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clothed in filthy garments, not fit (as reason thinks,) to stand before the angel of the Lord.

And this satan that stands at his right hand to resist him, it was the spirit of unclean reason in those people of the Jews when Christ was upon earth, and when that devil that tempted Christ spoken of in Matthew, disputed with Christ, he resisted the high priest, and stood at Christ's right hand at that time; and this devil that tempted Christ it was a man endued with a high pitch of reason, and that spirit of reason, or wisdom of reason in that man that tempted Christ the high priest, it was satan that strove to resist Christ in dispute, whereupon Christ said, 'get thee hence, satan.'

This satan was a man; and the spirit of reason in this man is that satan that always resisteth the wisdom of faith which is the wisdom of God. But this hath been more largely treated upon in our other writings, so I shall speak no more of that devil and his temptations here.

So in Matth. xvi. 23. Christ said unto Peter, Get thee behind me Satan. Here you see Peter is called Satan, because it was the spirit of reason in Peter that said, Master, pity thyself: that is, the thought of Peter's heart they did savour of the fleshly part, that is those motions to persuade Christ to save himself from death, they did arise from the seed of reason in Peter, therefore called Satan; for there was no new spirit that came into Peter at that time to cause him to speak those words, but those words proceeded from the seed of reason in him, as aforesaid, therefore called satan.

And wheresoever that expression is used, as Peter said himself in the Acts, Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie unto the Holy Ghost? that is, why hath the motions of reason in thee persuaded thy heart to tell a lie unto us, that have the Holy Ghost in us.

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So the reader may clearly see, there is no other Satan to tempt God or man, but the motions and words that proceed from the seed of reason in man and woman.

So in Luke x. 18. And Christ said uuto his Disciples, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.' This Christ spake, because his disciples rejoiced that the devils were subject to them. The meaning of Christ was, that he saw the spirit of reason, that was in the rulers of the Jews, very high in the righteousness of the law of Moses, even as if they were in heaven, thinking in themselves that none could be more happy and surer of heaven and peace with God, than they that kept to the law

of Moses.

Now Christ knowing that this righteousness of the Jews, should be thrown down by the righteousness of faith, which his apostles should preach, therefore he saw by faith that the spirit of reason in the rulers of the Jews should fall like lightning from heaven; and so it did, and the disciples of Christ should, by the doctrine and righteousness of faith, tread upon serpents, and upon their persecution, and upon their righteousness of the law of Moses, and upon all that which did fall like lightning from heaven; they should tread upon Satan, that is, upon the very wisdom of reason the devil.

This is the true meaning of Christ, when he beheld Satan fall from heaven like lightning, and what Satan is so much spoken of in scripture. Much more might be said to enlarge this point, but I have spoken more 'already than I did intend; but I suppose there is enough written here in short to satisfy those, that can understand by a little what a great deal means, and also people may know when they speak of Satan what Satan is, and when they speak of the devll, they may know what the devil is. So much concerning the interpretation of Satan, and the conclusion of this epistle, written by

LODOWICK MUGGLETON.

FINIS.

NECK

OF THE

QUAKERS

BROKEN,

O R

Cut in funder by the two-edged Sword

of the Spirit which is put into

my Mouth.

First, In a Letter to Edward Bourne, a Quaker.

Secondly, In Answer to a Letter to Samuel Hooton and W. S. Thirdly, In a Letter to Richard Farnefworth, Quaker. Fourthly, In an Answer to a printed Pamphlet of the faid Richard Farnefworth, entituled, Truth Afcended: Or, The Anointed and Sealed of the Lord defended, &c.

Written by LODOWICK MUGGLETON, One of the two laft Prophets and Witneffes unto the High and Mighty God, the Man Chrift Jefus in Glory.

Re-printed in the YEAR M.DCC.LVI.

LODOWICK MUGGLETON's

I

LETTER

то

EDWARD BOURNE.

Saw a Letter of yours which you fent to Dorothy Carter, wherein I perceive fhe did lend you a Book of ours, of the two Witneffes of the Spirit, which you have perused, not for your Good, but for your eternal Hurt; for you have difcovered in that Paper what Seed and Nature you are of, which is the reprobate Angel's Seed and Nature, which is called in Scripture A Serpent, or Devil, of whofe Seed or Child you are one, which you have plainly expreffed in your Letter, by fpeaking evil of the Things you do not know, in which Book or Books you were not worthy to look into: But many more befides you of the Serpent's Brood have stumbled at this Stone, even the Commiffion of the Spirit, to their eternal Condemnation, which we the Witneffes of the Spirit have denounced upon them, which no infinite Spirit or Light of Chrift within them fhall take it off from them, nor deliver them in the Day of Trouble.

you

I fhall fhew in fome particular Places in your Letter wherein have finned against the Holy Ghoft, a Sin that will never be forgiven in this World, nor in the World to come. And fo I fhall proceed to the Sentence of eternal Death upon you. First, you fay, that you perufed the Book till you was weary with looking into it, for it was one of the dirtyeft and confus'deft Piece of Work that ever you faw.

Alfo you do advise Dorothy Carter to confider of it, and let the Witnefs of her own Confcience anfwer whether it was

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