SEVERAL Plain Truths Manifested and Declared from the SPIRIT of GOD And born Testimony to by Christ the Apostles and Scriptures of Truth I. Concerning Mount-Sion II. A Distinction betwixt Wars and Armour in the Old Testament and the New III. Concerning CAIN IV. Concerning Uniformity and Conformity V. The Authority of the Church of Christ VI. Concerning Exhorting and Admonishing VII Concerning such as cry against Orders c. By G. F. London Printed and Sold by Andrew Sowle at the Crooked-Billet in Holloway-Lane Shoreditch 1684. Concerning Mount-Sion MOVNT-SION was a Hill higher than all other Hills and it stands northwards in Jerusalem and therefore is called SION that is a Watch-Tower because from this Hill Sion from it one might see the Holy Land and all the Countries thereabouts and upon this Hill David built his City and blew the Trumpet which Mount-Sion and Jerusalem was a Type of a Heavenly Jerusalem and Sion for the Lord said I have set my King or Anointed upon my holy Hill of Sion Heavenly Sion is the Hill or Mountain of Gods Holiness beautiful for Scituation the Joy of the whole Earth is Mount-Sion let Mount-Sion rejoyce Psal 48. For God will save Sion the Salvation of Israel comes out of Sion to wit Christ who is elect and precious laid in Sion but not in the outward Hill or Mount-Sion for Christ was born in Bethlem and David saith by Prophecy concerning Christ O that the Salvation of Israel was come out of Sion when the Lord brings back the Captivity of his People Jacob shall rejoyce and Israel shall be glad Psal 14. And again he saith Let Israel rejoyce in the Lord that made him let the Children of Sion be joyful in their King for Sion shall be redeemed through Judgment and her Converts through Righteousness Is not this Sion Gods People and not the outward Hill For out of Sion shall go forth a Law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem Is not this heavenly Jerusalem and heavenly Sion that the Word of the Lord and his Law goes out of and not out of the outward Hill Sion In the last dayes Isaiah saith that the Mountain of the House of the Lord shall be established on the top of all Mountains and exalted above all the Hills and all Nations shall flow unto it Is not this heavenly Mount-Sion and heavenly Jerusalem And Isaiah saith The Lord is exalted for he dwells on high he hath filled Sion with Judgment and Righteousness Sion is called a City of our Solemnity and Jerusalem a quiet habitation a Tabernacle that shall not be taken down not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed neither shall any of the Cords thereof be broken Is not this heavenly Jerusalem and heavenly Sion But let the Hypocrites or Sinners of outward Sion or Jerusalem be afraid which may be removed or broken which heavenly Sion or Jerusalem cannot for no unclean thing enters into it O Sion that bringest good Tidings get thee up into the high Mountain of Jerusalem that brings good tidings lift up thy Voice with strength lift it up be not afraid Say unto the City of Judah Behold your God So here 's Sion and Jerusalem that bring good tidings Now do ye think that this was the outward Jerusalem or outward Hill for Christ was born in Bethlem a Cheif Corner Stone elect and precious laid in Sion but it doth not say in the outward Hili Sion Isaiah speakes by prophecy Isa 51. He will comfort all her waste places and he will make her Wilderness like Eden and her Desart like the Garden of the Lord Joy and Gladness shall be found therein Thanks-giving and the Voice of Melody I have put my Words in thy Mouth and have Covered thee even in the Shadow of my hand that I may plant the Heavens and lay the Foundations of the Earth and say unto Sion Thou art my People Here you may see that Sion is Gods People And how beautiful upon the Mountains are the feet of him that brings glad Tidings that publishes Peace that brings good Tidings of good that publisheth Salvation that saith unto Sion Thy God riegns when the Lord shall bring again Sion to wit his People for the outward Mountain with the outward Hill was not removed and the Redeemer shall come to Sion and unto them that are turned from Transgression Isa 59. and Rom. 11. And this Redeemer is Christ And Isaiah saith Who hath seen such a thing and who hath heard such things Shall a Nation be born at once For so soon as Sion travelled she brought forth her Chileren Now here you may see the wonder of Sion's Travel which was not the Great Hill nor Watch-Tower in Jerusalem And Zachariah saith The Lord shall yet Comfort Sion that is his People Zach. 1. And Zachariah saith shout thou Daughter of Sion And again he saith to Sion Let not thy hand be slack so Sion was and is Gods People And Micah saith In the Last dayes c. the Mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established above all the Mountains and it shall be exalted above all the Hills So here is Gods heavenly Mountain or Watch Tower which is above all Hills and Mountains and People shall flow unto it and many Nations shall come and say Come let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord and to the House of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his Paths Here God is the Teacher of his People and Nations for these last days are the dayes of Cluist in his New Covenant or Testament where the Lord goes forth from heavenly Sion the Mountain of the House of God established above all Mountains and the Word from heavenly Jerusalem that is above old Jerusalem which was the Word of Faith the Apostles preach't in Peoples Hearts and Mouthes Rom. 10. Micah 4. Isa 2. The Jews in the Old Testament they had the Law given to them at the outward Hill Moum-Sion who had the outward Hill North in Jerusalem called Mount-Sion and read the outward Law in outward Jerusalem but the Mountain of the Lord or heavenly Mount-Sion which is called the Mountain of the House of the Lord is established on the top of all the Mountains and exalted above all the Hills so that all Nations may see it and slow unto it And Obadiah saith Vpon Mount-Sion shall be deliverance c. and saviours shall come upon Mount-Sion to judge the Mount of Esau and the Kingdom shall be the Lords And the Apostle saith Rom. 9. As it is written behold I lay in Sion a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of Offence and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed And Peter saith 1 Epist 2. Behold I lay in Sion a chief Corner Stone elect and precious and he that believeth on him shall not be Confounded to all that believe in him he is precious but unto them that are disobedient he is a Stone of
And Jesus said unto Pilate My Kingdom is not of this World if my Kingdom were of this World then would my Servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews but now is my Kingdom not from hence that is of this World John 18.36 Here you may see a distinction betwixt the New Covenant and the Old and the Kingdom of Christ and the Kingdoms of this World and their Arms and Armour G. F. THe Apostle exhorts the Ephesians My Brethren said he be strong in the Lord and in the Power of his Might put on the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the Wiles of the Devil for we wrestle not against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities Powers and Rulers of Darkness of this World and against spiritual wickedness in high places Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God that you may be able to stand in the Evil day and having done all or overcome all to stand Therefore having your Loyns girded about with Truth and having on the Breast-Plate of Righteousness and your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace above all taking the Sheild of Faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the siery Darts of the wicked and take the Helmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God and praying always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit Mark in the spirit they are to pray watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all the Saints Is not this generally to be practised now by all true Christians as it was in the Apostles dayes And the Apostle saith to the Romans The night is far spent the day is at hand let us therefore cast off the works of Darkness and let us put on the Armour of Light So Light you see is your Armour which will defend you against Darkness and the Prince of the Power of it and their Weapons and all such that hate the Light of Christ and are against it are naked and are without the Light which is the true Armour and you may see what the Saints did do and what Victory they had with the sheild of Faith in Heb. 11. And the Apostle said He was set for the defence of the Gospel which is the Power of God and that was in the Sheild of Faith And David said Thou O Lord art a sheild for me my Glory and the Lifter up of my Head So he is now to all his People And further Thou hast given me the sheild of thy salvation and thy Right Hand hath holden me up and thy gentleness hath made me great All must feel this Sheild of Salvation from God and if they be held up it must be by his Right Hand And again David saith The Lord is my strength and my Shield my Heart trusteth in him and I am helped therefore my hreat greatly rejoyceth and with my Tongue will I praise him This was not an outward Shield but the Lord was his strength and his Shield So God is to all his People in all their Troubles And David said The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Delivâ—â—eâ— â—y God my strength in whom I will trust my Buckler and the Horn of my Salvation my High Tower Mark a Rock Fortress Deliverer Strength Horn of Salvation High Tower the Lord God was so to David and is so to all his People God's Way is perfect the Word of the Lord is tryed and endures forever and God is a Buckler to all those that trust in him And again saith David The Eyes of the Lord are upon them that fear him c. to deliver their Souls from Death and to keep them alive from Famine And David said plead my Cause O Lord with them that strive with me fight against them that fight against me take hold of Shield and Buckler and stand up for my help c. and stop the way against them that persecute me and say unto my Soul I am thy Salvation Here David lookt unto the Lord his Shield and Buckler and his help to plead his Cause against them that strove and fought against him and so should all Gods People And David saith I will Sing of thy Power yea I will Sing a loud of thy Mercy for thou hast been my Defence and Refuge in the day of my Trouble And therefore let all Gods People now know the Lord to be their Defence and Refuge in time of Trouble And David said The Lord is only my Rock and my Salvation he is my Defence I shall not be greatly moved so he is to all his People David saith Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee they grow from strength every one of them in Sion appear before God Behold O God our Sheild look upon the Face of thine anointed for the Lord God is a Son and a Sheild and the Lord will give Grace and Glory and no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly he shall cover thee with his Feathers thou shalt not be affraid of the Terrour by night nor for the Pestilence that walketh in Darkness nor for the Destruction that wasteth at the noon day and under the Lords Wings thou shalt trust his Truth shall be thy Sheild and Buckler so no outward Sheild or Buckler but the Lord is my Defence and the Rock of my refuge So he is of all Gods People O! Ye that fear the Lord trust in the Lord he is their help c. their Sheild that trust in him for thou art my hiding-place and my Sheild my hope is in thy Word depart from me ye Evil Doers for I will keep the Commands of my God Here is the bold confidence and steadfastness of all Gods People Blessed be the Lord my Strength my Goodness my Fortress my High-Tower and my Deliverer and my Shield and he in whom I trust c. Here you may see the Lord was all to David who said I know the Lord will maintain the cause of the Afflicted and the Right of the Poor c. Therefore as the Apostle saith to the Thessalonians let us who are of the day be sober putting on the Brest-plate of Faith and Love and for a Helmet the Hope of Salvation This was the Children of Lights heavenly Armour and Defence which they had from God and Christ and not out of Smiths shops for such will not defend them from the Devil G. F. Concerning Cain ANd the Lord God said unto Cain If thou dost well shalt thou not be accepted if thou dost not well sin lies at thy Door and unto thee shall be his desire c. So here you may see it is not only saying or talking well but acting and doing well if they be accepted with the Lord God for if ye talk and say never so well and if ye do not do well but evil sin lies at the Door of your Hearts and gets into your Hearts if ye do evil
stumbling and a Rock of Offence who stumbles at the Word the Stone which the Builders disallowed viz. the outward professors the same is made the Head of the Corner of Gods House whose House Gods People are and this Sion the chief Corner Stone which is laid in Sion was not laid in the Hill called Sion in outward Jerusalem for Christ the chief Corner Stone was born in Bethlem as is said before And the Apostle writes to the Church in his Epistle to the Hebâ—ew and said They were not come to the Mount Sinai where they received the Law but ye are come to Mount-Sion the City of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable Compâ—ny of Angels and they were come to the general Assembly the Church of the first born which are written in heaven and to God the Judge of all and to the Spirits of Just men made perfect and to Jesus the Mediator of the New-Covenant and to the Blood of sprinkling c. See that ye refuse not him that speaks from Heaven if we turn away from him that speaks from Heaven whose Voice shakes not the Earth only but the Heavens also but if ye here the Voice of Christ and follow him ye will receive his Kingdom that cannot be moved nor shaken And Now all ye Christions that profess Christianity are ye come to Mount-Sion or are ye under the Law which came from Mount-Sinai not Mount-Sion which Law commanded Tythes Offerings Sacrifice Oaths and Swearing with outward Tabernacle Sanctuary and Temple and Priests Lips to preserve Peoples Knowledge commanded by the Law in the Old Testament and if ye be come to Mount-Sion and heavenly Jerusalem the City of the Living God then you see the innumerable Company of Angels and the Spirits of Just men made perfect and they that are come here their Names are written in Heaven and such are come to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant who speaks from Heaven whose Voice shakes the Heavens and the Earth that are to be shaken that those things that cannot be shaken may remain Heb. 12. And John said Rev. 14. He saw a Lamb stood on Mount-Zion and with him a hundred forty four thousand having their Fathers Name written in their foreheads which were redeemed out of the Earth and from amongst men and they followed the Lamb and in their mouthes were found no Guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God and they sung a new Song before the Throne and no man could learn that Song but the hundred forty four thousand which were redeemed c. Then surely this was spiritual and surely this was heavenly-Sion and not Earthy which the hundred and forty four thousand stood upon which were redeemed from the Earth and so from Earthly Sion and Earthly Jerusalem and all those Earthly things that followed Christ the Lamb and was with him after he was risen before the Throne of God Gouses in Essex 13th day of the 2d Moneth 1683. G. F. A Distinction betwixt the Wars and the Weapons and the Arms and the Armour in the Old Testament and the New for in the Old Testament they were Carnal and in the New Testament Spiritual THe Apostle bids the Church of Christ Put on the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the Wiles of the Devil for we wrestle not against Flesh and Blood but against Principalities and Powers against the Rulers of the Darkness of this World against Spiritual Wickedness in High-places So this Wrestling was with Spiritual Weapons Spiritual Men for Carnal Men Wrestle with Flesh and Blood and with Carnal Weapons and mens Armour and not the Armour of God And again the Apostle saith Take unto you the whole Armour of God that you may be able to stand in the Evil day having done and having overcome all to stand having your Loyns girt with Truth So this is a heavenly Girdle not natural and having on the Breast-plate of Righteousness this is a Spiritual Breast-plate not Natural having your Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace which is the Power of God over the Devil and before he was to be shod thus is not with outward shoes but with that which will never wax old nor wear out and above all take the shield of Faith that Faith which Christ is the Author and Finisher of wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery Darts of the Wicked this Shield of Faith is Holy Divine and Precious and is the Victory which Spiritual Faith God and Christ is the Author of and not Men And take unto you the Holmet of Salvation and the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God Phil. 6. This Helmet of Salvation is Spiritual and the Sword is Spiritual so not a natural Sword or a natural Helmet and the Word of God is called a Hammer a Fire and a Sword to hammer down and cut down and burn up that which hath made a Separation betwixt man and God and it is called the Word of Reconciliation that reconciles to God So the true Church and Ministers of Christ are to prove themselves by Pureness by Knowledge by Long-suffering by Kindness by the holy Ghost by Love unfeigned by the Word of Truth by the Power of God by the Armour of Righteousness on the Right hand and on the Left 2 Cor. 6. For though the Church of Christ do walk in the Flesh yet the Apostle saith We do not War after the Flesh for the Weapons of our Warfare are not Carnal but Mighty through God to the plucking down of strong-Holds to wit of Satan casting down Imaginations and every High thing that exalts it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into Captivity every Thought to the Obedience of Chirst having in readiness to revenge all Disobedience This is with Spiritual Weapons not Carnal 2 Cor. 10. And the Apostle saith to the Romans The night is far spent and the day is at hand let us cast off therefore the Works of Darkness and put on the Armour of Light This Armour of Light is not Natural but Divine and Spiritual to all the Children of the Light and of the day this Armour of Light is afore Darkness was and the Devil the Power of it and he the Power of Darkness cannot pearce thorow this Armour of Light and this Armour of Light is above all natural and carnal Armour and all the Children of the Light that walk in this Light and this Armour they walk honestly and decently as in the day for they that walk in Rioting Drunhenness Chambering and Wantonness make provision for the Flesh to fulfill the Lusts thereof such are naked concerning this Armour of Light and though they may make profession of Christ they do not put him on as in Rom. 13. And Christ saith When a strong man armed keeps his House his Goods are at peace but when a stronger then he shall come upon him and overcome him he takes