Darkness AND IGNORANCE.  
Expelled by the Light shining forth, and the appearance of the Day.  
In answer to a Book called, Innocents no SAINTS.  
Published by one Edward Dodd, wherein he hath laboured to prove tithes lawful, and Tithing Priests and Hirelings to be the Ministers of the Word, and the mass-house the Church, and calls Idolatry Civility, and Heathenish compliments courtesy, and hath perverted many Scriptures.  
His Deceit laid open, his Vindication made void, and his Argument confounded, and Truth laid open in all these particulars▪ for the sake of the upright in heart, who rejoices in truth's prosperity.  
By one of the lamb's followers, who makes war against the head of the Dragon, and against the rear of the Beast. F. H.  And the Merchants of the Earth shall weep and mourn over her, for no man buyeth her merchandise, any more, Revel. 18. 11. And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, what City is like unto this City, Rev. 18. 18. 
LONDON, Printed for Thomas Simmons, at the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate, 1659.   

THE man-child which was caught up unto the throne of God, when the red Dragon sought to devour and destroy him, hath appeared again in power and great glory, after the long and cruel tyranny of the Dragon, wherein she hath killed the Saints, and prevailed against them, and hath made great war, spoil and havoc of the remnant of the woman's seed, this 13. or 14 hundred years, and hath compelled all both small and great (whose names have not been written in the lamb's book of life) to worship him, and the Beast, unto whom he hath given great authority to kill, and to destroy whosoever worshipped the God of heaven, that so they might be worn out, and all the earth might worship him, and fear him, and extol him, and his authority. Now the time, times, and a half being near an end, that John saw the woman should be retired in the wilderness, she appearing again in her beautiful garments, and her heir and her seed appearing again after the long night of darkness.  
Now when the Lord in this the day of his power is appearing again, and the man-child that is to rule the Nations with a rod of iron. Now the Dragon, Beast, Whore, and false Prophet, and all the mystery of Iniquity, Gog and Magog, and all Apostates, Deceivers, and Merchants of Babylon that have traded upon the waters upon which the whore sits, they are all up in arms, every one with his weapons which he hath formed in the bottomless pit, is now set in array against the Lamb who is risen; the Priests, hirelings, and Babylon's Merchants, who have got so great gain by Sea, they have given the first onset in the front, of the black army of the Dragon, and this six or seven years hath made a great noise, and hath raised so much smoke out of the pit, that they have darkened the air, and made it cloudy, and hath filled the earth with a great noise, that many have admired what the issue would be, and what the event might prove; but now many who have waited in patience, have seen the Lamb appear, and have seen his rising in majesty, and hath prevailed; And many of them who gave the first onset grows weary, seeing the battle goes too hard against them, and the Lamb and his followers prevail. And now comes on the tail of the Dragon as the reserve, and the rear of the Beast, among whom Edward Dod appears, and he thinks to prevail, and get himself a name, and to do exploits; but alas, all his weapons are but the old broken bows and the spear is that are strewed up and down the field of confusion, which we have run over and over, and trampled upon, and esteems them no more than rotten wood: He hath raked up those things which have been answered over and over, and that which the rest of the dragon's army hath vomited up, before in the beginning, he hath licked up, and now vomits it out again, and casts out floods of poisoned words, false accusations, and arrogant reproaches, and proud disdainful speeches, as though his tongue were his own; And like one of Ishmael's brood, scorning and deriding at innocency, and saith, he hath laid down some of our Tenets, and named them, and shamed them. All sober people who know any thing of God, will see thou hast shamed thyself, and not us, in uttering forth thy folly: And thy title of thy Book demonstrates what is within it, the beginning is scorn and derision, the end is folly and madness, and many ignorant words uttered forth from a corrupt heart and unbridled tongue, which is bent to do mischief, and to speak falsehood; but lest thou shouldst glory in the old rotten broken weapons which thou hast taken up, which were formed by thy leaders, and not by thee, which we have answered again and again, and have overrun them as stubble; which answers have cleared the truth to all sober people, that they see all your weapons are but carnal, and not spiritual, and they have no might in them at all to stand against the truth, nor them who are made free by it, whose weapons are spiritual and mighty through God to beat down strong holds of darkness, and the towers of ignorance. Many are beat down already, and the Lamb is risen, and upon the white horse, and a numberless number is following him, who rides on after him, who shall subdue the Nations to himself, and break the yoke of the ungodly, and deliver the oppressed, and no weapon that is formed against him shall prosper. I say, lest thou shouldst boast, I shall return these lines in answer to thy book.  
Thy book thou titles, A pair of Spectacles for a dark-sighted Quaker.  
I say thy Spectacles are more like to make one's sight dimmer, then through them to be made to see, they are such wooden ones; but the Quakers sees before thee, and beyond thee, and comprehends thee, and have received eyesalve, whereby their eyes are opened to see thy deceit, and the deceit of the treacherous generation with whom thou art joined, and thy rejoinder and vindication of Samuel Smith, whom thou calls Minister of the Word at Cressage in the County of Satop; thy vindication of him, and thy pleading for him, will not bring much honour to neither him nor thee; and though thou and he both join hand in hand in deceit, yet you shall not go unpunished.  
Thou tells the Reader of wandering Planets who have left their station, who have stepped upon the Stage in the County of Salop, who are come forth in this apostatising time.  
All who have a good understanding, may clearly see not only in the County of Salop, but also in every corner of the Land, many wandering Stars that have no habitation in the Firmament of God's power, but are tossed up and down, and are as waters, unstable, tossed too and fro with every wind; and the change of one Magistrate, or head governor will make them all change their form; and as thou calls it, metamorphize them into another shape, witness the many public Teachers, and Parish-masters, and tithing Priests in the days of Edward the sixth, Henry the 8. Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth's days, and now of late in the Bishop's days, when the Magistrates voted down the Bishops, all or most of the Priests denied their Fathers, and their institution; and though they ordained them Ministers, yet they denied them, and now are got into their seats and Benefices, and there thy Reader may see the metamorphosed changelings, and the apostates; and I do believe the County of Salop abounds with such like; and they have been on the Stage long, and have acted such a part in every generation, as would please the present Authority, or power, whether they were Papists or Protestants, prelatical or whatsoever; but F. D the Exit will come, and when the day appears, the beasts must go into ●heir dens again: and thou confesseth you live in apostatising times; thou that art among the Apostates, and in the apostatising age and time, would accuse others: Nay, thou must hold thy peace, and leave pleading for Apostates, and for the fashions of the heathen which hath got up since the days of the apostasy, which the whole scope of thy Book is full of nothing else; and we cannot permit or allow them who are in the time of apostasy, and who are one with the Apostates, which have wandered after the Beast since the days of the Apostles. I say, we cannot allow such as you to be Judges; for we are come out of the apostasy, and to before the Apostates, and to before the wandering Stars, and thou hast missed it much that tells the Quakers are they. Edward, I tell thee, we are come to the everlasting gospel again, and have received it, and it's the power of God, which was to be, and is to be preached again to the Nations after the apostasy.  
And as for the Book called Malice stripped & whipped I have seen it; and the spirit of thy Mr. Smith, whom thou calls Reverend, thou hast elevated him as high as the Pope; but E. D. what is the reason thou reverencest him so much as thou doth to thy Reader? And in the tenth page thou sayst, many souls depend upon his ministry; and thou blessest God, for the work of God you enjoy in that Congregation. Thou hast extolled him too highly, or else he hath wronged thee grievously; for thou sayst thou hast profited much by him: Thou mayest call to mind a certain time, when he preached (as you call it) out of the 13 of Luke, and when he spoke of the parable of the man that planted a Vineyard, and 3 years looked for fruit; and Sam: Smith, whom thou so adores, said, he had sought for fruit from your Congregation this 7 years at Cressage, and had found none, he shall be an evidence for me against thee, that thy glorying of him is vain; and it's manifest he is one the Lord sent his Prophet to declare against, who hath run, and the Lord never sent him, therefore he hath not profited you at Cressage at all; lean souls are they like to be that depends on him.  

In the first observation, as thou calls it, thou hast extracted the heads of Samuel Shiloh's Book into five particulars, which thou sayst we are ashamed to answer, or else know not what to say for our defence. I say unto thee, boast not, when thou putst on thy Armour, but when thou putst it off; for the victory may be doubtful.  
THe first particular, That the national Ministers doth maintain the true worship of God, and the Doctrine of Christ according to the revealed will of God.  
Answ. So saying, and so doing were something; the true worship of God is in spirit and in truth, which is not lo here, and lo there, nor in outward observations, but in life, in power, and in truth: But to be brief, both the doctrine and practice of the national ministry in general, is contrary to the Scripture, which thou calls the Word of God; (as for instance) their sprinkling of Infants, their teaching men to swear, and calling it part of the worship of God, which is contrary to the doctrine of Christ, who said, swear not at all. Their singing David's Psalms put into meeter, by Poets and Ballad-mongers, singing them in their invented tunes, which pleaseth the carnal mind; Their studied discourses, which you call Sermons, invented from the strength of natural wit, and not speaking as they are moved by the holy Ghost, which the Ministers of Christ in all ages did.  
In these, and many other things which I could instance, they are out of the Doctrine of Christ; And in a word, your whole worship differs both in matter and manner, from the Saints worship in the primitive times.  
But seeing we have denied the national Ministers divers years ago, and have laid down our grounds and reasons to the world, wherein we have charged them, that their practice is contrary to Scripture; unto which grounds and reasons, not one Parish-master in England hath yet vindicated themselves these six years. And unto that Book called The Grounds and Reasons why we deny the Priests, if the Reader be not satisfied concerning them, there he may see how they err, both in Doctrine, and practice, contrary to Scriptures.   

To the second and third Particular.  
That the present government of the Nation is the Ordinance of God; and that the Ministers bringing offenders before the magistrate is not persecution.  
As for the present government of the Nation, the lawfulness thereof is not in question by us; but many who are governors, and should be Executors of the Law, have acted contrary to Law, (being stirred up by the Priests, who bite with their teeth, if one put not into their mouths) and hath caused the just to suffer by giving judgement against them, in their wills, contrary to Law, or else according to those laws which hath been made in the will of man, in the transgression, under which we have suffered for the truth's sake, and therein have peace.  
And as for Ministers bringing offenders before Magistrates, that is an usurped authority, to make a Minister a Magistrate; but Edward, what was the offence? because a company of people came to Cressage, and declared the word of truth in your Streets; and what if it had been in your Assembly, this was no offence in the Church of Corinth, where all might speak one by one, although it's become an offence in your mass-house at Cressage; but the Reader may judge in whose steps thou and thy Priest walks; you have done the offence, and then accuseth others to the Magistrates as offenders; Let shame cover your lips, you impudent men. Hath not Samuel Smith in his own Narration in his book, said, that William parrot Constable, and Humphrey Dale churchwarden, according to the Ministers direction did pull down the Quakers Speaker, charging some to secure him? And others also of your own County secured by the instigation of the Priest, by his own confession, in the fourth page of his book.  
And here he and the rest of the society at Cressage, who had a hand in this thing, are manifest to be in the steps of the Pharisees, whom Christ cried woe against, which cast out of their Assemblies, and haled the Disciples before the Magistrates; and like the envious Jews that cried, Help men of Israel; for these men turn the world up-side down; but you are worse than they. The Priest was the first fomenter of the breach of peace, the Constable and churchwarden his Executioners, and yet thou tells of the Quakers being offenders.  
Now all sober people will see your envy & deceit, and that you are in Cains way, and by your false flattery and deceit, would justify the Magistrate for your own ends, and cause them to turn the sword against the guiltless, which should be against the transgressor. And who was in the transgression on the Reader may easily judge by that which is forementioned, and yet the Priest, and you of his Congregation would make people believe that you did not persecute; the Priest did give order to pull down the Speaker, the Constable and churchwarden they acted, and secured your own Neighbours as prisoners, your own Congregation swearing against them the breach of peace, and getting them shut up into prison, and sentence given against them, and yet thou wouldst have this called equal proceedings; but to that of God in all consciences, I leave to be Judge in this things.  
In the fourth and fifth Particular thou saith, We have charged to be envious and bitter, and malicious against the most eminent Ministers of the Land.  
Them whom thou calls eminent Ministers, hath charged us with many false things, and have written many false things against us, for which thou and they in the dreadful day of the Lord shall give an account. Envy, bitterness, and malice is put away from us, and we envy no man, but speak the truth in soberness; and yet to say a liar is a liar, or a deceiver a deceiver, or an hypocrite, an hypocrite, when they are so, is neither railing nor malice: Christ, in whom no guile was found, he said, they were a generation of vipers, and they were of their Father the devil, who were in envy, and went about to kill him. And the Apostle was not envious when he said, O full of all subtlety, thou child of the devil, to one who was doing the work of the devil; and many such workers we find, and many venomous spirits who shoot out poisoned arrows, even bitter words, and these we must reprove sharply.  
And those things which thou layst to our charge, take to thyself; for the ground of iniquity is in thy heart, from whence thou hast uttered forth all these disdainful, proud, & scornful words, of which thou shalt be convinced, and also reproved when the Lord searcheth thy heart, when he brings anguish and perplexity upon thee, then shalt thou confess to his righteous judgement; and so thy five Principles I have answered, which thou sayest thou hast brought into thy book to fill up the blanks; they had better have been blanks still, then have spoiled so much paper with thy lylying disdainful scribbles, which is not worth the answering.  
In the third page thou sayst, Thou wilt restate the reputation of the ministry of England to be Ministers of Christ; And for proof, thou hast brought Col. 1. 7. and Rom. 15. Those words proves that Epaphtas was a faithful Minister, and that Paul was a Minister of Christ to the Gentiles; but what hath this proved as to the national Priests? nothing at all; and if thou have no better proof than this to bring them into reputation, in stead thereof thou wilt bring defamation upon them; and when thou shouldst prove them Ministers, thou proves that Paul and Epaphas were Ministers, will not the least in the truth see thee to be a busybody; but fools will be meddling. Then thou art offended that we call them Priests for receiving of tithes, I say it's the most proper; for none but Priests and Levites did receive tithes, and how long since is it, since they generally called themselves the Tribe of Levi? For never Minister of the gospel, nor of the word of reconciliation, either received tithes, or commanded that they should be paid, neither reproved any for not paying; but said, the priesthood was changed and the Law was changed by which tithes were due; but thou goes on, and makes a sound argument as thou judgest, and saith, Abraham paid tithe to Melchisedeck before the Law; And thou askest how he did give it, either by the law of nature, which is called the law of Reason, or by the light within, or by revelation.  
Thou speak'st thou know'st not what; where readest thou of the Law of Nature, called the law of Reason, except it be in the devised Fables and Stories of the Priests? But what doth this prove? Gen. 14. Abraham gave the tenth part of the spoil which he had taken from his enemies, but Melchisedeck first brought forth bread and wine to Abrabam and his company, and greeted Abraham and his company kindly, and blessed him, and Abraham freely gave unto him the tenth part, Melchisedeck desired none; But dost thou judge, that if Abraham had given him none, that he would have taken by force the tenth part of the spoil from him?  
Now what doth this prove for the tithing Priests of this Nation? they must first do as Melchisedeck did, if they will have Melchisedeck for an example, he blessed Abraham, and brought forth bread and wine unto him and his Army; but which of the Priests have done so, which have received tithes; which is not a gift of the people, but a forced thing from them? If this must be thy proof for tithes by the gift of Abraham, then let the Priests cease forcing and taking them till people be freely willing to give them, and then there will be no complaint: But let us reason a little further of this matter; Would Melchisedeck have taken the tenth, if Abraham had not given it him? Or when did Melchisedeck, or any before the Law take away the people's Oxen, Cowes, Horses, Sheep, pots and pans, and bedding upon which poor people lies, threefold, fourfold, and sometime tenfold; that they claim, or sue people to Courts, throw them into prison till death, as many evidences we have in this Nation? Either give us a precept, or an example before the Law, or under the gospel, or else stop your lying mouths and clamorous tongues for ever. Dost thou and the rest of the Priests think that we are so ignorant, that we know not the original of the tithes in these Nations? a thing invented to fill the Pope's coffers, and the rest of the Clergies budgets, seven or eight hundred years after the Ascension of Christ? All which tithes and Oblations, and Obventions were invented in the apostasy, since the days of the Apostles, and since the woman fled into the wilderness: And the man-child was caught up to God, when all the world wondered after the Beast, them they had their rise▪ And when the Kings and Rulers of these Nations did drink of the whore's cup, than they made laws to compel the Nations and the people therein to pay the whore's Merchants; and the Pope's locusts, which he sent over the Nations, to fill the earth with their deceit, which Laws stands yet in force as though they were some divine institution; but both the tithes and the Law by which they are compelled to be paid, we deny, and bear our witness against, as to be things which holds up the devil's kingdom; and the Gospel which the national ministry holds up and preaches, hath no more ability in it to procure a maintenance for them, than the Papists gospel did for them: So to be brief, the Priests hath the Pope's wages forced by a compulsory Law, made and ratified by them who owned the Pope's supremacy.  
Furthermore we assert, that tithes were never due by divine ordination, but only to the Priests & Levites in the first Covenant, nor never were commanded to be paid but in the Land of anaan; and who so upholds the Ordinances of the first priesthood, denies the ordinances of the second: So this commandment to pay tithes now to them, who are neither of Aaron's, nor Levies Tribe, and by us who are not in Canaan temporal, nor of Israel according to the flesh, the commandment by which tithes were due in the first priesthood, reaches not unto us. And after Christ's ascension, nor one of the Apostles either commanded or required any such practice of the Saints, either to Colossia, Corinth, Antioch, Philippi, Pergamos, or the rest of the Churches of Asia. So that it's evident to all judicious men, that this is quite another thing got up in the apostasy, which no Minister or believer ever did own who were witnesses of the second Covenant; but any who are not satisfied in this thing by what I have said, which much more I could say concerning this thing; but I refer them that are not satisfied, to a Book called, The great case of tithes stated, published by A. P.  
In thy fourth and fifth page thou art pleading for mastership for thy Ministers, and so by thy own argument thou hast proved them out of the doctrine of Christ, who said to his Ministers, Call no man Master, neither be ye called Masters; but to oppose this, thou brings John 3. 10. how Christ said to Nichodemus, art thou a Master in Israel? And then thou vaporest, and sayst, these are not the words of Mr. Baxter and Mr. Smith, but Christ's. In some translation it is Ruler in Israel. In another, Teacher in Israel: But it may be, some who coveted after mastership as thou dost, hath put in Master for Ruler and Teacher; but grant the word Master, Christ testified that the Jews and Pharisees that they were called of men Master, and reprehended them for it: And if he did say to Nichodemas, art thou a master? he spoke but in their language, not with approbation of their being so called; for it's manifest he gave a contrary command to his Disciples, and the commands of Christ did not contradict one another. And as for Richard Baxter and Samuel Smith, whose works thou saith doth witness for them beyond thy testimony.  
As for R. B. his works are manifest to be works of darkness, many false lies and reproaches he hath cast upon the living truth of God, and hath been a great opposer of the strait way of the Lord, for which the Lord will plead with him and you all in the day of his righteous judgement. And as for S. S. let his own testimony evidence what his work is, who said in the Congregation at Cressage, he had looked for fruit seven years among them, but found none: So it's manifest he is such a workman as may be ashamed of his work.  
In thy sixth and seventh page thou sayest, the Pharisaical Quakers makes void the fifth commandment, because they do not put off their hats to political and spiritual Fathers, as thou calls them; and thou heap'st up a great deal of Scripture to no purpose, not one word in them all doth prove any such thing, as putting off hats either to father's spiritual or temporal, and so thou art a perverter and a wrester of it to thy own destruction; and thou citys Rom. 13. 7. to prove putting off hats, render to all their dues, tribute to whom tribute; and this is the tribute of the Nation, thou saith. And the 1 Pet. 2. 13. Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man, this thou bringst. Ignorant block, show us either in plain Scripture or example from the Saints, where it is commanded or commended, or from any ordinance of man, or else cease thy foolish clamour, and learn a bridle for thy tongue, and cease thy foolish inferences. If the Magistrates had no better tribute then putting off the hat, they would soon be poor Rulers: And whereas thou callest it civil worship, doffing the hat, and bowing the knee, I know no more civility in it, then if thou should put off thy Coat or thy Doublet to every one thou meetest with; And most of this which thou calls civility, is the most practised by them who are the rudest, vainest, and the phantastickst proud antics in the Nations, who are full of flattery and deceit, and vain compliments; and to a proud fellow which hath a gay cloak, or powdered hair, and a 〈◊〉 silver lace daubed upon his clothes, than off goes the hat, and the knee bows, and your servant Sir, and your servant my Lord, or your most humble servant, or thrice humble servant; when if he were commanded to do service to such a one, would not do any thing material, but disdain him; And meet then with a plain man, who will not compliment, and then sirrah, & unmannerly Clown, and be ready to fight; and this spirit rules the most in those men, who are so full of their compliments, that begets one another into pride and deceit, and provoke one another by their bad example into deceit, like drunkards, drinking one to another to make one another drunk, it's like thou wilt call this civility too: And if thou wilt plead, it's the custom of the Nation, doffing hats, and bowing.  
The customs of the Heathen are vain, and many In Israel who feared the Lord were not to walk after the customs of the Nations; for this deceit was not from the beginning, and who ever comes to be a follower of Christ, who received no honour of men, neither respected persons, will deny this deceit. Take him for thy example, rather than a company of fiddlers, and roisters, and ruffians, who are without the fear of God; and Christ who is the Saints example, he said, how can you believe, that seek and receive honour one of another: So then, they were unbelievers who sought and received honour one of another; and wouldst thou and the rest who live in deceit, brin● the custom of unbelievers, and the practice of unbelievers among the Saints, who are believers, and follows Christ their example? I say we have no such custom, nor the Churches of Christ,  
The next piece of deceit thou art pleading for, is bowing to one another the knee, and titles of honour, wherein the devil hath a great hold among people. Gen. 44. 14. This thou bringst to prove bowing; Jadah and his brethren came to Joseph's house, and they fell on the ground; This is an example indeed. Wilt thou take another; the same brethren of Joseph sold him when he was a boy, was that a good act? If thou say nay, I say one is as much commanded and commended as the other; for that same that doth violence, it's the same that respects persons; but Abtaham bowed to the children of Heth; what of that? So did Joseph swear by the life of Pharaoh, and both Joseph and Abraham were good men; but they were never the better for these actions, neither the one nor the other: But than thou brings a Scripture, and thou saith, it must stop our mouths, Gen 49. 8. 10. And thou saith, this may teach us, if we be of Jacob's seed and household, to bow to the God of Jacob our King, & why should this stop our mouths? But the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet till Shilo come: So he was to rule, to wit Judah, till Shilo came; why should this stop our mouths? Shilo is come, and hath opened our mouths, and the sceptre is departed from Judah long since; both them that bowed to Judah, and Judah that was once bowed unto, they are both bowed under, and Shilo is set above, and now he must be bowed unto, go learn what that means. It was answered against bowing, the second commandment prohibits it, Thou shalt not bow down to them; but the answer satisfies thee not.  
Thou saith, Doth this forbid civil respects, or idolatrous worship?  
That which thou calls civil respect is idolatrous worship, putting off the hat, and bowing the knee to a man with a gay Cloak, or a gold Ring, or a company of Ribbons, or a long Gown: To bow down to such, because of the attire, is respecting of persons, and idolatry; but you are fallen into a far worse state then respecting of persons; for you respect clothes, and doffs your hats, and bow your knees to them with fine raiment; And let the man in vile raiment or poor attire go by without either cap or knee, and for all thy civility thou so greatly pleadest for, and courtesy, if he put not off his hat to thee, it may be thou wilt call him Sirrah, Rogue, or clown, for all thy civility.  
Again, put on the poor man good attire, and a fine Cloak, and a gold Ring, than you change your note, and say, If it please your Worship, or like your Honour, your humble servant Sir.  
Now here is not only respecting of persons, which is commission of sin, but respecting the creatures, and worshipping the array which is upon a man's back, which is idolatry, and not civility, which is to be condemned; Yet civility and courtesy I own, which is so in deed, and in truth; but that which the world calls civility and courtesy is hypocrisy and idolatry; And for Salutations, thou saith, we seldom use: and thou bringst Scripture to prove, that Christ and the Saints saluted one another.  
Their salutations are owned, and such salutations are practised by us in uprightness of heart, and true love without feignedness; but we cannot do as you do, bid a man God-speed, when he is not doing the work of God, nor say Farewell to them who are in their evil deeds; nor as the world doth, with their Good-evens, and Good-morrows, and takes God's name in vain; and if one do not answer them according to their light vain minds, they will fall a railing and beating; all such spirits we deny, and their salutations.   

In thy second Observation.  
Thou saith, Do not we prove, that places of Christian Assemblies to be a Church, and thou brings many Scriptures to no purpose. Thou bringst the 1 of Kings, vers. 8. and 1 Cor. 11. For the glory of the Lord shall fill the house of the Lord. And thou answerest, and sayst, not the steeplehouse, but the Church. There thou hast added to the Scripture, and divers other Scriptures thou bringest, wherein the Temple was called the house of God, and the storehouses were called the house of God, Mal. 3. 10. All which Scriptures I own; but they are nothing to thy purpose; that the Temple was called the house of God, and the Tabernacle the house of God, and the storehouses the house of God, this is granted. These were made and builded according to the command of God, wherein the Lord's treasure was which fed the poor, the fatherless, and the widow, and the Priests and Levites that ministered unto him; which Temple, Priests, storehouses and tithes, were figures and shadows of good thing to come; which when the good things did come, the figures ended.  
But when did God command your Idols Temples to be built? and what are they a figure of? That which thou shouldst have proved is, that your Steeple-houses where you meet, anywhere in Scripture is called the Church of God.  
Thou and thy Master Smith art offended that we call the place you meet in a steeplehouse, and saith, take heed that no such Language be spoken again as Steeple house. Why not? Huth not these houses Steeples? But we shall call it truly and properly as it is, the mass-house, which hath the Crosses standing upon them yet, or an Idols Temple, which was dedicated for the idolatrous worship, and for the idol mass, and other superstitious ceremonies; your windows full of pictures, your walls full of images, and Monks faces, and bears yet the Popish names, as St. Anthony, St. Clement, St. Dunstan's, and St. Patrick, and St. Mary's, and the like.  
You blind men, full of ignorance, perverters of the Scriptures, which would bring the Scripture to prove your idolatrous mass-house to be a Church, and calls it the house of God, & Temple of God, when the first Founder was an Apostate; and you who hold it up, and calls it a Church, are of his brood, and are dead stones, which worhips in the dead house, and knows not what the Church of God is; and yet you say, to what end should we bring Scripture to prove any thing by to these men; take it not into your mouths, except you bring it for a better end, to make people believe that the Prophets and Apostles when they spoke of the house of God, and the Church of God, spoke of your idol-temple, or ever intended or meant your steeplehouse, or old mass-house.  
And thou saith, Few of the Ministers in England thou believes henceforth will have any thing to do with us, for we are blind leaders of the blind.  
I believe they see sufficiently they have come to great loss, and sees their weapons have not prevailed, but are become all like broken bows, in which there is no strength, which they may all lay down in the field of confusion where they set their battle; but the Lamb hath prevailed, and his weapons are spiritual, and they who follow him are skilful to handle the sword, and are able to make War with the Beast and all his followers; and many are overcome, and the rest shall be subdued, and the day hasteneth greatly, that they shall melt away that hate the Lord.  
And as for Christ's saying, let them alone, they are blind leaders of the blind. This he spoke of thy generation the Pharisees, who were called of men Master, and loved greeting in the Streets and Market-places, and stood praying in the Synagogue, in whose footsteps the Priests of England are, which Christ cried woe against, and now they are seen to be blind guides, and leaders of the blind; for they whose eyes Christ hath opened, hath ceased from such, and now bears their testimony against such.  
In the eleventh page thou goes on in thy blindness and ignorance, pleading for your public place of worship, the old mass-house, set up by the injunction of the Pope; And you have taken their houses into your hands, and scolds against them in it, when you are in the same nature: And thou bidst us read what conspirators and enemies of God use to do, in Pslam 83. 3, 4. They said, Let us take to ourselves the houses of God in possession. This was spoken of the Heathen, of Gebal, Ammon, and Amaleck, and the men of Tyre; who devoured, and destroyed, and sought to destroy the storehouses and Synagogues that were used in the first Covenant. And thou mayest take the application home to thyself, and to the generation thou art pleading for: Have not the Papists good ground to plead with you in this behalf? Was not the abbeys, Monasteries, Masse-houses, tithes, Oblations, and Obventions, Easter reckonings, peter-pences, the Papists and Jesuits maintenance? And did not Henry the eighth, who was the first establisher of your Religion in this Nation, Did not he take them away from the Papists? and than the Priests who denied their holy Father the Pope, got their tithes and the maintenance, and took the Masse-houses into their hands, and the tithes and Easter reckonings: And if thou call these God's houses, and this God's maintenance for his Ministers which maintained Popery, Then thou hast brought all these Scriptures against thyself, and thou art in a great transgression; and your schools and colleges which thou ignorantly callest the Schools of the Prophets, like an unlearned man, and Schools of piety, than the Papists were Prophets, and they were pious; For these schools and colleges were invented by them, and you have gotten these from them, to wit, the mass-house, Schools, colleges, tithes, Oblations, the Papists maintenance, and their hire, and this is lawful in your eyes, and yet you will call them impious and idolators: Are not the things the same in your hands as they were in theirs? but these things are quite another thing than was in the first Covenant. These things are not to be paralleled with the Synagogues, Temples, storehouses, tithes under the Law, for these were invented since the Apostles days; and the Apostates, who went from the life invented them, when all wonderful after the Beast, and never mention a word of the Scripture, as to think to prove these invented trumperies; for the Scripture never intends, nor them that spoke it forth, to patronize your deceit in these things.  
Object. But it may be thou Mayst say, Though these things forementioned were set up by Idolaters, and the places were made for an Idolatrous service, and the maintenance and hire were to maintain Idolatrous Priests; but now they are converted to a better use, and they are convenient to meet in, and convenient for our Ministers maintenance.  
Answ. Did ever any of the Ministers or Apostles of Christ go into the Jews Temple or Synagogues to worship after Christ was ascended, except it was to declare against them, and to bring people off them; or did they take the Jewish Priests maintenance, which was commanded to be paid of God? or did the Ministers of Christ exhort the Jews that believed, to build a Temple or a Synagogue to worship in? Or did any of the Ministers of Christ go into the Temples of the Gentiles to worship, or into the high places of the Jews? Or did they receive the idol priest's maintenance, or the Jewish tithes, or eat that which was sacrificed to Idols? If nay, where is your example; I know you dare not plead commandment from the Lord for these things. Might not the Jews, when they had broken down the Altars of Baal, and destroyed the Images and high places, and the beauty of them, have said, these are convenient places for worship, let us now worship here for conveniency; and that maintenance of offerings that was offered to Idols, let's take them, and give them to our Priests and Levites, and let us offer them unto God? If these things had been justifiable, then yours are justifiable now; but if condemnable then, yours condemnable now; and so let your mouths be stopped and speak no more so proudly, nor bring no more such impertinent proofs and arguments for your deceit; for that is enjoyed that weighs you all, and can judge all your deceit.  
And for barbarism, and heathenism, and heresy thou speaks on, which lays the Lord's vineyard waste, it's brought in, and dwells among you, and the fruits are manifest in most of your Steeple-houses or mass-house as witness your ringing of Pan's, Candlesticks, Frying-pans, throwing water, and rude behaviour, which hath been used by your Church-members, as fighting, beating, punching, tearing of clothes, haling out of your Assemblies them that come in the Name of the Lord; and these be the fruits of barbarous Heathens, which are not brought forth anywhere but among you; but it may be thou wilt call this civility and courtesy, and the tribute of the Nation: And for heresy both in Doctrine and Worship, none are to be compared unto you for unsoundness and ignorance; for I look upon you as the tail of all the people in the Nation: And the Vineyard of God that thou speaks on, is nowhere laid waste so much as among you mass-house worshippers; for you are like briars and thorns, scratching, rending, tearing and haling, and are as a field untilled, and as a waste howling wilderness, that knows not when good comes; and that your Ministers are those proud fantastic spirits that have taken upon them to preach, who denies an immediate call. Neither are they approved of his Church which is in God, the pillar and ground of truth; but only they are approved by man, and by the colleges, which were invented by the Pope, where more deceit and foolish fopperies are practised, then in any society in the Nation besides; for them that denies an immediate call, and an infallible spirit, I deny them to be any Ministers of Christ, and so doth the Church of Christ who meet in his Name; but such are your Ministers, therefore we have turned from them many years ago.  
And the next thing that thou art offended at is, that a woman spoke in a meeting near 〈◊〉; what if ten had spoke, if they had spoke by the Spirit of the Lord, what offence had it been? Did not God promise by Joel, that he would pour forth his spirit upon his Daughters, and they should prophesy? and wouldest thou stop them? And Priscilla instructed a Minister, better than any of your Parish tithing Priests, to wit, Apollo. And had not Philip three daughters did prophesy? And was there not women with Clement that were fellow-labourers in the gospel? (And what though she that was in the transgression was to keep silence in the Church?) Doth it therefore follow that they that are come out of the transgression, are to be silent in the Church? Is this good logic Edward? If Christ be in the male, and in the female, may he speak in the male, but not in the female? Doth not the Apostle say; the man is not without the woman, nor the woman without the man, but both in the Lord? And if the woman be in the Lord as well as the man, may not the Lord speak in her? Art thou one of them that wilt limit the Holy one? What if he speak in a dumb ass, and reprove the madness of the Prophet Balaam? And if he should do so now, to reprove the mad Prophets that are in Balaam's way, loving the wages of unrighteousness now, as he did then? will you reprove God? He that reproves him shall answer it; and he that gainsays either Son or Daughter, shall perish in the gainsaying. And now I come to thy third Observation.   

The third Observation.  
THy eye being evil, thou canst not see when good cometh; and thou art one of them who watcheth for iniquity, that thereby thou mayest blaspheme the Name of God and his Truth, which thou art out of. And as for our Tenets, which thou saith thou hast named and shamed; thou no more knows us, nor our Tenets, than thou knowest from whence the wind comes, and whither it goes: For all our words are as a parable to thee, and thou knowest not what we say, although thou hast catched and snatched up some of our words brokenly to quarrel with; yet we are hidden from thee, and a gulf is between thee and us, that as thou canst not apprehend nor comprehend; but first a terrible day must come upon thee, and those things which thou hast laid down to be our Tenets, thou doubtest whether they be or no, manifest by thy own words. If we say so, and if we hold so, thou had better have been certain before thou hadst showed thyself too imperious and arrogant, of sham●ng them, when thou knowest not whether we hold them, as thou hast laid them down in thy own words, the shame at last will come upon thyself; and that rash, hasty, raging spirit, by which thou utterest forth all this mud and dirt, every one may see in this observation thy deceit manifest.  
And the first thing that thy dark mind stumbles at is, that some have said, That they that have the spirit of God are equal with God.  
He that hath the Spirit of God, is in that which is equal, as God is equal, and his ways equal; And he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit, there is unity, and the unity stands in equality itself.  
He that is borne from above is the son of God, and he said, I and my Father are one. And when the son is revealed, and speaks, the Father speaks in him, and dwells in him, and he in the Father. In that which is equal in equality itself; there is equality in nature, though not in stature. Go learn what these things mean, the understanding and learned will know what I say, and this is neither damnable nor blasphemous; but on the contrary, it is saving and precious to them that believe.  
And thou concludes, Though they be glorified in heaven, yet are not equal with God.  
Here thou blasphemes; the Son is glorified with the Father in the same glory he had with him before the world began; the glory is in purity, equality, immortality, and eternity; but for thy proof thou bringst Psal. 86 8. For who among the gods is like unto our God And again, There is none like unto thee, O Lord. Here thou hast gone about to prove more Gods than one in heaven: Were the gods glorified in heaven, which were not like the living God? Or were they in heaven, which were not like the Lord? What blasphemy is this? They that are in heaven are like him in his image, and not like any other; but in the world there are gods many, and Lords many, but that is not in heaven: There are no Gods nor Lords in the World, nor in the Earth, that is like the living God and living Lord of Heaven and Earth; And many such nonsensical phrases hast thou uttered, and foolish impertinencies; and thou hast scarce cited one Scripture, but thou hast either misapplied, or wrested, and perverted, being very ignorant and unlearned; and thy Masters for whom thou contendst, will never receive much honour nor credit by thy writing, or vindication of them.  
But to the second Particular, which thou calls our Tenet, is, That Christ Jesus is not glorified in his human nature, and that he hath no real body, but his mystical body, and this thou sayest is contrary to Scripture, Luke 24. 3. 9 and Acts 3. 20. John. 17. And in this thou sayest, we are shamed.  
I say thou hast shamed thyself, and hath cited these Scriptures to no purpose at all, none of all these speaks of human nature, or mystical body; but this I say, he is glorified with the Father in a spiritual body, in the same glory he had with the Father before the world began. And the same Jesus which was of the seed of Abraham according to the flesh, and the son of God according to the spirit, is glorified with the Father, the man Christ Jesus, he is set down at the right hand of God; But if thou mean by human, a carnal body, or the same flesh that thou hast on; deal plainly with us, and nakedly, the next time thou or any of thy Teachers writes, and prove us by Scripture where the Church is called his mystical body; or where hast thou got these new coined words, as human nature, and mystical body? Correct thy pen, and let no such Popish phrases come in print again, lest thou shame thyself more, instead of shaming of us: And thou concludes, If any say here he is, or there he is on earth, believe them not. Where learnedst thou this Article of Faith, I pray thee show me? Is he not both in heaven and earth? How should he restore the earth and all things into their purity, if he must not be manifest in the earth? What, wilt thou confine him to, or in a place? Doth not his presence fill heaven and earth? Is he divided from his presence?  
But may be thou wilt say as thy generation doth, that ●e is in the Earth by his spirit, and in Heaven in his body or person, distinct from his spirit. If so, than you divide Christ, and a person without a spirit, and not Christ. I will ask thee a question; No man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, the son of man which is in heaven. Where was the son of man, or the man Christ when this was spoken?  
If thou canst see this, thou mayst be ashamed to shut Christ out of the Earth, or from among his Saints, where his presence, his arm, his hand and his power is, which is not divided from his body; but I know thou art deaf, and canst not hear what I say, and thou bringst Heb. 10. 12. After he had offered one sacrifice, sat down at the right hand of God; that is sayst thou, In his human nature. The shame is come upon thyself, who have added thy own imagination; and let all see whether the Scripture speak of human nature; but thy folly must be manifest to all.  
Thy third Particular that thou names, and as thou sayest shames, is, If we say we are without sin, we deceive ourselves. Thou hadst better have inquired perfectly whether we said so or no, before thou hadst undertook to reprove upon so doubtful terms, and thou bringst Prov. 20. 9 For who can say my heart is clean. He can say so, and speaks truth, whose heart God hath cleansed by the blood of Christ from all sin: And then thou bringst Job 9 20. If I justify myself, my own mouth shall condemn me. That's true, we justify not ourselves, neither self; but denies self, and self is condemned, and Christ, God's righteousness is become our Justification. And then thou bringest Paul, Phil. 3. Not as though I had already attained, but follow after, that I may apprehend. What of that, he was in his growth, and was come to that which was perfect, and did believe to attain to the stature of a perfect man.  
And then thou saith, I tell you, you are not perfect, your contempt of the Ministers of Christ, and perverting the Doctrine of Christ are Characters of sin.  
That shall stand for thyself, and thy Masters whom thou art joined with, who sets up Popish trumpery in stead of the Ordinance of Christ; and sets up the precepts of men, introduced in the apostasy, for the doctrine of Christ: And then thou concludes, the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, all in the first Adam; but I hope the Scripture doth not conclude all under sin in the second Adam: Neither doth conclude him under sin that's borne of God, who sins not. And if thou make any such conclusion, thou gives thy verdict for the devil, and not for God: then thou saith, I am not pleading for sin. Thou art pleading for nothing else but for sin and imperfection, in which the devil's kingdom stands; and thou saith, thou hast cause to cry out, O wretched man that I am! So thou hast indeed; hast thou repented of thy drunkenness? How long is it since thou fell off a bridge, being drunk, and broke thy leg; but it is like, for thy good service done to thy Master, in writing this lying scroll, he will give thee an absolution for that transgression.  
The fourth Particular which thou calls our Tenet, is, That we deny the Scripture to be the Word of God; And thou hast brought many Scriptures to prove that they are; but they are as impertinent to the thing as thy former about the steeplehouse, or mass-house. Thou hast brought many Scriptures, Jer. 37. 8. how they are called the words of the Lord, who ever denied that? but the Word spoke the words, and the Word is greater. 2 Tim. 3. 16 All Scripture is given by divine inspiration. I deny that, some was spoken by the devil, and some by wicked men, and I hope thou wilt not call that divine inspiration. Then thou may be wilt conclude, I deny the words of Paul to Timothy. I deny the word Is, it is an addition of the Translator, which word altars and varies the true sense of that Scripture; but all Scripture given by inspiration of God is profitable for doctrine, &c. But knowest thou no distinction between inspiration and tradition? You have it by tradition, the Saints by Inspiration. It's a dead letter in itself, and as it is spoken from your mouths, who speak of it by tradition; but from them that were inspired, the living Spirit uttered forth living words; But what is all this to prove the Scripture or writings to be the Word of God. And then thou citys 2 Cor. 4. 7. Not handling the Word deceitfully. What doth this prove? nothing at all; and all the rest that thou hast cited is nothing at all but what we have answered over and over many times, wherein all that have any understanding in the knowledge of God are satisfied: That which thou shouldst have proved by the Scripture, is, where the Scripture, or writings, or Letter doth title itself the Word of God. It is granted, they are the words of God, and the words of holy men inspired: So in thy own words, I say, take thou notice, though thou art confident and presumptuous, in this thou hast shamed thyself, and not us. The Word was before either Scripture, Writings, or Bible was; which Word is greater, and gave them a being: And thou that wouldst set that which is brought forth by the Father, above the Father, art out of the Apostles wisdom, speaking a similitude; He that builds a house, receives more honour than the house. Now to call the Scripture the Word, is to give as much honour to the house, as to him that builded it; but in a word, this I say, what ever the Scripture doth testify of itself, or call itself, that I own it to be: And if any man call it another thing, it shall testify against him; and so thou that hast gone about to set up the words which were spoken in time, above or equal with the Word, that was before all time, art ignorant, and unskilful in the knowledge of GOD, and silence would better become thee.  
●n thy last page thou saith, How often have we been called upon to make known to the world what we hold, and what we would have: Are you the men raised for this work alone, to cry down tithes, and speak against Lace, Ribbons, and Cuffs? Is there nothing for us to do? Then this declare, that this is enough to salvatior.  
I say, we have declared more in the world than they do receive or believe, and we have published the will of God to the earth in many things, and shall further proceed as the Spirit of the Lord shall direct us: And that which we would have, is, the old Dragon chained, and the Whore burnt with fire, and her Merchants cease trading, and the Sea dried up upon which she sits, and upon which the merchant's trade, and the Beast and all the false Prophets, Deceivers and Antichrists, which have all had their rise since the Ascension of Christ, we would have these be all shut in the pit again; and we would have the Lamb to reign, and the everlasting gospel to be preached again, the power of God; and we would have the Earth restored, and we would have everlasting righteousness to reign in the hearts of people, and laws, as at the first, and Counsellors as in the beginning, who judge not for rewards; and Ministers, such as were in the Primitive times, who will preach without tithes, hire, and set wages, and without the Pope's maintenance. If thou canst receive these things, I will show thee further it may be hereafter, if I hear any more from thee. And we are the men that are raised up for the work, to declare against pride in the ground, and also in appearance, as against Lace, Cuffs and Ribbons; And thou asks, if there be nothing else: Hast thou denied these, and the spirit that leads to the abuse of God's creatures? when thou hast, I will sh●w unto thee there is something else to be done; but if thou do not obey that which is manifest, why wouldst thou know more to add to thy condemnation: And we do not say, that casting off these things is all that is required to salvation, thou bids us declare if there be any thing else; so I shall, so that thou harken to it, and receive it, else thy condemnation shall be greater than if I had written nothing. Thou must repent of all thy sin, and turn from it, and know the judgement of God for it, and deny thyself in every thing, and lay down thy life also, and take up his cross daily, and be crucified to the world, and cease from all thy own words, actions and thoughts, and come to taste of death before thou come to know him to live in thee to be thy salvation; canst thou do this? when thou witnesseth this done, than thou shalt know further what God requires; but a terrible day will come upon thee before these things be fulfilled in thee; though thou be more stout than thy fellows, I know him who is able to break thy horn which thou hast exalted against the Lamb of God and his followers.  
And for thy exhortation, Not to seed on husks, take it home to thyself, for thou hast nothing else to feed upon; the words of the Saints at best, without the life, or else some innovated invented trumpery of the Whore, of whose Cup thou hast drunk, makes thee speak forth all these venomous words against the life and power of God in his people.  
And thou concludes, What thou hast written is as much for our Conversion as Refutation.  
Both alike indeed, for thou hast done neither; but hast conceived and brought forth wind, and spent thy time for nought. Alas poor man, tellest thou of converting, who art not come out of the gross pollutions of the world? who art not ceased from drunkenness? and art pleading for Masse-houses, tithes, Hirelings, and Popish inventions, and art offended; we should declare against Ribbons, Cuffs, and Lace; what shouldst thou convert any too, except to make them twofold more children of the devil? And what shouldst thou refute or confute? Wilt thou say one shall not steal, and dost thou? Wilt thou say one should not be drunk, and art thou? And wilt thou say one should forsake all sin, and yet say none must be cleansed from it, but be always miserable men, and wretched men? Be first convinced in thyself and turn from thy evil deeds, before 〈…〉 more of converting or refuting any; For 〈…〉 when all shall be set in order before thee what thou hast done, and thou shalt receive according to thy work; and thou shalt then see this work to be for condemnation, which thou hast published against the truth, which shall and must abide for ever; and they that are in it, and walk in it shall be everlastingly happy, and shall reign as Kings and Priests unto God for ever; and over all deceit, and shall live to confound all the children of falsehood in all their devices.   
THE END.