A Booke being brought to my hand, intituled, Freedom of Religious Worship; or, The Jubilee of Ordinances, no Name I finde at it; yet the spirit I know, and from whence it hath its rise; who seems to have hornes like a Lambe, but hath the mouth of a Dragon, speaking great swelling words as though he would make fire come down from Heaven in the sight of men, telling of great things that shall be, an ap­pearance of Christ to come, he knows not when, but like the Jews, is become an open persecuter of him, where he is made manifest; yet would he cover over his poyson under a pre­tence of not persecuting for conscience; yet by lyes and slan­ders, seeks to make him odious, because of the plainnesse of them, in whom he is: and what they doe in true obedience, he calls pretences. And out of a busie mind, sits as judge upon many things he knows nothing of; but what he knows natu­rally, having not the spirit that was in the Apostles (as he him­selfe confesseth) and though he have not that spirit wich is in­fallible; yet judge he will, and by his judgement, all shall escape who are of his mind, or will own him for a leader; but if any doe out-strip him in obedience to Christ, in things that are a­gainst his Kingdom, and beyond his wisedom and carnall rea­son, such shall be punished with whips, fines, and prisons; now though all the children of light, may easily judge from whence this partiall spirit is, yet least his faire words should beguile the simple, to take a wolfe for a lambe, I shall for the truths sake, uncover his deceits in some few things, that by these, he who will see, may judge of the rest; for he who is found with a lye in his mouth, cannot be of the truth, and such are not to be be­leeved in matters of Faith. And thou begins thy Book, with telling what great things God hath done for this Nation, and how many houses of state and honour, and palaces of delight Christ hath in it. I answer, the first is true, great things hath God done [Page 2]for this Nation, which being forgotten, shall rise up in judge­ment against it. But for the second, it is but thy swelling words, for in those thou calls his houses of state and honour, and pala­ces of delight, they who see with the light of Christ, sees every one hunting after his own honour and state, worshipping, and seeking worship one of another, and treading under foot hu­mility, which is the honour of Christ, and Christ takes no de­light to dwell in such palaces; and were thou not blinde, thou should see more cause herein to mourn, then to boast. Thou tells of the work of Christ in this Nation; then compares it to a Picture with a double face, on the one side with the face of a beautifull Virgin, of the other side, the face of an ugly Owle; But this is thy double eye, which shall never see into the work of Christ, who sayes it seems ugly; but this is thy confusion, who art blinde, for who sees into his works, witnes them holy perfect. Thou sayes, godly men in all ages have put to their shoulders to uphold some peece of Anti-Christ. I answer, That is thy work, who would punish with whips, fines, and prisons, such as are sent to discover Anti-Christ, and to declare the word of the Lord in your Synagogues, and calls it disturbance; and here thou would not hold up part, but all Anti-Christs Kingdom, who would not have any to discover him where he is; and thou who would give the title of godly to men, while they are upholding Anti-Christ, would put a faire colour on a wicked worke; and here thou appears to be of the serpent, painting the out-side, who would be counted God-like, but acts for the Kingdom of Satan, but such godly men shall have their reward according to their work. Thou tells of the Scribes and Pharisces, who seemed to long after the comming of the Messias in the Flesh, of whom they were the greatest opposers; but cannot see thy selfe that Pharisee, who while thou art talking of his personall appearance in another age, thou knowest not when, art for whipping, fining, and imprisoning the bodies of them, in whom Christ is made mani­fest in spirit; and here thou art Anti-christ, who denyes Christ at present to be come in the flesh, and would put him a far off, to another day, telling of glorious dayes to come, but at present art an enemy to him, and an open persecuter of him, and knows not him who is the same Christ to day, yesterday, and for ever, [Page 3]to all who will receive him. Thou saist, for a wicked man to im­pose upon a godly man, is tyrannicall; and yet thou would have some whipt, fined, and imprisoned, for obeying the commands of Christ, which thou calls disturbance; and here thou art that wicked tyrant, that would impose upon the righteous. Thou sayest, all Governments are alike lawfull by Gods word. I answer, Gods word ownes no Government but that which is according to it, just and righteous; and though his saints may suffer under unrighteous governments, yet are not such governments law­full by Gods word; but God hath sent, and doth send his word by his servants to declare against such governments; and here thou belyest the word of God, which is pure and just, and con­demnes all that is unjust and unholy; and by the word shall all Governours be judged, which word is but one, and doth com­ply with no mans will, though such as thou may wrest the letter to your own destruction; yet the word stands a witnes against you for ever. And thou sayest, some blasphemously question who­ther the Scripture be the word of God. I answer, The Scripture it selfe saith, God is the word, and the word was in the beginning before the letter was; but it doth not say, the letter is the word, which hath been, and may be altered, which had a beginning, and shall have an end; and this thou sayest, is eternall: and here all that knows any thing of the word shall witnes thee a lyar; and I charge thee to prove, if thou canst, that any of the holy men of God, to whom the word came, had it from the letter, or out of a Book; but they who were the false prophets which God never spoke to, stole what was spoken to others their neighbours, and called that the word, as you doe; but saith the Lord, I am against such, and such are false Prophets now, and theeves, and knows not the word, nor the doore, and God is against you, and you shall not escape. Thou sayest, The weapons of the Gospel are wooings, and beseechings; and yet thou would have some whipt, fin'd, and imprisoned; and here thou art Ba­bylon, and it is not to be heeded what thou sayest. Thou sayest, none but the Pope and Quakers pretend a spirit of infallibility, such as was in the Apostles; when as the Scripture saith, That all the gifts of the saints are by one, and the same spirit; and by one spirit were they all Baptized; and he that is joyned to the [Page 4]Lord is one spirit; and here I charge thee in the presence of the Lord to be a seducer, and Anti-Christ, and led by a spirit of error, who hath not that infallible spirit which was in the Apo­stles, for whosoever hath not that spirit, is Anti-Christ; and this is the cause why so many lyes and confusions are found in thy mouth, because thou art not guided by that spirit of truth, which leads into all truth which was in the Apostles, and in all the saints, but art led by thy own imaginations, and serpents wisedom, from whom the things of God are hid; and thou beast, & false prophet, who hast not that spirit which was in the Apostles, by which the Scriptures were given forth, and by which the saints are guided; what hast thou to doe to sit as Judge of the saints? or what they doe in obedience to that spirit thou knows not? or to interpret any Scriptures? for no Scripture is of any private interpretation; and thou that has not that spi­rit, hast a private spirit, and thy interpretions are private, and for thy private ends; and against thy generation is the Booke sealed, and you see but the out-side, and out of pride and a bu­sie mind would guide others, but are blinde your selves, and be­ing told of it, calls it rayling, which is the truth in plainnes, as one day you shall be forced to confesse it against thy selfe, as now thou confestest in thee much darknesse; and yet thou wilt be judging the children of light. Thou sayest, It is the marke of Christs sheep to suffer persecution, not to persecute; here be thou witnes against thy selfe, that thou art none of Christs sheep, who talkes of whipping, finings and imprisoning any, for obey­ing Christ, which thou calls disturbance, and who would have them publikely whipped, whom God hath commanded to goe naked, as signes to you who live in your pride and excesse; and thou enemy of God hadst thou lived in Isayahs time, who was made a signe in the same kind, he should have had no better cen­sure from thee for obeying God, then these have. And thou say­est, this follows their conceited perfection, the great Idoll of their profession; if they be but perfect as Adam, they may goe naked as Adam, and throw away their cloathes, as they doe Ordinances: And here thou shewest what spirit acts in thee; which of them hast thou known to goe naked, upon that accompt, that is to say, perfection? or which of them have throwne away their [Page 5]cloathes to goe naked, but having done what they were com­manded, have put on their cloathes againe: neither doe they it of custome, or by their own wills; and what Ordinances of Christ have they thrown away? and here I charge thee before the Lord to be a lyar, and a false accuser of the brethren, till thou prove what thou hast said: and thou that calls perfection (that which God requires of all his) an Idoll, here I charge thee to be a blasphemer, and an enemy to the commands of God, and a persecuter of them that obey him, and the hand of God thou shalt not escape, thou envious one, who talks of whipping the saints, and yet for a cover would seem to write against per­secution; O thou full of subtilty, thy covers cannot hide thee; which of the saints did ever talke of whipping their brethren, fining, and imprisoning them? And thou sayest, to disturbe any in the time of their worship, as the Quakers doe, is justly punish­able; never any of the Apostles did practice it in the Iewish Syna­gogues, or Heathenish-Temples. I answer, any one being moved of the Lord to come into the Assemblyes in a peaceable way, to declare the word of the Lord, and to gather soules out of your Idolatrous Formes, into the worship in spirit; you that call this a disturbance, are worse then the Heathen, who heard the Apo­stles, and counted it no disturbance; and by this means were the Churches of the saints gathered from among the Heathen. And thou that sayest, none of the Apostles did ever practice this; plaine Scripture shall witnesse thee a lyar; for doth it not say plainly, Paul as his manner was, went into the Iewish Synagogues three Sabbath dayes, reasoning, opening and alledging the things of Christ, Acts 17 And the Apostles went into the Temple, and spake boldly, after they were threatned and charged to speake no more in that name, by such persecuters as thou art, Acts 15. And here thou art proved a lyer before all people, who reads the practice of the Apostles and matters not what thou sayes, true or false, so thou canst but make the practice of the Saints odious, and thereby keep up thy false worship, that none be suffered to lay it open from the Lord, but calls it a disturbance, and break­ing of the peace, who comes in peace to declare truth; but those who beate, stone, mocke, and shamefully entreat such and imprison them, while they move not a hand against any, these [Page 6]are counted no offenders by those of thy generation; but you punish the innocent, and lets the guilty goe free; and for this shall you be accountable before the Lord, when he comes to en­quire after blood. And thou sayest, a carnall ministery may con­vert soules; whereas God saith, I sent them not, and therefore they shall not profit the people; and here thou art one of them who holds up the false Prophets, and a carnall Ministery whom Christ never sent, and such did alwayes hate and persecute the true Ministers of God; and as thou pleads for a carnall Ministe­ry, so thou holds up carnall Ordinances; but who holds up the carnall, knowes not the spirituall worship; and thou who art born after the flesh, persecutes him who is born after the spirit, and the Scripture is fulfilled upon thee. Thou sayest, the chil­dren of the world, have more necessary qualifications to all govern­ments, then the children of light; and the Iewes had a command from God, to appoint godly Magistrates, yet were their Magistrates most hideous oppressors. I answer, here thou shewest thy propha­nesse, who prefers the wisedom of man in matters of Govern­ment, before the light of God; and it is plaine to all, that thou knows not the guiding of the light of God, nor the worth of it, but art contrary to God, the Scriptures, and all good men, for saith God, They that take counsell, and not of me, shall not stand; and all that ever governed well, had their councell from the spirit of God; as appears in David, Solomon, and all the Kings of Iudea: and when they took councell at any thing else, then they fell; and the Scripture saith, When the righteous are in authority, then the people rejoyce; but when the wicked beare rule, the people mourne: And said David, in thy light shall I see light; and I set thy Law before my face, therefore I shall never be moved; and the Law of God is perfect, teaching the simple. And whereas thou sayest, The Iewish Magistrates were most hi­deous oppressors, was that as they were godly men, and children of the light? Thou blinde sot, doth the light of God teach op­pression? art not thou ashamed to call the Scriptures, A stand­ing rule, and yet holds out things quite contrary to it? where­fore silence, thou childe of darknesse, who hast not that spirit that was in the Apostles, which spirit gave forth the Scriptures; but by that spirit, and the Scripture, art thou condemned and [Page 7]proved a lyar. And thou saith, You are not yet come to the first resurrection, to the new Heaven, and the new Earth, wherein dwells righteousnesse: And here, be thou witnes against thy selfe, and thy Church, who are yet in the fall, and habitation of unrigh­teousnesse, a cage of unclean birds, where the old Earth and Heaven is yet standing; but the Church of Christ is an habita­tion of holines; and where he dwells, there dwells righteous­nesse, who witnes the resurrection, and all things made new, and the old put off; and how fit, thou that art in death, and has not that spirit of life, and infallibility in judgement raysed up in thee, to sit as Iudge over the living, let all who are alive judge; for the resurrection shall judge of the dead, but the dead cannot judge it; and here thou art shut out from all the churches of the living God, who are builded on living stones, but thou in death, and cannot witnes the resurrection, and death speaks in thee, and the serpent, and the curse of God is upon thy head; thou that art in death, tells of great things that shall be from the letter, but being ignorant of the spirit, cannot see how great things are present, to them who can receive it; and when thou hast done, thou begins to revile the Quakers, (the object of thy malice) and sayes, They ignorantly and ridiculously affirme, that the Scriptures are fulfilled in them. I answer, Is not Christ the end of all Scriptures? and where he is come, and manifest, are they not fulfil'd in whom he is, who is the end of Law and Gos­pel, whereof thou art ignorant, who puts it off till the next age, as thy fathers have alwayes done? but the children of light see him present now, and heare his voyce to day; but thou who denyes the light, art hardened through thy pride and riches, and cannot enter, neither would thou suffer others; and woe unto thee, who would shut up the Kingdom against this generation, for if thou should live in the next generation, it would be still to come a generation further; and here thou art the blind Pha­risee, who looks still for a Christ to come, but reviles and perse­cutes them where he is made manifest: and in thy high excel­ling of the letter, thou sayst, That one blessed notion of the Gospel, is more glorious and ravishing, then ten thousand of revelations: Here thou appears to be ignorant of God, and that way by which all the saints ever came to know him: for Christ saith, [Page 8] None knows the Father, but to whom the Sonne reveales him: and prove if thou canst, that ever any came to know God by noti­on, or by any other way, but by revelation. And thou sayst, Af­ter the Book of Revelations, let us looke for no more revelations of that kind: And here you would limit God, that none should ever heare his voyce any more, but in the letter what he spoke to others; and I declare thee to be a lyar, and a notionist, by thy own confession, and knows nothing of God, but what thou hast in notion: but I witnes the voyce of God, and Revelation, with­out which I had never known God but by heare-say, as thou dost; and thou worships thou knows not what, who knows not God but in notion, for God is a spirit, and is neither known, nor worshipped in notion, but in spirit; and here thou art shut out from the saints of God, who hath alwayes made him­selfe knowne to his in spirit; but thy God is onely knowne in notion; and if there had been no notion, thou hadst had no God; but our God is knowne before the letter was. And in thy next page, thou sayst, Its the great project of Satan in these dayes, to send out new Emissaries, as Waiters, Notionists, Quakers: And here be thou witnesse against thy selfe, that thou art one of his emissaries, and sent out by him, who art a Notio­nist, whom all that wait on God (and those thou calls Quakers) denyes, and out of thine own mouth be thou judged that thou art of the Devill, who art a notionist, and a lyar, and a false accuser, as is proved in thy writing in sundry things: And thou who art a notionist, & hast not the spirit which was in the Apo­stles, sayst, thou will take liberty to shew some of our Principles, and according to that spirit that acts in thee, so thou speaks and takes liberty to lye and slander. And thou sayst, We sleight the commands of Christ, as Water-Baptisme; which is a lye, for the Baptisme of John we own, and the Baptisme of Christ we own, which thou knows not, who hath not that spirit that was in the Apostles. And thou sayst, that Water-Baptisme binds to all other commands of Christ; and that is another lye, for the spirit binds and unites to God and his commands, and not outward water; for thou hast had outward water, and yet keeps not his com­mands, who art a lyar and a slanderer, as is plainly proved, and hundreds who know us shall witnes it against thee. Thou sayst, [Page 9] We deny the Lords supper: and that's a third lye; for the Supper of the Lord we own, and the Bread that came down from Hea­ven. Thou sayst, We deny Church-fellowship, and Sabbaths: which we own the Church of Christ, the Church of the First-borne, the pillar and ground of truth, and we have fellowship therein, which thou knows not, who art not come to the first resurrecti­on: and the everlasting Sabbath we own, and are rested from our own works; and here thou hast added two lyes more. Thou sayst, We deny the flesh of Christ, and the resurrection, which we own, which resurrection thou art not yet come to, by thine own confession, and these make up the number of seven lyes; and here thou art a perfect lyar, and slanderer, and false accuser. And whereas thou says, It was the maine Doctrine of the Apostles, that the same flesh of every man and woman shall arise; here thou deal­est with the Apostle, as thou dost with us; where doth he say the same? but he saith, thou foole, that which thou sowest is not the same that shall be, but God giveth it a body as pleaseth him; it is sowne a naturall body, it is raysed a spirituall body: and this I say brethren, that flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of Hea­ven, for we shall be changed, 1 Cor. 15. and here the Scripture witnesses, that thou belyes the Apostle, as thou dost us. And thou scoffes at immediate commands, which we own, and all the saints and holy men of God, shall witnes with us against thee; which of them had their commands from any other, but, from God, whose voyce is immediate? and they did not walk by tradition, or from the commands that had bin given to others, sought out of the letter, as thou dost, but had their particular immediate commands, which they obeyed. And thou scoffes at a Christ with­in, a Word within, a Baptisme within, a Sabbath within; and here thou shewest thy selfe to be a reprobate, without, & carnall in all these things, & not to have the saints Christ who was in them the hope of glory; but thy Christ is without thee, unborn or formed in thee, and thou looks not for him till the next generation: the saints word was within them, in the heart, and in the mouth, and this is the word of faith which the Apostles Preached; but thy word is without thee in a book which is dead: The saints Bap­tisme was by one spirit into one body, not the washing away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience; but [Page 10]thine is without, in carnall water; the saints were entered into the spirituall sabbath, Christ Iesus, but thine is without, in obser­ving of days, in the type, and so denies Christ come in the flesh, and this is Anti-christ: and here thou art without in carnall ru­diments, but the saints within in spirituall worship; and all who are spirituall, judges thee who art carnall, but thou canst not judge the spirituall man, but art without in the world among the heathen, & in thy imaginations, who has not that spirit to guide thee which was in the Apostles: and thou art the beast which hast another spirit that was not in the Apostles, but is contrary to it, and therefore thou makes war with the saints, and the false Pro­phet that denies the immediate voyce of God, and say, thus saith the Lord, when the Lord never spoke to thee; and the beast and false prophet must into the lake, there is thy portion. Thou scoffes at perfection, mortification, and freedom from sin in this life, which was the end of Christs comming, and that which the saints pressed after, and witnessed, and which God commands; and here thou shews thy selfe to be an enemy to Gods commands, Christs comming, and the saints practice, and to be an upholder of the Devils Kingdom, who cannot endure to heare of sin going down, and mortification while men live, but concludes all must live in sin, and serve the Devill while they live, and deny the Devil, and serve God when they are dead, for they cānot serve both at once, and this is thy judgment, who hast not that spirit that was in the Apostles. Thou sayst, we lay claime to five great points of Popery, poverty, infallibility, unity, revelations, selfe-righteousnesse, or per­fection. I answer, selfe-righteousnesse we deny, and witnes the righteousnesse of Christ; but thou who calls poverty, infallibili­ty, unity, revelation, and perfection, points of Popery, shews what religion thou art of, who denies poverty, when the saints were many of them poormen, and had no certain dwelling pla­ces. Lazarus a poor man, but thou art Dives, (reade thy figure) and counts it Popery to be poor: the saints were guided by an infallible spirit, but thou art led by the spirit of error, and yet out of a busie mind, would be a Judge over the infallible spirit, and calls is Popery. The saints lived in unity, were all of one heart, and one mind, and one soule, and this thou calls Popery; but thou art scoffing Ishmael, thy hand against every man, villifying all [Page 11]but thy selfe, and art an enemy to the spirit of unity, and denies thy re­ligion to stand in unity. And the saints had their revelations, by which they knew God and his will: And Christ saith, No man knowes the Fa­ther, but he to whom the Sonne reveals him; and here thou art witnessed that thou knows not God, who denies revelation, and calls it Popery, and hast thy knowledge by heare-say from others. The saints winessed perfection, and pressed after it, and God witnesseth it, and Christ com­manded it, which thou calls Popery, and thou might as well say, Christ taught Popery. Thou says, we care for beleeving no more, then that which is immediately given in and revealed to us, and this thou calls, Popish Ig­norance. I answer, we witnesse no other Faith, but what is the gift of God, and this is that Faith the saints witnesse in Scriptures, and by this Faith we have received of God, doe we deny thee and thy faith which thou hast fetcht, in which thou never received of God, which is the Worlds faith; and by this faith thou never received from God art thou given up to beleeve lyes, and tell lyes; for every good and perfect gift commeth from above: but thy faith, which is from below, is earthly, no better then the faith of Infidels, which is not received from God: and here let all take heed how they beleeve thee, whose faith is not given to thee of God, and thy religion is discovered, who beleeves that which thou never received from God; and that beleife which is not received of God, is of the Devill. And thou tells of trying the spirits, and things that differ, according to that great Canon of the Apostles: But where doth the Scripture tell of the Apostles Canon? but such Anti-Christs words are most suteable to that Kingdome of Anti-Christ wherein thou art. And thou sayst, try the spirits, that is, hold them up in the Sun beames of Scripture, the onely touchstone of Doctrine: but these are thy own words, which thou adds, by another spirit then that which was in the Apostles, by which thou would exclude that spirit; but thou who hast not that spirit, must cry up such as thou hast, the letter for the spirit; which let­ter, thou hast nothing to doe withall, who hast not that spirit that gave it forth, and therefore prefers the letter before the spirit, and calls it, the originall of all truth; but knows not that truth which was before the the letter was written, but art a lyar, and calls the letter the Written Word, not knowing that Word from which the letter was Written; which word is spirituall, and not carnall, the originall of all things; and it is the spirit that searcheth, and tryeth all things, and not the let­ter; and thou who hast not that spirit that was in the Apostles, art tel­ling [Page 12]how people come to fall into great evills, and of preservatives against evills, but cannot see thy selfe in the great evill, and in the fall, who art not come to the resurrection, nor the habitation of righteousnesse, who hast not the spirit of God vvhich is infallible, nor hast received that which thou believest from God; and thou who art not come to the first resurrection, death speaks in thee: And how canst thou teach others the way of life? Wherefore silence, thou that art in the grave, with thy earnall Christ, carnall Word, carnall Faith, which has not received it of God; carnall Baptisme, carnall Ordinances, and carnall spirit, which are all without thee: cease thy pratling, thou bysie body, til thou come to witnes him who is invisible, before all these carnall things were, and in vvhom they are all swallowed up, finisht, and ended; for thou vvho cannot vvitnes Christ revealed in thee, cannot Preach him; and thou vvho cannot vvitnes Christ come in the flesh, at present, art Anti-christ, and vvould be a Master or Teacher of others but knows not vvhat thou speaks, nor vvhereof thou affirmes. And for the markes that leads into the great evill thou speaks of, they are in thy selfe, and (blinde guide) thou cannot see them: and thou vvould be teaching vvayes to keep others out of evill, vvhen as thou art in the evill, and in the fall, and knows not the vvay out, nor the resurrection: Wherefore thou hypocrite, look to the beame in thine own eye first, for thou knows not what spirit thou art of; but hast the spirit of envy at the innocent, ari­sing from a blind zeale, from vvhich thou speaks evill of that thou knows not; and thou art set on fire of Hell, and art in the gall of bitternesse, and bonds of iniquity: Wherefore repent, and turne in thy minde to that vvhich vvould leade thee to doe as thou vvould be done by; and if thou minde it, it vvill still thy busie minde, and bring thee into judgement for all thy hard speeches thou hast blasphemously spoken against the spirit of God, and his people, least he take thee away in his vvrath, and judge thee according to the secret envy vvhich is in thy Heart, against his despised ones, and then had thou better never a been borne.

This is no rayling, but plaine dea­ling, and in love to thy soule, as one day thou shalt be forced to confesse against thy selfe.