will he hardength in Vér. 19b Thou wilt say thew antỏi miez Why doth he yet find fault, for who hath resisted i his will. Ver. 20. Nay, but, Oman, bho art thou that repliest against God! Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus? Yeri 21. Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump, to make one vessel unto honor, and another unto dishonor Ver222. What if Good, willing to show his wrath, and to make his poneer known; endureth with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruc tion. Ver. 23. And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory. So Rom. xi. 5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant, according to the election of grace. And ver. 7. But the election hath obtained it, and alle rest divere blinded So Colvin 13 Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved bowels of mercy) So Tit.i. ið Paul a servant of God, and an Apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's electo al 1970 9711sgoning end dhol

Here the reader may see that God hath elected some men to be saved, and rejected some men to be damned; here it is plainly clear, that the prophets, apostles, and Christ himuseff, did know that some men were elected to salvation, and e some men were predestinated for damnation, on purpose to set forth the glory of God, without any relation to righteousness or unrighteousnessy but merely to show forth the preroAgative power of the Creatorip for what glory could be given to God for his mercy and salvation, if the creature that is ‹ saved did not know that his fellow creature had no mercy showed to him, neither doth God show mercy to his elect because his sins are less than the sins of the reprobate, for many of the elect hath committed greater sins than the reprobate hath yet because they are the seed of Adam, and so selected, God doth show mercy unto them; and though many of the serpent's seed, that hath been righteous all their days between man and man, and hath committed far smaller sins in man's account; as for example, the sin against the Holy Ghost is counted by righteous men but a small sin, only for speaking a word against the Holy Spirit, calling it the spirit of the devil; God doth judge this sin unpardonable, which legal righteous men count but a small sin, which God count

eth the greatest sin of all; ande God hath pardoned great scarlet sins, that hath been as red as scarlet upon the soul of manş and this sin that is looked upon by legal righteous men as no sin, but think they do God good service in blaspheming against the Holy Ghost, in calling the spirit of truth a devil, which you Penn and many of you Quakers have done; this God doth count the greatest sin of all, and hath said that it shall never be forgiven, neither in this dife, nor in the life to come, but all manner of sins else shall be forgiven unto men. So that God will retain his prerogative power in election and reprobation for his own glory, for he hath made all things for his own glory, and the wicked for the day of wrath, Now if God hath made you Penn and others for the day of wrath, as I know he, hath, how will you help yourself? And though you reply and say, Why doth her yet find fault? who hath resisted bis will? God doth own that you have not resisted his will, for he made you on purpose a vessel of wrath, to set forth his prerogative power in your condemnation, and he hath made me a vessel of mercy, to set forth his prerogative power in my eternal salvation.This I. perfectly know, and though you reason against your Creator, and do count him more cruel than the worst of men or devils, God doth own this also, and doth exercise his prerogative power upon his creature, as the potter doth upon the clay; he maketh one vessel to honor and another to dishonor; and how shall the clay prevent the potter from doing what he will? Neither can any man prevent himself from being a vessel of wrath, nor from being a vessel of mercy, no more than the clay could; but he that made both these vessels knoweth how to dispose of them for his own glory; and the vessel of wrath is as necessary for God's use as the vessel of mercy; for in that he hath made a vessel of wrath fitted for destruction, it is that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had prepared unto glory. Also this is to be observed, that the clay doth not know whether the potter will make it a vessel to honor or to dishonor, neither doth 1 men that are born into this world, that God the potter of heaven hath made them vessels of wrath, or vessels of mercy, until it is revealed unto them by that seed of faith that is Sebes donde jale lame a tad to nem evosidgin laget

risen in them; and when a man knoweth his own salvation, and that he is an elect vessel, he may easily discern another to be a reprobate vessel of wrath, appointed to be damned, though he doth not know it himselfoonde blnode bo Again, it may be objected, that the clay that the potter maketh vessels of, one to honor and another to dishonor, it is a senseless lump, and feeleth no more pain on the fire, than the honorable vessel at the king's table is sensible of honor. Answer. That God, the potter of heaven, bath a prerogative power over a living vessel, as a living man hath over dead! clay; because he is the father and giver of all life to man and beasts, and all other creatures that hath life; for as dead clay doth set forth the wisdom and workmanship of living man, in making vessels of dead clay for his own use, honor, and glory; so is it with God, he maketh vessels of wrath to live in torment to eternity; and he maketh vessels of mercy to live in joy and pleasure for evermore, to set forth the glory of his mercy; so that both these vessels must live eternally, else God's glory would be eclipsed and veiled, and not seen in the splendor of it; and the cause why this must be so, is because God hath a prerogative power over all life, as the potter hath over dead clay; this point Paul doth prove with undeniable arguings, so that this point of election and reprobation is proved by Scripture; and it was the faith of the prophets, and the faith of the apostles, and it is Reeve and Muggleton's faith, yet Penn saith it is highly inconsistent with reason; but I am sure it doth consist with faith, and with the Scriptures, as hath been abundantly proved before.

Yet Penn saith, this principle is accursed by Scripture he will prove; and saith that antiquity both knew and abhorred this opinion; and quotes Josephus, and several other old authors, which know not their own election no more than Penn doth, that caused them and him to abhor the truth of God; and the Apostle's faith, and the prerogative power of God to limit his will and power to their dark imaginations. I know the cause why they abhorred this principle of election and re probation, because they did not know themselves elected, nor their own salvation neither; neither did they make their own calling and election sure, if they had, they would never have

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abhorred their own election, that God had made them vessels of mercy for reason in man is subject to abhor that another should be made in a better condition than himself, or that God should show more mercy to another than to him; this is abhorred by men that know not their own election and salvation; but I know they lived in a dark time of the world, and in ignorance of the true Godland of his power; so I shall leave them to him to judge them, as they judged his truths to be herésies. Thus Ithave given answer to those six points, or secrets of God, which Penn calls heresies, which may satisfy the reader that can understand the answer aforesaid; and they may see that I have proved by Scripture those six points and secrets of God to be of absolute necessity for every man and woman to understand and believe, against Penu the Quaker's assertions and arguments. 2 2710 m

In page 36, Penn saith, that there was one Buddas, that writ several books, and his end was to break his neck; and · Penn saith, It is to be feared that a worse will befal miserable, Muggleton, even torment of spirit, as Reeve is said to have left the world in And in page 37, Penn desireth the reader to delay not to pass the just sentence of impostor and counterfeit upon them and their commission.

Answer. THAT John Reeve did not leave the world in torment of spirit, as hath been said unto you and unto others; but he left the world in as much peace of mind; and confidence in the commission of God that spake unto him, as could be expressed by man, as some can witness at this day that are alive. But some that saw his departure, that closed up his eyes, and heard his last words, are dead since; but I look upon it but a vain thing for us to vindicate ourselves from slanders, lies, and evil reports, for there is no stopping the mouths of serpents. Likewise, you say it is to be feared, that miserable Muggleton will have a worse death than break

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ing his neck. I know it would be the joy of the Quakers' hearts if such a thing should befal me; but God hath preserved me from all casualties from my birth to this day: I never had no broken bone, sprain, burstenness, diseases of body, nor no defect in nature to this day; and I do not question but the good providence of God will preserve me from all accidents of nature to my life's end; but from persecution and abuses from wicked men I cannot promise myself to be secure, for mine enemies are more than I can number for multitude; but the law doth preserve me from them, therefore I do yet live in the land of the living, and am made able to withstand the malice and hatred of all mine enemies ;' besides, what would it advantage you Quakers and others that are under my sentence, if such misfortune should happen unto me; it might be some comfort to others that cometh after you, but it will advantage you nothing at all; for what I have said concerning you, and several others of your mighty men, it shall stand like a rock, that cannot be moved, and like the laws of the Medes and Persians, that cannot be altered; deliver yourselves if you can; and as for your desiring to pass the just sentence of impostor and counterfeit upon us and our commission, to this I say, it is not proper to call a man impostor, except a man had made a profession of truth before, which Reeve nor Muggleton never did, because we never did know the truth until about twenty years ago, except you do count the Puritan religion was the truth indeed. I was a zealous Puritan before, and I did fall from that profession to an honest just life between man and man; and if that was an impostor, then thousands, and many of you Quakers yourselves, are impostors; for I have known many of you did fall from being Puritans to be Ranters, and from Ranters to Quakers; so that you Quakers are double impostors by this rule; but this I say, you Quakers cannot properly be impostors, because you never were in truth, nor are not in truth now. But if I should fall from this faith I have declared above twenty years, then should I be an impostor indeed: likewise, whoever hath believed our doctrine of truth, which we have declared, and hath made a profession to own it, and to love and justify it, and shall afterwards fall from it, and question the