Glimpses of Christian History Presents Pastwords #104: A Description of the Church of Scotland, ect. 1660 by Stephen Crisp ©2007

Baptist Turned Quaker Rebukes Presbyterians. Stephen Crisp (1628-1692) Quaker, Separatist, then Baptist 1648, and Quaker, 1655; imprisoned, 1656; visited Holland 1663 and 1667, and also Germany and Denmark as a missionary; fined for infringing the Conventicle Act, 1670; tried to get the penal laws suspended, 1668; wrote tracts in Dutch and English.

o the several Presbyters in Scotland, and to every Member of them, and to the Scottish Church in general, is this directed, and sent as a Word of Reproof and Warning form him who is the Head of the True Church, which is pure and undefiled, and sent by, and given through his Servant, who being a member of that Church, and participating of the power and wisdom of the Head, (according to the proportion of a Member,) do thereby comprehend your Church, of which I am not a Member; and in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ the true Head, do hereby reprove you of your Adultery and Hypocrisie, and several other Spits and Wrinckles that are I and upon your Church, which now with the Light are made manifest. And in the fear and name of the Lord, do warn you to return, and come to that which maketh manifest and maketh clean, before ye be cast upon the Bid of Misery and perpetual Sorrow with Babylon your Mother, and Jezebel your Prophetess, by the power of whose Sorceries and Inchantments, in and among her Merchants and Disciples, many poor People in this Nation are seduced and deceived, and kept from the anointing, which teacheth freely the Truth, which no Lye is of, nor springs from, and they whom you keep from this which teacheth freely, that so-they might buy or hire teaching of you, among whom they are ever learning, and never learned, nor brought to know the Truth which makes them free that abides in it. These I say, can never know the true Church, which is the ground of truth, in which none can be Pillars, but such as overcome Sin, and Transgression and Death which entred thereby, and came over all Men: In which state God's Church is not. And there is but Two states, namely, the state of Sin and Transgression, the wages whereof is Death; and the state of Redemption from Sin, which is through the power of the Resurrection from the Dead, which is the state of the Church; between which Two states is an absolute antipathy; for they that are in the Transgression, are not in the Church, for then it would be spotted; and they that are in the Church, are not in the Transgression, because the Church is in God where Transgression cannot be; and they that are holden in Sin and Death, are not risen from the Dead, and they who are made Partakers of the Resurrection and Life which is Christ, they are not holden in Sin, but the same power that raised up Jesus from the Dead, raised them the power of Sin and Death, and being thus raised, makes them Members of the Church, which is pure and undefiled, which is separated from the Sinners and from the Sin, by the mighty operation of the Cross, which is the power of God, by which we are translated from Death to Life, from Sin to Righteousness, from being Members of the Harlot and her church, to be Members of Christ and his Church; and this is the Church which we own and witness.

Now as concerning your Church, I have not a few things against it, but even many, wherein you are to be reproved, and must be amended or rather changed, before you can justly be called and accounted the Church of Christ, or any part thereof. Therefore listen a while and give attention, you Priests and Presbyters of Scotland, who have a long time been talking of reforming, and amending and purging, and making clean your Church; and I will declare unto you your way which ye ought to take, to accomplish that which you so much pretend for, and cannot yet accomplish, nor indeed never can, till that be removed, which hath and doth hinder a right and thorow Reformation.

Now the first thing in your Church that is presented to my Understanding, to be reproved, is the Foundation thereof upon which it is builded, it not being the same which the Church of Christ was, and is builded upon, as will thus appear.

The Foundation of your Church, is that which stands in the Fleshly part of Man; namely, forms and names of the things the Saints wrote of, without the power, which are attainable by the fleshly Wisdom of this World, by which God is not known, nor the Body which is the Church discerned; but he that can get the Saints Words to speak, although he be out of their Life, yet such are accounted fit Members of your Church; and of such Members, and upon this Foundation is your Church builded, the Saints Words being the chief corner-stone thereof.

Therefore come all to the true Foundation, which was and is the Foundation of the true Church which is Christ the Son of the Living God, who is the Light of the World, and lighteth every Man that cometh into the World with the true Light; and let that be the beginning and foundation of your Building, and that which will stand for ever. This was before Transgression was, and before Will-worship was, against this the Gates of Hell cannot prevail.

The next thing reprovable in your Scottish Church, is the matter whereof it is composed. And in this also are you contrary to the true Church, the Spouse of Christ; for your church is composed of evil and ungodly Men and Women, whose Hearts is delighting in ungodly Practices, as Swearing, and Lying, and Cozening, and Dissembling, and Scoffing, and Scorning, yea, in striking and beating the Innocent, such is your Church made up of; dead Stones, whose Hearts are as an Adamant, their Mouths filled with Cursing, and their Tongues filled with Venom, and their Hands filled with Violence. These are your Materials with which ye have builded, but the Lord God of Light and Power, is making you bare and manifest, and by his Power is throwing you down, where Shame shall cover your Church, where the Scorner shall b scorned in the Day of their Calamity, and the Strikers shall by stricken with a Rod that will break them to pieces.

But if you demand, how is all this proved that our Church is compassed and made up of such Persons as these? I answer, I prove it thus, not only by the hearing of the Ear, nor by what I have seen of you, in the eternal light of the Son of God before my coming among you; but also being an Eye-Witness of your Behaviour towards me, who when I have in obedience to God, and love to your Souls, but proclaimed the fear of God amongst you, in one of your Mass-Houses or Markets, what an Offence hath it been counted by you, who are of the Scottish Presbyterian Church, some crying kick him, kick him, knock him down; and such like Language and Usage have I and many of my Brethren and Sisters found amongst you; As in particular the Behaviour of the People of Dalkieth, on the 13th of the 9th Month, 1659 may witness; where had not the Soldiers appeared as a stop to your Murderous Purposes against me, your works of Mischief had more appeared; but your Spirit is seen and known to be of one Nature with the Scarlet-coloured Whore, who thirsteth after, and is drunk with the Blood of the Saints. Besides, there needs no greater proof of this Charge against your Church, but what hath and doth proceed out of your own Mouths, who are daily confessing your selves to be such kind of People, and so are judged out of our own Mouths, as all such slothful Servants ever were. Doth not your Priest say that ye are all going astray, every one after the Lusts of his own Heart, and hath forsaken God the Fountain of Living Waters, and digged to your selves Cisterns that can hold no Water, and that your Hearts are estranged from god, regarding Lying Vanities? And many such like things might be mentioned from your own Mouths, the Breath whereof as Fire shall devour you. Now if it be not so, why do you say so, lying against your own Souls? And if it be so, how can your Church be the Church of God, pure and undefiled, unspotted, and without wrinkle, or any such thing? Answer for your selves, or cease from deceiving your selves and others with the name Church of God, for with him dwelleth no Iniquity.

Now if the Light were the Foundation, then would none be counted fit Members of your Church but such as walked in it; and so your Fellowship would stand in the Light as the true Church-fellowship did and doth; but evil Doers, as Scoffers, Lyars, Proud, Covetous Persons, Strikers, fierce Despisers, Railers and Persecutors, such hate the Light, and deny and rejects it, and so may be continued in your Church-Fellowship, which is in sin for term of your Lives, and shall be continued in the inheritance of utter darkness in the end, where shall be weeping and wailing, and gnashing of Teeth for ever.

Another thing reprovable in your Church, is the Officers thereof, they being in all things contrary to the qualifications signified by the Scripture of Truth; as ye might well see, if the God of this World, the Prince of Darkness, had not blinded your Eyes, a little of the disproportion between them, and the Officers spoken of in the Scriptures. (For the simples sake, who desires to be informed) I shall instance; and first of all concerning your Presbyters. For the Presbytery which the Scripture speaks of, who laid their Hands on Timothy, 1 Tim. 4.14. were such with whom was the power of God, as was manifest by Timothy's receiving a Gift by the laying on of their Hands, who had received the Gift of God themselves, and also received power to communicate the same; but you who are Proud Men, and Covetous Men, who usurp Authority, and presume to be called by the Name, and deny that power to be extant with your, or any else, or that any can be immediately called or gifted for the Ministry, you are of that sort mentioned in Titus 1.16. Who profess ye know God, but in Works deny him, being Abominable and Disobedient, and to every good Work Reprobates; for these Qualifications do belong to such Men as ye profess your selves to be, which I shall set down, and then let all Sober People judge, whether ye be Reprobate unto them, yea or nay.

They ought to be Blameless, and whether ye be so or nay, be your own Judges, who says, none can live without Sin, and so consequently not without Blame, for all Sin is Blameable; so in this particular you have excluded your selves. Then Watchful; but what do you watch for? Except it be opportunity to promote your corrupt Honour, or to augment and exact your ungodly gain. Then of good Behaviour, that is not to Rail, and to Curse, and to stir up People to Tumults, and to stoning those who are not of your Judgement, this is evil Behaviour. Then given to Hospitality; as to this, let the poor People who in your Parishes go in Cold and Hunger, while you live in fulness and idleness, bear witness against you. Then apt to teach. In this also are ye far short, who must take a Weeks time to study, to teach the People Two or Three Hours, and yet cannot get your devised studied stuff to hold together, but one while is confirmed that, which it may be the same Day, or shortly after, your will deny again. Then not given to wine, no Strikers. How many of you have been guilty herein, in Drunkenness, and Striking, and setting others on to Strike, would be too tedious to mention here; but who desires to be informed of them and their Manners, let them in sincerity take notice of them, and they shall come to understand their Spirit; also some of their Works of this nature, are already printed and presented to publick view. Then not Greedy of filthy Lucre. And in this particular, how far your Greediness hath appeared beyond all that have gone before you, let the Sufferings of them, who for Conscience sake, could not put into your Mouths, bear witness against you. And again saith the Apostle in the 7th Verse of that 3rd Chapter of the 1st of Timothy, he must have a good report of them that are without; but how far are ye short of this, who cannot keep up a good Name amongst them of your own Church, but your Covetousness and Deceit is manifest among them; notwithstanding your Tyranny doth much stop their Mouthes, and blind their Eyes, that they yet see not so much of your Deceit, as shortly they will come to see.

But, in brief, the Description of the Church Officers in the whole of Scriptures of the Apostles, is that they be Blameless; Which ye say none now can be; and that they be filled with the Holy Ghost, and with Faith; which ye say they cannot be; for Sin must have a room in them, then they cannot be filled with the other. And that they hold the Mystery of Faith in a pure Conscience, which ye say they cannot do, for some Sin must remain, and that defiles the Conscience. That they should be gentle toward all Men, in Meekness, instructing them that oppose themselves: But out of this and all these Qualifications ye being found, your officiation must be like your Officers, and your Officers are like the Members, a Body fit for Destruction together, which the Lord is appearing against in his mighty power, to cut off Head and Tail, Root and Branch together.

Your doctrine concerning the Word of God, is altogether reprovable , who teach People to believe, that that is the Word of God that can be bought and sold for Money, and the knowledge thereof attained by Humane Learning, namely, the Scriptures (or outward Writings) of the Prophets and Apostles; that you say is the Word of God, and they that say otherwise, you say must be Cursed. But will not this return upon your own Heads, who preach contrary to the Scriptures, which saith Christ is the word of God? Now if he be the word of God, then the Scriptures are not, except they be Christ, which if you thing they be, declare your meaning plainly; and if ye know any other Christ than the Scriptures, then call ye him the word of God, and call the Scriptures a declaration, according as they are called by them that wrote them, who knew the word of God itself, which ye being ignorant of, have as it were changed the glory of the Incorruptible and Immortal Word of God which abides forever, into the similitude of Writings, which had a beginning in time, and must come to an end; and in the end shall you know the Word of God to be that which searches your Hearts, and judges your ungodly Thoughts and Purposes: This shall abide with you in the end, for this was in the beginning, which the Scriptures were not, and this is it by which the Scriptures and all other things came to have a Being; so that if the Scriptures must be called the word of God, because the Word came to the Saints, and bid them write them, or make Books thereof; then may not Noah's Ark, or Solomon's Temple, or the Priests Garments, or any other thing of the like nature, be called the Word of God, because by it they were commanded to make them? And furthermore, that which is the Word of God, is that which was made Flesh; and if you can tell how or when the Scriptures were made Flesh, then declare it, or else let that be called the Word of God henceforth, that did become Flesh. Again, without the Word was nothing made that was made; and if the Scriptures be this Word, then declare to us how you know that they were before the Creation; for that which maketh, must needs be before the things that by it are made. Farther the Word of God, saith the Apostle, is quick and powerful, and sharper than a Two-edged Sword, dividing between the Soul and the Spirit: But if this be the Scripture, then tell us what is the reason that your Souls are not thereby-divided from the Spirit of Iniquity and Deceit that rules over them? But ye imagine that Death only can make that Division, as if Death were more powerful than the word of God. Oh ye blind and ignorant Priests and People! How long will ye regard Lying Vanities, expecting Life where it is not to be had, and like the Pharisees of old, think to have eternal life in the Scriptures, but will not come to Christ whose Life is your Light? Turn in your Minds into your own Hearts, and feel if God's Word (which is a Hammer), be not striking at some or other of your Sins and Corruptions, and wait then to feel the sharpness of it, to cut and divide you from your Sins, that so you may witness the Word in your Flesh (and not in a Book) to destroy the works of the Devil, that the Word in the Heart ye may know, which liveth and abideth for ever, when that by it is destroyed, which cannot abide for ever, which is your Sin, which hitherto hath separated you from the knowledge of God and of his powerful word.

Your Doctrine of Faith is reprovable, and you in it found contrary to the true Ministers of Christ; for you preach that Faith cannot be without Sin; and you say it is Heresie and Error in any to say that it can; now this I say, if ye knew the true Faith which is saving, ye would see that it is contrary in all things to Sin, and would know, that instead of an impossibility to separate them, it would be impossible to unite them; for Faith saith the Scriptures is the Gift of God, and the Gift of God is perfect, and God nor his Gift hath no Concord with Sin, but giveth the true Believer victory over it.

But as for your Faith which ye say cannot be without sin, is therewith corrupted, and is not the like precious Faith which the Saints obtained, by which they wrought Righteousness, and were accepted with the Lord, without which it is impossible for you to please him, though ye perform never so many Performances; for this Faith which is mixt with Sin, which is the Faith of the Church of Scotland, is not that by which the just Lives, but among you who profess this Faith, is the Just slain in your own particulars, by the Sin which ye continue in, and say ye must continue in as long as ye live: So ye are far short of the Saints hope, which brought them to purifie themselves as God is pure, and your Faith, and Hope and Confidence which is thus mixt with Sin and Unrighteousness, is excluded from leading any of you into the inheritance of the Promise, which is eternal Life; for it is the feigned or made Faith, which hardens the Heart, and continues you in the Transgression, and begets in you a bold confidence in your dark Imaginations, which shortly shall fail you, and ye shall be stript of your Faith and Hope, and be left naked, to your perpetual Shame and Confusion. And therefore all that desire to come to the true Faith which gives Victory over the World, and that which is in the World, they must first come to that which true Faith is placed in, which is the Light wherewith Christ Jesus hath enlightened every one that cometh into the World; and that all Men through him might believe.

Concerning Election; and herein have ye erred exceedingly from the Truth, and with the Truth ought to be reproved and judged, who hold forth in your Church that God hath respected a certain number of Persons to himself, without cause or quality in them seen or considered, and that these he hath elected unto Salvation, by an unalterable Decree, that they shall be saved from the wrath of God, and that all the rest are under an irrevocable Decree of Damnation; for when no way of Salvation is left, nor no effectual means found for the Salvation of them, that Doctrine is not of God, but of your Father the Devil, who was a Lyer from the beginning; if he telleth a lye, it is of himself, but if ye tell a Lye it is of him: And from him is this Doctrine sprung, who rules in the Kingdom of Darkness, and desires that none might come to the knowledge of the Truth, nor be saved; and so hath set you to preach this Doctrine outwardly unto ignorant People, (who generally have believed it,) while he in the mean time is secretly suggesting in some of them, that they are Elected, and so what Sin soever they live in, cannot mar their Election, seeing it is without Condition or Qualification, and Man's works cannot alter nor change God's Decrees. And many such like Reasonings as this learn they from the Deceiver within, and from the Deceivers without, and he also is perswading others that they are not Elected, but are of the greater number, which the Priests saith, no Salvation nor Redemption is for; and so they may take their course, and spend their time in pleasure, for they can but go to Hell in the end; and all their Godliness and Soberness, and Strictness, and Abstinence from Pleasure, and whatever they can do, cannot change the purpose of God concerning their Damnation. And so by this and such like means and Instruments doth the Devil uphold his Kingdom, and keep you from Preaching him, or Believing on him, who is the way to the Father, Christ Jesus the Light of the World, who lighteth every Man with the true Light, with which he may see that which was wrought in Darkness, (which is the Reprobate state,) and be led out of it according to Christ's words, who said, I am the Light of the World, he that believeth on me, shall not abide in Darkness, but shall have the Light of Life: He said not it the Elect believe on me, but [he that] a general term to every one that cometh into the World, and is enlightened with this true Light; and this is the love of God to the Sons and Daughters of Men, who wills not the Death of them that do dye, [mark] them are reprobated that do dye; but God wills it not, but rather that they should turn and live. But ye that preach this Doctrine, ye would live without turning, but the Sword of the Lord is drawn against your Life, and shall cut it off, for it stands but by an imagination of such a Decree, as by which Sinners might be saved in their Sins: And then you shall know, that the way of Salvation was set open to you, in that the Light shined in your Hearts; but ye rejecting that way, and seeking to establish a way of your own; so ye became excluded, and shut out of the Kingdom after long talking of it.

And therefore all you People of Scotland, and to whomsoever this shall come, of what People or Country soever ye be, consider in the Fear of God, whether ye be lighted with a Light that doth make manifest your evil Deeds, and Words, and Purposes in the secret of your Hearts, yea or nay; and if ye find such a thing, then mind diligently its working in you, for in it are the reproofs of Instruction , which the Scriptures say is the way of Life.

He hath given his only begotten Son, a means and a way of Salvation, for as many as believe on him; and he is the Grace by which the Saints were and are saved, which appeareth to all Men, and bringeth Salvation near unto all, without respect of Persons, who are taught by him to deny Ungodliness and Worldly lusts, and to live Soberly and Righteously in this present World: But if ye still continue to be taught by them that turn the Grace of God into wantonness, and despise that which shines in the Heart, to lead out of Sin, which it makes manifest, then shall you perish in your gain-saying and in the day of your Calamity and Misery, ye shall know and confess to your unspeakable Sorrow and Torment, that a Prize was put into your Hands, and a way of Life was declared and made manifest; but ye loving your Sins and Iniquities, your Delights and Pleasures, which the Light and way of Life appeared against; were unworthy of this free Salvation, and so your Condemnation ye shall confess to be of your selves in that Day, when God the Righteous Judge will be clear of all your Blood; and then saying God is partly to blame, and Man is partly to blame, that Men go to Hell, will not serve turn, which one of the chief Priests of your Scottish Church affirmed, (Henry Foreside Priest of Lingich.) But his Folly and many such blind Guides now made manifest with the Light, which they are risen up against; but they shall not proceed much farther, for their Skirts are discovered to their shame.

As of Sanctification, in which ye allow an unsanctified part to remain, and so never bring People to know nor to hope for the thorow cleansing, which the Saints witnessed, except it be after death, when no such work can be wrought: And also your Doctrine of Justification in Sin will be seen, and God's Righteousness will be cleared against your Lying and Deceit: And so of Adoption, and Resurrection, and Glorification, and what else is preached among you, will be seen with the Light, by them that love it, to which I commend them in whom is sincerity of Heart, and shall proceed a little further to your Ordinances.

And first concerning that rotten Tradition which you call an Ordinance of Baptism, namely, your casting a few drops of Water upon the Face of an Infant of about Eight Days old; this you call an Ordinance, but could never yet find out the Institution thereof by Christ nor his Disciple, for any sign or signification whatsoever; much less can you prove it to be the one Baptism, neither can you prove that ever any such thing was done by any of them: So ye have neither Precedent nor Precept from the Holy Men of God. Now this conceited Charm or Trick, of casting a few Drops of Water upon Childrens Faces, you call Baptism, wherein you have proclaimed to all understanding People, that from the greatest of you to the least, you are all ignorant of the Baptisms the Scriptures speak of, which had a Time and Service, and ended in that which abides for ever; and so, being ignorant of them, have in their room set up a Conceit and Tradition, which hath not so much as the least ground in the Scriptures of Truth, neither is mentioned therein; nor was it invented many Years after; and then was it instituted by the Pope, obeyed by the Papists, and since continued and observed in your Scottish Church, which from thence is sprung: But the true Baptism is that which was instituted by Christ, and is owned and witnessed by the Saints, and denied by the Romish and Scottish, which Baptism is into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which Name is a strong Tower, and all that are Baptized into it, find strength in it, and help against Temptations; and in the time of Trouble, find deliverance by it; and this the Saints witnessed, who witnessed the one Baptism, by one Spirit into one Body; for faith the Apostle in Rom. 6:3, 4. For so many of us as were Baptized into Jesus Christ, were Baptized into his Death, that like as Christ was raised up form the Dead by the Glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of Life; now in that he died, he died unto Sin; and they that are Baptized with the one Baptism, they are planted together with Christ in the likeness of his Death which is unto Sin, ver. 10th, and such also come to partake of the Resurrection and Life, which is in Christ Jesus; and in that they live, they live unto God and not unto themselves, having Crucified the Old Man with his Deeds, and have the Body of Sin destroyed; and henceforth being dead unto Sin, they serve it not, but witness the Baptism which now Saveth, making clean the Conscience in the sight of God, by the washing of Regeneration.

Now all People that desire farther to know of this one Baptism, which is a dying unto Sin, and a cleansing or washing from the filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit, you must turn your Minds to the manifestation of God's Spirit within, which is given freely of God for you to profit withal; and with it will you see the Spots that remain upon you, notwithstanding your outward traditional Baptism, of what sort of manner soever it be; and also it will give you to understand, that the Baptism which is the Answer of a good Conscience, and which is the similitude of Christ's Death which is unto Sin, is yet wanting; and so by waiting in that which maketh manifest those things which ye should dye unto, then will ye feel the name of God revealed in you, which is the strength and power which only is able to kill Sin; and trusting and believing in this, the true Faith comes first to be witnessed, and then the one Baptism which cleanseth and purifieth, will be witnessed, which bringeth into the everlasting Covenant which God is making with his Holy Seed, which he is now gathering from under all the Shadows, and also from among all the Inventions of Men, to serve him in Meekness and Fear in that Worship which is inward in the Spirit and in the Truth.

And lastly, the Discipline of your Church, doth appear contrary to the Discipline of the true Church; and in this particular ye have so far proceeded already, within these few Years, that ye have thereby much manifested your selves even to many, who did not before see you; for this many hath looked upon, as a Tail of a Scorpion with which you have fought to vent that Sting and Venome which lodged in your Hearts, against the true Church, which ye could not vent with your Tongue nor Hands; but this also will the Lord cut off, that the Scorpions shall hurt no more. Your Sting begins to decay, and your Force to fail you, and People begins to walk safely I the Path of Peace, and in the way of Righteousness, not with standing your Tail or your Tongue, to the grief of your Hearts, which is filled with Mischief against the Righteous in the Land: But the Lord is their Deliverer, and according to the evil of your Desires against the Innocent; even so shall your Reward be.

Now the true Church they did observe, that if any that was called a Brother, should be a Fornicator, a Railer, an Extortioner, a Covetous Person, and Idolater, or a Drunkard, with such a one not to eat. Now if you would observe this in your Brotherhood, ye would quickly be scattered one from another; your Priests suspended for their Covetousness, and Drunkenness and Railing; the People suspended for their Fornication, and Idolatry, and Extortion, and Railing and Fighting, and many other Misdemeanors, your Communion would soon fall: But you, who are a body or Church so called, made up of such as these, ye take another course to uphold your Fellowship; for if any who have been one with you in these things before mentioned, doth come to see with the Light wherewith Christ hath lighted them, that these things are displeasing to God, and so dares not go on with you any long in them, but declares against your Idolatry, your Covetousness, your Railing, and it is with such a one that you will not Eat nor Drink, nor Buy nor Sell. Oh! abominable depth of Satan. This is the way you have found out to keep People from believing in the Truth, and from departing from your Corrupt and Cursed Practices. In short, this is as your Fathers the Jews did, who were the Crucifiers of the Lord of Life; if any then did confess him to be the Christ, that said, I am the Light of the World, who lighteth every Man that cometh into the World, they must be cast out of their Synagogue; [mark] out of the Synagogues of the Unbelievers and Crucifiers. Such as ye, who cannot, nor will have any Fellowship with them that believe in the Light, that they may be made Children of Light, your latter end shall not be like unto theirs, except ye Repent.

Furthermore, the Apostle exhorteth the Corinthians, to deliver the Incestuous Person to Satan, for the destruction of the Flesh, that his Soul might be saved in the day of the Lord; but he did not intend the destruction of his Body, as ye wickedly do, who thirst after Blood, to asswage the Flame of your Envy: But the Lord will quench that Flame and ye that desire Blood, shall have Blood to drink. But the Apostle fought not with Flesh and Blood, but against Spiritual Wickedness, and against Incest, and Fornication, and Idolatry; but ye make War against the Flesh and Blood, and seek the Destruction of the outward Bodies as much as in you lies; but those who believe in the Light, and trust in the Lord, the God of our Salvation, the power that saveth out of Sin and Unrighteousness, them will he deliver out of your Bloody Hands, and from your Cruel Teeth, and from the reach and venome of your hurtful Tail. But it may be you will say, although we have no criminal Fact to lay to their Charge, whom we have cast out of our Church, of whom you speak, yet they are Hereticks, and it was Paul's Counsel, that one that is an Heretick after the First and Second Admonition, reject. I answer, if this were observed among you, there would be none found to reject; for all would be found to be rejected: And this is the reason, that whosoever comes to be Members of the true Church, doth reject you, because of your Heresie in Doctrine, and Corruption in Conversation. But after that way which you call Heresie, worship we the God of our Fathers, who wrote the Holy Scriptures by inspiration of the Holy Spirit; and according thereunto; we believe in the true Light that lighteth every Man that cometh into the World; which (our) Belief you call Heresie. And that this Light is the Perfect and Heavenly Gift of God, and whosoever yields himself into the obedience of it, shall thereby be translated from Darkness and the Works thereof which is Sin, and be brought to live righteously and holily in this Life; and this also you call Heresie. And many more things, which in the Scriptures are declared, and by us believed and witnessed, do you call Heresie; as may appear in a Book lately published by the Presbytery at Edinborough, to their shame, called a Testimony against the Petition for Tolleration; wherein your envious and bloody Spirit is sufficiently set forth to every Judicious Reader, against the Life of the Scriptures, and whomsoever into it is come: But your Cainish Spirit is seen, and your End is at hand, and your Reward shall be according to your Works.

And now all ye People of Scotland, in whom is Sincerity and Simplicity, unto whom this shall come, consider in the Fear of the Lord, where you are, and who you are joined with, and against whom ye take part, while ye abide in this Church; and search the Scriptures your selves, and see whether these things be so or nay, and come out from amongst them, and partake no longer of their Sins, least you partake also of their Plagues, which is near coming upon them; and praise the Lord who hath spared you until now, and caused his Light to break forth to discover their ways and works of Darkness, before you are overwhelmed by his Judgments. And as in sincerity ye come to try these things with the Light, in it ye will see more Light, and by it an Understanding will be opened in you, to see into their Abominations and Deceits, beyond what is here declared. But if ye reject this the day of your Visitation, then shall ye be shut up in Darkness, and your Ignorance shall increase; and your Hearts shall be hardened, and ye made fit for the indignation and wrath of God, to be poured forth upon you, when the measure of your Iniquities shall be filled up.

While you have time prize it, and while you have Light love it, and believe in it, that you may be made Children of it.

Stephen Crisp

An Example of Crisp's Humility: Lesson: Don't make prophecies.

As I was sitting Waiting upon the Lord, on the 29th Instant, these things rose in my Heart, That I should acknowledge my Offence to all the Brethren in London and thereabouts, and Bristol, and to all the Brethren North and South, that have been Witnesses against the Spirit of Separation; and am to let you know, that it doth truly Repent me, and sorely grieve me, that you that do bear a Faithful Testimony for God, should have any Prophecy thrown at you, which I spoke to John Story in an angry Spirit. I do therefore acknowledge, as I have signified in my last Paper, about Two Years ago, that I have had little Rest Day nor Night at Times, never since I spoke these Words to John Story, [That it was the Word of the Lord, that he should Die that Year,] which were mine own Words, and soon became my Burden and were spoken in the Dark, and Darkness was upon my Spirit, and so under a strong Temptation which I was suffered to fall into, I not standing in the Counsel of God; for which I bore God's Indignation. But I soon saw I should have gone to him in a Meek Spirit, to beseech him to be reconciled to his Brethren. But I do Judge and Condemn that hasty Spirit, that set time for his Dying, and called it the Word of the Lord, and do desire this may go as far as where-ever it may have a Service for Truth. Stephen Crisp