment, [Page 4] in the work of the Lord, in love unspeakable to all souls, I shew unto the people their states, and unto the sons of men how they stand in the sight of God, my testimo­ny reaching that of God in mens consciences, to the measure of the Light in all, desiring only to be made manifest, which, when the sinner is convinced of his sins, and the wicked man converted in his mind, and turned from the evill of his wayes, then shall they confesse of a truth, the blessed day of the Lord; and say, Surely it was well for us, that the Prophet spared not, to shew unto Judah her sins, and unto Jerusalem her transgressions; Yea well sprang forth that day, and that hour, was the certain timely season of the appearance of mer­cy, and manifestation of loving kindnesse, wherein Nathan was sent to shew unto David the treachery and rebellion of his heart. And now what am I that God should remember me, also with the mercies of David to shew me my transgression, that by his word I may be converted and healed?

Verily of none other do I make mention, but only of the name of the Holy One, and that which proceedeth from his presence, declaring this Dread, shewing unto all people the Door of mercy, the Fountain of life, the Gate of knowledge, & everlasting treasure of undefiled pure wisdome. For as much as the Lord holdeth forth a day of visitation unto all, that the whole world may be left without excuse in the day of Gods dreadful judgements, when the compleat fulfilling and fini­shing of the time cometh to passe, of the full gathering of the scattered Seed, in the Fields of the Earth, and full calling of his Remnant from the four windes of the Heavens, through­out all Nations, Kindreds, Countryes, Tongues and Peoples; and the Lord hasteth the Reaping of the Harvest. A warning to the World to repent, and this to the Debtors, and Captives of the house of Israel is sounded, and sounding. The year of Jubilee beginneth in the morning season, yet a little while, and your slumber will be over, and the clouds of the night will passe from the sphear of your low degree, which ariseth, and will quickly passe over the Sun of another exalted Nati­on: Oh how doth the day change the times, the Children [Page 5] are become Dogs, and the Dogs which were, are become the glory of the earth; and who hath an eye to see, or a heart to believe, that this is come, it cometh, and is at hand, that the Dogs shall eat the Childrens bread, and no more shall their name be a reproach among the Gentiles, but their day of Son-ship shall be the Dread of the Heathen.

Who is he now that will set Briars in the way, or Thorns in the breach of the Gap which the Lord hath made, and who is he that contendeth against his maker, saying, why cometh this thing to passe, mine hand is turned against it? Ye despi­sers, and wonder, and perish, behold I work a work in your dayes, which if a man shall tell it unto you, ye shall in no wise believe it. And you that resist, are but for the consumption of the fire of Gods jealousie, in the day of his wrath.

A warning, a warning to the whole world is come, it co­meth, it hath sounded, and is sounding. The mighty day of God is at hand; therefore whilest you have time, repent.

And allthough the Gentiles resist, and all the Heathen eve­ry where gain-say, yet the Lord will be glorified over all the world, unto whom the Light is the sure message of the Most High, whether they will hear or forbear.

AN EPISTLE TO THE GREEKS.

I Have heard a rumor in mine ears of a hard cry among the people; Alas, alas! Our glory is defaced, and our ancient praise and renown is utterly defamed; Our wives are made the Vassals of other women, and we are become slaves to a strange Nation; We are no more under the Government of the Scepter, which swayed our Fathers, but the wills of another people works violence over us; Our houses are but as habitations lent unto us, and our substance and portion, at pleasure may be spoyled by the hand of the Devourer; Our children unto us are not as were the children of our fore-fathers in their Generations our wives and children, treasure and substance, is but a burden unto us, when the eyes of our Lords looks over us. Alas, alas! our misery is great, and none regardeth it, the sound of our cry hath reached far, yet few have pondered it. And the Lord said unto me, Cry also among the Professors of Christian Re­ligion, even thus it is come to passe in many Regions of the earth, the bondage it great, and the captivity is doubled with violence, and with cruelty; The chains and yoaks are twice laid on, and the people are under the indignation of the Lord: The judgements of their adversaries lyes heavy up­on their heads, and their Loins are banded with the oppressi­ons of their Rulers, as with Iron and with Brasse, and they cannot break the Cords to cast off their burdens; and this, [Page 7] and much more, is the misery of the Greeks, which their fa­thers iniquities first brought upon their heads in their dayes, and the children of their Generations drinking of the Cup of their abominations, unto this present Seed of evill doers; Wherefore the hand of vengeance still toucheth their shoul­ders, and in this manner God hath seen it equall, to lay the burden upon that man, which with his transgressions hath la­den and pressed down the righteous soul of the Lord, as a Cart is laden, and pressed down with sheaves.

This is the end of their labours, they ploughed the fields of the pleasure of their own hearts, they sowed the seed of unrighteousnesse in the depth of the ground of iniquity, who notwithstanding the Lord watered them with the water of ad­versity, yet returned they not in the day of affliction, where­fore of corruption they have reaped this abundance of mise­ry.

YE Greeks unto whom I write, for the seeds sake, as a hus­band unto a wife, not covering the diseased parts, or falsly solving up the forest, and most dangerous wounds, not seeking to seal up your states in hidden sentences from your under­standings, or your conditions in parables, nor to shut the door of the Kingdom against the seed of the Kingdom. It hath pleased the Lord, (contrary to every part of the natural, and desire of the carnall) to lead me through some of the Countryes, wherein as Sojourners you are Inhabitants, among whom I did earnestly seek, but could not find, and then I returned to the Lord, and sought with tears, yet truly could not find one in a City that was worthy; Ye ought to bear with me for the Truths sake, nevertheless, whether you will hear or forbear; for the Lords sake, and his seeds sake, I am obliged by that which stretcheth forth love unto souls, in this manner to stretch forth mine hand, to draw back the Cur­tain, that you may look to the Light which breaks through the Lattice, and to remove the skirt which it folded over your nakednesse, that your eye may see your filthinesse.

O misery, misery, the seed is in bondage, that's your greatest misery within, the burdens of which is the ground of [Page 8] your misery without; Consider, consider, and lay it to heart, use diligence in the search of your hearts, for the Lord God cometh quickly, to try and to search every heart, and to re­ward and give unto all according to their deeds done in the body, whether they be good, or whether they be evil.

Consider your Life, which is the ground, and cause of the mourning of the Land[1] I have passed through you, and have seen the life of your people; Behold abominable swearing, lying, cheating, coveting, drunkenness, whoredom, adultery, murder;[2] Changing the glory of the incorruptible God, into Ima­ges, made like unto corruptible man. Wherefore God also hath given you up to uncleannesse, through the lusts of your corrupt hearts. Who have changed the truth of God into a lye, and to worship and serve the Image of the creature, more than the Cre­ator. Whose own Image only praiseth him, who is blessed over all for ever, and evermore, Amen.

And this is truth in the presence of the Lord God of Hea­ven and Earth, and unto the Light of Christ which shines in all your Consciences, which shews you all your sins, even unto that true Witnesse in your own hearts I speak. I have been an eye witnesse of the bowing of the bodies of many of your people, unto the works of your Fathers idolatrous hands, unto which your corrupt hearts and deceitfull affections are joyned, whilest not one of you in a Nation, which mine eye ever beheld, came to bow his heart in Righteousnesse, and his life in Spirit and Truth before the Lord God who is a Spirit,[3] Whose day cometh, and now is, that the true Worshippers do worship him in Spirit and in Truth.

And for as much as Ye, with other Idolaters, do make these few following dark words, the seeming ground of your standing places, saying, Viz. That you are the Roman Ca­tholique Church, and that you believe in Christ, and do believe the Words and Doctrine of Christ, the Scriptures of the Pro­phets, and writings of the Apostles, and that you hold the Precepts, and do follow the instructions of the ancient Fathers, &c.

[Page 9] Answ. You whose Fathers made many Temples, and painted Pi­ctures therein, that they might worship and bow down unto the works of their own hands. Ye see the day in the midst of your calamities, and time of sorrows, how that many of the houses which they built are left unto you desolate. And if now you the seed of the corruption of their generation, were but come to the losse of your Fathers naturall Image in your carnal hearts and affections; You would also as clearly discern your grea­test misery, which through the grosse vail of darknesse over your hearts, is hid from your eyes. Oh the captivity, the cap­tivity, you are held in the possession of bondage and captivity, under the profession of the name of Christ and Christians, in the lusts of unrighteousnesse, and the pleasures of sin and iniqui­ty, and this hath brought blindness, and spread ignorance as a thick cloud which covers the understanding part, wherefore you are strangers unto, and as a people not having knowledge of the seed of God, which notwithstanding the hardships of your outward sufferings, and the scourge of your bodyes, yet the seed of the Kingdome lyes laden with your lightnesse, and is heavily pressed down with the excessive weight of your num­berlesse oaths, and other abominable sins and transgressions; Ye are blinded, ye are blinded, through the multitude of your corruptions; your whole body is become a lump of misery; You daily add murder unto mischief, without respect, or any regard to the life of the innocent, and after your adulteries, you retain not the thought of the succour of the life of the Virgin Daughter, which ye have abused through the lusts of uncleannesse, and so you add sin unto sin, binding your selves under the perpetual oath and curse of cruelty, in the bondage of your own misery, and capti­vity. Wo is me for you, the love of my bowels to the seed is made a brook of bitterness in my belly; For your sakes I am as one that hath eaten affliction, and swallowed up sor­rows, as in the day of trouble. Oh how hath the night been te­dious to my watchful eyes, which the strength of your miseries kept open, when slumber had no power to shut them; where­fore now I call, and with a loud voice lifted over your Land, I cry, Come forth ye carelesse minds, stretch forth your feet, ye re­gardlesse [Page 10] hearts, out of the Bed of the miserable slumber of your starved soules.

Awake, awake to the mourning, and arise and come forth to the lamentation, for your losse. O weep, weep for the woe is your own, for your own wickednesse. Consider and lay it to heart, should not the hour of distresse bring sorrows and mourning upon your hearts? Oh wherefore then hath the Lord looked, and behold your Land hath been filled with lightnesse, and ye have not forgotten the vain words of the former Generation, but with a foolish confi­dence have believed and trusted in their lyes, as if the credit of the deceitfull words of their wicked inventions, should stand the salva­tion of your miserable sinfull souls.

Seeing therefore unto this day ye have been grossely delu­ded and deceived, under the profession of the name of the Ro­man Catholique Church, I shall answer the vanity of your Faith, with a few words of Truth. God who in the dayes of old chose unto himself a peculiar people of the seed of Israel, ac­cording to his promise unto Abraham, also in the fulnesse of the dispensation of time, sent his onely begotten Son a Light into the world, that the world through him (who is the Light) might believe, and have everlasting life, by whom the Apostles and Saints in them dayes were gathered unto God, and were made Members of the[4] Church of the first born which are written in Heaven, who is the Resurrection of the dead, and of this Church of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ, of which Christ is now the Head, as he was in the dayes of the Apostles, who wrote of this Church, who therefore was, and is the Head;[5] That he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy, and without blemish, and that in all things he might have the pre­heminence. And of this, and none other Church, did the Lord speak, and the Apostles write; but as for the Roman Catho­lique Church, neither have I by any testimony heard, or by any writing of the true Prophets, the Declaration of Christ, or in the writings of the Apostles, read of any such Church should be, as of the Truth, or stand as in the Truth, or that unto the Mem­bers thereof, the Truth should be only committed; Allthough this I say, that the Scriptures do make mention, that once there was an assembly of Saints which lived in Rome, as there did also [Page 11] in other places and parts of the earth, among whom the truth was in power received, in the day of the prosperity thereof, untill the time of the apostacy came in, and the working of the mistery of iniquity waxed great and spread over the face of the earth, even among all people who received the sound of the Declaration of the birth of a Son in the City of David, Jesus the Christ, whom the Prophets prophesied of, should come; and of this apostacy and falling away, Christ himself, (who is the sum and substance of the Law and the Prophets) spake of, saying;[6] There shall arise false Christs, and false Prophets, and shall shew great signes and wonders, in so much that if it were possible, they should deceive the very Elect. And this iniquity began to work in the dayes of the Apostles, of which John in this manner did write, They went out from us, but they were not of us;[7] by which he knew that it was the last time as they had heard that Antichrist should come, and saith he,[8] even now there are many Antichrists; Wherefore he also exhorted the Brethren, that they should not believe every Spirit, but to try the Spirits, whether they are of God, because many false Prophets were then gone into the world. And Paul, he testifieth his knowledge, saying,[9] After my departing shall grievous Wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock, and also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw many Disciples after them; therefore watch and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with teares. And this in measure came to passe whilest John was; Paul also,[10] he bore further witnesse that this thing must be, even the falling away, else this day, which is now come, and coming could not come: and he said then in his day also, That the Mystery of iniquity doth already work, only he who letteth, will let, untill he be taken out of the way, and then shall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightnesse of his coming, even him whose coming (mark his coming) is after the working of Satan, with all power, and signes, and lying wonders, and with all deceivablenesse of unrigh­teousnesse, in them that perish, and for this cause seeing they recei­ved not the love of the Truth, God shall send them strong delusi­ons, that they should believe a lye, that they all might be damned, who believed not the Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse; [Page 12] In which state and condition of vanity and unrighteousnesse, I find the Roman Catholique Churches, as a people miserably spoyled, [11] through the deceit of vain Philosophy, Walking after the Traditions of men, after the Rudiments of the world, in the unrighteousnesse and uncleannesse thereof, in fornication and cove­tousnesse, in drunkennesse, pride, malice and murder, lying and swearing, vain jesting, and foolish talking, As a people through the abominable lusts of uncleanness in your lives, void of the know­ledge, or at least wise not considering, and laying it to heart, how[12] That no unclean person, nor Idolater hath any inheritance in the Kingdome of Christ, and of God; being as it were stupified and benummed in your senses, so far degenerated from the power of Truth, and mystery of Godliness, that ye have lost the generall forme, and do retain but the least part thereof; wherefore among you, and upon you, the words and prophesie of the Apostle is fulfilled,[13] Evill men and Seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. And yet a little while, and it shall also be shewn unto you that desire to under­stand, wherein you are fallen below the form of the profession of Godliness, as in divers particulars I shall query for the ope­ning of your understandings, that by your diligent search in the Scripture with the Light you may see, which will effectually make for the manifestation of the ground of your customes and practices, in your idolatrous and superstitious worships. And this unto you all is held forth, for the tryal of your wayes, see­ing the Lords mighty day is at hand, which will rip open and make manifest all hearts, and declare and preach that which hath been hid in secret upon the house tops. Many of your Fa­thers were the worshippers of the works of the Philosophers, untill the sound of the fame of Christ came among them, whose Miracles and Resurrection confounded the depth of the work­ing of their wisdom, by which the wise men came to confesse a greater than themselves, which suddenly rang through the Nation, and so from Nation to Nation, from the report and credit of the confession of the Philosophers and learned Doctors, the ignorant also in all your Nations joyned with the humane learned, and so with one consent they cryed up the name (to wit) of Christ, whereof they had received the report, who sometime before that had slaughtered the Apostles, who fini­shed [Page 13] their testimonies in the Life and Spirit of Jesus, holding forth his name in power, whose name in words, as the Apostacy came and grew as the deceivers, and false Prophets, and false Brethren, and false Apostles went forth, your Fathers the Phi­losophers, and wise men came to confesse; mark the time of the coming in of this, which at this time ye stand in, which had not an entrance, by the Doctrine or Example of Peter, or life and preaching of Paul, but by such as was spoken of, should de­stroy the little flock of Christ, and make havock of the Heritage of God, concerning whom, I have shewn you Johns witness, and Pauls testimony, and yet furthermore do write Judes and Peters prophesies,[14] For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, tur­ning the grace of our God into lasciviousnesse, filthy dreamers, that defile the flesh, murmerers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, and their mouth speaking great and swelling words, ha­ving mens persons in admiration, because of advantage; Such as the Apostles of our Lord spake of should come; Mockers, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts, who are sensual, having not the Spirit of Truth.

Hereby I know, even by your fruits,[14] into what stock you are grafted, mine instrument hath reached your root. And again, I say all men upon the face of the earth, who have the least dis­cerning, may truly understand that ye are in the Apostacy, working the unrighteous works of your Fathers, who were the first Apostates from the true Faith, in whom iniquity wrought [Page 14] in a mystery, who when Satan had his end in destroying to the uttermost, in the slaughter of all the holy Apostles, in like man­ner as the Jews, after they had slaughtered the true Prophets, garnished their Tombs, in honour of their persons, even so al­so did the Deceiver set your Fathers a work to build Idols Temples, and to draw out the Saints Pictures, and to do hom­mage to the Pictures of Christ, Mary, and the Apostles, in ho­nour of their Persons, and those things which your Fathers built, ye garnished, wherein ye witnesse that ye are their chil­dren, and are filling up the measure of their iniquity; and thus the Devil gained his dominion in you, and among you, by transforming himself (in a nearer shape) like an Angel of Light, in divers other things and Ceremonies, and wrought in, and among your Fathers, as he did in the dayes of old among the sons of men, who sought out many Inventions, insomuch that the righteous soul of God was grieved with them, so that God repented that he had made man; for straightway after the spirit of Antichrist had so greatly wrought through the earth, as that Nations came under, and in subjection to the wills of the Philosophers, even to the confessing of the name of Christ out­ward; Your Fathers they entered into divers consultations, and what they sought out by their Inventions, were set up as Laws and Ordinances, and Statutes in the forms of your wor­ships, and thus came in as I have said, the buildings of Idols Temples, the carving of Images, the painting of pictures, the making of Beads and Crosses of Wood, Bone, Stone, Gold, Silver, and other dead created things, and the Invention of Candles, and Lamps, and Altars, for your sacrifices, and all manner of Surplesses, and deceitful coverings, and hood­winking garments, the observations of times and seasons, and weeks, and dayes, and divers other heresies, and damnable do­ctrines of Devils,[15] Forbidding to marry, and to abstain from meats, which God had created to be received with thanks-giving. All these and many more of your customes, and Idolatrous worships, are neither according to the command of God, or of Christ, or the president or example of the Holy Apostles, through the Witnesse of the Scripture; In few words, the root of these things was the invention and working of iniquity, in the hearts of your Fathers, through the deceitful motions of Satan; [Page 15] and so whereas you say, That you have the doctrine of the anci­ent Fathers. I answer, It is true, you stand in the error of their wayes, I see and savour you in the foot-steps of their ungodly lusts, as the Scriptures declares, and not only those in the days of old, but also unto this time you have many Fathers upon earth, whereby your own confession bears witnesse against you that you have not learned of Christ, who is the way to the Fa­ther, which all that beleeve in him, have but one Father which is in Heaven.

Furthermore in your prayers to Mary, and supplication to the Saints, to mediate and make intercession for you; O mise­rable blindness and lamentable darknesse, how strongly hath Sa­tan chained your hearts, that you lye under so great a cloud of ignorance? Oh what is your losse, through the vented concep­tions of the inventions of your Fathers, how in vain have they professed the Scriptures, and in their words and smooth lan­guage owned Christ, and the doctrine of the Apostles, and how desperately wicked, and unspeakably deceitful, did the Devil work in his day? to bind you under the belief and credit of their unrighteousness and falshood, to hide knowledge from your eyes, by training you up only under the vail of their Tra­ditions, not giving you liberty to read the Scriptures, under the pretence that heresies thereby might not creep into their Church, as if the knowledge of the Scriptures were the ground or cause of heresies; but judge ye whether their doctrine is according to the Apostles instruction.[16] There is one God, and one Mediator, between God and men. Paul doth not say, that it was the woman Mary, which was espoused to Joseph, or that it was an Apostle, which before him was offered up in the witnesse of the holy Faith; neither doth he say, that he should be the In­terceder, when after he should have finished his testimony, and be offered up also, but he truly testifieth of one Interceder, and Mediator, the man Christ Jesus. And likewise also the Spirit helpeth our infirmities, for we know not what we should pray for as we ought,[17] but the Spirit it selfe maketh inter­cession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the Saints, according to the will of God.

[Page 16] Greater Testimony cannot be declared unto you, then the putting you in remembrance of your fruits, which gives the cer­tain savour and sight of your estate; notwithstanding, I know Romes learning will not fall so quickly, but her Fathers by So­phistry, will hold out, and strive to stretch forth a leafe to co­ver your misery in iniquity; have not I already heard the Disputer put forth his treacherous, deceitful, critical enquiry, if peradventure his arm might help to make a Fence about the Wall, which the hand of the Lord is digging down, hath it not been already said by some of your Fathers, Viz.

Quest. If the Apostasie in that time came in, and since the time of the slaughter of the Apostles, hath stood unto this day, where then in all the time since them dayes was the Church, which is the Body of which Christ is the Head? If since there hath not been a Church, how then is Christ the Head of the Church? but if since there hath been a Church, we then affirm that we are that Church (who have kept this our Faith of the Church) of which Christ is the Head.

Answ. I answer, The woman hath been preserved in the wilderness (mark) in her place in the wilderness, which God prepared for her, and there she hath been nourished for[18] A time, and times, and halfe a time, from the face of the Serpent, and from the floods which the Dragon cast out of his mouth after her; Your For­tresses and fenced Cityes, and strong inhabited places, the buil­dings of your Idolatrous Temples, is not that wildernesse wherein God prepared the womans place of preservation; In your City Rome, are the streets which spiritually are called So­dom, where our Lord was, and is daily crucified. Idleness and fulness of bread, hath encreased your sin in lust and wantonness; Your Land is Aegypt, where the Onions, and the Garlick, and the Leeks, and the Milleons grow, and the flesh-pots are, un­to which your hearts are bound with unreasonable cords of Appetite; It is a mighty hand that must draw you, ere you be delivered out of the Land of bondage, of captivity, and slave­ry, to come to the knowledge, and to be joyned in your under­standings and life, to the sore travels of the seed, and Rem­nant of the Lord in the wildernesse; and by how much you are short of this, you are short of the knowledge of Moses, and of his faithfulnesse in all Gods house,[19] and by how much you [Page 17] are short of the life of Moses, you are short of the knowledge of Christ the Head, and of the Church the body; for Moses he was a follower of Christ, who was raised up for the Redempti­on of the seed, with which your Fathers made war in their days, even with the Remnant, which was spared in the dayes of the coming in, and spreading of the Apostacy, which now the Lord hath returned, and is returning the captivity of, and hath deli­vered, and is delivering the woman out of the solitarinesse of her flight, in a secret place in the wildernesse, whose tryals and travels, and refuge, and restauration, and redemption, ye are ignorant of; And your darkness through your corruption, and unrighteousnesse is the cause of your vain contentions against, and stumbling at the high-way of truth and peace.

Quest. And yet if you further enquire, in what estate and condition your Fathers and Predecessors stood in their day, which ye their successors are entred into, and do stand in these dayes.

Answ. I answer, It was, and is the estate and condition of the world, in the nature of the world, in the abominable wicked­nesse of the world, who cannot cease from sin,[20] in the filthy un­clean lusts of the world, and in the deceit of Satan, and igno­rance of the world, under the pronunciation of the word of Johns prophesie.[21] Woe to the Inhabiters of the earth, for the Devill is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time, and this in brief is your estate, and time in which you stand.

Wherefore I am assured in the truth, that as ye remain in the ground and nature of your cursed life, ye have not in the least measure or appearance any good confidence to affirm that you are the true Church of Christ, but rather your arguments as­sertions, and all manner of disputations do arise from the foun­dation of impudence, which hath a face to bear out your de­ceit and falacies. I know the figure of your Kingdome, (you who are called Jesuits, also mark this your figure) the Chameli­an which lives by the Aire, which according to the Law is an unclean Beast, which can change himself into all colours, per­fect white onely excepted; Read your similitude, and see how you who live in your lusts, can without a mock of the Truth, be titled with the name of the Church of Christ Jesus, in which is neither spot, nor wrinkle, nor blemish, nor any such thing as [Page 18] uncleannesse or unrighteousnesse;[22] Although such were some of them, but they came to be washed, and were cleansed, and sancti­fied, and justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spi­rit of our God; Which Spirit of truth the light, is this day the Leader of the Saints and servants of God into all truth.

Now therefore doe ye Read, What is the Chaffe to the Wheate? And what relation hath the Spirit of truth unto your life, which is squared and fashioned in the frame of Er­ror? Deceite hath been the Master-builder of the fabrick of your habitation, the spirit of Iniquitie working in a mystery the foundation of your walls, and the strength of lyes, and ly­ing wonders, the pillars of your house, which by the gilded appearance of the beauty of the wisdome of the ancient and learned in Philosophy, Rhetorick, and Sophistry, is covered with many painted tiles of vanitie, under the shaddow whereof you bow to the Images and pictures, which the unrighteous hearts of your fathers Invented, whose Gods are before your eyes, unto which the affections of your naturall sences are joyned, whereby with the carnall and naturall, according to the motion of the Spirit of Error and Deceit in you, you are led to wor­ship the workes of their hands, as is manifest by your bowings and bendings to the Image and likenesse of the naturall, which the naturall invented, and the carnall made; And this also came in in the Apostasie, when that was forsaken which the Eternall Spirit did command. And now through the custome of your forefathers, and you in the dayly practice of their invented Ce­remonies, being setled on the leese of their abominable Ido­latries, are come in your generation[23] to teach for doctrine the traditions of men. And therefore in vaine is your worship, as saith the Lord: But yet ye have also to speake in the commen­dation of your fathers seniority and wisdome, who gave com­mandement for such resemblances, by Images and pictures, not as if they were the gods of your worship, but the resem­blances of the Lord Christ, &c. whom by these resemblances you teach the ignorant for to worship.

Answer. The greatest blindnesse is in the hearts of your learned Fa­thers; I speak out of the spheare of their Colledges; in mine An­swer to their plea for their sinfull Idolatries, and over all your Nations doe cry out and lift up my voyce as one in mourning, [Page 19] lamenting for the lost seed among you, (which they that should rather in righteousnesse handle the plow to break up the clods, to uncover the seed, have used the spade and shovel, and have heaped up dirt and stones thereon, to the miserable burden thereof) Oh horrible Ignorance, a people bound with the chaines of darknesse; can any thing be the resemblance of the Lord, or the likenesse of his Image, (who is the Infinite, Eter­ternall, a pure, holy, glorious, endlesse, living Spirit) but that which he maketh in his likeness, and formeth in his own Image, by the power of his own Almighty hand; And doth he who is a pure Everlasting Spirit of life, make or fashion any whom he fashioneth, but in the likenesse of that, which all the world by wisdome, by Philosophy, or by arguments can never attaine to reach unto the sight or understanding thereof? Can any make the resemblance of God, who is Immortall, which the mortall never saw? Can the corruptible, and mortall, which never did, nor never shall see incorruption and immortalitie, make with their corruptible hands, and changeable unrighteous Idolatrous hearts, the resemblance or likenesse of the Incorruptible Spi­rit.

From the Lord God I say and declare unto you all, your bow­ings to your Crosses and Images and Pictures, praying upon Beads, to Mary, and Saints, is abomination to the Lord God of Heaven and Earth; and in these things you are but a stinke to the rest of the Heathen, who with you doe stand Enemies to the Doctrine, Gospel, and Crosse of our Lord Jesus; for as they in words doe hold the name of our Lord in contempt, you with your deceitfull shaddowes doe make a mock of truth, and his sufferings: in loathsomenesse you are seated, as an abomina­tion in the sight of God who created you, and in the eye and sight of the servants of the Lord, who by the price of blood are redeemed, and with pure water are washed from the poluti­ons of the iniquitie, and the blood and envie which is among you, and the rest of the Nations, kinreds, tongues, and peoples of the Earth, and now are the followers of the Lambe whether­soever he goeth. Abundantly do the Scripture beare testimo­ny against your practices (mark) from the precepts and com­mandements of God,[24] unto Moses through the house of the Pro­phets, and the life of the Saints, search and then see;[25] might not [Page 20] you with as much confidence make a calfe, and say to the igno­rant, this is the resemblance of God, worship ye it; and draw the picture of a Monster, and say, this is the resemblance of the wonderfull Spirit which was in Paul or Peter, bowe ye before it.[26] Oh miserable blindnesse, and the greatest darknesse is the Priests ignorance, who teach the people lyes, and cause them to erre in their wayes. With the light search and see how far you are from being under the power of the word of the Lord, who contrary to the letter of the Scriptures, Do worship in the forme of the traditions of your fore-fathers. Christ said to his Disciples in those dayes;[27] The houre cometh, and now is, that the true worshippers shall worship the father, in spirit and in truth; for the father seeketh such to worship him; (mark) such as are in the Spirit,[28] having one father, which is in Heaven, but ye be­ing yet in your sins, and in the flesh, are the false worshippers, who have many instructions, and traditions, and observations gi­ven to you according to the wills, as the product of the inven­tions and conceptions of your many fathers; and now as ye shall turne your minds to the light of the Lord Jesus, which will rip open your hearts, you will finde that rule to be the equall measure of your wayes, which will give you a true fight, that you are not in the truth as it is in Jesus, who is the truth, in whom, and by whom, and through whom, the Prophets writ their prophesies, and the Apostles had their utterance, whose words do stand to the bearing testimony against your Idola­trous wayes.

And verily the same words which once Paul declared upon Mars hill unto your fathers,[29] now turneth upon the heads of you their children.

Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious; for as I passed through your City, I found an I­dolls Temple, which was abundantly painted with pictures on every side within, which was the Inscription, which I John did reade, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD; Which with the bowings of your bodies unto those superstitions Idola­trous Images, ye ignorantly worship, Him declare I unto you; God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of Heaven and Earth, dwelleth not in Temples made with hands, neither is he worshipped with mens hands, by Temples of [Page 21] Pictures, or the customary and traditionall bowings of your bo­dyes unto pictures, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth unto all life and breath, and all things; and hath made of his blood all Nations of men, for to dwell upon all the face of the earth; And hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek the Lord, if happily they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.

For as much then as we are the off-spring of God, we ought not to thinke, which if we were come to the life of the seed, ye could not then in the least measure imagine or thinke, that the Godhead is like unto gold or silver, or stone graven, or pictures made or drawne by art or mans device: and the times of this Ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men eve­ry where to Repent, because his mighty DREADFULL DAY, is at hand, which he hath appointed, wherein he will Judge in righteousnesse, the whole world of mankinde.

Carlo Dessio, Gumene Stephaci, called Greek Doctors of your people in the City of Athens, among whom I was conversant in the power of the Spirit of the Lord, and preached unto you the Everlasting Gospel, in crosse to your wisdomes, wherefore ye resisted my testimony, and called me fool, and said, all young men are fooles;[30] In like manner as your fathers the Philoso­phers, Epicurians, & Stoicks, called Paul babler; do not you shew your selves herein to be the despisers spoken of; What would you have said to Timothy,[31] if he had come unto you even as I came, in doctrine, and Example? And what would you have said to Jeremiah,[32] would you have said otherwise unto him then you did unto me, if he had come unto you, as in his day he vi­sited your nature in the Jewes that sought to slay him?[33] And will you say also that all the young Prophets in the dayes of old were fooles? And when John did write unto young men,[34] did he then write unto fooles? Will you call such fooles, who knew the Fa­ther, who were strong, and had overcome the wicked one? And are you so ignorant, as not to consider these to be the lat­ter dayes, in which God will fulfill the Prophesies of old,[35] Your old men shall dreame dreames, and your young men shall see visi­ons; for God hath said, that he will powre out his Spirit upon them; and are ye not wicked in your words, to call such fools? [Page 22] Consider this also, did not you manifest your selves to be most ignorant, to seek for a signe and a miracle then from me whom you called fool? Did not that as much manifest your perverse ignorance, as it did your unbeliefe? Wherein you also shewed your selves to be in the same nature of that generation, which sought for a signe in the dayes of Christ, whom the Lord an­swered and said unto them,[36] that they were an evill and an a­dulterous generation; yea your sin is worse then theirs was, who say that you see with a better eye then they did, and by so much the more it remaines. Are not you the hypocrites,[37] that can discerne the face of the skies, but cannot discerne the signes of the times? Like as Jonas was three dayes and three nights in the Whales belly, and came forth a Preacher of Repentance, Even so are the times at hand.[38] Learne ye therefore the para­ble of the Figge tree, when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, know ye that the Summer is nigh; for as the dayes of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Lord be.

In short words, your faith is fathomed, and your hope is comprehended, your fruits gives the testimony of you, one cluster of your grapes were enough to shew the nature of your Vine planted in the Mountaines of Sodome; the proverb fol­lowes your age, The fathers have eaten sower grapes, and the Childrens teeth are set on edge; yet I shall also further shew you, how that as the Jewes stood in the dayes of Jeremiah, so you do stand in the same nature, perversenesse, pride and ob­stinacie, ruling your hearts now, unto whom God sent Jere­miah, to cry against, saying, Trust ye not in lying words, speak­ing to your selves,[39] The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord are these; and Paul said to your fathers the Athenians, God dwelleth not in Temples made with hands; Yet you contrary to the Scriptures, do assemble your selves as the Jewes did, to worship the works of mens hands, and of your own hands, in the Temples which are made with hands, and so you walk contrary to the Scriptures of the Pro­phets and Apostles; and touching this matter whereof ye say, that ye follow the Councell of the Ancient fathers, you who are called the wisest fathers in these dayes, shew by the best testimony that ye are able, in what manner you esteeme the Councell of your Ancient fathers, and how that it is greater, [Page 23] and ought more to be esteemed, and followed, then the coun­sell of our only father, the Lord God of Heaven and Earth, who gave the utterance of his counsel, thorow Jeremiah, Paul,[40] and others, crying against the Temples and against your cu­stomes, the traditions of your fore-fathers; and Christ said, Behold your house is left unto you desolate; and Paul cry­ed against the Temples made with hands.

Where had you or your fathers ever a command from God or, from Christ, to build such houses, and to paint them full of pictures? Consider and lay it truly to heart ye men through­out the earth, is not your building of these houses one, and of the very same nature, and the fruits of the very same Spirit in those which made the Calfe whilst Moses was with God and not in the Camp amongst them?[41] In the dayes of old upon a much more seeming account of assured confidence, was the op­position of the Jewes of Jeremiah's testimony then yours pos­sibly can be in these latter dayes; for as much as their fa­thers had a commandement concerning the Temple, and they might say unto Jeremiah, who was as a stripling, and as it were a childe, Art thou greater then Solomon, whom God appointed to build us this Temple? Neverthelesse, and although Jere­miah was as one alone in that work, yet this was his testimony, he knew that he was of God,[42] Whether they would heare or for­beare; and they having corrupted themselves in a comman­dement, he was therefore sent to cry against them, and if they were cryed against, as being a people corrupted in a comman­dement, how much more thinke ye, ought ye to be born wit­nesse and testimony against, who have contrary to the Word, or any command, abused your selves, and dishonoured God, in and through the workes and inventions of your degenerated fore-fathers; much lesse therefore, could you in your nature receive my testimony in the name and power of the Lord, if ye were commanded, as the Jewes were, or had any example as they had, so suitable with their time, seeing ye sleight my testi­mony, and do make a mock of my witnesse, against your Tem­ples, pictures, bowings, beads, crosses, and crossings, &c. for which ye have neither precept, president, example, or the least commandement throughout all the Scriptures of the Pro­phets, Christs words, and the Apostles writings, that ever such [Page 24] things were, or should in any age in the Truth come to passe.

What benefit therefore doe you purchase to your souls, through the exercise of your tongues in smooth words and flat­teries, what advantageth it, if you say that you believe in Christ, whilest the words of Christ are not a Law unto you? but the traditions of your Fathers stand the Law of liberty, for your blind hearts to walk in the crookednesse of their subver­sion; What is Christ Jesus unto you, whilest you forsake his way, life and council, and in enmity thereunto are acting, wor­shipping and walking in the way, life, and councils of men of corrupt, and degenerated minds? which you call the faith of the Roman Catholique Church? what is the Catholique Church, to the Church of Christ? seeing they have not the word, nor council of Christ; And therefore much farther from the work, life, and faithfull order of the doctrine of Christ.

You may blind the simple, and deceive the ignorant, and de­stroy the souls of thousands that know not the right hand from the left; Unto you Doctors I speak, unto whom also my words in the Light and Life of the Lord Jesus is a Riddle and a Pa­rable; Ye know not the right hand from the left, and therefore I write little things unto you, & do speak plain words concern­ing you, that in all your Countreys and Colledges, ye may be no longer the deceived, and deceivers; The deluded, and deluders; The destroyed, and destroyers; And therefore I further say, That it is not a shame unto you, whose long hairs de­clares seniority without, in the Antiquity of your dayes, to stoop and bow your necks, for your backs to bear the chastise­ment of the Rod of your younger in years; and know ye that it was prudence in as many of the aged, whose faces wore a fair shew of grey hairs, not to despise the youth of tender Timothy. And remember that little David smote and slew the great Phi­listine, and the glory was the Lords, and in this also I give the praise and honour unto God, who is arisen to smite the earth, who also hath smitten many Islands thereof, and his word rea­cheth unto the utmost end of the many continents, wherein the Beasts of the field have an habitation, and the Lord God will hunt the Foxes, and destroy the Wolves, and slay the Lyons of the Forrests, which have scattered the sheep of the [Page 25] Fold, and preyed upon the Heritage of God. Oh earth where are they devourers hid? they have made merry, but they shall be vexed; they have sported, but they shall be tormented. Ye men of learning, what is your learning? Ye men of strength, what is your strength? Bring forth your Books, and let us put them in the Ballance.

Rome, Rome, Hide not thy Daughters, but let the whole earth see the Daughters of thy pleasure, and let us come and reason with you a little, to see if thy daughters of delight and ease, which have been born without pain, are meet to make marriage with the Sons of God, for whose birth Zion hath tra­velled: Yea her children, yea all the daughters of your mother Rome, plead with your mother, and say unto your mother, if thou who hast born us without travel beest not an Harlot, in thy prophane pleasure, then let us know of a truth, also, whether it is not meet that we may be given unto a holy Nation, that a Seed may be preserved to the praise of the name of the Leader of Is­rael out of Aegypt. Oh Italy thou hast a remnant within thee which plague shall not touch, although Pestilence as a Besom shall sweep thy Land; Repent, if peradventure ye may be spared.

Ye Doctors, I have not yet left you, having also publiquely to proclaim Gods controversie with you; take to you the Offi­cers of your two Churches, number your Armyes, arme your Hosts, whet your swords, yet behold in the day of battel, God will wound you, when you shall not smite the Lord. I have seen your strength, and have passed by your trust, and at that time the wind of the Lord God did shake the earth wherein I walked. What is your Spear to the Arrows of the Lord? Let Romes University answer my enquiry. What is your wea­vers beam unto Davids smooth stones? What are your Silo­gisms to truth? What is your Philosophy to the Light? What are all your critical Inventions and cunning contrivances, to the word which cannot be changed? You cal'd Jesuits, what are your many colours to white? You Priests, what are your changeable Coats, unto that one without a seam?

Oh Athens, Thy Members are in my remembrance, and ye the Pastors of the People (mark) your sheep, yea, your sheep do bear your own mark. The Lord moved me on the 27. day of the 7. Month, in the year accounted 1657. being the first [Page 26] day of the week, the day of Greeks solemn worship. Hear this ye Doctors of Athens, and Priests thereof, who minister in the Idols Temples, and House of Rimmon; The Lord moved me to read in the place of your solemnity, and a witnesse went with me, to the sealing of my testimony, and at which time, Behold your worshippers did bow to their pictures, giving forth con­tempt and laughter in our faces, and I said Gods hand is against you, and he that fits in Heaven laughs you to scorn. O horrible abomination! Hear this ye Priests, mark the fruits of your ministry ye Doctors; Behold they declared you in the street, and spread your name in the open places, your Temples could not contain their lightness and wickednesse, for afterwards in a mock of the Crosse of Christ Jesus, even in the streets of your City, the people would meet us, and stand openly against us, and crosse themselves, with many bowings, and much scorn and laughter before us; I saw the envy of their hearts, and the murder of their minds, who would have dragged us out of your Temple, whilest the second time in that house we bore our testimonies against your Idolatries, do not these in the naked­nesse of their practices plainly preach the doctrine of your spi­rit and life? are not these the testimony of the root of your Ministry? are not these the fruits of your labours? Oh blush! blush and be ashamed of your profession of the name Gospel, and Crosse of Christ Jesus, and of your own name and authori­ty among the people, and learn first of the lowest in you, if hap­pily you may come to see the abasing of that which exalteth it self above all that is called God among you; Ponder it, ponder it in your Closets, and shut it not out of your secret meditati­ons, and answer before the Lord in righteousnesse; With what confidence can you present your selves, or any one of these the fruits of your labours in the sight of God? Can you offer them as an unspotted sacrifice in the presence of the Lord? Will you call these Lambs of the Flock? what then are the mon­sters of the earth begotten by an unnatural seed in the womb of a strange Beast? Are not these your people? and are not you their Doctors, Priests, and Prophets? The prophesie is fulfilled,[43] They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity, and there shall be like people, like Priest; Mark this you the Heads of the two Catholique Churches, even unto [Page 27] the tails of your Tribes, you that have received the councils of your ancient Fathers, The ancient and the honourable he is the Head, and the Prophet that teacheth lyes he is the Tail;[44] For the Leaders of this people cause them to erre, and they that are lead of them are destroyed. How long will ye stand in the sub­version, and not understand the word of the Lord? Have ye not an ear to hear, nor a heart to understand, how that if you had stood in the council of the Lord, and caused the people to hear his words, and not to have hearkned to the councils of men, who stood not in the council of the Lord, then you should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings, but because you have hearkned to that council which the Lord did not send,[45] and have taught the people the councils of your Fathers, in the profession of the name of the council of the Lord, which the Lord did not send, nor command, there­fore do you not profit the people at all; Behold the people may weigh your lightnesse, and measure your vanity, have you brought forth any other thing then wind? Have not the people heard your preachings and prayings, and partaked of your sa­crifices and offerings, some ten, some twenty, thirty, forty, fif­ty, sixty years, some a longer, and others a lesse time, and yet unto this time, are as much laden with sin, yea much more pressed down with iniquity, than in the first day that they par­taked of your offerings. Is it ignorance that is the ground of your impudence in the practice of your idolatries, or pervers­nesse that binds the people under your wills, in subjection to the affections of your crooked hearts? Are ye void of the un­derstanding of the end of the Ministry of the Gospel of Christ Jesus? Or do ye cover it with iniquity, from the sight of the eyes of the people? Paul the Apostle hath written,[46] Christ gave some Apostles, some Prophets, and some Evangelists, and some Pastors and Teachers, for the perfecting of the Saints, for the work of the Ministry, for the edifying of his body, untill all come in the unity of the Faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the ful­nesse of Christ; And to this end also saith Paul, the Scriptures were given forth (which ye hide from the eyes of the people)[47] All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction. In righteous­nesse, [Page 28] that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works, to which end also he preached the mystery of the Faith,[48] and of the hope of salvation, which was Christ in them the hope of Glory, which he that hath this hope in him puri­fieth himself even as he is pure, warning every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdome, that he might present them perfect in Christ Jesus.[48] And John also bare the same testimony concern­ing the Brethren,[49] wherein, said he, we have boldnesse in the day of judgement, because as he is, so are we in this present world. Have not you blinded the eyes of the people, and hid these things from their understandings? not walking in the order of the life of the Saints. Paul who renounced the hidden things of dishonesty,[50] did not hide the Scriptures from the ignorant, but charged by the Lord that his Epistle should be read unto all the ho­ly brethren,[51] who walked not in craftinesse, nor handled the word of God deceitfully, but by open manifestation of the truth, commended himself to every mans conscience in the sight of God,[52] and he called God to record, that he had not domi­nion over the faith of the brethren. Although you keep your people under your wills as slaves, with their faith bound upon your sleeves, and thus you starve souls in ignorance, and destroy them in darknesse, teaching them to say for their Traditions, that it is the faith of the Church, and the Church cannot erre, although you are not the Church of Christ, but a masse of con­fusion, and not one unerring Member throughout all your Re­gions; In this manner you make ignorance the staffe of your trust, in the dominions of your unrighteousnesse, and thus you rule in unreasonablenesse, this is the complaint of the Lord against you;[53] The people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; be­cause you have hid knowledge, I will therefore reject you, and you shall be no Priests unto me, seeing you have forgotten the Law of God, I will also forget your children.

Give ear, give ear Oh people, and hear the complaint of the Lord against Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugall, Ireland, and France; as a Cage is full of Birds, so are their houses full of deceipt, therefore they are become great,[54] and waxen rich, they are waxen fat, they shine, they overpasse the deeds of the wicked. Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? shall not my soul be avenged on such Nations as these? A wonderfull horrible thing is commit­ted [Page 29] in their Land, their Prophets prophesie falsly, and their Priests bear rule by their means, (Even them which do lead them, and cause them to erre,[55] and destroyeth the way of their path) and the people love to have it so, but what will ye do in the end thereof? Mark this ye people,[56] Behold I will punish them for their wayes, and reward them their doings. You that have already tasted of Gods vengeance, shew ye the Cup to your brethren, that if peradventure they may repent, and not taste of that indig­nation which hath passed over your heads, as a stream of fury, reaching unto your present woe and misery.

As concerning the reading of the Scriptures, by the peo­ple of severall of your Nations, although it be such unto whom the Priests give licence, yet are they not without the limit of the black chain of your Fathers Annotations, whose imagina­tions drew Inferences and conclusions, and have alledged con­structions and meanings to hold forth their opinions, and the draught of their Traditions, through their abuse and pervert­ing of the Scriptures, that as they have brought themselves un­der that promise, so they tye you with themselves, under the condition thereof, which John writes;[57] For I testifie unto every man that hears the words of the Prophesie of this Book, if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this Book. Under this promise and conditi­on without controversie you are holden, who are bound under the frame and fashion of your fathers constructions, whose in­ventions have the dominion over your faith, and that of God in you hid, under the covert of the product of the iniquity of their life.

Wherefore all ye simple souls be awakened, and feel that in you, which with all that ever you have yet heard, your brea­thing souls are not satisfied; in secret feel the languishing de­sire, which no mans meanings concerning the Scriptures, could fill or preach life unto; Feel your hunger, that you may come to witnesse the blessing unto that state and condition; under­stand also that if you or your Fathers were in the life of that, by which the Scriptures were spoken forth, they could not have written meanings upon them, neither could your eye be turned to read them, or your hearts inclined to receive them, for the Prophets and all the Holy men, they did mean the same thing [Page 30] which they spake, they were far from corruptions in their decla­rations, and spake not words, but such as were punctually accor­ding to their intentions, without any Equivocations; and there­fore if ye were but in the Life, ye would understand the do­ctrine, and so your fathers have erred in the order of their In­struction, they have begun at the wrong end, and there­fore they cannot perfect, or bring you to a good end.

This principal matter concerning your salvation they have neglected, they never touched the feeling part of your heart, whereby the vail thereof should be rent, that you might see with your own eye, and hear with your own eare, and under­stand with your own heart, but alwayes they bound your sences in the womb of conception of death, and never brought you forth unto life; and the choycest of your Members are but as dead stocks and Images, and how could they lead you unto that, where they themselves never entred? They are not passed through the vail which is the flesh of Christ (as Paul writing to the Brethren, who after the manner of men knew not Christ according to the flesh, saith,[58] Yea although we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more) I say your Priests and Pastors, they never passed through his flesh to the witnessing of the true entrance into his body as Members, joyned unto the one Head, which is the new and living way, which Jesus by the power of his coming,[59] hath consecrated for us, who are Redeemed by the purchase of his blood (which sprinkleth our consciences from every evil and dead word and work) from the world, and the unrighteousnesse of their way, then how far short think you, are ye in the life and pra­ctice? if your Doctors, Priests, Pastors and Teachers, are ig­norant of the Scriptures, and of the Gospel of Christ Jesus and his Cross, which unto as many as have received is in the true life of the understanding of the truth (that is to say) the Gospel of Christ,[60] and the Crosse of the Lord Christ Jesus) is the power of God unto salvation, which if they were Ministers of the true Church, and you Members also thereof, then would you be all in one Life (to wit) in Christ,[61] who is the Life, which if you were in Christ who is the Life, then need you not another thing be­sides the Life to confirm your understandings in the reading of the Scriptures, which by the Life were given forth.

[Page 31] Can your nations therefore look a little way before you? that you may consider it in your hearts, and ponder it soberly in your secret meditations; however, I know the Heathen will kick against, and the high obstinate-hearted will desperately resist, even such in whole sight, the soules of the simple are not of any account, neither the glory of the Lord their de­light, whose praise through criticall Arguments, and Sophi­stry, is in gaining dominion, and obtaining such mastery, there­by to make a boast of their vaine victory; yet there is a seed, which can receive my testimony, which is the Remnant of the Lord, which under the iniquities of your Leaders, hath been held in Egypt, under miserable bondage, and cruell captivi­tie; I say, look a little way before you, with diligence into that which I write concerning you.

You are not come unto the life of the first principle, which leads to the understanding, and knowledge of the oracles and mysteries of God, and of his kingdome of salvation, and so are farre short of receiving, partaking, and enjoying of the pure life and power of the Spirit of life, in the power and the life in your hearts, which in the particular unto every true mem­ber of the Church of Christ Jesus gives the infallible witnesse and testimony, that they are born of the undefiled wombe, and incorruptible seed of promise, unto life everlasting; By which also the Gospel of Christ Jesus was preached to the Spirits in prison, and the Scriptures and Prophesies of old,[62] were given forth and spoken,[63]which came not by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Ghost; Which no minde nor heart of man, or understanding of mankinde, without the same Spirit can read aright; No lyar, swearer, proud, envious, thiefe, covetous, nor Idolater, ungodly or prophane person can read them, except their own portions from them[64] (viz.) The lake is the portion of the lyar, the proud shall be as stubble in the day of the Lord, and the wicked shall be turned into hell; But every member according to the diversities of their measures of the Spirit of life, who are of the true Church, can witnesse, and read the Scriptures, with the life, in their life, which is hid with Christ in God;[65] but you standing only in that which hath written Annotations, and which draw­eth Inferences, Conclusions, and meanings from the Scrip­tures, [Page 32] that witnesseth sufficiently concerning you, that you are not in the life of the first Principle of pure Religion, which gi­veth the understanding of the Scriptures; Ignorance therefore is the cause of your error,[66] as saith Christ, You erre not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God; Wherefore unto you they are parables and hidden sentences from the darknesse of your clouded understandings; who is he that seeth your misery, and doth not lament you? who have consented to the blinding of your selves, through the yeelding of your minds captives to the perverse wills of your Instructers, they have trodden out paths in unrighteousnesse, and you have walked in their croo­kednesse: Verily, I am as one wounded for your sakes, and heavily pressed with the clods which the ploughers have ploughed upon your backs. Oh where is the hand which hath holpen you? Have not your watchers forgiven you your sins in vanitie, and strengthened your hands, with the strength of their own hearts in iniquitie? In what manner have they brought you unto confession, and what will that availe you, if after your confessions, the same and worse sins and iniquities are wrought and committed by you? Are you so ignorant, as to thinke that their words of absolution, is the covenant of pardon and salva­tion? Or do you thinke that bare confession of your sins only, will bring you under the Condition of mercy? Mark the order of the declaration of Solomon's wise sentence, which maketh frustrate the expectation of your vaine confidence;[67] He that covereth his sins shall not prosper, but who so confesseth and for­saketh them shall finde mercy.

Oh people, why therefore will ye thus rest, and remaine in the night of slumber? when will ye be awakened, to come to see the works of your teachers? how that they have double-girded your loynes with the cords of ignorance, and have made that the strength of their renowne and praise in the Nations, and your cloathing with the clouds of darknesse is your Priests garment of glory over you, by this their power governes in Do­minion and Majesty, and you remaine as Subjects, chained un­der the yoak of their iniquitie; Oh who can declare your mise­ry? It is my sorrow for the Seeds sake to behold it, and I know that it suits not with the delight of your hearts, to read the ex­planation of it; But hath the Lord a Remnant, and shall he not [Page 33] visit for the sake thereof? yea verily, and this therefore in love to the soules of the simple, that they may come to the light of the day, each one in the sensiblenesse of his own heart and life, to reade with understanding the mystery of godli­nesse, and Scriptures of truth, which do speak one and the same thing, in the word and intention, and not of many things, as by more then one, but of all things in and by one, through whom the worlds were made, and the Covenant of God stands sure, through whom also grace, mercy and peace is come to as many as are joyned to that one, in the clearnesse of the naked truth, through the relinquishing of the hidden things of deceit, and all the former wayes, vanities, customes, traditions, superstitions, and ungodly words and works, and re­nouncing the counsells of the many fathers and men of the world, (through the spreading of whose spirit, and the fruits of their life, delusion hath a long time reigned in the world,) cleaving to the only sound counsell of the living God, & father of truth, which deceiveth nor deludeth any man, but establish­eth all men that come unto it in a holy way, exceeding the errors of mans wayes, even in that new and living way, which he hath prepared, wherein the uncleane cannot walke,[68] but it is unto those, the way-faring men, though foales, shall not erre therein. Wherefore all people be not any longer blinded un­der the perverse crooked wills of your Instructers and Pa­stors, but examine and try truly, whether they have lead you in the way of God, wherein the wicked cannot walke. And now in all this will you count me your enemy, in putting you upon diligent inquiry, and also in telling you the truth? Lay it to heart oh people, and you Doctors and Teachers of the Nations, Come forth and consider, assemble, assemble the principal members of your bodyes together, and call a full Councell of the Magicians of your Lands, and suffer us then to prove you before all men; provide your rods, that you may cast them in the presence of the Nations, and behold ours is ready to be cast also, that it may be knowne, whether God is the God of Egypt, or of Israel, and that all the Inhabitants of the Earth may have an understanding, who are the people that have stolen the name of Israel, that were never borne of his Seed; and if it shall be seene that the Serpent of our rod, [Page 34] shall eate up the Serpents of your rods, then of a truth it shall be knowne that God worketh with us, and not with you, but against you; But if the Serpent of our rod shall be swallowed up, and by the Serpents of your rods utterly devoured, then let not the Nations spare to publish, and cry in their streets, that the God whom we worship hath utterly forsaken us.

Againe, I say assemble your Prophets, and let the worke of the Lord, and his word answering by fire give testimony to the Prophets, whether the Prophets of your Lands, are the true Prophets, that the Inhabitants thereof may truly know and understand, that if the Lord be God, then let them follow him, but if Baal whom ye worship he God, then do you continue following of him, no hurt will come unto your Nations through the tryall of the Prophets; so that if the Lord answers our Prophet by fire, and kindles the sacrifice of the oblation in your sight, then shall ye know that our Prophet is the true Prophet of the Lord; but if your Prophets shall cut them­selves, even to the drawing of blood of their bodyes, and no word of answer to their supplications, as the answer of the Lord by fire from Heaven; but afterwards, if in their mad­nesse and wilfulnesse they shall kindle a fire in their wrath, and charge you to kindle fires in your houses to burne this te­stimony, among whomsoever it comes, then behold that shall be a signe unto you, that God is not among them; for if the Lord be their God, then would he plead for them, or if they be Jealous for the Name of the Lord God of Hosts, then will they stand forth, to plead the word of the Lord, upon the Mount of the Lord, in the face of all the Nations of the earth; Oh people, let this be a testimony unto you, either for you, or against you, that either your Priests and Prophets have decei­ved you, in prophecying and declaring smooth things unto you, or that they have alwayes taught you Righteousnesse, and instructed you in the Everlasting Precepts of the undefiled, and un-erring path of truth and holinesse.

Heare therefore this ye Priests, and give eare ye Teachers of the people, hide not, hide not your faces, but come forth, come forth, that we may try the feeding of your Pastures, that the blinde may feele with what they are laden; Have not they given a price for wheate? and have not you laden them with [Page 35] the stubble of the reaped and gleaned fields, and the chaffe of the wheate? Was not the price of their money for the cleare running water of the Rock; and have not ye fill'd their vessells with the setled lees of your own Cisterns? Behold, I have seen the deep workes of your hands, even the deep wells which ye have digged with your own hands, and the breadth, length, heighth, and depth thereof I have measured, and the foundations thereof I have discovered; You Doctors of A­thens, Remember my rod, which touched your bottome, wherewith your dreggs were stirred up, which cast a stinke in my nostrills, at which time ye could scarce cover your loath­somnesse, in the presence of your Disciples; I have not forgot­ten the strength on which you took hold, which appeared and proved as a ravelled String of a broken Bow, which could not carry forth so as to send home the shaft; You aymed at my birth, to have trodden upon the simplicitie and tendernesse of my youth, yet could not your broken speares reach to the hurt of my life. Now therefore search ye further, even unto the uttermost end of the Records of your Books, to finde out the first day of my life, which although I am (after the account of the manner of men) but as a seed of the second or third ge­neration of this age brought forth, yet never the lesser is mine age (in a just account more ancient and honourable, then the dayes of your birth; your age must yet be borne unto Infancy, if ever you come to the possession of the promise of Gods E­verlasting kingdome, and the glory of your Antiquitie must come unto great contempt; and your eyes and your hearts which have boasted in vanitie, must passe through the flames of the consuming fire of Gods Jealousie, before ye shall enter the Paradise which you made a mock of in ignorance, and so bare witnesse unto the curse of your kingdome, as a people re­maining in the ground, where blessing hath not raised the en­crease of the earth. Furthermore, heare this ye Priests, Tea­chers, and Instructers of the people; The cry of the earth is grievous in the eare of the Lord against you, blood hath touched blood in your Lands, the soules of the simple have uttered their groanes through the crevisses of the graves, the slaughters in your Cities, and the murders in your streets, the blood which plague hath devoured, and which famine and drought hath con­sumed, [Page 36] even for these, and more then these, the earth lifts up her voyce against you; Have not you cast away the bread, and given stones to the children? Have not you eaten the uncleane fish, and spued out Serpents in the faces of the daughters? Oh how many are the thousands of thousands, whom you have caused to erre, and which have perished through your lyes and lightnesse; and will not God avenge himselfe on the heads of his enemies? As ye have gloried in the dayes of your plea­sure, and made your selves fat with the joy of your laughter and wantonnesse, even so shall Gods time of visitation be as a snare unto your life in unrighteousnesse, even as a snare unto the Priest, and a ginne unto the Prophets, and as a trap, and cleane Instrument, to take hold of the heads of the Churches of your Nations, yet shall it end as the houre of Everlasting mercies, if ye Repent; which if ye resist, behold time shall not bring end to your torment, when God shall stretch your bodyes upon the bed of endlesse trouble and misery.

A warning therefore, and a word of Awakening, even the utterance of life sounding through your black doores of the darknesse of death; to you Priests, Pope, and Patriarke, of the Lands, who say that you sit in Peters seate, to pardon the ini­quities of the people, and to forgive them their sinnes, and to binde and to loose things answerable to your pleasures on earth, saying, that this is your Authoritie, in the place and roome of the Disciples, according to the Scriptures, Joh: 20.23. Math: 16.19.

It is not the seede, nor the off-spring of your roote, but the children of another generation, which in the nature of the life of the holy Apostles are their true successors; you are deceit­full hearts, and wicked sinners; you are men in the flesh, and your bodyes are lumps of sinfull flesh; your generation is of the wombe and seed of corruption, and your life in the changable nature; heare ye therefore, God never gave his Everlasting Authoritie of Righteousnesse for the Remission of sinnes,[69] unto deceitfull hearts, and sinners: Christ breathed on his Disciples, and gave them the Holy Ghost; by which breath, even by the vertue thereof, and the power of the gift of the Holy Ghost their Authority stood in the worke and will of the Lord; But Christ on you, nor on your Pope, or Patriarke, hath [Page 37] not in this manner breathed, nor in like manner filled either you or them with the Holy Ghost; and therefore being without the true virtue, and effectual authority, you sit but as deceitful shadows and Images, in your wicked, wilful, presumptuous re­semblances, making a reall mock of the true power and sub­stance; Oh how presumptuous are you in your abominable works of iniquity, and as a people setled in the hardnesse of the ground of your fore-fathers Apostacy? I have already shewed your root,[70] how in the degeneration you are departed from the Rock, which in all ages was the ground of the forgivenesse of sins, which unto the Lord only belongs,[71] and Christ only is this day the Prince and Saviour, granting unto his people, repen­tance, salvation, and forgivenesse of sins,[72] and this was Pauls testimony to the Ephesians, In whom we have redemption through his blood, (Mark the order of Pauls witnesse, the redemption through the washing of his blood, goeth before) the forgive­ness of sins according to the riches of his grace, (Read this ye people) according to the riches of his grace, how then is it of works, or by the words of your sinfull Pope, Patriarch, and Priests, and Teachers?

Seeing therefore ye have turned the riches of the grace of Christ Jesus into an abominable habit of blind shews of unrigh­teousnesse, deluding the people, and deceiving the hearts of the simple. Awake, awake to the judgement, Behold the breath of the holy Apostles life, is ready to utter voices in the earth, as thunders against you, destruction to your dwellings, desolation to your habitations. I have seen a dart within your doores which will wound you, and when the day of God as a Thief in the night overtakes you, Remember ye were war­ned unto repentance, that you might escape the floods which shall overwhelm your Lands, unto the determination of the consummation, and decree of everlasting indignation and venge­ance.

And furthermore ye Priests, who say that you officiate as Peters Successors, in the degree and order of your places, I have both seen you, your fruits, and your labours, and that hath plainly declared in the substance unto me, that you have not the least relation unto the life of Peter, being but the dirt and dust which the upright and undefiled spirit of Peter shakes [Page 38] from off his feet, as a witnesse against your Cityes and habitati­ons, even in this day, as a witnesse against the wickednesse and Idolatries of your Generation; and whilst you are professing Peter's power and authority, of binding and loosing on earth, your manifold deceits hath blinded your hearts, whereby you are so much ignorant of the word and work of Gods power, that your corrupt wisdomes exercised in studies to the end of your evill dayes, shall never find out the earth, wherein the just life of Peter is this day entred, binding the unrighteousness of your life and spirits, under him as his Foot-stool, everlast­ingly to tread and trample upon the glory of your heads, and crown of your deceits.

Oh ye Greek Pastors, Priests and people, what can you plead for your Patriarch? Can you not read the deceitfulnesse of his succession, through the manner of his Election? Dare you say that it is according to the election of the grace of Christ Jesus, in the order of the truth, or power of the true Faith? who con­trary to the word of Life, and doctrine of the true faith, doth purchase unto himself that Title and Degree, with the price of a sum of moneys, from the Emperour of the Turks, whom you your selves do say is Antichrist, and Reprobate concerning the faith of Christ, an enemy to the life of the Saints and spirit of Peter, of whom you say that your Patriarch is his successor: Oh confesse, confesse your blindness, and blush, blush and be ashamed of your impudence, and obstinacy in ignorance; for behold if your foundation and root concerning the remission of your sins be rotten, what farther prop or post to your selves can you hew out in your imaginations and inventions, for the sup­port of the deceived walls of your Fathers buildings.

And again, After one hath paid the price, for the purchase of his Office, if another of your Nation goes with his sum of moneys and gives to the Emperour, he disposses the first, and gives the Degree and Title to the latter; Oh horrible abomi­nation, who hath a voice and hath with-holden, and not cryed in the streets, and published it in the open places, even the iniquity and the abomination, and not cryed against the loath­somnesse thereof, by such desperate mockings of God, through the wickednesse of their purchases? Read diligently the Scrip­ture, Acts. 8.19, 20, 21. But Peter said unto him, thy money [Page 39] perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of the Lord. Now compare the practices and see, if the unrighteousnesse of Simon the Sorcerer who was in the gall of bitterness, doth par­ralel the strength of the sealed bonds of iniquity of your Patri­archs Successors; and finally touching this matter, take this as the summe to your selves, the original and ground of his de­ceivable granting, and your receiving the remission of sin ac­cording to the truth of the reckoning of your own account, is the Reprobate spirit of Antichrist.

Read also, O Italy, France, Ireland, Spain and Portugall, the seat of your Father the Pope,[73] he sits exalted in the Kingdom of this world, contrary to Christs example, as King upon the high­est mountain, over many waters,[74] in the possession of the inheri­tance of the promise of Satan, All these will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. The aboundance of his corrupt honour and vain glory, with the abominable fruits of the wor­ships of his children, and the Priests actions in iniquity gives testimony of the oath of the witnesse, that he stands principall in the ground of Apostacy;[75] Hamans decree which he got granted for the slaughter of the Jews, and his Gallows of fifty cubits high, which was prepared for Mordecai, is the figure of your Fathers Inquisitions, for the taking away the liberty,[76] and the destruction of the life of such as God sends to declare a­gainst your Traditional worships in Superstition and Idolatry.[77] How far is his life from Christs doctrine and example of humi­lity? who in the pride of his heart, sitting on high in the seat and Throne of arrogancy, maketh the comers to see his face, to fall down before him upon their knees to kiss his foot? The abomination and loathsomnesse of the nature of these few fruits are sufficient unto all that have the true sences of seeing and savouring, that his succession is not in the Covenant of grace, according to the election of God, whom men in the flesh have elected and chosen unto the glory of the kingdomes of men in this present evil world. And finally touching the va­nity of your conceptions, and the deceitfulnesse of the Popes practices, this is the sum of the account of the true record, concerning the absolutions and forgivenesse of sins, which ye [Page 40] receive from his authorized sons, Your Fathers the Priests, Lu­cifer which sought a seat above the meek Prince of salvation, is the root and ground of the issues of their grant and warrant of Re­mission,[78] whose figure and resemblance is the revelation of dam­nation; He that hath an ear to hear let him hear, and a heart to fear, let him fear.

I have not in every particular remonstrated your Traditions and customes, wherein you walk contrary to the truth, but ha­ving the testimony, shall in short shew you how that you are short of the substance, in which the promise is yea and amen of eternall life.

Your hearts and minds are not singly and simply joyned to the Light of the Lord Christ Jesus, which shines in all your consciences, and thats the cause of the foot-steps of your wayes, and the birth of your words and works, to proceed and flow forth as the fruits of the womb of darkness.

And in how much in all your wayes, words and works, you are short of the Life, of the Light wherewith you are lightned, even by so much you are short of the true way of the Kingdom of God;[79] For be it known unto you of a truth, That the way is but one, the truth is but one, and that one is Christ the Light of the world, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

Wherefore be ye not ignorant, that there is only one true bo­dy, one spirit, one hope of the true calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptisme, and one communion of the Lords body, one God who is Light, the eternal Father of all who are children born of the Light, wherewith they are lighted (which cometh from God the Father of Light) unto life everlasting. This then is the wit­nesse to the whole world, and the message to the whole world, and the tryal of the whole world, their wayes, their words, their works, and their worships; all whose deeds are wrought in the Light, they in the Light have peace, and their hearts doth not condemn them, but such who professe God and the Truth in Christianity, and yet are Swearers, and Lyars, Thieves, Whores, Whoremongers, Cheaters, Covetous, Proud, Envious, Hard-hearted, Mockers, Scorners, Drunkards, Gluttons, Abusers of themselves with mankind, who in worse nature than the beasts nature, change the naturall use of the creature into that which is against nature, these walking, work­ing [Page 41] and acting contrary to the Light in all their consciences, with the Light are judged and condemned, and this is the con­demnation of all the wicked world,[80] That Light is come into the world, and men love darknesse rather than Light because their deeds are evill; And such are not an honour unto God, nor a praise unto Christ, whose life savours not of the Truth, nor of the nature of Christianity; their profession shall in no wise be unto their Justification; But in how much they have professed the name of Christ who is the Light, and made the profession of his name the Cloak of their unrighteousnesse; even by so much the more, will the Light in all their consciences be the aggravation of their misery, through judgement unto condem­nation.

Unto this one therefore must all come to be made parta­kers of the everlasting inheritance of salvation, even unto the Light which cometh from Christ, by it to be led unto Christ, who is the Life and Light of men,[81] who is the salvation of the Prophets, whom they prophesied of, saying, I will also give thee for a Covenant of the people, for a Light of the Gentiles, to open the eyes of the blind, to bring out the Prisoners from the Prison, and them that sit in darknesse out of the Prison house, that thou mayest be my salvation to the ends of the earth; On whom also the Apo­stles believed, who through Faith in the Light, and obedience to the Light, wherewith they were lightned, were made par­takers of the purchase of the blood, and promise of the Cove­nant (to wit) the salvation of their souls: And behold this is the Ensign and Standard of the Lord, which was set up for the fall and is now setting and set up for the rising again of ma­ny in[82] Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against, by whom shall come the revelation and ripping open of all thoughts and hearts.

Ye people all upon the face of the whole earth, unto that in all your consciences, which revealeth unto you all unrighteous­nesse, and the prophanesse, and rottennesse of your own hearts, and the wickednesse of your own thoughts, words, and works, which also is the revelation of the terrible indignation, and of the wrath of God against all the ungodly, and workers of ini­quity, even unto that light in all your consciences, must ye all be joyned, your hearts must be given unto it, to be led and to [Page 42] be ordered, and guided by it, that you may come to witnesse a new Life, begotten by the Light in you, for[83] except a man be born again, he cannot see, nor enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

As your minds come therefore to be joyned to the Light, wherewith you are lightned, you by the witness of perfect sub­jection and obedience to the pure motions of it, will come to know the true and everlasting testimony of the Lord, and be made partakers of the hope of the heavenly calling, and your confidence (not as in the dayes of vanity, sin, and death) will be gathered into the one substance of the spirit of Life, in which you will come to see what is the glory of the living body, which liveth by the faith of the Son of God; Your baptisme will not be as in the dayes under the power of the Elements; For as much as the Testimony of the life of Jesus is the ful­filling of Scriptures. John he said that Christ who was the substance should increase, but he who baptized with the Ele­ments (as the figure) should decrease,[84] signifying also the bap­tisme of Christ, that it should be with fire and the Holy Ghost, which he testified concerning him,[85] of whom he said, There standeth one among you of whom ye know not, he it is who cometh after me is preferred before me; the same also is he which hath been in the world,[86] as a stranger upon the earth, who came unto his own, but his own received him not, whose life is manifest through the Revelation of the light, wherewith the whole world is lightned, which leadeth unto the knowledge, and witnesse of his Baptisme,[87] Crosse, Death, Resurrection, Life, and Communion of his eternal body; and this is the baptisme which the Apostle testified, is only One, even the baptisme of the Holy Ghost, and with fire, which John said should encrease through the decrease of the water; Flesh and blood revealeth none of these things concerning the Kingdome of God, which is a mystery unto all the world; how great therefore is the igno­rance of the world, to administer those things which they call Ordinances unto Infants, which things are Parables, and alto­gether hidden things in the substance, from the wisdome of the world? which if the Revelation and Life of the substance be not unto the elder, what profiteth then the Traditional wash­ings or sprinklings, which neither is by commandement or manifest example in the Scriptures, unto the infancy of the [Page 43] younger? and what can their Infancy through the figures reach, fathom, or feel concerning the substance, let the worlds Fathers answer this for them.

Unto the crosse therefore of the Lord Christ Jesus ye ought to come, which neither is gold, nor silver, nor brasse, nor iron, nor any other mettal, nor wood, nor stone, nor Image of bone, or any other dead creature; but this is the everlasting testimony of the Crosse of Christ Jesus,[88] Father not my will, but thy will be done; he that hath an ear to hear, let him hear, and he that un­derstandeth not, nor knoweth this, is yet under his own hour and power of darknesse; Understand therefore that the manife­station of the will of God is in and through the Light, where­with you are lightned which cometh from Christ the true light of the world, which lightneth every man that cometh into the world, unto which Light in all your consciences your minds must be subject, you must wait upon God with your minds in the Light, your hearts turned to it, that you may witnesse the power of it ruling and reigning in you, and working through every Member of your mortal bodies, bringing your wils under it, and subduing and subjecting your affections to it; this is the true Crosse of Christ Jesus, to take up the Crosse, and to walk in Crosse unto your wills and affections, which take up Images, and take delight and pleasure in Pictures, and imaginary like­nesses of the Crosse of Christ Jesus, and to walk as quickned Members in crosse to your whole life, as it now stands in the nature and lust of uncleanness, sin and death, in the enmity to the Life and power of God, and mystery of Godlinesse, in crosse to your foolish, airy, childish, vanities, of Beads, Bracelets, and other Traditional Superstitions and Idolatries, which things are but the signification of folly and childishnesse in the first na­ture, which receiveth not the knowledge nor things of God; the Light also wherewith you are lightned,[89] must guide your minds, and stay your hearts and thoughts upon God, and lead you also in crosse unto the Lightness and wickedness of your lives, which stand in the pleasure of vain jesting and idle foo­lish talking,[90] in surfeiting and drunkennesse, in chambering and wantonnesse, strife and envying, in the ground of all manner of sin, iniquity and mischief, which produces and yields the fruits of lying, swearing, pride, covetousness, cheating and defrau­ding, [Page 44] adulteries, and whoredomes, dissimulation, robberies, and desperate murders, even in that evill and cursed ground where man is droven from the presence of God, under the pow­er of the agreement of Hell and death, alienated and estranged from the Covenant of Life, yoaked under blindness, and chay­ned with the blackness of darkness, shut out of the Garden of pleasure, and Paradice of God, where nothing can restore the losse which came by transgression, but the power of the Cross of Christ Jesus, which worketh death to the disobedient and carnall; There is none other entrance now unto the tree of Life (which he that eateth not thereof dyeth in, and perisheth unto everlasting death) but through the flaming sword, which is set at Edens gates, to[91] keep the way of the Tree life; Can your eye read, or your ear hear, for your hearts to receive this ye vain scoffers at the Saints entrance into the holy City, and Para­dise of God? You are witnesses to your selves that your Inheri­tance is not in the Kingdome of Heaven, which is like unto a grain of Mustard-seed,[92] which also is likened unto an Onion seed, whose perfect fruit being taken out of the natural earth, yet quickly perisheth not, but prospereth, yielding growth from the body of the root more than all roots of the earth; This is the work of Life, the Cross, which neither is likeness, imitation nor Image of the things, or nature of death, but the mighty power of God, which bringeth death unto death, which hath passed over all men,[93] and reigneth over all men from Adam unto Mo­ses, even over all that have sinned, who have not known Moses, although their sin hath not been after the similitude of Adams transgression, from lost Adam therefore unto Moses you must come, to witness an entrance into Moses his house, in whom was revealed the hope of the promise, that should come to passe, which also is come in power,[94] in the substance to them, In whom the righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit, who have seen the Prophets day, and are come through the work of Johns cry in the wilderness,[95] who are no more of the flesh, as in the flesh working the works of the flesh, but through the death of the Crosse, are buried in the separation from the worships, words and works of the first nature, risen and born unto Life, unto the inheritance of Re­demption and Justification, into the unchangeable Kingdome [Page 45] of the word of the Covenant, where he that is least, is greater then John the Baptist,[96] who was the greatest Prophet borne of women; and thus being passed and translated from death to life, (not as any longer under the power of sin, are partakers of the Elements, or subject unto the carnall Ordinances) are altogether under, and one with the power of the ministration of life, in the communion of the Eternall body of the Lord, and from your superstitions and Images, and nature of iniqui­tie, and transgression, by the power of the Crosse of Christ Je­sus, ye must be changed through obedience to the motions of the Light in all your consciences into the Image of the glory of the second Adam, who is the Lord from Heaven, if ever ye shall come to witnesse a hope which will not wither, to be Joy­ned unto the heireship of the promise of the Inheritance of the kingdome, which Covenant was made only with Abraham, and with the seed of Abraham, born of the free-Woman,[97] which by the one Everlasting Oath of God is confirmed unto all that by the blood of sprinkling are entered into the City,[98] where not any thing that is defiled can come, for without is the curse, even over as many as stand in the ground without the compasse of the fence of the Paradice of God, where are dogs, and sorce­rers, and whore-mongers, and murderers, and Idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lye.

Repent, Repent therefore, the mighty day of the Lord God is at hand, wherein he will sift the Nations as with the five of equitie, and fanne the Inhabitants of the earth with the winde of his wrath, and through all Nations will make an equall se­paration in Righteousnesse, the Chaffe from the Wheate, the Drosse and Reprobate from the refined Silver, the just from the vile, him that feareth God from him that feareth him not; A day of woe to the wicked, and of vengeance to the workers of iniquitie; in which cometh to passe the Revelation of the Wrath and Indignation of God, which is even ready to be revealed in flames of burning fire against all the ungodly; A day of howling to the sonnes of Sodome, and of everlasting lamentation to the daughters of Gomorrha; Strength shall not defend you, nor Art deliver you, where then will you run for a refuge, ye want the wings of the Sunne of the Morning, to fly unto the ends of the earth, the rockes will not rend to co­ver [Page 46] you, nor the mountaines move to hide you, so terrible is the day of the dreadfull Lord God of Hosts, and none like it, that even his breath shall shake terribly the foundations of the earth, and the Isles of the Sea shall role as ships in a tempest, the Jealousie of the heavens shall send forth their winds, which shall stirre up the depth of the Sea, and she shall spue out of her wombe, the dead bodyes which her rage devoured upon the earth, also the grave shall give up her dead, that all both great and small may arise, and stand before the great Judge­ment of the Lord; The trumpet of the Lord hath sounded, and is sounding; Blessed is he that heareth the proclamation of the voyce of the Angel unto the witnesse, and have a right, and a part in the first Resurrection,[99] on him the second death shall have no power, but such shall reigne with Christ a thousand yeares, whose day is begun in the earth; he that hath an eare let him heare what the Spirit saith; and when the thousand yeares are finished,[100] the whole number of the deceivers of the earth shall be utterly devoured with the fire of God out of Heaven: A dreadfull found to the wicked I have heard, the proclamati­on of the voyce of the Archangel of God, and the noyse of a Joyfull shout from Heaven, of which I John beare witnesse, and do hold the testimony as unto the witnesse of the Eternall Decree of God, concerning that which was, and is, and of the Judgement which shall come & overtake the wicked, through­out the mountaines, and the hills, and the caves, and the dens of the earth; woe shall compasse their dwellings, and Indig­nation and Wrath shall be placed as the bounds of their habi­tations; who can count the sands which are set for the bounds of the Seas, he also can comprehend the misery of the workers of iniquitie; prepare prepare therefore to meet the Lord, by true and unfained repentance; for of a truth, the Lord God of Heaven and Earth is arisen, and rising in dread to touch the whole earth;[101] say not therefore in your hearts, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation, as a people willing to yeeld unto ignorance, and voyd of the know­ledge, How that by the Word of God, the Heavens were of old, and the Earth, standing out of the water, and in the water, where­by the world that then was, being overflowed with water perished; [Page 47] But the Heavens and the Earth which are now by the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of Judgement, and perdition of ungodly men.

To your own therefore returne, departing from your fore-fathers traditions, examine your selves, try your selves, prove your hearts, and see what you have, which will be able to stand in the day of tryall, and not consume in the burning fire of the Lord God, whereby the Heavens shall be set as in flames,[102] and the Earth and Elements shall melt with the fervent heare there­of, and all the workes that are in the earth shall be burnt up; and seeing then that all these things shall be quickly dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be, in all holy conversation and godlinesse.

Feare, feare, dread, and tremble, tremble before the Lord God of Heaven and Earth, all ye hard and cruell, high and lofty, bow down ye Cedars of the hills, and come down ye strong Oakes of the mountaines, unto the lowlinesse of the va­leys, the Lord God will stop the wayes of the Savages of the Forests, and place Strength in the path of the Lyons of the Wildernesse, and their fiercenesse shall no longer devoure the prey; the strong shall starve with hunger, woe to the Deserts, the Lyon for her whelps, and the Beare for her young as being robbed, as being spoyled and destroyed, they shall roare toge­ther, they shall run and not have remedy, they shall seek and not have rest, for behold the word of the Lord shall be accom­plished in the Earth upon the Herds, and concerning the flocks upon the Shepherds, and upon the Pastors, and the end shall be the consumption of all flesh, which hath corrupted its way upon the face of the earth before the Lord; and with this com­eth the determination of time, which shall never bring end to the torment of the wicked, and whosoever worketh and loveth a lye.

O Earth, Earth, heare therefore thy warning, and all the Inhabitants thereof, give eare to the sound of the voyce in the day of your visitation; the commandement standeth not far from you, neither is the Word separate in another Nation, so as that you should say, Our arme reacheth not over the Sea to bring it from thence, and who can touch Heaven to bring it down from thence, but the Word is very nigh unto you,[103] in [Page 48] your mouth, and in your heart, that ye may also heare it, and do it;[104] Therefore unto the more sure word of Prophesie, whereunto ye do well if ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, untill the day dawne, and the day-starre arise in your hearts.

The Light which through Judgement and condemnation, in the secret parts of your minds and hearts, preacheth and prophesieth wrath, woe, and the just indignation of God a­gainst all unrighteousnesse; this sure word is nigh you, and with you in your beds, in the fields and streets, and market places, the Light which convinceth you of lying and swear­ing, and double-dealing, and all manner of wickednesse, if you love it and lissen unto the checks of it in your hearts and minds, and so come to follow the Light, which convinceth you in se­cret of lying and swearing, and vaine jesting, and foolish and wanton gestures and communication; the Light in all your con­sciences, wherewith you are lightened, which convinceth you of your sins, will lead you out of your sins, and so will come to witnesse sanctified hearts unto God, and you will come to feele your hearts given up unto sanctification, and your minds unto the things of Gods kingdome; and by the Light also, you will come to discerne the two seeds, and the two natures, and you will grow unto the witnesse of the Judgement of the one, from the promise of Sion, unto the habitation of the heritage of E­sau, whose mountaines are places for Dragons; And the other unto the Justification of life to be made partaker of the trea­sure of life, and filled with the vertue of the Lord, in wisdome and a good understanding, which the world cannot receive, unto the true knowledge of the Scriptures, unto the witnesse of them fulfilled in you, which through faith in Christ Jesus, the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,[105] are able to make one wise unto salvation; for as all things and deeds which are done and wrought out of the Light, are re­proved by the Light, even so also that which maketh manifest is light, and the Light wherewith you are lightened, is the mea­sure of the gift of God, which he hath given unto all men, and the grace of God which hath appeared unto all men, which taught the Saints to deny ungodlinesse, and worldly lusts, through which (that is to say) by the Light, being Judged as [Page 49] men in the flesh, they became Justified with God in the Spirit; the Light will lead you unto life, if you love it and obey it, according to the voyce of it;[106] therefore to the Law and the Te­stimony take heed, speaking alwayes according to this word.

Ye Greekes in all quarters and parts of the earth, read this commandement, as the quick sharp and short message of the Lord unto you, even of the Righteous God, whom your fathers provoked unto wrath, through their Idolatrous superstitions and all manner of abomination, for which cause he brought their necks under the miserable yoak of bondage, to draw under the cords and chaine of the same Instrument of cruelty of the Jewes captivitie; and this came to passe, if peradventure in the time of trouble, they might early seek, and cry unto the Lord with unfained hearts, but from generation to generation, even to the evill dayes of this present generation, he hath not found Re­pentance in your Land, and therefore could not your Land finde nor feel the day of deliverance, and breach of the bowes of your yoaks, by his hand of Redemption; Repent therefore, lest ye be made an utter spoyle, even unto the determination of time, and there come no end of your misery and desolati­on: Remember the declaration of the dayes of old, and the sayings concerning the times which are already past; there were a people unto whom the sure testimonies of God were given, but they forsooke the mercy, and through hard-heartednesse, and self-conceitednesse departed from the fountaine, to aske councell of their own wills, in the house of Rimmon,[107] they ex­pected the Covenant in their way; wherefore when Christ the Light came contrary to their conceptions, they rather resisted unto death, then chose to be gathered unto life; they once had the Law and the Prophets, and the testimony of the Law, and the Arke of the Covenant, and the Temple which God gave them, and yet because of their unbeliefe, God spared not the Jewes, which were the naturall branches, according to the promise; Heare this all ye Gentiles throughout the earth,[108] If God spared not the naturall branches, because of their unbeliefe, why boast ye your selves against the naturall branches, who are your selves fallen from the Root? If God spared not the Jewes who received not the Light, which testified for Christ, which was, and is the Light, which shined in all their Consciences? [Page 50] Shall he spare you who despise the Light, and in Enmitie to Christ, who is the Light, walke contrary to the Light in all your Consciences? Behold the goodnesse and the severitie of God on them which fell, severitie, but towards the Gentiles which stood, goodnesse, and unto as many as now continue in the good which cometh from God, mercy and peace; but as for such as forsake the Light which comes from Christ, even they [...] fruitfull branches shall also be cut off, and with God there is no respect of persons; And if the casting away of the Jewes were the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but your torment,[109] and the resurrection of the life of the seed from the dead, and the redemption thereof from the bondage of the grave, to the glory of God, Amen?

Trust ye not therefore in lying words, even as once the Jewes did, saying, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord are these; say not in your hearts, the wisdome of God is the councell of our fathers, such words shall not save you; or if you farther say, that you have Abraham to your father, that shall not profit you, but rather read your birth of the bond-woman, that you may come to the casting out of her seed and generati­on of her wombe; for be it knowne unto you, God can out of rockes raise a remnant, and out of stones a seed unto Abraham; for not every one that saith Lord,[110] shall enter, for many shall say, we have prophesied in thy Name, and in thy Name have cast out Devills; and yet it shall be said to them, depart ye cursed workers of iniquitie; and Virgins also loosed the Inheritance, even such as were to seek oyle when the Lord came;[111] and these are States beyond the conditions of all your Roman members throughout the earth; & the Scriptures are true in the declaration as Christ spake, although you are false in your words, and wayes, and in­terpretations; and if the doore of the kingdome be shut against carelesse Virgins, how thinke you that wicked lyers, drunkards, swearers, whore-mongers, or harlots shall have an entrance therein? therefore, whilst you have time Repent; This is the summe unto the pertaking of the purchase, that you follow the Lambe of God, Christ the Light of the world, which taketh a­way the sin of the world, He is the highest Priest, Prophet, and King, of whom this is the signe and testimony unto Jew and Gentile, He hath lightened every man that cometh into the [Page 51] world; and this is the message unto the whole world, God is light, and in him is no darknesse at all.

Look therefore to your lives, for behold this day is set before you, death and darknesse, life and light, chuse you whether, if you perish in your sins, your blood be upon your own heads; hence­forth & for ever, prize your time,[112]Remembering that Esau had a time, but Esau neglected his time, so that when he carefully sought a place of Repentance with teares, he could not finde it.

This is the testimony which we (that do walke in the light, as God is in the light) do hold; we know that whosoever is borne of God, unto the Inheritance of the kingdome of God, he sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God[113] keepeth himselfe, that wicked one toucheth him not, and we know that we are of God, and we also know, that the whole world, who are enemies to God, lyeth in wickednesse; And we know that the Sonne of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, whereby we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ, this is the true God, and Eternall life; Oh all ye Nations abstaine from Idolls.

The Saints by the seed of the Apostated Jewes first in con­tempt were called Christians, and we who have received the same testimony of Jesus, by the seed of the Apostated Christi­ans in the Northern Islands, are scornfully called Quakers: J: P:

SOme Queries propounded to the Greekes Patriarke, and Pope of Rome, and to their Doctors, Priests & Pastors, Universities, Schooles and Colledges throughout the compasse of the Regi­ons, of the rule of their two Catholique Churches in all the earth, by them or any of them to be answered, for the sake of truth, and of soules, in how much they are willing to appeare lovers of truth or of soules, and are ready to render a reason of the hope that is in them according to the Scriptures.

Concerning the Word of Faith.

Query 1 WHat is the faith of Jesus? And what is that which be­gets any into the true faith of Jesus? Whether is it mens Imaginary conceptions of Jesus, and the training up of a people in the blinde traditions of men, or only the word of faith, which cometh from Jesus? yea or nay?

Query 2 What is the sure word of faith, which gives the true and sound witnesse of the life of Jesus only unto worme Jacob, and which word is nigh unto all men upon the face of the earth, and yet is that which the sinner cannot receive unto life, but resists unto death?

Query 3 Can any person minister the Word, to beget others into the faith of the word of faith, who have not themselves received the word; and have any received the life of the word, who knowes not the word, yea or nay? And who amongst you is cleansed with the word, that is not in the state of sinne, under deaths bonds of transgression, in enmity to the word?

Query 4 Whether can any truly know Christ to believe in Christ, who never have heard the word of Christ? And when and where did any of you ever heare the voyce of the Son of God? And is not that the Pharisees and hypocrites state, to boast and say that you believe in Christ, and have the word of God, and yet never heard immediately the voyce of Christ, yea or nay?

Query 5 What is that eare in man which being open cannot heare the voyce of Christ, who came to make deafe those that heare, and to give hearing to the deafe? And what is that eare also, which ought to heare, and is stopt? And that eye which seeth and is to be blinded, and that eye which is blinded, which Christ com­eth to open? Shew plainly the five senses of man, which are senslesse of the word of God, and see if you can answer how that man in sense beyond sense, hath the true sense of seeing, hearing, feeling, savouring, by smelling and tasting of the good word of God?

Query 6 By what was it that the word of life was ministred and prea­ched unto the Spirits in prison? and what is the Spirit which is the prisoner? and what and where is the prison? and when did ye ever visit the prisoner in the time of his bondage in prison.

Concerning the Patriarke and Popes Power.

Query 7 WHat is the key which openeth the prison doore? and who hath that key? hath either your Patriarke or Pope that key to open the prison doore, and to loose on earth? And what is the matter and subject to be loosed on earth? And in what manner will that also be loosed in heaven, which is loo­sed on earth?

Query 8 What is the key of David, and who hath the keeping there­of? [Page 53] and is there any other key which openeth Heaven or shut­teth the door of death, or gates of Hell, besides the key of David? Whether either your Patriarch or Pope, whom ye call Peters Successor, hath the keeping of that key? seeing that the Scriptures say, That the first and the last, he that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth, and no man openeth, hath the key of David, Rev. 3.7. Rev. 1.17, 18.

Query 9 What is the key of knowledge which the Lawyers took away, whereby they entered not themselves, and hindered others from entering, even such as was entering? Did the Lawyers know what that key was then? And do your Patriarch or Pope, Doctors, Priests or Lawyers, know what it is now? Are you in any other knowledge or wisdome then those Lawyers were, who entred not, and hindred others, yea or nay? And where­in you may say that you differ, do you shew it forth how you differ in the ground and nature? Luke 11.52.

Query 10 What is that Book and the Seales, and Sealing of that Book which no man in Heaven nor in Earth was found worthy to open? And where was Peter then? whether was he in Heaven or in Earth? or was he neither in Heaven, nor on Earth? and the Scriptures not saying, that Peter was found worthy at that time, how then can any of your Catholique Churches with con­fidence now say, that those whom you call Peters Successors, the Foundations and Pillars of your Churches, are at this time worthy to do that? or whether can your Pope or Patriarch do that in these dayes, which John saw in his day no man in Heaven nor in Earth could do, Rev. 5.1, 2, 3.

Query 11 Your Members have said that Peter is the Rock and Foun­dation of your Catholique Churches; I Query whether that was not the Peter who is the foundation of your Churches, un­to whom Christ (the Rock and Foundation of our Church which is in God) said, Get thee behind me Satan, and whether is the Patriarch at Constantinople, or Pope at Rome his successor, in his place, yea or nay? Math. 16.23.

Query 12 Doth not the virtue of the key of knowledge open all myste­ries, and if ye have the key of knowledge of the things of God, cannot ye thereby answer all these Queryes or any others con­cerning the things of God, in the clear understanding of the mystery of Truth in the wisdom of God, yea or my?

Query 13 Whosoever committeth sin is of the Devil, 1 John 3.8. What then is the ground of the election of your Patriarch and Pope by sinners, and impowred to forgive sins? And in what standeth their power to forgive sins, who are themselves wicked sinners? Whether is the manner of this practice any other in the sub­stance, then Satan seating Lucifer in the Kingdom of sin, falsly to salve up the wound of sin, yea or nay?

Concerning Ordinances and divers corrupt Traditions and Idolatries.

Query 14 WHat is the one everlasting Ordinance of God? which is the seal of the Covenant, and assurance of salvation unto every living soul, which hath partaked thereof, which no Element could give the testimony of, which is the sum and sub­stance (really come unto every true born Member of Christs Church) of all Types, Signes and Shadows, which figured out the substance before it came?

Query 15 Whether are your two Catholique Churches, or any of the Members thereof partakers of the one everlasting Ordinance of God, which is the end of all washing, carnall Bread, Wine, and Water-Baptismes, and of all shaddows, Types, and Figures, spoken of in the Scriptures, seeing you in contrary manner to all the prophesies, doctrines, and examples written in the Scrip­tures, do stand in divers invented shaddows, vanities, and Ido­latries, in the practice of the doctrines of your fore-fathers tra­ditions, in opposition to the power of God, and Crosse of Christ Jesus? Read Coloss: 1, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23.

Query 16 Where doth the Scripture say that to take up Crosses of Gold, Silver, Brasse, Iron, Bone, Wood, or carved Stone, made by the invention of man, is to take up the Crosse of Christ, who came not by man, nor according to the will of man, whose Crosse came with him, contrary to the will of man? What is the Image to the substance? And whether is that any part of the nature of the substance in you, or doth it not rather stand in enmity to the substance, which taketh up an Image of the Crosse among you, yea, or nay?

Query 17 Whose doctrine or Commandement was the foundation of your Idol Temples? declare plainly, whether God comman­ded, or Satan deceived? And what rule have you in the Scrip­tures, or example from the life of the Apostles, to worship in [Page 55] Idols Temples, altogether by the light of wax Candles, or burning Lamps of Oyl, and to keep your wax Candles burning night and day in your Idols Temples?

Query 18 Whether is it not great ignorance for a people to seek the Lord out of the habitation and sanctuary of his holinesse? Wherefore seek ye to find God in Temples made with hands, Seeing God dwelleth not in Temples made with hands? And whe­ther do you not understand that those Temples which are not Gods habitation, are the reall Synagogues of Satan, yea or nay? Acts 17.24

Query 19 What rule have you in the Scripture to make a mock of Christ, and the holy Apostles, by carrying about Images (which ye call their Pictures) by day time, with the light of Candles or Torches through your streets, with many persons passing therewith hood-winked and disguised as Thieves and Robbers, singing and rejoycing, and making merry over the spoll of the innocent?

Query 20 What rule have you in the Scriptures, or example from the life of the Apostles, to light the dead Corps of men and wo­men to the Graves or Sepulchres, with Torches or Wax Candles?

Query 21 What precept have you in the Scriptures to call Elements and shaddows, or any of those things, which once were figures, Sacraments, and to carry Bread and Wine through your streets, with a Canopie over it, with Torches or Wax Candles ligh­ted, and one ringing a Bell before it (like the hypocrires soun­ding Trumpets of their services) and for all people that meets it, to fall down upon their knees before it?

Query 22 What rule have you in the Scriptures, or plain example from the life of the Apostles, without adding unto, or diminishing from the Scriptures, or the acts of Christ, or his Apostles, for your sprinkling Infants with water, and calling that an Ordi­nance of Christ, or Sacrament of your Churches?

Query 23 What precept have you in the Scriptures, or president from the life of the Apostles, to pray upon Beads, or to pray to Saints, or to Mary, and to crosse your selves with your hands in your prayers, or thanksgivings, or to make bowings before walls, crossing your selves with your hands, babling a few words before you go into your Beds?

[Page 56] Query 24 What precept or example have you in the Scriptures, to make Inquisitions and Inquisitors, to slay the life of Gods wit­nesses against your Idolatries, and to make Fryaryes and Nun­neryes, Doctors, Fryars, Nuns, Jesuits, lay-brothers, beg­gars, Queristers, Singers, & Ringers, were ever such prophe­sied by Christ or his Apostles, should come in the Truth, or were ever such in their dayes, yea or nay:

Query 25 Where did Christ ever teach, or the Apostles practice the wearing of the garments, and long robes of the several Officers of your Catholique Churches, your long Gowns and Surplices, and whipping Cords about your Loyns, and other Girdles, and Caps, and other disfiguring garments?

Query 26 What rule have you in the Scriptures, or example from the life of the Apostles, for your grey Fryars, crown-head shavings, and for your other Officers with their great Bottles, Wallets, and begging Bags, and others with many Boxes, in disguised and hood-winked garments, going through the streets, and from house to house a begging?

Query 27 What rule have you in the Scriptures, or example from the life of the Apostles, for your observing set times and dayes of the week and year, to eat Fish or Herbs, or other fruit, and no Flesh, as in your Lents, &c. And to call such dayes Fast-dayes, seeing you eat no flesh, but do eat and drink your fill of other creatures, and some with strong drink or Wine, do make them­selves drunk upon such dayes?

Query 28 What precept or president have you from the doctrine or life of Christ or his Apostles, for some of your members to whip and scourge themselves upon some set dayes of the year, and to draw blood from their bodyes, and to make bruises and cut­tings in their flesh, and for others of your Officers to lay hea­vy burdens upon the backs of some your Members, which they themselves will not touch with one of their fingers; to make poor people go upon their knees through the streets, as far as they please, for the obtaining from them the Remission of their sins; and are not you abominably deceitful as well in the man­ner, as in the matter of this iniquity, in laying only such shame and punishment upon the poor in the world, and do not lay the same upon a transgressor in the same lust and nature, who is very powerfull in the Authority, and rich and wealthy in the world?

[Page 57] Query 29 What precept or president have you from the doctrine or life of Christ or his Apostles to keep and observe dayes and times and seasons, which ye call Saints dayes, saying that ye keep them in honour of the persons of Christ and his Apostles? Are ye not rather a dishonour and stain of their life, who spend such dayes in Idolatries, in surfeiting and drunkenness, in chambe­ring and wantonnesse, Coloss. 2.17.

Query 30 Whether is there any one among you that do witnesse Christ come in you? which he that witnesseth not Christ so come in the flesh is Antichrist; and if Christ be come in the flesh, and dwel­leth in you, why then do ye with your flesh make Images of the flesh, for your corruptible flesh to bowe unto? and whilest the spirit which rules your flesh, doth thus dictate and lead you, doth not your minds in the flesh make a mock of Christ, who is a Spirit, and of God, who will only be worshipped in spirit, yea or nay? 1 John 4.23. Rom. 8.10. John 4.23, 24. In these Tra­ditions, deceitful shaddows, and Idolatries, professing the name of Christ, enemies to the power of the Crosse, and order of the doctrine and mystery of the life of Christ, ye are a just occasion of stumbling to the Turk, and an offence to the seed in the Jew; and this the Lord God will require at the hands of your two Ca­tholique Churches.

Concerning the Mystery of the Holy Faith.

Query 31 What is the seed of the Kingdome of Heaven, which is like un­to a grain of Mustard-seed, and how comes it to grow to a Tree, and how come the birds of the Aire to lodge therein, and whe­ther is it fruitfull before it be grafted, yea or nay?

Query 32 What and where is the field, in which the Pearl is hid? and what is the Pearl to the field, how are they distinguished? and how is the Pearl hid? and by what comes the purchase of the field? and how comes the Pearl to be found? and who are they that have found it, and do keep it having found it, yea or nay?

Query 33 What is the seed of God, unto which only the promise of God, of salvation, unto life everlasting, is?

Query 34 What was the Image of God which man lost through the diso­bedience and transgression against the will and commandement of God, and whether all that stand in the disobedient and transgres­sing state, are not still seated in the lost state, yea or nay?

Query 35 How lyes the Image of God now in the dust, and what is the dust to the Image of God? and what is the Serpent? and how [Page 58] doth the Serpent feed upon the dust of the ground? and what is that ground which is not at all substantial, but dusty, and that ground whose substance is mountains, stony and rocky, and altoge­ther barren and unfruitful?

Query 36 By what comes the change of the ground? Moab also hath been at ease from his youth, & hath not bin emptied from vessel to vessel; what is Moabs seed now, which in the nature stands in the same state that Moab was then? & whether are ye in any other condition or life then as ye were from the beginning? & as ye have grown in years, so you have grown in wickedness; whether therefore do ye beleeve that it is possible for you to be saved, except the ground be changed, & Moab emptied, & ye become begotten & born of God unto another life? & whether doth he that is born of God commit sin, yea or nay? Jer. 48.11. John 3.3. 1 John 3.9.

Query 37 What is the salvation of Jesus? from what doth he first save his people? In plain words shew to all people, what is Salvation, Re­demption, and Restauration, and from what, unto what, and when?

Query 38 What is that life of Christ, which is slain in spiritual Sodom, which is daily crucified upon the Crosses of your Catholique Churches?

Query 39 What manner of fruit bare that Almond Tree, of which Jeremiah saw a rod? & what is that seething pot, which Jeremiah also did see? and what is the flesh which for one day must boyle therein? and whether a root and fruit ought to be boyled with the flesh? and whether will the Broth of these things be clean food according to the Law, yea or nay?

Query 40 What is that new threshing instrument which is prepared for the hand of worm Jacob to thresh withall? how shall he thresh the hills to Chaffe, and mountains to dust? and with what shall be fan them? and what is the wind that shall carry them away? and where shall the chaffe be carried? and in what quarters shall the whirle-wind scatter the dust of the mountains?

Query 41 Whether the seed of the woman, and the seed of the Kingdom, which Christ said is like to a grain of Mustard-seed, and the seed of Abraham, and worm Jacob, are they in the substance one, two, three or four, yea or nay? & shew plainly without deceit, how that two three or all are one in the substance, or otherwise make mani­fest how in the declaration, so also they differ in the substance?

Query 42 What is the new creation of God? whether is it now short of the creation of the first man Adam, whom God made a living soul? do any of you believe that the second is made a quickning spirit? [Page 59] and which of these two is the greater, and most full of glory? are any of ye passed from death unto life, from the dishonour of sin & transgression, to see the beauty of the first Creation, and to behold the honour of the Lord from Heaven? doe ye beleeve the Re­velation of the Son of God, yea or nay? Shew how Christ hath revealed himself unto any one of you, 2 Cor. 5.17.

Query 43 What and where standeth the Tree of Life, which he that comes to eat thereof, shall never taste of death, and which he that tasteth not thereof in this life, shall never see the day of life? have any one or more of you, in all your Nations, and two Catholique Churches ever seen a leaf of the Tree of Life, which healeth the Nations, and describe how, and by what wind any leaf was blown upon any of your Nations, and shew forth those that are healed thereby of your Nations?

Query 44 Whether do you believe the real, substantial, everlasting virtue of the blood of Jesus? If you answer yea, why then in abominable deceit, and miserable ignorance, do you teach for doctrine an in­fernal place of purgatory? Read the Scriptures, Acts 20.28. Heb. 9.12. Rev. 1.5. 1 John 1.7. Rev. 5.9. Rom. 5.9. and what ad­vantageth the peoples pennance, and the Popes and Priests remis­sion of sins, if after pennance, repentance, and remission, they must go into the torment of Purgatory to be cleansed from their sins, to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven?

Query 45 What and where is the Sanctuary of God seated, wherein the Saints of God do daily worship, and what is the equall ballance thereof, and the dust of the ballance? Declare plainly what is that which measureth justly all words, works, worships, studyes, wayes and spirits, which reacheth over iniquity, and comprehen­deth the mystery thereof, what is that line which measureth the worlds wayes, and the plummet unto which judgement is laid? and what is that Reed which John had to measure the Temple of God, & the Altar thereof? and what is that Court which he was not to measure, which the Gentiles tread under foot?

Concerning the studies in Ʋniversities, of Tongues, Mini­stry, Astrologie, Physick, Law and Philosophy.

Query 46 WHat is the foundation & chief corner stone of your Uni­versities & Colledges; & do you not reckon Tongues, Rhe­torick, Philosophy, to be precedent steps leading unto Theologie, to the compleating of a Ministry, & as the principle leaders unto the expert practice of Physick, Law, Astrologie? and whether are not [Page 60] these Arts and Sciences, the sum, substance, and end of your stu­dies, yea or nay?

Query 47 Whether only the word of God is not the real substance of the ministry of God? & the ground of understanding & true knowledg of all the natural; & whether all Tongues, Arts and Sciences be­sides the word are not vanity? and whether all that professe the substance yet standing in the naturall, and have not the word from God, as from the mouth of God, are not in vanity and deceit, and in utter enmity to the word, yea or nay?

Query 48 Who is he of all your Patriarchs, Popes, Doctors, Priests or Pa­stors, let him stand forth and answer by name, which hath received the word as from the mouth of God, to minister it faithfully, as the everlasting Gospel and message of God?

Query 49 Who is the Astronomer or Astrologer, let him stand forth and an­swer by name, which hath received the word, & dwels in the word, by which the earth & the Sea, & all that in them are, & the heavens the Sun, Moon, & Stars, the habitations of the heavens, & the hosts of the Heavens were made, which made all, & governs all, even unto this day, to building & destroying, to planting & plucking up, which shews the natural causes of all overtures & changes? And let him answer me with the strength of his understanding, whether his predictions are not subject to alter & change, or are they altoge­ther unalterable & infallible? And this will manifest the original to be either the word of the Lord, or the spirit of the Devil; let him tell me whether worm Jacob hath a habitation in his house, or shew me how the seed of worm Jacob is governed in his house, which if he knows not that, how knows he in what manner the Plannets are governed, and Signes are ordered in and about the house of Heaven, Isa. 44.25. Dan. 4.7, 8.

Query 50 What is the ground & cause of every disease which is generated in the nature of mankind; & whether you Docters do know the in­fallible Symptoms of the nature of the diseases? and have you the figure of that root in your Herbal, which is the substantial & effe­ctual cure of such diseases, & how & in what manner ought than root to be applyed as a Remedy for the cure of the malady, and saving of the sick, which if ye knew the virtue, and were faith­ful unto all persons, considering their conditions, in administring an equal portion of that root, would not your practices preach a testimony to the discovering of the iniquities of all, that makes a prey upon the people for the love of their monies, yea or nay?

[Page 61] Query 51 What is the ground of a just Law? Let the Judges, Justices, and Lawyers answer, whether they stand in that ground which was the originall of the Law given unto Moses, or are any of them in that ground wherein Moses received the Law? Whether are they graf­ted into the roote of righteousnesse, wherein the good Steward­ship of the Lawes is testified to be the preservation of peace in the Nations, which if they answer affirmatively: I further Query; What is the little measure of equitie which measureth all causes, and dealeth just Judgement unto all without respect of persons, in all manner of differences, suits and controversies between man and man, as in one Law and way of equitie and truth, which if the Judges & Justices did Judge by that Law, and the Lawyers plead from the ground of that Law, the Innocent would no longer suffer, nor the oppressed groane under cruelties, through the execution of corruption under the name of a Just Law?

Query 52 What is the tongue of the learned; distinguish that which is but one from the tongues of mens learning, wch are many in the world? and whether any tongues beside that one, in any measure reacheth to the understanding of the things of God, yea or nay? Isa. 50.4.`

Query 53 Whether is Philosophy in contrariety unto, or in unitie with the tongue of the learned? and what is the originall roote of Rhe­torick, and ground of Philosophy? and can any receive the tongue of the Learned, to speak forth the things of God, in the wisdome of God, in whom the ground of Philosophy, and roote of Rheto­rick remaines? and is not the roote knowne by the branch, leafe, and blossome, which springs from the roote, yea or nay?

Query 54 What Bottle is that which is only proper to receive in it the old wine of Rhetorick, and dregges of Philosophy? And what Bottle is that which receiveth only the new wine of the kingdom? and whether is it possible, that these two can be contained in one bottle, without breaking the bottle? And what is the old bottle which cannot hold new wine? Whether are not you that old bot­tle which never was broken, yea or nay?

Query 55 What ayre is that wherein Paul said the Saints shall meet the Lord? whether is it one of the foure Elements of which the Philo­sophers said mans naturall body is composed of? Whether is it a naturall Element that shall for ever comprehend Christ, and the Saints spirituall life? seeing Paul said, and so shall we be ever with the Lord. But if ye say that that ayre is not one of the Elements which the Philosophers wrote of, answer then according [Page 62] to the Scripture, and shew by the witnesse of God, what that ayre is, if not an Element? 1 Thes: 4.17.

Query 56 Whether doth not your Philosophy informe you, that if there be a third, of necessitie also there must be a second and a first, which ye Doctors of Athens, or other Officers of the two Catho­lique Churches throughout the earth need not have gon to Rome, or other Colledges or Schooles to have learned, seeing most of the meane and vulgar in your accounts could so farre informe you, in your own places and streets; But without controversie, to the ends of the earth you must first goe, ere you come in truth to an­swer this my Query: Paul said that he knew a man which was caught up into the third heaven; what was the first heaven, where­in Paul made his first entrance, coming out of the Jawes and pri­son of death? And what was the second heaven, and the third heaven, in which he saw the Revelation of things unlawfull to be uttered? And whether the first, second, or third heaven is be­neath, but equall, or above the ayre which Paul spake of? And finally speak plainly, whether can a man in his will, by his wit or wisdome politicall, his knowledge historicall, the exercise of his arts and parts sylogisticall or philosophicall, or by any of your stu­dyes Theologicall throughout your Universities and Colledges, Answer these Queries concerning the things of God, according to truth in the wisdome of God, to speak as the Oracles of God, yea or nay? 2 Cor: 12.2.

All ye Officers of the two Catholique Churches, if truth be with you, you will be glad of an occasion to Answer, and lay open the deceits and Errors of hereticks, for the confirmation of every honest heart, and establishing all simple souls in the doctrine of truth. Be wise in your generation, for your owne actions will te­stifie in the hearts of the people, either for you, or against you. Fury may proclaime a fire in your bosomes, and you may order this writing to be burnt with fire, but that will publish your en­vie, and preach your spirits to be of the author of murder; I tell you in time, such an action will work your own confusion, and af­terwards God of a truth will plead with you by fire: Truth is a­bove deceit, and can stop the mouth of the deceiver, and gaine-sayer; but the worker of iniquitie seeketh to hide his head with a cover. For the truth sake simply this is given forth, by one who hath counted all things losse, that he might gaine the truth.

Your answers will savour of the best Zeale, which ye may send [Page 63] directed, to be delivered unto Gerrard Roberts, dwelling at the signe of the Flowerdeluce in Thomas Apostles in London, in Eng­land, for him whom men call John Perrott.

THough they say the Lord liveth, surely they sweare falsly,[114] saith Jeremiah; All Doctors, Priests, and Pastors, that do preach and declare with their tongues Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, and yet walk contrary to the light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, such are lyers and false swearers, for Christ unto them is not the way, neither in them is he the truth, or the life, who walk contrary to the light, wherewith they are lightened;[115] I am the light of the world, saith Christ, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, saith John, who was a wit­nesse of the way, and of the truth, and of the life, who himselfe not his words, was neither the way, the truth, nor the life; for his testimony was true concerning Christ, who is the way, the truth,[116] and the life. Paul, Peter, Mark, Luke, Mathew, John and Jude, they also were witnesses of the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, whose testimony was of Jesus the Christ, they were not that Christ, neither were their words, or writings, or Epistles that Christ, which they by their words and writings before all men bare witnesse of, who is the light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, which is the way, the truth, and the life, which is the word of God,[117] of whom and by whom, the worlds were made; and the Prophets prophesied of things to come to passe, which are come to passe, and coming to passe, which testified of the light, which is come into the world, and light­eth every one that cometh into the world[118] according to the word of prophesie.

The Scriptures do not say that they are the word, but they say that by the word which was in the beginning, which was with God, and was God, the heavens and the earth was made, which was be­fore the Scriptures was, by which word, the Scriptures came to be written, which saith that the name of Christ,[119] who is the light of the world, is called the word of God.

Now all that say that the words of the Prophets and Apostles is the way to life, they are out of the way, speaking in the darknesse of this world, their testimony is false, and they are Antichrist, for the way is but one, and Christ is that way to the father, who is the light of the world, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world, for the Scriptures and writings of the Apostles they were [Page 64] not before the world was, neither do they say they were written [...] Moses was, but the way, and the word, was unto Abel, and Seth, and Enoch and Noah,[120]and Abraham, & Isaac, and Jacob, which was before the Scriptures was; and the Scriptures testifies these things, saying Christ is the way, in wit­ness against those which say the Scriptures is the way; and the Scriptures [...] Christ is the word, in witness against those that say the Scriptures is the word; and the Scriptures say that Christ is the life, in witness against those that say the Scriptures is the Rule of life and truth; and the Scriptures say, Christ is the light, in witness against those that say the Scriptures is the light; and the Scriptures say,[121] that Christ is the truth, in testimony and witness against all those that say the Scriptures of truth (which witnesses against all their deceits & lyes, which is the sure declaration of truth) is the truth. These things are written in the Scriptures, which declare the way to be one, the truth one, the life one, the word one, all one, Christ who is the one true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world; A measure of which testi­fieth in every mans conscience, against lying, and swearing, & flattering, and cheating, & double-dealing, & adultery, and drunkenness, & pride, & cove­tousness, & stealing, & oppression, and envie, and murder, and all sin; the light hath shined in every mans conscience, and this is the Law of God which was nigh unto Moses, which is among the Heathen which have not the Scriptures, the Scriptures is not written in their consciences, but the light hath shined in all their consciences, & the same which judgeth the hearts which hath not the Scriptures, also judgeth those who professe the Scrip­tures, & yet in their lives walk contrary to the Scriptures. The light which lighteneth Jew and Gentile, is the condemnation both of Jew and Gentile, of as many as walk contrary to the light, wherewith they are lighteneth and this is the condemnation,[122] light is come into the world, but men love dark­nesse rather then light, because their deeds are evill.

But now the light is life to all that love it & follow it,[123] & such as obey the light, the light maketh alive; the Scripture is not the Spirit which quicken­eth; you that can but reade the letter, do you read the letter, and the letter will tell you, That the letter killeth, but the spirit maketh alive; if you believe that the letter is the life, then that which you believe is the life, tels you that the letter kills,[124] which is, destruction of the life, & what profit have you [...] by the letter? Therefore to the light keep your minds, waiting in it, that you may be governed by the Light which cometh from Christ, by it to be led unto Christ, that you may come to know him to be the Captain & lea­der of Israel unto salvation;[125] let the light rule your hearts, and the affections of your hearts and minds, that you may have feeling of the rule of God, the light is the measure & rule of truth in all your hearts, which will lead you into all truth unto life,[126] if you love it and follow it, but will stand your con­demnation even unto the end unto death, if you hate it, and walk contrary to it. Look to Abels rock, to Enoch his path, to Moses his way, to David throne of Judgement, to the Prophets hope, to the Saints salvation, waite to receive this as the foundation of your age,[127] for other foundation can no more lay, then that is laid, which is Jesus Christ, the true light of the world, which ligh­teneth every man that cometh into the world; and the day shall declare every mans work, whether it be gold, silver, or pretious stone, wood, hay, drosse, chaffe, or stubble, it shall all be revealed by the fire of the Lord God, which is already kindled in the earth. Therefore whilst you have time, Repent

FOOTNOTES

1. Jer. 23.10

2. Rom. 1.23.24, &c.

3. John 4.23.

4. Heb. 12.23. Acts 20.28. Matth. 16.18.

5. Ephes. 5.13. Coloss. 1.18.

6. Math. 24.24.

7. 1 Joh. 2.18, 19.

8. 1 John 4.1.

9. Acts 20.29.30, 31.

10. John 1.9, 10. 1 Thess. 2.7.8, 9

11. Coloss. 2.8.

12. Ephes. 5.5.

13. 2 Tim. 3.13.

14. Jude 4.

15. Matth. 12.33.

16. 1 Tim. 4.1, 2.3.

17. 1 Tim. 2.5.

18. Rom. 8.26, 27.

19. Rev. 12.14, 15.

20. Numb. 12.7.

21. 2 Pet. 2.14.

22. Rev. 12.12.

23. 1 Cor. 6.11.

24. Matth. 15.9

25. Exod: 20.4.

26. Isa: 44.3.

27. Read Jer: the 23.11, 12, 13, 14, 15 verses.

28. Joh: 4.23.

29. Math: 23.29.

30. Acts. 17.22.

31. Acts 13.41.

32. 1 Tim: 4.12.

33. Jere: 1.6, 17, 18.

34. Jere: 26.8.

35. 1 Joh: 2.13, 14.

36. Joel 2.28.

37. Math: 12.38.

38. Math: 16.3.

39. Math: 24.32.

40. Jer: 7.4.

41. Jer: 26.12.

42. Exod: 32.

43. Jer: 26.15.

44. Hosea 4.8, 9.

45. Isa. 9.15, 16.

46. Jer: 23.32.

47. : 4.11, 12, 13.

48. 2 Tim. 3.16, 17.

49. Col. 1.27, 28.

50. 1 Joh 3.3.

51. 1 Joh. 4.17.

52. 2 Cor. 4.2.

53. 2 Thess. 5.27.

54. 2 Cor. 1.23.

55. Hosea 4.6.

56. Jer. 25.28, 29, 30, 31.

57. Isa. 3.12.

58. Hosea 4.9.

59. Rev. 22.18.

60. 2 Cor. 5.16.

61. Heb. 10.20.

62. Rom. 1.16. 1 Cor. 1.18.

63. John 14.6.

64. 1 Pet: 3.19.

65. 2 Pet: 1.21.

66. Mal: 4.1. Psal: 9.17.

67. Col: 3.3.

68. Math: 22.29. Math: 13.34.

69. Pro: 28.13.

70. Isa: 55.8.

71. Joh: 20.22.

72. Dan 9.9.

73. Acts 5.31.

74. Eph: 1.7.

75. John 18.36.

76. Rev. 17.15. Matth. 4.8, 9.

77. Hester 3.8, &c.

78. Hos. 5.13, 14.

79. Math. 11.29.

80. Zach: 9.9. Math. 21.5. Isa: 14.12, 13, 14, 15, 16.

81. John 14.6. John 8.12. John 1.9.

82. John 3.19.

83. John 1.4. Isa: 42.6. Isa: 49.6. Luke 2.32.

84. Luke; 32.34, 35.

85. John 3.3

86. Math. 3.11.

87. John 1.26, 27.

88. John 1.11.

89. Eph: 4.5.

90. Luke 22.42.

91. Eph: 5.4.

92. Rom. 13 13.

93. Gen: 3.24.

94. Math: 13.31.

95. Rom: 5.10, 12.

96. Rom: 8.4.

97. Math: 3.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.

98. Math: 11.11.

99. Gen: 22.16.

100. Heb: 12.22. Rev: 22.15.

101. Rev: 20.6.

102. Rev: 20.9.

103. 2 Pet: 3.4, 5, 6, 7.

104. 2 Pet: 3.10.

105. Deut: 30.14,

106. 2 Pet: 1.19.

107. Eph: 5.13

108. Isa. 8.20.

109. Isa. 49.6.

110. Rom. 11.22.

111. Rom: 11.13.

112. Math: 7.22.

113. Math: 25.12.

114. Heb: 12.17.

115. 1 Joh. 3. 6, 9.

116. Jere: 5.2.

117. Joh: 8.12. Joh: 1.4.

118. Joh: 14.6.

119. Joh: 1.1. Isa: 42.6.

120. Isa: 49.6.

121. Rev: 19.13.

122. Joh. 14.6.

123. Joh. 12.46.

124. Joh. 3.19.

125. Joh. 1.4.

126. 2 Cor. 3.6.

127. Heb. 2.10.

128. Joh. 16.13.

129. 1 Cor. 3.11, 12, 13.