THOU art grossly mistaken to think thy self garrison'd in Sion, while thou art thus mewed up in the beastly pinfold of Babylon, and hast no better Bul-works then her muddy Walls, her tottering Towers to defend thee, the meer I­maginations of thy own brain, humane Inventions, fre­thy falacies, Antichristian Consequences, conjured up out of the bottomless pit.

Though thou boastest in thy babbling, and disdainfully tells me of the weakness and disarmed condition of me, and those I am encamped with, Mark. 5.9. and that our weapon is but a Bulrush; yet 'tis not thee, nor thy Fathers Legi­on, can make one Souldier in the Camp of the Lord, give one inch of ground to the lyar, or turn his back to the uncircumcised Philistine; and though the weapons of our warfare be not carnall yet do the wicked receive ter­rible wounds, and so dost thou, which will make thee gnash thy teeth in secret. 2 Cor. 10.4. 'Tis the conquering Power of the Sword of the Spirit which is our Weapon, (that's no Bulrush, and that shall the Boaster witness when the wrath of the Lord falls upon him) and by that shall Antichrist be de­stroyed. Amongst other things I asked thee, Eph. 6.17. hath every one that comes into the world, heard and read the preachings of Christ and his Apostles as they are transcribed in the Bible? and thou answers, They have all heard. But must the lyar in thee be received for the Oracle of God? 2 Sam. 16.23.

May not Millions of men and women in the world, who dwell in those parts not counted Christendome, witness against thee? If an Egyptian Myst had not blinded thee, thou couldst not have been thus besotted, as to back thy lye with those places of the Letter, Matt. 28.19, 20. Mark 16.15. which in effect prove Christs command to his Disciples, when they were upon earth, to go and preach the glad tydings of the Gospel to that Generation they lived in:

The Commission nor the Execution whereof, thou never heard me [Page 2]question; but what's this to the proof of thy answer to my question? O see thy sottishness and be ashamed! Remember thou art a Debtor to me for an Answer to those quaeries; how is the Gospel preached to every creature under heaven, if it he not by that Principle of Light in the conscience? Does not that which shews sin and evil in the Conscience, draw the creature out of sin if the creature be guided by it? And does not that which draws out of sin, lead to christ the Saviour? and is not that the first Principle? Were not these things worth thy taking notice of? Or, did not that of God in thee convince thee of the truth herein, but the man of sin in thee would not suffer thee to own the Truth: Yet when thou writes again, give a plain answer to each par­ticular, in the mean time, take back this Brat of thy own begetting.

That the Principle of light arising in the conscience; is from that preaching of Repentance and Faith by the Apostle. So that take away the Letter, and by this mans Doctrine there would be no Principle of Light arising in the conscience; Oh the gross darkness of this Babylonian! Shame cover the face of the lyar; Was there not a Principle of Light in the people, who lived before Moses writ the Letter? VVas not Moses upon earth before the preaching of Repentance and Faith by the Apostles? Nay, dost thou not say in the same Paper, That that sound of accusing or excusing is in all consciences? If it be in all consciences, (as indeed it is) then it must needs be in the consciences of millions of people, who never heard the preaching of Re­pentance and Faith by the Apostles. Now to thy scornfull question, VVhere have I, or any of those who run abroad, come, but they have heard the preachings of christ before our coming? To this I answer, The wrath of the Lord, not his Blessing, Psal. 1. Gen. 1.2. 1 Tim. 3.16. Col. 3.11. is to thee, who sittest in the seat of the scornfull. Now for the people, they have all heard the sound of Christs voice, preaching in their consciences, but darkness being upon the face of the earth, they knew not the Mystery of godliness, Christ in them the hope of glory: If thou wouldst own the letter, as thou preten­dest, thou durst not deny christ to be in all, Iew and Greek, Barbarian, Scithi­an, bond and free. I own no other Gospel but what the Apostles preached, nor do we direct the people to any other thing then the Apostle Peter did, that sure word of Prophesie (the Light in their consciences) unto which they do well if they take heed: 1 Pet. 1.39. 1 John 1. Rom 1.16. we only send them to the Seed of the woman, which is the word of God, the Unction, or Christ within, who is the pow­er of God unto salvation. But the Letter is not the sure word of Prophesie, the Seed of the Woman, the Unction, or Christ within, the Word of God, or Gospel, which is the Power of God unto Salvation. I do appeal to that of God in every mans conscience, if the Seed of the Serpent, the man of sin, be not within; must not then the Seed of the Woman be there also? Gen. 3.15. how shall the Seed of the Woman break the Sepents head, if the Seed of the Woman be not where the Serpent is? For this Royall Seed of God discovers the Tempter to the creature in his first motion, if the creature minde to be guided by this good Seed; Prov. 1.10. and as he beleeves in this Son of Gods love, who reveals the man of sin, the Thief is seen, but [Page 3]not consented to, the Devill being resisted flies away; 1 John 12. so as many as re­ceive this Royall Seed, this Son of Gods Love, the Light of Christ Jesus shining in their consciences, by beleeving therein, from him they receive power to become the Sons of God; for through faith in Christ Jesus, shining into the conscience, all things are possible, the heart is thereby purified, and without Faith it is impossible to please God; no pleasing of God till the heart be purified, and no purifying of the heart but by Faith in the Son of God shining into the heart, there convincing the creature of sin in secret, and then how dare I do this wickedness and sin against my God, Gen. 21.23. He fills heaven and earth with his presence. Col. 1.26. who is not at a distance? he is not a God afar off, but nigh at hand, even in the heart, and sees the secrets of the heart: But this is a Mystery to all carnall mindes, it was a Mystery in the dayes of the Apostles, hid from Ages and Generations past, but was then, and is now made manifest to his Saints; the riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentils, Christ in them the hope of Glory, hid from the wise and prudent of the world, and revealed unto babes. No other Christ, no other Word do we preach, but that which the Prophets and Apostles did bear witness of, that which we have seen with our eyes, and heard with our ears, 1 John 1. Rom. 10.8. Heb. 5.6. John 6.68. that word which is even in the heart and in the mouth; to this Everlasting Priest, which hath the Word of eternall life, do we exhort the people to be obedient; and who keep to this Annointing in them, need not that any man teach them, nor such be seduced by the Serpent.

Thou tells me of confessing the Apostles, saying, This is the VVord of Faith which we preach, and the hearing of that VVord of Faith, the light in the conscience, is the in-let to the Spirit of Promisc; and then thou asks me, if this be not the same which thou sayest &c. O shameless man! Dost thou not in that exception of thine to the first Position, cry up the Letter, and say the hearing and receiving of that is the in-let to the Spirit of Promise, and those who do not hear and obey that as the Teachings of God; have not his Spirit? and yet dares thou come thus impudently to bluster against me, and tax me for a false accuser? but shame shall cover thee, and the hand of the Lord shall finde thee out. Yet be it remembred, that here thou hast owned the Light in the conscience to be the in-let to the Spirit of Pro­mise. Thou bids me, if I can prove any jugling by thee, do it. Hast thou not saved me some labour and done it thy self? one while owning the Let­ter to be the in-let to the Spirit of Promise, and another time owning the Light in the conscience to be the Spirit of Promise; sometimes calling the Letter the Rule, and sometimes the Spirit for the Rule. Dost thou not say thy Foundation is not built upon Paul or Peter, as they were men, but upon their preaching the Word of God, and Jesus? Is not thy Foun­dation built upon the Letter? dost thou not account that for the Word of God which they preached?

But what's thy meaning to say upon their preaching, the Word of God and Jesus? Is the Word of God and Jesus two distinct things? Is there [Page 4]any other Word of God beside Jesus? Rev. 19.13. Rom. 1.16. Is not he called the Word of God? Is not the Word of God beleeved in, the Power of God unto salvation? Does thou not beleeve the Letter to be the Word of God? yet neither is it, nor thy belief there, the Power of God to save thee from the beastly sins of lying, pride, paslion, and bitter spiritedness, and confusion.

Thou makes thy self merry with that expression of mine, That which gave forth the Leaves town, it is my witness against thee, and all thy deceitfull juglings. Thou Replyes, The Printer gave forth the Leaves, and so the Prin­ter, thou sayes, is my witness, &c. And then backs that lye with another Brat of thy own begetting, that neither Printer, nor any thing printed from the voice of Truth, will witness with me, or be for me. But the tongue of the lyar is not to be beleeved.

Had I dealt with the deceitfullest Parish-Priest in the Nation, could I have found a more filthy gloss put upon that innocent Expression, ( that which gave forth the Leaves I own?) Could I have met with less ingenui­ty in a Pagan Priest, then is found in this high-flown Pharisee? But friends you may see the man is put to his shifts, while he is fain to make use of this shushing.

Was it not the pure Spirit of the living God that gave forth the Letter? That, and no other Spirit do I own, and that is my witness against the ly­ing Spirit, lording it in thee, Ionathan Iohnsen, who sayes the Printer gave forth the Leaves: Shame cover the lyar, does not the Printer sell them to the Stationers? But know this, Alying tongue is an Abomination to the Lord, and the Lake is the Portion of the lyar: Rev. 21.8.

Poor man, how art thou puzled and tormented, because in my Paper I cry not up the Letter, but owns Christ alone, who is the Light in the conscience, to be the in-let to the Spirit of Promise. Why does the Hea­then rage, Psal. 2.1. and the man imagine such a vain thing, as to think I should own thy Baptism with water, which thou paintest over with the name of the Baptism of Repentance, to be the in-let to the Spirit of Promise? These are thy words, That which is the in-let to the Spirit of Promise into the heart, is the door and the way; but the Baptism of Repentance, the hearing of Faith preached, or beleeving, is the in-let to the Spirit of Promise; therefore the Baptism of Repentance, and the hearing of Faith preached, and beleeving, is the in-let to the Spirit of Promise: So that none, by this mans Doctrine, can have the Spirit, who bow not to his sprinckling. Tell me, Ionathan, didst thou not a little before, own the Light in the Conscience to be the in-let to the Spirit of Promise, and call me false accuser for saying thou deny­edst it? Matt. 23.32. Fye Ionathan, lye; wilt thou needs be a lyar whether I will or no? thou art hastning on apace to fill up the measure of thy iniquities, and then shall the wrath of the Lord seize upon thee. Judge, O ye wise in heart, if this Babler be not a Bond-slave in Babylon; does he not say and unsay? Does he not here place his Water, and beleeving in the Letter, in the room of Christ, by making them the Way, and the Door, or in-let [Page 5]to the Spirit of Promise: whoever are not spiritually blinde, will see the blasphemy of the Beast, for Christ the Light of the world, is the Door, and the Way, Ioh. 10.9. Ioh. 14.16. and so the in-let to the Spirit of Pro­mise; and where must the creature look for Christ, if not within: Is not that the Light of Christ which tells every man and woman in secret of e­very sin he doth commit, and perswades the creature not to run on in the evill of his wayes: Does not Christ stand at the door and knock: Rev. 3.20. Is not this door the heart of man: Does he not fill Heaven and Earth with his presence: Thy Redeemer is in the midst of thee, O Israel. Tell me, Ionathan, was the hearing of faith, which thou brings in Gal. 3.2. for proof of thy blasphemy, the hearing of the Prophets, or of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and the rest of the Apostles: Or was it not a beleeving in that Christ which Paul preached to be in all, Jew and Greek, Barbarian, Scithian, Coll. 3.11. bond and free; in that Christ who is the Light in all consciences, preach­ing there to every man and woman upon earth. And what shall be the condemnation of all Man-kinde, Joh. 3.19. who never heard of the Name of Christ at Jerusalem, if not the Light of Jesus Christ placed in the Conscience: And wherefore is the Light of Jesus left there in the heart of every man and woman, if not to lead man and women out of sin unto holiness: And whether any thing without can redeem a soul from sin, but that Jesus who is the Light of the world, and shines into the conscience of every man and woman in the world. When thou writes again, answer those plain Quaeries, without any Serpentine Evasions, conjuring Consequences, or Antichristian Falacies.

As for thy second Proof, Acts 2.38. When thou and thy Friends can witness such a condition as these Convicts could in the four last Verses of that Chapter, thou sayes somthing; till then, let the Babler be silent and leave his boasting, for the Baptism of Repentance from dead works, he knows not, so long as he lives in lying, pride and passion: Besides, Water­sprinckling is not once named there: Does Christs Baptism consist of outward water; Or, is not his a Baptism of sufferings, with the Holy Ghost and with Fire: And art thou baptized with this Baptism, and so much dross of lying, false ac­cusing, pride and passion, not burnt up in thee. Answer those three quaeries in singleness of heart, or else let the Serpent in thee be silent. As for thy last proof, 1 Ephes. 13. What was this Word of Truth, if not Jesus the Word of God, the sure Word of Prophesie which shined in their dark hearts, 2 Pet. 1.19. 1 Coll. 26. which they knew not: Was not this the Mystery unto them and all the blinde Gentiles: And was not this, through their Faith therein, the Gospel of their Salvation: Were they not sealed by that Holy Spirit of Promise, by beleeving in this VVord of Truth within them, which cannot be corrupted nor removed into a corner. Answer those quaeries, Ionathan, without any jugling, or else let the mouth of the lyar be stopt, for ever mentioning the Name of the Lord.

Now to the second Position, Thou breaths forth such Fume as comes [Page 6]from the bottomless Pit, and sayes I reckon thee among Drunkards, be­cause I say, the Drunkards make their boast in this belief: If there be falshood in my words, Was not the Devil in Peter when Christ said, Get thee behinde me Sa­tant why does not the Serpents wisdom seek to confute them; but the words are true, and so the Devil's dumb as to such a work; for the righteous Seed of God arises in thee, judging and condemning thee to be drunk with pride, passion, lying, wrath, and false accusing, and that makes the Devil in thee rage, he would not be disquieted; but the man of sin must be tormented.

Read thy figure in the Pharisee; 'tis seen by the Light who it is that hath two horns like a Lamb, yet speaks like a Dragon, casting forth floods of Indignation, and Serpentine Accusations upon the simple. Turn to the Light of God within thee, and that true Prophet, Nathan-like, will tell thee, 2 Sam. 12.7. Thou art the man.

Ah! Shames thou not with thy false tongue, to tell me I contemn the Faith in the sufferings of Christ, and thus arrogantly to ask me, How dare I thus contemptuously speak of my Redeemer. (Thou canst not call him thy Redeemer, till the Serpents head be broken in thee, and the lying Devil cast out of thee) because in my Paper I writ to this effect.

Thou, and they who feed your selves with the meerfrothy verball Faith in the sufferings of the Man Christ Iesus at Ierusalem, and yet wallow in your wic­kedness, are not saved or redeemed from your sins. Judge, O ye honest heart­ed of the Nation, whether this language be a speaking contemptuously of my Redeemer, yea or nay: Are they who wallow in their wickedness redeemed from sin, by saying they beleeve in the sufferings of Christ at Jerusalem: Then what's the difference between a Saint and a Sinner: Then what need is there of purifying the heart. But the children of the Lord know none are redeemed from sin, but such as do forsake sin, who cease from doing evill, and turn from the evill of their wayes: Is the proud one redeemed from pride while he continues in that sin; Is he not a servant of sin that liveth in sin: Is the cholerick hasty nature subdued, and that man redeemed from passion, while the passionate Devill hath dominion over him: the Lamb of God is meek and lowly, and so are all his tender Lambs. Now judge, O ye wise in heart, if the Scriptures call not him who suffered at Jerusalem, the Man Christ Jesus, 1 Tim. 2.5. May I not use the Language of the Apostle Paul in that place; is it any sin for me to call him by that Name which he gave himself; Read Ioh. 8.40. But now ye seek to kill me, a Man that hath told you the truth: Yet I did call him the Man Christ Jesus. Peruse my Paper once again, Ionathan; see if I said not, No other Iesus do I own, but that Lamb of God which was slain from the beginning of the world; Did I not say, that I did own and reverence the Spirit of the living God in him, Col. 29. Psal. 45.7. and that the sulness of the God-head dwelt bodily in him; He was anointed above his fellows.

Cease then thou slanderer from thy scandalous Accusations, for my Redeemer I do reverence. Thou tells me in two severall places, that I [Page 7]crucifie Christ again; and yet breaks forth into rage because I tell thee, Ye have con­demned and kill'd the Just & he doth not resist you, Jam. 5.6. He is slain in thee; and asks me, if the Lamb that was slain be not alive for e­vermore. In thee he is slain, in his Saints he is alive; but the Heavens which contain him is a Mystery to thy dark minde: So let the Sot be si­lent.

I need none of the lyars counsel, the false Prophets prating is not worth listning to; the bold Blasphemer shall be met with for his Blasphe­my: Thou bids me leave those false Luminaries, and turn my feet into the Testimonies of the true Light. Wouldst thou have me renounce my Redeemer; is this the reverence thou wouldst have me to do him, to call him a false Luminary, because the blasphemer terms him so: The Lord rebuke thee, for the delight of my soul is in the Light of the world, Christ Jesus; wouldst thou have me now that I am washed to return again to my wallowing in the myre: When thou writes again, if that be thy meaning, say so man.

The Leopard cannot change his spots, and 'tis hard for thee to leave thy lying: Thou sayes I kill the Scriptures; Yet the Scrip­tures I own, for they are ser­viceable. can that which is dead be killed; Dost not thou in two severall places call the Scriptures a dead Letter; and still runs on in thy lying, saying, I am forced to run for shel­ter to those I account my enemies, who knows, thou sayes, no other buri­all with Christ, but buriall in water, calling them the chief Princes of M [...]shech and Tuball.

As for the men thou means ( viz. those called Dippers) they are of age, let them answer for themselves; if they be not enemies to the Cross of Jesus Christ, I shall not count them enemies to me; but how canst thou prove that I run to them for shelter; is it because I speak of thy sprinck­ling; I never made any of them my Oracle therein. Thou sayes, I bid thee prove whether Christ commanded baptism to his Disciples, yea or nay; and did the Lord require it of his people to this day: What an abominable lye, besides Non-sence, hast thou vented in two lines: My words are these, Is thy sprint­ling with water the baptism of Christ Iesus, yea or nay; Did the Lord command that to his Disciples, yea or nay; And does the Lord require it of his people to this day. I did never read nor know of one that pretends to more Piety then thou does, that ever excell'd or equall'd thee in thy devillish art of ly­ing; a notable Servant thou art to thy Master, and sure thou art to receive thy Wages: Rev. 21.8. For the simples sake I shall peruse those Scriptures thy Father sends thee with to fight for his Kingdom, Matt. 28.19, 20. Act. 2.38.41, 42. but I finde not sprinckling with water there, nor so much as the word water: Nor does Acts 22.16. make for thy purpose, where 'tis said, Arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling on the Name of the Lord: Is sprinckling with water once mentioned in this place; Or did Ana­nias bid him be baptized with outward Water; Or could outward Water wash away Sauls sins: Answer those quaeries without a lye, if thou canst. As for Acts 10.47, 48, is it not clear, the Holy Ghost was received with­out [Page 8]outward Water; then where's the necessity of sprinckling or dipping? Does not thy next, Acts 8.36, 37. intimate that it is but a thing indiffe­rent, if thou beleevest, saith Philip, thou mayest; as much as if he had said if thou beleeves outward water to be necessary to salvation, thou mayest be bap­tized; did he not rather choose to cherish then destroy the weak faith of the Eunuch The last Proof thou claps in is no better then the rest, They were all baptized, both men and women, but Water is wanting. Therefore cease vain Jangler, for without adding to the Letter, these places are not for thy purpose.

Iohn was a Prophet, therefore his Ministration must end in Christ Je­sus, who is the fulfilling of the Law and the Prophets: Some of the A­postles used circumcision in the flesh, had they a command from Christ for so doing; or was it not upon permission? why dost thou not as well plead for, and practise the one as the other? is not their authority of an equall purity, both by permission, not by precept?

In thy Reply to the 7th. Position, I finde thee so puzled, touchig Per­fection, that thou gives me no Answer to what I sent thee, but would shuffle me off, bringing Iam. 3.2. But does he plead against Perfection as thou dost? does he not say in the same verse, if any man offend not in words, the same is a perfect man; the Scriptures were never writ that the Devill by them should plead for sin. Thou brings in Rom. 7.18. where Paul sayes, I know that in me (that is in my flesh) dwells no good thing; From hence thou would infer, that in Paul there dwelt nothing that was good: But wilt thou say the Holy Ghost is not good? was not Paul filled with the Holy Ghost? if it were as thou would infer, then away with Pauls Epistles, and by consequence with the rest of the Scriptures, for they were all writ from one Spirit. If there was nothing good in Paul, then Paul must needs be a Seducer of the people: VVhen we were in the flesh, sayes Paul (in the unregenerate condition) the motions of sin did work in our members, to bring forth fruit unto death; but now we are delivered from the Law, that we should serve in newness of Spirit, not in the oldness of the Letter: And Rom. 8.8, 9. They that are in the Flesh cannot please God, but ye are not in the Flesh, (yet they were alive upon earth) but in the Spirit. That of Phil. 3. is to thee a mystery, therefore Babler be silent, the Tree thou feeds on is accursed. Thy piece of Lodgick shews what a Pagan thou art, That which is subject to mortality, loss, and change, and mistakes, is not perfect, thou sayes, But mans humane state in it self is subject, &c. therefore mans humane state is not per­fect.

Where dost thou read this language of mans humane state in all the Scripture? Consider of this in the cool of the day; that which is born of the Flesh is Flesh; but that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit, is that subject to mortality loss and change: that which is born not of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God, that doth not commit sin, that cannot sin, because 'tis born of God, 1 Ioh. 3.9.

Now because thou art so silent to what I sent thee concerning Perfecti­on, I here return thee some few things which my Letter mentions, as to that; Must the devill have power over thee while thou lives, to make thee his vessel to do his will and work here on earth, and dost thou hope to have Heaven for thy wages when thou dyes? Knows thou not, as the tree falls so it lyes, and the wages of sin is death? And is not the tabernacle of God with men, Rev. 21. Does not the Lord say, I wil dwel in them and walk in them, &c. is not this done upon earth? Does not the Lord delight to save his people from their sins? Does he justifie and not sanctifie his people? does he forgive sins and not give power over sins? what is the end of the Lords being present with his people and in his people, but sheild them from sin and Satan, and to keep them pure without spot or wrinckle, who are willing to be guided by him? And when thou writes again, either confess, or deny the Truth, in thy Answer to those Quae­ries.

But why dost thou deny that to be the true Spirit, or that to be true Unction which is not received by the Letter? had not Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the rest of the holy men of God (who lived before Moses writ the Letter) had not they, I say, the Spirit of Truth within them? were there not many deceitfull Serpents, filthy spirits, like thine, in their dayes? and had they any outward writing given them as an infallible Rule to discover false spirits with? was not the spirit of God in them the infallible Rule, and sole Touch-stone for the tryall of spirits, which were true, which were false? Did Paul and the rest of the Apostles receive the Spirit of Truth by vertue of hearing, or reading any writings or books without them?

That which I brought out of 1 John 2. as to the Annointing stands unshaken, and cannot be removed by all the Brats of Babylon; does not John admonish them to keep to the Unction within which they had recei­ved? does he bid them make his Epistle their Rule to walk by; or could they have been seduced if they had kept to the Annointing within, though Johns Epistle had not been sent to them? Answer those quaeries: Yet do I not deny but the Saints in their infancie are capable of good counsel, and may admit of a leading by the hand, & let him that is confirmed strength­en his Brethren. Thy carping at the spirits interpretation of 1 Joh. 4.1, 2, 3. shews the blindness of the Babylonian.

He who can make a good Confession, and give a good account of Christ Jesus in his own fleshly Tabernacle, he is of God; this Exposition cannot by the Serpents subtilty be shaken; as for the Pope, both him and thee I do deny, abominable lyars are you both; he is thy brother, though thou bawls against him, you are both servants to one Master, the man of sin; he denies Christ come in the flesh of his Saints, and so dost thou; there­fore Antichrists you both be; it's but the lyar that tels me my Master hath not commanded me to judge; he whom thou boasts came not to judg the world, but to save the world, sayes in the next words, He that rejecteth [Page 10]me and receiveth not my word, hath one that judgeth him, and so hast thou, for thou rejectest him, he is my witness, and he came not to bring Peace, 1 Cor. 6.2. but a Sword to the man of sin whom thou servest.

But if the Saints shall not judge the world, thou must make Paul a ly­ar like thy self, And does not the Spiritual man judge all things, and he him­self is judged of no man: But since thou art so much against judgement, tell me by what authority dost thou judge me for an Enemy of Righteous­ness, with a deal of such like Antichristian Rubbish, which reaches me not; why dost thou judge those people called Dippers, calling them the chief Princes of M [...]shech and Tuball, saying, they know no [...] buriall of Christ, but buriall in water: And by what Authority dost thou judge the Priests of the Nation for Antichristians. Answer those quaeries when thou writes again.

In one of thy Arguments thou shames not to affirm, that the L [...]tter un­der the name of the words of Christ, is Spirit and life in it self: and in another of the same mettal, (for they both come from one Mint, and have both but one Father) thou concludes, the Spirit of God in the Apostles, who were Saints, is the Rule to try, and discovery of false spirits and then falls to thy old vain of boasting, that this Argument I cannot deny in a­ny part; but indeed the man is so accustomed to lye, that 'tis a [...] mat­ter for him to speak true: Say, Ionathan, when did I deny that the spirit of God in the Apostles while they lived upon earth, was their Rule for them to try and discover false spirits, does not my Letter speak the same Language; but did not the spirit of God in them at their death return to God that gave it them; wouldst thou have me be as sottith as thy self, to say and unsay, and own their writings to be the spirit of God: but I have little pleasure to take thus in thy Dung-hill, only 'tis my desire the weak may not be wooryed by, but beware of such Foxes and Wolves in sheeps clothing. Thou charges me for a lyar, for saying thou owns the Letter to be the Rule; but one thing is, I need not go far to fetch my proof, thou hast given it under thy own hand in these words, See thy Reply to the 12th. Po­sition. Therefore the Scriptures are the sure and infallible Rule to try the Spirits whether they be of God or no; yet for all this, and thy other argument, wherein thou calls them spirit and life in it self, (under the name of the Words of Christ) thou calls them twice in this following argument of thine, the dead Letter; He that desires to be tryed by the true Touch-stone, the infallible Rule, the living Principle of God, the Light of Christ in the Saints consciences, the Spirit of truth, and would not be tryed by the dead Letter, his spirit is of God, he's guided by the spirit of Promise, but Jonathan Johnson desires to be tryed as abovesaid, not by the dead Letter, therefore his spirit is of God, he's guided by the Spirit of Promise. Thus thy charge is soon taken of, and the lyar found lod­ging in thy own bosom; how hath the Heathen raged, and cast forth his Floods of indignation against me, for calling the Declaration a dead Letter, and yet speaks the same several times in this argument: Didst thou [Page 11]not cry up the letter to be the in-let to the spirit of promise, & bid me leave my false luminary, & yet here owns the light of Christ in the conscience to be the spirit of truth, surely the man thought he might say & unsay as he list, and took me to be as very a for as himself, or else hath a very weak me­mory, and that's very bad for so great a lyar as he is: I did never read gros­ser contradictions to my knowledge, then have dropt from the pen of this painted Pagan: And yet for all this folly & confusion, he must needs give me another rotten reed of AEgypt, as it were for a farewel, in an argument, the substance whereo [...] is thus: They who were Master-builders, &c. must needs be the true Touch-stone; but the Apostles were Master-builders, &c. whom M. M. denies to be tryed by, calling their preaching and teachings dead and lifeless, therefore his spirit is the spirit of error.

What a forgetful, or wilful lying Beast is this; did he not but even now a little before in his other Argument, say, that he himself desired to be tried by the light in the Saints consciences, and not by the dead letter, and ye [...] taxes me with the spirit of error for the same thing: O blush, and be ashamed! But for further answer. According to the grace of God which is given unto me as a wise Master-builder, I have laid the foundation, saith Paul, 1 Cor. 3.10. Col. 3.1 [...]. He built upon the rock: Other foundation then that is laid can no man lay, which is Iesus Christ in all, Iew and Greek, Barbarian, Scithian, bond and free. To this unction within did the Apostles direct the people, and if there had not been a royal seed of God left in eveey man and woman, to have answered, owned and received the testimony of the Apostles, they might have wandred all the world over, and have spent all their life-time, and not have gained one convert, but there was a wit­ness for God in all, and that which lay dead, did at the hearing of the voice of the Son of God live, and the Apostle was sent to open the blind eye of those Gentiles, who had eyes to see, yet saw not the Lamb of God the Lord of Glory crucified in them; so that great mystery of Christ in them the hope of glory, was then to them revealed and made manifest; so here, that which was the foundation that was the Touch-stone, and Christ in all, the Unction, the Annoynting within was the Foundation of the Apostles, that which they built upon; therefore the unction, the annoynting within, the light in all consciences, that's the true Touch­stone, and the infallible rule for the tryal of spirits which be true, which be false. Thus I have traced the Serpent in most of his crooked holes and windings, even almost unto weariness; that which follows is to you, poor hearts, who are so wedded to your water, that you count no man a Saint who submits not to your ceremony. Answer me in good earnest, Can your Diana satisfie a hungry soul? are you not feeding upon that which is not the bread from heaven? Is it your building the Tombs, or garnishing the Sepulchres of the righteous with painted expressions, and smooth glosses, that can make you pass for pure Saints, now the bright morning star is come to discover you? Is it the putting away the filth of the flesh by washing the body in outward water; or the answer of a [Page 12]a good conscience towards God, that is well pleasing unto God? and who can witness the answer of a good conscience towards God, that is not guided by the light of God in his conscience? and are you guided by that of God in your consciences, who are not to come to yea and nay, in your dealings? are you guided by the light of God, and yet dare not use the language of God and his Saints recorded in the Scriptures? are you guided by the light of God in your consciences, who yet live in respect of persons, and be conformable to the vain customes and fashions of the heathen, and are not yet brought to the brideling of the tongue? Be not angry hereat; for deer is my love to that of God in you; Ah! how should I rejoyce to see you joyn your selves to the children of the Lord! ah, seek no longer the living among the dead! contend no longer about that which brings no contentment to the soul! Would you see the King of Saints? Loe, hee's within you, go not forth: Ah! be no longer loyterers; Great is the harvest, and the labourers but few; He that is not with me, is against me; Be no longer in the number of those who forget God; Fight no longer for that which cannot stand before the Lord; you have too long idolized your ceremony, and therefore like the brazen Serpent is it broken in pie­ces. Paul told the people, He had not shunned to declare unto them all the counsel of God, but where did he mention Water-Baptisme as a branch thereof? if it had been of the counsel of God, certainly Paul durst not have concealed it. Did he not fore-see that thing began to be idolized in his days? did not contentions then arise among the people, some saying, I am of Paul; another, I of Apollo; some of Cephas, some of Christ? there­fore he knowing it not to be a precept, but a permissive practice, Iaid it a­side, and thanked God that he had baptized none but Crispus and Gaius, and the houshold of Stephanas; an infallible sign it was no better than a Ceremony, 1 P [...]. 3.21. had it been a command durst he have discontinued it? nay, does he not plainly tell the people, he was not sent to baptise, but to preach the Gospel? and does not Peter speak plain enough to the prudent? does he count Water-Baptisin any better than a figure, pointing out the sub­stance the answer of a good conscience. Are figures and shadows to abide or flie away? Which of you (would you be but truly honest to the light of God in you) durst positively affirm outward Water to be the Baptism of Christ? Is not his a Baptism of Sufferings? Be not afraid to take up the daily Cross, but like valiant souldiers, enter the field, and despise the shame: Be not fearful of Giants in the way, for his yoke is easie, and his burden light. He that commands, gives power; be you but willing, and power will not be wanting to level those hills and mountains of corruption within you. Do but set your hearts to love that Royal Seed of God, the light of Iesus Christ in your consciences, and that you shall witness to be power invincible, to resist and quench the fiery darts of the Devill. O come away, and do no longer stay, left the door of mercy be shut against you.