The memorable works of a son of thunder and consolation namely that true prophet and faithful servant of God and sufferer for the testimony of Jesus, Edward Burroughs, who dyed a prisoner for the word of God in the city of London, the fourteenth of the twelfth moneth, 1662.

THE Walls of Jericho Razed down to the GROUND: OR An Answer to a Lying Book, called, The Quaking Principles dashed in pieces: Wherein one called Henoch Howet, which goes under the name of an Ana∣baptist, doth falsely accuse, and maliciously belye us: his seven Principles, which he calls ours, I shall lay down, and what we own is vindicated, and what he hath belyed the Truth in, is turned upon his own head.

NOw is the time wherein the Lord God of Heaven and Earth is setting up a Kingdom, and exalting his Name in the Earth, and is exalting his own Son upon the holy Hill of Sion, and is discovering the Mother of Harlots, who hath made all Nations drunk with her Fornication, and Iezabel shall be cast into a Bed of Torment, and the fire of the Lord God is come down from Heaven, and is kindled in the Earth, to burn up and destroy, and to consume to ashes, even all those that have worshipped the Beast, and hath his Image, and the false Prophets that have deceived the Nations, and they both shall be taken alive, and cast into the pit; for the Lord is grieved and wearied with this adulterous and viperous Generation, who are offering up that which stinks in his nostrils, and strange fire, and are professing him and his Resurrection, who crucifie him, and put him to open shame, and they deny the end of his coming, and are offering in Cains nature, while they slay the Just, and are in the gainsaying of Corah, who perished in it, and so shall all those that gainsay the Lord in his Way; and now the Lord of Heaven and Earth is proclaming War with the Dragon and his Angels, and they shall be cast out, and whosoever doth resist him in his way shall be broken to pieces as a Potters vessel; and thou Henoch Howet, who would limit the holy One of Israel, and bind him up in thy carnal reason, and stint him in his Way, and Form up things in thy imagination from the Scripture, and walks by Tradition; thou art accusing us among the Papist, but let it stand for thy self, and to that in thy Conscience I speak, and it will let thee see that all thy worship is taken on in thy will, and in that nature in which the enmity stands, and so hath taken on things, and taken up things by tradition from others, and that which was commands to others, who fol∣lowed the Lamb whithersoever he went, and no commands to thee, nei∣ther doth God require those things of that nature, neither doth he accept it, while the bands of wickedness is not loosed, and the oppressed is not set free, and therefore let all flesh and carnal reason be silent, for God will confound the wisdom of the wise, and they that have divined in their reasons, which is in the curse, and under the curse, shall be mad, now in the day when God is raising up his own Image, and bringing back that which hath long been held in captivity, and now the men of the Earth, Pharaoh, and all the Inchanters of Egypt, and the South-sayers, and the Diviners, and Gog and Magog, among which thou Hewet art found

one, and they compass the Camp of the Saints about, but fire shall come down from Heaven, that shall destroy all the Adversaries of the Lord, and Israel shall go free.

1. That which thou calls our first Principle; And first, thou sayest, They oppose the Word Christ, to the written word; and will have a Word that is a discovery spiritual to be the Word, but whatsoever it is they call the Word, it is perfectly false, and not the truth.

Answer. Oh thou Lyar and Slanderer, the Lord will plead with thee, for Addars Poyson is under thy tongue, and thou hast a Whores forehead, that art not ashamed of thy false accusing, let hundreds in the City of Lon∣don, who hath heard us, be witness against thee, and thy Lyes that thou hast Printed, and suffers them to be cryed up and down the streets, as thy filthy Songs and Ballads, and runs to disgrace the Truth, but to the Lord, who is righteous, shalt thou give an account; and thou art as Ianes and Iambres, that withstood Moses, and for all thy hard Speeches and fil∣thy. Lyes, shalt thou give an Account for to him who is the Searcher of hearts, and that in thy Conscience shall bear witness against thee; and that we oppose the Word Christ to the written word, as thou callst it, I charge it upon thee, that we do not oppose Christ to the Scripture, for Christ is the Word, Iohn 1. and this the Scripture doth not oppose, but bears witness to him who is the Word; and his Name is called the Word of God, and this Word became flesh and dwelt among us, as the Scriptures witness, and the Word of the Lord endures for ever; but he doth not say the Letter endures for ever: but thou that art accusing us that we do not own a form of sound words, here thou shalt be judged out of thy own mouth; where readst thou of a written word in the Scripture? and here thou shalt be tryed by the Scripture, and judged by it, that thou art a perverter of the Scripture; thou wouldst have more words then one, the Word is but one, the Word sanctifies, Sanctifie them through thy Word, but he doth not say the Letter sanctifies; And the Word of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting, but the Letter is not from everlasting; and the Scripture had a beginning, and was declared in time, and Prophesie shall cease, but the Word is from everlasting to everlasting; And the Word of the Lord is as a Hammer, and as a Fire, but the Scripture doth not say that it is as a Hammer and a Fire; and yet the Word that he spoke was Spirit and Life, yet the Scripture is not Spirit and Life; and thou that wouldst set up the Letter in the place of God, to try all things, and search all hearts, thou makest an Idol of it, and so opposes God with it, and so would bring that to contend against the Lord, the which they witnessed through sufferings: and I tell thee and all the world, the Word is but one, and all who knows God hears that Word, and it is a Light and a Lanthorn unto their Pathes, but that is invisible and eternal, and what the Saints did witness of this Word they declared, 1 Iohn, and the Scripture is true, and bears true record and testimony of the Word, and they were true Witnesses of the Word of Life that wrote it, and it is a true Declaration or Testimony of those things that are certainly believed, Luke 1. of the which they saw, and heard, and tasted; and all who come to know the Word of the Lord, reads it again, and sees it as it is written: and further, thy en∣vy and shame is made manifest, that thou wouldst accuse, and yet thou sayst whatsoever they call the word, it is perfectly false, and not truth; here thou would judge, and yet thou canst not tell what we call the Word, but at last concludes its false whatever it be: and here thou blasphemes, and callest Christ Jesus, in whom is all truth, false; for no other Word I own but Christ; and the Scripture speaks of no Word of God, but one; and thou that wouldst make the Letter the Word, it self shall judge thee; and thou makest much mincing and arguments in thy carnal reason, and sayst the ground of error, is ignorance of the Scripture, and thou bringst Mark and Matthew; alas, I know what Mark and Matthew wrote is true, if thou

hadst an ear to hear, the ground of all error is because he is not known, nor his voice whom the Scriptures bear record of; and thou sayst we drive men into darkness, that works upon people to dis-esteem the Scripture, and perswades people to an uselessness of the Scriptures; let all that have heard us in the City of London, or elsewhere, speak, if they heard us say the Scri∣ture was useless, or did dis-esteem it; but on the contrary we exhorted them to search if the Scripture did not bear witness to those things we declared, and so let shame cover thy face thou false Accuser; and thou bringst 2 Tim. 3. 17. that it is for the perfecting the man of God, and that its profitable to correct and instruct; this is owned, but its not the man of God thou wouldst have perfected by it, but such Hirelings as thy self hath been, and false Accusers as thou art; and I say it is profitable to us to reprove thee, and correct thee, and read thy portion; a Lyars portion is in the Lake, and as Rom. 15. 4. its not denyed; but as Christ Jesus is witnessed, who is the Comforter, which the Scripture bears witness of, there is comfort and hope; and thou sayst, the Scripture proves the New birth, and teacheth perseverance to the end; It bears testimony of some that did witness the New birth, and that persevered unto the end; but what is this to thee, that never came one step in the way? and as for promises, there is no promise, but condemnation in the Scripture, in such as thee, and read it, The Lyar and false Accusar, and the Envious shall not inherit the Kingdom of God; and there own thy promise and thy portion.

2. Particular which thou callst a mistake, that is speaking to a thing within thee; I would fain (sayst thou) know what can be meant of the thing within men; for there is nothing to be spoken to in man, but man.

Answer. Here thy ignorance, shame and envy is made manifest, that thou that hath pretended to be a Minister, and a Pastor of a Church, and cannot tell what thou hast spoke; to what hast thou ministered, to the Wind? or hast thou ministered to the Devil, and preached glad ti∣dings to him, who is in the transgression, and free grace to him that hath walked contrary to God? it is so; and therefore thou, and all who are in that nature, knows not what you speak, and therefore none hath been at all profitted by your Ministery; and blessed be the Lord that its hid from the eyes of the Wise, and revealed to Babes: and thy envious spirit is seen, that it is of thy father the Devil, who is the Accuser of the Brethren, that would lay a thing down as an error, and tells of dashing in peices our Principles, and yet knowst not what they are, nor what we speak; dost thou accuse, and knowst not for what, let shame cover thy face, that ever thou shouldst put pen to paper, or speak of God or Christ, and speakest thou knowst not what, and then thou hast hatched a thing, and concludes there is nothing in man to be spoken to, but man, and before thou knewst not, and so art in confusion; for Christ and his Apostles always spoke to man, thou sayst the Apostle saith, he went and ministered to the Spirits in prison, and to open the bind eye, and to raise the dead, and the dead should hear the voice of the Son of God and live, and he preached liberty to the captive, and is given for a Covenant to open the blind eyes, and unstop the deaf ears, and make the Lame to walk, if thou hast an ear thou mayst hear, but not to feed thy Serpents wisdom do I speak, I will shut thee out, for into it thou canst not enter, but through death, and death wrote the book; and the Apostles were made manifest to every mans Con∣science in the sight of God; and the slothfull servant had a talent given to improve, which was anothers, and not his own, and that was required of him, and that will God require of man; and unto that we speak which hears us, and shall witness us eternally, even that which is not in the transgression, neither is of man, but is given to man to improve, and yet is not far from man; but this is a mystery, and it shall be sealed; for without a parable spoke he not to such as thou art, and I know this is a parable; but in the end thou sayst, thou knowst not how they can speak to any light in man, distinct from him, unless they speak unto Satan, or some

of his Legions: here again thy shame and ignorance is made manifest, we speak to the ear, and the eye in man, which the god of the World hath blinded, and this is not of man, and yet is not far from man; but [distinct] that is thy own word, I do not own it: bring forth the Blind that hath eyes, and the Deaf that hath ears; did the Prophets speak to the Devil in man; we speak to the witness of God in man, and according to this shall all be judged; if thou hast an ear thou mayst hear; oh thou Blasphemer, dost thou call that which may be known of God, which is manifest in Romans 1. 19, 20. dost thou call this a Legion of Devils, even that which declares the eternal Power and Godhead, but thou art he that calls the Ma∣ster of the house Belzebub, and in that nature thou art, and the Lord will re∣buke thee.

3. Principle, That thou calls a mistake, that is, The denying the use of Reason in the matters of God, calling it Serpentine.

Answ. The World by wisdom knows not God, and all the disputing and twining, and lavishing of the wisdom of man, and that which thou callst reason, it is corrupted, and is shut out; and who lives in that nature are the unreasonable men that hath not faith: now he that hath not faith, hath not reason, and he that hath faith, hath the Witness in himself; but I see thee, thy witness is without thee, and so thou speaks unreasonably; and all that would understand the mysteries of the Kingdom, must come through death, for Light shines in Darkness, but Darkness cannot comprehend it, and therefore one cryes, lo here, and another, lo there, and with that which thou callst reason, is Scripture torn asunder, and it begets strife, contention, endless disputes and striving for Mastery, which is carnal; and all this we deny: And thou sayst [upon this ground they will not do as the Apostles and Christ himself, who disputed with the gainsayers, Ioh. 6. and Stephen, Acts 6.] and thou bringst in some of the Synagogue of Libertines, and Syrenians, and Alexandrians, and the rest that disputed with Stephen, and they were not able to resist him: let ma∣ny hundreds of this City of London, both in publike, and in private, bear witness against thee, if we have not disputed, and have not been ready to give an answer to the gainsayers, though not such a one as they desired, even as Christ our Master did not answer the Iews in their subtil tempting of him; and of those Sects that encountred both Stephen and Paul, truly I must needs say unto thee, we have met with the same Generation in this City, whereof thou are one, and truly more subtil then they were, but in the eternal Light you are all seen, and many though they could not gainsay, yet have resisted us; and after a little, thou pleads not for carnal reason, for this will not suffer any to follow Christ: further, then they can carry their own things, their honours, pleasures, ease and lusts, to that in thy Conscience I speak whether this doth not rule thee and guide thee; it will let thee see thou art pleading for honour, and respecting mens persons, and hath them in admiration, because of advantage, and brings the example of others to prove and uphold thy deceit, which they were neither commanded nor com∣mended for to oppose the commands of Christ, and the express Scripture: and thou goes on further and sayst, [God is the Author of memory, and wisdom and reason] but I tell thee there is a wisdom and a reason that God will confound, for by faith we know the heavens were made, and see them upholden, and by faith all things is brought to our remembrance, and it is the Light that convinceth of sin, even the Light of Christ; and so in the eternal Light I see what thou pleadst for, for eating of the tree of knowledge, and there thou art, till thou art become a Fool, and dead to that reason, thou shalt never eat of the tree of Life, and therefore Flesh, be silent: and thou sayst, thou dost not allow that reason that gets only a conclusion, or an argument instead of Christ; and after thou sayst the day is yet to dawn, and the day Star to arise, and thou cryes violently for it: and here what hast thou more for an assurance of thy salvation, then an argu∣ment, and a conclusion instead of Christ; for thou confesses the day is not dawn∣ed, and then thou are yet in the night, and in darkness, for the day dawns, and the day star arises before Christ be witnessed; but thou knows no such thing, as either Christ, or the dawning, if thou had not others testimony, and that is

without; and thou art one Christ spoke of, Since Iohn the Kingdom suffers violence, and many thrust into it; and thou art striving, and are violent; but I say thou shalt not be able till thou layst down thy contending in thy carnal wisdom, and striving, and resisting; but thou must become a Fool, and sit at Jesus feet, but thou art full, and rich and whole, and need no Physitian, and therefore thou must be sent empty away, and when the Book of Conscience shall be opened, thou shalt be judged for what thou hast done against the Innocent.

Now something in Answer to the Fourth Particular, which thou sayest is a Tenent held forth by the Northern people; which is, A denying of the Ascension and Beeing of the Body of Christ.

Answ. O thou Enemy of Righteousness, when wilt thou cease to pervert the right Way of God, who uttereth thy Lyes and Slanders against the Innocent; God shall judge thee, and between thee & us, whether thou hast not uttered Lyes and false Accusations in the Name of the Lord, and put forth in Writing unto the World for truth, that which is absolutely contrary unto the Truth; God will reward thee, thou full of subtilty, according to thy deeds, who takes part with the Dragon against the Lamb, & goes about by thy lying Slanders, to render the Way of Truth (which thou canst not comprehend in thy serpents wisdom) odious unto all men, but God taketh our part against thee, and will dash thy Lyes and Slanders, and thy Impudent Fore∣head in pieces, even by that Power which makes the Earth to quake & tremble, which is become a reproach unto this Generation, many who have heard us since we came to this City (though our Enemies) shall witness against thee, and for us, in this particular; for we have oft witnessed forth, and I do here again witness forth in the sight of God and men, that Christ Jesus is risen, and ascended far above all Principalities and Powers, and the same which descended into the lower parts of the Earth, is also ascended, and raigns over all, subjecting all unto himself, that he may be Lord over all, and in all, and may be glorified by all; and Members of his Body we are (who thou enviously raylst against) and Witnesses of the Body we are whereof Christ Jesus is Head; and because of the Resurrection of the dead Bo∣dy, which is ascended, we are called in question, and all Sects & Opinions are trou∣bled, and on an uproar concerning us; and I tell thee plainly, we are so far from de∣nying the Ascension and Beeing of the Body of Christ, that because of being cal∣led to witness it, as being Members of it, we are persecuted and reviled by such as thy self, whose carnal conceptions and imaginations of Truth we do deny, and do testifie unto you all, that through death is the Resurrection and Ascension witnessed, and every one that reads the Scripture is not witnesses of the resurrection of the body of Christ; and all whose witness is onely without them, other mens words, which had the Witness within them, we deny to be true Witnesses, but are found false Witnesses of the Resurrection, and of the Ascension, and knows not Christ, nor his body but by hearsay; and whereas thou bringst many Scriptures to prove his Resurrection and Ascension: I answer, the Scriptures we own to be a true Declaration of the Witness which was in the Apostles of the Resurrection and of the Ascension of Christ; but thee we deny, who are found a Lyar and a Slanderer, and thy resurrection will be unto condemnation, and thy ascension will prove a descending into the Bottomless-pit, for ever to be tormented, except thou repent; and from the Life of the holy men of God thou are razed out, who art found in the way of ungodliness, and thou hast nothing to do to profess their words, who art out of their life, nor no inheritance in their words, but as thou steals them, adding thy own imaginations upon them, and wresting them to thy own destruction, being one unlearned in the Way of God, and in the Doctrine of Christ.

And whereas thou sayst, And thus you see how these men deny the Lord that bought them, if they deny the Body that was crucified for them.

I answer, We deny not the Lord that bought us, for by him can we say we have received the end of his coming, and of his Death and Ascension, even he hath pur∣chased us, and set us free from the Power and Kingdom of the Divel, of Lyes, and Slanders, and false Accusations of us, by whom the Man-child is brought forth; and this shall stand for thy own condition, who art a wandring Star, and hath no habi∣tation

in the Heavens; God will plead with thee, thou who hast set thy self against the Lord, in Slandring and reviling his servants.

Now to thy fift Particular, That we deny the Ordinances of Christ, in which thou sayest, We also deny the Lord that bought us.

Answ. The Way unto God, and unto Everlasting Life, which is Christ Jesus, we do not deny, but are true Witnesses, that same Christ alone which was crucified at Ierusalem, and which God hath raised from the dead, and which is ascended, in him alone is Salvation, and by him also alone are all justified that believe in him; and this we declare freely unto all people, that Christ is the Ordinance of God, ordained by him, for the Salvation of all that believe, and for the Con∣demnation of all that believe not in him; and that the Way unto this Christ, is not any outward visible thing, but even that which is manifest from him, leads up unto him, even the Light by which he hath enlightened every one that cometh in∣to the World, which is Spiritual, as Christ is Spiritual; and whereas thou sayest, there is nothing that Christ commanded, but we deny it, mentioning only your Baptism, and Breaking of Bread, which is your Idol, and your Image you bow unto; the one Baptism, which is by one Spirit into one Body, into the Death of Christ, we are Witnesses of; and the Bread which we break, is the Communion of the Body of Christ, and we being many, are one Bread; but the beggerly Rudiments of the World we testifie against, being Witnesses of the Substance, and your taking on practices in that nature which is contrary unto Christ, from the Words and Commands of Christ, unto them that followed him, we also testifie against; and in it you are found among the Papists, which walks by Tradition, and not from the Motion of the Spirit of God; and here thou art found a Lyar; for the Commands of Christ is our life, our joy, our peace and glory, and here∣by we know that we love him, because we keep his Commandments, and they are not grevious unto us (which is not received by tradition from without us, but by the Eternal Spirit, Christ Jesus revealed in us, which is not contrary to his Com∣mands without, but a fulfilling of them; for he is not a Iew who is one out∣wardly, whose praise is of men; neither is the Obedience which Christ doth re∣quire a conforming the outward man unto an outward thing, which Obedience is your boasting onely, and there only your difference lieth from all the World, in the outward appearance, Pharisee-like; but the ground of enmity, and seat of the Beast is standing within, and you are twofold more the children of the Devil; and God is risen to confound you, and to break your Image to pieces; and he shall have the praise of God who is the Jew inward, whose obedience and circumcision is inward, and who have no confidence in the flesh: And whereas thou exhorts to hear one loving Reproof out of the Scripture, which their Prede∣cessors (I mean the Papists) thou sayest would have taken from us in the English Tongue, and these would take from us the vertue of it, that is to say, the sharpness and sweeness of it, by working upon us a dislike to it: I Answer, we do deny thy voice, and though thou mayst bring Scripture in thy mouth to us, it is but as the Devil brought it to Christ, and we deny it from thee; for if thou sayst God lives thou swears falsly; and the Papists they are thy Predecessors, who walks only by tradition as thou dost, from a thing without them, separate from the Life, and both them and thee we do deny, and bears witness against you, to be without God, in the World, in the alienation, out of the Covenant, knowing nothing of him but what you have heard by a Fame and a Report and that we in the least would take from any the virtue of the Scripture; it is a Lye uttered by the Devil in thee: for we testifie unto all, that it shall every tittle be fulfilled, even upon the ungod∣ly, and thou shalt know it one day to be fulfilled upon thee, thou Lyar must be cast into the Lake that burns for ever; and this is the sharpness and sweetness which thou must have from it, who art a false Accuser of the Brethren, bearing the Image of the Dragon, the Devil, whose servant thou art, as it is made manifest by thy Writing; and this many will witness with us, that often we do declare upon the just and the unjust the Scripture must be fulfilled, and the righteous must have a Reward, and the ungodly must have their Portion in utter darkness, ac∣cording

as the Scripture saith; and herein we establish the Scripture in its place, to be a true Declaration of God and Christ, and what the righteous and the wic∣ed shall enjoy; but that it is God and Christ, or the Way unto Life, we deny it; for this is its vertue, a declaration of that which the Saints believed, and he that witnesses the same Life and Truth which it testifies of, to be made manifest in him, is a Witness of it, and it is a Witness unto him, and this is the vertue of it; if thou hast an ear thou mayest hear, and that we work upon Any a dislike of the Scriptures, I charge thee to be a Lyar; for to the fulfilling and establishing of it we declare, that every one may walk up in the Life of it, by that which gave it forth, and to be a true witness of it, as they were that spoke it; but thee, and all such we do deny, which adds your imaginations upon it, to sell for money.

And whereas thou sayst by way of Query to us, [Hath the Scripture no power over you? have you a spirit to guide you without a written word; it is out of Gods Government if it cannot be brought to the Law and to the Testimony?]

I answer, Jesus Christ onely hath power over us, and not a Letter without us; and the Spirit by which we are guided, is no other but that which gave forth the Scripture, which Spirit is the Word of God, and which Spirit the Scripture bears witness unto; and this we often say, if we speak or act contrary to Scripture, let us be judged by the Scripture; and we, as Paul did, do commend all that shall search the Scripture, to try whether these things be not so which we declare; and herein we are under the Government of God, who alone hath power over us; but you who have not the same spirit which gave forth the Scripture, neither knows it nor us; but out of the evil corrupt ground thou judgest of it, as thou dost of us, and both thy judgment of it and us is to be judged by the Eternal Light of Christ, which never erreth nor changeth.

And whereas thou sayest [We may be Familiar-spirits for ought thou knowest, what muttering and uncouth howling is among us, which you cannot but impute to be a spirit contrary to the Word, if we will not come to the Word to be tryed.]

I answer, it is true, thou knowst us not, for we are unknown to thy Gene∣ration, (though you have the Scripture, which we in our lives and practices, are Witnesses of) as Christ was unknown to the Pharisees, who had the Scrip∣ture, which he came to fulfil; and thou art ignorant of the Scripture, and a Scorner of the Power of it, who callst the Power of the Lord uncouth howl∣ing; what would you have said concerning David, who lay roaring all the day long even as a man distracted? and concerning Habakkuk, whose belly trembled, and whose lips quivered when he heard the Voice of God? But here you are made manifest, who scorns that which the Scripture bears witness of, and never knew what it was to be pricked to the heart, as they were which cryed out, what shall we do to be saved? and, if thou canst, thou may try by the Scripture, whether this be any other but that which the Scripture speaks of, and not the same Spirit which made the Servants of God to quake and tremble, which the Scriptures speaks of, which this day is become a reproach, even unto them that profess the Scripture; for by the Word of God, which the Scripture declares of shall all flesh tremble and be confounded, and then thy self shall be judged into the Lake that burns for ever, except thou repent.

And whereas thou sayest, How shall you do to try spirits, if we deny both the written Word which is your Rule, and Reason too; for we appeal from both.

Answ. Art thou not ashamed to say, The Scripture is thy Rule, who art found a Lyar and a false Accuser; thy Rule shall try thee, and shall bear witness against thee, when God judgeth thee by Jesus Christ; for neither by the Scripture nor thy corrupt reason, canst thou know the things of God, who art a natural man, in the fall, in the World, without God: But again I say, let any try us, in our lives and in our practices, and if we speak or act contrary to the Scripture, judge us by it; but thy eye is blinded, and when thou feest the Scripture fulfilled, even

crying out as a Woman in travel, thou calls it uncouth howling, and a spirit con∣trary to the Scripture; and how art thou able to try who art blind and deaf in the mystery of the Kingdom of God, for thy reason must never enter unto God, but is shut out, and in seeing thou seest not, and in hearing thou dost not understanst; and upon thee herein is the Scripture fulfilled.

And whereas thou sayest, We will not have Christ to rule over us, for we deny both his Person and Word, which is the Rule of Life and Love.

I answer, O thou Lyar, God shall judge thee, let shame cover thee, and let thy own Conscience convince thee of thy Lyes and Slanders against the Innocent, Christ Jesus is our Head, and we are of his Body, and his Word is sweet unto us, even our life and rule of life, and by him we see thee to be an Enemy to him, and from him I judge thee; not his Word, but the spirit of the Devil is thy rule, for he is the Ruler and Father of Lyes and Lyars, and thy Portion thou must have with him in the Lake; and what thou sayest of us it shall stand for thy own Condition, thou wilt not have Christ to rule over thee, who lives in thy lust and carnal mind without the fear of God, which Christ comes to destroy in all that witness him.

And whereas thou sayest, In the Name of God thou proclaimest, That those men that disown the written Word, are not Spiritual men; they may have the Spirit of Anti∣christ.

Answ. Thou hast nothing to proclaim from God, but as the false Prophets had other mens words; and also I say, if thou find any that disown the Scripture, we also disown such, and do say they are not spiritual men, but have the spirit of Antichrist, and of this number thou art, guided by the spirit of Antichrist, who art a Lyar and a false Accuser, which is contrary to the Spirit of Christ, and art without Faith, and so art unreasonable in the corrupt reason, without pure and undefiled Reason.

And whereas thou sayest, Who but the spirit of Antichrist durst countermand the Com∣mands of our Law-giver the Lord Iesus Christ?

I answ. The Commands of Christ are Spiritual, and in and by the Spirit, and not traditional from the Letter without, and Antichrist may conform to the Com∣mand without, as the Pharisees did, and yet be an Enemy to the Life and Substance of his Commands; and this is thy own condition as it was the Pharisees, who said, He destroyed the Law, who came to fulfil it, as thou sayest, We make void and deny the Commands of Christ, when as we are Witnesses of them, and directs all unto the fulfilling of them; and thy spirit here is tryed to be the spirit of Antichrist, the same which was in them which persecuted Christ; and thou raylst and slanderest his Members.

And whereas thou sayest, There were never any men appeared in the World so like those that Peter speaketh of in his second Epistle; and these desire to overthrow the Writings of the Spirit of God.

I answ. Peter spoke of such as thou art, for as a Cloud carryed about with a Tempest thou art, and a Well without water, and defilest the flesh, and dispisest the Saints dignity, and speakest great swelling words of Vanity, whilst thou thy self art a Servant of corruption, serving the Devil, by lying and falsly accusing: and that we desire to overthrow the Writings of the Spirit of God, thou art a Lyar, for we go about to establish them, and declares of him who is the Substance of them, and God will reward thee according to thy deeds: Who also accuseth us of un∣seemly Kissing in Glasiers-hall, thou sayest, if Mr Pope do not belye us.

I answer, This is another Lye which proceeds from thee; let all the honest heart∣ed which ever have frequented our Assembly at that Place testifie against thee, and Pope, and your father the Devill, whom by lying you, serve, and that no unseemly Actions have proceeded from us, but Sobriety and Civility; and un∣seemly Actions shall stand for thy own condition, they are such as thy self, who commits unseemly brawling, and folly, and vain contending against the Truth in Glasiers-hall, as many Honest-hearted will witness against you, and for us

who have seen your base actions, as Scorning and Flouting in that Place; and so here you your selves are guilty of the Wontonness which Peter speaks of, and of aluring through the lust of the flesh, which thou slanderously wouldst cast it upon us.

And thou further sayest, None ever promised to themselves so much liberty as these and the Ranters, in being freed from the power and tryal of the Word.

I answer, Both the Ranters and thee we do absolutely deny, and testifie against you both to be in the enmity against God, and against us who are his Servants: Thou before didst rank us with the Papists, and now among the Ranters; but herein the Scripture is fulfilled upon us, as they have done unto Christ, so they do unto us; he was numbred among Transgressors by the Generation of painted Sepulchers, and whited Walls, as we are by thee; and all liberty which is of the flesh, and to the flesh, we do deny, as many can witness, who are Witnesses of our Ministery; and again I say, he that is able, let him try us by the Scrip∣ture; but thou art blind, and hath hardened thy heart against God, and hath neither salt nor savory, and so are good for nothing but to be trodden under foot.

And whereas thou sayest, The Lord bless every one of his from the condition of Chandler, who formerly was the head of a Company of Shakers.

I answer, The day is coming when thou canst not flee the wrath of God, though thou pray, God will not hear thee; and if ever thou hast seen Chandler in this condi∣tion, thou mightst have read thy figure in him, weeping, and howling, and gnash∣ing of teeth will be thy portion for ever; and I say unto thee, this condition of Chandlers is not come upon him, because he was once a Shaker, by the dread of the Lord upon him, but because he went out from that condition, out of the fear of God into the liberty of the flesh, out of his shaking and fearing state which once he was in, and this he shall witness with me to be true, and against thee, who would reproach the Way of Truth by him, when the Book of Conscience is opened.

And whereas thou further sayest, Their spirit will perswade them that they are not fallen from righteousness, and would therefore justifie them.

I answer, We are gathered up into righteousness, and fallen from vanity, and this the Spirit of God perswadeth us, and witnesseth in us and for us, by which onely we are justified freely, and not by the works of the Law, nor by any outward observance; and herein thou also art a Lyar; who sayst, we are fallen from righteousness, for even the righteousness of God is manifested to us, by which we deny all your carnal outward observances, by which you think to obtain life and righteousness.

Now in answer to thy sixth Particular, which thou calls a heavy and sad offence, which is a denying honour to men, which thou sayst is the example of good men; to which I do answer: God hath commanded to honour him alone, and not to how down to any Creature, and thou hast brought many Scriptures to oppose the com∣mand of God, and so art more fully made manifest to be an enemy unto him, which would plead against him, by that which is written from him, pleading the example of good men, which is no example to us to break the command of God, no more then Davids example in comming whoredom, and Iosephs example in swearing by the life of Pharoah, is an example for any to act those things now; and I do utterly deny that any of these Scriptures, which thou hast cited, will prove and maintain your heathenish custom, in your deceitfull way of honouring one another, to please the Devil in one another, which is without the fear of God; and it is a sad offence to none but the Devil, because it weakens and disturbs his Kingdom, of which thou art, as is made manifest, who pleads to uphold it from the Scripture; but vain honour with flattering titles unto any man, we do deny; but yet we honour all men in the Lord, and out of him we honour none, to uphold the pride of man for God will bring it all down, and lay it in the dust, and exalt himself, to reign over you all; and whereas thou sayst, [how far are these men from the holy Writ:]

To which I say and answer, thou slanderously wouldst make us to appear odious in the sight of men, but all the upright in heart will see thee, and thy blindness and ignorance, who bringst that Scripture where Christ (in fulfilling the Law of God, which he came to fulfil) worshipped in the Temple, to prove and maintain the worship of man.

Answ. O thou blind Pharisee and perverter of the Scripture, God will plague thee, thou enemy of his truth; who perverts the Scripture, to thy own destruction, and art worse then the Pharisees, who said, he respected no mans person, and they shall witness against thee; and whereas thou speaks of honouring Father and Mother, which thou sayest we deny in this our practice: I answer, I charge thee to be a Lyar, for, as I said, we honour all men in the Lord, and direct all Children and Servants, to obey their Parents and Masters in the Lord; and this many can witness for us, which have more frequented our Assemblies then thou hast done; but this we also testifie, where the obedience to any man stands in opposition to God, the obedience to God is rather to be chosen; and herein he that will not hate Father or Mother for Christ sake is not worthy of him; but thou carnal earthly man art pleading for the Kingdom of the Devil, to honour man above God; and I say how can you believe, that seeks honour one of another? your honour and your heathenish custom we testifie against, yet unto every Ordinance of man we are subject for Conscience sake.

Now to that which you call the seventh mistake, [affording absolute per∣fection at one Instant, in admitting of none but perfect men into conjun∣ction.]

Answ. It is a mistake in thee, for such a word never proceeded from us, I may say it is rather an absolute Lye invented by thee, to make us odious, then a mistake from us; for thy heart is desperately wicked, and thy torment is kindling by the Breath of the Almighty; many which have heard us will testifie against thee; for we say the Saints have their growth up into a perfect man in Christ, as Christ himself had, and we say also, there is children, and young men, and fathers, as the Apostle said, but thou art not ashamed to utter thy Lies and Slanders, which hundreds in this City will witness against thee for a Lyar; and even the light in thy Conscience will accuse thee to thy face, that thou hast imagined lyes and mischief upon thy bed against us; and whereas thou bringst many Scriptures to prove thy slanders against us to be true: to which I answer, all the Scriptures we own and bear witness unto, by that Spirit from which they were spoken; but thee and thy spirit we deny, for both you and it is of the Devil; and thou hast devillishly added thy imaginations upon them, and wrested them, which I shall not now men∣tion, because I do deny the thing which thou assertest, for its an absolute lye, and do say unto thee, God will reward thee thou slanderous tongue: and where∣as further thou sayest, [in our perfection, we deny any man, being under frailty, or capableness to sin, to be of our communion.]

I answer, here again thou art a Lyar, these words were never uttered by us, as thou hast set them down; but I say he that sins is of the Devil, and such we have no unity withal, nor such hath no unity with God; for no impure thing enters to him, nor hath communion with him; for whosoever works abomination, is to be cast out, and trodden in the winepress of his wrath, where the portion of Lyars is, among whom thou must receive thy reward; for with such we have no union, who are disobedient children, but with him who in the least measure which he hath received from God, walks up in the Light unto God, we have unity and communion with him. Thou sayst one of us told thee [that which sinned could not be saved.] I answer, it is out of the reach of thy wisdom, and thy vulterous eye shall never see it; I say as the Scripture saith, The soul that sinneth must die, and every man must die for his own iniquity, if thou hast an ear thou mayst hear; and further thou sayest, [that our Doctrine may appear to be utterly against the Scripture thou bringst, Rom. 7. 23.] where Paul was under the Law, and saw a Law in the members warring against the Law of the mind: I answer, his

Scripture we own, and are ture Witnesses of it; but there was also a time, that the Law of the Spirit of Life had freed him from the Law of sin and death; but thy ignorance is made manifest, who bringst one Scripture to oppose another, and knowst not the conditions in thy self, from which Paul spoke, and so art ignorant of what he spoke; for I say, there is a time without the Law, and a time under the Law, and a time dead to the Law, and not under it, and all these states Paul witnessed, which we also in our measures are witnesses of, which thou knowst not in thy self, and so wrests Pauls words; And whereas thou sayest, [Yet let not them think that we by this doctrine nourish sin, having brought many Scriptures to plead for sin;] I answer, being guilty in thy self, thou art afraid, and hath a jealousie lest we should lay it to thy charge; and truly concerning thee we think nothing in this matter, for thy heart, and the secrets of it is made manifest in the Eternal Light, by which thou are comprehended, and answered, and by which God will eternal judge thee; therefore repent lest the wrath of God overtake thee, and thou be swept away with the Beesom of destruction, who hath falsly accused and slandered us with lies and false reproaches: but now its the time that Pilate and Herod is made Friends, and Gog and Magog is gathered together to compass the Camp of the Saints about; and even the Priests and their Crew, and the Ana∣baptists and their Crew, and all Sects is combined against the Truth, but God is with us, and in him alone can we rejoyce over you all for ever and ever; and in him make our boast all the day long, for this is our heritage; every tongue that riseth up in judgement against us shall be condemned, for the Lord is our porti∣on, and even the stone which is become the head stone of the corner; and thou Howet shalt be grinded to powder by it, who hath bent thy bow to shoot at the righteous; therefore consider what thou hast done, and repent, lest God tear thee in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

By one who is zealous for the Name of the Lord of Hosts, called, EDWARD BURROUGH.