and so worship in vain and by their Traditions and vain Customs they have excluded that Worship in Spirit and Truth the which Christ Jesus set up therefore we do deny them XI Whereas the man-made Ministers now adayes do make that their Plea for their Persecution and wickedness they have a Law so said their fore-Fathers the Scribes Pharisees and Chief Priests who Crucified Christ they said they had a Law and what Persecutors about Religion since Cain had not some seeming pretence and covering though indeed these in this generation do excel in rare Arts and Coverings to hide their wicked bloody Spirit of Persecution under but he is risen and come that sees through them and teaches his Followers of them and therefore we do deny them XII And we do commend the Reader for his full and compleat satisfaction about the ground and setting â—p of Tythes since the Gospel-dayes unto a Book Entituled The Great Case of Tythes Revived by Francis Howgil who dyed a Prisoner for the Testimony of Jesus in that Book are all Reasonable Objections clearly answered and there is clearly shewen what a dark night of Apostacy was over people when Tythes were set up by a Law and how many hundred years it was after Christ before that gross Ignorance was ushered in in making Laws to Prosecute and compel about Tythes And unto all we do signifie That we have hopes in our Lord and Master Christ Jesus our Saviour that he will maintain us by his Grace and supply us out of his fulness of Wisdom and Power to live godly soberly and righteously in this present life giving no just Gause of Offence to any but in all things to live an innocent harmless life keeping our Conscience void of Offence both before God and all men And if any that may be among us and profess to own our Principle should do otherwise then right and just let none be so rish as to condemn our just Principle or those that live in it because of the unfaithfulness of some that may make some Profession of it and not live up to it And we do pray for all in Authority that the Lord of Heaven and Earth man pour out his Spirit of Judgment and Wisdom upon them that they may be opened and that the Nobility of their Vnderstandings may be cleared from Darkness and Error that they may discern between the Precious and the Vile and that they may be for the Punishment of them that do Evil and for the Praise of them that do well The 6th of the 1st Month 1676 Wholsome Advice AND INFORMATION In TRUE LOVE to all called CHRISTIANS To provoke them to the Royal Law of Love as it is in Jesus and to the Blessed and Effectual WORKS therein THe Lord of Heaven and Earth who by his great power and wisdom did Create all things good who in the beginning gave unto mankind Dominion over the Earth and God blessed them and said unto them Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the Earth and subdue it and have Dominion over the Fish of the Sea and over the Fowl of the Air and every Living thing that moveth upon the Earth And the works of the Lord were all good and are all good savoury pleasant being ordered by his universal power and wisdom by which they were created But mankind being fallen from the sense thereof they have formed and fashioned many Inventions in their minds being captivated under the enemy's power of Darkness wherein they are become corrupt and unsavoury having lost their Dominion instead of subduing the Earth they have let the Earth over them and being become Earthly-minded the things that move upon the Earth have Dominion over them and thus being captivated under the enemy's dark power set the enemy's dark power above the power and wisdom of God Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever by whom all things were created who is Heir of all by whose Power Life and Immortality is brought to Light glory be to him for ever But people being imbondaged and corrupted they are become such slaves thereunto and in such a ground of Infidelity that they cannot so much as believe in God's power and wisdom which is manifested to create again into its own primitive savoury holy Life in Dominion over the Earth but in the State of Infidelity mankind being plunged with their narrow spirits they go about to measure the things of God and in their fallen Earthly wisdom to weigh things of Eternity and being confounded in their works what variety of coverings do people get to cover their shame in all parts of the World as well as in Christendom so call'd where indeed they do greatly excel other Nations in curious Arts to make coverings to hide their great shame a miserable Trade but very costly in in this Nation And forasmuch as the love of God hath been and is largely manifested through which many have been and are redeemed from that great folly and madness in that vain travail and labour in joyning with those Arts-men of the Times who spend their dayes and consume abundance of Treasure in making false coverings to cover their shame out of which confusion many being redeemed who are baptized into Christ and have put on Christ's beautiful Garment and are comely in his sight who is Lord of Heaven and Earth before whom every Creature is manifest and because such cannot run with them in the same Excess of Riot and pay towards the Maintenance of those Sottish Arts-men what a wonder they make of it and cry to the Magistrates for help to punish the Innocent people for keeping their Consciences void of offence both towards God and man What Imprisoning even many to Death and Spoiling Tearing and Rending of Goods seeking thereby the destruction and ruin of many thousands of industrious laborious Families A practice not so common amongst the very Turks among whom I having lived I did observe something of their Behaviours to the Christians and Jews that live amongst them and one unto another and in many common Civilities which are called moral in which they seemed to exceed many who are called Christians in Christendom the Christians that live amongst them of several Opinions agreeing together in outward concerns do enjoy the Liberty of their Consciences in their several ways of Worship and the Jews have the same freedom the Jews observing the Seventh day and are quiet and the Christians the First day and are not disturbed and the Turks observe the Sixth day and I did not perceive any Penalties inflicted either on Christians or Jews for worshipping of God as they suppose they should but they do live quietly and peaceably one with another in these Concerns And concerning the Turks Moderation in permitting the Christians so quietly to enjoy their several perswasion in Religious matters I made some Inquiry What reason they could give for the same and thus answer was returned me thus saith Turk In case we should go about to
THE True Light Discovered to all who desire to Walk in the Day In several little TREATISES Written by that faithful Member of the true Church of Christ Jesus lately deceased STEPHEN SMITH Then spake Jesus again unto them saying I am the Light of the World he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the Light of Life John 8.12 LONDON Printed in the Year 1679. To the Friends of Truth in the Counties of Surrey Sussex and Hampshire Friends HOw greatly hath the Lord appeared in this day in raising up many Instruments to sound forth his glorious Truth yet many are not sensible of it nor of the great Work he is a doing who is a setting up his Spiritual Kingdom and is establishing Righteousness in the Earth and all those that oppose this Work shall in â—im be ashamed and the Lord will go on with his Work who is come to restore Man into the primitive purity he was first created in Man that hath been drove from him into the Earth by reason of Transgressions and been a Servant to sin and under the power of Satan and been ignorant of the Life of God and of the sweet refreshments of his living presence not knowing the motions and leadings of the Father neither hath his ear been open to hear the voice of God but hath been without any sensible feeling of the Life and Power of God and had no savour of the things of God In this condition is Man that is drove from God in the Fall But now is the Lord come to restore him again by his beloved Son Christ Jesus who redeems Man again from his lost estate and brings him out of the Earth and out of all such things which had separated him from God to delight in the Lord his Maker again and from being a Servant of sin to be a Servant of God and of Righteousness and Holiness and to bring him again into Innocency in which he was first created And this hath been the Work of the second Adam the Lord from Heaven in all that did receive him and it is his Work at this day The Father of Mercy and great Compassion he hath considered Mankind who had corrupted his way and he sent his Messengers to foretell the coming of the acceptable day of the Lord and the day of Salvation of God who invited all the hungry and thirsty to come and drink at the Fountain of Life And this was the free Love of God to help Man out of the Pit wherein there was no Water and to offer him the Wells of Salvation to drink at that so he might be washed from sin and from pollution into which he was fallen and could see no deliverer till the Lord was pleased to open a door of Hope and to set him free by his Son Christ Jesus and to save that which was lost and to bring Peace and Salvation whose power is indeed as able to cleanse from sin as ever the Devils was to defile and corrupt This is true and witnessed by some though many cannot believe that ever any can be free from sin in this life Now he that is in the first birth and sees no further but is overcome with sin daily and his mind is earthly and corrupt and has never known the power of God to work in him the New birth and a change from his sinful Estate he judges he can be no otherwise while he is here and so is like a blind man who though the Sun shines because he cannot see it he will not believe that it shines or that others see it But this must not make the Faith of some void who have known the second Adam to be a quickning Spirit and have found him able to save to the utmost all that come unto God by him and the bloud of Christ is to them of full effect and they witness him to be a perfect Saviour and indeed for this end was Christ given of the Father and for this end came he into the World and was made manifest to destroy the works of the Devil and to save his People from their sins and until Christ hath brought Man out of the Transgression he hath fallen into he hath not finished the Work that the Father hath given him to do for as sin hath reigned unto death so must Righteousness reign unto Life Eternal and as through the power of Lust man hath been defiled throughout in Body Soul and Spirit so by the power of Christ is man to be sanctified throughout in Body Soul and Spirit and being once cleansed by his power to be saved from those sins which formerly have defiled him and by this Man doth witness the Restoration by Christ and the renewing by the Holy Ghost into the Image of God again which he had lost whilst in the Transgression and so Man comes again into unity with God and to know his voice his motions and the leadings of his Holy Spirit which while he was in darkness and served sin he was wholly ignorant of This makes Man fruitful again unto God who before was as a barren Wilderness and whereas he was before filled with Darkness he now comes to be filled with Light and Life and now he hath Visions and Revelations of Heavenly things before he was crying There was no Revelation nor Vision they are ceased whilst night was upon him he saw no Vision and because he saw no Vision nor had no answer from God therefore he thought it was so with all others and that Revelation and Vision was ceased and he measured all men by his dark rule darkness being over him and his eye blinded Whilst he was in the first birth he was Earthly his mind Earthly delighting in Earthly things he could not then believe there was any immediate Teachings of the Father by his Holy Spirit nor any enjoyment of Heavenly things neither was his eye inward but to an outward Teacher and outward Books and Writings but when the inward ear came to be opened and the day of the Lord appeared unto him then he heard the words of God and saw the Visions of the Almighty and then he began to praise the Lord for his goodness and for his mercies which endure for ever And now being come to taste of the loving kindness of the Lord and his heart being filled with Heavenly blessings he ministers forth the same to others and these are the true Ministers indeed who are moved by this blessed power of God to seek the Salvation of Souls And of this number was our dear Brother Stephen Smith now deceased a man who laboured in faithfulness and constancy according to the ability God had given him to beget others to the Truth and was constant in Sufferings in Travels and Labours and had a good esteem in the hearts of many for his faithfulness to the Lord as you well know and therefore I need not write much concerning him especially since some others have written so
with the Lord for ever Susanna Smith The Testimony that lives in my heart concerning the Life and Death of that holy and worthy Servant of the Lord Stephen Smith O The remembrance of that holy and worthy Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ by whose Heavenly power he was made a holy Temple for the Lord to walk in whose Earthen Vessel was filled with Gods Heavenly Treasure by which the Life of Jesus was made manifest in his mortal Flesh so that the excellency was of God and not of man so that by Gods holy power he was made a perfect and upright man one that feared God and hated all manner of Evil wheresoever it did appear And indeed I can never forget him whose blameless and innocent Life and holy Conversation when he was amongst us it was a good pattern unto us for he was a man of a meek and gentle and of a tender Spirit in which he was very careful and tender to all in whom the least appearance of Truth did manifest it self for which his Travels and his Labours were very great for the Truth and Christs sake in whom he was made very instrumental as in the hand of the Lord that he thereby might beget a People unto the Lord being not satisfied to eat his Bread alone as many yet living can truly testifie to the truth hereof knowing that he was a true and faithful Labourer in the glorious Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus for whose sake he was made willing to suffer for he accounted it all joy that he was counted of the Lord worthy to suffer for his Name sake who truly trampled upon Aegypts Glory and chose rather to suffer afflictions with the People of God then to enjoy the pleasures of Sin for a season who often said he accounted nothing the Lord had blessed him withall too dear to part withall for Christs and his Gospels sake concluding that it was but a reasonable Sacrifice to part with Life and all that a man hath for Christs sake and he that could not part with all for Christs sake was not worthy of him And he was a man of a tender and of a broken Spirit and always constant in his Love to all his Brethren in the Truth and having a great esteem of them therein and whose care was very great over all the Flock of God who was filled with the Spirit of wisdom and understanding in which he truly laboured to prevent all manner of differences or discord that might happen among Brethren and if any did happen he was always willing to compose and reconcile all manner of differences which would have been to the great dishonour of the Lord and his Truth which was prevented by him so that he was a true Peace-maker and he was as a Father to the Fatherless and as a Husband to the Widow and as a Child I have been often a partaker of his Fatherly kindness and living still in the remembrance of the same I hope I shall never forget but to return the honour and glory to God who is the Fountain of all our blessings and mercies from whence floweth all our fresh Springs in and through Christ Jesus the Son of Gods Love in whom was the Spring of Life flowing in and through him even to the great satisfaction of my Soul as one that did but partake of the overflowings of that Life in which his Soul was deeply consolated and wrapt up in the Heavenly Joy of the Lord God so that in the greatest extremity of his weakness he would be very often declaring of the great and mighty loving kindness of the Lord God by which he was lifted up above the fear of death Nor was he afraid of the terrors thereof so that a little before his departure I being present with him he being filled with Gods heavenly Spirit by which he was enabled to pray and supplicate the Lord God of his Life in which he was praising and magnifying that holy and innocent Life of Jesus saying Lord and dearest God O assist in this Heavenly passage from death to life who being subject to the will of his Heavenly Father said further to me Now I am going into my sweet sleep so that he immediately and innocently laid down his head in perfect peace with the Lord and lives for evermore O the heavenly and the blessed Testimony of the Lord God that sprung in and through him by a heavenly Exhortation to them that came to visit him saying That it was a blessed and a heavenly thing to have the mind clear and holy free from all troubles and cumbers of this evil World as he truly said his was having all given up to the will of the Lord that it might truly be done in Earth as it is in Heaven O what a blessed and a heavenly Habitation is this for the Soul of man to rest in which I have a full assurance of And a little after there came in one to see him and he exhorted him to dread and fear the Lord God and to repent of all his wickedness whatsoever that holy and pure witness in his conscience makes manifest to be evil So if happily he may find mercy with the Lord which will be better to thee said he then all the World besides And a little after came in another to see him so that the mighty power of the Lord God was seen and felt whereby he was refreshed again and desired her to fear the Lord that thereby she might be preserved out of all evil and desired her to love the Truth above all for the Truth is a very precious thing and to be sure to keep low and humble to it and not to be high-minded nor exalted above the pure of God in her conscience for that would he very hurtful to her About two or three days after the blessed heavenly power of the Lord did arise in him from which did spring a living and a heavenly Testimony in a holy remembrance of the tender dealings of the Lord with him from his Childhood to this very day who said to his Sons That his days were very near drawing to an end and declared how that his Father and Mother cast him off when he was but a little Lad But the Lord had always preserved him and his Blessings did always attend him in raising him up by multiplying his Blessings upon him having been often in many great dangers and perils by Sea and Land So said he having my mind chast and sober to God and having the fear of the Lord placed in my heart by which I was preserved out of evil and doing the thing that was right in the sight of the Lord so that I found favour of the Lord and gained the love and savour of all people in dealing justly and truly with all people not wronging any man So this in charge he gave to his Sons That they might always be kept chast and fober in their minds having always their minds
What will it avail you to have read what blessed and holy Lives the Saints and Servants of the most High God led and possessed if you be found in an unsavoury Life and in an unholy Conversation in an unclean Possession If so will you not be found denyers of the scope and tendency of Scriptures where it is written to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace and all that possess this are in a clean and holy possession The Scriptures saith to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace So to the blessed motions of Gods holy Spirit you must turn your minds and eye its leadings and guidings this is the way the Saints and Servants of the most high God were directed to and guided in by the true Preachers of the everlasting Gospel And therefore unto that of God which he manifests and shews you must bring your hearts and minds before you can know the law of the Spirit of Life to set you free from the law of sin and death Oh consider will a talk of freedom avail one in Captivity whilst he sees no way but that he must remain so all his Life time Awake awake out of your Dream unto righteouâ—ness and sin not that you may â—now â—he Lord and his way the which is above mans ways as the Heaven is above the Earth The Lord of Heaven and Earth hath ordained a means and way to everlasting Peace and Happinâ—ss and the Scriptures testifie the same Even of Christs spiritual appearance who is the Way Truth and Life so to that of God which is holy must every one come that is made holy unto that which is righteous must every one come that is truly made righteous and meet for the Kingdom of God the which the unrighteous cannot inherit Oh hat people would consider their wayes wherein they walk and not go on in evil wayes and satisfie themselves with a â—alk what they have heard of the righteous way and live out of it for the great love of God in his Heavenly gift to the World was and is that people should be led by it to that repentance never to be repented of even to forsake that which is manifest to be wrong false and evil by the faithful and true witness the Spirit of Truth in every one As it is written Behold I have given him for a witness to the people Isaiah 55.4 a Leader and Commander to the people And it is also written 1 Joh. 5.10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself Blessed are they who are in the way of the knowledge of reconciliation unto this faithful and true witness and live up unto it This will be to their joy and comfort in that life and peace which is everlasting And to them that do not believe he is a witness of their unbelief and hard heartedness to their shame and confusion as you may read And I will come near to you to Judgment Malachi 3.5 and I will be a swift witness against Sorcerers and against the Adulterers and against false Swearers and against those that oppress the Hireling in his Wages the Widow and the Fatherless and that turn away the stranger from his right and fear not me saith the Lord of Hosts read Rom 8.16 Joh. 1.5 By this you may see how plentifully the Scriptures testifie of the Spirit of Truth witness And now try in your selves come to the examination if any be unclean in Thought or Action is there not that within that shews it and witnesseth against it If any be unmerciful this witness will witness against it if any back-bite or defraud or murmur or lye or steal or bear false witness or contemn the counsel of the Lord and proud and high minded in contemning his holy Law and Commandment this faithful and true witness will ever be a witness against all such and against all that is bad and hath a tendency of defiling and corrupting any And therefore all they that deny this are real denyers of the love and mercy of God testified unto through the Scriptures And further concerning this faithful and true wirness Christ the word of God observe what the Scripture saith Bom. 10.6 7. Say not in thy heart who shall ascend into Feaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach Now mind are not you opposers of the love and mercy of God in the moving of his holy Spirit in those holy men which gave forth the Scripture whilst you remain gain-sayers of that more sure word so nigh the heart and mouth and in your exaltedness of Spirit in a fleshly worldly wisdom being puft up above what is written what a vain travail and labour they live in In imagining and creating to your selves a contrary way to what the Lord hath ordained to salvation Come to the witness in you and by that if you conrinue your subjection thereunto you will be sensible that it is the love of God unto you and in this love be admonisht to give private Interpretations of the Prophesies in the Scripture least thereby you provoke the Lord till swift destruction comes upon you And for your further Information observe what the Sripture saith 1 Joh. That was the true light which lighteth every man that comes into the World as many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God The Scripture doth not say as many as profess him he gives power but it saith as many as receive him who lighteth every man that comes into the World to them he gives power c. Indeed he is to be received in his spiritual appearance and for that end he stâ—nds at the door and knocks in gentle reproofs and convincement whereby the hard heart must be broken and set open unto him and receive him before the remission from evil be witnessed and the great horrible clouds of darkness be expelled and the vail over the heart rent and power received to overcome the wicked one as it is written Behold I stand at the door and knock If any man hear my voice Revel 3.20 and open the door I will come into him and will Sup with him and he with me This is a great tender of love and mercy be they not very hard hearted that saith unto him depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy ways these are they that oppose the Scriptures Testimony and shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men Mat. 23.13 for ye neither go in your selves neither suffer ye them that are entring to go in This was the sad and deplorable condition of those high professors of the Law and the Prophets whom Christ pronounced dreadful wo against And all that are refisting the Spirits Testimony in themselves
with Profession and Confession of Christ Jesus that he was made Righteousness Wisdom and Sanctification and Redemption to them that believed in the Primitive time by the pouring out of his blessed Spirit then the Arm of the Lord was revealed and the power of the Lord did redeem people from under the enemies power and the Faith of Gods Elect was then very precious And the power of Christ Jesus who hath power over all flesh that then was the higher power and people did then bow under it and confessed him before men then indeed Christs Doctrine and Commands taught and received and his precious blood confessed unto by them that were witnesses thereunto who through the vertue and sufficiency were redeemed from under the man of sin's power and so cleansed from the filthy Garments of sin Then indeed the Lord had a people the which were his purchased possession being sanctified throughout in Soul Body and Spirit by the pouring out and renewings of Christs holy Spirit They were not their own being purchased and bought with a price they all confessed unto the Lord that had bought them and all the true Preachers of righteousness they preacht up then the sufficiency of the Blood of the Lamb and the uncorruptable word of life and laboured and travelled for the forming of Christ in the Believers that they might present them perfect in Christ Jesus All this saith the Seed of the bond-woman where Mistery Babylon hath her brood we cannot deny but that the state and condition of the Primitive Christians were as aforesaid But they may say if they will speak the Truth our Mother Mistery Babylon hath taught us another Lesson now adays Alas for you our fore-Fathers Demas and the Antichristian Spirit that led abundance from among the true Christians many in the Antichristian Spirit went out and imbraced this World and in the Wisdom thereof the God of the World blinded our our Fore-fathers Minds and then the Gospel was hid and in the Apostacy we grew being inwardly ravened from the Spirit of Christ we lost the sense of the sufficiency of the power thereof Then the Spirit of Antichrist that led and became head and the Beast and false Prophet with many Heads and Horns some like a Lamb having received power from the Dragon became in time such a great head and mountain that they made War with the true Woman and her Seed and cast out floods of ungodliness against that Birth and Seed that was conceived by the free Woman and in such a degree the Beast prevailed that he proclaimed open War saying who is able to make War with the Beast Thus the Seed of the bond Woman who are conceived and brought forth out of the Womb of Mistery Babylon may truly say the Arm of flesh is now accounted for the higher power and we teach for Doctrine the Commands of Men our Mother hath trained us up and taught us to deny the power of the Lord to be the higher power and to deny the infallible teachings of the Grace of Gods Spirit and to deny the Operation and Revelation and Inspiration of Gods holy Spirit now a dayes and to say that is ceased now adayes And now we can live bravely in the Lusts of our own eyes and in the Lust of our own flesh and in the Pride of Life under many Fair Coverings that our Mother hath made us having cast off Christs Yoak we are now at liberty in the flesh to use our Tongues in our own wills and pleasures the Beast and false Prophet hath purchased this liberty for us and our Mother sits as Queen and saith we shall see no sorrow It is service good enough now adayes to be high talkers of the holy mens words and works and to set them up for Teachers who have an Art and subtilty to please men best with their good Words and fair Speeches As for the universal Spirit and power of the Lord Jesus and his blessed Office to fit and prepare for the blessed Ministery Our Mother Mistery Babylon hath taught us to deny the sufficiency thereof and to set up Universities and Schools to make Ministers by and let them be as graceless as they will so they be Witty and Learned and can talk Learnedly of the good words and Testimonies that proceeded from the moving of Gods Spirit through Fisher-men Shepheards and Herds-men and the like If they can by their floods of Eloquence and high flown Doctrines and Speeches under fair shews of Confession and Profession of some things that have been done and of some things that should be done and yet leave all undone and stop the very motions of the Spirit of Truth by and in which alone every thing that is good is done and without it we can do nothing that 's good and acceptable and well pleasing to God We the Children of Mistery Babylon may say if our Preachers and Teachers do so well apply themselves to Learning and get such curious Arts and Eloquence as to stop the motions of the Spirit of Truth now adays they do our Mothers work well and deserves good Incouragement some long Coats some short Coats some Shop-keepers and Trades a vast Revenew by the year some more some less according as we and our Merchants can agree And for this Trade and Merchandize we are beholding to the Beast and false Prophet who hath purchased this liberty for us to deny the Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration of the Spirit of Truth now adayes And so to give our private Interpretations of the holy Prophesies in Scripture and to make void the very end and tendency of the moving of Gods holy Spirit through holy men in giving forth the same Thus you may see the Fruit of your Doctrine you Seed of the bond Woman who are nourished and trained up by your Mother Mistery Babylon in whose Womb all the Treachery in Cruel Butchery hath been conceived and brought forth who have been so drunk with the Whores Cup of Sorceries that you have not spared to drink the Blood of the holy Prophets A postles and Saints and Martyrs of the living God and this is and hath been the fruits and effects of the motions of your own proud arrogant exalted spirits whereby you have disdained and mocked the very appearance of Gods holy Spirit of Truth and the Light thereof You have contemned and spoke slightly and evil of and all this have you done under a Mistery wherein in your drunken fits you have killed and spoiled the Servants of the living God and then wip't your Mouths like Sheep-biting Dogs and made the World believe that Worshipped the Beast that you had done some service for the Lord You are the Generation whom Christ spoke of Mat. 23.33 Ye Serpents ye generation of Vipers how can ye escape the damnation of Hell Fill up your measure that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the Earth For of a Truth the good Husbandman the Lord of Heaven and Earth
power and hath quickened and revived many hungry Souls and he hath made known his sufficiency and help in the needful time And all them who have in Truth laid hold of him cannot part with him for it 's by him that we can do all things well pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God and man And all that have begun in this Spirit and are faithful and obedient thereunto have Hope Faith and Confidence to grow up and be made perfect thereby and so attain to the mark and prize that is before us Though many may and do turn aside through unfaithfulness and disobedience and the many and great tryals that may be met withall through the Oppression and Cruelty of the Worlds Spirit yet over all that hath been and may be met withall we have Hope and Faith that in and through the assistance of the Spirit and Power of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus we shall persevere and go on bearing the blessed fruits of his spirit which is in all Goodness Righteousness and Truth Patience Meekness and Innocency to the finishing our Testimony and laying down our heads in Patience and Joy in Life Everlasting And further concerning the out-goings of this blessed spirit I do testifie my Faith therein that the Lord of Heaven and Earth will by the Majesty and power thereof overturn overturn overturn the power of darkness and destroy all the cursed fruits that have sprung from the corrupt root and ground thereof And by the light of the spirit of Christ Jesus a sight is given to many faithful witnesses that the Ax of the Lord is laid to the root thereof And the Lord of Heaven and Earth that hath begun the work will carry it on and perfect it to his own praise honour and glory and to the establishment of his purchased possession where he Tabernacles and Delights to dwell forever And now this root and off-spring of David this bright and moving Star hath taken deep rooting in many hearts and minds from whence fruits spring and grow to the praise and honour of the Lord of the Harvest and to the joy and comfort of all the faithful and true labourers therein whose out-goings being in the movings leadings and guidings of his holy spirit the which having taken deep root downwards now yields fruits upward in some an hundred in some sixty and in some thirty fold As you may read of the Parable of the Sower and the seed that fell into the good ground Mat. 15. And from the Lord of the Vineyard whose is the Vineyard he having planted many Heavenly Branches into the Vine his good Husbandry and Care is seen to be over them And all whom he hath or may ordain to be Instruments and Servants in this blessed work he ever did and doth maintain them never suffering them to lack Food and Rayment things necessary both for this Life and that which is to come But none that keep within the bounds of the leadings and guidings of his blessed spirit did ever covet Silver or Gold or Preach for filthy Lucre-sake And now the Lord of Heaven and Earth having prepared by his Eternal spirit and power such a Ministry again and sent forth into the Nations who have no such thing in their Eye to draw them out of filthy Lucre but purely and clearly do seek the honour and glory of God and the good and well-being of people This makes the corrupt and false Teachers of the Nation who are made so by man in the Worlds spirit and wisdom being drawn out for filthy Lucre sake and in more then ordinary manner coveting after Silver and Gold this makes these Diviners mad The day of Christ being so clearly come and the man of sin their Master so clearly revealed and a Testimony so clearly goes out against them that their Master the man of sin in all his Transformations though he appear in them and they in him as Ministers of righteousness and by all the best arts and cunning in perverting and wresting the holy mens Testimonies by private Interpretations adding to and deminishing from the Prophesies thereof And seemingly by casting mists and fogs before peoples Eyes they turn the very end and tendency of the holy mens Testimonies and Prophesies left upon record to another use then what they were intended and given forth by the moving of Gods holy Spirit for And this they do partly through Ignorance being so wilfully to hide their Corrupt Proud Arrogant Covetous and Idolatrous practices under And let all whose desires are after the knowledge of the Lord and the peace and rest of their Souls in that unspeakable comfort and joy in that life which is everlasting take but a view of the blessed motions of Gods holy Spirit through holy men in old time as is left upon record And compare the Covetous Idolatrous practices of the false Teachers of the Nation and see how unlike the good they are and how just like the wicked they are Gen. 4. Cain who was of that wicked one he offered but unto his Offering the Lord had no respect Abel offered in Faith 1 Joh. 3.12 and the Lord had respect unto Abel and his Offering And Cain was Wrath and envyed him and Murdered him because his own works wereevil and his Brothers righteous See your Father all you Persecutors about Religion and the ground of his wickedness And the Lord said my Spirit shall not always strive with man for that he also is flesh and God shortned his dayes Gen. 6. and said every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually for all flesh had corrupted his way and the Earth is filled with violence through them These were the effects of fleshly motions But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and read what blessed effects his moving therein had The false Prophets moving in a flattering lying Spirit inticed Ahab to go on to his Destruction Micah the true Prophet moving in the Spirit 2 Chron. 18. of Truth and for speaking the Truth was Imprisoned and Fed with Bread and Water The lying Prophets for lying flattering and dissembling are at Liberty Mordicai being one of the Lords people he could not be moved to bow to Haman nor do him reverence Esther 3. though he was told by the Kings Servants often that he transgressed the Kings command This filled Haman with wrath and in his wicked motion he sought the destruction of Mordicai and all his people but read what became of him and his motion Read what dreadful effects the wicked fleshly motions of the Sodomites had Gen. 19. and the blessed effects of Lot's righteous motions against their wickedness Read what the false Prophets moved for and how the true Prophet was moved to cry against them Isaiah 56.10 11. and said They are all dumb dogs yea they are greedy dogs which can never have enough They all look to their own way every one for his gain from his
quarter And he did not rail in saying so he spoke the Truth Read what wicked motions there was in the flesh and the motion of the true Prophet against them said he They were as fed Horses every one neighed after his neighbours Wife Jer. 5. The Prophets prophesie falsly and the Priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end thereof Read the true Prophets motion in the word of Truth against the false fleshly Prophets motion Who moved for handfuls of Barley and pieces of Bread Ezek. 13. Read how wicked they were The wicked false Teachers in this Age have a larger and richer Trade they move for Thousands of Pounds The true Prophet moving in the Truth cryed out against the horrible wicked fleshly motions of the Priests and said As troops of Robbers wait for a man Hosea 6. so the company of Priests murder in the way by consent for they commit lewdness Observe they were agreed in their motion Read the wicked motions of a wicked spirit in the Presidents Princes Governours Counsellers who moved the King to make an unalteralterable Decree to insnare Daniel Dan. 7. because he was Honest and Just And though Daniel was acquainted therewith and knew the penalty yet he was moved in a good Spirit to open his Windows and pray as before And read what became of the motions of the wicked and also of the blessed motions The good Spirit in the Prophet moved him to testify against the false Spirits motions both in head and tail Said he The heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for Hire Mic. 3.1 and the Prophets thereof Divine for Money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us none evil can come upon us Oh the presumption and confidence of wicked motions and observe how hireling Priests were cryed out against in former dayes as well as in these last dayes Christ in his Doctrine gave people warning To beware of the Scribes which love to go in long Clothing and love Salutations in the Market places Mark 12. and the chief Seats in the Synagogues and the uppermost Rooms at Feasts Which devour Widows houses and for a pretence make long Prayers But they are worse that make Widows and devour Estates examine the Jailers Calenders for near 30 years last past Acts the 20. The Apostle was moved by a good Spirit to declare what should come after him saying For I know this that after my departing shall grievous Wolves enter in among you not sparing the Flock And what a wonderful motion this wicked generation have had for near this 30 years let all them that have heard and seen and are more moderate and wise in heart judge 1 Joh. 2. There you may read that there was then many Antichrists and the evil motions of that wicked Spirit the which was then in the World Chap. 4.3 was to deny Christ's coming in flesh And John being in the Spirit on the Lords day had wonderful things revealed unto him both of the Beasts rising out of the Sea and out of the Earth Revelation and with what swelling Pride he exalted himself over the Saints and Servants of the Lord God And how that Kings agreed to give their strength and power unto the Beast with one mind to make War with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them For he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and they that are with him are blessed and chosen and faithful And he saw the downfall of Babylon and the End of the Beast and false Prophet Read chap. 19. And this is coming to pass and must be fulfilled glory praises and honour be given to the Lord God forever And thus unprejudiced Reader who hath some Breathings after the knowledge of the Lord and canst not take up a rest in a sinful state but desires that true Judgment may go forth Here is plain Truth and also some brief instances therein which is but few to what might be given from Genesis to the Revelations of the wicked Spirits motions and their Effects and of the blessed motions of Gods good Spirit and their Effects by which thou mayest see by the fruits and practices who are of that brood and generation of Cain and his followers and who are of the generation of Abel and his followers And what a wicked proud arrogant Spirit that is which dares presume to limit the moving of Gods holy Spirit in its Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration And by which wicked and presumptuous works that proud ambitious and aspiring Spirit hath turned the very end and tendency of the love and mercy of God in the moving of this holy Spirit through holy Men in giving forth those blessed Testimonies and Prophesies in Scriptures even quite to another use then intended And how the Antichristian Spirit which was in the World in the Apostles dayes wrought in a Mistery of Iniquity and in Confessions and Professions from the true witnesses Testimony that Christ was come into the World and how he was Born and how he Suffered and was Ascended and will come again which is all true But under this fair covering the Merchants of Babylon set up their Trades and fraighted their Vessels with the Whores Trumpery and with fair Speeches and good Words out of the Life out of the Power they have deluded poor Souls making Merchandize of them setting up that which is profitable in the way of righteousness for the way of righteousness and so excluded the second coming of Christ in Spirit to them that look and wait for him without sin unto Salvation This great mistery the which is Christ in us the hope of Glory the way of Truth and Life the way of Righteousness unto the Father out of which none can come unto him this by their Arts they have wholly excluded And thus having set the Scripture for a chief rule and only rule of Life they have excluded the Spirit of Truths guide and leadings the which the Scripture directs unto and so set the Scriptures above the Spirit by the moving of which they were given forth And the Words and Writings of the Scripture they have set up for the word it self And this Spirit having put the Declaration and Writings of Matthew Mark Luke and John for the Gospel here the Gospel the power of God that is excluded and Christ the word of God in the heart and mouth that is excluded And thus having turned the Scripture upside down The man of sin the Son of Perdition 2 Thes 2.3 who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God And now saying in effect that the day of Christ is past as touching his appearance and coming in the flesh he is at a remoteness or distance from his people Now Revelations are ceased say they and the best
is born of flesh is flesh so that which is born of the spirit is spirit and these two births are contrary for the birth of the flesh though it may speak great swelling words and tell of the victory of Christ and triumph in swelling words of his fame as in that Paper yet it being a worker of iniquity it must have that Sentence depart from me it can in no wise inherit the Kingdom of God though it may glory and say I have preached and done many things yet its product is but spiritual wickedness got in a high place which the indignation of the Lord is against so it must be cast out he that can receive it let him And thus much might be said as to the words in that Paper but to all Impartial readers this is sufficient to convince them that that Paper is none of the Gospels glory nor none of the Covenant of grace neither is the Covenant of grace at all there unfolded But it is a meer parcel of conceivings from the same imaginary spirit that uses to be Imployed about making of Ballads And so in true love to all unto whom this may come I counsel you to mind the fear of offending God that you may be made sensible of the blessed appearance of the grace of Gods holy Spirit that you may be received into the blessed Covenant thereof and therein be witness of its sufficiency in teaching what to deny and what to do this being the means ordained of God for the good of all and all that becomes sensible of the infallible teachings of the grace of God such will not wonder at Silent Meetings as many do who are out of the sense of Gods love therein many such grow despisers and wonder and cannot believe the effectual works of the grace of Gods holy Spirit though in the demonstration and power thereof they be declared and published from time to time And I wish all to take heed of being exalted through vain glory in fleshly works the which are attended with sorrow and misery and will bring all them that rest there to the end but in the Lord is everlasting glory And mind the saying of the Apostle to the Ephesians But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath he quickned us together with Christ by grace yea are saved So mind the blessed teachings of the grace of God which is pure holy and perfect in every degree and this the mark which all should set before them as they expect to run well in their Heavenly race and obtain the blessed peace of God to their Souls which is the will of God and in the knowledge thereof I give this Testimony who am what I am by Cods Grace and therein a well wisher to all who are truly seeking after the knowledge of Cod in which love I rest Stephen Smith The 11th day of the 11th Month 1674. A Testimony to the way of Truth and Life with seasonable Exhortations thereunto THat which hath been of low degree and little esteem with mankind now is the Lord God exalting and will exalt and set over all the blessed Way Truth and Life Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever the blessed way of the Lord opened unto the wise in heat but ever was and is a mistery shut and hid from the wicked the Vultures eye hath not seen it nor the unclean cannot enter into it but a Fountain is opened praise to the Lord for ever to wash and to cleanse from sin and iniquity and so to sift and prepare for the way of Truth and Life Blessed are they who trust in the Lord and keep their minds stayed upon the blessed manifestation of his light and love and mercy unto them therein with their eye single unto the Lord whose blessed springs of life and true refreshment will in the Lords time and season rise in the hearts of such to the great consolation and peace and rest of their Souls whom the Spirit of the Lord will guide unto the knowledge and understanding the pure and unchangable Religion which comes from above where the true Worship which Christ did and doth set up in the Spirit and Truth will be witnessed And this being possessed and enjoyed all the false Religions and Worships which are out of the way of Truth and Life will be discovered and keeping low in the silence of the earthly and sensual wisdom wisdom which is pure from above will be manifest and herein the works of the blessed day of the Lord will be seen who is working a reformation in the Earth in restoring the blessed language of Truth and setting up Truth and Righteousness and Mercy and Peace and bringing a people to a pure language to speak the Truth from the guidings and leadings of the Spirit of Truth which was Prophesied of That the Lord would power out of his Spirit upon all flesh Sons and Daughters And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together Blessed are they who believe and trust in the Lord and patiently wait for the fulfilling of his promise for the Lord will assuredly stain the glorying of all the fleshly births and create and bring forth a spiritual birth unto which all his blessed promises are And the Kingdoms of this World shall become the Lords and his Christs and he shall reign for ever and he will exalt his everlasting Kingdom and of the increase of his Government there shall be no end This peaceable Kingdom of the Son of his love is in righteousness peace and joy in his holy Spirit whose Tabernacle is with men and the Ark and the Testimony and the Mercy Seat over all his works where he doth commune with them he takes pleasure in and makes known his good will and pleasure unto mankind who receiving freely communicates freely the good will and pleasure of the Lord here is the Wine and Milk without Money or Price And the Spirit saith come and the Bride saith come and he that heareth saith come and he that will come let him come and take of the water of life freely for a fountain is open where life manifests it self freely and the streams of Babylon are drying up where the Whore with her guilded Cup of Sorceries and Witchcraft hath sat a Cup of Wormwood and Gaul is filling to her and a Bed of Torment will be the portion of her Merchants and all that receive her mark and wear it on their forehead or in the hand So blessed are they who do escape out of Babylon and set their faces towards Zion the holy City where the substance is injoyed and that which was figured and typified in the Law and Covenant given forth in Mount Sinai in the Gospel in Mount Sion is possessed the blessed Law and Covenant in the Mind and in the Heart Christ in us the hope of Glory the Substance and herein that which
outward written Law since they must be judged without any such Law for transgressing of what Law must they be judged it cannot be denyed but that God hath given them a Law to walk by and that it is for the transgression thereof that they come under condemnation and must be judged Before this question be answered in Truth that Gospel must be known that is preached in every creature which is under Heaven Page 37. The Author saith we that have the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles brought down to us in the Scriptures may according to Scripture Dialect be said to have Christ and his Apostles as truly as it was said of the Jews in our Saviours days on Earth that they had Moses and the Prophets for it was by having in the Scriptures what they said and did that they were said to have them and by hearing and believing the Scriptures of the New Testament we may as well be said to hear and believe Christ and his Apostles c. Answer That ever such a stranger to Christianity should be so impudent as to say I will shew you the method and way of God that doth not know himself one step therein as appears by his dark arguing The Jews had the writing of Moses and the Prophets and no question but they did believe them to be so but what did they profit by them when out of that Faith and Spirit through which they are profitable they did testifie of Christ and were a witness to the righteousness of God as saith the Apostle when by them they judged Christ ought to die Christ did send the hard-hearted Jews who went about to kill him to Moses and the Prophets saying Joh. 5.39 40. Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal Life and they are they which testifie of me and ye will not come to me that ye may have life And mind what the Apostle saith Rom. 3.12 But now the righteousness of God without the Law is manifested being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets which righteousness the said Jews did not know though they had heard what Moses and the Prophets said of it But mind the cause of their not hearing so as to understand Neh. 9.20 Thougavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them but the cause of their blindness was even their rebellion against Gods Spirit And Stephen said to the Jews Acts 7.51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do always resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers did so do ye So it 's very clear though the Jews had Moses and the Prophets writings yet by not taking heed to the Instruction of Gods Spirit in them they were without the knowledge of them and thus it is with the generality of those called Christians they have some of the writhings which gives a relation of Gods great love to the World in his heavenly and powerful gift of his holy Spirit manifest in the flesh to bruise the Serpents head and to destroy the Devils works But by disesteeming the blessed appearance of the Light of the Spirit of Christ in man as the Author of that Book doth in calling it a natural Light being thus in unblief their foolish hearts are darkned So though they have the New Testament as it is called by many that do not know the Law and the Testimony though they have some part of what was writ concerning Christ the Way Truth and Life of Christianity Yet by their quenching and grieving the immediate motions of Gods holy Spirit in them they are as clearly void of the knowledge of the end and tendency of Gods great love in and by the motion of his holy Spirit that gave forth those writings with the several blessed Testimonies therein even as the hard-hearted Jews were of the Law and the Prophets when they were in the gainsaying and rebellion against Gods holy Spirit But such kind of smooth teaching as the Author of that Book who is unlearned in the blessed Teaching of the Spirit of Truth is very pleasant to unlearned people in the things of God but the Scripture is fulfilled in many of them Acts 13.41 Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your days a work which you shall in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you So it 's very clear and that in a true sense that people may have the writings and not have Christ nor his Apostles neither be in their Doctrine but in lieu thereof they may have the Spirit of Antichrist and Doctrine of Antichrist and the ravening Woolves nature though they may have the Sheeps clothing First The Scriptures we must needs highly own in that they refer us to and exalt Christ and his immediate teaching of his Divine Light and Spirit within as being subservient thereto where they are received therein But since a great part of the work of the Author of that Book is to maintain the Scriptures being a rule of Faith and Practice and to gainsay the sufficiency of the Spirits teaching without the Scriptures or its immediate teaching now adays without some outward teaching I do ask whether the Authority be in the Spirit that spoke the words or in the words when spoken or written if none can deny but the Authority both was and is in the Spirit And Isaiah by the same Authority of Gods blessed Spirit he can work a saving change in people either with or without what is written therefore it is a high degree of presumption in going about to limit the blessed holy Spirit of God as the Author of that Book doth But what Authority or effect had the true Prophets words in the false Prophets mouths this sad effect they stole away the hearts of people from the living fountain and put them upon a vain labour in making broken Cisterns that could hold no water And what Authority profit or advantage have the true Ministers and Apostles of Christs words now in the false Teachers mouths with their meaning upon them Even this sad and lamentable effect they thereby steal away the hearts of people from the sense of the immediate motion of Gods holy Spirit in them and to gainsay its powerful teachings and the universal love of God in the moving of his universal holy Spirit through all the World in its convincing and reproving the World of sin c. And then to set them upon vain and unprofitable service First having turned their hearts and minds out of the way that the holy Spirit of Truth leads in and then set them upon a vain labour and travail in seeking but never finding till at length they conclude with the Devils Doctrine that there is no way out of a body of sin and death on this side the grave And such flattering and deceitful Teachers are in a high esteem and account among a flattering deceitful people So all may mind that we do not oppose the in ward Teaching of the Spirit of Truth
the Ministers of Christ should be qualified as is before mentioned the Ministers of Antichrist may be easily known but for the sakes of such afore-mentioned I shall lay down some marks of them First They are such who never knew the Son of God in the Everlasting and Unchangable Covenant manifested in them so not learned men in the Book of Life but are alienated from the Life of God through the ignorance that is in them knowing him manifested in them who is Infallible but in their fallible wisdom by the Art of Tongues gets the Prophets Christs and the Apostles words and something out of Heathen Authors and so in their vain imaginations patches up anothers Discourse and so for the love they have for their god which is their Belly they sell their Art at as dear a price as they can for several hundreds by the year some for more and some for less but all as dear as possible as I heard a Priest say once if it were not for Tythes who as would should preach for him but this being so well known to all that its alone for their god which is their Belly that their Mouths is opened there is little need to speak of that these being Sayers but not Doers so not accepted of God these are they which run and are not sent which speaks a divination of their own Brain so not like to profit the people you may read of them at large Ezekiel the thirteenth read the Chapter from such Priests and Prophets as these is Profaneness gone forth in all the Land read Jeremiah the twenty third so they are sufficiently markt out in the Scriptures of Truth But some say we know all the Priests now adays are bad enough and the smoothest of them preach for filthy lucre sake but they speak good words so we may do as they say and as they do O foolish people is it not because you love such easie Prophets who speak peace to you in your Sins that you thus speak have you not heard what the Scriptures of Truth sayes Do men gather Grapes of thorns or Figs of Thistles By their Fruits you may know them Should we not count him a very Fool that should go look for Figs on Thistles or sweet water out of a bitter Fountain What if they should say the Lord lives that is a true saying to them which know it in themselves but it s a Lye to them who say it and know the contrary in them but these Priests which Preach for Hire cry peace to men whilst they put into their Mouths to the end their god may be supplyed which causes and constrains their Mouths to be open but in case you deny to put into their Mouths then Demetrius like prepares War crying out we have a Law and if you won't pay we will make you pay But by the way what compulsive Law of men doth Christs Ministers use or were they to use prove any such thing in the Scriptures of Truth that they were to compel any man to give to them Now if God hath appointed no such Maintenance by his Righteous Covenant and Law Is it not stealth in his sight to compel and take that by mans Law which God hath not appointed in his Law Look about you Priests for the Righteous Judge will sit in Judgment and to the Lambs Bar to give an account you must come and then the twisting Serpent will stand you in no stead but all things will be laid bare before you what esteem you have of your god which is your Belly for the serving of which how have you yielded unto the lying Spirit and so like Ahabs Prophets perswaded and instigated many to go on in the Persecution though to their destruction Have you not told the Magistrates that the Quakers are Ring-Leaders of Faction though you never come to their Meetings nor never examined the cause why they dissented from you nor never heard that they went about to disturb or molest any of their outward enjoyments but barely because they bore a faithful Testimony against the twisting twining Serpent the great Enemy of mans Soul which Spirit of Error your god cannot be served without so a great stir and ado you make in being Instruments of casting into Prison haling and tearing away the Goods and the like from those who lives in the Fear and Dread of the God Almighty and in peace with men though in enmity with the Serpent the Enemy of mans Soul so in the Innocent Blood which hath been shed in Nasty Holes and Stinkiug Prisons cries aloud unto the Righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth who is Lord of all who created all at his pleasure and can destroy all in the same those that be innocent out of the revengeful spirit have committed themselves and so cannot use any compulsive way with Weapons that are Carnal but in plain Demonstration and Power of the Spirit of Truth and their innocent Cause to the Judge of all they have committed to be cleared in his will and time who will assuredly do it But further to clear that you are the Ministers of Antichrist if notwithstanding what is declared any yet be in doubt Hearken what Christ saith to the Wicked I was an hungry and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink I was a stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye cloathed me not sick and in prison and visited me not Then shall they also answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred or thirsty or a stranger or sick or in prison and did not minister unto thee Then shall he answer them saying Verily I say unto you inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me and these shall go away into everlasting punishment Matth. 25. In the same Chapter he shews the Righteous mans love and his reward and how did they express their love to Christ Did they do it in speaking great words of his Name No as you may read they visited his Brethren in their necessities so mark by the way there were Righteous men and now are though the Ministers of Antichrist for the gods sake would have all erre and stray again from the Lords way but the Pearl for which they have sold all and bought is of more value then so but since Christ hath Brethren are not they them which are led by the Spirit of Truth and if people be given up to obey it will it not lead them out of the Spirit of Error If so then must they not depart from your wayes who are in the Revengeful Spirit Well then since those that are led by the Spirit are Sons of God as the Scriptures of Truth declare Rom. 8. and Heirs with Christ for he that sanctifieth and them that are sanctified are all of one wherefore he is not ashamed to call them Brethren now since there is such an unity between Christ and his Followers Shall it
avail them any thing who call upon Christ yet persecute so near Relations as his Brethren And since those that visited them not in their necessities received such condemnation what will become of you And you Generation of wicked Doers who have been the cause of the Imprisoning so many of Christs Relations where several hundreds have laid down their lives for their faithful Testimony against you because of your Adultery from the Lord and his Worship which is to be performed in Spirit and Truth and have set up worships according to your own hearts Lust and because of the Lords Patience and Long-suffering and great Mercy how do you harden your hearts against Reproofs and for good return evil and so go on scoffing and mocking well though the Lord hath exercised a great deal of patience it 's my belief it will not last long but he will execute Righteous Judgment and plead the cause of the Innocent who hath committed all to him with Praises and Glory from his own works for ever Stephen Smith The 21th day of the 11th Month 1667. A PROCLAMATION By way of EXHORTATION Unto all the Inhabitants of England Concerning Fasting and Prayer And that they may come to a certain Discerning and Knowledge of the Will of God therein who is King of the whole EARTH First by way of Preparation unto a True FAST COme all you who expect to be Heard and Accepted of the Living God Fasting and Prayer in the Spirit of Holiness is required as Necessary thereunto but the want of a certain Knowledge Discerning how and in what manner the same ought to be Performed therefore it is that people are rejected being all Vain Service and Lost Labour where no Reward is received or when they ask amiss what answer shall such have judge ye And therefore be Admonished I beseech you to mind that which gives you a Discerning and certain Knowledge in this weighty Work You may read what the Lord said by his Servant Isaiah chap. 8. concerning Fasting and what Christ Jesus said Mat. 6. but how long may people read these Sayings as well as others and yet have no certain knowledge of the Will of God therein I speak of such who are out of the way of a True Understanding which all are who are in a bare Confession with their Mouths that God ought to be feared but the Heart that not being right in his sight Infidelity that taking place there from whence a Conclusion is drawn That Sin which is Evil can't be parted with this is a great Evil indeed set up in the Heart by the spirit of Antichrist where a Form of Words and large Confessions concerning God and Christ are made but the Blessed and Effectual Workings of God's Spirit in Flesh for the Destroying of Sin that being denyed the Enemy's works which is Sin and Evil they continue in the Heart contrary to the Blessed Will of God by which means the Nobility of Man's Understanding that is Clouded and Darken'd through Error and Falshood by which means the Minds of Mankind are exercised in a Brutish Understanding concerning Spiritual Matters imagining a Performing of Service to God by confessing That he ought to be feared and yet live out of what they confess in a Talk that all good Success and Blessing comes from him c. So then let such be judged by their own words who confess he ought to be feared and yet live in Sin and Evil under a strange Delusion That those Works can never be so destroyed as to know Dominion and Freedom from them on this side the laying down the Body or at least till about that time of separation from all outward visible things So here Sin the Continuance of that hath been pleaded for by them who would be called Christians and would be accounted such who fear God and that they are in his Service though never expect to be free from sin What Service is that in Evil And what Reward shall Evil Works have Is not sin an Evil work of the Evil One And must not the Works of the Evil One if continued in have a Bad Reward Oh that people would Fear God in Deed and in Truth for they that fear him will do no Evil So the way of a Right Understanding that leads quite contrary to Sin and Evil So its strong Delusion indeed to expect a Right Understanding in an Evil Way and Presumption indeed it is to hope for Good out of Evil. Oh be Awakened to Righteousness in which there 's no sin and then will the Eye of the Understanding be opened to see the Man of sin who hath exalted himself above that of God in Man under Confessions and Professions of the Name of God and Christ whilst that signified by the Name which is Power manifested in Flesh for the revealing the Man of sin and destroying his works that hath been denyed by the Exaltation of the Man of sin in man by whom Mankind hath been exalted above the Pure Principle of God in man even above the Light of that Blessed and Unerring Spirit of Christ by which that which is reproveable is made manifest But through Unbelief of God's Love therein Mankind in a great part being held under strong Delusions of Satan their minds being exercised in a Brutish Understanding some have called that Blessed Principle of God in man a Devilish Light and others a Bewildering Light or a Natural Light so that all that is of God in man that hath been denyed whose Work do you think this is But if it were so as the Wicked One in the wicked hath concluded may it not be said now as it was in the dayes of old after God had created Mankind upon the Earth and they had corrupted their Wayes which displeased God who in his Displeasure said My Spirit shall not alwayes strive c. Then was not Destruction nigh but in that there was a time in which God's Holy Spirit did strive with flesh it plainly appears the good will of God was therein to have had it otherwise but Mankind resisting his Way of bringing it to pass the Way of Salvation that was removed and a Way of Destruction let in so the Way of Salvation then that was by the moving and working of God's Good Spirit the which had place in Noah who was a perfect man in his day who being moved in a True Fear of God had a Right Understanding in which he was a Preacher according to the Will of God So that Blessed Spirit of God by which Noah had regard and was acted by though it was rejected by Mankind in their corrupt Wayes yet it was not Devilish nor Natural as Mankind in their Brutish Understanding in great measure have concluded but the least measure of that pure Principle of God in Mankind of his Blessed Spirit is Unerring the which in measure in all Ages in God's Time and Season did strive in Mankind and for the good of Mankind that through it they might
have been Preserved out of Corrupt Wayes and Works which Corrupt Wayes and Works was and is the Cause of all Heavy and Grievous Judgments in Ages past and to come upon Mankind So its plain and evident how Gracious Merciful and Long-suffering God hath been throughout all Ages through some measure of the shining of the Light of his Unerring Spirit notwithstanding the Great and Grievous Provocations of Mankind in their Corrupt Wayes by which their Understandings were and are darkened that they could not come to a clear Discerning what manner of Love of God that was unto them as it is written How often is the Candle of the Wicked put out Job 21. So its plain that was and is the Love of God in the Light of his Unerring Spirit by which the Wicked were shewn their Wickedness in all Ages and the putting that Love from them was and is the Cause that the Wicked perish in their Wickedness through the Hardness of their Hearts and Unbelief of the Love of God in his Blessed Principle of Light which shines sometimes even unto the Wicked though they cry Depart I desire not the Knowledge of thy Wayes And though this Wickedness of the Wicked under many fair pretences of Confessions and Professions of God have labour'd to put away the way of the Lord and through many Devices hath the Wicked One in his Agents in their Wickedness set up many Corrupt Wayes yet the Way of the Lord remains Pure forever and can never be Corrupted but it remains a True Witness against all Evil and Corrupt Wayes whatsoever And this Perfect Way of God was the Way of the Upright in Heart in all Ages by which they were led out of Evil though under more Servitude before the fulness of time when it pleased God so to cause his Light to shine forth in Flesh in an absolute perfect Dominion over all the Lusts of the Flesh where Satan could get no Enterance though Forty Dayes Christ Jesus was Tempted by him so herein was the Son who is the Heir of all manifested So all the true Prophets in all Ages they had their Testimony from a measure of the Light of that Spirit and there their Testimony ended who were Faithful and the Law written in Tables of Stone that was by the Light of that Blessed Spirit by which all might see and learn to come to Christ in whom the Law is fulfilled So here is the Prophet whom Moses spoke of that God would raise up whom all is to hear and every Soul that will not hear that Prophet Destruction attend it So let none say in their Hearts Who shall ascend into Heaven that is to bring this Prophet Christ from above or Who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the Dead For the Word is nigh even in the Heart and Mouth which Word of Faith the Ministers which were True did Preach and them which are True do Preach and herein is the Labour of them whose Abiding is in the Word that others may be turned to the Word in the Heart and Mouth that by it they may be reconciled unto God And this Blessed Word was in the beginning before words were All things being made by him in whom is Life and the Life was and is the Light of Men who believe therein And though the World did not nor doth not know the Love of God herein yet he was and is in the World and though his Appearance was and is rejected by most yet some did and do receive him who felt and feel his Power to overcome the Lusts of the Flesh which is Sin and Evil which Unspeakable Love of God shed abroad in the Hearts of the Primitive Christians by this Free Gift of his Holy Spirit which made them who received the same who were truly sensible of God's Love therein undergo great and grievous things some things of which may be read in the Scriptures of Truth So their Fasting and Prayers being performed by the Movings and Guidings of that Blessed Principle of God how were such preserved by the Power of God in the Peace of God wherein their Souls rested in God So the Blessed Name of the Lord was unto them a strong Tower which was the same to the Righteous in all Ages but never was a more clearer Discerning thereof then in this Age there being a Cloud of Witnesses of the Everlasting Love of the Everlasting God herein and so they are Blessed who live up to that Blessed Principle of God in them and continue Faithful to the End in the Testimony thereof O the Remembrance of them will be had in great Esteem in Ages and Generations to come So now that which is Chiefest of all and of greatest Value let that be first minded that all things may be done according to the Will of God in order to which a Right Understanding is necessary the which is better then Gold and Silver for the Wicked may possess Gold and Silver and things visible to their Hurt where a Right Understanding is wanting for if Knowledge and Understanding be wanting people perish Therefore be advised to wait in the Way of Understanding the Fear of the Lord God who made Heaven and Earth the Sea and all things else according to his good Pleasure here is the beginning of Knowledge and to attain to a Right Understanding for in the Fear of the Lord there 's no Evil in that Way So away with Invention and Imaginations of Fearing God whilst Conclusions are made That Sin can't be parted with all Wayes made up by men in Sin are from a Corrupt Understanding So come to the Fear of God and he will teach us his Wayes and all that come there come out of Evil for there 's no Evil in God's Wayes so that they that are in God's Way are out of Evil by which it plainly appears that all Wayes where Conclusions are made That Sin is in them or that they can't live out of Sin or that they know not a Way out of Sin all such where such Conclusions are made are out of a Right Understanding and their Wayes are Destructive and their Works in them Wayes are Destructive so that all who endeavour to save their Lives there do want a Right Understanding for Transgression which is Sin is the Cause of Death so all that are raised from Death are raised from Sin the Cause of it so then all that keep their Lives there shall lose Life and all that lose their lives there shall find Life So Blessed are they who serve the Living God they do as they should do so that 's no Evil but Good so let none think in their Perverse Wayes that they shall be fed with Knowledge and Understanding there No no they will Starve and Perish there for want of Understanding so let all deal clearly with themselves in coolness and stillness in the silence of fleshly wisdom in a true Examination concerning the wayes they live in
with precious Stones will these no longer hide our sins and iniquities Must all our works herein wherein we thought to have established our own righteousness must they now all be put off as dung and dross Alas alas though we have lived so far from the knowledge of the operation and works of God's Spirit as utterly to deny its Revelations now adayes and so have been dark and void of the knowledge of God's righteous chastisments and rebukes therein yet we have presumed that by custom of Confessions and Professions of God's good works done in and through holy men without us would have given us a right to his holiness thou the lust of the eye the lust of the flesh the pride of life and friendship of the World had never been wholly subdued in us but in such a part as might be consistent with our gain and profit in the World But alas alas our coverings be too narrow they will no longer hide us God's righteous works are abroad in the Earth who is inspiring his people with true Light of understanding and Mordicai sits in the Gate and will not bow to wickedness Haman Alas alas we have twined and twisted about through many Crafts and Inventions some of our best Arts-men having called the Light a Devil some others a Natural Light and others a Bewildering Light and likewise many false Accusations have we raised with Evil Reports Scornings and Reproachings of the people called Quakers for Confessing to the Works of the Light of God's holy Spirit yet all our shifts do not at all help us but those works prosper and they are generally a faithful people to their Testimony Alas alas who would have thought our Mother would have been such a Harlot What delicate Inchantments and Sorceries hath she used and trained us up in that we have been thus deceived and thereby have been Instruments of deceiving the whole Nations Alas alas we can fly into no Corner nor Hole but we are found out and pursued Alas alas can't all the Wisdom of the World and Arts therein help to hide our sins and Iniquities from the Light of the Lamb Is every Creature so manifest in his sight that made all things good in the beginning And is he now at work again And must all yield to his works or be accounted his enemies and be cast out of his presence who is Lord of all whose is the Earth and fulness thereof Alas alas words of repentance of sin will not serve now there must be a true repentance and forsaking sin and evil or else we perish forever Even so must it be done to you workers of iniquity who have been and are as props and pillars strengthening the Old World of Transgression in sin and iniquity the Devil's works and therein withstood the sufficiency of God's love manifested to the World in his Son to destroy the Devil's works which works of Transgression the old subtile Serpent the deceiver of the Nations in and through his Instrument is striving and labouring to maintain under several and very large and specious pretences of crying out Lord Lord But come workers of iniquity these good words will not give you admittance into the Kingdom of God it s not they that say Lord Lord shall enter therein but they that do the Will of God And was not his Will manifested to the World in his Son that they that believed and followed him in doing his Father's Will might not perish but have everlasting Life And do not many of you confess to this in words who say in your Prayers That we may follow the example of Christ's Humiliation and Patience that we may attain to his Resurrection c. What brave words have you workers of iniquity got in your Old Bottle that can hold none of the New Wine And so in your corrupt wills what will the using good words do you good but thereby add to your Condemnation who by good words and corrupt and bad actions are withstanding and have withstood the good will pleasure and love of God in his Son to the World So your works of Darkness and falshood are clearly manifested and you can't hide them from the Light But the Light of the effectual and powers works of God's holy Spirit wherein his Will is manifest is rising more and more to a more perfect day of his will being done upon Earth to the praise and honour of his blessed and holy Name whose works are Pure Holy Just and Perfect in every degree thereof and tend to the true Reformation Peace Prosperity and Establishment of all mankind in God's love and mercy therein forever So worshipped be God that made Heaven and Earth and the Fountains of Waters and all things therein who fills the hearts of the upright with joy and gladness through the shinings forth of the light of his Countenance who sits upon his Throne and saith Behold I make all things New Amen ANd now unto such who are in doubt Whether God's holy Spirit doth so effectually work now adayes as in the Primitive times Unto you I say what flesh could ever have indured such grievous and continued Punishments in Tryals of divers sorts by Imprisonments and Banishments and Hangings and Killings as in New-England and Imprisonments to Death and spoiling of Goods in Old-England and Cruel Mockings and Scoffings and bloodshed by unmerciful men Indeed some in a voluntary humility have somewhat appeared in Sufferings but being in their own willings and runnings and works therein how have they been overcome their strength being an Arm of Flesh as well as others and so fleshly works have been overcome by fleshly works But it is not so with them who are in scorn and derision called Quakers because they have bowed to God's way the which is quite different to man's wayes was that name given but in God's way hath his Arm been revealed and its strength made manifest in our weakness So that to the praise of him that lives forever the operation of his blessed Spirit is felt as in the primitive dayes and the glory and comfort of it hath ministred strength and refreshment in the time of tryals though this way of proceeding hath been hid from the vulterous evil Eye So to the praise and glory of God is Confession made through the operation of his holy Spirit through which thousands have been preserved and kept from bowing to the seed of Cain Haman and the Beast which hath made the World as a Wilderness where wild Fruits and wild Actions spring So we can truly say to the praise of God let not the wise men in the wisdom of this World glory in their wisdom nor the strong men in their strength nor the mighty men in their might but let all wait in that pure measure of the Light of God's Spirit in their Consciences that by it they may draw near unto God that they know his blessed works of mercy and love and judgment in the Earth wherein that true glory and
God And now after all the spoil that hath been made on the Goods and Persons of an innocent people many of whose bloods have been shed in your Streets witness Horsly-down meeting After all this the matter of Fact which the Innocent people called Quakers have been accused of it hath not at all been prov'd against them neither hath there been any cause of a ground given to suspect their Meetings to be any wayes tending to Sedition c. They have been alwayes peaceable on their parts and therein the peace and well-being of all hath been sought When you are awakered and the Book opened wherein your wickedness is recorded then will the Meetings of the People called Quakers appear unto you as aforesaid And so all you who are wondering at a peoples standing still in Silence to wait upon the Living God to receive Counsel of him that by the same they may be guided in the way and path of Life would it not be good if all would do the same And not run forward in Satans Counsels in envy hatred and malice till you come to be bitten and devoured one of and by another What is it the near to have the names of Christians when there is none of Christs Spirit or Nature in you Be not deceived the Living God will not be mocked though in his tender mercy he hath yet spared many Vials of wrath and hath not poured them forth but instead thereof he hath caused many to go out in dread and fear to testifie of his good will upon repentance and amendment of life but that love having been slighted the contrary will come heavy at last and then your courage and valour which you have exercised against an innocent people that will fail you and fear and trembling and amzement that will seize upon you Brambles and Thornes whose nature is to Tear and Rend cannot stand against a consuming Fire Come hearken all that have a Finger in this Dish have you not betrayed your Master are you not called Christians and should not Christians have all one Master Did not the name of Christian come by him who is Master of all and hath all power in Heaven and Earth and was it not given to them who came out of the Heathenish nature who came under the power which was manifest to destroy the works of the Devil and the nature of the Devil's power which is to Rend Tear and Devour coming in Troops as he did upon Jobs Goods in Troops of Caldeans and Bands and Troops of Sabeans So have not you who are in the same works now as the Sabeans and Caldeans were then in spoiling the Goods of Innocent men who love that which is Evil have you not betrayed your Lord and Master having given your selves up to serve a wicked Ruler he that is Prince of the power of darkness who hath his rule in his Servants who are departed from their obedience to him who is Lord and Master of all and ought to be served and feared by all since there is no blessing nor any thing that is good but what is of him and from him who created all and upholds all who is Lord of all blessed for ever Come be awakened and hearken where do you find by the example or Doctrine of Christ Jesus who is Lord of all and hath all power in Heaven and Earth or do you read of any such works afore-mentioned done by him or his Followers No no you have betrayed him who call him Lord and yet live in such works of malice and revenge he taught and teaches quite contrary even to learn of him who is meek and lowly in heart admonishing all to love one another and to do good for evil and to love enemies who dwell with them that are of a contrite and humble spirit who teaches the humble and meek and who washeth and cleanseth his Followers from their filth as in dayes past so to day and for ever Oh you betrayers of him who have rendred him a hard Master in that you deny him for he is righteous just and true and gives power to them that receive him and obey him patiently to bear the reproaches of the wicked and to undergo their cruel mockings and scoffings and spoilings till his pleasure is to plead the cause of the Innocent who have no Arm of Flesh nor Carnal weapon but their trust is in him who is Lord of all unto whom all Tongues must confess and every Knee must bow though for a while the wicked with their Ruler the Devil may be loose he must be chained at last and cast into the Lake of Fire where their part and portion will be who continue serving him a sad Bargain So all you betrayers of the just holy principle of Light and Life in your hearts be awakened come see what a Dream you have been in and what Dreamers you have followed who are out of the way of the Lord and yet for lucre sake by art and policy keep people confessing they are out of the way of the Lord perswading it s not to be found or as if there were no such thing Oh be awakened and see what a Dream you are in and what silly Dreamers these are who have put from them Christ the way of Truth and the Life by which all that ever come to God it must be by him whom many have found so cannot but confess him before men there being no other way out of Evil and which brings and leads to peace this is a perfect way and tryed way into which no unclean person nor envious person can come into he must forsake his Envy and uncleanness and all the Devils works if ever he comes there Come don't stop your Ears and shut your Eyes it will be all in vain for he that is Lord Master and Creator of all sees and beholds all you can hide nothing from him and he will call you to an account then what can the betrayers say Oh you whose dayes are not quite over consider what you are a doing and what you are a treasuring up malice envy and hatred are from a rupt root and ground which is cursing Come be awakened cease to do evil then learn to do well if happily you may obtain mercy restore the pledge and repent Keep nothing back that hath been taken by violence Be awakened and see how filthy your hands are through Malice and Cruelty which hath brought a filthy smell and curse upon your Estates a sad portion for your Children for their Fathers to die with their Estates entailed in the Curse the which can never be removed from Father or Child till the cause of the Curse be repented of and done away and so the hands wasted in innocency until which time every one shall bear his own iniquity because of the accursed thing that is in their hands So out of love to Truth and good will to all is this written whatever construction you may make thereof into whose hands
power of God The goodness and mercies of God both in the holy Testimonies as recorded in the Scriptures of Truth and otherwayes manifested should lead unto true repentance of every evil way and work whereby God's righteous Spirit is grieved and quenched Assuredly the more God's holy and righteous Spirit doth strive many wayes with a people or Nation and they go on not regarding the operation of the hand of the Lord therein but do continue to grieve and quench the blessed motions thereof it will be more tolerable in the day of Judgment unto that People or Nation which profess less but do more So it 's not a bare Profession and Confession what people do that is acceptable but it 's in doing the Will of God through the movings of his holy Spirit in every Nation they that fear God and work righteousness are accepted and for that end that people might fear God and work righteousness his universal Love in his universal Spirit and power doth inlighten all mankind whereby they may see the evil and the good and to them that receive him in his tenders of love he gives them power to eschew the evil and to love the good of what Nation Language or Country they be of In the time I lived among the Turks it appeared to me that they had more Charity and true Love one unto another then may be found amongst many who are called Christians who live in Error out of God's way Surely such Christians are driven farther from true Love one to another and Mercy and Patience and Self-denyal then the very Turks They may be ashamed when they look back into those malicious works manifested upon an Innocent People in this Nation I suppose they are not to be parallel'd amongst the very Turks And for Christendom so called in general who are apostatized from the Truth how many Religions and high Professions there are made of God and Christ but how little of the blessed example and humiliation of Christ is followed Let the wise in heart take but a view of the greatest part of Christendom so called this day and see what works of Envy Malice and Hatred Evil Fruit is shewn forth where they seek the ruin and destruction one of another such wilde Fruit doth not proceed from Christ the Vine no no such Fruit proceeds from a corrupt root which Ax of the Lord must be laid to and it must be cut down the word of the Lord must come over it which must be felt a Hammer to beat down corruption and a Fire to consume it this Cross that Christians must take up if they arrive at that blessed Haven of rest which the Lord of Heaven and Earth has appointed for them that love him thus Christians bowing under the Cross the power of God and Crucifying their corrupt Wills and Affections and Lusts with that exalted proud arrogant spirit that carryes people above the Fear of God and the blessed example and humiliation of Christ Christians so called coming under this Cross then will you be a good example to all Turks and Infidels in the World and your good Conversations and true Love one unto another will convince the Turk that the Lord is with you of a Truth there being no other way to true happiness and peace with the Living God but by Christ the Way the Truth the Life which people being converted to and living in therein shewing forth the great Love of God to the World in his Son this will preach forth the righteousness of God unto them who are strangers thereunto and the people thus gathered to the Lord the Lord will be with them and plead their Cause whilst you observe that great and chief Commandment in loving God above all and your Neighbours as your selves in doing this you will please God and reach to the witness in them that do not know God But if you continue meer Talkers and high Professors of what you should do and leave that undone which should be done therein you will be a bad example and an ill savour to other Nations and a stink which the Lord of Heaven and Earth will never be pleased with though you may cry Lord Lord in your deep Distress he will not hear if you regard Iniquity the Prayers of the wicked are abomination to the Lord I speak the Truth in the love of God unto you in dealing plainly according to his blessed Will You that say you are Christians examine your selves will the name Christian avail you if you be out of the Christian-Life and Nature What will it avail you to retain a Name of being Christ's Followers and if you be found in the way of the Scribes and Pharisees by whom he was Crucified What will it avail you to talk of the Truth in the inward parts that which is lovely in the sight of the Lord if you be found in a Spirit of Deceit and Falshood in the Friendship of the World resisting the Just and he doth you no harm What will it avail you to cry Lord Lord and not wait to know his Will and do it What is it the near for you to talk of God's great Love to the World in the Son of his Love who invited all to him who was and is meek and lowly where the Rest and Peace is in the joy of the Lord to Immortal Souls if you be found in froward peevish exalted imaginary proud ambitious spirits What will it avail you to read and talk of the holy mens Lives and blessed Practices if you be found in the Life and Practice of Cain Nabal and Hamman The Followers of Christ Jesus the Heavenly man they were and are to deny themselves and take up a dayly Cross to Cain 's Nature to Nabal 's Nature to Haman 's Nature The blessed and effectual Cross that slayes the Enmity and makes a reconciliation by the blessed Cross the Power of the Lord and Saviour Christians being plung'd dipped baptized and brought under Christ the power and wisdom of God And in the blessed Gospel-order established and therein shining forth to the Praise and Honour of God this will preach and reach to the Turks and Infidels in the World and overcome them and make them confess That Christ Jesus is a blessed Leader and all that follow him are blessed and happy forever and that there is no other way to true Peace and Happiness but by following Christ's blessed example and great humiliation by all that ever come to attain to his Resurrection he must lead them in the way So away with all your Wooden Brazen Iron Golden Crosses with all your Trumpery thereunto belonging The very Turk sees over it with all Images and Religions which are turned into Trades and Merchandize whereby spiritual wickedness and the Mystery of Iniquity is upholden away with it all it stinks Now the great Mystery Christ in us the Hope of Glory is opened a blessed Fountain to wash in which makes clean the inside and fits and
prepares for his glorious and everlasting Kingdom the desire of all Nations is come and coming blessed are all they that wait for him and receive him where there is neither Greek nor Jew Col. 3.11 Barbarian Scythian Bond nor Free but Christ is all and all And this Love of God to the World in his Son Christ Jesus the Lord of Heaven and Earth by his universal Power and Wisdom hath raised thousands of Living Witnesses who cannot deny him before men knowing assuredly that the Cause is the Lord's and he will plead it with all flesh and to all faithful and true witnesses that continue to the end they shall have a Crown Immortal Life the which Life and Immortality is brought to Light through the Gospel praises be to his holy Name forever So it s for True Christianity that many who are call'd Quakers have so deeply suffered to this day and in this true Self-denyal and dayly Cross following our blessed Leader and Commander Christ Jesus we have sought the good of all mankind testifying against Infidelity and Corruption where-ever it appears Take but a view of this Nation and see what abundance of poor distressed Families are begging up and down and many are ready to perish for want of Conveniencies and do but view how others do swell in Pride and Luxury and cover themselves over with a Name of Christian whatever esteem this may have in the sight of fallen men I am sure it hath none with God nor those who are raised unto some degree of knowledge of his divine power and wisdom by which all things were created good in the beginning and by which alone that which is out of order must be put into order again The Lord God prosper his blessed work of Reformation which he hath begun in the Earth saith my Soul and the Souls of all who are truly sensible of his Righteousness therein By one that did Live several years amongst them Stephen Smith The 8th day of the 12th Month 1673 THE END A Faithful Testimony Concerning the SCRIPTURES And Dangerous Estate that they are in who through their private Interpretations do add unto and diminish from the Holy Prophesies therein Contained And do thereby make void the End and Tendency of Gods great Love through the Moving of his Holy Spirit in Holy Men in giving forth those Blessed Testimonies plainly shewn And the Blessed Motion Operation Revelation and Divine Inspiration of Gods Holy Spirit in its Blessed Works and Manifestation in this day time and season Asserted And an Exhortation unto all to Bow to the Light and Manifestation of Gods Holy Spirit in them least the things which concern their Everlasting Rest and Peace be hid from them With some brief Instances of Wicked motions and their Effects and Blessed motions and their Effects taken out of the Scriptures Revel 22.18 For I Testifie unto every man that heareth the words of the Prophesie of this Book If any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the Plagues that are written in this Book Printed in the Year 1679. A Faithful Testimony Concerning the SCRIPTURES COme all Professors of the holy Scriptures to the tryal whether there may not be great and high talking of by those who are real opposers of the very end and tendency of that love and mercy of God which through the Scriptures is testified unto Come to plain dealing and weigh things in a true ballance and let that which is light and vain which is a lett that the Noble Seed cannot come forth Let that be cast off that the Nobility of your Understandings may be opened and cleared from darkness and error that the things which concerns your everlasting peace may be witnessed before you go from hence and shall be seen no more The 2 Pet. 1.20 21. Knowing this first that no Prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation For the Prophecy came not in old time by the Will of man But holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost Now mind since the Prophesies in Scripture is of no private interpretation let all who would not be supposed to be of that number who are giving their private Interpretation of those weighty and high concerns consider what Spirit they are led and acted by therein For as much as those weighty concerns cannot be understood but by the universal love and mercy of God in and through the manifestation of the Light of his holy Spirit given to every man to profit withall Therefore all had need to consider whether they feel and understand the mind and will of God through the manifestation of his blessed Spirit leading and guiding them into the knowledge of those Prophesies aforesaid And if this love of God in the manifestation of his Spirit be not taken heed unto and received and used for that end it is given all they who neglect it can give no other Interpretation of the Prophesies but what they conceive in their private Conceptions the which is a dangerous Estate the Prophesies being deep things wherein the great Salvation of the Lord unto mankind is signified and this goodness and mercy of the Lord is only revealed by his Spirit as said the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit for he searcheth all things yea the deep things of God So it s by taking heed unto the manifestation of the blessed gift of God by which the love and mercy of God were witnessed unto by the holy men of God that the Scriptures of Truth come to be clearly understood And this Spirit of God giving to man kind light and understanding in the things of God this also pure and holy in man the which must be taken heed unto by all that comes to a clear understanding in those weighty concerns of life and peace under that penalty least they be hid from them Therefore there is a necessity even for all to take heed to that love of God in the blessed operation and inshining of his holy Spirit in them as saith the holy Apostle Rom. 1.19 Because that which may be knâ—â—â— of God is manifest in them for God hath 〈…〉 unto them And therefore aâ—â— that deny this universal love of God the moving of his holy Spirit and do nor the heed to the manifestation of it in themselves they are they who are the opposers of the love and mercy of God signified through the Scriptures And thus in the works of darkness being found opposers of the 〈◊〉 intent and meaning of the will of God through the blessed operation of his good Spirit how are people giving private Interpretations of the Prophesies in the Scriptures according to their own private Imaginary conceivings adding and diminishing to bring them to their corrupt minds and wills In which works of darkness they make void the great love of God testified of by holy men throughout the Scriptures and so are without the real benefit which
a vail of gross darkness over them that they cannot so much as see to the beginning of that blessed work and redemption from under the enemies power of darkness in sin and corruption The which blessed works of redemption was is and is to be wrought by the manifestation of Gods great love to World in his Son but people being darkened and their minds and understandings blinded through the God of this World they do in this dark and sad condition plead and contend for sin the which is the Devils work the which through darkness they conclude must continue for term of Life Now mind he that committeth sin is of the Devil and therefore this Doctrine of pleading for sin must also be of the Devil sin being the Devils work those works of pleading for sin must also be the Devils And thus through gross darkness and great and horrid Ignorance are the works of the Devil the grand adversary and enemy of Souls exalted above the blessed works of Christ Jesus who was and is manifest to destroy the Devils works Even the Son of Gods love Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever And these works of God in and through the manifestation of the Son his love unto all mankind are in every degree righteous perfect holy and pure forever and herein is his power dominion and glory seen felt and clearly understood by them who are his workmanship created again unto good works the which he hath ordained and appointed for mankind to live and walk in And by and through them is his power dominion and glory confessed unto and set above all and over all the enemies works and power of darkness as it was in the Primitive time by them in whom the Spirit of the Lord had place to live and move in and in the blessed motions thereof were those blessed Testimonies in Scripture given forth wherein is shewed his great love to the World in the manifestation of his power and wisdom in flesh to destroy the Devils works And by the same blessed Gospel through which the righteousness of God was then revealed by the preaching of the same Gospel is now the righteousness of God revealed and confessed too by them who are raised by the same power to be the living witnesses thereof And to that same power and wisdom by which the Devils works are destroyed and destroying in these last dayes is Confession made by them who are raised in some measure unto the knowledge thereof and by the same power and wisdom is Testimony given against the Spirit of Antichrist the which came in in the Apostles dayes Having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof 2 Tim. 3.5 as said the Apostle from such such turn away Now take notice that it was by this Spirit of Antichrist That the false Teachers were set up and maintained by whom the damnable Heresies came in 2 Pet. 2. in denying the Lord that bought them by whose pernicious wayes the way of Truth hath been and is evil spoken of In all the Congregations and Assembles of unbelievers where the beast with his many Heads and Horns doth exercise his power and Antichrists Spirit is head Leader and Commander There this damnable Heresie is maintained that no more of the Revelation of Gods holy Spitit is to be known now adayes say they Revelations are ceased and they look upon it to be presumption and of a dangerous consequence for any to speak or testifie of what the Spirit of the Lord reveals and makes known now adayes or for any to expect new Revelations now adayes Oh damnable Heresie what people that have but the least glimmering of the things of God would give away their reason and understanding therein and maintain such false Preachers by whom these damnable Heresies is maintained this is the work of a subtil enemy unto whom people being joyned do betray the light and understanding the which in some degree or measure at some time or season through the striving of Gods holy Spirit they have or may be inlightned withall in the things that concern their everlasting peace and well-being in that world which is without end For as much as the good Spirit reaches to all that they may profit in their perverting their understanding therein and not profiting thereby will be no good answer in the day of account when the faithful and true witness will rise up against them testifying unto what they have had and how they have betrayed it if a Talent or Talents are hid in the Earth the Earth then shall not be able to conceal it but the hidden things must be brought to light and every one will be rewarded according to the Deeds done in the body whether they be good or evil It will be a shame to say then my sins and iniquities were not manifest unto me by the Spirit of Truth and so think to hide them and cover them with lying excuses saying it was a natural Light or as some have called it a Devil Thus mankind being darkened by the enemy the man of sin He now exalts himself above all that is called Gods 2 Thes 2.3 4. and sits and judges the motions of Gods holy Spirit to be delusions or insufficient to lead and guide out of evil accounting that Religion good enough that can talk of what is recorded in Scripture how the Primitive Christians were moved and acted by Gods holy Spirit But saith this man of sin to expect new Revelations now adayes this is dangerous Revelations are ceased the operation of Gods Spirit is not to be known now adayes and thus the man of sin brings a fear upon all his vassals and subjects that they dare not own the Spirit of Truth as manisested in them to lead and guide them into all Truth though Christ Jesus did bear witness to it and did commend it unto the world Even that Spirit of Truth which reproves the World of sin c. But the man of sin teaches his Subjects to deny the sufficiency thereof and fears them and keeps them in such subjection that they must not so much as confess to the sufficiency thereof Now believe in it saith the man of sin the Scripture is the only rule of life and in this belief he keeps them who are only professors thereof under his strong delusions in many Sects and Opinions wrangling and scolding about their coverings one Sect of Professors of what holy Lives and blessed Conversations the Saints and Servants of the Lord of Heaven and Earth lived by the guidance of his holy Spirit in the Primitive time This Sect cryes my dress my covering is the fairest and best another Sect cryes down that dress and covering and sets up another dress and covering and what abundance of these Sects there be let the wise Judge who live under the wo and misery as is written Wo to the rebellious Children Isa 30.1 saith the Lord that take counsel but not of me and that
term they can give the Light in man is to call it a Natural Light So Natural and Brutish is mankind become through the works of the enemy and in this Natural State reading the Scriptures having put the moving of Gods Spirit a far off from them by which alone the things of Cod therein are understood They in that Natural Estate doth not understand what they read neither can they receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto them Oh people be admonished to come down to the Light of Christ in you that makes manifest the deeds of Darkness and as the man of sin comes to be revealed in you by the Light of Christs Spirit you thereby will come to the knowledge of Christs day and coming in righteousness to make War against all unrighteousness and to put an end to transgression and finish sin and bring in everlasting righteousness So away with all private Interpretations and vain Imaginations and come to the universal love of God that Spirit or Light the which makes manifest that which is reproveable and turn at his reproof and he will pour out his Spirit upon you And thus by the coming of the day of Christ the day of the wicked will be seen and the Bed of Torment they must lye down in who go on in wickedness opposing the Spiritual appearance of Christ Jesus Oh sad will their day be who persist in their presumption of mocking and scoffing at the moving of Gods holy Spirit now adayes that is a proud arrogant Spirit which will lead all that follow it to the end to misery contempt and shame and at length to everlasting destruction Blessed are they that are not defiled with it And therefore be admonished to put your whole trust in God and wait for the appearance of his grace that you may have Salt and Savour in your selves or else notwithstanding you may talk high things of what you read in Scriptures yet if you be not regenerated and born of the Spirit you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God And thus in the Leading Guiding Operation Revelation and Divine Inspiration of the Blessed Spirit of Truth am I moved to give Testimony to the Truth and way of Life and Peace in true love to all the Creation of God for the undeceiving of deceived and deluded Souls that their understandings may be cleared of Darkness and Error and that they may know the Truth as it is in Jesus and be saved Stephen Smith The 11th Month 1676. A Tender Greeting to the Flock of Christ in Bedfordshire and Huntingtonshire Dear Friends IN the everlasting Seed Power and Life keep the substance of all signified in Ages past under many Types Figures and Shadows now known and dwelt in by them who have believed the good report of the holy men of God which is left upon record who was redeemed from the Earthly part even that they might be Gods witnesses of his Heavenly gift wherein is all the Treasures of wisdom and knowledge hid which Treasure hath been freely opened unto us who through faithfulness and diligent waiting have expected the same as a sure reward of the bounty and goodness of our Creator for ever So that all the obedient and upright hearted can truly say for ever be the day had in remembrance when we were awakned out of Carnal Security we had in vain Customs and Traditions of men in the Fall who have sought out many Inventions through which comes blindness hardness of heart and unbelief from whence proceeds envying hatred malice uncleanness and all other evils whatsoever He who is Prince of Darkness having his Power and Authority there in blindness and darkness carries the Creature into bondage at his will he being ruler in the Children of disobedience But glory and praises be to the Lord our God who is the great God and besides him there is none It 's he alone that opens the understandings of them that fear him who hath discovered unto us the Mistery of the workings of Satan and the bredth and length of his rule and dominion and the end thereof for ever is he who thus opens unto them that fear him greatly to be admired by all his Sons and Daughters who are redeemed by his great power out of Adam in the Fall up into him that never fell through whom we have access into his presence the which sweetens all to us and carries all that truly trust in him through all Tempests and Storms whatsoever Even by his Arm and Power who will and can appease and lay all Tempests and Storms when they have accomplished that for which they were suffered to be raised he being seen and known who walkes upon a troubled Sea as in dayes past so yesterday and to day and for ever So Dear Friends keep out his appearance who would work questionings and reasonings concerning the Rod of the wicked with which the Righteous are threatned It 's for the Fire It 's for the Fire that 's Gods Word So all to abide faithful in his power by whom all appearances of the wicked one may be resisted in his many wills who is a Murderer and a Thief who walkes about in the Earthly mind compassing there and betraying there and draws back into the Earth there And then when tryals come the Earth is in the way and then the false ballance is set up in the heart and the precious Jewel being weighed therein the Earth that appears heaviest and so carries the sway in the mind and so comes to be set up in the heart So thereby many come to lose the everlasting reward of peace and joy and comfort which is in that Life which lives and abides for ever So Dear Friends have an Eye to the reward of well doing even that Pearl of great Price and let it have dominion in the heart and the Earth set under all that so we may continue to the end in all well-doing and patient and meek running in that race which is set before us unto whom belongs the Crown of Immortal Life When the Lord pleases to shew me a clear way unto you I shall be willing to see your Faces to the end that we may be refresht together even from that everlasting Fountain from whence comes all our fresh springs which glads the Souls of the upright for ever But at present I find my Testimony required where I have had the greatest time of my Conversation in the everlasting Covenant of Truth Light and Life That wicked ruler who rules in the Children of disobedience hath many Agents here abouts as well as in other places who have been at work amongst us They took from me six Cows for a Fine of 20 l. for speaking the things of God according to his will but they had great trouble with them From my Brother John nine Cowes for a Silent Meeting at his house and from another all his Beds Cloaths two Geldings Pewter Brass Leather and abundance of other
you can think to have and reward at the hand of the Lord. And you say these words The Communion Service the Priest standing at the Lords Table shall say Our Father c. Answer Here you manifest your selves as deep in the appostasie from the Communion and the 〈◊〉 Table as they were in who put Ligâ—◠〈◊〉 Darkness and Darkness for Light You here plainly shew from whence you had your Ordination and Learning the least in the School of Christ that hath learned of him neither Shepherds or Fishermen sees over the dark works It 's but in vain for you to think to make this service pass no that Darkness is much vanquished by the the breaking forth of the Light of Christ out of Darkness by which the Table of God and the Table of Devils is known and the Cup of God and the Cup of the Devil and at the Table of God and with the Cup of God many thirsting Souls are satisfied and do truly bless and praise the Lord knowing that we cannot partake of the Table of God and the Table of Devils or of the Cup of God and of the Cup of Devils and therefore are fully satisfied at the Table of God and with the blessing and herein do bless the Lord who hath led many from the North South East and West by his good Spirit hereunto And thus being led by his holy Spirit we can truly say our Father who doth feed us in all our tryals and afflictions with his bread of Life and nourish us with his Cup of Blessing to him be praise and honour for ever Oh Nation of England how wonderful kind hath the Lord been unto thee in sending his Servants with warning after warning even warning thee to break off thy sins by a true repentance And in that Fast that is acceptable unto him that thee mightest have been found in turning from the evil of thy doings and in answering the Lords just requirings in doing justly and walking humbly and shewing mercy in remembring the meek and them who fear the Lord in whom the Lord takes pleasure and in renting of your false coverings and have put off your loathfome clothing the which you confess you are under and to have rent your hearts in deed and in truth and to have abstained from the appearance of Evil and to have let the oppressed go free Had you chosen this Fast and truly turned to the Lord and in simplicity to have waited upon him to have known his mind and pleasure in his sore and grievous and never to be forgotten Judgments with which he did visit you by Sword by Plague and by Fire Oh how can you easily pass over the remembrance thereof If I say you had considered your ways and by abstaining from the appearances of evil you had truly turned unto the Lord you might then have expected to have found favour of him and in his counsel and wisdom you might have been directed to have been establisht in the fear of the Lord and in his righteous way to have been confirmed and under the covering of the work of his righteous Spirit you might have been preserved as you pray in these words From all evil and mischief from sin from the crafts and assaults of the Devil and from thy wrath and from everlasting damnation good Lord deliver us But turn unto your confession and take a view of it and see how short you have come of this Fast the which is well pleasing unto the Lord and how instead of waiting upon the Lord to know his way made known in the Earth you have gone on in your way of grieving and vexing his good Spirit and provoking the Lord God against you But what will be the end thereof Stephen Smith The 4th day of the 3d. Month 1678. THE END
hath all this while reserved a Seed as it is written And as Esaias said before Rom. 9.29 except the Lord of Sabbath had left us a Seed we had been as Sodoma and been made like unto Gomorrha And in this is the Lord replenishing the Earth and making of it fruitful in vertue in life in praises to his holy name even by the same spirit of Truth that moved in the holy men of God that gave forth those holy Prophesies and blessed Testimonies in the Scriptures of Truth And this is the time and season wherein the Lord is pouring out his spirit even the same spirit as he did pour out upon his Sons and Daughters in the Primitive time And it s by the Operation Revelation and Divine Inspiration of the same spirit of Christ Jesus in and by which the Holy Prophesies and Testimonies in the Scripture comes to be understood And in this spirit the Lord hath and is ordaining Ministers that they may go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit may remain And by the power and efficasie thereof are thousands of living witnesses raised now in these dayes unto whom the goodness mercy and loving kindness of the Lord is revealed even by the Operation Divine Inspiration and blessed effects of the same spirit of Christ Jesus which the holy men of God were witnesses of in the Primitive dayes And in and by this spirit of power and wisdom is the Lord made Righteousness Wisdom Sanctification and Redemption unto his people who are believers this day as he was in the Primitive days unto his people who did believe in him And by the power and effectual works of this spirit of Christ Jesus in these days time and season The Blind receive their Sight Mat. 11.5 6. and the Lame Walk the Lepers are Cleansed and the Deaf Hear the Dead are raised up and the Poor have the Gospel Preached to them And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me This spirit of Christ Jesus was the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles on which the true Believers which were the Church of Christ was built and it s on this Foundation that the true Believers which is the Body of Christ which is his Church is built this day time and season where Christ is Head Leader Law-giver and Commander and by his spirit is the blessed Worship set up now in the Church of Christ the which Christ set up in opposition to all false Worships in the Primitive time as you may read But the hour cometh when the true Worshipers shall Worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth John 4.23 24. for the Father seeketh such to Worship him God is a Spirit and they that Worship him must Worship him in Spirit and in Truth Therefore yours is the false Worship now where the Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration of this blessed spirit of Truth is denyed now adays Your Worship is false imaginary and conceited for none can truly call Jesus Lord but by the leading and guiding of the same holy spirit of Truth and all that makes mention of his holy Name let them depart from Iniquity And all you who do not but do continue in the Mistery thereof in subjection to the man of sin your Prayers are the Prayers of the wicked the which is abomination to the Lord And your patcht up Sermons the which you Study and Frame up in your Brain from the works of others They are all alike abomination and how costly these works of abomination are let the Wise in Heart judge And in all where this blessed spirit of Truth is rejected and stoped in its motions and so grieved and quenched and another spirit leads all their labour and travel is vain and your Consultations are vain and whatsoever you form up be it an Instrument never so cunningly and wisely wrought in the deepest of your Skill and Councel in the highest degree of the Worlds Wisdom to oppose the out-goings of this blessed Spirit of Christ Jesus it shall never prosper neither shall the Contrivers ever prosper in their works Look back 20 or 30 years past where great undertakings have been even if it had been possible to have ruined and spoiled all those who gave Testimony to this Spirit of Truth And see what sad effects those works of Opposition have produced what hath your turning of things upside down availed you Alas for you your worth is the product of ruine and misery that which you intend to your peaceable Neighbours will come upon your selves your own works in your singular exalted spirits is the purchaser thereof Oh you Ignorant Fools who are blinded by the God of this Wold and are so high flown that you go about to limit the holy God in the goings out of his holy Spirit you may as well undertake to alter the course of the Sun and stop up the course of the Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea Your sins of Presumption would be much alike and your Folly will end in as great shame Indeed your presumption arises from an Arm of Flesh and long continuance in vain Customs Traditions and Inventions And because you can clap up in Prisons and make Havock and Ruine and Spoile of People and their Goods your spirit that leads you in these works being an envious Malicious Cruel Abominable Wicked spirit therefore proceeds this wrong Judgment from you even that Gods holy Spirit in Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration as moving through holy Men in the Primitive time is now ceased But if it were so as you vainly Imagine then shew where the difference lyes between you who call your selves Christians and the Heathens if the Spirit of Christ Jesus the Spirit which people were brought under in the Primitive time and thereby to be Baptized into one Body the which was to be ruled and governed by that Spirit of Christ Now if the Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration thereof be ceased then tell me by what spirit Christians so called are Baptized into so many Bodyes and Fellowships and what Spirit rules and governs And what difference there is between them called Heathen in their Fellowships and them called Christians in their Fellowships where the Authority Rule and Government of Christs Spirit is denyed Come to plain dealing and don't Shuffl you have been long enough in that work already and the more you persist therein the more you will be confounded and the deeper plunged into the horrible pit and your Feet will be faster stuck in the Mire Therefore be admonished to deal plainly least you be your own Executioners through your high presumptuous mindedness in bringing swift destruction upon you for of a Truth thousands have been bowed before the Lord under a sense of their own insufficiency to perform that which is good and acceptable of themselves and have truly waited upon the Lord in a deep silence of the flesh And indeed Christ hath appeared the second time in his blessed Spirit and