AN ANSWER TO A SCANDALOUS PAPER, Wherein were some QUERIES Given to be answered. And likewise, Therein is found many Lies and Slanders, and false Accusations against those people whom he (and the World) calls Quakers. Dated from Dorchester in New-England, August 17. 1655. subscribed, Edward Breck, which was directed to a People at Rainforth in Lancashire, which he calls, A Church of Christ. The Truth is cleared of his Scandals, Lies, and Slanders, and he found to be a Reproacher of the Church of Christ. His Paper and Queries answered by those people called, QUAKERS.  Rom. 15.3. 
The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.  Isa. 52.14, 15. 
His visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. So shall he sprinkle many Nations; Kings shall shut their mouths at him, for that which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard shall they consider.  Matth. 5.11, 12. 
Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my name's sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so persecuted they the Prophets which went before you.  
London, Printed for Giles Calvert, at the Black Spread-Eagle near the West end of Paul's. 1656.   

Edward Breek to the Church of CHRIST at RAINFORTH.  
Dear beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ, I have sundrytimes had a mind to salute you in the Lord, but partly my own rudeness, and partly other obstacles in the way, I have not yet communicated any thing to you, as to the Church of Christ since my departing; but because God hath removed me so far distant, by reason whereof I am never like to see your faces, and age and weakness coming upon me, putting me in mind of my end; that I might do something at last whereby to testify my love & dear respects to you, and that in all this length of time of absence, you might perceive that I have not wholly forgotten you, but with many secret desires breathed after your eternal welfares; I have therefore for your sakes, pressed myself to break through many difficulties, presuming upon your kind acceptance, notwithstanding you find in me much weakness in expression, matter, argument, etc. But not to trouble you with a long Preface, where my work is small, little I have to say, and slenderly I shall deliver it, unless God make known his power through weakness; that which I have to say is a friendly exhortation to continue in the grace and faith of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and not to be carried away with every wind of Doctrine, whereby you should be spoiled of your faith and hope which you have in the Lord Jesus Christ: Oh Beloved! Remember the days of old, and the years of ancient times, when after the Marian-times that Religion began to spring God honoured Rainforth with many godly pillars, men famous in their days, for faith and holiness, and the profession of true Religion, when the Country was overwhelmed, or greatly clouded with Religion, or Superstition, yet these men (whose names are not yet worn out of memory) cleave fast to the truth; the face of opposing, jeering, scorning and reproaching enemies, their reproaches did not daunt the spirits of these men, but they patiently bore it with joy, and pressed on forward in the ways of Truth of the Gospel, for the price and high calling of God in jesus Christ: The next Generation I was a little better acquainted with, whose names are fresher in your memories, divers godly people God raised up to do him some Service, and to profess and defend his Truth, & maintain his Ministry, which was a great thing they laboured after; these men gave not their minds with Balaam, to look out for visions, to curse God's People, nor to rail on Magistracy, nor Ministry, but humbly and in the fear of the Lord, submitted themselves to jesus Christ in the use of his own Institutions, so fare as he gave them liberty and ability thereunto.  
And now, what the present Generation is since I left the Country, I do not so well know, many of the old stock being dead and removed; yet (I hope) there is some breathing of Spiritual life amongst you, and men holding forth the faith, and profession of faith and true Religion in sincerity, notwithstanding what may be otherwise found among you: My Exhortation therefore is, To hold forth this Faith, and continue faithful therein until Death, never leave it, forsake it not lest God forsake you, and cast you off for ever; but Truth is Beloved, and that which is my grief, that I have been informed, and dare not but believe it, that there are men among you who are departed from the faith and purity of the Gospel to depend upon Jesuitical and Satannical delusions, I mean such as go under the name of QUAKERS, who depend not upon the Scriptures, for Light, but on what they receive from a Spirit which casteth them into a Trance, what these Trances are, let men of understanding judge, for I am weak, only tell you what I think, they are either from the good Spirit of GOD, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets in Visions, etc. or from the DEVIL; if they be from the good Spirit of GOD, than they are like to that Spirit which spoke by the PROPHETS, they accord with all the writings of the Prophets, and most of all with all the doctrines and say of Jesus Christ, his Ordinances and Institutions. Secondly, they bring a man that receive them, into a humble, low, and mean esteem of HIMSELF, so that he will be ready to fall down with the Prophet, Esay 6.5. and to cry, Woe is me, I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among men of unclean lips, for my eyes have seen the King the Lord of Hosts; his near approach to God laid him low, but for brevity's sake, I give you no more Arguments, but let the spirits of these Quakers be tried a little by these briefly, Doth that spirit which casts you into your trances make you like the old Prophets? Doth it accord with the Law, and Testimony? with Moses and the Prophets? with the Writings of the holy Apostles, and the Doctrines of Christ, his Orders and Institution? then something might be favourably spoken in defence and excuse thereof; but if on the contrary, the spirit which bringeth you into your Trances, when your bones quake, and you think you hear the voice of God, if the revelations and visions of this spirit speak contrary to the Prophets and Apostles, yea sometimes contradict and blaspheme, yea and sometimes amongst yourselves be contrary to your own visions; yea, if this spirit when you speak, teach you to speak nonsense, idle, ridiculous and foolish things, be said false doctrine, and contradictions, if it provoke you to speak blasphemously against the Lord Jesus Christ, crying down his Institutions, as Magistracy, Ministry, Sacraments, Sabbaths, etc. let me ask you, Did that spirit ever proceed from the Father and the Son, that breathed out Blasphemies in his face? Judge in yourselves. You think it is no blasphemy, but I pray consider it, Christ held forth in his Ordinances he breatheth in them, and walketh in the midst of the Golden Candlesticks, conveying his heavenly Grace through them as through so many golden pipes: Now to have Magistracy, and Ministry, Sacraments, etc. spoken against, trodden underfoot, and held in contempt, and esteemed as very sleight and slender things, and those that cleave to the Scriptures and Ordinances to be accounted as Antichristian, Carnal, etc. I pray you whom doth this strike? on whom doth it light, if not on Christ the Author? and is it not then Blasphemy? what do you call it? You may try a little what spirit it is that sets you into your trances by the effects, if your spirit make you more sensible of Original sin, more sensible of your own vileness, more humble you, and cast you down in the sight of God, and say you low, so that you can cry out with Job, Behold I am vile, what shall I answer thee? and with Isaiah cry out, Woe is me, I am undone, Isa. 6.5. than it were considerable; but if on the contrary, it make the heart swell, and to cry, Stand apart, I am more holy than thou; and all that come not up to your attainments are of small value, little worth, just as the Pharisees, who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: If I say it be thus, then judge you what spirit it is, I dare be bold to affirm, it is the Spirit of Satan, and not of God; you may think this hastily, and suddenly conclude; and I confess, I have not waded very deep into this matter, yet what is not from God I can easily conclude it is from the Devil, or man corruption, which is no better, I know no medium, unless it be the Jesuits, who no doubt have had a large hand this way by their sorceries to deceive the people, and have been known in London to quake and speak in the Congregations; these men (it is little doubt) might make a covenant with the Devil, & in the finest way of witchcraft & sorceries convene it over unto others; by an implicit covenant seduce men, thinking no such thing, but rather as though God had more abundantly declared his love to them more than to any people in the world, whenas indeed the matter is nothing else but Satan transformed into an Angel of light; for this purpose let me make bold to report unto you this story which is credibly reported to have been in or about Bristol, There was a man's wife desired to go to one of the Quakers meetings, her husband was unwilling, but after importunity he gave her leave, but she was so wrought upon in that meeting, that when she came home again she was filled with REVELATIONS, and spoke as though she had spoke with the Tongue of ANGELS, to admiration fare above herself, her HUSBAND told her, she was bewitched, she was far enough from believing that, but he could not satisfy himself, but would search her body, to see what tokens he could find, & about her arm he found a silk thread; he inquired, how that came there; she seriously confessed, she knew nothing of it; well, saith he, this shall not remain here; then they took it away, and then she returned to be the same woman that she was before she went to the Quakers Meeting: If this be a true Story, as I credibly believe, tell me, if there were witchcraft used in this Quakers meeting, yea, or nay?  
Oh Beloved! you may well think the Devil hath a finer way of witchcraft now, then ever he had since the world began; no doubt ye can very well paint men to come to the Lords Table, and to preach Christ, for he hath sometime been a Preacher of Christ himself, you know, for no good will to Christ, you may be sure; but who are they that are most apart to be taken? Are they men who of old hath been most near to God, and walked before God, as our father Abraham did, and lived the life of faith and holiness, and enjoyed many sweet, and pleasant Soliloquies, peace and joy in believing, and many unspeakable consolations? I am apt to think few of these men are taken, if any at all; but rather, fickle minded men, unconstant, and unstable in their ways, such as perhaps, do change their God and Religion divers times, or proud persons, such as affect singularity to be alone, & think it a brave thing to be taken up with Rapters above other men, who but they in the world & in the mean time, who more proud, more fickle, and unconstant, more wrathful & passionate, more railing & blaspheming? can you think the Spirit of God doth close better with those men than anyother? Truly not: And what can you imagine will be the issue, after a curse driven this way? a certain time truly it is probable their works willbe made manifest, & the tree will be known by its fruit, if it be not already a little; I have learned what befell Grinton, a people come up to Trances and Revelations, fell at last to Popery and profaneness, as I have been informed, and Popery I think is the main thing the Devil drives at now, rather I think, because the Jesuits hath been the chief fomenters of this Quaking Religion, and how do you find it for the present in these people? do you often see them upon their knees? bewailing their sin? filled with godly sorrow & repenting-hearts? a thing God much delights in; with hearts weary and heavy laden, such as Christ calls to come unto him? do you find them frequent in Familie-Duties, Catechising, praying, etc. if you do, I shall be glad to hear it, and how it is I will not censure; but if you find it otherwise, then consider what fruit it is. Oh beloved! what shall I say? my heart's desire is, that you may be established in the faith of Gods elect, and that those that are already deluded may be reclaimed, and that all men may prevent the danger; if what I have said be but slender, as well it may be, that which I shall say can be but of like nature: Yet if I may not weary you too much, I would propose some Queries to these men, and present the matter to consideration in another view. 1 Qu. By whom do you hope to be saved? My charity bids me make your answer, By Jesus Christ the Son of God, who also in time became man, and made satisfaction to divine justice for the sin of his people, etc. I hope you will accept my Answer. 2 Qu. How came you to know there was ever such a man in the world? Here also I will presume to answer for you, By the Prophets which went before him, and by the witness of his holy Apostles, and Evangelists, who have left the Story in their holy record of the new Testament. I trust you will not deny this neither. 3 Qu. If Christ be the Saviour, and that the light and knowledge of him do spring from holy Scriptures, I ask, whether the Scriptures be any rule of Faith and Life in these days? Or are they abrogated, and put an end to by Christ, and hath he appointed another way for bringing his Elect to eternal life and salvation? This Question I must leave you to answer yourselves, only for my part, I know no other way whereby to come to Christ my Saviour, than the holy Scriptures, which he hath commanded me to search, and which he promised eternal life, john 5. and whereof he curseth all men that addeth to them, or detracteth from them, Revelations 21. What you have to say to these things I know not, but these things I know; and this I know, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus execrable, and what they do less that vilify and slight his Word and Ordinances, and upon a Spirit which crosseth and contradicteth Christ, and his Word and Ordinances; but I weary you too much, I shall leave this Quaking Religion to its tottering, until it fall to its utter Ruin, which will be in God's due time accomplished, only one word more, my Dearly Boloved, as I earnestly desire you to take heed of this Quaking Religion, so also of all other Sects and Schisms, Errors, and Heresies, whatsoever, and to settle yourselves in the Faith and holy Order of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; to worship and serve him according to his appointment, but what that is I determine not, but whether Presbyterian or Independent, as many use terms which are better forborn, as God shall guide your Judgements, so walk in holiness of life, and beware of corrupt conversation; I have heard of too much that way, sundry, if not many, given up to lasciviviousness, Covetousness, Drunkenness, Drink, Tiplings daily, to the wasting of their Estates, and Ruin of their own souls: Take heed, take heed, O beloved take heed; I shall not need I hope to oppress you with many words, you have the LAW of GOD engraven upon your hearts, which convinceth your Consciences here, and will Judge you at the last Day, if Repentance prevent not; But I shall say no more, but commend you to GOD and to the WORD of his GRACE, which is able to build you up further, and to give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified. The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, and always: Amen.  
Your old Friend, and Brother in the Lord jesus, Edward Breck. Dor chester, in New-England, Aug. 17. 1655.   

AN ANSWER TO A SCANDALOUS PAPER, Wherein were some QUERIES Given to be answered, etc.  
APAPER we have received, in which we find much Confusion, Lies and Slanders, and false Accusations, which hath come from the dark carnal mind, which is enmity with God, which knoweth not the living God (who is a God of Truth.) Therefore for the simple ones sake, which maybe deceived by believing such Lies and Slanders which is cast upon the Truth by the Enemies of God; and for the clearing of the pure Truth of God, we, who are witnesses for the living, and true God, against all the deceit and powers of hell and death, are made free to answer this Paper, according to the Eternal Truth, as it is in Jesus.  
And first, Thou Writes to the Church of Christ (as thou calls it) in Rainsorth, and thou confesseth thy own Rudeness, and weakness, and other Obstacles, etc. We answer, That thou who art in Rudeness, and weakness art not fit to communicate any thing to the Church of Christ; For the Church of Christ is pure, without spot or wrinkle, and will receive nothing from thy rudeness and weakness, and so thou might have spared thy breath and thy pen. And whereas thou saith, that age and weakness is coming upon thee, putting thee in mind of thy end: Here thou may be a Witness against thyself, that thou art not fit to communicate to the Church of Christ, when as thou dost no better consider in this thy old age, thy own account that thou art to give at the Throne of Grace, where thou must give an account for e'er idle word, and every lie, and every slander and false accusation which thou hast cast upon the innocent in this thy Paper, for which the Lord God will plead with thee, for all thy hard speeches, which thou hast spoken against the harmless and innocent people, which thou knows nothing by, nor of, but what thou hast from lying Reports: therefore under the woe thou hast brought thyself, which jude speaks of, who speaks evil of the things which thou knows not, and therefore hath in these things corrupted thyself: And this (thou saith) is the Testimony of thy love, which thou wilt do at the last for the Church of Christ; and now here thou hast treasured up Wrath against the day of Wrath, which thou shall find recorded, never to be forgotten, when thou cometh to reckon with the just and righteous God, who can by no means clear the guilty.  
And whereas thou exhorts them to continue in the faith, etc. I ask thee what faith that is that thou would have them to continue in? if it be thy faith, it is to believe lies, (as thou confesseth in thy Paper) which is come so far as London and Bristol to thee to New-England, which is a public and general Faith, such a Faith as never any suffered for in the Marian-times (which thou speaks of:) Therefore thy Faith, which is founded upon such a foundation, (as a refuge of Lies) is not fit to exhort the Church of Christ, neither will the Church of Christ receive thy Exhortation, but turn it back upon thee from whence it came; and the Church of Christ exhorts thee to beware of believing lies, and casting Reproaches upon the Truth of God, which went ever under Reproach and Scandal, which Christ jesus, who is the Captain of our salvation, gave the blessing to those that were reproached, whom all men spoke evil of, and persecuted, which now we, (who are the Church of Christ) witness fulfilled at this day; but Reproaches is our Riches, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus, must suffer persecution by this Generation which thou art of, who are given up to believe lies: And herein we follow him who is gone before us, who was hated and rejected of men, a Man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; this is he whose steps we follow, who is made perfect through sufferings, and therefore are we willing to give our backs to the Smiter, and our cheeks to them that pulleth off the hairs; and to him that smiteth us on the one cheek, to turn the other; and he that taketh away our cloak, to let him have our coat also: and this is thankworthy, to suffer for righteousness sake, for it is better (if the will of God be) that we suffer for well doing, then for evil doing; for Jesus Christ hath suffered the just for the unjust, that he might bring us unto God: And for this Faith do we contend which was once delivered to the Saints, and are willing to lay down our lives, and to seal the testimony of our Consciences with our blood: and this our faith is not to believe lies, as thou doth, (which is manifested in thy Paper sufficiently) and this is that faith which overcomes, and gives victory over the world, and believes in the Truth as it is in Jesus.  
And thou gins and reckons from the Maryan-times, the Generations of men famous, (as thou saith) who stood for Faith and Holiness, and the profession of true Religion.  
I answer, Thou may see what thy profession of true Religion ends in, who art now in thy old age believing lies and false accusations, which thou hast no true ground for, and are accusing and slandering the pure innocent Truth of God, which is clear in the sight of God of these slanders which thou hast cast upon it, for which the Just God will plead with thee, when thy talking of a Faith will not serve thee, nor thy profession of a true Religion, when thou art persecuting and detaining the pure Religion, and undefiled before God and the Father; this is to visit the Father less and the Widow in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted of the world: But thou art found in the desilement, and casting thy filth of lies and slanders upon Religion, and therefore art thou found in the world, one of them. Therefore now repent of the evil of thy do while thou hast time, and turn thy mind to that measure of God in thee, which tells thee thou should not lie nor slander, nor accuse falsely; there is something in thee that tells thee these things ought not to be; there is that of God in thy conscience which tells thee thou ought not to believe lies, nor to take reports from the mouths of slanderers, and to cast them upon the innocent (who was ever reproached and slandered by the world) and so in this thou art become one with the persecutors that ever persecuted the appearance of God, where ever it was made manifest. So let that of God in thy conscience now examine and search what thou art doing, who art slandering those whom thou knows not, nor hath nothing to lay to their charge, but what thou hath by hear-say, and consider whether this be as thou would be done by. But in this thou hast manifested thy ignorance of God, and of his pure Truth, which leads to do unto all men, as they would have men to do unto them; and here thou art found out of the Truth, and out of the Life that gave forth the Scriptures, who takes the Scriptures but for a cloak to cover thy nakedness withal, but art ignorant of that spirit that spoke them forth, as thou makes it manifest in thy next words, where thou saith, Those men gave not their minds with Balaam, to look out for visions to curse God's people. Here thou hast manifested thy ignorance of the Scriptures, for when Balaam looked out at the temptation of Baalack, he would have cursed them; but he did not look then to the vision of God, which said he should not curse them. And so all who will but read that Scripture, may see thy confusion and ignorance, for in that Vision and Prophecy, Balaam did see and know the people of God, and could not curse them while he kept to it, until he did hearken and look out at the temptation of Balaack: And so here read thy ignorance in Scripture: Besides in this thou speaks against all the Holy-Men of God, as Moses, Samuel, Nathan; Daniel, Isaiah, Paul, Peter, john, etc. and all that ever was taught by the immediate Spirit of the living God, was taught by Vision and Revelation; and this thou exhorts those, whom thou calls the Church of Christ, from. Therefore let all that reads thy words, mark thy Blasphemy and ignorance of God, and of his eternal living Truth, as it is in Jesus the only begotten Son, which now the Father is revealing in this his day; and the Son likewise is revealing the Father; Glory and Praises be to the living powerful God for ever. And thou speaks of railing against Magistrates and Ministers, which is a false accusation, for railing we do deny; but we speak the Truth in Christ, and lie not, our consciences also bearing us witness in the sight of God: And the Ministers of Christ we own, who are Ministers of the Spirit, and not of the Letter, for the Letter killeth, but the Spirit maketh alive; and those who have the Ministration of the Spirit, which quickens, we own, and have unity with them, who is made not by the will of man, nor the will of the flesh, but by the will of God, according to the Promise of life which is in Christ jesus; who have not received their Gospel by man, but by the Revelation of jesus; this Ministry we own, and this Ministry we witness. But that Ministry which is received from man, who teacheth for Doctrine the Precepts and Commandments of men, which are found in the steps of the Scribes and Pharisees, which Christ cried woe against, who sit in Moses seat, who are sayers, but not doers; who binds heavy burdens grievous to be born, but will not themselves move them with one of their fingers, but all their works they do to be seen of men, love the uppermost rooms at Feasts, the chief seats in the Synagogues, are called of men Master, who devour widows houses, and for a pretence make long Prayers; who are blind guides, such as Christ Jesus cried woe against, who is our Lord and Master, and Shepherd of our souls; but who are found acting in those things which he cried woe against we do deny, and turn from them, for Christ Jesus hath left us a Rule to know them by their fruits, which makes them manifest to be the ravening wolves inwardly, which Christ Jesus speaks of, who have the Sheep's clothing, (the Saints words and profession) but their ravening wolvish nature appears by their persecution and tyranny, which they exercise in this Nation of England, as most Goals in this Nation can witness, who have many of the innocent harmless people of God shut up in Dungeons and Holes, for no other cause but for bearing witness for the living God against the deceit, by which they keep poor people in blindness and ignorance of God, who are the same as ever the Lord sent his true Prophets to cry against, who bear rule by their means, and commit the horrible and filthy thing, which the Lord sent jeremiah to cry against: And, who seek for their Gain from their quarter, and preacheth for Hire, which the Lord sent Isaiah to cry against; who feed with the sat, and cloth with the wool, which the Lord sent Ezekiel to cry against: And, such as make the people to err, that by't with their teeth, and cry, Peace, Peace, and he that putteth not into their mouth, they even prepare war against them; which the Lord sent Micah to cry against: And those that seduce the people, saying, Peace, and there is no peace; and one builds a wall, and another daubs with untempered mortar, those whom the Lord declared against by Ezekiel: And those whom the Lord saith he is against, who prophesy false Dreams, and cause the people to err by their lies and by their lightness, and say the Lord saith it, when, saith the Lord, I never spoke to them. These are they whom we testify against, which all the true Prophets of the Lord were sent to bear witness against, and therefore by them did they suffer, and were called before Magistrates and Rulers, and persecuted and hated of all men, and made as the offscouring of the world, and accounted not worthy to live. The same Testimony, and the same Effects and Fruits of it in this Generation (we, who are of the world in scorn called Quakers) do witness at this day in these Nations, as many prisons and stockings, and scourge, and whip we have suffered, which is our joy and riches, which suffering is not worthy to be compared to the glory which is to be revealed: And blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath found us worthy, and given us power, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake; and the Scriptures of everlasting truth is fulfilled, which hath said, He was numbered among the transgressors, and counted as Sheep for the slaughter, and killed all the day long; and this we witness to be out portion from this generation, which goes by the name of Ministers; and for no other cause that they have against us, but for bearing witness for the living God and his Truth, as it is made manifest in us by the same Spirit, and Life and Power as all the Holy Men of God were sent, Prophets and Apostles, who were made Ministers of the Eternal Spirit; these were always sent to speak against those who had the form of Scriptures, and the profession, but always persecuted the Life and Power that spoke them forth; and as he that was born after the flesh, ever persecuted him that was born after the spirit, even so it is now: And by this Generation of Priests, and Elders, and High-Priests, was Christ and his Apostles persecuted, and accused, and hailed, and arraigned before Magistrates, as ye may read throughout the Scriptures; and all the righteous blood that hath been shed since Abel, hath been shed by this Generation, and so the Scripture is fulfilled which saith, As a Troop of Robbers waits for a man, so doth a company of Priest's murder in the way by consent. And for Magistrates we own, such as Rule for the Lord, who are a terror to the evil doers, and lay the Law upon the Transgressor's, who bears not the Sword in vain; such as are for the praise of them that do well, such we own and honour in our souls, and are subject to for conscience sake; but all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, we bear witness against, in Magistrates, Priests and people, which act contrary to that of God in the Conscience, for God is no respector of persons, but of all sorts of people, he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him; and we honour all men in the Lord, and he that ruleth well is worthy of double Honour, and this we stand for, and bear witness to, and this Testimony we are willing (if we be called to it) to seal with our blood, as many who have gone before us have done. And so here thou may see and read thy Accusation to be false, who saith we rail against MAGISTRATES and MINISTERS.  
And whereas thou saith, Truth is, Beloved, and that which is my grief, that I have been informed (and I dare not but believe it) that there are men among you who have departed from the Faith and Purity of the Gospel, to depend upon jesuitical and Satanical delusions, I mean such as go under the name of quakers, who depend not upon the Scriptures for Light, but on what they receive from a Spirit which casteth them into a Trance, what these Trances are, let men of understanding judge, for I am weak, etc.  
Answer, Let all who reads thy words, try thy beloved Truth (as thou calls it) which is, that thou dare not believe lies; that which many hundreds can witness to the contrary of this, that thou hast spoken, which though thou saith there is men among us, whom thou saith goeth under the name of quakers, that depends upon Jesuitical and Satanical Delusions, this we utterly deny, and a Cloud of Witnesses we have, which will stand against thee in this thing, and witness it to be an untruth (which thou confesseth thy faith dare not but believe) and among many thousands which is convinced of the everlasting Truch of the everlasting God, we do not know one Priest, or Jesuit, or Papist, that owns us, or joins with us: And so let all that reads thy Truth, and thy Faith (as thou call it) see how far thou art from the Truth; neither is there any among us that is brought into the Ministry to Preach the everlasting Gospel, that ever did profess that Faith of the Romish Church. And so, whether thou be not found here in a Satanical Delusion, who is thus bclying, and slandering, and accusing falsely the innocent, contrary to all Truth? whether lies and slanders, and false accusations, be not of of the Devil; let all honest hearts judge? And now let any, who hath the least measure of God in them to guide their minds unto Justice and Equity, judge what Faith this is that thou art exhorting to, who art found in such delusions of believing lies thyself, how thou can exhort to the Truth who art found quite contrary, accucusing, reproaching, scandalising and defiling the Truth, thy faith which doth not purify thy heart from this uncleanness, we do deny; and thy Hope which doth not purify from these filthy accusasations, we do deny; and the Church of Christ will deny it where ever it is, and doth know and see that no lie is of the Truth: And so this thy Faith which thou art exhorting to, when the just and righteous God cometh to plead with all flesh, by Sword and by Fire, thou and thy Faith (which dare not but believe lies) will perish; and the hope of the Hypocrite doth perish, when the over slowing scourge cometh. Therefore take warning, and now thou hast time prise it, for the Judge stands at the door, who lays Judgement to the line, and rightcousness to the Plummet; and thy refuge of lies will be swept away, and thy Covenant with Hell and Death will be broken: For the tried Stone is risen, the sure Foundation, who judgeth with righteousness, and reproves with equity. Therefore turn thy mind to that which is just, and equal, and righteous, that is of God, which tells thee thou ought not to do wrong, nor to accuse falsely; this will show thee the deceit of thy heart, and let thee fee thy vain thoughts that lodgeth within thee, and the darkness of thy mind, which thou hast made manifest by thy words, who faith, They depend not upon the Scriptures for a Light: Here let the Scriptures try thee and judge thee, who saith the Scriptures is the Light, when the Scriptures saith, Christ is the Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world; and every one that loveth this Light, walketh in this Light, and bringeth his deeds to this Light to be proved and tried by the Light; and he that doth evil hates the Light, and turns from the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved. And here let the Scripture judge and try thee, whether thou doth not deny Christ Jesus, who saith, I am the Light of the world, whenas thou saith the Scripture is the Light; here thou denies him, who is a Light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel. Now let all see what thou hast to see or to judge with, who denies the light of the body, which is the eye, for when the eye is single, the whole body is full of Light; but when the eye is evil, the whole body is full of darkness. And here thou art found now, who art looking at the Letter without thee, but thy body is full of darkness, confusion, and enmity against the Truth of God, as thou hath manifested in this thy Paper. And Christ Jesus said unto his Disciples, Ye are the light of the world; a city that is set on a hill cannot be bid: Let your Light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. But thy works and thy Light is made manifest by thy envy that thou hast uttered forth against the harmless, which thou knows nothing by. But thou that hath no other Light to judge with but the Scriptures without thee, which was spoken forth from another spirit than thou speaketh from; now thou that taketh these words, and speaketh them forth from a lying spirit, which was spoken forth from the Light, and Life, and Power of God; from the just and the living Truth was the Scriptures spoken forth from: But thou who hath no Light to walk or speak by, but what thy dark spirit gathers out of the words without thee, were not like to speak truth; for they that spoke forth; the Scriptures, the Truth was made manifest in them, they did not speak from another, or by hear-say, as thou doth; thy spoke what they knew, and what they witnessed, and bare testimony to the Truth; and all who cometh into the same Truth, beareth witness unto them, and knoweth the same Truth as they did: But this thou art ignorant of, who hath nothing but the Husk and the outside, the Kernal and the Substance thou knoweth nothing of; but blessed be the Lord God for evermore, the same Life and Power as they spoke from is witnessed, and they that spoke forth the Scriptures are witnessed to be true, by the same life; and all such as thou who hath nothing but the Declaration of that life, are seen and known, and weighed, and all your profession which is without the life and profession denied; and here is the Lamb's war betwixt you and us, you have the words and Declaration which the life sple, we have the Life and Substance which spoke these words, and so you have the outside, who are born after the flesh, persecutes us who are born after the spirit: And so now read where thou, and you all are, who are found in this persecuting nature; for I am sure, if you will be tried by the Scriptures, you cannot find that ever any of the Saints of God persecuted any, but were ever persecuted, and ever suffered persecution by those who had a profession; as Christ Jesus was crucified by the chief Priests, and the Elders, Scribes, and Pharisees, who were the strictest professors of the Scriptures, which spoke of him, and prophesied of him, which that age, and that Generation had; besides, all the Saints, Servants, Prophets, and Apostles that ever suffered, did suffer by a people professing Religion. So let the Scriptures be judge between you and us, and if you will come to be tried by the Scriptures, you will be found of the same generation of Persecutors as ever was before you.  
And whereas thou saith, We depend not upon the Scriptures for Light, hut from what we receive from a Spirit which casteth us into a Trance, and what this Spirit is, thou confesseth thou knows not, and yet thou lakes upon thee to judge of this Spirit, though thou confesseth thou art weak, etc. but thou saith thou tells what thou thinks.  
Now here thou hast uttered forth thy weakness, and thy nakedness appears in these words, and thy bitter spirit, in slandering that which thou knows not, for that which tries the Spirits is Truth, and Eternal and Infallible, and speaks that is knows, and believes not every spirit, but tries the Spirits whether they be of God. And from this Spirit thou hart shut thyself, and by this Spirit do we try thy Spirit to be a Spirit of Error and Delusion, a Spirit of Darkness, which hath no light in it; but thy Light is without thee that thou judgeth by, and thou judgeth by thinking, and this is for judgement: Christ Jesus said, Take heed that the Light which is in thee be not darkness; he doth not say, take heed that the Letter without thee be not darkness; and he saith again, If thy Light be darkness, how great is that darkness? and so here thou art in the darkness, and yet judgeth of the Light; but thy spirit is a fallibe Spirit, and so cannot give true judgement upon that which is infallible and eternal: But that Spirit which is infallible and eternal, gives true judgement on thee, and knows thee, and tries thee and thy Light, which is thee Letter without thee, which is none of thine, but another's; and with the same spirit as spoke forth the Scriptures thou art judged, and thy spirit to be a fallible lying spirit; and the same good spirit of God as spoke in the Holy Prophets, Christ and his Apostles, which is not divided, but is one and the same for evermore; the same spirit do we witness, not another, but the same as was before ever the Scripture was written, and by this Spirit which was before Scripture was written, do we judge thee and thy Light which thou hath from the Declaration: Here thou confesseth that if thou had had no Scripture, thou had had no Light; but God is Light, and all who knows him, knows him in the Light; and all who sees him, sees him in the Light, for the immortality dwols in the Light, but this thou knows nothing of; and we do accord with, and own, and witness, and have unitywith the same Spirit, with all that spoke forth the Scriptures, the Prophets, Christ, and his Apostles, and all the Holy men of God, that ever was taught by the Spirit of God; all that is guided by that one, and the same spirit we do witness and own, and all that have that same spirit to lead and guide them to the living God (who is a Spirit) will own and witness us to be of God, and our Testimony to be true; and this shall be answered by that of God in all consciences.  
And whereas thou speaks several times of the Institutions and Ordinances of Christ, answer, The Ordinances and Institutions of Christ we own, and witness and honour, and his Commands are not grievons, but joyous: but thou that speaks these words, hath made thyself manifest to deny the Ordinances of Christ, and his Institutions, and art ignorant of them what they are, when thou cometh to name them, thou names Sabbaths, and Sacraments; and for the Ministry and Magistracy (which thou speaks of) we have answered that before; yet this I say to thee more, That those Ministers which were ordained by Christ did not preach for Hire, Christ Jesus bare witness against the Hireling, and called him a Thief and a Robber; now see if thy Ministers which thou speaks for be not such, and then see if thou do not blaspheme Christ, in saying that he ordained such as he called Thiefs and Robbers, which are Hirelings, which flies because they are Hirelings; those whom he ordained and sent forth, were sent forth freely, who had received freely of him, and freely they did give; they did not go in the way of Cain, to envy nor run greedily after the error of Balaam, for gifts and rewards. Now see if those Ministers which thou speaks of be not such; where did ever Christ ordain them? or when did they receive a Commission? but whom he ordained did preach the Gospel freely to every creature, and had a Commission from him to baptise all Nations, in the Nome of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, doth thy Ministers, that thou speak of, so? Read the Scriptures honestly, and see whether Christ ordained any but such as had an immediate command and Revelation from him, and such received power from above to go teach all Nations: Now see whether these Ministers thou speaks of will own this commission, or witness it, and if they cannot, than thou art he that blasphemeth Chritt, and defames his Truth, which is pure, which will not admit of any decit nor guile. And for that thou speaks of Sabbaths, here thou art denying Christ, for where he is known and witnessed to be come, he is the end of the Sabbath, and the rest of his people: and what Scripture hast thou which saith that Christ ordained a day to be kept as a Sabbath? wilt thou belie Christ Jesus, to say he hath ordained a Sabbath-day, which he putteth an end to. Here let all read the Scriptures and try thee and thy Ordinances that thou pleads so for, the Son of man is the Lord of the Sabbath: If thou have an ear, thou may hear; or an eye, thou may see: but thou art blind, and yet hath eyes; and deaf, and yet hath ears. And for thy Sacraments, which thou calls an Ordinance of Christ, this is an Ordinance of thy own making, which thou hath no Scripture for at all; wilt thou say that Christ ordained a Sacrament, when there is no Scripture for it? Oh that thou should be so blind, and yet will take upon the to exhort (as thou saith) the Church of Christ! but surely the Church of Christ knows the Ordinances of God better than thou dost, for thy Ordinances is beggarly Rudiments, which are but commandments and doctrines of men, but it is little with thee to call them the Ordinances of God, who art so far by the Truth, as thou art in all thy Paper throughout: But those who are dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the world, cannot be subject to thy Ordinances, for the Apostle exhorts from them, and saith, Touch not; taste not, handle not, which are all to perish with the using of them; and his exhortation we own and cleave to, and keep his Ordinances as he delivered them to us, and thine we do deny; but the Ordinances of Christ Jesus we live in, according to the Scrptures, and all the Saints in Light that ever went before us; for heis our peace who hath made both one, and broken down the partition Wall betwixt us, and hath abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the Law of Commandments contained in Ordinances, for to make himself of twain one New Man, so making peace, and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the Cross, having slain the enmity thereby; but where this enmity stand unslain, which is far off, and not washed and made nigh by his blood, here the Ordinances of men is set up, and called the Ordinances of God, who are without Christ, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, and Strangers from the Covenant of Promise, not being washed, and cleansed, and purged by his blood, which maketh nigh, and taketh away the partition-Wall, and makes of twain one New Man. Now if thou, or any of you, do witness this condition, then do you know and live in the Ordinances of Christ; but if you be dead in your fins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, then hath he not blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances, and hath not taken it away, nailing it to his Cross. Now see whether ye be here or no, or else ever talk of the Ordinances of God, but let them be, as indeed and in truth they are, the Ordinances of men; and in the mean time so long as thou art ignorant of these things, and of the workings and operation of the living Spirit, and power of the living God; so long as thou knows nothing but what thou knows naturally, beware how thou speaketh of trances, and quakings, and such expressions, lest thou blaspheme against God; for the living God, nor his power, nor working thou knows not, therefore be silent, and beware how thou judges with evil thoughts that which thou knows not, for in that thou corrupts thyself, and art found to be one of those filthy dreamers which defiles the flesh, despiss dominiun, and speak evil of dignities, and so, as I said before, bring thyself under the wo. And so beware, and fear and dread the living God, who is a consuming fire to his Enemies, and before him thou cannot stand with thy filthy stuff, which thou hast raked together, his jealousy burns like fire, and this will be as stubble before him: Therefore see what thou hast that will abide the fire, for nothing will stand in his presence but what will answer to the fire; and this thou shalt eternally witness to be truth, and love to thy soul. And the spirit which speakcth in us is one, and the same yesterday, to day, and for ever; and that spirit which doth not speak the same we do deny; and the judgement which thou judgeth we do deny, and by the eternal infallible spirit, we ijudge it to be false judgement, and of the living God of heaven and earth shalt thou be judged for thy false judgement, which thou hast given of the Spirit of Truth, and this thou shalt eternally witness one day, when thou art arraigned at the bar of Justice, as thou saith; and we judge and bids stand off all unclean spirits, all lying, dark, Satanical Spirits, which knoweth not the living God, nor joins not to the living God, for who is joined to the Lord is one Spirit, and this is that Spirit which we speak from, which leads and guides up to God. And thou that speaks of trances and quake, and humbling, and confessing, and Original Sin, and vileness, and casting down, and such like, which thou hast gathered out from the Letter, and speaks them with another spirit than spoke them in the Scriptures; thou that hath not the same Spirit as spoke these words in the Scriptures, we deny thy spirit, and judge it to be the Spirit of Error: by the same spirit as spoke forth the Scriptures, we do try thee and know thee; and we deny all false Doctrine, and contradictions, and ridiculous and foolish things, which thou mentions, and all thy confusion which thou haft uttered forth in thy Paper, (not worthy mentioning) and the Spirit that spoke it, we do utterly deny; and the Spirit of the living God we own, and witness, and cleave to, which proceeds from the Father and the Son, which is the judge of all unclean, dark, fallible, lying Spirits; this is our Leader, and Teacher, and Guider, Judge, and Lawgiver, and King: Glory and Praises be to our living and powerful God for ever. And after that thou hast judged the Spirit of God to be the Spirit of the Devil; thou confesseth that thou hast not waded very deep into the matter: Here thou hast made manifest thy shallowness and sinfulness of Truth indeed, and uttering forth thy folly and ignorance of God. But thou art comprehended, and the depth of thy deceit is known and seen, and the bottom and foundation on which thou stands is sandy, and the words thou hears, but doth them not; and therefore art thou likened unto the foolish man, that hath built thy house upon the Sand, for when the wind blows and beats upon thy house, it will fall, and great will be the fall of it.  
And thou speaks of jesuits, which was known in London to quake, and to speak in the Congregations, and thou saith, These men no doubt might make a Covenant with the Devil, and by the finest way of witchcraft and sorcery convey it unto others by an implicit Covenant, seducing men thinking no such thing, but rather as though God had more abundantly declared his love to them, then to any people in the world, when as the matter is nothing else, but Satan transformed into an Angel of Light; and so then thou goes on to tell thy story.  
Answer: Here let all who reads thy words, and hath any measure of Justice, Equity, or Honesty in them, behold thy blindness and ignorance of God, and of his Truth, who hath given such a manifest lie as this is under thy hand, and yet hath the boldness to judge the Spirit of Truth to be the Spirit of Satan, at that very instant when thou art found in the Devil's work, venting and vomiting lies and slanders upon the pure Truth of the living God, which shall be found clear, and pure, and innocent, and guiltless of all these false slanders which thou hast cast upon it; God and his Truth shall be found true, and all such men as thou found liars, as hundreds in London (from whence thou fetcheth this lie) shall witness, that this which thou hast spoken to be a lie and slander, and all lies is of the Devil, and he is the Father of all liars: and I do believe that thou wilt not find one in London (of so many thousands as there is in the same nature as thou art in) that will say they saw Jesuits quake there; but I am sure that hundreds there are that are convinced of the living Truth of God, which will testify against thy lies, and bear witness for the Truth against thy false slanders, And those men which thou saith are seduced by witchcraft, and sorcery, and an implicit Covenant. Answer; but those men whom thou speaks, as being contemptible, will quickly see thee to be a poor deceived, seduced creature, who utters forth thy confusion, and darkness, and ignorance, and makes thy folly manifest: And thousands there are at this day, who have not come so far up to the Truth of God, as to own us, yet will see thee to be a dark, ignorant, deluded, besotted spirit, who knows nothing at all of God, but what thou knows it is naturally, as a bruit beast, which jude speaks of. And thou that doth ground and raise such scandals, as thou hath done in thy Paper, upon such lies and untruths as these that thou tells, let all honest hearted judge what spirit it is that guides and leads thee; for I am sure that hundreds will set to their hands and seals, that this which thou speaks is false; and yet from this ground dost thou raise thy Exhortation (thou saith) to the Church of Christ: so now whether any Church, which hath but the name and profession of Christ, will receive such reports, and lies, and slanders, and give it under their hands as thou hast done; let all the professed Churches, though there be many that can talk of Christ, and God, as thou doth, and serve the Devil, as thou hath done here; I say, Let all the professed Churchches (as thou calls them) both in New-England, and elsewhere, blush, and be ashamed of thee, who hast given such manifest lies, and slanders, and scandals of the pure Truth (for a testimony of thy Faith) which thou confesseth thou hath but by report: But thou hast made thyself manifest to be a defamer of the Truth of God, who saith, Report, and we will report it: And so thou goes on with thy Report and Story, which thou saith is credibly reported to be in, or about Bristol.  
There was a man's wife that desired to go to one of the Quakers Meetings, her husband was unwilling, but after importunity he gave her leave; but she was so wrought upon in that Meeting, that when she came home again she was filled with Revelations, and spoke as though she had spoken with the tongue of Angels, to admiration far above herself; her husband told her she was bewitched, but she was far enough from believing that; but he could not satisfy himself, but would search her body, to see what tokens he could find, & about her arm he found a silk thread, he inquired how that came there, she serious professed she knew nothing of it; well, saith he, this shall not remain here; and he took it away, and then she returned to the same woman that she was before she went to the quakers Meeting: (and saith thou) if this be a true Story, as I credibly believe, tell me if there was not witchcraft used in this quakers' Meeting, yea or nay?  
Now let all honest hearts, who reads this thy Story, read thy Spirit and thy envy, who hatcheth Cockatrice-Eggs, and weaves Spiders-webs, and he that eateth of these Eggs dyeth, and that which is crushed breaketh into a Viper: Now if thou be not blind thou may read thy Spirit in this Scripture, but for this cause God hath sent thee strong delusions, that thou should believe lies; and I know assuredly that thousands there is about Bristol, from whence thou fetcheth this lie, that will witness and testify that this is a gross lie also, and that there was never any such thing done or acted there by those people called quakers: And therefore let all who have but any moderation, or dram of honesty in them, judge thy boldness and impudence in lying, who should send such a lying pamphlet as this is into another Nation, which thou professeth love to; but thy hands is defiled with blood, and thy fingers with iniquity; thy lips hath spoke lies, and thy tongue hath uttered perverseness, and thy trust is in vanity and lies; thou hast conceived mischief, and brought forth iniquity; and this is the fruits of thy Profession, which thou tells such a story of in the beginning of thy Paper, and of so many Generations which thou calls Churches of Christ; but there was never any Generation but might have such a Church as this is, whereof thou art a Member, which is grounded upon lies, and reports, and stories; the Pope and jesuits (which thou speaks of) can have no worse Foundation than thou hast: Therefore let all that profess this Faith, that thou art of, be ashamed of thee, and the fruits that thou brings forth, who hath made lies thy refuge, and with falsehood hast thou covered thyself as with a garment. And thou goes on, and saith, no doubt the devil can very well paint men to come to the Lords table and to preach Christ, for thou saith, he hath sometime been a Preacher of Christ himself.  
Answer: At that Table where thou sits the Devil may paint men to come to; and the Devil may preach Christ, as he doth in thee, talk of a Christ, and yet the Doctrine, and Foundation, and Ground from whence thou speaks, is lies and untruths; and all lying comes from the Devil: And so let all, who have any thing of God in them to guide their minds, judge and try thy Spirit, and what Scripture thou hath to prove thy words, or when it was that the Devil preached Christ: but though in words he might speak of him, as thou dost, and thy preachers that thou speaks of; but the Apostle saith, that there is none can preach except they be sent, and wilt thou say that God sent the Devil to preach Christ? or thou wilt deny the Apostles words and Doctrine; or thou wilt blaspheme God; choose which of these thou wilt taste: And the Apostle said, they could not sit at the Lords table and the table of Devil: And thou saith, the Deville an paint men to come to the Lords table: Now wilt thou deny the Apostles Doctrine there? or wilt thou confess thyself be at the Table of the Devil, feeding among liars and envious persons, which holds the Truth in unrighteousness? Therefore expect the wrath of God to be revealed from Heaven upon thee, which is against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who are backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud boasters, inventors of evil, who have changed the truth of God into a lie. Here read thyself, and thy spirit, and thy practice, and thy portion, for God is the same, he changeth not, and according to thy works shall thy reward be. So thou goes on in thy accusing, and backbiting, and slandering: and thou brings up Grimdleton, whom thou says came up to Trances and Revelations, which thou saith fell at last to Popery and profaneness. But this which we have only from thy own mouth, which is so stuffed with lies and slanders, who is set on backbiting, and slandering, and accusing, and thy ground is but by hear-say, we shall give little credit to what thou speaks, either of Grimdleton, or any else, for we know thy ground is falsity and lies, and so there can no truth spring from that Root: But I do believe that thou does accuse Grimdleton falsely, and belie them, in that thou saith they are turned to Popery; but thy throat is grown so wide, that thou canst swallow any thing; and thou never heeds who thy Informers are, so that it feed that Root which grows in thee, which brings forth bitter fruit.  
And thou saith, It is the main thing that the Devil drives at now ' because Jesuits have been the chief Fomentrrs of this quaking Religion.  
Let all behold and see now thy gross ignorance, and emptiness and shallowness, that thou should speak things that thou hast no precedent, not ground of truth for; where can thou say, or where hast thou heard that ever the jesuits quaked? Oh that thou should not be ashamed of such idle, groundless untruths, that all who reads thy words may read thee to be a liar and slanderer! Thou cannot produce any that ever knew a jesuit quake; and so let all who reads thy words, read thy gross error and ignotance of Scriptures, who talks of jesuits quaking (which they never did) and art so blind that thou cannot see who they were in Scripture that quaked. Was Moses a jesuit, who said, I exceedingly fear and quake? And was the people of Israel jesuits, who came in the morning to the Mount, where there was thunders, and ligntnings, and thick Clouds upon the Mount, and the voice of the Trumpet exceeding loud, so that all the people that was in the camp exceedingly trembled; was this Trumpet sounded among the jesuits? Oh thou miserable creature! who art thou contending against? And was Ezekiel a jesuit, to whom the Word of the Lord came, saying, Son of man, eat thy bread with quaking, and drink thy water with trembling and carefulness? And was Daniel a jesuit, upon whom fell great quakings and tremble? Now see and read thy ignorance of the Scriptures, which thou saith is thy Light: Now see if thou be not blind, who yet knows not that which thou looks upon to be thy guide, who casts a Reproach upon that which thou never came to know, nor never was made partaker of: But to an account and reckoning thou shalt come for all thy hard speeches.  
And whereas thou saith, That thy hearts desire is, that they may be established in the Faith of Gods Elect.  
Thy heart is deceitful, and desperately-wicked, nor the Faith of God's Elect, thou, nor them that thou writes to, never know, for the Elect of God is pure, and none can lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect: So concerning that Faith be thou silent, for thou art here charged with many lies, and slanders, and false accusations, which Gods Elect was never found guilty of: But it was always the portion of the Elect of God to receive from by generation such slanders and accusations as thou hast here vented in thy Paper, which hath made thee manifest to be none of God's Elect, nor none of that Faith; neither can they abide in that which they never came in: So thou dost but utter forth thy folly in thy Exhortation. And thou goes on in thy confusion and vanity, and thou askest three questions, and thou answerest two of them thyself, according to thy folly, emptiness, and shallowness, and in the third thou hast set thyself fast, and knows not how to get out, and so thou leaves us to answer it; and so it is like we shall answer a fool according to his folly.  
First, Thou askest by whom do we hope to besaved?  
We deny the ground of thy Answer, and we answer from another ground and principle, which thou art ignorant of, and art an enemy to, We hope to be saved by CHRIST JESUS, who is the Light of the world, and hath lighted every man but cometh into the world; and this Light is thy condemnation, who saith the Leeter is the Light: and so the same CHRIST JESUS which died at Jerusalem, which witnessed a good Confestion before Pontius Pilate, who is the way to the Father, the Light hath leads to life; this is our Saviour; and the same that saves us, condemns thee who loveth darkness rather than Light, because thy deeds are evil.  
Secondly, Thou askest how we came to know there was ever such a man in the world.  
And this thou answers according to thy public faith, from a Testimony without thee; but we deny thy Answer; and our answer is, That we know that the Son of God is come, who hath given us an understanding, and we know him that is true: And hereby we know that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spivit; and we have seen, and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world: And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son, jesus Christ; this is the true God, and eternal life; He that hath an car, let him hear; but thy car, which should hear, is deaf.  
Thirdly, thou saith, If Christ be the Saviour, and that the light and knowledge of him doth spring from Holy Scripture, thou asketh whether the Scriptures be any Rule of Faith and Life in these days, or are they ahorgated and put an end to by Christ? And hath he appointed another way for bringing his Elect to eternal salvation? This query (thou saith) thou must leave to yourselves to answer, only (sayest thou) for my part I know no other way to come to Christ my Saviour, than the Holy Scriptures, which he hath commanded me to search, and in which he promiseth life eternal; and wherein he curseth all men that addeth to, or detracteth from them: what you have to say to these things I know not, but this I know, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God, calleth jesus execrable; and what do they else that-vilifie and slight his word and Ordinances, and depends upon a Spirit which crosseth and contradicteth Christ, and his word and Ordinances.  
Answer: In this query thou hast given a Testimony of thy Light, and of thy Spirit, and of thy Way, and of thy Faith, and of thy God; for thou hast taken Christ Jesus among the rest, and hath belied him in plain words, now in the latter end of thy Paper: And thou art so blind, led with the God of the world, which hath so blinded thy eye; sure thou thinks all looks with that blind eye as thou doth: Thou confesseth that thou hast none other Light but the Scriptures, and yet thou art run away from it, and art now adding to it, and thou saith thyself, he curseth all men that addeth to it: therefore own thy portion now when thou seethe thyself there, for thou art now so blind thou sees not where thou art, but when thou cometh to a search thou wilt find thyself there: Where is it that Christ promiseth thee eternal life in searching the Scriptures? Doth not Christ say in the verse before, Ye have not his word abiding in you, for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not? Thou hast made it manifest what life thou hast; but it is no wonder, seeing thou hast no other Light, nor no other Way to come to Salvation, nor no other life, but what thou hast out of Scriptures. Thou art dead in sin, but it is no wonder: Oh that thou dare so belie Christ Jesus! Doth not that Scripture say, on which thou builds these words, Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think to have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me, but ye will not come unto me that ye may have life. Doth he say here that life is in the Scriptures? or doth he say that he is the Scriptures, when he saith, ye will not come to me that ye may have life? And art not thou here found thinking to have eternal life in the Scriptures, and wilt not come to Christ that thou may have life? and this he spoke to the Scribes and Pharisees, who were in the same life that thou art in, to whom he said, they had neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape; but this is all the life that thou knows. And thou speaks of god walking in the midst of the seven Golden Candlesticks; but he doth not walk in the midst of the midst of thy Candlesticks, who hath no Light but the Scriptures; and before thou see the seven Golden Candlesticks, and he that walks in the midst of them, thou must be turned from where thou art: if thou hast an ear, thou may hear what the Spirit saith. And thou saith, this is thy light and thy way to salvation, and thou confesseth thou knows none other: Answer, This hath all drunkards, and all profane persons that hath the Scriptures, hath that which thou hath; and if it brings salvation to thee, than it brings salvation to them; and so see what a public faith thou art of: Now see whether thou be not in the broad way that leadeth to destruction; and now this is thy Testimony, and this is thy Light (that we are speaking of all this while) and this is thy way; but this way we do deny; for thou, and all who are where thou art, are gone out of the way, and there is none of you that doth good, no not one: And Christ Jesus (who was before Abraham, and before the Scripture was written) is our Light, and our Way, and our Rule, and our Truth, and our Life; and this is life eternal to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent; and this life is in his Son: and he that believeth on the Son of God, hath the witness in himself; and he that believeth not God, hath made him a liar, because he believed not the Record that God gave of his Son; and this is the Record, that God hath given unto us eternal life: And thou that hath no life but what is in the Scriptures, hath not the Record of God, for the Record of God is eternal life; and he that hath the Son, hath life; and he that hath not the Son, hath not life; and this we witness fulfilled and manifested in us. And so now read, and see where thou art, who knows no life but the Scriptures, and saith that Christ hath promised eternal life in the Scriptures; and here thou hast manifested thyself not to believe the Record that God hath given of his Son, and so makes God a liar. And Christ Jesus is the Light, and Way, and Life, and ever was, of all his children: But thou, and all who looks upon the Scriptures to be the Way, and Light, and Life, hath found out another Way, and hath wrested the Scriptures to your own destruction, and abrogated them (as thou speaks) and denies the end for which they were given forth, which is, for the perfecting of the Man of God; and so here thou art found preaching another Gospel than Christ Jesus and the Apostles did, and art to be holden accursed. And here thou art found tottering upon a sandy Foundation, whereon thou cannot stand; but the Rock on which the whole Church is built, Christ jesus, of whom all the Prophets bears witness, and on whom all the Prophets and Apostles is built, do we stand unmoveable. And he who was the faithful and true Witness, who was dead, is alive, whose Name is called, the Word of God, which Word was in the beginning, by which Word the worlds were made; and without him nothing was made that was made; he is rison, who teacheth his people himself, who is the Shepherd of his sheep, who hath given his life for his sheep, who doth give unto his sheep eternal life: But thou art none of his sheep, who faith eternal life is in the Scriptures. And upon this Rock of Ages doth the quakers stand, which thou hast uttered forth and vented so much envy and reproach upon: Upon this Rock on which they stand, shalt thou, and all such Profeslion as thou lives in, and all your feigned Humiliation, and feigned Faith, and perishing Hope; upon this Rock shall you all be dashed to pieces. And though thou makes a scorn and a scoff of quaking and trembling, yet before him shall all Nations tremble, and the Rocks rend, and the Mountains melt, and the Hills be removed, for he is risen that shakes terribly the earth; but this thou art ignorant of, who art not yet come so far as the Devils, who do believe and tremble; and before ever thou do know the living God, and Jesus Christ to be thy Saviour, thou shalt witness quaking, and shaking down thy unclean nature, which is now head in thee; and if ever thou come to hear, the dreadful voice of the Almighty, it will make thy filthy, lying, deceitful Spirit (that speaks in the) to shake and quake, for dreadful is the Lord to the wicked; and all that can be shaken must be done away, that, that which cannot be shaken may remain. But though thou talk and professeth the Scripture in words, yet thou art utterly ignorant of them, and the plain words that they speak; and this that thou calls thy light, and thy Life, and thy Rule, thou shalt find will come to utter ruin (when Christ Jesus, who is the Cornerstone which all ye bvilders refuseth and disallows) shall stand and endure for ever, though he be for a Stone of stumbling, and a Rock of offence to such as thee; but he is become the head of our corner, on whom was are built, and founded, rooted, and grounded unmoveable for evermore: Glory and Praises be to the living powerful God for evermore. And thou exhorts them in the latter end of thy Paper, to be set in the Faith and Worship of God; but how confesseth thou knows not, nor doth not determine what it is, whether it be the Presbyterian way, or the Independent way, and so thou hast left them tottering indeed, (as thou art thyself) and thou and thy Religion is sure to come to utter ruin, that hath no better foundation, for thou sets them to two ways, to take whether they will, which makes thee clearly manifest that thou knows not the truth at all; for the truth is but one, and the way to it is but one; and thou who art exhorting them, hath thy way to seek yet: and thou who out of the way (which is but one) must needs be in the erros, among the Sects and Opinions, which is the broad way; but in the way of truth there is no division, for the light is one, and the way one, and the life one, and the faith one, and the baptism one, and one Spirit, and one Lord: but this thou art ignorant of, who knows nothing but the Letter without thee. But in the very close of thy Paper, thou tells them of the Law of God engraven upon their hearts: Thou might do well to look into that Law in thy own particular, and search and examine there in thy own conscience, and see whether thou hve given thy Paper forth from that which God hath written there, or thou hath had it from other Records without thee: (it may be in other Nations.) Alack for thee, thou art rude indeed, for thou hast compassed sea and land for these Stories that thou hast told in this Paper; and if thou could but get one Proselyte made by these lies and slanders, they might very well be seven fold more the child of the Devil. But now thou hast rambled up and down far distant, and from various Reports, it is well thou art come home now in the latter end: Now thou art come to the Law written in the heart; stay here a while, and turn thy mind to that of God in thy conscience (which he hath written in thy heart) and that will teach thee another lesson then to lie and slander, and falsely accuse, backbite, reproach, and scandal; this Teacher will teach thee none of this; but this will reprove thee, and show thee the evil of thy do, and the deceit of thy heart, and the enmity and envy that lodgeth there, against those which never did thee wrong: To this Teacher thou must come, and to this thou must stand or fall, for he will be no more removed into a corner: He is the swift Witness which cometh near to Judgement, and beareth witness against the Sorcerer, and against the Adulterer and false Swearer, and against them that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fears not the Lord of Hosts. Therefore consider what thou hast been doing all this while, and fear the Lord God, and hearken to the voice that calls behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk in it; and send not thine ear to the wicked, and so come to partake of their sins, and then thou wilt be sure to partake of their plagues. And so in love to thy soul we have answered this thy Paper and queries, and for the clearing of the Truth of God, which is innocent and clear of thy scandals and lies, and slanders, the Lord God is our Witness, who will plead our cause with our enemies, and clear the innocency of those that suffer for him; to whom alone we commit our cause, and to him alone return to be judged and tried, who alone judges the secrets of all hearts, who judgeth righteous Judgement, and gives unto every one according to their deeds; to him alone we commit our cause, for whom we stand witnesses, in sufferings, in trials, in buffet, in scourge, in whip, to whom we own our lives, and whose Testimony we are willing to seal with our blood, if we be called to it. To him who is our Strength and Rock, our Preserver and Deliverer, be all Glory and Dominion over all, to Reign and Rule, and have Dominion, who is King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, Blessed for evermore.   

So now to thee, who hath confessed thou hath none other Light, nor knows none other way to Christ thy Saviour, than the holy Scriptures, a few Queries to thee, and all those thou calls Minister, in New-England and elsewhere.  
Quaery 1. WHether God was not the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yea or nay?  
2. If so, How they did know him to be their God, seeing there was no Scriptures written then?  
3. How Moses knew God, and what God had wrought in so many Generations before him, seeing there was no Scripture before Moses writ?  
4. Whether did the Prophets of the Lord speak from a Scripture without them, (seeing that they said, thus saith the Lord) or what they spoke they received immediately from the Lord, yea or nay?  
5. And whether Christ Jesus, who is the Saviour of his people, was before Abraham, yea or nay?  
6. Whether the Apostles had their Testimony and assurance of salvation from the Scriptures without them, or from Christ Jesus, whom the Apostle said was within them the hope of glory, yea or nay?  
7. And if so, what ground or testimony have you, that the Scriptures without you is the Light, and the way to Salvation, seeing that those who spoke forth the Scripture had a witness and a testimony within them?  
8. What assurance or certain testimony hast thou, or you, that Christ that was crucified at Jerusalem so many hundred years ago, how do you know him to be your Saviour, since that you have no testimony but the writings without you?  
9 And whether he be not the Saviour of his people from their sins? and what sins ye are saved from who knows him not but as you have writings and records of him, that he was crucified so many hundred years since at Jerusalem; and how you would have known him if you had not had the Declaration of the Scriptures?  
10. And whether you do not lay waste Scriptures, and deny Christ, who saith they are the Way and Rule of life, whenas the Scripture saith, Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and that there is none that cometh to the Father but by him, yea or nay?  
11. And whether you do not deny Christ Jesus, and the Scriptures also, who saith the Scriptures is the Light, and that you know none other way to salvation; whenas Christ Jesus saith, I am the Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world, and he that walketh in this Light, shall have the Light of life; and whether you do not deny Christ, and the Scriptures, in this, yea or nay; seeing the Scriptures saith the same?  
12. And whether God in the Scriptures hath not promised a new Covenant, which he will make with his people, that he will write it in their hearts, and put it in their inward parts; and whether ye do not cross this Covenant who looks for salvation in outward writings, yea, or nay?  
13. Whether God hath not promised that he will teach his people himself, and that they shall not need to say, know the Lord, but they shall all know me from the least to the greatest, yea or nay?  
14. And whether the Teacher (which the Lord hath said shall be no more removed into a Corner) by which the Lord teacheth his people, whether this be the Letter of Scripture, yea or nay? And whether the Scripture may not be removed into a corner, yea or nay?  
15. What voice that is which calleth behind, saying, This is the way, walk in it; and whether the Scriptures be this voice, yea, or nay?  
16. And what way that is which shall be called the way of holiness, which the unclean shall not pass over, but it shall be for the waysaring man, though fools shall not err therein; and whether this way be the Scriptures, yea, or nay?  
17. And whether there may not be errage where there is no way known but the Scriptures, yea or nay?  
18. And whether the Apostle did not speak truth, when he said to the Romans, That which may he known of God, is manifest in them, for he hath showed it unto them; and whether that which God did show to them was Scripture without, yea or nay.  
19 And whether the Scriptures without be the Word of God, which was in the beginning, yea or nay?  
20. And whether that Word which Moses taught Israel, and that which the Apostle speaks of to the Romans, which is nigh in the heart, be not the same Word by which the Lord, teacheth his people, yea, or nay?  
21. And whether that Word which was in the beginning, and was with God, and which Word was God, by which all things were made, and without him was not any thing made that was made: and whether this be the Scripture without, yea or nay?  
23. And whether this be not him in whom is life, and the life is the light of men; and whether thou and you do not deny the Scriptures, and Christ Jesus, who is the word and the light, and the life and the way, who saith that the Scriptures is the light and eternal life, and the way to come to salvation, yea or nay.  
24. What right, or title, or interest hast thou or you to the Epistles which the Apostles writ to the Saints who received his Ministry, and followed, and was begotten by him, who was a Minister of the Spirit which quickeneth and maketh alive.  
25. And what is this to you who knows not the ministration of the Spirit, but all that you know is from the letter without you, whenas the Apostle saith, The Letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life, and the ministration of the Spirit turneth from the darkness to the light, and from the power of Satan unto God: and what light are you turned to, who know no other light but the Scriptures without you, which a great part of the world hath, and yet lives in darkness, and under the power of Satan.  
26. Whether you do not deceive your own souls, who takes these words which the Apostle spoke to a people which was made partaker of the same spirit which he spoke from, and was gathered into the light which he spoke from: And these words which he spoke to a people in another condition, ye take to yourselves, who knows no light (as you confess yourselves) but the Scriptures without you; and what this will avail you to take these words which was spoken to another seed, whenas the Apostle saith, The promise is not to seeds, as to many, but unto one seed, which is Christ, who is the light, and the way, and the Saviour of his people; and what is this to you, who have the Scriptures without you for your way, your light and eternal life.  
27. Whether the prophesyings in the Churches of Christ, which, we read on in the Scripture, was from the Letter without, or from the Spirit within; and whether you can judge of their conditions then, or now, who are come to the Spirit of Prophecy, who have no testimony of Christ but from the Letter without.  
The End.