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Righteousness, (not by thee, but) by Jefus Chrift, whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given Affurance unto all Men, in that he hath raised him from the Dead, as may be read, Alts xvii. 30, 31.

And because God hath ordained Chrift Jefus to be Judge of all Men, and hath given them Affurance of the fame, in that he hath raised him from the Dead, thou Lodowick, are not that Judge ordained of God, because thou art not Chrift Jefus, which was raised from the Dead; neither hath God given that Affurance to all Men of thee, that he gave of Chrift, by raifing him from the Dead, as aforefaid. Here I charge thee to be a falfe Judge, and a falfe Prophet, that ran, but never was fent of the Lord. Thy Judgment and Doctrine is very erroneous and falfe, as is plainly manifest against thee, and is therefore reversed.

They who were the true and faithful Witneffes and Ambaffadors of Chrift, who were anointed and fealed of God, and had a Commiffion of God, they did not prefume to take the Office of Chrift, as Judge ordained of God, from Christ, and affume it to themfelves, as thou most unjustly haft done, whereby thou haft appeared to be a falfe Prophet, and Meffenger of Antichrift.

For they who were anointed and fealed of God, who were the true Witneffes of the Spirit, and had a Commiffion from Christ, to whom all the Prophets gave Witnefs, they witness against thee, by teftifying on the Behalf of Chrift, that he commanded them to preach unto the People; and to teftify that it is he who was ordained of God to be Judge of the Quick and the Dead. Acts x. 42.

Firft, by their Commiffion they were to preach to the People. And Secondly, by the fame Commiffion they were to testify to them, that Chrift was ordained of God to be the Judge both of Quick and Dead: Therefore thou art not Judge, because thou art not Chrift, as aforefaid.

And whereas thou accufedft the Quakers to be of the Nature and Seed of the Serpent, and gave Judgment against them accordingly, thou haft cleared them from the fame by thy Selfconfutation, and Self-contradiction, wherein thou sayeft, That the Quakers do preach from the Scriptures and Light within,

and

and that Devils are caft out, and much good is done by

them.

First, the Quakers (fo called) do preach from the Scriptures and Light within.

Secondly, Because they so preach, they are fent of God; for how shall they preach, except they be fent?

Thirdly, That by Vertue of their preaching, and the Power which they have received of God, Devils are cast out, and much Good is done by them; and fuch are not of the Nature and Seed of the Serpent.

Thou haft cleared them from the fame by thy Self-confutation; and then to what Purpose is all thy falfe Judgment, and whatever thou haft faid against them in thy Prefumption, Pride, and Imagination? It is but Error in Judgment, and is therefore undone, (as I faid) and holden for nothing.

Written by Richard Farnefworth, Quaker, and fent to Dorothy Carter, to be directed to Lodowick Muggleton.

Lodowick Muggleton's Answer to Richard Farnefworth's Letter.

I

Richard Farnefworth,

Received a Paper from you, entituled, Falfe Judgment reverfed and against teftified, in Answer to Lodowick Muggleton. In Answer to this Paper of yours, I fhall first commend you in these two Things; firft, in that you have fet your Name to it; for I have a Letter from a Quaker in Lancafbire, which hath neither fet his Name, nor two Letters, yet I have made a Shift to send an Answer: But I had rather to have his Name, or two Letters, as I had of W. S. The fecond Thing that I commend you for, is, because you have fet down my Words fo truly and punctually, it makes my Commission and Authority to fhine the more bright and clear to all those that understand the Nature and Power of a Commiffion, though you, in the clofe of many of thofe Paffages, have

flighted,

flighted, vilified, and fpoken evil of thofe Things which are as true as Truth itself, and that you fhall find.

And because you are not under the Sentence of this Commiffion of the Spirit, by verbal Words or Writing already, I fhall give Anfwer to your Letter; for I never do give answer in Writing to any one that is under the Sentence of this Commiffion, for he is but as a condemned Man; neither is it the Practice of any earthly Judge, after he hath condemned a Man to die, for to treat any more with him that is fo condemned, neither can that Man get the Judge to revoke it; but perhaps a Man fo condemned by the Law may make Suit to the King, which is above Law, and fo may get his Pardon, but that is feldom known. But it is not fo with thofe that are condemned by the Commiffion of the Spirit, becaufe no condemned Person can make his Appeal unto God, the King of Heaven, neither by himself, nor by any other; becaufe God, the King of Heaven, is not in this World at all, therefore he hath commiffionated mortal Men to be Meffengers, Minifters, and Ambaffadors, to treat with mortal Men about their fpiritual and eternal Estate; and every true Ambaffador ftands in God's Stead, and hath Power to condemn and to fave alive, that is, to blefs to Eternity, and curfe to Eeternity: And this Power hath God given unto us two, the chofen Wittneffes of the Spirit, neither can God take it again, because God hath fpoken it, and cannot lie; for he faid thefe Words, That he had chofen us two his laft Meffengers unto this bloody unbe- . lieving World, and that he had put the two-edged Sword of his Spirit in our Mouths, that whoever was pronounced bleffed through our Mouths, are blessed to Eternity: So on the contrary, whoever we pronounce curfed through our Mouths, are curled to Eternity: And this I knowGod cannot revoke, be-cause he is Truth, and cannot lie.

Therefore to give Answer to thofe defpifing, flighting, and vilifying Words of yours, in your Letter against thofe Truths which you have fet down, which was written to Edward Bourne, and the four Sheets which I fent to Samuel Hooton and W. S. And in the firft Part of your Letter you have fhewed what Seed and Nature you are of, even as Edward Bourne, and Samuel Hooton and W. S. have done, you being of the fame

F

Seed

1

Seed as they are of, that is, the Seed of the Serpent, which must go the fame Way as your Father Cain which begot you must go, for you have blafphemed against the Holy Spirit that fent me, by calling the Authority of this Commiffion of the Spirit antichriftian, and very erroneous, and a falfe Prophet, and a Delufion, with many other wicked Speechesthroughout your Paper, which is a clear Teftimony and Difcovery unto me, that you are the Seed of the Serpent, and fo guided and led by the Spirit of Antichrift, now in this laft Age of the World.

The first Thing that you do accufe in me to be false is, that you fay, that under the Pretence of a Commiffion of the Spirit, that I have abufed, belyed, and wronged the Spirit, by prefuming, in the Name and Authority of the Spirit, to fet up myfelf as Judge, Accufer and Witnefs, to condemn at my Will and Pleafure all fuch as are beloved, bleffed, and juftified of God.

Anfwer. That my Commiffion of the Spirit is no pretended Thing, but as true as ever Mofes and the Apostles Commiffion was, and of as great, nay, of a greater Authority than theirs was, and given by the fame Spirit of Truth as theirs was: Neither have I fet up myself as a Judge, Accufer, or Witness, but God hath fet me up to be the chief Judge in the World at this Day; for he hath fet me in his Stead to be Judge, Accufer, and Witnefs, to judge and condemn antichriftian Spirits, that doth deny God to be a diftinct Person of himself of Flesh and Bone, and all blafphemous Spirits which finneth against the Holy Ghoft. Thefe two Things there is more of the Quakers doth commit, than any other Sects whatsoever, therefore there is great Need that God fhould make some mortal Man Judge of these conceited, stubborn-hearted People, called Quakers; neither are thofe People the Beloved, Bleffed, and Juftified of God, but the moft Curfedft of God of all other Sects; neither doth any other Sect fight against Gods's being in the Form of a Man, as they do; for they have got Chrift within them, but doth abhor that he fhould have Flefh and Bone of his own without them: And by this Chrift, which is Flesh and Bone, glorified without me, am I made Judge of

Mens

Mens fpiritual Estate, neither shall any one that I have condemned fee any other God or Judge, but that Sentence which we the Witneffes of the Spirit have paffed upon them.

And though you call it Prefumption, and a Thing undone and holden by you as nothing but Errors, falfe Judgement, Pride, and fuch like, yet you shall find it to be as true as if God had judged you himself; for this I can boldly fay, that I am as true an Ambaffador of God, and Judge of Mens fpiritual Estate, as ever any was fince the Creation of the World: And if you Quakers and others can fatisfy yourselves that there never was any Man commiffionated of God to blefs and curfe, then you fhall escape that Curfe that I have pronounced upon fo many Hundreds; and I only fhall fuffer for curfing others, without a Commiffion from God: But I know by what Authority I do thefe Things, and fo I am at perfect Rest as to my eternal Happinefs, in that I have been obedient unto my Commiffion, which was given of God by Voice of Words, to the Hearing of the Ear.

2. You fay that I, under Pretence of a Commiffion from God, have prefumed in my Imaginations, and Pride in my Heart, to exalt myself above God and Chrift, and to take all pardoning Power from them; because, fay you, that I account of my Sentence and Judgment, if once pronounced and past, though never fo erroneous and falfe, that they might not be able to reverse and undo the fame: That I prefume to take all pardoning Power from God and Chrift in that Cafe, becaufe I fay no infinite Spirit of Chrift, nor any God can, or fhall be able to deliver from my Sentence and Curfe, which you Quakers doth fay these Sayings aforefaid is my Error, and lying Divination, or falfe Doctrine, Pride, and Prefumption, as is apparent.

Anfwer. That my Commiffion is no pretended Thing, but as true as Mofes, and the Prophets, and as the Apostles Commiffion was; and John Reeve and Lodowick Muggleton are ordained and chofen of God by Voice of Words, and commiffionated with Power as really and truly as ever Mofes and Aaron was. And as Mofes and Aaron were the chofen Mef

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