A LETTER WRITTEN To a friend, DECLARING HIS OPINION, Being such tenants, as are contrary to the doctrine of the Church of England, and of all the Reformed Churches; yea, and the universal Church in all ages: which opinions are worthy of learned mens Consideration and Confutation.  Mat. 13.25. 
While men slept, the Enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat.  2. Tim. 3.13. 
evil doers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.  
Printed in the year, 1643.   

dear Brother,  
COncerning that late conference that I had with you about some papistical doctrines, maintained by the English Prelates, and yet somewhat doubted by weaker bretheren( though they be not many) but is not to be wondered, for as the profane proverb saith, Rome was not built in a day, so neither will their doctrines bee suddenly rooted out of mens minds: For indeed these are part of those very doctrines, that are the very whore of Babilons wine, with which shee hath made Nations drunk, and therefore it's no marvel, though mens heads bee so intoxicated, that they go staggering up and down, and know not where nor how to stand steady in the faith, and be you assured till you leave her abominations, you cannot be safe from the wrath of God, and therefore bee advised by a brother who will advice you in his brother Pauls words, 2. Co●. 6.17. Come out from among them, and bee ye separated, saith the Lord, and touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you; And therefore till ye separate from the doctrines as ye do from her ceremonies, ye cannot be safe.  
Now the first doctrine that I give you warning of, is about the baptizing Infants, of which I somewhat doubt, because it is derived from Rome: for as Master Lilborne, when he was on the Pillory, very worthily said, that Episcopacy being derived from the Pope of Rome, was from Antichrist, and that these Ministers which exercised their functions by power received from the Bishops, did it by a power from Antichrist, from which I think may safely be concluded, that our baptisms received by that power is from Antichrist; besides I know no difference between a false Church, and no Church, a false Christ and no Christ, a false baptism( which most of our bretheren say, the baptism received in the Church of England is) and no baptism: And therefore considering from whence we had our baptism, the goodness of it may very well be doubted of; besides for the Baptizing of Infants, I know not one plain scripture for it: Moreover if we do but consider what a hurt it doth, for it's a means to keep men from good lives, because most men think they were made partakers of Christ in baptism, and being by our best Ministers in their Sermons, exhorted to get Christ, their answer is, that by a covenant in baptism, they were made partakers of Christ, and are so bold that they will say Ministers ought not to preach to them, as if they were Pagans, and we now to become Christians, and to get Christ: but say, that Ministers should persuade them to the keeping of that Covenant and teach them how to keep it, and so they shall be sure of Christ, but this is false doctrine, false in the very ground, though the Jews made a covenant at the Circumcision to keep the Law, Galat. 5.3. yet we Christians have no such direction from christ, and therefore Godfathers and Godmothers that in the Childs name make a covenant, and say, that they believe the Articles of Christian Religion, and promise to forsake the world, flesh, and devil, to do this by way of covenant, in the Childes name is without warrant, and they that procure Godfathers and Godmothers for this end, do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of Christs death; which is not laid down for men conditionally, if they shall believe and repent, but absolutely without any conditions; And therefore I believe the business of Godfathers and Godmothers is a very foolish ceremony: For the cross in baptism, some say, that was to the old Christians a Monitory, sign or figure, to put them in mind of their promise made to God in baptism, in the Infancy of the Church, for want of the Spirit: it may be so, but what need we such Monitors; have we not the holy Spirit which is our Monitor, therefore away with such needless ceremonies: And therefore for the form of words in baptism used by the prelatical Church, viz. I in the name of the Father, son, and holy Ghost, baptize thee.  
Let me bee bold to show you a mystery, that when in a Sacrament a form of words become a stumbling block, and that the truth may bee( without prejudice to the original) expressed in other terms, then to avoid stumbling into other errors, the old form may be changed, and another form of words that doth not occasion the like stumbling, may be used, as for example of this of baptism, out prelatical Ministers say, that they have a power from Christ, for the comfort of distressed penitent souls, in the name of the Trinity to pronounce absolution from sin: For justification of this Popish act; the Prelates allege their form of Baptizing, and say, it is no other then is there expressed; For as in the one place he saith I, in the name of the Father, son, and holy God, Absolve thee. So in the other, in the same name, Baptize or dip thee, for so the words signify, into Christs blood, of which they say, the water is a sign, by which mystical action, they say, the soul there Baptized, is cleansed from a●… sin. And moreover they say, that as a Constable in the Kings name, doth execute an office, so do the Prela●es in the name of the Trinity, cleanse the Baptized, and Absolve the truly penitent, all which is plain Popery: and therefore I judge it( and so do many of our bretheren also) very lawful and convenient to change the form of words in baptism, and say, I Baptize thee into the Union or unity: By which form is demonstrated, that the faithful soul is made one with the Father, son, and holy Ghost, which is most comfortable, and abundance of solace doth ensue to all the elect so joined: For this union can never be broken; and besides the excellency thereof doth so overwhelm the inferme actions of all such as are righ●ly so Baptized, that such a soul, notwithstanding some infirmities, appears before God like the woman, Revel. 12. All clothed with the son, the moon under her feet, and a crown of 12. Sarres upon her head. So glorious in the sight of God, that John saith, even as Christ is, so wee in this present world 1. John 4.17. This is the right baptism of the holy Ghost, that as the body is dipped into the water, so is the soul into the Union, Essence or being of God; but this mystery I advice you not to discover to such as be carnal, least ye cast pearls before swine: and as some say this is the very seedplot of familism; I answer, the Spirit assures us this is a glorious seedplot for truth. I have been the larger because I would have you well instructed in this principle.  
Another thing I would have you to beware of, that you be not married by a Minister. The Papists make marriage a Sacrament, and therefore enjoin a Priest to perform it. And our English Prelates tread in their steps, for they must have a hand in joining men and women together, else our foolish people think themselves not rightly married; but I advice all that fear God to abstain from all appearance of evil, especially in marriages have nothing to do with the Prelates; let us take our beloved for a faithful yoke-fellow in the presence of our brethren, God requires no more.  
As for churching of women, I hold it utterly unlawful. And to abstain from our wives after child-bearing a full month is mere judaism; the new Testament enjoins no such thing; and what ever is not of faith is sin.  
For the Sacrament of Christs last supper, I need not name some fopperies used at the same, as kneeling upon your knees when you receive the bread and wine,( which you have already left;) as also the taking it in the morning, a custom without any warrant from Scripture. Let me in this be bold in Doctor B●stwicks words in his 14. page. of a book, entitled an answer to certain exceptions made by a learned Gentleman, where reproving such as take it in the morning, who saith to you it cannot bee called the Lords supper, but the Lords breakfast. And so it is indeed to them, for they eat up the Lord at a breakfast, and swallow him down whole, and make no bones of him, he is to them but their mornings nuntios: And after that they drink up his blood, most sweet cannibals; an● after this they can eat a sufficient dinner. These fellowes saith the learned Doctor must needs have good stomacks, therfore do not sympathise with the babel brats in eating their Lord in a morning: Neither do you put off your hat in time when ye e●te the Lords Supper, for this I boldly affirm, for Christians, to put their hats off to the bread is unlawful, and no less idolatry then to kneel to it: I know some will mince and make dissensions about this point, but I say let the faithful servants of Christ flee from all appearance of Idolatry. To sit at the Lords Supper with hats on heads, in these times, is not only lawful but necessary, and that for the total abolishing of all reverence and show of bread-worship; and wee that are the people of God have cause to praise him for manifesting truths so clearly to us; and if wee should negle●t the practising therof, we should show ourselves ungrateful, and unworthy of so great favours.  
But for that opinion of some, that think we ought to salute one the other, with an holy kiss, at the time of eating the Lords supper, though some do like of it, yet I wish it might bee forborn for a time, lest in the planting of our Church, some weak ones stumble: And let us remember that saying, all things that are lawful, are not expedient. For going to their common meeting houses, remember I pray you our last discourse; for the name of the place, by any means never call it a Church, it is but a meeting place made of lime and ston: And for reverence, there is none due to it: And to show any reverence is mere superstition: The place differs not from our common dwellings; and truly that difference of places were done away, I could wish, and I know that many are of my mind, that either these were employed to some other uses, and so new meeting houses built; or at least men were suffered all the week to buy, sell, or work of some trades in them; for so long as any hold a reverential respect in their minds of the meeting houses, even so long a superstitious relic of Antichrist lodgeth in the heart, which to God we hold is abominable: And therefore I commend Master Samuel How the cobbler, and others that choose to be butted in the fields, and that by the highway side, rather then in the separated grounds: and for Master En●ck Hewet the Glover, who butted a maid in his yard, hereby appears the zeal of our holy brethren against such Idolized places. But for going to these houses to hear the word, I am not as some of our brethren are totally against it: but if we do go some caveats must be observed, as first we must not go in while their abominable Service is in reading. Secondly, when we do go in, let us be sure to show no act of reverence, neither let us kneel down within their Church,( as they call it) nor when we come out let us neither bow nor put off the hat, nor use any other posture in token of reverence, that so we may have clear consciences from any act of worshipping God in their meeting houses. In the third place let us have an eye to o●● thoughts, that we hear not the Preacher as a messenger sent from God but as a man exercising his gifts: And if we do observe these caveats, I think you or another may go in safely, and sometimes do good, as Paul became a Jew unto the Jews, if that by any means he might win some. So we by hearing their doctrines may the better judge them& confute them, and so we may win some souls from them; and truly for my part I judge this a better way, then totally to forsake their Assemblies.  
As for the singing of psalms with them, do as you are persuaded, but know their psalms are no other then Davids psalms adulterated by men that were Poets,( yea perhaps Ballad-makers) and ye know how Poets are generally esteemed of, and therefore our Psalms as they now stand versified, are little-better then human, and you know that all human inventions in worshipping are abominable to God. That the psalms are not those whereof james speaks. Is any merry let him sing Psalms. Jam. 5.13. plainly appears, for that the right Psalms are spiritual Songs, Ephe. 5.19. of which the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 14.15. where the words are, I will pray with the spirit and pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the Spirt, and sing with the understanding also. By which place it appeareth that book psalms are no more lawful then book prayers, which we all judge unlawful. But as Doctrines, Revelations, Interpretations, and strange tongues were by inspiration from God by his Spirit; so were psalms also: for which see 1 Cor. 14.26. Therefore I conclude it is not lawful to sing psalms without the Spirits inspiration; but because all our brethren are not thus minded, I leave it to their discretions, till they be further instructed in this truth; In the mean time let as many as be thus minded walk by this rule, and peace be upon them, and upon the Israell of God. I have said the more against this carnal psalm singing to move you to press on to more new truths, that you may serve God in newness of Spirit like a Christian, and not in oldness of Letter like a Jew.  
As for burials of the dead, I need not say any thing of that, for yourself is well satisfied, how not any thing about it belongs to a Minister, no more then to marriages, neither praying nor reading, nor ought else, there is no footing in Scripture for either: and therefore brother, be not dismayed, at the jeeres and mocks of the Ishmaelites, that scoffingly said we bury our brethren as we bury dogs, cats, or stinking carcases of beasts, and that in open fields, tush, God knoweth our hearts, and we must bear their scoffs till bodily observations, and Superstitious customs be done away, which I hope will be ere long; and that naked truths without Ceremonies shall flourish: and so be not cast down, you shall see Satan in his instruments shortly trodden under our feet, when we shall be made Princes in all nations then we shall bind Kings in chains and Nobles in fetters of iron; such honour the Saints shall have, and that is it we hope and wait for.  
As for the oath of Supremacy, ( viz) that one should swear the King is supreme in causes ecclesiastical, is a most vile and unlawful oath, contrary to fundamental truth, and the very nature of true churches, whose supreme government rest not in any one particular person, as Pope or King, but solely and alone, jointly in all the members of every independent congregation, and therefore we hope that oath will be altered, of which I shall not need to writ any more.  
I have some other things to writ of, as about the Scriptures, which is the right and which is not, and how they may be discerned by the Spirit, as also about the Creeds as some call them, the Athanasian& Apostles Creed, neither of them good: the Athanasian Creed hath no less then blasphemy in it, and the other palpable untruths. That which was made by Goodman Turner, viz. the Saints belief, is worth them both. So desiring you to strive on to the attaining of more new truths, I commit you to him that is able to make you perfect.   

Postscript.  
IF you desire the Saints belief, made the last year by our brother Turner, it was printed for William Larner, and were to be sold by the author in Pauls chain: in which is intimated how Goodman Turner had been imprisoned by the Bishops near 14 years. O wicked Bishops to imprison such a man, that in the first year after the Bishops lost their power, made us a Creed. O how it vexed them when they saw it, and heard that our three brethren the Blackwell-Hall men, that were imprisoned the last year in the Westcountrey, for saying there is blasphemy in the Athanasian Creed, and that they were presently released: I warrant you, they even gnashed their teeth for anger, but their wings are now clipped. Halleluia, Halleluia.  
FINIS.