The answer to William Penn Quaker, his book, entituled, The new witnesses proved old hereticks Wherein he is proved to be an ignotant [sic] spater-brain'd Quaker, who knows no more what the true God is, nor his secret decrees, then one of his coach-horses doth, nor so much; for the oxe knoweth his owner, and the ass his masters scrip, but Penn doth not know his maker, as is manifest by the Scriptures, which may inform the reader, if he mind the interpretation of Scripture in the discourse following. I. That God was in the forme, image and likeness of mans bodily shape, as well as his soul from eternity. ... VIII. What is meant by the armour of God, the wilderness, and the wilde beasts I fought with in the wilderness. / By Lodowick Muggleton.

CHAP. VI. (Book 6)

ANd as for Gods meting out the Heaven with a span, that was when God created the Heaven in the beginning, Gen. 1.1. The Heaven is the Firmament, as I said before, and God hath by his Wisdom and Power of his word, meted out the Firma∣ment of Heaven, to compass the Earth, as I said before; and being Gods handy work in the Creation, at the beginning it may properly be said, that he hath spanned out the Firmament with his span; and whereas he comprehended the dust of the Earth in a measure: That was when God had by his word speaking, caused the Waters to be gathered into one place, then the dry Land did appear, as in verse 9. and it was so, then God could comprehend the dust of the Earth in a measure, why be∣cause he could then see the length and breadth of it, and did see that the dust of the Earth, would be a place fit for all mortal Crea∣tures, which he intended to make to live in, and God did mea∣sure in his wisdom and understanding and Counsel, the length and breadth of this dry Land that did appear, and God knew it would serve for a good use, for mortal Creatures to live and inhabite in, to set forth his glory in the Creation; and in this sence God may be said to comprehend the dust of the Earth in a measure.

3. God may be said to have weighed the Mountains in Scales, and the Hills in a balance, that is, when the waters were ga∣thered tnto one place, by the word of the Lord in the beginning, then did the Mountains and Hills appear in sight, and when God saw them he weighed the great Mountains and the lesser, in the balance of his mind, and he saw that the Mountains and Hills of the Earth, would be very good, and useful for those Creatures he did intend to create; for the Hills and Mountains of the Earth were covered with water, before the Spirit of God moved upon the waters, in the beginning when God created this visible world, as it was in the days of Noah when the world was drowned, as may be seen, Gen. 7.19, 20. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the Earth, and the Ark went upon the face of the Waters: Atd the Water prevailed exceedingly upon the

Earth, and all the high Hills that were under the whole Heavens were covered, fifteen Cubits upwards did the Waters prevail, and the Mountains were covered: Thus the Hills and Moun∣tains were covered with Water, before God created this world, in the beginning as Moses doth declare; and in this sence God may be said to have weighed the Mountains in Scales, and the Hills in a balance of his own Wisdom, Counsel and Under∣standing; and yet the person of God, no biger then a middle statured man; this is the true interpretation and meaning of the Prophet Isaiahs words: Much more might be said in this point but it would be too large, hoping that the Readear will under∣stand what is written as to this point.

4. Penn quotes Isa. 40.18, 19, 21, 22. To prove that God is not in the form of a man, his words are these, to whom then will you liken God, what likeness will you compare unto him. The Workman melteth a graven Image, and the Goldsmith spreadeth it over with Gold: Have you not known, have you not heard, hath it not been told you from the beginning, have you not understood from the Foundations of the Earth; it is he that sits upon the Circle of the Earth, and the Inhabitants thereof are as Grashopers, that stretches out the Heavens as a Curtain, and spreads them out as a Tent to dwell in.

Answ. What doth this signifie to Penns purpose, or any wise doth prove that God is not in the form of a man; he gives no interpretation, nor meaning at all of those words of the Prophet Isaiah; for the Prophet doth in this place upbraid the House of Israel, for making of graven Images, and worshiping them for Gods: Now these People that did make these graven Images, and did worship them for Gods, were the Children of Jacob, whom God had chosen above all People in the world else; and that they ou••h•• to worship the God of their Fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jac••b; whose God was he that made man in his own Image and likeness, who spake to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Moses, and to their Fathers the twelve Patriarchs, they that knew God to be in the form of man in Heaven, they never made any graven Images as Gods to worship; but those Chil∣dren of Jacob, that were ignorant of Gods form and nature; the•• made Images as the Heathen did, to worship them as Gods, and ••••ey made their Gods of several forms; sometimes like a Castle, or like a young Bull, and sometimes like a Giant and o∣ther

Images, after the Heathen manner; & this making of graven Images of Wood and Stone, guilded over with Gold, and con∣secrateth it for a God, and fall down and worship the work of their own hands; as if this Image had created the World, and all Creatures therein, and brought them out of the Land of Egypt: What is this to Penns purpose, this doth no ways prove that God is not in the form of a man, nor that man is not the I∣mage of God, in respect of his bodily shape; but Penn gives no Interpretation nor meaning of these words, of the Prophets Isaiah, he only names the words of the Scriptures, & so leaves it.

Now it will be necessary, to give them the meaning of these words of the Prophet Isaiah; to whom will you liken God, what likenss will you compare unto him; the meaning is this, you Idolatrous minded People, to whom then will you liken God, what likeness will you compare unto him: the Reason of man saith, we will get cunning Workmen, that can Carve Wood and Stone, and that is Skilful in melting all sorts of Metalls, and of Silver and Gold; the Workman that can Carve Wood & Stone shall frame us out a God, that shall perhaps be like a Giant, like a man, or like a Calf, or some other Crea∣ture, as the Power in being would have it; and when the Work∣man at Carving hath done his part, then the other Skilf••l Wo••k∣man at melting of Metalls of Silver and Gold, with the ad∣vice of the Goldsmith, spreadeth it over with Gold, and when it is finished and made glorious to the natural Eye sight, it is de∣dicated and consecrated by the Priests and Powers to be a God, and that all that are under that Power, must fall down and wor∣ship that golden Image, as in Daniel 3.1. Nabuchadnezzar the King, made an Image of Gold, whose height was threescore Cubits, and breadth thereof six Cubits; he set it up in the Plain of Dura, in the Province of Babylon; and in the 2 verse. The King did dedi∣cate this Image to be worshiped, by all his noble Lords and People of his Realm: Now what form or shape this great Image was off, is not made manifest; whether it was in the form, shape or like∣ness of a man, or like a Calf, or any other Creature is not speci∣fied; but of what form soever the Image was like, it was dedicated to be a God to be worshiped, and it is very like this Image had Eyes but could not see, and Ears but could not hear, and a Nose but could smell, a•••• Feet but could not walk, and a Head but could not unde〈…〉〈…〉 Mouth but could not speak through the Throat: 〈…〉〈…〉; yet this Image must be a God

the Kings own making, and all People must fall down and wor∣ship this golden Image as God, that could neither see, hear nor speak.

And such kind of Gods as these, did the Children of Israel worship, and forsook the living God, that spake to their Fa∣thers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; therefore did the Prophet I∣saiah reprove them for making of graven Images, and dedicat∣ing them for Gods, to worship them; so that they did liken the living God that crea••ed the Heavens, and the Earth in the be∣ginning, and that sits upon the Circle of the Earth; he who hath laid the Foundations of the Earth, likewise he hath stretch∣ed out the Firmament of Heaven as a Curtain, and spread them out as a Tent, to dwell in the living God; may be said to sit upon the Circle of the Earth, because he hath laid the Foundation of the Earth by his word, and he knoweth by his wisdom and understanding, how the Earth hangs and stands up∣on nothing, as the Reason of man can see, yet it standeth firm; and no God else can remove it out of its place, nor cause it to fall; so that the living God by his Wisdom and Power, know∣eth how the Foundation of the Earth was laid in the in the be∣ginning, when he created all Creatures here in this world, and the Earth for his Footstool; it being the most inferiourest work of all Gods Creation, so that by his Wisdom and Power may be said, to lay the Foundations of the Earth: Now let the Reader consider, that he saith the Foundation of a Tower, hath matter and substance to lay the Foundation with, for without matter and substance no Foundation can be laid; so when God laid the Foundation of the Earth, there was the matter and sub∣stance of Earth, before he laid the Foundation of the Earrh; else it could not properly be said that God laid the Foundations of the Earth; if the Earth had not been before he created it in the beginning, and if it be granted that the Earth and Waters were before God created the Heavens and the Earth in the be∣ginning, as is most true, they were; then I say, the Earth and Wa∣ters must needs be eternal; for the word create the Heavens and the E••rth, doth not signifie that God made them of nothing, neither did God lay the Fondation of the Earth with nothing, he had m••tter and substance viz. Earth and Waters, which were et••r••••l substances, for the eternal God to work upon; for God di•• never m••ke any thing of nothing, as man doth vainly im¦g••••••, but more of this in the next point.