and the Destruction of Antichrist and the setting up of the Kingdom of Christ not by might nor by Power but by the Spirit of the living Lord God believed and witnessed by and amongst us who are reproached by many for the Truth 's sake under the name of Quakers but the Reproach of Christ is to us great Riches and the Scorners God will judge And again all People when you see the Company of Priests the Parish Teachers gather together on heaps upon every occasion at the Foot of the Great Men of the Earth to get their Conclusions and Doctrines Established by a Law for binding under Darkness the dark People who are Ignorant of their Wiles and unacquainted with their Ends and for the Ensnaring of Tender Consciences who are come to the Teachings of Christ and his Spirit and so have found the true Shepherd and Bishop of their Souls and so through Grace have escaped the layers in wait I say when you now see them gathering together by Troops for these evil Purposes and the like Self-ends marvel not at the matter for it is no new thing but one of the old things under the Sun as you see here for the World's Teachers set up in the Will of Man have always been many and evil kept up by the evil Power but the true Prophets not so but rather few and faithful and those preserved by the Power of God yea often found that the Prophets of Baal are Four Hundred and Fifty and the Prophets of the Groves Four Hundred which eat Meat at Jezebel's Table for one Elijah the Prophet of the true God who feeds upon the true Bread and ministers it forth as he hath received it freely to others without Self ends See 1 King 18 Chap. Ezek. 34. Jer. 23. 2 Tim. 4.3 1 John 4.1 And so the false Teachers under Antichrist are set forth bâ— an Army of Locusts the sound of whose Wings was as the sound of Chariots and of many Horses running to Battel Rev. 9. from 1 to 12. Ver. when the true Witnesses are set forth under a small number even two Rev. 11. And so those many Locusts and Frogs the false Teachers are the unclean Spirits of Devils working in his Servants his Ministers going forth unto the Kings of the Earth and of the whole World to gather them to the Battel of that Great Day of God Almighty being thereunto fitted in a Miraculous manner being trained up in the Wisdom of the Serpent and Sorceries of Egypt for that purpose so that none can avoid following them but such as are in the holy Anointing whose Names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life see Rev. 16.13 14 2 Tim. 8.9 1 John 2.20 27. Rev. 20. last And of the truth of this to wit of the great number and swarms of Locusts false Teachers of all Coats Black c. and of all Names and Orders Popes Cardinals Bishops Deans Deans and Chapters Prebendaries Priests Parsons Vicars Curates Rectors Ministers c. let thy many Thousands of Soldiers of this kind fighting daily against the Lamb and his Army under Satan's Banner and in constant known Pay as Hirelings in thee O England Scotland France Ireland Spain Germany Italy and other Lands be witness And therefore O whole Earth and World How art thou Corrupted How great is thy Misery What Lamentation shall be taken up for thee A wonderful and horrible thing is committed all abroad in thee Thy Prophets Prophesie falsly and thy Teachers are Lewd and Treacherous Men bearing Rule by their means over thee fleecing thee in that greedy Mind that seeks the Gain from the Quarter and can never have enough crying Peace Peace to thee when the Lord hath not spoken it and preaching unto thee a Vision of their own Head and Heart and not from the Mouth of the Lord and so strengthning thy Hands in thy Wickedness and stirring thee up to Wrath and Persecutions against the Innocent and thou lovest to have it so and what will ye all do in the end of these things Will not the Lord invade you with his Troop Will he not come upon ye O Princes as Clay And tread you down under his Glorious Power Oh People as Mire is trodden down under Foot in the Streets And who of all the false Spirits and Teachers that you in your Rebellions against God have followed shall deliver you out of his Hand So all be warned and repent and return to Jesus Christ the one Head Shepherd and Bishop of the Soul and as was said before know him in you to be your Teacher that out of the Hands of all Devils you may be delivered And now having time prize it for this is assuredly the Day of your Visitation and after that the Judgment upon you all for Wo Wo Wo both is and will be more upon you all who puts the Day of the Lord afar off and who love Darkness rather than Light because your Deeds are evil and your Head and Leader is not Christ but he that came up out of the Bottomless Pit and shall go into Perdition with all his confounded Followers the Children of Darkness And therefore on the other hand all ye Servants of the Lord my Brethren and Sisters in the Truth of Jesus Christ every where who are Sufferers for his Names sake be encouraged for stronger is he that is in us than he that is in the World and there are more with us than them though we be not known to the World nor our aid 1 John 3.1 2 Kings 6.16 c. for little Children we are of God and the whole World lyes in Wickedness and so one single Elijah and two Witnesses being God's Troop are well able to encounter with all the Troops of the Wicked for Truth shall prevail for ever and ever and all Iniquity shall stop her Mouth and so shall the due Praises be sung from off Mount Zion our Holy Hill unto our God the Holy One of Israel World without end for his Goodness to us even for evermore Amen and Amen For now is the Day of the Lord appearing and Fire goeth out of his Witnesses wouths and who of all the Adversaries can stand before him who is a consuming Fire and to the Wicked everlasting Burning Isa 33.13 14. Given forth for the Good of all People by the Spirit of Truth in a Servant of the Lord who for witnessing forth Truth as he was moved of God in the publick Assembly of all sorts of People at Appleby Steeple-house in Westmoreland in the Assize Week there in the sixth Month 1675 against the Deceit there uttered though not until the Priest had done his Oration or Sermon as they call it yet was hawled out of that Synagogue and so being hurried along into the Streets and declaring the Day of the Lord and warning them all and calling them all to Repentance was sent from thence by command from some it's aike by an Officer to the Common Goal for my good Will and
Christ's Lambs it cannot be well with you Your Teachers may tell you of Sin in the general to be the cause of these Plagues but they tell you not nakedly and truly for what the Hand of the Lord is lifted up against you neither indeed can they because of the Blindness of their Hearts and the Spirit of deep Sleep that is fallen upon them So Friend these things are on me as from the Lord to advertise thee and you all of in love to thy Soul and you all and to desire you in the Name of the Lord to lay them to Heart and ponder of them and not to pass over them slightly as too many have done because they come from such a one as I who am as a Man rejected by you Yet the Lord loves my Soul and cares for me praised be his Name and in the Patience and Joy and Strength of the Peace of God's Blessed Spirit am I kept and preserved in these continued Bonds and Sufferings for his Names sake and the Love of Christ constrains me to seek all your Good and Welfare in the Lord though the more I do this I be the more hated and persecuted of some for my Good Will but this I impute not here to thee but desires that thou maist more and more keep thy Heart and Hands clean from the great Offence to wit the Hatred of Goodness and good Men which hath sunk Nations and Kingdoms into the Pit And my desire is That the King and all in Authority may timely know and consider of these things as things of most Concernment to their Immortal Souls Rests God's Servant Thomas Taylor Wo to the World because of Iniquity WO to the World because of the great Iniquity that lyeth upon it O how are the People of this present time wholly loose in their Hearts to all manner of Vanity The Lord seeth and well pondereth of these things though you O poor deceived People will not see it For O how the Enemy of your Souls through long Custom hath blinded your Minds so that the Good which God hath commanded you you like not at all but the Evil which your own Hearts have devised you call Good and so bring your felves under the Wo Wo Wo to the cursed Customs of the World which are many Your Races both by Men and Beasts where Multitudes meet together to spend their precious Time and to satisfie their Vain Covetous and Drunken Minds the Lord is against it and Judgment from Heaven lingreth not you will not be warned until you feel it Rests God's Servant and Witness against all vain Inventions Thomas Taylor An Apology from the Harmless against the Unjust And to the King and his Magistrates against Plotting WE who are of the World called Quakers do testifie as in the sight of the Blessed Lord God of Heaven and Earth that we are clear in our Hearts from all Plottings or Contrivings of Evil or Mischief against the King or any of his Subjects and that our Meeting apart from the Steeple-house Worship is meerly in Obedience to God and at his Command who saith Come out from amongst them who live in Sin and plead for the continuance of the Body of it Yea in the Regenerate themselves during tearm of Life And so while we touched the unclean thing with you we could not be accepted of God and therefore the Lord called us out that we might meet together as we do and have done these many years in his holy Name and Fear to worship him in Spirit and Truth not in a Pretence but in the real Truth of the thing And we have found his Heavenly Presence with us and his Holy Promise fulfilled amongst us which saith Where two or three are gathered together in Christ's Name he will be in the midst of them Praises to him for ever And now as concerning those People called Monarchy-Men who are Fighters with Carnal Weapon and it seems did rise up to disturb the Peace of the Nation by outward Force we do utterly deny and not only them but all others who think the Kingdom of Christ can be set up with a Carnal Weapon or that his Church can be preserved and kept clean by worldly Force for God hath given us graciously to see beyond all such things and hath manifested in us that Blessed Heavenly Power and Spirit of Christ by which his Church which is his Body is raised up and preserved and builded up for evermore and the Sword of this Blessed Spirit of Jesus which is the Word of God we know for the cutting down not of Persons but Sins Praised be God and so to the outward Fightings and Warrings our Hearts are dead and we dare not avenge our selves as the wicked World doth but to God to we commit our Cause in Well-doing for he is the Avenger of all Wrongs and Pleader of the Innocent Cause of his People in all Generations Glory to his Name over all And therefore it cannot be but a most unjust thing that we should suffer by a Law that was made against Plotters and Seditious Conventiclers I say we who through the Grace of Christ are made to witness against all such things from our very Hearts and therefore it concerns all who are in Authority to see what they do and to distinguish rightly of Matters lest they cause the Innocent to suffer as some to their own Hurt have done and so bring God's Judgments upon them for not the greatest that ever were upon the Earth could escape God's Judgments who wronged his People witness Ahab's House and all the great Kings of the Nations in all Ages who touched God's People who were as dear to him as the apple of his Eye Do you not remember what they did to Daniel for the Worship of his God and how the Lord delivered him and the Pit devoured his Adversaries with the Informers and false Accusers Daniel could not worship but according to the Law of the God of Heaven and so we cannot worship but according to the Law of the Spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus Must we therefore suffer well we are helped by the Love of God to rejoyce and bear patiently the Will of the Lord until he plead our Innocent Cause and judge in Righteousness betwixt us and our Adversaries for in his Judgment is our Boldness Glory to God for ever but the Haters of the Good cannot stand before him The Jews said They had a Law and by their Law Christ ought to die Was that a good Law which condemned the Innocent So whatever Men pretend as a Cloak to cover their Doings from Men yet God sees the Hearts of all Persecutors of the Righteous and will judge them as such Rests Thomas Taylor Against May-poles O People of Penkridge and the Places thereabout who had a Heart or Hand in the setting up of these Heathenish May-poles especially this second time you have shamed your selves and your Religion thereby in the sight of all and
the People of God when we are gathered together to worship God in his own free Spirit as he hath taught us and not only speak to us but hawl and pull us hither and thither some one way some another without all Fear of God yea though you find us on our Knees praying to God or other wise preaching the Everlasting Gospel O how is it that you never seriously lay these things to Heart and smite upon your Thigh in Godly Sorrow saying What have we done How have we Transgressed God's Righteous Law How shall we stand before the Judgment-seat of Jesus Christ where all must appear as well the High as the Low Doth not Christ the Judge say Whatsoever ye would that Men should do to you even so do ye to them for this is the Law and the Prophets And therefore never boast of such a Law and Religion as is not one with the Law and Prophets of God to the Witness of God in you all I speak Would ye be done unto your selves as you do by us in the foresaid Business Nay nay we see by Experience the contrary And so you think to carry things on with a high Hand but God is higher than all therefore fear him for if you still go on offending against God who shall plead for you O say not within your selves We have Power and therefore who shall question us and controul us I say there is no true Power but of God and to him you must give Account for it and the true Power is for the praise and protecting of them that do so well as to Worship God in his Good Spirit and Truth as Blessed be the Lord we do and all our Adversaries never could nor never can make it appear to the contrary And so you that are in Power see that your Law be laid upon the Lawless and not upon the Innocent lest their Cry come up into the Ears of the Lord against you and your Power be taken from you for your Abuse of it for the Lord's Heart is for the Righteous and against the Evil-doers in all Generations without respect of Persons Rests your Soul's Friend though for my Good-will to you I be too much hated by you but for you I can say praised be the Lord Father forgive them they do not well know what they do Thomas Taylor So be not Proud for the Lord hath spoken and a Consumption from the Lord will certainly come upon all that will not know God nor be subject to the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ To the Kings and Rulers O Ye Kings and Rulers of the Earth who profess the Name of God and Christ ought ye not to Rule for God and Christ to whom ye must give Account of your Stewardship And do you not read in the Scripture of Truth that it is said All Power in Heaven and Earth is given to Christ and he doth what he sees good in Heaven and Earth and all his Ways are Righteousness and Holiness for Ever and that without him ye can do nothing ought ye not therefore to take Counsel at his Spirit in all things and so to be very Careful that you do nothing against him nor his Children for this Lord Jesus Christ the Supream and Great Ruler over all hath a Generation of Just Men and Women upon the Earth who are his Children and as near and dear to him as the Apple of his Eye and he that offends the least of these offends against a Member of Christ's Body and he will Recompence Tribulation to such as Trouble them and every Knee to him shall bow for God respects no Man's Person he is higher than Agag and King Saul himself though he be taller by the Head than any Man in Israel must down if he disobey God's Voice and the Mighty Kingdom from Rehoboam must be rent if he take Counsel of the Wicked to Oppress God's Heritage and Great Nebuchadnezzar into a Beast shall be turned if he grow Proud and Rob God of his Honour and Overturned shall all Kingdoms be who Rule not in Righteousness for the Lord is determined that Truth and Righteousness-shall Rule and have Dominion upon the Earth and nothing else and that Nation and People that will not now submit to Truth 's Scepter shall come to nought And seeing the Apostle saith That such Magistrates as are God's Ordinance are a Terror to evil Doers and a Praise to such as do well Then whose are they that do altogether discourage the Good and encourage the Evil They must needs be of the Number of those for whom the Lord by his Prophet complains of against Israel saying They have set up Kings but not by me and Princes but I knew it not These Kings and Princes were such as set up and carried on Idolatry in those days and were even made glad with the Lyes of the False Priests and Prophets For in that day as Troops of Robbers waited for a Man so the Company of Priests murthered in the way by consent See Hos 6.9 And in the days of those Kings saith Daniel shall the Lord God of Heaven set up a Kingdom and it shall be for ever And ought not all People who profess Christ and hope to have Benefit and Comfort by his Appearance and Kingdom to search and see how they may come into Favour with this King and be Heirs of this Kingdom For behold I shew you a Mystery every Subject of this Kingdom is an Heir of this Kingdom Thomas Taylor Concerning his being taken Prisoner of seven Years Continuance THomas Taylor Prisoner of the Lord who oweth nothing but Love and Good-will to the Creation of God hath been a Sufferer here at Stafford for no Evil at all but because in Conscience to God he could not Swear above seven whole Years being taken as I was on my Journey with my Wife as I was going into Worcestershire to see a Son that we had Apprentice there and so the two Men called Justice Layn and Justice Pierchouse being put on it seems by a wicked Man came upon me as I was standing without the Door of a House at Tipton-Green where a few Friends and I had been for a little Season waiting upon God and so the Meeting being broken up and I with the rest of Friends ready to depart every one to their place and I on my Journey as is said they laid violent hands upon me and caused a Constable to search me as though I had been some dangerous Person when as the Lord knows I bore no Carnal Weapons for this four and twenty Years space neither did I Plot or Contrive an Evil to any Man in the least but have as much as in me laid sought the Good of all Men in Word and Deed. And yet for my Good Will was I thus apprehended as is said by the two Men before-named who since are both dead and by them forthwith committed to the common Goal at Stafford for not Swearing as is said
Truth and for Deceit that the Simple-hearted might for ever be warned from following such any more for who would have thought that ever him called Dr. Bryan of Coventry and Richard called Mr. Baxter of Kidderminster who were so promoted in Oliver's time for Conformity to Oliver's Laws and Religion in opposition to the Prelates and their Common-Prayers should now with a little blast of Mens Breath be silenced as R. B's Epistle to his Book saith for a time and so shattered and confoundâ—d with the Fall that when they awaked and got a little Breath that they should for fear of Men be so transformed into other shapes as not to be ashamed to get into their Mouths blasphemous words of making People Members of Christ Children of God and Heirs of his Kingdom by having a little Water sprinkled on their Faces by a Man-made Priest when they were Infants and understood nothing which passage is contrary to the Scriptures of Truth as all sober minded People may well understand yea and this Bryan himself knows in his own Conscience that they are not sound words though he most notoriously and falsly says to please the present Evil World with all that the Holy Scriptures warrant them in a Sacramental Sence But I desire that all People who fear the Lord would take heed of such dangerous Heresies for the Scriptures of Truth do not allow of Falshood in any Sence at all for it 's absolutely false in the sight of God and to all good Men that Infants by any such outward Sprinkling or doing as they call Baptism are made the Children of God Members of Christ Heirs of his Kingdom seeing the Scripture now here commands any such thing but saith That except People be born from above they cannot see the Kingdom of God But the Day is dawned that makes all things manifest Praises to God And therefore People consider what a Wretchedness those are under who follow such blind Guides as turn and change with every Time and can be any thing or nothing in appearance so that they can but keep up their Name amongst Men. What was was the Common-Prayers and such things so odious a thing in the Eyes of these Priests in Oliver's Time And is it now yea the worst part of it become such an Idol in their Eyes as that those that dwell in God must be condemned of deep Prejudice for not Consormity to it What will not that Spirit that climbs over the Door and never was sent of God to preach the Gospel say or unsay so as it can but please the present Times But Oh thou Blasphemous Bryan the Accuser of the Brethren Can those that dwell with God deny to conform to that Worship or Service which is of God And therefore it is safely and truly concluded that the Service thou pleads for is not of God because for Conscience to God with whom they dwell they cannot conform to it But Oh how the Serpent creeps upon his Belly to do mischief by seeking to perswade the Consciencious People That by their not joyning with the Parish-Worships and Assemblies they open their Mouths wide to cast a Scandal upon their Persons as Prophane and upon the strict Profession of walking precisely according to the written Word which they think says this Bryan in that P. 292. of his Book gives you no warrant for your Separation c. And then down upon his Belly he goes saying My humble and earnest Request to you is to lay aside your Prejudice and examine by the good Word whether your Separation be not sinful Answ To which I answer in the Word of the Lord Blessed for ever that we who for the Work and Word of the Lord in our Hearts and Mouths are by the sinful Priests of England and elsewhere disdained and scornfully called Quakers are not separated from them because of any Prejudice or the like against them but God who by his Everlasting Light of Truth hath shewed us the Evil of their Doings and of our own when we worshipped we knew not what amongst them he I say hath separated us from them and joyned us to himself in Christ Jesus where with him our Dwelling is indeed though Bryan think not so praised be the Name of our most Holy Lord God for evermore And so we are not yet to examine whether our Separation be sinful or nay for that is done and we do know it to be good according to the good Word from the beginning most certainly And so the Offence which the Parish-worshippers take is Offence without all Canse on our parts given and so it is no other than the Unbelievers took in all Generations against them that feared God as the Jews were offended at Christ and his Apostles yea and all Christians in those days because they could not worship with their Neighbours in their Superstitions as this Bryan would have us and not only so but they killed Christ and his Apostles and grievously persecuted the Christians for their Separation then as they do us at this day and so the Reproach of Christ is to us great Riches and the Persecutors God will examine and judge And as Moses did chuse rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy Egypt's Glory for a Season so Bâ—essed are all that with us are perswaded in their Hearts to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes not heeding what the Wicked say or judge of them but as the Apostle exhorts looking at Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith who for the Joy that was set before him endured the Cross and despised the Shame and so through all the Tryals and Persecutions of this World enter into God's Glory where none can come to make afraid But if there be any who through Prejudice as this Bryan speaks and not by the Spirit of the Lord are separated from the Parish-Worship it is necessary for such to see to themselves and consider lest their Return be as Shameful as their Separation was Sinful like this Bryan and R. B who it seems all this while have been no real and true Separatists to God but have been only in the Self separation according to the Will and Force of Times For though the poor deceived Followers of such Men be at present more averse from joyning with the Superstitions of the Times than your Hearers are as R. B. says yet if you grow not out of their rotten Root into the Root Christ Jesus you will be weary and faint in your Way before the end But let all know that these Self-separatists who have not their Birth of God are not real Dwellers with God though this Bryan it 's like had an Eye especially to such in his words and to whom it 's like in a special manner he applies his fawning flattering Words and Desires But what 's the Reason may we say again that these Non-conforming Ministers by R. B's report are not so much against the Parish Way of Worship as now managed
of the Lord wherein he is so lovingly caâ—â—ing them out of their Darkness into his Marvellous Light And as for the Visitation of their Sick and Churching of their Women as they call it that Mosaical Rite there is such bold calling of every one who can but say a few words by rote the Servants of God and putters of their Trust in God and the like it even burdens the Spirit of the Lord to bear it And to hear a poor wretched Man who hath run and God never sent him to say That by the Authority of God given him he Absolves the Sick Man from all his Sins Such had need take heed lest the Judgments of God fall on them as it did upon those Presumptuous Jews the Priests Sons mentioned Acts 19.13 c. And for their Burials as they do in the rest so do they in this and are most grievous Daubers and Takers of God's Name in vain and they are not afraid to say indifferently of one as well as another that they have a Hope yea a sure and certain Hope of their Resurrection to Life Eternal though they have been never so Notoriously Evil in this Life yea though they have said but a little before in their Commination Cursed are the Vnmerciful Fornicators and Adulterers Covetous Persons Idolaters Slanderers Drunkards and Extortioners and both Prieft and People said Amen to it And though they be found living and dying such yet now at their Burial all must be daubed over with a Resurrection to Life Eternal But here is the Device by which the Hireling lives for what by their Doctrines and Words in their Sprinklings in their Confirmations in their Communions in their Burials yea in all their Doings there is such a Bewitching of the People and strengthning the Hands of Evil-doers that none returns from their Evil Ways but all lyes in Death and Darkness without remorse none smites upon his Thigh and saith What have I done But with Death they make a Covenant and with Hell are they and their Multitude at Agreement but with the Over flowing Scourge of his Wrath will the Lord sweep away all Lying Refuges and the Lord is begun to make a Blessed Separation between the Precious and the Vile Glory to his Name for Ever So be it so be it O! the set Wages and Hire in every Parish seconded with an Outward Law to compel it and the many stinted Forms of Words and Actions in their Services made ready to their Hands and Enjoined upon them upon Pain of being uncapable of the Wage and Hire appointed for those Doings is such a Bait to the Mercenary Minds of the Men of this World that it even draws and drives by heaps into the Ministry such as God never sent nor would never come of themselves but for the sake of that filthy Lucre. But God is shaking his Hand against such Dishonest Gain and the Lord hath and is restoring to us the Ancient Ministry as in the Apostles Days where all was done by the Ability of God's own Spirit in such as had freely received the Gift thereof and therefore could and can freely give Glory to his Name for Evermore Amen and Amen Thomas Taylor A Testimony for the Lord the good Shepherd and true Minister of the Sanctuary and true Tabernacle which God hath pitched and not Man against all the false Shepherds and Hireling Ministers and Teachers of the World under what Name or Notion or Form soever who have run and God never sent them and therefore cannot profit the People at all HEAR the Word of the Lod God that is gone forth against you like a Flame of Fire in this the mighty Day of the arising of the Almighty Power of the Lord God Almighty who is jealous of his Honour and who is tender of the poor Souls whom you have deceived and do daily make a Prey of for filthy Lucre your End is come 2 Pet. 2. 2 Cor. 3.13 Dan. 5.26 27. the Day hath Revealed you and in God's Ballance are you weighed and found altogether wanting and therefore is your Kingdom departed from you and now the Lord God is setting up his own most Heavenly and Everlasting Kingdom in the Hearts of his People Dan. 7. who in the Leadings of his Light are come out from amongst you and who through the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of their Testimony have gotten Victory over the Beast the Whore and false Prophet who have desiled the Earth with their Abominations Lies and Lewdness Dan. 7. and he will yet gather more from amongst you And now the Kingdom under the whole Heavens is and shall be for ever the Portion of the People of the Saints of the most High God whose Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him who liveth for ever who is arisen in this his Glorious Day not only to reveal but even to destroy to the uttermost the Man of Sin that Son of Perdition in all the Earth 2 Thess 2. which hath sate in the Temple of God as God saying he was God and hath long Exalted himself above all that was called God which alone ought to be Worshipped but the Lord is arisen to dethrone him even that Wicked One who would not suffer the true Seed the true Heir Christ Jesus the true Light to Reign but hath always like an enraged Beast pushed with his Horns against the Lamb in every Appearance whereby the tender Buddings of Truth in many People have been often hurt and the Growth of the good Seed often hindered and some of the feeble Ones even in their comings out of Egypt have been out off by this Spiritual Amaleck the Dragon upon which the Whore the false Priesthood and Ministry Rides whom God will have War with for ever and will destroy him to the End for now is the Ancient of Days upon his Throne and the Thrones of the Wicked are cast down and One like unto the Son of Man Acts 9.10 11. to wit the Lord Christ Jesus in and with his numberless Number is come with the Clouds of Heaven for as sure as he went up so is he certainly come again and broughâ— near to the Ancient of Days Dan. 7.26 27. and is in the actual Possession of that Kingdom Glory and Power given him of the Father that all People Nations and Languages should serve and obey him for his Dominion is an Everlasting Dominion which shall not pass away and his Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed and now the Judgment is set and the Books are opened Glory to the Lord for ever and now is the Revelation of all Things Rev. 16.19 and fulfilling of all Things which hath been spoken of by the true Witness since the World began And now the Tything Hireling Priests and Merchants of Babylon who by their Works deny Christ come in the Flesh run to the Powers of the Earth and Cry out Rev. 18.15 16. and
The Scripture intimates that the Children of Believing Parents are Disciples Acts 15.10 I say to the Children of Light this Scripture intimates no such thing at all but plainly holds forth the contrary for the words there are Why tempt ye God to put a Yoke upon the Disciples Necks which neither our Fathers nor we were able to bear Now these Disciples here spoken of were not Natural Infants but grown Men Christian Believers as the First and the Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth Verses of that same Fifteenth Chapter do plainly shew and so if thou hadst not beeâ— a Blind follower of the Blind Guide Richard Baxter whose Argument this is thou would'st not it 's like have offered to bring this for this purpose for it shames you all for ever But this Argument being too weak for thee thou endeavourest by another Argument as little to the purpose to prove the Natural Infants Subjects of Water-Baptism because say'st thou they have received the Holy Ghost or else how could the Kingdom of God consist of such To this I answer and say But which of the Natural Infants which you sprinkle hath the Holy Ghost and which not How come ye to see this difference Or you will say that all have it if so then may People have the Holy Ghost ordinarily by Natural Birth without hearing then where is your great Glorying of your Words or Sermons But to proceed thou say'st Can we imagine that God will give them the Kingdom and deny them Water-Baptism I answer God will give the Kingdom of Heaven to whom it belongeth and it consisteth not in outward Observation or Washings as Dipping or Sprinkling or so but in Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost And thou that with the Papists attributes so much to Water-Baptism how comes it to pass that after all your Sprinkling the Children as they grow up in Years many grow up in so much Wickedness and Vanity as is every where manifest And as concerning Children of Believing Parents we deny them to be Believers that hate the Light and believe not in it but say it is Insufficient as before is declared But as for that Mat. 28. which thou and thy Brethren usually bring for your Custom of Preaching and Sprinkling of Infants I say it makes nothing for you who sit down in some Fat Benefice or other as times favour you and there Divine from the Letter as is said an Hours Discouse or two in a Week to the People for Mony Why go you not into all Nations as they did and Disciple the Turks and Indians if you will be warranted by this Scripture But whereas you take the Apostles for your Example I query first When did ever the Apostles go to the Schools of the World so many Years to be made Ministers Did ever the Apostles seek to the Magistrates to compel People to pay them Wages as you do or compel People by their Sword to conform to Christian Doctrine Or when did they sprinkle Infants receive Tythes of the People or Sing David's Prayers Quakings in Rhime and Meeter as you do When were they called Master as you are And many the like things wherein you differ as much from the Apostles as Darkness from Light whereby you shew your selves to be Guided by a contrary Spirit to wit the Spirit of Error So for ever be silent and stop your Mouths for you are both out of the Apostles Doctrine and Practice as your Fruits make you manifest Qu. 18. Thy Eighteenth Query is concerning the Supper and thou askest Hath not Christ Jesus given us his own Example for the Celebrating of his Last Supper And hath not the Apostle Paul delivered it to the Church and Commanded the Saints to do it in Remembrance of Christ and thereby to shew forth the Lord's Death till he come again Answ The Lord's Supper we own for Behold I stand at the Door and knock saith Christ and if any Man hear my Voice and open to me I will come in and sup with him and he with me And for the Doctrine of Christ his Eating and Drinking with his Disciples so we own it in its place and for its time but what is that to you who are both out of the Doctrine and Practice of the Apostles as by your Fruits is manifest And so you Eat and Drink unworthily and thereby are guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ and so Eat and Drink Damnation to your selves and do not discern the Lord's Body And so in witnessing against you and your Practices in this State we neither Vilifie Men nor Jesus Christ And thou say'st What a vain pretence is it to say We Eat Christ Spiritually I say it it vain if it be but in Pretence but if it be in Truth it is the greatest thing for it is Eternal Life and he that thus Feeds upon Christ's Body is Alive to God But you in all your other Eatings and Drinkings are Dead whil'st you Live And so of you that would keep People always in the Figures and Signs saying The coming of Christ spoken of 1 Cor. 11.26 is never to be witnessed here I demand Whether that Cup which the Apostle said The Cup of Blessing which we Bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ And the Bread which we Break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ For we being many are one Body and one Bread for we are all Partakers of that one Bread 1 Cor. 10.15 16 17. I say Whether was this outward Bread and Wine yea or nay Qu. 19. And in the next Query thou comest over with these things again saying How can those Persons be Faithful to Christ Jesus and Obedient to his Gospel that refuse to Pray and Sing Psalms and Baptize with Water and reâ—eive the Lord's Supper I answer and say If any disobey God in any thing he commands them unto whether in any of these things or in any other they are not Faithful to Christ and his Gospel but those People thou here secretly shoots at are taught to obey God in all his Requirings ☜ and so to Glorifie him in their Bodies and Spirits which are his and so are we clear before the Lord from this thy Charge and also from that which follows for we Revile none much less those that in Conscience of their Duty to God observe them or any thing else And so the Reviler must lodge in thine own Bed who fears not to Revile and speak Evil of such in these days as in Conscience to their known Duty to God Worship him in Spirit and in Truth But you whose Fear towards God is taught by the Precepts of Men in vain is all your Worship for I Testifie for the Lord that whatever you do though it had the very Form of the Saints Practice of old which yours have not and not led thereinto by the Motion of the Eternal and Infallible Spirit of Life it is nothing but the Precepts of Men and Will-worship
precious Faith Grace Mercy and Power from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ be abundantly multiplied in you and the Blessed Arm of his Power support you and carry you through all the present and future Tryals for the Gospels sake on Earth for us hath the Lord drawn out of the many Waters and set our Feet upon the sure Rock of Ages the tryed Foundation and brought our Souls into the unmoveable Rest Glory to his Name for ever that we might be to his Praise and Glory and Honour for ever that he might dwell in us and we in him for ever and so be safe for ever under his Wing where the Wicked cannot come because of Unbelief and that great Violence whereby they have stopt the way of all good from their Souls But now Dear Hearts and Beloved in the Lord you who have loved the Light and received the Power which makes all manifest and cleanseth from all Sin you are Blessed even the Blessed of the Lord God of Heaven and Earth who loves your Souls with a perfect Love and fills your Hearts day by day with his Infinite Goodness Therefore as a Recompence for all his Mercies give up your selves to his Holy Will in all things and love the Lord the same our everlasting God and Father with all your Hearts Souls Mind and Strength and he will do abundantly for you and us all even his whole Israel in every place beyond all that we can ask or think Look not out at the World nor their Love nor Hatred for they are Men and not Gods but keep in the Sanctuary of God the Spirit of Christ and there is Safety with him is the Well of Life which refreshes our Souls continually and makes all things easie and possible to us through Faith in his Name and Patience So let Patience have its perfect Work for we have daily need of it that we may continually see and feel the Love of the Lord in the Land of the Living and not be clouded with the Spirit of this World which gendreth to Bondage in any thing For if Lot's Wife look back she is presently turned into a Pillar of Salt and if the Israelite turn back but in his Heart into Egypt he is snared in Unbelief So my Dear Friends look up to the Lord in Spirit and Truth and wait continually to feel his living Presence in you to keep you open and single to him that of the powerful Spirit of his Holiness which slays the Sin and quickens the Soul to God you may be Witnesses and so come to possess the Immortal Kingdom where Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost only reigneth So with the Dear Salvation of my Love unto you all I commend you to the Lord to bless keep and water with his Goodness continually to his Glory who only is Holy and gives us freely every good thing to enjoy both for Soul and Body who is near to the Righteous in every Necessity to Help and Save to the uttermost To whom be Glory and Immortal Praise Even so rests with you in the full Assurance of his Tender Mercies in Christ Jesus your Dear Brother Thomas Taylor TO FRIENDS TO the Called and Chosen of God the Dear Vessels of Life and Glory in all the Earth doth the Tender Salutation of me your Dear Brother reach who as a feeling Member in the Holy Body of the Lord Jesus do daily partake with you of the Blessed Joys of Life Eternal and of the present Sufferings for the same who therefore cannot but continually through the pure Love and Lifes Motion breathe out amongst you the Happy state of our Innocent Souls because of Truth upon every Occasion to the stirring up and refreshing of the tender good thing the Heavenly Mind in all to the joint Praising Blessing and Magnifying of the Lord 's great Name for his abundant kindness towards every Particular Faithful Ones for Ever and Ever for he is good to Israel unspeakably unalterably true to them for Ever And now Dear Friends seeing God hath been so gracious to us above all the People of the Earth as to set his Name upon us in Righteousness to the Amazement and Astonishment of many and hath caused our Rod that was dry even as others to flourish and bear Fruits in the midst of the Earth to the Praise of his Living Power as a Token of his Acceptance and Choice And seeing God hath so graciously performed his Promises to us his Seed made to his Israel of Old in bringing up our Souls from Death and our Life from the devouring Sword and hath unloosed our Tongues to speak of his Wonders in the great Congregation why shall we not then speak good of this the Name of our God the true Everliving God in Comparison of whom the whole World with their many Idols Gods and Lords are nothing We may not be hindred by the Adversary from breathing forth our pure Life given us of God for his Glory in a continual mention of his Holiness for if we should be silent the very Stones would do it for now is the Lord Jesus arisen indeed and ascended far above all Heavens Principalities Powers Names and Greatnesses whatsoever and come again to our Spirits according to his Blessed Promise that of his unspeakable Fulness we might all partake in abundance to the causing of our Cup to overflow with all Holy and Heavenly Consolations and Praises for the perfect Salvation of our God to the watering of every tender holy Plant in Israel that waits for the same For as the Dew to the tender Herbs so is thy Blessing O Immanuel to the Garden of thy own planting thy Beloved Plants that waits for thee amongst whom the pourings forth of thy Name is as sweet Ointment And Blessed are all that wait for thee who hast inclosed thy Beloved People in the Arms of thy own Almightiness and filled them with thy own Blessed Kingdom and Righteousness who hungred after thee even so Father of Life be it for Evermore to thy own unspeakable Glory who alone art worthy So now Dear Friends into the Unity of the Holy Life Power and Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ let every Soul of us gather and retire it self to be nourished up thereby and preserved to a daily and perfect Victory over all Temptations and Provocations whatsoever that upon the very Head of the Serpent we may tread and let us not look at the seen things for therein lyes the Wiles and Temptations but let us eye and feel the Blessed Invisible Life and Powerful Heavenly Spirit of our God to carry us through and over all to his Glory who hath said That he will never leave nor forsake his tender breathing Seed that waits on him so Blessed are all that are found in this his Covenant and follow him as Dear Children and Obedient Servants in the sure and safe way of the daily Cross and Self-denial to a perfect mortifying and subduing of the fleshly
evil part and a full Resurrection of the spiritual over it so rests your Dear Brother in the Unity of the same Blessed Living Victorious Faith Thomas Taylor From the Place of my Confinement for the Everliving Testimony of Jesus in the Fifth Month 1664. TO Friends in LONDON OYE my Dear Friends and Beloved of the Lord in the City of London my Love in the Lord Our Life is drawn out at this time to salute you with an Epistle of pure and unfeigned Love because you are Dear and near unto my very Heart in the feeling Life which hath given us the Blessed Victory over all Sin and Works and Words of Death to serve the Will of our Heavenly Father with all Fervency and Perseverance in our Day Age and Generation to the Praise and Glory of his Grace in Jesus Christ our Lord whom our Souls can never cease to love because the Savour of his good Oyntment is ever fresh upon our Souls and his Law of Life it is that we daily seel to have set us free and to keep us free from the Law of Sin and Death Praised be the God of our Salvation for his unspeakable Gift though the Enemy of one hand say we are no Christians and on the other hand call us a Form and bark at our Holy Unity and Blessed Agreement in the ever-living Truth and exercise of it for the good one of another and Service of all Yet over all these unclean and unrighteous Spirits and all others of like nature we are more than Conquerors and like a Rock unmoveable which the Enemy may split himself with dashing against Yet Praised be the Lord our Rock stands sure for it is Holy Pure and Everlasting and the Gates of Hell shall never be able in the least to prevail against it nor us as we upon it continue rooted and grounded in the Love of God and one of another in his Seed where all the Promises of Life and Salvation are Yea and Amen for ever And so you my Dear Friends and much longed after in the Lord when I consider the many Tryals and great Contradiction of Sinners of all sorts which for the Love and Zeal of our Holy Lord God and his unchangeable Truth you have endured from the beginning my Heart is greatly affected with the Glory and cannot but Praise the Lord for you that you are even become as a Bullwark of his Truth in the midst of a crooked degenerate and Back-sliding Nation who though like Sampson's Foxes they look with Faces several ways yet in Heart are one every one with Firebrands and Stings in their Tails like Scorpions to do Mischief by stirring up the bad part in People against the Simplicity of the Gospel of Love and Life of our Lord Jesus Christ which would gather unite and heal all of all their Soul-Maladies for ever if they did not make themselves unworthy of But O how the Truth to you doth still abide in its Lustre and Glory without Alteration knowing that you as we your Brethren in the same every where are set for the Defence of the Gospel The Lord hath set his Love upon us and it is from Everlasting to Everlasting and therefore in his Name and perfect Goodness may we safely trust and Storms will be over and his unspeakable Peace and Joy which is with us and hath so unspeakably refreshed us shall be with us for ever We need not go to the Egyptians for help as the Wicked do for in the God of Israel is our Hope and Help who keeps Mercy and Covenant with his Dear People for ever and ever And when I also consider how the Samballat and Tobias of this Age say on one hand What will these silly returning Captives do And on the other when I see the little Horn with a Countenance more stout than his Fellows in his very Words of Reproach and Work of Scattering tell of your Scattering whom God hath gathered I cannot but say O Lord Bless thy People whom thou hast so powerfully delivered and govern and keep their Hearts in perfect Peace with thee through all and over all even as thou dost this day for ever and ever that many may come to the Brightness of our day and Glory of our Kingdom which is not of this World but of God eternal our Father who is over all Blessed for ever So under the Shadow of his ever-blessed Wing my Dear Brethren and Sisters dwell and here is the true Munition of Rocks where the Living Bread is sure and the Living Waters never fail rests your Dear Brother in the Patience and Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ at present in outward Bonds for the Testimony of his Truth in this place Thomas Taylor Stafford 21st of the 12th Month 1667. And I desire that this may be communicated as the Nature of it requires to the whole Flock of God in and about the City in the precious Wisdom of God with Bowels of Love unto you all So be it TO Friends of SUDBURY Side DEar Friends and Well-beloved in the Lord Brethren and Sisters in the Holy Covenant of his Everlasting Love my very Heart and Soul doth dearly salute you all and often do I remember you in the Dearest Affections of unfeigned Love as is meet knowing your Love and Tenderness to God's Truth and me your Dear Friend and Brother for the Truth 's sake from the beginning and how the Lord of his Infinite Love in Christ Jesus hath separated us from the present evil World for himself to hold forth his Vertues before the Children of Men in a pure Life and so to feed at his Table as the Faithful do in the unspeakable Fellowship of his Eternal Spirit of Life and Peace whereby O how often yea how continually he hath and daily doth refresh feed and strengthen our pure Minds as in the simplicity of our Hearts together or asunder as to the outward we have and do daily wait upon him and in his Light are staid upon his Power in our inward Man to the Praise of his Glory which makes us that we cannot but love him and one another in and for him and so we cannot but remember him and one another and so pray for and rejoice in one another's welfare as living Members of his Heavenly Body who is over all God Blessed for Ever who is the Shepherd and Bishop of our Souls and therefore we shall not want nor miscarry as we abide in his Love and this we know Dear Hearts that as we keep his Commandments we do abide in his Love and are at Rest in his Power Many from the Letter may say God is their Shepherd or so and therefore they shall not want but truly Friends there is none can say this in Truth but who are led by him and subject to him in Heart and Life they are the Sheep of Christ who hear his Voice and follow him in the Regeneration not losing their first Love but growing and continuing in it
to the end perfecting Holiness in the fear of God and so working out their Salvation with fear and trembling knowing it is God of his own good pleasure that worketh in us to will and to do O Friends how true we find it in God's Light that it is not of him that willeth nor runneth but of the Mercifulness of our God in Christ Jesus to them that believe and in pure Holiness and Simplicity of Heart wait upon him at all times and this puts to silence all Flesh and keeps down all Boasting and fleshly Confidence and Conceitedness to the unspeakable Glory of the Pure Eternal Holy Name of the Living God our Father who siâ—s upon the Throne and is worthy of all Honour Submission and Obedience for Evermore For now is the Lord God suckling the Babes of his Love with the pure Milk of his Living Word and feeding the Men of his House with the strong Meat of his overcoming Truth and giving them the well-refined Wine of his Kingdom to make glad their Hearts over all the Trials and Tribulations of this present Life so that through the Overcoming Love of our God we are more than Conquerors and shall never be ashamed abiding in his Love for the Righteous are bold as a Lion and through the help of our God we shall for ever leap over all the Walls of Opposition that the Enemy makes to hinder us in our way for it 's the Fearful Unbelieving and Disobedient in Heart that cannot enter that cannot come into and sit down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of God this Day But Praises to the Lord in the height of Heaven for all his unspeakable Goodness who over all gives us the Victory by Jesus Christ our Lord to whom be Glory Everlasting and Kingdom for Evermore And so Dear Friends into the Arms of the Lord 's unspeakable Love committing you all rests your Dearly Loving in the Truth of God a Friend and Brother Thomas Taylor Also Friends you may know that my Wife hath her very Dear and Tender Love remembred unto you all and is dearly affected upon every remembrance of you considering what sweet Refreshment she hath sound amongst you in your Holy Assemblies where the Presence of the Lord hath been abundantly witnessed by many and I hope Ever will be meeting together in his Fear to wait upon him as you do And as for our Condition here praised be the Lord it is well for though my Bonds for the Gospel in this Place be yet continued yet some little Liberty of being with my Wife and Family sometimes at her Hired House in this Town through the Tender Mercy of our God is granted me and so we are made content and all is good in the Good-will of God and so our Souls are at rest in his Love where we pray that yours and all the Holy Ones of God in every place may rest for Ever and be abundantly satisfied Amen and Amen And so we shall be glad to hear of all your Welfare in the Lord as he makes way TO FRIENDS Richard Boothman and Robert Clough DEARLY Beloved in the Lord and his Everlasting Truth which hath redeemed our Souls and doth daily Comfort our Hearts as we abide in it my very Dear Love and tender Affections Salutes you and all the Dear Flock of God about you giving you all to know of my Health in the Fountain of Health where in the midst of all these Bonds Tryals and Afflictions which in Common with all Saints for the Gospels sake on Earth is ordered for us my Soul is more than a Conqueror Praises to our God for ever And we may not let fall our Holy Hope and trust in the least for any thing that Flesh can do against us but by all means let us keep fast in our Hearts the living Faith of the Lord Jesus which in God's blessed Sight is of greatest Esteem for thereby we may effectually in all things overcome yea and be well able also to quench all the fiery Darts of the Devil For upon our Watch must we needs stand in all things clothed with the whole Armour of Light that no Enemy at all may come between us and our God to deprive us of his precious Life or hinder our Fellowship with his Holy Spirit in the least The living powerful Presence of his Glory in the Face of Jesus Christ be with all your Spirits to Sanctifie Bless Keep and Preserve you all my Dear Friends in Body Soul and Spirit Pure Spotless and altogether Blameless before him in Love Rests yours in the Dear Fellowship of God's ever blessed Truth Thomas Taylor Stafford the 20th of the Eighth Month 1668. And thus Dear Friends I could not but thus in a few words breath out of my true and tender Love amongst you desiring also as opportunity is to hear of your State THE Day of the Lord Is DAWNED THE Ever-blessed Day of the Lord God is dawned let all the Children of the Night fear for they are now fully to be made manifest and brought to Judgment and now where will the Workers of Iniquity hide themselves from the Lord's Justice Rocks nor Mountains will not cover them they must come forth this Day to the Righteous Judgment of the Great God the Just Judge of Heaven and Earth of Quick and Dead Rotten Raggs and Fig-leaves of empty and filthy Profession must now be stripped off and the shameful Nakedness of all Hypocrites and unclean outside Professors and Professions must now be laid open to the Glory of that Powerful God who hath long waited upon People to teach them and to do them good but they would not and therefore Desolation upon Desolation Overturning upon Overturning will come upon Thee O thou Corrupted Earth with thy Inhabâ—â—ants who are crying Lord Lord but never come to do the Will of the Holy Lord God in Earth as it is done in Heaven nay nor have so much as a Mind thereunto but are angry with such as do it And therefore because these Inhabitants of the Corrupt Earth rebel against the Light some under the Name of Papists and some under the Name of Protestants and yet say in their Hearts We shall have Peace and be Established in our way the Lord hath said They shall have no Peace nor be Established in their defiled Ways for God's Establishing of People is now manifested to be in Righteousness and in nothing else The Lord Jesus Christ is now to Reign and the Scepter of his Kingdom is a Scepter of Righteousness and the Kingdoms of this World must be the Kingdoms of the Lord and his Christ and he must Reign whose Right it is for Ever and Ever according to Prophesie And now it is of the greatest Concernment for Kings and Princes Priests and Prelates High and Low Rich and Poor to Kiss the Son lest his Anger which they have kindled against themselves by their sinning against his Light and grieving of his good Spirit by their manifest
there be any such Company of False Teachers now-a-days in England to be found as this Scripture speaks of who as Troops of Robbers wait for a Man so wait to Murther in the way by consent And who they are and what and who they Murther and with what they Murther and how these Murtherers may be known what be their Fruits For by their Fruits ye shall know them saith Christ And ask them further Whether these False Teachers which the Prophet Hosea here calls lewd Murtherers be not the same in Nature with those which Isaiah in the 56. Chap. and 10 v. of his Prophesie calls greedy dumb Dogs that sought their Gain from their quarter and could never have enough And the same that Jeremiah spoke of in Chap. 5. ver 1 2. 23. Chap. of his Prophesie throughout That stole the word from their Neighbour and used their Tongue and said he saith when the Lord never sent them and so could not profit the People at all And whether they be not the same that Micah the Prophet Mic. 3 5 c. speaks of who preached for Hire and divined for Money and spake Peace to the Wicked for the Gift sake but if any put not into their Mouths they prepared War against them and yet like all Hypocrites would lean upon the Lord in words and say Is not the Lord amongst us No Evil shall come unto us And whether these murtherous Priests were not one with those that Christ Jesus cried Woe against in Matt. 23. Who were Sayers and not Doers who loved to be called of Men Master and bound heavy Burthens upon the People and touched them not with one of their own Fingers but shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against Men and would neither enter in themselves nor suffer others And finally ask them whether such Men now as stand over the People for Teachers though under another Name and making another Profession in words yet if they be found in the foresaid steps doing the foresaid Deeds of those forementioned False Teachers are not to receive the same Judgment and to be cried against and denied and forsaken by all the Children of Light now as formerly Yea or Nay And now Hosea thou Holy Prophet of God thou hast said and laid down these two Doctrines or high Charges against the People in general and against the Priests in particular The first That the People in general are polluted with Blood The second That as Troops of Robbers wait for a Man so the company of Priests Murther in the way by Consent How dost thou prove and make these good for the Gileadites are deeply concerned in it and they will have thee to make it good or suffer for default Yea by the Spirit I make it good thus Gilead is a City polluted with Blood because they are such as work Iniquity and the Priests Murther in the way by Consent because they commit Lewdness And this is witnessed not only by the Scriptures but also by the same Spirit of Truth that gave it forth in all the Children of Light to be so But Hosea thou must not be tried per pares that is them of like Condition or Quality with thee to wit the Holy Prophets and Children of God who are Witnesses with thee against the Abominations of their Times and Sins that rules in Priests and People for that will not satisfie nor serve the Gilâ—adites turn for so the great Men of all sorts in City and Country would be sound faulty But these Priests and People think it fit according to their Nation-Law to have a Judge and Justices sit upon the Bench and to have a Jury of Inquest summoned and to have a Bill of Indictment found against thee and then if thou plead thy Innocency and say thou art not guilty of doing them any Wrong but only thou spoke as thou was moved by the Spirit of God then thou must have as they pretend a fair Trial for thou must know that the Gileadites cannot believe thy Witness nor any for thee from that Spirit only but this fair Trial must not be by Spiritual Men who only are able to judge of Spiritual Things for the Gileadites know not their Voice no more than thine Oh Prophet but it must be further by another Company of these Men whom thou hast said are Workers of Iniquity and polluted with Blood and so are Parties and these must judge of thee and these says the World are a Grand Jury a Company of substantial Men of the Country Sworn Men Mark out of the Doctrine of Christ for his Yea is Yea and his Nay is Nay without an Oath And these Men the Grand Jury must bring in their Verdict as they call it against thee for they have found thee Guilty for thou hast nothing on thy side but plain Truth without Man's Testimony or an Oath and the Judge of the Court one of the chief Men among the Gileadites that is versed in Law-matters thinks it fit thou should be fined to pay a Sum of Money for thy Offence Oh Prophet thou Man of God! and be kept in Prison Summer and Winter that matters not until thou pay it But what Oh Prophet if thou hast neither liberty in thy Spirit nor outward Ability to pay thy Fine What course must be taken with thee Well for that O Prophet Gilead matters not but imprisoned thou must remain for so Gilead will be quit of thee and thou cannot come into their Synagogues Markets nor other Assemblies to cry against their Sins and disturb them for the People and Priests would live quietly in their Sins and they would not be disturbed neither in the time of their Service nor otherwise And Hâ—sea that thou mayst have no occasion to find fault with the Jury or the Judge one of these Priests whom thou hast by the Spirit declared to be Murtherers and lewd Men have taken an Oath in open Court against thee and dost thou think that though they be a lewd and murtherous Generation that they will also Swear falsly and so what by one means and what by another oh Prophet thou art fair to come into Bonds for thy Testimonies sake But what oh Court will you not hear the Prophet's witness Speak No no they will not Swear but they will have their Yea and Nay to stand for Truth without more ado as their Master Christ they say hath taught them and they are Disturbers of our Peace as well as thy self oh Hosea And unless some such course as this be used with you Gilead cannot Sin and be quiet neither can the Priests Murther by consent but be told of it and therefore to Prison must thou go and be numbred with the Transgressors as the Disturber of the Wicked's Peace Christ Jesus thy Master was But what Care do these Priests and People that have put thee in Prison take for thy Lodging and Diet in the long cold Winter-time O! for that they matter not for they are as careless over
Prophet disturb the People of Israel when he spoke unto them and cried against them terribly in the Word of the Lord ordinarily in their Assemblies and Gates of their Cities Yea or Nay Or did not they disturb him in putting him in Stocks and Prison for so doing Consider well of it and give Judgment accordingly Jer. 20. and Chap. 26. and Chap. 37 and 38. 4 Query And whether was it wicked 〈◊〉 King of Israel and his House that had sinned against God or Elijah the Prophet of God who cried against their Sins that disturbed Israel's Peace Yea or Nay And whether the wicked King's Judgment or the Holy Prophet's Judgment will you be of in this matter See 1 Kings 18.17 c. 5 Query And whether Amos who prophesied even in the King's Court and Chappel the Sword upon the King's House and Desolations upon all their Sanctuaries was a Disturber in so doing or so accounted then that we read of save only by one wicked Priest as you may read Amos 7.7 c. And whether Jonah preaching Repentance in the open Streets of Nineveh for a whole day together was a Disturber or a Friend to their City Yea or Nay See Jonah 3.4 c. 6 Query And whether the King and People of Nineveh who instead of persecuting him the Lord's Prophet did repent at his Preaching shall not rise up in Judgment with this present Generation and condemn it Yea or Nay 7 Query Whether did Paul the Apostle disturb the Jews and Gentiles in their Synagogues and Markets when he reasoned of the things of God's Kingdom and disputed as it were daily with them there as you may read in the Acts of the Apostles And whether you who account your selves disturbed with the like things doing in these days do not allow of the Jews persecuting of him for his Works sake then Yea or Nay 8 Query And whether the same Paul in the Corinthians when he said In the True Church all that have any thing revealed unto them from God may speak one by one And when he that is speaking hears such an inspired one begin to speak he to wit the first is to hold his Peace that all things may be heard and all edified I say whether Paul in preaching such Doctrine preached disturbing Doctrine Yea or Nay And lastly It is required of those that judge others for Disturbers in such cases as these That they do set down what is the true and infallible Rule of trying Doctrines and Spirits by in these days or for ever hereafter that they let the thing alone These from the Lord's Prisoner Thomas Taylor To those of MANCHESTER THAT ARE Zealous for their Sabbath 1. TO all you in Manchâ—ster who are Zealous for Morning Exercises or Sermons as you call them on the First day of the Week and so seem to over-run others in the way to the Kingdom give me leave in love to your poor Souls to propose a few things to you Do you know really and in Truth by the Teachings of God upon your Spirits what the Evening is and what the patting out of all your own Lights is seeing the Evening must be witnessed before the Morning for the Evening and the Morning make the First day And whether you have known the Voice of the Light shining in the dark place and have taken heed to it as the Scripture speaks and have obeyed the Voice of it which calls you to return and come to the Lord from all your own ways and there in Repentance do now wait in the Inner Man for the Dawning of the Day and the arising of the Day-Star in your Hearts Or are you not yet in the deceivable Doctrines of them that are without who cry Lo here and Lo there as all such do 2. And whether you do believe and expect any such Promise to be fulfilled in you here so that being in the Day and borne up into the eternal unchangeable Light and so coming to know the Teachings of the Father and the Anointing of the Holy One ye shall not need that any Man teach you but as that Anointing teacheth Or do you imagine that you shall always be beholden to borrowed Lights and Man's Teachings as you are now and so be the silly Women that are always learning and never able to come to the Knowledge of the Truth 3. And whether that Ministry you are under and please your selves so much in can truly be said to be the Ministry of Christ seeing it leads not to an end Nor can you or they witness any one hitherto presented thereby perfect to God in Christ without Spot or Wrinkle or any such thing or ever like to be seeing you generally hold That no Man can be free from Sin and so perfect while you are here And whether you are ever likely to come to the Unity of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God to the Measure and Stature of Christ by that Ministry that stands in the Will of Man and which denies the Light which hath inlightned every one that comes into the World to be the True Spiritual and Saving Light of Christ and so build upon another Foundation and reject the Light of the World Christ as he is in Man the Foundation already laid by God himself and so denies at once the New Covenant Gospel Christ and Scriptures as your Ministers do who deny the Light which is in Man which shews him Sin and Evil to be Spiritual and of Christ and calls it a Natural Light and so putting the Letter which is without you for the Light draw your Minds out to build upon their Meanings Conceivings and Imaginings of it and so to forsake the true Light the Word it self the Teaching of the Holy Anointing within you and to neglect the Promise of the Father which would lead you into all Truth if you did wait upon it and did honestly through Faith givâ— up your selves to be guided by it and whether you have not just cause to forsake these Builders who have rejected Christ the Corner-stone and caused you to build upon the Sandy Foundation which in the arising of the Storm of the Lord's Tryal and Indignation will not bear you up but Iniquity being still found in you you are condemned within your selves and with the Sinners and Hypocrites in Sion you will all e'er long be forced to cry out Holy Priest and People Who among us can abide with devouring Fire or dwell with the everlasting Burning Thomas Taylor TO A Wandering Apostate O The Desolation that giving way to the Enemy thou hast brought upon thy Soul What must not God be Infinite because thou canst not comprehend Infiniteness Thou art that Finite One that stands against His Infiniteness and glories in thy old uncircumcised Heart but His Infinite Light has comprehended thee and doth and will Judge thee for thy Evil Work and Blasphemous Thoughts of Him whom the Heaven and Heaven of Heavens cannot contain but thou would'st limit
His limitless Nature to a creatural Form like thy self as the Wicked do who know him not And so of that Beast and mysterious Babylon thou art who this day with their many Heads and Horns and Forms of False Knowledge and Worships and Churches so called do all with one Consent push and fight against the Lamb the Light and Son of the Incomprehensible and Infinite Father and his Faithful Followers but the Lamb both hath and ever shall have the Victory and the Mouth of all Iniquity shall be stopped saith my Soul And so well had it been for thee if thou hadst continued Faithful amongst us but a Wanderer and Unfaithful in Heart hast thou been many a day and so the Whore that watched in the Evening for the unwary young Man hath caught thee in her Net and there thou art a Slave in the Bands of Darkness to the great Wounding of thy poor imprisoned Soul Thomas Taylor TO George Ward And those that had Fellowship with him GEorge Ward to thy self and those in Fellowship with thee whether Speakers or Hearers a few Words from the Movings of God in my Heart You are weighed in the Ballance and are found wanting and the Glory of the Holy Kingdom of God you are fallen short of in your Unbelief and have not a Heart as yet to walk in the strait and narrow Way that leads unto it You have not suffered your Minds and Souls to be guided by the pure Light of Jesus Christ that hath Visited you in great Love in these Days but have rather chosen to follow your own Thoughts and wrong Expositions of Scripture to your great hurt And because you have Preached and Professed that washing the outward Water is the only Gate in the Christian Fellowship you are both to loose your Credit amongst Men by owning the more Excellent and Everlasting Way though it be most plainly declared and by the Spirit demonstrated to you in these Days And so you go about to Establish that which makes nothing perfect in Opposition to the Power of God which only makes Perfect And so you resemble them of old who stuck in the Shadows of the Law in Opposition to him that was the End of the Law and came to fulfil it Christ Jesus over all God Blessed for ever And so if I could have found in you a true Desire after God's Kingdom may be I might have gotten a little Liberty to have Reasoned with you at this time of the things thereof But seeing there hath been so many Endeavours and Desires in us after your Eternal Good and ye will not come to Christ to know him in you that you may have Life for this time I thus rest in Peace with my God the Righteous Judge believing that in his own Way and Time he will Silence every Tongue that moves against his Blessed Truth the Light and those that love it and follow it in the Regeneration in this Day of his Power wherein the willing People are brought up through the Death of the Flesh to serve the Lord in the Land of the Living in new Jerusalem as our Souls do this Day ever Praised be his Name the Arm of his Holiness for it is worthy And now where is the Disputer of this World who pleads for seen things which Quicken not the Souls and will not have the Invisible God who is the Resurrection of the Life to Rule in them but are glad when they can get any thing seemingly that makes for them in their perishing Way But our Work is Praised be God to hold the Faith which was once delivered to the Saints in a pure Conscience and in the Ability that God giveth us to help to bring People to God where is the true Rest for ever And those that will not submit their Minds Hearts and Souls to the Light of the Eternal Word which is nigh in the Heart shall never be Established in Righteousness and Peace but shall weary themselves in the very Fires for Vanity and this we have Learned through many Tribulations Blessed be God for his Unspeakable Gift and so if you be Wise be Wise for your Souls and Learn with us to sit in Silence at Jesus Feet to know what he requires of you and cease your running and doing without him for you have spent too much time in Vain already seeing the Spirit of the World is unfallen in you Rests your Souls Friend and a Lover of the whole Creation of God being become a willing Sufferer for the Holy Seeds Sake And whereas you or some of you seem Offended that Widdow Cock hath left you and come amongst us and say she hath done it and yet given you no sufficient Reason and Satisfaction for her so doing I say that Reason I suppose she hath shown sufficient to some of you but to give Satisfaction to you in it that is hard seeing you Speak Evil of the Good Way of God which she hath tasted of amongst us for of a Truth the Lord and his Power and Presence is with us Blessed be his Name for ever And she stayed too long upon the barren Mountains where your Flocks Feed Thomas Taylor TO A Plundering Priest YOUNG Man all thy Prayers Preachings and Praises are Abomination to God so long as thou keepest the Just in Bondage Thou being but newly as it were come on to the Stage of the World begins thy part very badly if thou hadst been as an old over-grown Tree in Customs of Covetousness less could not be expected from thee than what some in Swaledale have sound But thou being as I hear a young Man under the Notion of a Schollar nay more of a Minister of the Gospel to fall on a Suing People at Law and putting in Prison upon account of Hire quite stains all thy Glory and blasts thy Reputation with the Odium of a Hireling and Fersecutor Thou might consider if the God of this World had not blinded thy Mind what thou daily as it were reads in the Scripture Whatsoever ye would that Men should do unto you even so do unto them for this is the Law and the Prophets And if thou be not come so far as the Law and the Prophets thou art most unfit to take the Gospel into thy Mouth For without all question if thy Condition had been Michael Râ—w's thou would have accounted it hard Measure to have been so dealt withall as thou hast dealt with him A Man with a Wife and ten or eleven Children depending much upon his Labour for their Maintenance and this Man to be put into Prison and there kept from year to year for nothing at all but because for Conscience-sake to God he cannot put into thy Mouth What a Cry this hath and will have in the Ears of God it concerns thee deeply to consider for he is well known not to with-hold Right from any where it is due But though his Sufferings for time be long yet thine if thou repent not will be very
a Reformation is this If this be not amended surely God's Hand will be stretched out against you still But you present Parish-Teachers that practice this thing Answer this sober and necessary Question Do you believe this your own Doctrine and Practice to be good or you rather do it because this is the way to please the Times and so to get Money If the former then are you blind Guides indeed If the latter then are you Covetous indeed And Covetousness saith the Apostle is Idolatry And then let all judge whether either of these be fit to guide and teach others And next in their Marrying of People besides their manifold taking of God's Name in vain as in their other doings and besides their evil Custom of the Ring do not they teach the People to swear and commit Idolatry in saying With this Ring I thee Wed with my Body I thee Worship and with all my worldly Goods I thee Endow and at the conclusion of their Work must plight their Troth one to another Is this sound Doctrine These Priests use to say the Scripture is their Rule But no Scripture is there for certain for such doings as this but against it if this be an Oath for Christ saith Swear not at all but these Priests not only break this Commandment themselves but teach others so to do also and so as Christ saith are least in the Kingdom of Heaven And Christ saith Thou shalt Worship the Lord thy God only but these teach People to Worship one another And doth the Priest examine whether this be true which he teacheth the Man to say to the Woman With all my Worldly Goods I thee Endow Or they matter not what they do so as they can stubber over the business and get Money But that which makes all this the worse is that it must be declared to be done in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost though never so unscriptural and corrupt And therefore will the Lord visit for this thing also But from the beginning of Genesis to the end of the Revelations I do not find that there is any Command from God either for Priests under the Law or Ministers under the Gospel to Marry People nor so much as an Example that they did it But the true Gospel Minister keeps himself pure to Christ out of the World 's Evil Customs and Self-Ends lest he come under Condemnation for partaking with them in their Sins For now is the Cry gone forth from the Lord Come out of Babylon my People lest partaking with her in her Sins ye partake also of her Plagues And therefore when People that pretend much run into things without the Heavenly Call it 's no wonder to see so much Evil attend their doings And Lastly when they come to Bury People having begun so badly they continue so to the end for having ushered in the dead Body in their Superstitious Surplice to the Grave they must say Earth to Earth Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust in sure and certain hope of Resurrection to Life Eternal of all they so Bury Is not this a sore Evil to conclude so directly against Christ's words who saith John 5.29 That some not all shall come forth to the Resurrection of Life and some to the Resurrection of Damnation But you say all at least all that come under your hands thus to be Buried though they live and dye never so badly Nay these Buriers profess that they have a sure and certain hope of it too though oftentimes it so falls out that they have no knowledge of the Party so Buried neither of the Person Life nor Death But what shall be said to such Priests and People whose Eyes are so blinded with Evil Custom and Covetousness that they heed not much what they say or do but heap up Wrath against the day of Wrath against their poor Souls But the true Spiritual Man the true Christian who is a new Creature in Christ Jesus sees all these things and judges them and avoids them And now as for the Sermons Prayings and Preachings of such corrupt Men as these what are they good for or what benefit hath or can your Souls O People expect to reap from them Can a corrupt Tree bring forth good Fruit can Chaff Feed Peoples Souls And he that hath not the Word it self which is Spirit and Life and as a Hammer and Fire though he may have and run with the Words that declare of it as the False Prophets of old did for filthy Lucre yet he is but a Dreamer and a Deceiver of his own and others Souls Jer. 23. And though for Witnessing against such as these do I suffer Imprisonment yet herein is my Joy that the Lord hath deliver'd my Soul from the trouble which they lye in and that I am accounted worthy to speak for God against Deceit So all People consider what you have to do for this is the day of the Revelation of all things reprovable and so whatever hath been hid in Darkness is now by the true Light to be made manifest And though the Wicked in their several dark Forms dig as deep as Hell and think to hide their Counsels and their Doings never so deep in the Dark yet to this Day of God which is already Dawned and in great Power arisen must they all come forth to be judged and to receive every one a Reward according to their Doigns without respect of Persons or Professions as testifies his good Spirit in and by his Servant Thomas Taylor And what also shall be said to that one thing amongst many in your Communion where it is said to the Receiver of the Bread and Wine when the Priest delivers it The Body or Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy Body and Soul unto Eternal or Everlasting Life Is this holding the Form of Scripture Words or of sound Words as the Apostle Exhorts Do you pray in Faith when you say these words O Priests or may it not be said rather to you who hath required this at your Hands And do you consider what Bodies and Souls these People have that you would have thus preserved are they clean are they pure perfect and Holy For such as are preserved unto everlasting Life must first be such because no unclean thing enters God's Kingdom And the Church that Christ presents to himself is such as are Sanctified and throughly Washed by his Word from all Spot and Stain of Sin Ephes 5.25 26 27. But what have you to do here you miserable Offenders who by your own daily and customary Confession have no Spiritual Health in you So as Israel's outward Lepers were shut out of the Camp by the Law so out of the Fellowship of God's Spiritual Israel must the inward and Spiritual Lepers be kept this day It is so To the Jury-Men of Appleby ALL ye of the Jury which is by Interpretation Swearers or Sworn-Men who are not yet come to Christ's Doctrine where the
Holy Anointing in them as also saith the Scripture they try all things both Men and Writings Words and Works and do separate the Precious from the Vile and know therein what to chuse what to refuse as the Mouth tryeth Meat and yet are not Wise as Men count Wisdom but Fools to the World and their Wisdom is in their Head hid from the World which is Christ the Mystery their Eye and so the truly wise Man's Eye is in his Head and so their Guide and Teacher is not Men or Means as they are called without them but their Teacher is within in the midst of them and not removed into a Corner and if any speak not according to that Word within it is because they have no Movings in them And if thou be'st humble-minded indeed thou wilt in Self-denial bearing a daily Cross to thy own Will and Wisdom wait with these simple Children and Babes of God in silence of Spirit to hear what the Spirit and Light of Christ it self alone and not another speaks within thee and this thou wilt find to be a straiter way than ever yet thou walked in when thy Mind must be kept in the Cross and not have liberty to feed upon any visible or audible created Word Writing or Thing but only upon the pure immortal and increated eternal Word of God within then will the Serpent Rage and the earthly Mind Famish when it can come by no earthly Food And for thy light Expressions of Jacob Bewman the rest thou names not and so I can say nothing punctually of them I know in most things he speaks a Parable to thee yet and so his Writings may well be lightly esteemed of by thee but there is that in his Writings which if ever thy Eye be opened will appear to be a sweet unfolding of the Mystery of God and of Christ in divers particulars according to his Gift And therefore beware of speaking Evil of that which thou know'st not lest thou come under Judas Reproof But dear Heart thy poor Soul not yet freed as I said before from the guidance of Self-Wisdom thou travelest in a Satisfaction with that which therein only thou canst comprehend and not only so but therein also takes upon thee to judge that which is beyond it which is very dangerous but if Christ and his Kingdom were so known it were no Mystery And for that thou questions what I mean by my exhorting thee to come up to the Feast of Tabernacles if thou know'st the Scriptures which thou readest thou may'st see what it is to come up to the Feast of Tabernacles it is not to come up to any Man's Tenets or painted Novelties as thou too scornfully miscallest the Truth we in our measure desire to walk in but it is to keep a Feast with the Israel of God in the Wilderness as tho' come out of Egypt into the Travel and Warfare towards the Promised Land having not for the present a City to dwell in and so to be separate from thy first Mother's Womb which is from below and is in Bondage with her Children that thy feeding may be upon the Heavenly it self which yet is a Mystery to thee and all who cannot witness an Implantation together into the likeness of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ if thy Ear be open thou wilt hear And for that Scripture in the 7th of Matth. thou concludes with thou may'st know that it doth not forbid the Judgment of the Spirit of Truth in any but it truly and plainly shows to the Pharisee and Hypocrite his own Condemnation who judgeth that in another which he is guilty of in himself much more And therefore every one is to wait to see the Beam cast out of their own Eye and so Judgment brought forth into Victory in the particular and so the true Spirit of Judgment set up in the Heart in particular true Judgment according to every Spiritual Man's measure goes rightly forth upon the general so as Christ there saith there is so a clear seeing how to cast out the Mote out of the Brother's Eye the Beam removed out of ones own And now Friend if I should seem tedious to thee consider it is my Love and desire of thy Souls Information that if possible thou may'st be delivered from every Snare to serve the Lord in the truth of Spirit being taught of and guided by that Light wherewith Christ hath enlightned thee lest otherwise it be thy Condemnation as it is and ever hath been to all the Children of Disobedience So rests thy poor Soul's continuing Friend Rich. 18th Feb. so called Thomas Taylor To the Presbyterians so called WO to the Teachers of the People who daub with untempered Mortar and cry Peace Peace when the Lord hath not spoken Peace for the Lord speaks Peace to none in their Sins but they teach for Doctrine That none can live without Sin whilst on this side the Grave and so they Minister for Antichrist the Man of Sin and not for Christ who is without Sin God's Righteousness and he that is born of Christ sinneth not for the Heavenly Holy Father of the unspotted Generation of the Righteous is he And the Gates of Hell cannot prevail against such as abide in Christ The Root is Holy and so is the Branches but the Old Adam or Fallen Man is not so nor his Children for the Root being Corrupt the Branches must needs be so and so they that are in the Flesh cannot please God but they who love the Light Christ Jesus and walk in him please God for this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Hear him saith God and know ye not that Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates So the Voice of Christ the living Word is to be heard and waited in which is nigh in the Heart and the pure in Heart walk in the Light of his Holy City and to such there is no occasion of Stumbling but such as walk in the Darkness of their own Imaginations stumble and fall into the Pit of Sin and Condemnation But to such as are in Christ Jesus the Sinless Man to them there is no Condemnation for by his Spirit are they led and preserved out of Sin which is the cause of Condemnation and come to witness Justification through his Blood for if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light then have we Fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all Sin How beautiful is the way of the Just they do not Iniquity that walk in God's undefiled way the Light for by the Light are they led out of Sin and Evil and so come through the true Door Christ Jesus the Light into the Sheep-fold which is the strait and narrow way indeed for whosoever walketh in Christ and holdeth forth his Life before Men shall be hated of all Men for his Name and Lifes sake for it is a Cross to all the World
that they lived but were dead from that true Life that was in Christ Jesus whom in words they Professed And though the passage we feel now to be as hard of coming from amongst the false Christians and Turks as it was for the first true Christians to come from amongst the Jews and Gentiles yet the Almighty Power of our God is able over all and through all to carry us to the End whom he hath called and saved with a mighty Salvation ever praised be his Name and who will yet save his beloved Seed Israel and gather them from the East and West and from the North and South to sit down with Christ in his Kingdom And this is no ill News to any but who are glewed to Deceit and married to Iniquity But it is good News and glad Tidings indeed to all that love their Souls and the Honour and Glory of Truth more than the things of this perishing World And I could desire that all who are apt to reason as the Jews did when they heard the Declaration of the Gospel of Peace and Kingdom of God which stands in Righteousness and Peace saying If we let this go on then the Romans and others will come and take our Place and Nation I say that they would consider that the very course which they to wit the old Jews in the denial of the Truth took for saving of themselves brought utter destruction upon them and their Nation But what shall vain Man in his foolish fall'n Wisdom and Earthly Reasonings think to be wiser than God and to have a greater Care and Love to the Creation than God himself who made it hath What shall Angels at the Birth of Christ sing Glory to God on high and Good-will to Men and yet when the way of God in Christ is published for bringing this great Work of Salvation to pass vain Man must come in with his false Mind and say This is the way to confound all Order and destroy all Good and that this Doctrine turns the World upside down and that the Messengers of Christ are Pestilent Fellows and movers of Sedition O Earth Earth tremble before the Lord for thou shalt never have Peace in ' thy own ways thou shalt never be saved by thy own Strength thou shalt never be established by thy own Counsels thou shalt never have true Peace nor Plenty within thy Borders until thou believe the Gospel which saith Learn of Christ whose Kingdom is not of this World and whose Weapons are not Carnal but Spiritual mighty through God not for the pulling down of outward Walls and Bodies but for razing and pulling down and destroying the strong Holds of Sin and Satan in the Hearts and Lives of the Children of Men. For after that saith the Apostle the World by Wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the Foolishness of Preaching such Doctrine as this which is a Cross and stumbling Block to all Flesh to save them that believe So lay things to Heart ye People of the World and Inhabitants of all the Earth for God's purpose is not to exalt any Man or Men of this World nor to glorifie any Flesh but to exalt his own Son Christ Jesus the Heavenly Man the Lord from Heaven the Truth over all of whose Kingdom and Government there shall be no End And all that Obey his Voice and for Obedience thereto are made willing to Suffer with him shall Reign with him for evermore But all others whether they be called Christians or Turks or whatever else shall be as the Dust or Chaff before the Wind to be scattered as the Lord by his Spirit from the beginning hath said and at this Time speaketh in his Servant Thomas Taylor To Loose and Wicked Professors HOW long O ye People will ye sleep and slumber in a dead Form of Religion without the Life and Power of Godliness How long will ye dote upon the shews and appearances of Things where the Substance is wanting Can the Soul of Man live upon that which perishes and passes away with the using as the things of this present time do How long shall the Trumpet of the Lord be sounded in the Land before the People prepare themselves to serve the Lord and worship him in Spirit and Truth as he requires How long shall the Judgments of the Lord be in the Earth before the Inhabitants thereof learn Righteousness O the hardness of the Hearts of the Children of Men this day upon the Earth how past feeling are the Men of this Generation grown and without Understanding Never was Sodom more secure The Day is dawned and the Sun is up and yet they lye fast locked up in the deepest Sleep of fleshly Ease and carnal Security And because the Lord suffers not his whole Displeasure to arise at once upon them therefore they go on to harden themselves in their Sins as the People of old did whom the Lord overthrew in his Wrath And so because Judgment is not speedily executed upon their Evil Deeds therefore they set their Hearts to go on in their old ways of Sin Vanity and Uncleanness and so cover themselves but not with the Spirit of the Lord nor any of the pure and Holy ways thereof but take Counsel one at another and strengthen themselves in the Arm of Flesh Wo wo unto you O wicked and evil People who harden your Hearts against the Lord who shall sufficiently bewail you or what Lamentation shall be taken up for you With the Mourning of them that mourn for the Dead slain by the Sword cast out into the High-ways to be trodden under Foot shall you be lamented Thomas Taylor To Protestants OYe poor People called Protestants in the sence of the Love of God to my Soul and pity to yours do I write these Lines It is many Years now since it pleased the Lord to deliver you from the bloody Conspiracy of them called Papists in that Powder Plot and you have kept a Yearly Remembrance of it in an outward Day in an outward manner Acclamations Organs and other bodily Exercises but alass your Souls lies still in the Death Ignorant of that Heavenly Deliverance and Resurrection from Sin which the Saints in Light witness to the everlasting Praise and Glory of his Grace daily and hourly to be remembred and at no time to be forgotten And for want of this your Offerings cannot be accepted of the pure God who looks for Spiritual Obedience from the very Heart of all that receive any Blessing Mercy or Deliverance from him either for their Souls or Bodies But truly the Lord God is not pleased with your Organs Ringing of Bells and Singing and shouting on the top of a Steeple or any vain words of Thankfulness for an Offering to him and you still remaining in that nature which grieveth his Holy Spirit And so you dishonour the Holy Lord God the Creator of all things by your base and low thoughts of him judging his Thoughts to be like your
you have greatly provoked the Lord God against you by these doings And the old Heathens did never more manifest their evil inside in setting up their Idols than you have done in setting up this dead Stick and adorning it with Garlands or so and sometimes Dancing and Rejoycing about it as your Brethren in the Wilderness did about the golden Calf And now upon this particular Stick what may be judged by the Flag that stands on high upon it but that you have bid defiance to all Good O the Pride O the Self-willedness O the Naughtiness of your blind deceived Hearts How long will you strive against God with your Doings How long will you provoke the Eyes of his Jealousie against you A sad day is coming upon you from his provoked Throne O Repent Repent the dreadful and terrible Day of the Lord God is at hand And what will you do in that day Will you cry to the May-pole which you have so long danced about for help O the Blindness and Wretchedness of your deceived Hearts when will you a wake when will you consider and when will you remember your latter End This dead and dry Stick is a true Figure of your dead and barren Hearts to God and Goodness So whilst you have Time prize it for this is the Day of your Visitation from the Spirit of the Lord in his Servant Thomas Taylor To a Dancing-Master TO hear a Dancing-Master plead for his Kingdom because of the evil Gain that he reaps from his evil Work is no strange thing but to see him plead for it from the Example of Holy David's Dancing or Rejoycing before God's Ark in Ravishment of Joy for its return is abominable in thee and the same which the vain Fidlers and Pipers of the Country condemned by the Law do who will plead David's Musick to bolster themselves up in their unholy Work and so there is no more Agreement betwixt David's Dancing and thine than there is betwixt David's Musick and the Fidlers If David's Dancing before God's Ark were seen by your Eyes who plead for your Heathenish Herodian Dancings in these days it would be accounted no less than Madness and Folly to you as it was by Michael in the former days O the Blindness of thine and all such Hearts who are not afraid thus to wrest â—cripture to your Destruction And whereas thou wouldst excuse Hecodias thou shouldst have said Herodias's Daughter her Dancing Heel from being a cause of the Baptist's Death to cover thy Work withal thou maist know this Cloak is too short for though Herod's Heart was evil not only for marrying Herodias but also in Imprisoning John for reproving him for it as many in these days both do Evil and Imprison the Servants of the Lord for telling them of it I say though Herod's Heart was evil and temptable yet her Dancing Heel as thou calls it was as a Devil to tempt him to that rash Vow at that time for it 's manifest by his Unwillingness of answering her Demand for John's Head that he had no desire of his Death at least at that time though he had put him in Prison And so my Exhortation to thee in Truth and not Hypocrisie is to give over thy Dancing work for as I said before so I say again it is not of God and so it cannot prosper nor that Gain or Pleasure that comes to thee or any others from it And hate good Counsel no longer for it will be hard for any to kick against the Pricks of God's Reproof Thomas Taylor To the Fruitless Vineyard of England OH ye Blood-suckers which hunt after Blood which lay Tracks and Snares to slay the Righteous Oh what a Profession is this that you live in that are so full of Fury and Rage some Mocking some Beating some Stocking some Stoneing some Plotting and laying wait to shed the Innocent Blood and yet you do make a Profession of God and Christ which Christ never taught that Doctrine and there you shew your selves to be as Bloody Persecutors as ever the Jews were who Crucified Christ and sought to slay the Apostles Oh England England Is this the Fruit of thy Ministry Is this the Vineyard which thou hast planted Howl ye Vine-dressers Oh how is the Vineyard full of Briars Oh how is the Vineyard full of Thorns Oh how is the Vineyard full of dead Trees which cumber and bring forth no Fruit Oh how are the Springs stopped that should Water it with the Philistines Oh how full is the Vineyard of Serpents Oh how is the Vineyard full of Thistes Oh how is the Vineyard full of Weeds Oh how full is the Vineyard of Nettles Oh how full is the Vineyard of wild Beasts and of Trees that bear wild Grapes and sour Grapes which sets the Childrens Teeth on edge A time hath been and is that the pretended Dressers and Lookers to the Vineyard are blind and do not know one Tree from another and cannot distinguish a Lamb from a Dog a Sheep from a Goat a Dove from a Kite full is the Vineyard of Wolves strong Horses neighing and the Horses of Pharoah and his Chariots whirling up and down And the Vineyard is full of Thieves and Robbers and the pretended Watch-men are blind and cannot discern betwixt a True Man and a Thief but they call the Thief true Man and the true Man Thief they call Light Darkness and Darkness Light They call them who have come in at the strait Gate to Life and so come in at the Door these they call Thieves and Robbers and those who have never received the Word of the Lord from the Mouth of the Lord but are climb'd up another way and live in the broad way Pride and Covetousness and the Lust of the Flesh these they call the Messengers of God Oh how full is the Vineyard of Drunkards Drunk with the Wine of the sour Grape The Land is full of Oaths and mourns because of such that their Flesh is defiled the Land is full of Respecting of Persons which is a Transgression of the Law of God But now the Lord is risen and rising who respects no Man's Person and lays the Axe to the Root of the Tree Every one that brings not forth good Fruit must be hewen down and thrown into the Fire For now is the Lord sending Sons and Daughters and Servants into the Vineyard Spears are broken and turned into Pruning-hooks and Swords into Mattacks and Plow-shares Some are Plowing up and some are Hacking up and some are Pruning and some are dividing the Sheep from the Goats and the Lambs from the Dogs making a distinction and putting a difference and some are bridleing their Horses which have been wild and some are distinguishing the Kites from the Doves and putting a difference betwixt the Precious and the Vile betwixt the Holy and the Unholy Tremble Tremble Tremble ye Mountains and Hills before the Lord for out of Sion doth the Lord utter his Voice Wo Wo unto all
alone But I will arise saith God I will execute Righteous Judgment in thee with fire and sword will I plead with thee and thy mighty Men shall fall with thee who sing thy Song and take part with thy Lewdness and strengthen thy ungodly hands in thy wicked ways and say in their hearts O this is a good day these are good Subjects this is the time we have long looked for now we reign now we may do what we will and who shall controul us who who shall hinder us from filling our selves with all manner of delights now we are settled in our way now will we Build our decayed Houses and Restore our fallen Worships now will we Repair the broken Fences of our Parks that we may have Game to the full now shall our Horses be well fed for the Race that they may fully please us now let the Cock-Pits be looked to for that cruel Sport and let our Bowling-Alleys be well Dressed for our daily Recreation now shall the Stage-players for our delight have their full Liberty and all the Sons of Vanity have due Encouragement for the Old things we Love and that which is New though never so much the Better our souls Loath We like the Old Ways of our Fathers because when they had Lord-Bishops and their Minister Services with Mattens and Evensongs with Organs and Singing-boys and such like Things then there was Peace and Plenty and when the Neighbourhood could meet together and sit about a Bone-fire or May-pole or under a Bower and drink strong Drink and tell Stories and Sing and Roar then there was Love and Agreement And when Plays and Pastimes and Wakes were duly frequented and observed then was it a Merry Time and a Joyful Land and all went well in all those Days when such Things were on foot And when those that said they scared the Lord and so could not join with us but rather Witnessed against us and Reproved us for such Things were taken a Course withal O then was it a good Day say many And as it was then so would we have it now saith your vain and wicked Hearts O ye fallen Sons and Daughters of Adam And I see you saith the Lord God with both your bands endeavouring these Things and abusing my Power if possible to set up the Devil's Kingdom with it And thus quite contrary to my Ordinance saith the Lord are you become as a Terrour to the Good and â—n Encouragement to them that do Evil and mine Eye seeth you right well and my Heart considereth you thorowly and I cannot Love you for Prophaneness and Hypocrisie is your Covering and you are as the cloaths of a Menstruous Woman in my sight Away with your vain Worships saith God my soul loaths your Sabbaths and Services thereon yea your Sacraments are a burden to me I hate your Prayers Praises Professions and Confessions for you mend not your lives and doings at all I will stir up my Jealousie and it shall kindle like flames of fire upon you and utterly consume the joy of your Hearts and for joy the bitterest of sorrows shall seize upon you and you shall become a burden to your selves except you speedily Repent and turn to the Lord God from whom you are far gone away For I have a long time held my Peace saith the Lord but now I will cry like a Travelling Woman I will destroy and devour at once I will lay waste the Mountains and the Hills because they have not answered my Power with fruits of Righteousness to me And the Multitudes of People who are as Grashoppers in thy Bowels devouring every green thing and spending my Creatures upon their Lusts not regarding my Glory at all shall be as heaps of Fuel for the fire of my Jealousie and it shall kindle upon them and none shall quench it neither shall it cease burning till I have consumed thy Dross and appeased my Wrath in the Consumption of thy Wicked Ones saith the Lord God For Tophet is prepared of old for the Purposes of my Heart according to the Scriptures saith the Holy One through his Servant Thomas Taylor A Faithful Warning to Outside Professors and Loose Pretenders to Christianity of all sorts COme all ye Professors of Scripture upon the Face of the whole Earth under what form soever what have ye learned hitherto of all ye profess Have ye learned to Fear God and keep his Commandments Have ye learned thus to Love God And do you love your Neighbour as your selves Do ye not profess to love God above all things and your Neighbour as your selves Is this done What will a profession of words commend you to God where the Obedience is a wanting O thou that art called Christendom how art thou fallen How art thou become the Plant of a degenerate Vine How are thy Grapes become as those of Sodom who shall bring healing to thee who hast rejected the Balm of Gilead that the Father brought to thee O thou foolish Child how hast thou trifled out thy precious Time about Toys and Trifles and hast not regarded the Voice of thy Maker who hath waited all day long to gather thee and to do thee good but thou wouldst not Thou hast chosen the worse part in that thou hast forsaken the Lord the Fountain of Living Waters and hast hewed and chosen to thy self a Cistern that will hold no Water Thou art gone into the ways of the Old World upon whom the Flood came And which of those Sins for which Sodom burned are a wanting in thee O! the pure River of Life that would quench thy Thirst how is it slighted and neglected by thee and therefore art thou utterly unsatisfied in whatsoever thou dost or attempts to do Thou art never able to satiate thy Soul with husks Thou must come into the Father's House before thou hast Bread enough But thou say'st in thy Heart Thou art a Queen yea That thou art Rich and indued with Goods and hast need of nothing When as alas in the true Light thou art seen to be Miserable Poor Wretched Blind and Naked A long Course hast thou run but the promised end thou hast not reached Thou hast been like a bewildred Sheep running from Mountain to Hill to find a resting place where no rest is Thou camest indeed a little out of Egypt But O! how soon didst thou turn back again thither from whence thou came and loved the Flesh-Pots of Egypt yea the Onions and Garlick better than God's Manna in the Wilderness Thou should'st have followed the Lord perfectly unto the Land of Rest in Patience and silence of Spirit under his voice and teachings But thou grew weary of waiting upon thy God and saw Images of things on Earth and Images of things in Heaven and bowed thy Heart to them and didst not keep thy Heart to the power that broke thro' the Darkness for thee Nor didst thou keep thy Eye to the Light of Life that freely shined out of Darkness for to
have guided thee through the dark howling Wilderness to Sion But thou being careless and felfish thou lent thy Ear to the voice of the Stranger and cryed Lo here and Lo there and so wast thou led out of the Way into By-Paths of Sin and Death where thou hast been lost from the true Life and true Light and Spirit that wrought in thee in the beginning And thou hast not to this day throughly considered thy loss nay very little is thy Nakedness and Wretchedness laid to Heart in thee And now therefore thou that art called Christendom What is the Wood of thy Vine seeing thou hast left off to bear Fruit to the Lord better than the Wood of another Tree nay it is not so good as any For if the Salt that should season other things have lost its Savour wherewith shall it be salted and of what use is it but even to be trodden under Feet of Men. O! that thou wert wise to consider at least in this thy day the things of thy Peace in this great Day wherein the Bridegroom which hath been as one travelled into a far Country is come again and is appeared in his ancient Love Power and Perfection to visit thee and to seek thee out of every place where thou hast been scattered through Sin in the long Night of Apostacy to see if any of the pure Love that was in thee in the day of thy Espousals may be recovered to himself that he may know how to do thee good and how to make manifest his ancient love unto thee which bowed the Hearts of his simple Israel into such love of his goodness as to follow the Lamb wheresoever he went in the beginning But O! thou polluted Woman how art thou wandred away from the true Sheep-fold How art thou gone a whoring from thy God! How art thou covered with the shades of Night And how art thou lost amongst the Countries and mingled with the Heathen yea thou hast chosen thy own ways and worshipped the works of thy own Hands and hast cast the pure Law of God behind thy back Yea the Light of the Glorious Gospel of Christ which hath shined to thee and would have gathered thee up to God thou hast rejected and hast not liked to retain God nor his Light in thy Knowledge And so thou art become vain in thy Mind and thy foolish Heart is become so dark that thou worships thou knows not what like those that know not God and art become a Prey to every Beast of the Field and art bowed in thy Heart to the Creatures more than to the living God the Creator And therefore will he arise in great Majesty and dreadful Power and will yet again bring to pass his Act his strange Act in thee And he will not meet thee as a Man but as a consuming Fire Because thou hast rejected his Goodness Patience and Forbearance And hast heaped to thy self Teachers after thy own Heart who have rocked thee asleep with their false Voices crying Peace Peace when there was no Peace for there is no Peace to any wicked one saith the true God profess what they may For the Lord is come to look for Fruits And now Wo Wo to the Fruitless Trees to the Briars and Thorns for the Fire of the Lord God will consume them And now will the Lord God bring to nothing all thy Might Wisdom Glory and Greatness whereby thou host exalted thy self and dishonoured him and the Meek shall Inherit Heaven and Earth And blessed is he that overcometh that Evil and wicked Spirit that so much reigns and rages in thee for he shall be called God's Son and shall Inherit all things as saith the Scripture For the end cometh And who shall stop the course of the everlasting Sun of Righteousness whose Day is dawned blessed for evermore O thou Corrupted Earth who wallows in the Blood of thine Iniquity who art become Deaf to the Heavenly Voice and art become an Enemy to nothing so much as to that good thing that would unburden thee of thy Corruptions O O how hath Hell inlarged it self for the multitude of those wilful Transgressors in thee that are posting on in their sins this day to the Chambers of Death who are making Provision for the fleshly Lusts which War against the Soul who will not believe what their miserable State shall be though one come from the dead to declare it in true Experience to them But O thou little Remnant of Wheat amongst such a heap of Chaff O thou lovely Seed of God which brings forth Fruit of Righteousness to his Glory and so shines forth as Lights in the fore-said dark World Do thou rejoyce and be thou glad for ever in the Lord thy Saviour who hath loved thee with an everlasting Love and by his Arm of Power hath raised thee up to be his Servant and hath gathered thee into his Bosom of Safety to lie down and rest in Peace with himself for evermore So be it even so be it saith the Spirit and the Bride So do thou O Lovely Holy Seed begotten to God in Righteousness do thou trust â—nd rejoyce in the Lord thy God for ever And be not troubled nor dismay'd at the roarings of the Waters of Babylon but be still be still be at rest and Peace in the Arms of the Lord God Almighty blessed blessed for evermore From a Lover of God's Everlasting Truth Thomas Taylor PEOPLE THIS know that the Entrance into Righteousness is the Only and Alone Entrance into the Kingdom of God and there is not another Christ is God's Righteousness and so the Door He that entereth not in by me saith Christ is a Thief and a Robber So see all People where you are I am the Way the Truth and the Life also saith Christ and no Man cometh to the Father but by me So consider all People Is Christ your Way And is nothing Truth to you like Christ And have you a Life in nothing at all as in Christ Deal honestly with your own Souls and deceive not your selves for God will not be mocked Bring your Deeds to the Light and seek not to hide your Sins from the Lord For there is nothing secret which shall not be made manifest Drunkard bring thy Deeds to the Light Thou knowest by the Light thou shouldst not be Drunk nor spend God's Creatures upon thy Lust Here thou hast learned thy Condemnation and the Wrath of God abides upon thee in this Condition profess what thou may'st And all thy Prayers and Performances are Abomination to the Pure God whilst thou abidest in the Lust of Drunkenness for it defiles And all ye Vnclean-hearted Ones who burn in your Lusts one towards another and are as the Brute Beasts who know neither Guide nor Rule over your Minds but are in the Evil Liberty to follow your own Evil Hearts Bring your Deeds to the Light and it will let you see you should not be so It will tell you That the
Vnclean shall not enter God's Kingdom and without Holiness none can see God Here ye may see your Way to be to the Chambers of Hell and Death and not to Christ And all ye Swearers Vain and Obscene Talkers and Foolish Jesters whose Tongues run through the World And as you know no Limit to your Lusts so you know no Bridle to your Tongue Your Religion is vain Jam. 1.26 Bring your Deeds to the Light there you may read your Condemnation For there is that in your Conscience tells you according to Scripture that for every idle vain unclean or prophane Word â—hat Men shall speak they must give Account thereof to the Pure and Just God in the Day of Judgment How then ye Guilâ—y and be humbled for your Sins lest that Day come suddenly upon you as a Thief in the Night and sweep you all away as it did the Old Woâ—ld who regarded not the Day of their Visitation but went on in their Sins until there was no Remedy Awake awake ye Dead and Careless-hearted who put the Day of the Lord afar off and cry Peace when there is no Peace For what Peace to the Wicked There is no Peace to the Wicked saith the true God but Peace only upon Zion and to such as turn from Iniquity in Jacob. So let not one take the Name of Christ in their Mouth any more until they depart from Iniquity For such as go on in the Custom and daily Practice of Sin and yet think to cover themselves with and Outward Profession of Christ do but deceive themselves and increase their Condemnation adding Sin to Sin This is God's Truth which he that hath an Ear let him hear and he that hath any Desire in him to return to God let him consider of and give Glory to God by Repenting of that which doth any way dishonour God Also this know for truth That your Invented Licentious Gaming for Vain Delights and Pleasures is not of God but an Invention of that Wicked One who is called the Devil and Satan Invented to please the Vain and Empty Minds of his Children and Servants which are out of the Law and Truth of God But the Children and Servants of God are full of Goodness and are exercised in the Law and Truth of God Day and Night and so deny the Devil and his Works So let no Man deceive any of you neither be deceived in your selves for the Judge is at the Door And the True Light is arisen which makes manifest every Work and the Reward of it for Ever And all ye Stage-Players Puppet-Players and the Authors and Inventors of such things with all that love such Heathenish Things yea and give your Money for them that thereby ye may feed the Covetous Lusts in the Players that thirst after Money and the Vain Lust of your own defiled Eyes and Ears which are after Pleasures more than the Lord God that made you Know this That your Works are all weighed in an equal Ballance and by the Light of Christ you are all seen to be out of the Doctrine of Christ in the Heathenish Nature upholding and practising those things which Christ came to destroy Yea and by the Light of Christ in your own Consciences when you are a little sober and still in your Minds you know you should not do such things Here you also have learn'd your Condemnation and cannot in this State stand before the Lord because of your Sins And all ye that can please your selves with beholding one Creature hurt and torment another yea sometimes even to Death as at Bull baitings Bear baitings Cook fightings and the like O! what Minds have ye and how contrary are ye herein to the Tender Nature of Christ and all Christians truly so call'd who could never Rejoice in any such things by reason of their tender pitiful and merciful Nature O ye Children of Cruelty when will your Hearts break your stony Hearts melt into Tears before the Lord for all your mighty Sins And when will you bring your Deeds to the Light that ye may see the Ugliness of your Sins and repent of them lest the Judgments written fall upon you for them as it did upon all such from the beginning of the World and there be no escape O England England How hast thou defiled thy self by thine Iniquities How is the Flood-gate of Sin broken open in thee to the polluting of thy Land O how art thou wholly over-spread with Briars and Thorns and Weeds so that the Lord must arise to purge thee by Fire seeing thou hast refused to wash in that pure Water of Life that sprung up in thee So if thou hast an Ear hear before it be too late and the Door be shut Thomas Taylor YE Feasters ye Gamesters ye Drunkards and Gluttons ye False Christians whose God is your Belly and whose Care is how you may satisfie your Ungodly Lusts you are Enemies to the Cross of Christ Yea you Crucifie Christ afresh to your selves and put him to open Shame by your Lewd Living The Hand of the Lord is against you ye Prophane Esau's who have sold and are selling your Birth-right for a Mess of Pottage When will ye Awake when will ye Arise from off your sinful Bed where you cry Peace to your selves in your Sins When will ye lay to Heart the Apostle's Doctrine ye Common Sinners who proudly boast of your Common Prayers and yet depart not from your Iniquities Is not the Sacrifice of the Wicked an Abomination to God And will God regard your Prayers whilst you so love and regard your Iniquities and walk so contrary to the Doctrine of Christ Doth not the Apostle say Make no provision for the Flesh to satisfie it in the Lusts thereof and ye in a direct Opposition and Hatred to this Doctrine make all provision for the Flesh to fulfil and satisfie it every way in the Lust thereof And so your Table is as the Table of Devils and not of Saints and ye cannot both partake of the Table of Devils and the Table of Christ the Apostle being Witness So howl ye Sinners and Vngodly People and be humbled for all your Lewdnesses and repent of all your Whoredoms whereby ye have gone a Whoring from the Life of Christ and his Saints And let your Feastings be turned into Fastings and your Laughters and Merriments be turn'd into Lamentations and bitter Mournings for the Misery that is to come upon you from the Presence of the Lord in the Day of his Fierce Wrath which is nigh to come and be revealed upon you in Flames of Fire for all your mighty Sins O ye that are so contrary to Christ be humbled before the Lord for all your Hypocrisies who say You are come out of Popery and yet continue in some of their Idolatrous Customs as this Prophane keeping of the time which ye in Imitation call Christmas among other Superstitions whereby ye shew your selves to be too near of Kin to that Whorish Woman
of Kings and Lord of Lords and dreadful over all whose Eye is as a flame of Fire who came not to send Peace on the cursed Earth but a Sword and whose Sword never returns empty from the Battle unto you all I say saith the Holy One the Lord Jesus Christ Do not I see your ways and your doings both what you have done and what you do yea do not I search and see your Hearts and Reins and know what you would do O! consider consider do you know that I am near when you sit in Council and work all your Works even your darkest Works and take notice of them and treasures them up in my remembrance to give to every Man according to his Ways and the fruit of his Doings Do not I know that you all in Words profess me and call me Lord Lord and say I am your Saviour but alas alas you will none of me to Rule in you and over you nay nay you ask not Counsel at my Spirit and so are not for my Honour in what you bring forth Only sometimes when my witness is reached in you a little is done by some of you for my Babes but then your Goodness stays not but passeth away like the early Dew and then your evil Hearts turn back again from me and then you take Counsel one at another how to establish your own Kingdom Wills Glory and Greatness which is of this World and regard not my Honour my Glory my People who fear before me and with Moses and all my Saints do quake and tremble at my Word but suffers them to be a Prey to many and lets mine Enemies go free amongst you What shall Drunkards Sweaters Morrice-Dancers Stage-players Gamesters of all sorts and Hypocrites of all sorts have liberty to meet together to dishonour my Name without danger and fear and my Babes only who meet together to wait upon me to glorifie my Name sand to edifie one another in the most Holy Faith be threatned stocked and haled before the Judgment-Seats and be Imprisoned as though they only were the burden of the Land Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord and shall not my Soul be avenged on such a Nation and People as this O! how hath the Enemy of the Soul deceived you in making you believe that you are setting up my Kingdom and Gospel when you are fetting up your own Nests on high and going about to establish your own Traditions My Kingdom is not of this World but that which you set up is of this World My Worship stands in Spirit and Truth yours in Form and Shadows and outward Shew which the Hypocrites for self-ends can fast enough run into My way is in a daily cross to all Flesh yours in the Will and Liberty of the Flesh O the burden the burden that I bear of you O the weight that you are unto my Spirit O the cry the cry and deep Groans of my oppressed Seed amongst you because of your Iniquities O! consider consider what is lately come to pass concerning Oliver Cromwel and his House and his Friends and Flatterers and shall not my Hand find out you if you be found in their Ways or worse Did I visit amongst other things for the several Excesses committed about him in the time of his Life and Greatness and especially for that at his Death and shall I not visit for the several Excesses and Wastings of my Creatures about thee O Charles Stuart in these late Months especially about that of thy Proclamation and Coronation saith the Lord God Lay things to Heart ye forgetful and stout-hearted Children What can you say that was Evil and Oppressive in their Days and is not as yet amended in yours I the Lord look for Judgment and Righteousness from you I look that you should make use of my Power for the encouragement and help of them that love me and fear my Name in the Lands and not of their Oppressors I will call you and all Nations quickly to account for all things I will not be always saith the Lord as one that sleepeth or winketh I will arise I will come in mine eternal dreadful Power amongst you O Sinners and Hypocrites in these Islands and in all the Earth I have been long as a gentle Lamb and little oppressed Child amongst you I will now arise I will put on Zeal as a Cloak and will cloth my self with Garments of Vengeance and will roar from my Holy Hill and will be as a Lyon and as a fierce Lyon amongst you to take a Prey And all your false Shepherds and pretended Watchmen with their false Instruments shall not frey me nor in the least dismay me nor deliver the Prey out of my hands Neither will I hear their false Cry and Prayers nor regard their deceitful Fastings to do them good who now in this day of my Visitation will none of my Counsels but at naught set all my Love and evil entreat my dear Servants who mourn amongst them and in much tenderness warn them to Repentance But oh oh ye Muâ—â—â—de of tall Cedars ye strong Oaks I will raise up a strong Wind amongst you and your high tops shall dash against and split one another and with your fall shall the great multitude of Bramble Bushes Briar-Trees and low creeping Shrubs who admire and adore your Height and Greatness and tremble at you but not at me saith the Lord shall be crushed down together with you in your Fall But Israel shall do Valiantly and your Fall shall be as a Resurrection to my dear Seed and I will do Valiantly saith the God of the Spirits of all Flesh for all that wait for me and love mine appearance For Time is mine and Place is mine and I will not be limited saith the Lord and my Servants shall serve me World without End and that which hath not been seen shall be known in the Earth and Iniquity shall stop her Mouth And Israel's Liberty shall be proclaimed over all the Earth And all Holy Praises by the Lord's Redeemed and Ransomed ones shall be founded forth unto his Name for ever as it is by the living in Jerusalem at this day Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly saith my Spirit Thomas Taylor Thus much the Lord God of Heaven and Earth who desireth not nor delighteth not in the Death of Sinners but rather that they might amend their Lives and live was willing to have the King and his Servants to know which might according to its date have come sooner to your hands if it had been so ordered but if it yet be ordered to come I beseech you in the Bowels of Love as a Servant of God not to slight it but weigh it well in the true Love and Light that searcheth all things and it may be yet serviceable to you for truly Wrath from the Lord is gone out against you and how can it be turned back but by a speedy Repentance of those Evils for
from entring in but help them on in their Journey if you can lest you be found Fighters against God For now is the Effect of every Vision coming in and a feeble one in this Blessed Jerusalem that is descended and daily coming down from God out of Heaven is as David and David as the Angel of God before them Zach. 12.8 He that runs may now read if his Eye be open And Blessed are all that have believed in God's Holy Name these will not be troubled at Zion's Prosperity but will set to their Seal that God is true and praise the Lord with us the Children of the Womb of the Eternal Morning Praisâ—d be God So be it And all know a separation in your selves betwixt the Precious and the Vile and the Vile brought under and the Precious bearing rule there and then will you be in some measure able to discern and judge aright of things abroad but not until then The Carnal Man seeks to gather a great heap into a Form but the Spiritual Man whose Eye is in his Head he seeks to bring People out of the Evil of the World into the Good of God's Kingdom and Power of Godliness Blessed are they that can lay down all their own at the Feet of Jesus Christ that they may be what they are in him for the World and the Glory of it and the Lovers of it is as a fading Flower but he only that doth the Will of God abides for Ever Given forth in the Movings of the Spirit of the Lord God in his Servant who is a Sufferer amongst his Reproached Ones called Quakers for the Testimony of his Everlasting Truth Praised and Blessed be God for Ever who hath counted us worthy thereunto Thomas Taylor A Few Necessary Questions and Conclusions For the Present Parish-Teachers OF ENGLAND c. Deeply to Ponder and Answer in God's Fear for the good of their own and the Peoples Souls that are under them for the Lord is arisen to call all things into Judgment 1. WHether any can be said to be true Gospel-Ministers who are not sent of Christ as Christ was sent of the Father seeing Christ said As my Father hath sent me even so send I you for all Power is given me in Heaven and Earth John 20.21 and 17.18 Mat. 28.18 2. Whether any can be justly blamed for not hearing or upholding such as are not thus sent of Christ seeing Christ said My Sheep hear my Voice and a Stranger they will not follow for they know not the Voice of a Stranger John 10. 1 John 4. 3. Whether it benot the greatest Presumption for any upon what Pretence soever to take upon them to be Embassadors for Christ the Great King who were never Authorized or Commissionated thereto by Christ as aforesaid it being his Proper Right to send forth his own Labourers 4. Whether any who are not thus sent of Christ as Christ was sent of the Father can profit the People at all though they have never so much Authority from Man or be furnished with never so much Oratory or Wisdom of Words or Excellency of Speech according to Man seeing the Scripture testifieth The World by Wisdom knew not God 1 Cor. 1. And if any should say How was Christ sent or can any be sent now as Christ was sent I Answer Christ was sent in the Wisdom Power and Spirit of the end less Love and Life of the Father to Preach the Kingdom of God and the Everlasting Gospel thereof as it 's said Luke 4.18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me for he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the Poor c. and so were the true Ministers formerly sent of Christ Luke the last 49. Acts 26.16 17. Acts 20.28 John 16.13 14 15. 2 Cor. 3.5 6. And as in all former Ages all the true Messengers and Ministers of God and Christ were sent in the Wisdom Power and Spirit of God and Christ and thereby directed and guided in their Work both when to whom and what to speak Jer. 17. c. Exod. 3.10 c. Amos 7.14 16. Acts 10.19 20. Acts 8.26 27 29. 1 Cor. 2.12 13. Gal. 2.7 8. Even so are Christ's true Messengers and Ministers sent now and always must be because without Christ they can do nothing John 15.5 and because no Man knows the Things of God but the Spirit of God and therefore without that Spirit it must needs be impossible for any either rightly to know or minister the Things of God 1 Cor. 2.7 c. and so saith Christ I am with you not some but all my Servants John 17.20 21 22. not for a time only but always even to the end of the World Mat. 28.20 And therefore saith the Apostle How can they Preach except they be sent to wit as Christ was Luke 4.18 c. as is plain by the Apostle's applying that in general to Christ's Ministers which the Prophet speaks in the singular number of Christ Rom. 10.15 compared with Isa 52.7 Again Christ was sanctified and sent so are also his Messengers and Ministers sanctified and sent as Lambs among Wolves John 17.16 17 18 19 c. Isa 6.7 8. Let no unsanctified Man here shelter himself under Judas who was only for the turn of fulfilling the Scripture numbred amongst the Twelve but not at all for a Pattern of true Gospel-Ministers Again Christ came not to do his own Will but the Will or him that sent him and so it is with every one that Christ sends and who abide in his Doctrine and as Christ endured the Contradiction of Sinners against himself with all Patience even so do all he sends and who abide in his Doctrine not avenging themselves but committing their Cause to God who is the Avenger of all Wrongs done to his Servants Also seeing Christ said The Tree is known by its Fruits and by their Fruits ye may know such as come to you in Sheeps Cloathing but are inwardly ravening Wolves Mat. 7.15 Therefore it is further asked of you 1. Whether such as love to be called of Men Master which Christ forbad Mat. 23 10 11 12. or seek and affect other Titles of worldly Honour and to be Great and to exercise Lordship in the Earth like the Gentiles do not plainly manifest themselves to be such as Christ is not with seeing he said to his It shall not be so amongst you Mark 10.24 c. And how can they believe saith Christ who receive Honour one of another and seek not that Honour which comes from God only John 5.44 2. Whether such as make Merchandize of their Words even selling them as it were for Money by agreeing with the People for so much a Year to settle at a place for Preaching c. and yet will not settle at a Place as Teachers but where they know before-hand so much Hire or certain Yearly Maintenance provided for them seconded with the worldly Power to compel People to pay it them or by Force
which sets the Soul free from all Sin for how should People ever come to the Knowledge of the Truth by following such Teachers as are out of the Truth For if the Blind lead the Blind must they not both fall into the Ditch Also seeing you profess the Scripture and not unwritten Traditions to be your Rule and would have People to believe that what you do is according to Scripture therefore it 's demanded in a few words further 1. What Scripture have you for your Sprinkling of Infants and Signing them with the Sign of the Cross and telling People That thereby they are made Members of Christ Children of God and Inheriters of the Kingdom of Heaven when in your own Catechism in Contradiction to your Practice you teach That Children by reason of their Infancy or tender Years then cannot perform the Requests of Baptism to uit Faith and Repentance 2. And what Scripture have you for your Sureties so called which you most unscripturally call the Childrens God fathers and God-mothers which you pretend to make up the Defect in the Infants by and for putting these Pretended Sureties upon such bold Undertakings and unadvised Promisings of that for the Child which they never yet did for themselves nor indeed have Faith to believe that so great Works can be done in any upon Earth to wit To forsake the Devil and all his Works c. seeing that such generally held That none can live without Sin Is not Sin the Devil's Work Yea yea And is there any Undertaker for Man to God-ward but Christ And was there any Surety betwixt God and Man but Christ only who saith Without me ye can do nothing So then this evil Custom of your undertaking being derogatory to the Honour of Christ Who can say that God hath required it at your Hands But if you will yet plead for it shew us your Scripture for it if you would be esteemed to act as Protestants and not as Papists and to own Scripture above Mens Inventions and Traditions 3. Also what Scripture have you for your Surplice Canonical Coats Typpets c. and for wearing Black rather than other Colours seeing the Apostle blamed such as placed Religion in Days Meats and the like surely he would not agree with such as place their Religion in Garments and Colours Blessed be the Lord whose Day is dawned which makes all things manifest and none will hate the Light of it but Evil-doers 4. And what Scripture have you for your Tithes Easter-Reckonings Mortuaries and the like now under the Gospel and for your Laws which you call Spiritual to compel the People to pay you them seeing Christ is come the End of that Levitical Priesthood under whiâ—h Tithes were payable by Law 5. What Scripture have you who profess your selves to be Christians for your Swearing Swearing in your Courts so called Swearing in your Spiritual Courts 〈◊〉 The poor People called Câ—uâ—eâ—-Wardâ—ns grâ—â—an under the Burden of this evil Custom O this is far from following Christ who said and saith unto his Swear not at all but you are grown to that pass that you cannot trust one another without Swearing no not in your Church-matters Is not this a Fruit of Apostacy and departing from that ancient Faith which was once delivered to the Saints 6. And what Scripture have you for giving David's Prayers Prophecyings Roarings Quakings Tremblings and Confessions in Rhyme and Meeter to the World to sing who are of another Spirit than David was and so utterly unacquainted with David's Conditions and so instead of singing with the Spirit and Understanding as the ancient Christians did you sing in a Form without the Power thereby not honouring but rather dishonouring the Lord who is a Spirit and will be worshipped in Spirit and Truth 7. And what Scripture have you for teaching People to worship one another and for your Ring in Marriage where you teach them to say With this Ring I thee Wed and with my Body I thee worship Is not God alone to be worshipped How then are such to be accounted Christian Ministers who abide not in Doctrine 2 John 9. And lastly seeing you pretend to be Christ's Ministers and so God's Free-men I ask you these few plain Questions further Gal. 1.10 viz. 1. Why do you limit your selves or suffer others to limit you to such and such Forms of Words and Gestures and Apparel as is in Use amongst you in all your Services Is it from any Excellency you see in those Words or Forms more than in any other Or is it because you are so weak of Judgment or brittle of Memory as that you can do little without Book Or is it not rather for filthy Lucre sake you are willing to be soâ—ty'd because you know that without Conformity to the Wills of the great Ones in this Matter you can get no Power to compel Peoples earthly things from them O what will not the Love of Money compel covetous-minded People unto 2 Tim. 6.10 11. 2. What is that makes you go to the Bishop rather than any other Man or Men for Ordination as you you call it Is it because you know or believe that he is more Holy than any other Or hath more Power to confer any Spiritual Gift upon you by Imposition of his Hands more than any other If you say he hath where had he it And wherein doth it appear Or is it not rather that you go now to the Bishop for Ordination as you or your Brethren went formerly to the Classical Presbytery so called in Oliver's time because this is the Way now as the other was formerly to impower you to come into Parishes and be their Teachers and command their earthly things from them by Force whether you do any Spiritual Work for them or no Yea from such as in the Lord's Light see you to be no Ministers of the Spirit and therefore not able to minister Spiritual things and therefore deny you Oh that ever such a thing should be among such as profess to be Gospel Ministers 3. Whether do you believe that all things in the Church ought to be done and spoken in the alone Power and Spirit of the Lord Jesus And if so then how can you expect but that God will overturn overturn all Things until he to wit the Lord Jesus Christ to whom all Power in Heaven and Earth is given comes to rule in all and over all to whom of Right it belongs So be it And what is the Cause that you are so dark in your Minds as concerning the Mystery of Christ's Kingdom and the Spiritual Saving Power thereof if it be not that mentioned in the third Chapter of Micah's Prophecy verse 5 6 7. where it is written Thus saith the Lord concerning the Prophets that make my People err that bite with their Teeth and cry Peace and he that putteth not into their Mouths they even prepare War against him therefore Night shall be unto you that you shall not have
one Neighbour to another and one Nation to another Come let us all be humbled before the Lord God of Heaven and Earth who made us all of one Blood to dwell together upon the Face of the Earth in Truth Goodness and Love to serve one another and so as Branches of one Tree to receive Life and Vertue and Power from our God into our Souls to strengthen us unto his holy Work who came not to destroy Mens Lives but to save them whose Kingdom is not of this World and therefore is not set up or maintained with Carnal Weapons Violence and Spoil but by the Eternal Spirit of our God whose Fruit is in all Goodness and Righteousness and Truth And let not the wicked Devil the Destroyer deceive us any more by his Lies and Delusions but let us all with one Heart and Soul resist his Temptations When he perswades us to seek to be great in the Earth and be avenged on them we count our Enemies let us not hearken to him but let us over come their Evil with Goodness and not to seek the Destruction of their Persons or Spoil of their Estates as the Heathens do that know not God but let us follow the Example of Jesus Christ God manifest in Flesh who when he was reviled reviled not again but prayed for such as despitefully used him O come let us follow this meek Lamb in Righteousness and Truth and learn of him in our Heart who is Meek and Lowly that we may find Rest for our Souls who rebuked his Disciples who would have had Fire to come down from Heaven to destroy the Samaritans that would not at that time receive Christ For what knowest thou O Man but the Samaritans may in time come to a better Mind and then thou wilt see it was thy Will and not God's that desired their Destruction in their Sins For Christ would have all to be saved and come to the Knowledge of his Truth But many will not come to him that they might have Life and so their Destruction is of themselves and their Condemnation just And who are those now therefore that withstand the Doctrine of the Truth which said Love your Enemies and seek not the Destruction of their Persons and the Spoil of their Estates but seek by good Doctrine and good Life to bring them out of their Sins And if they will not but rather hate thee for thy good Will be content thou hast quitted thy own Soul and art clear of their Blood and so thou becomest a Sufferer with Jesus Christ and shalt Reign with him in due time I say who are these now on the Earth that withstand Truth and continue in the hateful destroying Ways of the Old Jews and Gentiles but such as will not be counselled by the Lamb of God the Suffering Seed who said Learn of me for I am meek and lowly in Heart But are Men of Corrupt Minds who account Gain and Worldly Honour and Promotions more than Godliness who cries Peace to themselves in their Sins And that same Spirit in them which crieâ— that false Peace in them is the same that stirs them up to Kill Destroy Oppress and Spoil one another for Selfish and Worldly Ends. But the Lord is arisen to Judge all these Evil Things and to Redeem a Seed to serve him as in the beginning of the Gospel before Antichrist the Murderer got up amongst them that professed Christ in Words but denied him in Deeds who had a Name that they lived but were dead from that true Life which was in Christ Jesus whom in Words they professed And though the Passage we seel now to be as hard of coming from amongst the false Christians and Turks as it was for the first true Christians to come from amongst the Jews and Gentiles yet the Almighty Power of our God is able over all and through all to carry us on to the end whom he hath called and saved with a mighty Salvation ever-praised be his Name and who will yet save his Beloved Seed Israel and gather them from the East and West and from the North and South to sit down with Christ in his Kingdom And this is no ill News to any but who are glewed to Deceit and married to Iniquity but it is Glad-tidings indeed to all that love their Souls and the Honour and Glory of Truth more than the things of this perishing World And I could desire that all who are apt to reason as the Jews did when they heard the Declaration of the Gospel of Peace and Kingdom of God which stands in Righteousness and Peace saying If we let this go on then the Romans or Others will come and take our Place and Nation I say that they would consider That the very Course which they to wit the Jews in the Denial of the Truth took for saving of themselves brought utter Destruction upon them and their Nation But what shall vain Man in his foolish faln Wisdom and earthly Reasoning think to be Wiser than God and to have a greater Care and Love to the Creation than God himself who made it hath What! shall Angels at the Birth of Christâ—sing Glory to God on high and Good-will to Men and yet when the way of God in Christ is published for bringing this great Work of Salvation to pass vain Man must come in with his false Mind and say This is the way to confound all Order and destroy all Good And that this Doctrine turneth the World up-side down And that the Messengers of Christ are pestilent Fellows and Movers of Sedition O Earth Earth Tremble before the Lord for thou shalt never have Peace in thy own Ways thou shalt never be Saved by thy own Strength thou shalt never be Established by thy own Counsels thou shalt never have true Peace nor any Plenty within thy Borders until thou believest the Gospel which saith Learn of Christ whose Kingdom is not of this World and whose Weapons are not Carnal but Spiritual Mighty through God not for the pulling down of Outward Walls and Bodies but for razing and pulling down and destroying the strong Holds of Sin and Satan in the Hearts and Lives of the Children of Men For after that saith the Apostle The World by Wisdom knew not God it pleased God by the Foolishness of Preaching to wit such Doctrine as this which is a Cross and Stumbling-block to all Corrupt Flesh to save them that believe So lay things to heart ye People of the World and Inhabitants of all the Earth for God's Purpose is not to exalt any Man or Men of this World or to glorifie any Flesh but to exalt his own Son Christ Jesus the heavenly Man the Lord from Heaven the Truth over all of whose Kingdom and Government there shall be no End And all that obey his Voice and for Obedience thereunto are made willing to Suffer with him shall reign with him for evermore But all others whether they be called Christians or Turks
is gathering his Lots from amongst them into his happy Fold of Truth and Rest that the Judgments of God may hasten upon the wicked Sodom and Egypt who burden the Just that God's righteous Soul may be eased of them Even so come Lord Jesus for thou art worthy to reign saith my Soul Thomas Taylor Richard Baxter's BOOK ENTITULED The Cure of Church-Divisions ANSWER'D and CONFUTED And he PROV'D to be a Physician of no Value Who hath Manifested his Folly and Weakness in Undertaking a Work which he hath so little Understanding in By THOMAS TAYLOR For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to Covetousness c. They have Heal'd also the Hurt of the Daughter of my People with sweet words saying Peace Peace when there is no Peace Jer. 6.13 14. But ye are Forgers of Lies ye are all Physicians of no Value Job 13.4 London Printed and Sold by T. Sowle next Door to the Meeting-house in White-Hart-Court in Gracious-Street and at the Bible in Leaden-Hall-Street near the Market 1697. Richard Baxter's BOOK ENTITULED The Cure of Church-Divisions ANSWER'D and CONFUTED RICHARD BAXTER a Man who through a shew of Learning and Religion had gotten in Oliver Cromwell's Days a great Esteem in the Minds of the Ignorantly Zealous Professors of Religion in this Nation and especially in the Parts of Worcester-shire about Kidderminster where he then resided hath since the Change of the Times and coming in of the Old Common-Prayer-Book-again much manifested his Nakedness Confusion and Unsoundness to every Eye that in any measure is open to see the difference of Truth and Error in the ground of it as by his Works appear And that it is so amongst other things that Book of his fasly call'd The Cure of Church-Divisions which I have now under-hand to Answer doth plainly manifest For instead of Curing Divisions he hath shew'd himself to be a Physician of no Value and so instead of Curing hath struck at under a Judas Kiss of Unity and Concord the very Life and Foundation of all true Christian Unity and Amity to wit The Free and Perfect Teachings and Gifts and Work of the Spirit of Truth the Spirit of the Father and Son in his Believing Members whereby they cry in a spotless Mind Abba Father and freely and powerfully declare the Glory of his Kingdom to the Children of Men and instead thereof would bring in and establish that Soul-deceiving and Church-dividing Doctrine of Humane Learning and Humane Helps as absolutely necessary to the procuring and engaging as it were the Holy unlimited God to give unto the Creature his Holy Spirit and the Knowledge of the Mysteries of his Eternal Will and Kingdom for the same as in Answer to an Objection in the 6th Page of his Book in his first Direction so call'd is to be seen The Objection against his Carnal Reasonings for Old Men's Knowledge is in Page 5. where he saith I know those that I have to do with will say That Divinity is not learn'd by Labour and Men's teaching as other Sciences and Arts are but by Teaching I add yea and most free Gift of the Spirit of God and therefore the Youngest may have as much of it as the Eldest And to this R. B. there thus Answers Answ There is some Truth saith he and some Falshood and much Confusion in this Objection But let us hear how this R. B. proves that that there is either Falshood or Confusion in the Objection It is true saith he that the Saving Knowledge of Divinity must be taught by the Spirit of God but it is false that Labour and Humane Teaching are not the Means which must be us'd by them who will have the Teaching of the Spirit Reply But O the Darkness yea rather Enmity that is in R. B's Heart against the free Teaching of God's Spirit That he would find any thing against so plain and manifest Truth as is in this Objection But what will not Flesh do that is lifted up with Conceits of his own Wisdom to keep up its Honour before the People rather than the Purâ— Undoubted Truth of the Gospel and Self-abasing Spirit of Truth should Reign and have the Preheminence But to this I say that a Child of Light in the least Measure doth easily see the Falshood of that Spirit by which this R. B. is acted in this his Answer For the Wind of the Spirit bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof thou natural Man but neither knows whence it comes nor whither it goes so is every one that is Born of God And without this Birth all thy Knowledge is Damning not Saving John 3.7 8 c. And Job 32.7.8 I said Days should Speak and multitude of Years should Teach Wisdom But there is a Spirit in Man and the Inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding And saith God It shall come to pass in the last Days that I will pour out my Spirit upon all Flesh and they shall all know me from the least to the gâ—eatest Yea and Young-men shall see Visions and Servants and Hand-maids shall Prophesie And ye have received an Vnction from the Holy One And ye know all things saith the Apostle John and ye need not that any Man teach you This is the Day of the Lord wherein these things are fulfill'd prais'd be God And the New Covenant abundantly witness'd in the Children of Light whom this wicked Book of R. B's strikes at but his Wickedness turns upon his own Pate and his own Iniquities shall slay him For he by his Carnal Wisdom would darken Knowledge and shut the Kingdom of Heaven against Men as his Predecessors of Old the Pharisâ—es mention'd Mat. 23. did But the Lord hath open'd a Door to the Believing Souls this Day which all the Powers of Darkness shall never be able to shut Glory to his Name for Ever But what is that Labour and Humane Means that People must use for getting the Spirit of God or Saving Knowledge of Divinity as he calls it Is it tumbling over a Ruck of Books stuffed with Art and Humane Wisdom or Learning from below as this R. B. hath long done to the darkning of his Heart from the Knowledge of God and Way of his Spirit so that he knows nothing of it after all his long lost Labour but what he knows naturally as a Brute Beast and that 's plain for it sanctifies him not as by his confessing That his best Duties even his Prayers are not without Sin and affirming That no Man prays without Sin As in his Book is to be seen Page 195. and in his Preface And so the Prayer of Faith and Preaching by the Spirit he is ignorant of yea Preaching by the Spirit is become a Mock and a Derision to him and his Brethren at this Day But Paul and all the Ministers of Christ Magnifie the Free Grace and Infinite Gift of the Spirit of God according to that 2 Cor. 3. saying Not
that we are sufficient of our selves to think a good Thought but our Ability is of God who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter kills but the Spirit gives Life And that which the Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor hath entred into the Heart of Man or Humane Heart to conceive hath God reveal'd to us by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the Deep Things of God and which Things we Preach or Speak not in the words which Man 's or Humane Wisdom teacheth but which the Holy Ghost teacheth comparing Spiritual things with Spiritual 1 Cor. 2. But this R. B. comparing Spiritual Things with Carnal is not wise who because Old Men and long Students in Arts and worldly Sciences are most Wise or likely to be so therefore they that Labour and Study most in Books of Divinity so call'd get most of the Spirit 's Teaching O sad that ever the Minds of the Children of Men should be so cover'd with Darkness and yet read the Scripture of Truth which witnesses to no one thing more than to the Free Teachings of the Spirit of God without Humane Helps For all the Help that is Humane or that Man who is ab humo that is from the Earth can afford is but Natural and of this World which comes to nought therefore is it said That none of the Princes that is the Chief Men of this World knew the Mystery of Christ and his Kingdom then which made them so Band against him see the 2d Psalm And the Natural Man with all his Natural Means discerns not the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discern'd So every one that would know the Mind of the Spirit of God must come to feel through the Most Holy Faith a measure of it in themselves For after ye believ'd ye were Seal'd with the Spirit of Promise saith Paul And the Word is nigh thee even in thy Heart and Mouth O thou that hast an Ear to hear hear what the Spirit speaks even the Word of Faith which we Preach Therefore go not forth from the Anointing of God in thy Heart to hear the frothy and false Doctrine of such as R. B. who have run and set up themselves by their Humane Helps in the Place of Teachers and God never sent them and therefore they cannot profit the People at all but lead them about like silly Women laden with divers Sins and Lusts yea in their Prayers and best Performances as is manifest and so not being sent and enabled by God's Spirit they can never lead you to it but from it as is manifest Also R. B. in Page 6. before-mention'd saith The Objection hath much Confusion in it And how proves he that But by saying 1. It confoundeth the Spirit 's teaching us by inditing the Scripture with the Spirit 's teaching us the meaning of the Scriptures 2. And it confoundeth the Common Knowledge of Divinity with the Saving Knowledge of it No Man cometh to a Common Knowledge fit for a Teacher of others without the Spirit 's teaching by the Scriptures for that was the first part of the Spirit 's teaching us to inspire the Prophets and Apostles to deliver a Teaching Word to the Churches by which we might all be taught of God through all Generations But many Men have Excellent Common Knowledge by this Word and by the Common Help of the Spirit without that Special Help which begetteth Saving Knowledge And all Knowledge requireth Time and Labour to obtain it though the Spirit giveth it and though it may be sanctified to us in a little time but that may be a means of saving others which saveth not the Man that hath it And in Page 114. farther saith Take them not for no Ministers that want Grace totally And marvel not that Gifts are more necessary to the validity of Ministration than Grace is he may perform the Office of a Minister to the Benefit of the Church that hath no Saving Grace at all Thus far R. B. O! What Sorcery and Egyptian-darkness is here to make void the New Covenant and Free Gracious Teachings of the Spirit of God in these Days and to Establish the Letter in the room and stead thereof which only witnesses to is and is a Declaration concerning what the Spirit of God did in them and in the World before Christ's coming in the Flesh and what was done during his being in it and what the Spirit would do in the Believing Souls and in the World after that time But this the Hirelings do that they by their trading with and giving their false meanings upon the Scriptures they may keep the People in Blindness and so from the Anointing and Teaching and Enjoyment of that Spirit that was in them that gave forth Scriptures that they may not see their deceitful Doctrines and Merchandizes lest they should buy no more of them For no Man that knows the badness of Babylon will buy them any more and then will the Merchants of Souls mourn For they that know the Lord and his Spirit 's Teaching in them which is the Good Old Way yea and the ever New Fresh Profitable and Living VVAY will follow no more such Men as would bring in and establish a Graceless Ministry as this R. B. doth here to his Shame But such Graceless Priests the Lord will have none of nor his People neither For my Sheep hear my Voice saith Christ and a stranger they will not hear Surely a Graceless Man is this Stranger They to wit graceless Men saith John 1 Epist 4. are of the World and the World hear them we are of God Stewards of the manifold Grace of God 1 Pet. 4.10 And they that are of God hear us And so Ever Bless'd and Prais'd be the Great and Glorious Name of the Lord Jesus who hath restor'd to them that Obey him the Glorious Doctrine of the Spirit 's Teaching as was in the Apostles Days according to his true Promise where all in the Truth of which we the People of God in Scorn call'd Quakers are Members is done in and by the Holy Spirit prais'd be God and nothing own'd amongst us but what is so done Here is Praying in and by the Spirit and Preaching in and by the Spirit and Singing in and by the Spirit of our Holy Lord God and so the Head being Spiritual and the Members of the Body every one Spiritual for we are all Baptized by one Holy Spirit into the one Heavenly Body our Food is also Spiritual Heavenly Bread and Heavenly Wine and the Water Spiritual that sanctifies us and makâ—s us clean to God in all our Sacrifices and Services For Christ gave himself for his Church which is his Body that he might wash it and present it spotless to himself and without all Deformity by the washing of Water even the Water of Life in the Word of Life the Creating Word of the
Everlasting Father which is Spirit and Life the Resurrection and the Life in every believing Soul for we are Redeemed from Death thereby that we might for Ever hereafter serve God in the newness of his own Spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter as all such do as know no other Teaching Word but the Letter as this R. B. doth and so they having gotten a little Brain-knowledge by their Humane Helps and not by the Spirit of Truth they wrest Scripture to their own and others Destruction desiring and boasting themselves to be Masters and Teachers of others whilst themselves need teaching what the very Principles or beginning Doctrines of the true Christian Religion is as is plainly manifested by his seeking to bring in a graceless Minister or Wolf into Christ's Fold surely the Wolf comes not but to rob and destroy All that ever came before me saith Christ are Thieves and Robbers and never came in by the Door as its plain the Graceless Man doth not but hath climb'd up another way by his Humane Helps as Baxter speaks and to this purpose see John the 10th and Mat. 23. where Christ at large sets forth such Wolfish Teachers who can perk themselves up in Places of Teachers by the World's help outwardly but will neither enter into the Kingdom of God themselves nor suffer others but shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against Men by such deceitful Doctrine and Antichristian Inventions as this R. B. hath by saying That Gifts are more necessary to the validity of Ministration than Grace is and that he may perform the Office of a Minister to the Benefit of the Church that hath no Saving Grace at all And all Knowledge requireth Time and Labour to obtain it though the Spirit giveth it which last saying doth directly thwart and contradict the Scripture which saith I was found of them that sought me not Isa 65.1 And Paul sets believing and working in this great Matter of the Knowledge of God and Christ to Salvation one against the other as the way of the Law and Gospel for to him that worketh saith he is the Reward reckon'd of Debt not Gift of Grace but to him that Believeth it is of Grace to the Glory of God's great Love to Man for saith the Scripture God so loved the World that he gave his Son that whosoever on him believe should not perish but have Life Eternal And none can truly say but those are the best knowers and wisest People that have Eternal Life in them though they never laboured for it nor sought for it and so such as this R. B. who looks at all as obtain'd by Time and Labour they are those Spiritual Proud Ones who are swelâ—ed so big with Spiritual Pride that Self-idolizing Sin which as himself saith in his second Direction so called is the great Rebel against God the chief part of the Devil's Image that one Sin which breaketh every Commandment the Heart of the Old Man the Root and Parent and Summary of all other Sin the Antichristian Vice which is most directly contrary to the Life of Christ c. and these Letter-wise Men that have parched together a Garment of Fig-leaves to cover their sinful Nakedness are Proud of meer supposed Spiritual Excellencies for the way of the Blessed Spirit and its free Gifts and free Workings in the Children of Men they are strangers unto and then through their Humane Learning and lost Labour having gotten a little or a great deal of talk from the Letter of the Scripture concerning Religion in their Earthly Spirits which sees nothing of the Kingdom of God they condemn the Generation of the Just whom God teacheth and Blesseth with all Spiritual Knowledge in Heavenly Things and call them Spiritually Proud because they cannot but speak very highly and yet in the truest humility of Heart concerning the great Things that God hath done for their Souls and because they cannot join with the Wicked whom God abhorreth neither in their Worship nor other sinful Customs And so out of that Old Bottel come all those unsavoury Expressions of R. B. before-mentioned against the free Teachings of God's Spirit yea so great an Enemy he is to the wholsom Doctrine of Free Grace that Page 7. he saith Is it not Blaspheming of God's Spirit to make it the Patron of Mens sloth and idleness under pretence of Magnifying Grace To which I answer That pretending we deny and truly say with the Apostle That God who commanded Light to shine out of Darkness hath shined in our Hearts to give us yea most freely without our own La-Labour or any Humane Help The Knowledge of the Glory of his Kingdom and those that call this Doctrine either in the Apostle or us a Patronizing of Sloth and Idleness are those that do really Blaspheme God's Spirit which teacheth it But many Texts saith R. B. commands us diligence and sloth is a great Sin To which I say the Scripture indeed commands a diligent Improvement and holy Exercise of the free Gifts which the Spirit hath given the Faithful But the Scripture never said that Humane Labour and Helps are the Means to be used for getting the Spirit 's Teachings and without which no Knowledge in Spiritual Matters is now received Stir up the Gift of God in thee saith Paul to Timothy so say I but he no where puts the Humane or Carnal Man to Work or Labour to get the Spirit for that is quite contrary to this Scripture Gal. 3.2 as also Rom. 9.16 Obj. But this R. B. asks this Question Why hath God setled a Teaching Office in his Church and commanded all to attend and hear and learn if we are taught by the Spirit without Man's help Why were the Apostles sent forth into all the World c Answer Here is the great stumbling of these Unbelievers the Worldly-wise Ones indeed what because God in his free unlimited Spirit did begift Men and in his own Spiritual Power sent them forth to preach and publish all abroad the Glory of his Kingdom and Good Will to Men cannot People therefore be taught by the Spirit without Man's help What Reasoning's this When the Scripture expresly saith That all the Gifts and Abilities Helps and Means of bringing People to God and the Knowledge and Enjoyment of all the Good Things of his Kingdom are meerly solely and wholly from God and his Blessed Spirit 's free Gift in Christ and not from Man at all And therefore when the Corinthians began to look at Man whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas he calls it Carnal and said Christ was not divided signifying plainly it was Christ and the Spirit of his Power that alone did all in all as Christ said Joh. 15. Without me you can do nothing for in the True Church Christ ever was and ever will be all in all and and Man nothing as Paul said of himself Paul is nothing But in the False Church where R. B. is pleading for Man yea Graceless Ministers Man
than you and have Prayed more and Meditated more c. To which I Answer That by these words it is easily seen what manner of Knowledge it is that this R. B. trades in and would have all Slaves unto and what are his Means for obtaining it to wit a meer natural Knowledge which by meer worldly Helps and Advantages may be attained For a meer Heathen accompanied with many Years and much humane Learning and strong Natural Parts that can but talk much of the Scripture especially having on him a Form of Prayer and the like must needs go for a better knowing Christian with him than the dearest Child of God especially if he be young in Years and want those natural Helps and outward Appearances Oh what havock hath such Doctrine as this of R. B's made amongst his deluded Hearers and Admirers in this Nation so that now let the Man God come to one of them in the purest Evidence and most powerful Demonstration of the Spirit of Truth if he appear not to them Cloathed and Accompanied with these Natural and Worldly Abilities and Indowments they are fenced against the Lord's Messenger with such Arguments as these You are but young you have but Studied a while you are of slender and mean Natural Parts and little or no Schollar-ship and have Prayed but little c. in comparison of our Grave and Learned Divines and the like So that as Christ said so we find now true That Publicans and Harlots enter into the Kingdom of God before such and now what a Curer of Church-divisions this R. B. is like to prove is easily seen and therefore that Charge which his Self-condemned Heart fear'd would come upon him may justly be brought upon him here which in his Preface to his Book he sets down thus They will affirm saith he that I have clawed with one Party and have girded at the other and have sought to make them Odious by bringing them under the Reproach of Separation of censuring and avoiding the Vngodly and that being Luke-warm my self and a Complier with Sin I would have others to do so too And that these Reconcilers are neither Flesh nor Fish and attempt Impossibilities even to Reconcile Light and Darkness Christ and Belial and that for the sake of Peace we would sell the Truth and would let in Church-Corruptions out of an over-eager desire of Agreement and when they have all done neither Parties will regard them These are this R. B's words in that Preface of his to that Book which is justly come upon him And indeed he may as well go about to reconcile Light and Darkness as bring the Children of Light whom God hath delivered out of the Darkness and Filthiness of Egypt and Sodom Spiritual into Unity with them again for there is Enmity put between the two Seeds and those words of Christ in John 17.21 22 c. which he deceitfully puts in the Title Page of his Book are only proper to the Living Members of the Spiritual Body of Christ which he calls Mystical and not to any of the World's Churches or visible mixt Congregations of People whatsoever the Words of the Apostle in John 17.21 c. are weightier than any Hypocrite can bear and they are these That they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that thou also may be one in us that the World may believe that thou hast sent me and the Glory which thou hast given me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made Perfect in one and that the World may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me God is arisen to drive Hypocrites from under all such shelter of words as they would hide themselves under for now is the City and Kingdom truly Manifested and Witnessed into which no Uncircumcised or Unclean shall enter but only the Redeemed Born babes and Living Members of Christ And now to the Knowledge and Experience not of the Evil World but of all that know God do I appeal to Judge whether this R. B. or any of like Spirit with him can be said to know any thing of the Oneness betwixt the Father and Son the Members of the Holy Heavenly Body much less can be any of them who are not afraid to affirm That such are not to be disallowed from being Ministers of the Gospel though they want Grace totally And that Gifts are more necessary to the validity of Ministration than Grace is and that he may perform the Office of a Minister to the Benefit of the Church that hath no saving Grace at all as Page 114. of his Book aforementioned and that there is no Man alive that Worshippeth God without some Sin And adds Do you ever Pray your selves in Secret or in your Families without Sin as in Page 19.5 And in Page 30. of his Preface to that Book That there is no Person Church or Worship on Earth faultless and without Corruption and saith there further I Justifie not the Faults of my own daily Prayers and yet I never Pray without them And in Page 34. c. That Cain was the First-born Member in the Church of Adam 's Family And Cursed Cham was of the Church of Noah And reckons Lot 's two Sons-in-law and Esau yea and the Ten Tribes in their Apostacy to be of the Church And so having reckoned up and raked together the Faults of the Race of Abraham before Christ's coming in the Flesh and of those called Christians after that mentioned in Scripture he wickedly and imprudently says Page 44. That no one Member is in all these Scriptures or any other commanded to come out and separate from any one of all these Churches as if their Communion in Worship were Vnlawful Directly contrary to 1 Cor. 5.11 2 Cor. 6.17 Rev. 18.4 5 6 c. Come out of Mystery Babylon the false Church saith God to his People Oh the Blasphemy of such Men's Hearts that dare Intitle wicked Men for a bare Profession-sake of Religion to the Glory of the benefit of this Prayer of Christ's who Prays and his Prayers were always heard That his might be one as He and the Father were and are one the Father in Christ and Christ in them and so made Fellow-heirs and Partakers of the Glory of Christ by free Gift But neither R. B. nor any graceless Minister nor sinful Praying People whom he pleads for while such can ever be one as the Father and Son are one Therefore I may safely say to you all who desire the good of your Souls and the Glory of God Come out from amongst them and joyn not with them No not in their Worship Actions as he calls them nor be ye Partakers in any of their Sins or Sinful Worship lest ye partake of their Plagues for the Temple of God is Holy and the Worship of God is Holy And so R.
with you as here in Words is signified you could not go away so lightly with your Burdens as you seem to do but it would stop your Mouths and cause all your Pride and Glory to cease For consider but the first thing that this R. B. would have you his principal and best taught Hearers to confess to wit That Pride is in your very Hearts which if you were sensible of you would cease calling God your Father and Christ your Redeemer in this wretched State for to you in this State it may be truly said as Christ said to those unbelieving Jews Ye are of your Father the Devil for Pride of Heart is the chief part of his wicked Image And indeed the main thing in this Day which hinders you from coming to Christ the meek pure and lowly Lamb of God is the Pride of your corrupt Hearts as Jeremiah said to the Jews If you will not give Glory to God before your Feet stumble upon the dark Mountains my Soul shall mourn in secret for your Pride It was the Pride of their Hearts that was the ground of all their Evils as it is of yours for from the Pride of your Hearts comes your Ignorance of Mind and Partiality and want of all good to the dishonouring of your Profession and what not So that it may easily be known who sent this R. B. who hath profited you nothing at all For they have run and I have not sent them saith God Therefore they cannot profit the People at all Jer. 23. And that this R. B. might make it fully appear under whose Banner he Fights and for whose Kingdom he Pleads lest the rest of his Book should leave it doubtful He is now come forth in his proper shape of an Enemy of God and good Men that in any measure are looking Heaven-ward being burdened with the Fellowship of the Wicked and instead of helping the Lord 's little Ones against the great Power of the Dragon in the Persecutors he hath hammered forth Weapons for the Wicked Persecutors and against the tender-hearted Ones of God who are travelling to the Holy Land with Egypt left behind as in that 55 Direction so called and Page 254. of his said Book appears where he hath these words Little do many real Separates who cry out against the Spirit of Persecution suspect that the same Spirit is in them whence is Persecution but from thinking ill of others and abhorring them or not loving them And do you not so by those saith he whom you causelesly separate from Answ Here by way of Answer before I set down any more of this naughtiness of his I cannot but take notice of this word Causelesly which here he puts in to cover his Deceit for though at the first look one might judge he intended only Causeless or Unwarrantable or Wicked Separation yet Reader thou must know he intends as well the truly Tender-hearted People of England who in Conscience to God and according to his Holy Commandment are come out and separated from the Fellowship of the Wicked in these Days and so cannot take part in the Offerings of the Dead as well as others and at these in a special manner he strikes after his accustomed manner through the sides of others for his main Envy is against the Living Members of Christ And so though those that separate without cause may have the like mind to those that separate from being different only in Form but not in Heart from them yet such as are separated by the Power of God as Paul was whom God separated from his Mothers Womb calling him by his Grace have not for these stand out of their own thoughts and are in the Will and Work and Worship of God whose Worship is in Spirit and Truth But to proceed R. B. saith further You will say that though you think them not to be true Christians yet you love them as Men and wish their good and so will those say by you saith he whom you call your Persecutors though they think you to be Proud and Humerous and Disobedient yet they say they love you as Men and do but correct you to cure your Self willedness and Humour and to do you good and to preserve the publick Peace They think you to be bad and therefore Imprison you You think them to be bad and therefore avoid Communion with them To this I cannot but by the way speak a word Who is there that sees not the very Spirit of the Egyptian Sorcerers acting in this very thing to the hardening of Pharaoh's Heart lest he should let Israel go But this R. B. goes on in his Wickedness and saith They to wit the Persecutors think you so bad as to be unworthy of civil Liberty and Priviledges You think them so bad as to be unworthy of Church-Priviledges and Liberties They think you unworthy to be suffered in the Land perhaps and you think them unworthy to be suffered in the Churches they cry against you Away with them they are Schismatical or Heretical you cry against them Away with them they are Prophane Answ Now in answer to this I say That we who are of the World Scornfully called Quakers have everlasting cause to Praise the Lord who hath redeemed our Souls from among such devouring Wolves as this R. B. and from such a venomous Spirit as he is acted by What Heathen upon Earth could strengthen the Hands of the Persecutors against the Righteous more than this by such Comparisons or Arguments What if this R. B. had lived in the Days of the Apostles and first Christians when God separated them from the Congregation of the unbelieving Jews surely he could not but have been accounted famous and worthy of great Honour amongst those persecuting Jews for such Comparisons as these for never an Argument he brings for the Persecutors now but it would as much have fitted the Persecutors then against the Christians yea and it would formerly and doth at this Day fit the Papists against the Protestanâ—s as well as the Persecuting Prophane Superstitious Protestant against them whom God hath drawn by his Mighty Power this Day from amongst them For seeing â—e sets but Thought against Thought the Persecutor's Thoughts of the Righteous against the Persecuted Man's Thoughts of him And seeing all Thoughts are questionable he leaves this ground for the Persecuting Jew to reason to excuse himself against the first Christians according to his Hellish Invention on this wise viz. You Christians who separate from us are of as bad a Spirit as us Jews whom you call your Persecutors for what is Persecution but a thinking ill of others and abhorring them or not loving them And do you not so by us whom you causelesly separate from And though you say though you think us not as Servants of God yet you love us as Men and wish our Good so do we you and that which we do against you which you call Persecution is but a correcting of you
the one to smite their Brethren and the other to Excommunicate them ☜ the one to cast them into Prison as Schismaticks and the other to cast them out of the Church as Prophane c. And so for this thy summing up and concluding God hath concluded thee with the wicked Persecutors whom the Judgment of his great Day will meet But hold O! R. B. thou that art thus hot and without all fear in pleading for the Devil's Kingdom I say when the Lord bids us and we obey him in separating from the Wicked is this all one with the Sin of Persecution Oh thou Unjust Man the Lord will be terrible to thee in the Day of his Wrath which is nigh at hand to come upon thee if thou repent not for all thy Villany against him and for all thy daubing deceitful words in the beginning and end of this Direction the Lord sees thee to be a Fighter against him and thy Reward will be according to thy Works as he hath said and all the Rocks and Mountains of the Wicked World for whom thou pleadest shall not hide thee from his stroke As testifies the good Spirit of the Lord Jesus in his Servant Thomas Taylor Some more of the strange Sayings of this Richard Baxter in his Book Page 219. GODLY Men are much liker to be in the right than Vngodly Men. Answ This shews what a Stranger he is to the certainty of Godliness Page 220. Sometimes the worser sort of Men may hold fast the Truth Answ This is a gross Lie for the bad cannot hold fast the good unless in Prison If any better Persons deny Infant-Baptism the worser Sort of People would be all against them and yet be in the right Answ Thus Sprinkling of Infants for which there is no Scripture must needs be wrong whosoever hold it and the Corruption of it appears so much the more because the worser Sort are so much for it Many do take a Form of Prayer or Liturgy to be unlawful meerly because the most of the worser Sort are for it Answ If thy Hearers be so bâ—dly-taught yet those that are taught of God forbâ—ar such things as they know he requires not of them but what Form or Liturgy is that which the most of the worser Sort of the People are for is it not that which speaks Peace to the Wicked by telling them they were Regenerated by sprinkling a little Water on their Faces or the like when Infants And that they shall be saved though they continue in Sin all their Lives long But the Hour cometh and now is that neither in the invented Forms of the Hypocrite's long Prayers nor in the short invented Forms and Liturgies of the Prophâ—ne but in Spirit and Truth as the Lord Jesus enables them will God be worshipped and served by his People for the Day is dawned and the Shadows fly away and as the Day doth more and more arise in its Glory will all the things of vain Men pass away Page 221. The sum of his 44th Directions by his own setting down runs thus Ye take the Examples of Religious Men to be one of your most Perilous Temptations and therefore labour to discover especially what are the Sins of Professors in the Age that you live in that you may especially watch and fortifie your Souls against them And adds That sometimes the strictest Sort run in a Gang after one Opinion and sometimes after another Answ Here I Appeal to that of God in all that fear his Name and are alive to Truth whether this do not wholly tend to the hardening of Pharaoh's Heart against the People of God in these Days who are in the Truth it self and not in Opinions as the Hypocrites are For though such as are begotten into Forms of Religion without the Truth by the Hirelings do never cease from erring yet the truly Religious who are begotten to God by Christ walk in the Way undefiled which the Fools who are upright in Heart cannot err in But this his telling of running in a Gang is a filthy and reproachful Speech wholly of Ashdod and the Lord will judge thee O Enemy for thy work R. B. and therefore let all that fear God take heed of this Man 's Soul-defiling and Heart-hardning Doctrine for out of the dark and wicked Kingdom wherein he and all such live is the Lord calling his People And to conclude If any would see this Harlot in its fine Dress and the Crooked Serpent in its glittering Colour on the Head which must be bruised and yet with his Sting in his Tail which is full of Venom let them consider that 44th Direction which runs thus Desire the highest Degree of Holiness and to be free from the Corruptions of the Times but â—ffect not to be old and singular from ordinary Christians in lawful things for instance If it were to go in a meaner Garb than others and as the Quakers not to put off the Hat or with the Friars to go barefoot or in a distinguishing Habit that all Men may see and say This is a singular Person in Religion it is easie to see how this gratifieth Pride Answ But now that the Lord is arisen according to his Promise Isa 27.1 which saith In that Day the Lord with his sore and great and strong Sword shall punish Leviathan the piercing Serpent even Leviathan that crocked Serpent and he shall slay the Dragon that is in the Sea Therefore I say it is that the Dragon is so wrathful to pour forth his Floods of Persecution after the Heavenly Woman and her Man child And there fore it is that the Crooked Serpent in such Men as this is is so at work every way seeking with their Cunning and Crafty Deceitful Doctrines to pierce the Heart the Life of Truth by their Darts and so with their fair colourable words as the Apostle speaks to deceive the Hearts of the Simple and Ignorant People but the Lord taketh the Wilely in their own Craftiness and the Pit they dig for others themselves fall into and the Lord 's Spiritual Sword of Truth pierces through all their Lives and Dead in the great Sea and Puddle of their own Iniquities before the Lord and his Saints this Day they lye Glory to his Name the Mighty God over all who is worthy For what more glistering and fair-seeming words can the Serpent give than to say Desire the highest Degree of Holiness and to be free from the Corruptions of the Time But that this R. B. intends no such thing no nor believes that any shall ever attain to any such thing whilst on the Earth is most manifest by the whole current of his Doctrine for not only in his former Books where he hath publickly declared That sinless Perfection is the Doctrine of the Devil hatch'd in Hell c. But even in this very Book it fully appears what an Enemy he is not only to the highest degree but even to Holiness it self where amongst his
unsound unchristian and ignorant Sayings it fully appears that this Bryan is one of them who have neither seen nor known Christ seeing he would bring in the Heathen into the Temple without the Word And so Who is more Ignorant and Prophane than this Priest Bryan himself as also his Brother R. B. who is not ashamed to make such a one a Tutor or Father of Ministers who is ignorant of the very Door and Entrance into the Church and of Christ's second Coming Nay who is ignorant of his first Appearance which was for Judgment even to whip the Buyers and Sellers and all Prophane ones out of his House as he said himself For Judgment come I into this World What Pastors or Teachers can such Tutor as are so ignorant of Christ's Kingdom and so admit the Ignorant and Prophane into their Church or Cage of unclean Birds for the Church of Christ which is visibly seen and known by the Spiritual Eye to be his Body is Holy and into it can no unclean thing enter as saith the Scripture Rev. 21.27 but into the World's Church may both Ignorant and Prophane enter and dwell But at such dishonest Gain as is gotten by such Doctrines as this of Bryan and R. B. hath the Lord long shaken his Hand Is this your Ware that you sell to the People at so dear a Rate Is this your Straw and Stubble that you seed them with But no Man of any Understanding in Heavenly Matters will buy any more of your Merchandize For God is come to teach his People himself and the Spirit of God is felt and witnessed amongst us praised be God yea and in our very Hearts to teach us and by which we feel Christ come again the second Time without Sin to Salvation according to his Holy Promises and by whose all-powerful Word of Faith and Heavenly Presence in us are we joyned together unto him in one Holy Body Glory to his Name over all for he is worthy And for that Saying That Christian Princes have not less Power to abolish Idolatry and by Law and Penalties to compel the Subjects in Matters of Religion where there is a parity of reason than the Jewish Kings under that Law had I answer and say That all are not Christians who are so called and this crying up the Worldly Magistrates Power in Matters Spiritual is the only In-let into Persecution of the Tender-hearted People of God who cannot bow to every thing the World sets up yea though it come under the name or shew of Christian Religion and if the Image be of Gold never so goodly yet wanting Life and Power they cannot bow to it I say They who Preach up the Worldly Princes under what Name soever to have Power over the Consciences of People in Matters purely Spiritual as the whole Body of Christian Religion is are Antichristian and the great Enemies of that Liberty which Christ hath purchased for his People and which the Apostles sealed unto with their Blood saying in such cases Let every Man be fully perswaded in his own Heart And who art thou that judges much less forcest and compellest as Bryan and R B's Doctrine would have it another to his own Master to wit God the Judge of all he standeth or falleth see Rom. 14. at large but what account will those Daubers give to the Lord for all the Innocent Blood they have caused to be shed these many hundred Years is Sad to consider For though such Magistrates as are evil inclined are not free yet the False Teachers who by their Lies stir up yea and bring forth that evil Inclination into real Actings against the Good shall receive the greater Condemnation And yet notwithstanding all the Evil both in the one and in the other the Lord will certainly carry on his great Work to his own Praise which he hath begun Glory to his Name for ever And the Beast Whore and False Prophet shall alive together be cast into the Lake prepared for them and into the Pit which they had digged for others Also whereas he saith That it sufficeth that we have Examples in the Old Testament for the Magistrates Power in Church matters though none in the New Testament I say It is no more true than if we should reason for an outward worldly Temple Sacrifices and Circumcision now because there is Examples of these things in the Old Testament and for Revenge and Retaliation now because it is mentioned in the Old contrary to Christ For though it hath been said of old saith Christ an Eye for an Eye and a Tooth for a Tooth yet I say to you my Disciples under the New Covenant If any Man smite you on the one Cheek turn to him the other and the Apostle saith Dearly beloved avenge not your selves butif thy Enemy hunger seed him c. and so Christ being come and all Power in Heaven and Earth given him Is not he in these Spiritual Matters relating to the very Soul and Conscience the only Lord Law-giver and King and Supreme and ought of right to rule in his own House and Temple which is in Man and those that will not that he should Rule must bow before him and be ashamed before his Face So that now the Son of God being come and seated by right of Inheritance the true King and Heir upon David's Throne to Rule in Righteousness for ever in the Hearts of his Children he commands the true Seed of Israel to obey his Heavenly Voice Law and Doctrine spoken and written within as those outward and typical Kings did command the fleshly Seed of Abraham to keep Moses's Law written without and as those that obeyed not that outward Law of Moses were lyable to the Punishment of that Law so they now that obey not Christ's Spiritual Law written in the Heart and Conscience by his Holy Power are lyable to the Eternal Judgment of Jesus Christ the Judge of Quick and Dead as he saith The Father judges no Man but hath committed all Judgment to the Son And as for the worldly Magistrate he is to Rule in outward things betwixt Man and Man to see that every one as to the Body and outward Estate be well behaved one towards another and not to bear the Sword in vain as hath been too much in use even amongst many called Christian Magistrates as well as others from whence it hath come to pass that for the sake of the Poor whom the worldly Powers have oppressed as well in Temporals as Spirituals the Lord hath overturned them one Sort after another as they were found in the Abuse of that Power and Trust which was put into their Hands for the Protection of and Encouragement and Praise of the Good and Punishment of the Evil doers but not the contrary according to that of the Prophet I will overturn overturn overturn till he come whose Right it is And so until Truth Righteousness Goodness Equity and Justice rule both in the Hearts and Lives of
Antichrist there shall be Overturnings and Commotions by which the Carnal Church shall be terribly stirred up and moved against the Evangelical Spirit of Christ but that the Whore of Babylon the Carnal Church shall fall in which time the Saints shall preach saying From this time it is no longer the Church of Christ but the Synagogue of Satan and the Habitation of Devils which before said in the Pride of her Heart I sit as a Queen in great Honour and Glory I Rule over my Kingdom I sit at ease I am no Widow i. e. I have Bishops and Kings on my side That the Roman Church is that Great Whore spoken of in the Revelations which hath committed Fornication with this World having departed from the Worship and sincere Love and Delights of Christ her Spouse and embraced the World the Riches and Pleasures of it and the Devil and Kings and Princes and Prelates and all the Lovers of this World Also Page 285. For if we have no other Helps for the understanding of their Prayer of Contemplation than what Mr. Cressy gives in his Preface we may as well hope to understand the Quakers Canting as Mr. Cressy ' s. And this Author Page 289. saith Christ and his Apostles taught Men a plain and intelligible way of serving God and bid them look for Perfection in another World Also Page 295. telling of some Romish Phanaticks says Did not they deliver this for their Doctrine that Men ought to harken to the immediate Impulses of the Spirit of God within them and that now God doth acquaint his own People with his Mind and Will in a way peculiar to themselves And says afterwards That our Enthusiasts do not boast of so many Raptures Visions and Revelations as those of the Church of Rome have done Now to this I say that when any of those that pretend to be Head of the Protestant Church are come to such a pass and measure of Darkness as that they cannot allow that Christians ought to harken to the immediate Impulses of the Spirit of God within them or that now God doth acquaint his own People c. I say it is sad and the Times may well be said to be perilous indeed What! Doth either the Scripture without or the inward Faculty which thou says must be Antecedent to all Divine Revelation Dictate to thee that these Sayings are Phanatical What! Are not the Children of God led by the Spirit of God which is in them And must they not harken to the Doctrine and Movings of their Teacher and Leader And doth not Christ say to you to wit my peculiar People and Disciples it is given to know the Mystery of the Kingdom of God but to others it is not given to wit to those that are without that follow their Wisdom and not Christ's Spirit But both the Carnal Church of Papists and Protestants deny to harken to the inward Movings or Impulses as are here called of God's Spirit that they may Establish their own Traditions some in one way some in another but all in vain for the Lamb shall have the Victory and a little Child shall lead them and the Meek shall increase their Joy in the Lord and he the Lord whom the World despises shall lead them by the Fountain of Living Water But let me ask this Doctor this Serious Question whether he accounts that part of Romish Phanaticism here set down or the Common Tenets of them called the Orthodox among them the better Doctrine Surely of the Two this he calls Phanaticism is the more favoured by Scripture and so consequently the more Orthodox and may I not say the more Protestant too For the first Reformers pretended to take Scripture for their Rule though in many things they missed it sadly And are not we that go amongst them under the Name of Quakers counted Phanaticks at this Day from this very ground because we Preach Scripture Doctrine and Speak Scripture Language at this Day As for instance because we say Christ lighteth every man that cometh into the World according to John 1.9 And because we say this Light or Grace and Truth of God which hath appeared unto all Men is the Saints Teacher and would be a sufficient Teacher and Leader into Life to all Men if they did not resist it and rebel against the Motions of it And because we say that the Saints who are in this Anointing of the Holy One know all things necessary to Salvation according to 1 John 2. And because we say that People ought not to have the Faith of Christ with respect of Persons but such as respect Persons commit Sin according to Lev. 19.15 And because we say the Work of the true Ministry is for perfecting the Body of Christ Eph. 4. And the false Ministry perfects nothing but keeps People always Learning and never brings them to the Knowledge of the Truth And because we say thee and thou to a particular Person according to Scripture I say for these and many the like Doctrines doth the present evil World of Papists and Protestants Professors and Prophane hate us and deride us and persecute us to their own shame who would be accounted Owners of Scripture Thomas Taylor The Day is Dawned that makes all Wickedness manifest FOR now even now the Day is Dawned which makes all things manifest Praises to the Lord God of Heaven and Earth and now no Worker of Iniquity can be hid any more for now the Glory of the Lord fills the Earth and the Knowledge of God covers the Earth as the Waters do the Sea And now the pure Truth of the Ever-living God hath lift up its Head above all the Clouds and Floods of Error and over all the Mists and Fogs of the dark perishing World Glory to the God of Truth our Life and Light this Day who is appeared in the Riches of his Bounty to gather our Souls to himself and to unite our very Hearts and Souls unto him in the Covenant of his Life and Love never to be broken nor forgot And now the Kingdom of God is come indeed to the Believers in the Light according to the Promise of the Lord and the Saints Prayer into which no unclean thing can enter but the unbelieving World stand without wondring despising and perishing in their manifold Opposition to the Truth and Light of this Day of God the true God over all Blessed for Evermore And now all those who will not take Warning by the harms of such Gainsayers of the Light as are gone before them will fall with a double Destruction because they would not apply their Hearts to that pure Wisdom that comes so plentifully from God in the Light of his Son this Day to learn his fear therein but take more pleasure in the Works of their own deceived Hearts and unclean Hands than in the pure Law and Handy-work of the Ever-living Blessed Lord God that gives Life and Breath and all things who is this Day indeed exalting
so as such are not fit Subjects of God's Kingdom And Rom. 9.6 7 8. the Apostle speaking of such a thing as this saith All are not Israel which are of Israel though outwardly Circumcised Neither because they are the Seed of Abraham are they all Children but in Isaac shall thy Seed be called That is They which are the Children of the Flesh these are not the Children of God but the Children of the Promise are counted for the Seed Ye may as well yea better conclude That all who came of Abraham according to the Flesh and were outwardly Circumcised were Saved because Circumcision was commanded for the Children to which outward Baptism was not as that all Coming of Parents called Christian and outwardly Sprinkled are Saved and that for the outward sake as you in your Doctrine most presumptuously do But here the Apostle gives all such Carâ—al Conceits the check And as he saith in another place It 's neither Circumcision nor Vncircumcision avails any thing in this great matter but a new Creature So may we as truly say to all such this day who place no less than Salvation it self upon the outward Baptism that it is neither such Baptizing nor Unbaptizing that avails any thing to God's Kingdom but a new Creature in Christ Jesus for it is said He that Believes and is Baptized shall be Saved But he that Believes not is condemned already But he doth not say He that is not Baptized with outward Water shall be Damned or is Condemned already And we through Grace know there is a Baptism of the Spirit whereby all the Members of Christ are Baptized by one Spirit into one Body Glory to God who hath given us Victory over the Beast Whore and False Prophet But you will say perhaps then What shall become of our Children I say if thou knowest not stay till God make it known unto thee for Secret things belong to God things Revealed tous But it is no where said That all that come of such as are called Christians outwardly and are not Sprinkled after the Custom of England and dye before they commit actual Sin are excluded the Kingdom of Heaven as the Ignorant and Presumptuous may imagine but as they grow capable of Doctrine we ought to instruct them in Christ Jesus and so nurture them up in his Fear to know him in them and what he is to them in their Hearts by Faith as is in part said before so shall no Uncircumcised or Unclean in Heart be brought into God's Church neither shall the Hireling make a Prey upon the People any more but the Church shall be as in the Beginning when it was called the Spouse of Christ a Royal not a Defiled Priesthood a Chosen Generation not the unchosen and unclean World a peculiar People and not the whole World who in their Uncleanness can get into the Talk of Christian Religion to the great Dishonour of God who is burdened with the Manners of such People as cry Lord Lord and leaving continually undone the Lord's Holy Commandments And now that you who read these Lines may ponder a little further of what I say I may here set down somewhat more of the Priest's deceivable words at their Sprinkling of Infants as you may find them in the Book For thus saith the Priest to the People Dearly Bâ—lived ye have brought this Child here to be Baptized ye have Prayed that our Lord Jesus Christ would receive it to râ—lease it of its Sins to Sanctifie it with the Holy Christ to give it the Kingdom of Heaven and everlasting Life Ye have heard also how Christ hath promised in his Gospel to grant all these things which ye have prayed for Stay I say and be afraid for this Boldness for there is no such Promise in the Gospel that the Lord Jesus Christ will give Eternal Life to any much less to all that the Hypocrites and open Prophane Sinners pray for for their Prayers sake who do all with one Mouth and Consent daily Confess they have no Health in them but are Miserable Offenders living in the continual Breach of God's Commandments and even angry in their Minds to hear any profess and witness a better State so it was most truly said God heareth not People living in Sin but if any be a Doer of God's Will him God heareth John 9. So People you may see your Teachers frame Deceit and would have you believe their Untruths But the Priest goes on and saith Which Promise he for his part will most surely keep and perform Wherefore after this Promise made by Christ silence Flesh there is no such Promise made upon this account this Infant must also faithfully for his part promise by you that are his Sureties until he come to Age to take it upon himself that he will Renounce the Devil and all his Works and constantly believe God's Holy Word and obediently keep his Commandments So now by this all may see that these Priests for all their great talk of Regenerating by their Baptism it stands only upon a Condition that the Child must perform faithfully what is promised on their part And so they do not believe their own Doctrine when they say in their Catechism without any if or and That the Child was in its Baptism made an Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven And so in Unbelief and Blindness of their Hearts do they presume to give Thanks when they say afterwards that they give God Thanks that he hath Regenerated the Infant If they had prayed only that he would do it and so have left it it had been less but to conclude that it is absolutely done only because they have sprinkled it and said a few words over it and the Covenant on the Child's part yet unperformed this is great Presumption and a grievous taking of God's Name in vain And here also is manifest a grievous Error that they cannot stay until the Child can promise for it self if there must needs be sprinkling and promising but they must bring in others without all Scripture and Reason to promise for them For I do positively affirm as before that God never required it at any ones Hand so to do for besides that there is no Scripture for it it is greatly against Christ who is the alone Surety and Mediator betwixt God and Man but it hath been a Custom meerly introduced amongst People called Christians in the dark Night of Apostacy when Popery began which now in the clear shining of the Sun of Righteousness upon People again is done and daily to be done away Glory to the Lord for Ever But the Priest goes on demanding of the Sureties which oftentimes fall out to be some wanton Boy or Girl or some other Notorious Evil-liver of Riper Years Dost thou in the Name of this Child renounce the Devil and all his Works the vain Pomp and Glory of the World with all Covetous Desires of the same and the Carnal Desires of the Flesh so that
say They will not pay us they will not put into our Mouths they will buy none of our Merchandize any more Alas alas our great City But for all their Crying God will not hear nor help them for they have left off to do good and God hath shaken his Hand at their dishonest Gain and the Son of God in his Ever-blessed Light is arisen and is at Work to lead out of Darkness the Souls of the Simple that they may know him alone to be their Priest Minister and Teacher and may not be a Prey any longer to the Wolf in the Sheep's Clothing the Wolf who is inwardly gone from God and ravenned into the dark Wilderness and hath stollen the Saints and Christ's Words and makes a Trade on them to deceive withal for filthy Lâ—cre Wo unto them they have gone in the Way of Cain and after the Error of Balaam for worldly Ends 2 Pet. 2. throughout Rev. 12.7 5 10. and shall pâ—rish iâ— the gainsaying of the Truth as Core did And the Lamb shall have the Victory and the Lord is at Work leading his Flock by the Streams of Living Waters Glory to his Name for ever And what shall I only complain of the Unrighteousness and declare of the Downfall of the Kingdom of false Teachers and Hirelings amongst the Turks or of the Proud Imperious Prelates of the dark Seed of Rome Or shall I not rather come nearer home to wit to the Place of my outward Nativity the Land of Old England who pretend to be neither of the Spirit of Turks nor Papists but People of the Reformed Religion called Protestants as who should say Protesters against Romish Usurpations and Antichristian Innovations But alas to the Shame of thy Nakedness O England England there is found in thee a Conspiracy a Company of lewd and treacherous Men Jer. 13. who stand over thee as Teachers covered with black both inwardly and outwardly who wear a black Garment now as the false Prophets of old wore a rough Garment to deceive who cry Give give and can never have enough for they are as Graves and if one put not into their Mouths they bite with their Teech and prepare War against them Micah 3. Suing People at Law for Wages for whom they do Work most unreasonable of all Men and contrary to all other People Reaping where they never Sowed neither Spiritual nor Temporal Seed they claim the Tenth of such Men's Labours and Increase as they themselves excommunicate out of their Synagogues and in their false Judgment judge to Hell What! doth not the Destruction of their Souls seem enough but you must destroy their Estates and Families and sometimes their Body and Life also by long and unheard-of Imprisonments and Plunderings Shall not the Nations of the World who profess not as you the Priests and Prelates of England do rise up in Judgment against you For which of the Priests in Turkey or Rome are more eager for their Bellies than you are What Means do you leave unessayed against those who for Conscience sake cannot put into your Mouths Will any whose Eyes are open believe you to be Ministers of the Gospel who rather than lose a little of the Earth will expose both your selves and your Gospel to all the Blame and Shame that may be The very Name of Tythes shews you to be Jewish and of Easter-Reckonings and such like to be Popish and now where is your Reformation You may well confess there is no Health in you who have so palpably done and do what you ought not to have done Isa 14.5 and left undone what you ought to have done as in your Custom you confess Health nay nay how should you have any Spiritual Health in you who live in such manifest Oppâ—siâ—ion to the Spirit of Christ Jesus the Heavenly Physician Christ Jesus saith to his Disciples Freely you have received freely give but you are all for Money and great Farthly Revenues that you may live in Pride Idleness and Fulness of Bread Christ saith Seek ye first the Kingdom of God but your Care is how to get great Livings and Fat Benefices and as for the Heavenly Kingdom Mat. 13. which Christ compared to a Grain of Mustard-seed you neither know it nor are willing to learn you will neither enter into it your selves Mat. 23. nor suffer others but by your Traditions you shut it up against Men. Christ saith to his Swear not at all but you teach for Doctrine that Christians may Swear Mat. 5.34 37. James 5.12 and you do Swear not only before the Magistrates but even some of you in your ordinary Communication yea and which is most Abominable in your very Church-Service compelling the Men called Church-wardens to Swear and that oftentimes with an Unwillingness of Heart and Condemnation of Conscience to perform your Church-Offices which lays a kind of Impossibility upon them Oh sad may it not be said The Land mourns because of Oaths What have you no Shame nor Care of your Credit that can do such things in the open Sun â—os 4.2 3. and not blush Will you never open your Eyes a little to see your Works What do you mean to do Or where will you hide your selves in the Day of God's Judgments when he calls you to an Account and pleads with you in Flames of Fire for all your mighty Sins Do you indeed believe 2 Thess 1.8 as in words you say That you regenerate the little Infants by sprinkling a little Water on its Face and speaking a â—ew words of your own devising over it which it knows nothing of Go you indeed I say believe That by this kind of Baptism they are made the Children of God the Members of Christ and Inheritors of the Kingdom of God Or do you not rather do these Things to get Money by Oh Cursed Covetousness Mat. 13.15 the Root of all Evil Oh how it hath drowned your Souls in Perdition how it hath blinded your Hearts that you can see nothing of the Kingdom of God You bring in a Company of poor deluded Souls who follow you blind Guides to promise for the little Infant That it shall forsake the Devil and all his Works then what shall these bold Promisers suffer if the Child do not so Will they or you their Teachers for them be content to suffer the Pains of Hell the Reward of such as break Covenant with God And when will you see that this Custom of undertaking for the little Infants greatly derogates from the Honour of Christ who is the only Undertaker for Man towards God But what if a Child through Grace be so strengthned when it grows up as to see your Wretchedness and so to forsake and bear Testimony against all the Works of the Evil One that are done amongst you Will you not call him Heretick and put him out of your Synagogues Yea yea for you can have no Fellowship with any that have Health
in them for by your own Confession you are miserable Offenders all the Days of your Life and have no Health in you and so cannot endure to hear of Perfection or perfect Soundness on this side the Grave Eph. 9.11 12 13. Yea though you read in Scripture That Christ's Ministry perfects to God Epâ— 4. Yet there is not so much Faith amongst you as a Grain of Mustard seed to believe any such thing for if any come to be healed by Christ and so made perfectly found to God and witness forth the same they are not for your Company even you who have no Health in you but are miserable Offenders Oh you that cry out against Separatists and Separation Jude 18.19 what a woful Separation have you made you are of them who have separated your selves from the Lord in Unbelief and are sensual not living in God's Spirit but in the broad Way of the World Oh when will you be weaned from the Breasts of Mystery Babylon and learn to suck at Truth 's Breasts Zach. 13.1 Rev. 22.1 c. and draw Water out of God's Well which in the Light and Life of Jesus Christ is opened to the true Hungerers and Thirsters after Righteousness this day But you have transgressed the Everlasting Covenant and offered Violence to the righteous Law of the Lord Jesus and miserably wrested and perverted the Holy Scriptures 2 Pet. 3.16 which witness of him and his glorious Appearance in these latter days and this you do that you may establish your own Traditions that you may keep your selves up in the Earth in the Glory of this World and esteem of Fallen Man John 5.44 who knows not Christ nor his Kingdom and therefore hath the Lord already discovered your Skirts and will yet daily more and more 2 Thess 2.8 by the bright shining forth of his Light make you so manifest naked and bare that every Eye shall see the Shame of your Nakedness Isa 66.24 And to the Nations of them that are Saved who walked in the Light of the Heavenly Jerusalem shall you be an abhorring for ever and the Redeemed of the Lord shall daily flock to Zion out of your Frozen Land to offer their Spiritual Sacrifices to God upon his Holy Altar and shall see the Smeak of your defiled Sacrifices go downward as Cain 's did Gen. 4.5 which God had no Respect to And the Smoak of your Torment shall go up for ever and ever Rev. 14.11 for strong is the Lord that judges you because you have given his Lambs Gall and Vinegar to drink Rev. 16.19 and have pushed them with Side and Shoulder and therefore a bitter Cup will God give you to drink Oh how hath the Lord borne with you How hath his Voice uttered it self amongst you in your Streets in your Assemblies saying in your Ears O Repent repent Give Glory to God by giving over to deceive your own and the poor Peoples Souls which are precious to God O ye that have exalted your selves into the Place of Teachers and are untaught your selves into the Place of Bishops and Overseers of others and have not looked into your own Hearts and Souls to see what grows there Mich. 3.6 7. O the deep Sleeps and Slumbers that you are seen to be in this day even all you who have ran and God never sent you and therefore you have not nor never can possibly in that State profit the People at all Oh all you that love to be call'd of Men Master and Doctor and Lord Bishops and Arch Deacons and such-like worldly Titles which Christ Mat. 23.10 11. the meek Lamb and lowly in Heart did always forbid and his Spirit is against for ever and ever and saith It shall not be so amongst his but he that is greatest must be least and Servant of all not in feigned Words and deceitful Shews Mat. 20.25 26. Mat. 15.13 but in Deed and in Truth Glory to the Lord who is arisen to root up the false Ministry and to bring in his own as in the Beginning That the Earth may be covered with the Knowledge of God Isa 11.9 Hab. 2.14 and Jesus Christ our Lord as the Waters cover the Sea Amen and Amen O ye Priests and Parish-Teachers When will ye consider of the Entrance of your selves into your Offices and the People into your Church You have laid another Foundation than Christ hath laid Christ said to his Messengers and Ministers John 20.21 22. Heb. 7.16 As my Heavenly Father hath sent me so I send you But Christ was not made a Minister by the Law of a Carnal Commandment but by the Power of an endless Life And so you that are Ministers of the Letter and made Ministers thereof by the Law of a Carnal Commandment and your Fittedness for the Work is gathered not from the Holy Spirit 's Ability 1 Cor. 1.20 21. Rev. 3.18 19 20. but from some Worldly Endowments as Natural Languages Arts and Parts which can only fit a Man for a Heathenish Oratory but could never help in this great and Heavenly Matter of Christ's Kingdom and your Bishops being made by the Humane Powers could never say That by the laying on of their Hands you received either the Holy Ghost or any Gift of it And so you being of the World and impowered by the World how can you claim Audience or Obedience from Christ's Members who know not to follow your Voice which is the Strangers Voice and so you Men of the World are heard 1 John 4.5 upheld and obeyed by the World who are ignorant of Christ's Voice from the Strangers Mat. 15.14 and so being such blind Guides whether can you lead the People but into the Ditch And there you are Isa 55.2 who are always doing what you ought not to do and so have no Health in you and so dangerous to joyn to and are miserable Offenders Isa 56.10 Isa 1.4 5 6. for taking the poor Peoples Money for that which is not Bread and causing them to spend their Labours for your Traditions and empty Sound of Words which are never able to satisfie their Souls John 10.1 And you are very miserable Offenders also in not only coming in by a wrong Door your selves but also in perswading the poor deceived Multitude that you enter them into the Pale of the Church by your Baptizing or Sprinkling of them when Infants for which there is no Scripture Nay more as your common Custom is and as is said before that you regenerate them by it for God never regenerated any by a Means which he never ordained as this Usage of yours is manifest to be So all your Entrances being impure and your Foundations Unspiritual and Unscriptural what Building must needs be builded thereupon the wise in Heart do easily see So you and your Work being Mystery Babylon Mat. 7.26 Rev. 17.15 and 14.11 the Lord God of Heaven is engaged
14.6 7. after the long Night of Apostacy The Lord Jesus Christ never ordained such Ways and Means as you use for the furnishing and enabling of his Servants for the Work of his Ministry But when he ascended up on high he gave Gifts unto Men some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists some Pastors and Teachers for the edifying of his Heavenly Body and perfecting of his Holy Ones Ephes 4. But what can you edifie or perfect to God Jam. 3.15 16. 1 Cor. 2. from Ver. 1. to the end whose Wisdom is from below and whose Studies and Exercises for the most part run in the Channel of the Heathenish Philosophy and Vain Deceit of the World's Spirit which can neither receive in nor minister forth any Thing of Christ's Kingdom And so we are given by the Lord's Blessed Light and Spirit in this Day of the Lord to see and declare That you are gone from Christ and the Way of the true Ancient Christians into the Way of the Heathens who know not God as the Apostle said The World by Wisdom knew not God And so the People of the Country are greatly deceived by you and their Children extreamly wronged and corrupted by you for many send up their Youth to learn some Good amongst you but Alas how can you that are so evil bring forth good Fruit Nay nay for if any come amongst you and conform not to the filthy and bad Customs of your Universities how are they looked upon as strange Things How are they hooted at as Owls in a Desart You are altogether corrupt Isa 1.4 5 6. from the Crown of the Head to the Sole of the Foot no Soundness in you Oh! What Lewdness and Debauchery hath mine Eyes beheld in you Isa 2.17 Isa 31.4 5. Jer. 6.15 The Lord will ease himself of you your high Looks and high Towers he will pull down your Theatre that you Glory in shall be a Curse and the Lord will deliver his Lambs from your Teeth What a Face have you that you cannot Blush What will you never give over provoking God with your Acts and Degrees What Heathenish Stuff is this to find you at this time a-day telling of and glorying in Your Batchelers of Art and Masters of the same Batchelers of Divinity and Doctors of Divinity and such like but if any come amongst you who through the Grace of God hath attained to that Blessed Degree of a true living Member of Jesus Christ and Man of God to Preach the Mystery of God's Kingdom Isa 56.10 to awaken you out of your deep Slumbers of Sin and Death him you persecute him you disallow as your Fore-fathers the Old Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 27.21 22. rejected Christ Jesus the true Foundation and Corner-Stone of the Heavenly Building with his Blessed Followers And therefore will God's Controversie be with you for Ever until you Repent of your Sorceries and great Abominations wherewith you have burdened his good Spirit Days without Number Rev. 1â— 6 But the Everlasting Gospel of God's Light and Love shall spread and the Branch thereof shall over all your Walls grow up to his Praise who is come in this Day of his Power to Judge the Great Whore's Works in England as well as in other Countries that the Earth may be swept Isa 11.9 and filled with the Knowledge of God as the Waters cover the Sea So be it so be it saith my Spirit Thomas Taylor And now the Heavenly Free Mother Rev. 21.1 2 3 4 5 6 7. Gal. 4.26 with her Happy Children is come and coming down from God out of Heaven to possess inherit and everlastingly to enjoy the Kingdom of his Endless Love Peace Righteousness and Joy where Mystery Babylon with all her false Mothers and sinful Children shall have no Name nor Place at all for at the Downfal of Mystery Babylon doth arise in the Saints the pure unspeakable Joy which none of the Children of the dark World understand any thing of at all It is so See Rev. 2.17 and Rev. 7. from Ver. 9 to the end and Rev. 11. from Ver. 15 to the end and Rev. 12.7 8 9 10 11. and Rev. 14. from Ver. 1 to Ver. 13. and Rev. 15.1 2 3 4. and Rev. 16.17 18 19. and Rev. 17.18 and Rev. 18.24 and Rev. 19. from Ver. 1 to Ver. 10. It is done HALLELUJAH The true Fast from the False Isaiah 58.4 Ye shall not Fast as ye do this Day THE Lord Speaks this to the Ungodly People in those Days who made a Vain and Hypocritical Shew of Fasting but the Lord Regarded them not and the same Lord the Everlasting God who was angry then with that False-hearted People is Angry and fore Displeased with the like Generation of Evil and Ungodly Men at this Day who when any Plague or Calamity comes upon the Nation so that the Hand of God cannot but be seen against them then they will call a Fast for a Day in a Week or a Month or so and so make a Shew of Humbling themselves in the outward but in the mean time the Sin of their Souls and Evil of their Lives is not departed from but in their Words and Deeds they are the same both in the sight of God and Man after their Fast Yea many of them in the very Day of their Fast as they were before Were they Drunkards before they continue so still were they given to Swearing and taking God's Holy Name in Vain they are found the same still for all their Fasting as they were before Were they Proud and Covetous given to Oppress Extort and Over-reach the Poor and Over-reach their Neighbours in their Bargainings and Dealings that they may be Rich and so Live like the Rich Glutton in all manner of Excess of Meat Drink and Cloaths they are found the same alas the very same if not worse after the Fast as they were before Or were they Guilty of laying heavy Burdens upon the Tender-Conscienced People yea and of Imprisoning such as in Conscience to God could not Bow to every thing that Man's Will set up Alas to the Grief of God's Holy Spirit they are found in the same Steps still and therefore saith the Lord from time to time Ye shall not thus Fast as ye do this Day to cause your Voice to be heard on High Is it such a Fast that I have chosen a Day for a Man to Afflict his Soul Is it to bow down his Head like a Bull-rush or so Wilt thou call this a Fast an acceptable Day to the Lord Nay nay this is not the Fast that God hath chosen but this is only that which vain deceived Man in his Ignorance and Blindness chooseth For the true Fast even that which the Holy God in all Ages and from all People Requireth is that every one depart from the Evil of his Way and from the Violence that is in his Heart and Hands and so to loose the Bands of Wickedness and to undo the
void the Covenant of God with his Elect in Christ Jesus the Second Adam the Lord from Heaven for as is the Heavenly so are they that are Heavenly And so whosoever is Born of God and abideth in Christ sinneth not for he that sinneth hath neither seen Christ nor known Christ as the Apostle saith expresly in 1 John 3.6 9. And herein is that saying true 1 John last If we say we have not sinned to wit in the First Adam or Flesh we make God a Liar but now being Translated out of that Kingdom of Darkness into the Kingdom of the Dear Son of God the Light we put on Christ's Nature which is Holiness and Righteousness without which none shall see God Blessed be God for his Unspeakable Rich Gift And so though in the First Man 's faln Nature there is Sin and Death yet in Christ Jesus there is Life Righteousness and Everlasting Peace And if thou wouldst not have Death the Wages of Sin thou must come out of the Flesh into the Spirit of Christ where Life and Everlasting Peace is witnessed This is the Day of the Lord 's Mighty Working wherein he is separating the Sheep from the Goats and making the difference plain and manifest betwixt such as serve God and such as serve Sin And for that other Scripture 1 Kings 8.46 which saith There is no Man that sinneth not it must in like manner be understood as the former to wit of Man in the First Adam or faln Fleshly Nature where all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God and in which state of Sin and Unbelief whosoever abide they do sin daily But this toucheth not at all the sinless and perfect state of the Children of God in Christ Jesus where Sin which is the Devil's Work comes not as was said before for the Prince of this World hath no part in me saith Christ And therefore who art thou that lays Sin to the Charge of God's Elect Thy own words shall be thy Burden but Peace on God's Israel for Evermore And for that third Scripture Prov. 20.9 Who can say I have made my Heart clean I am pure from my Sin I say No Man can say that he hath made himself so though in Christ Jesus he is so for not of our selves but of God's alone Mercy and Free-gift in Christ Jesus it comes to pass that the Elect Vessels are cleansed and made pure in Heart according to that well-known place Eph. 5.25 26 27 Christ gave himself for his Church that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of Water by the Word that he might present it himself a Glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish Is not here a Company made clean indeed yea clean at Heart and pure from Sin in and by Christ Jesus Therefore let all the Enemies of Christ and his perfect Work be silent for ever So be it But above all it seems strange what he sets down in that Defiling Book called The Looking-glass where he saith That Philpot Bradford and Cranmer confessed That they were vile sinful and wretched Hypocrites even at the State when to be burnt for their Religion I say either he or the Printer or Relator of the History or all of them do greatly wrong them Sufferers or else their Condition is greatly to be lamented who had so much Zeal and Boldness as to Suffer for the sake of their Conscience and yet had so little Knowledge and Understanding of the Mystery of God and Christ as not to know the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost no better But we leave this and so proceed to see what there is in those Scriptures which he saith the Quakers make so much use of to prove Sinless Perfection The first is Psal 37.37 Mark the Perfect Man and behold the Vpright for the end of that Man is Peace The second is Heb. 6.1 Therefore leaving the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ let us go on to Perfection The third is 1 Cor. 2.6 Howbeit we speak Wisdom among them that are perfect The fourth is 2 Cor. 13.11 Finally Brethren farewel be perfect To all which I say It 's most plain to every pure Eye that these Scriptures with many more that might be brought to the same purpose prove sufficiently a Sinless Perfection otherwise it is no Perfection at all if not Sinless of God's working for every Work of God is Sinless and Perfect for that Perfection which is in or with Sin is the Work of the Man of Sin and is that Perfection which pleaseth his vile sinful hypocritical Members so well And so whosoever marks and beholds this imperfect and unbelieving Generation shall plainly see their End is Trouble and Misery and therefore it is that our words which we speak this day from the Lord concerning the great things of his Kingdom are accounted no better than Folly and Error amongst these sinful Opposers of God's Work of Sinless Perfection in his Saints and so these Opposers are never going on to God's Perfection but backwards from that of God in them which should lead them to God and so their Back and not their Face turned to God they are ever learning but never able to come to the Knowledge of the Truth as it is in Christ Jesus which perfects to God all that come to it And so how can they for shame exhort their Hearers to Perfection who are themselves the great Opposers of God's perfect Work in his People above all others To conclude That which remains at present to be spoken to that filthy Looking-glass is to wipe off a heap of Lies and Dirt which he hath falsly charged upon the Innocent and Harmless People of God called Quakers as in p. 249. where he saith That we disown the Ordinances of Christ and his Gospel the Word preached by his Ministers Church-order Baptism and Supper of the Lord Prayer Singing of Psalms the Publick Ministry as no Ministry of Jesus Christ Albeit saith he God hath set his Seal thereto in the Conversion of many Souls To all which in a word I answer and say The Lord both hath and yet will rebuke that Lying Spirit by which this Book was written And in particular to the several parts of this false and notorious lying Charge against us I say That the Ordinances of Christ and his everlasting Gospel we dearly love and own and the Word preached by his Ministers but not the Ministers of Antichrist we dearly own and delight in for the Word of God which the Ministers of Christ which he sends preach is Spirit and Life not the dead Letter for the dead Letter which the Hirelings preach for filthy Lucre we know to be no better than Chaff compared with that living Word which the Ministers of Christ preach for the Letter of the Hireling killeth but the Spiritual Word of the Gospel of Christ gives Life the Word of the
ascended far above all Heavens and out of all Figures and Shadows that he might fill all things with his Holy Substance And as in former Days he gave some Apostles some Prophets some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the Perfecting of the Saints for the Work of the Ministry for the Edifying of the Body of Christ till we all saith the Apostle to wit the Heavenly Body not the Body of Sinful Earthly Flesh come in the Vnity of the Faith and the Knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect Man unto the Measure of the Stature and Fulness of Christ Ephes 4.11 12 13. Even so the Lord is now giving forth of his Spirit to his Children Born of his Spirit for enabling them in this Day of Restoration for the Work of the Ministry for the perfecting of the Saints and fitting them for Glory and this now after a long Night of Darkness and Desolation is to the Praise of his Glory who hath made us in this his Blessed Day as he did his Faithful Followers in the Beginning accepted in the Beloved to shew forth his Praises to Ages to come whom he will also raise up by Christ Jesus together with us to magnifie his Mercies for Evermore But that the Parish Teachers of these Times who Preach for Hire and Divine for Money loving to be called of Men Master and like the Pharisees of old love to go in Long Robes and receive Honour one of another John 5. are such to wit so given of Christ and begifted from Heaven and fitted for so great a Work as to perfect the Saints as those before in Eph. 4. mentioned were I utterly deny and their Fruits as also the Fruits of their Hearers make manifest that they are of another Sort Seed and Generation even such as the Prophet Jeremiah speaks of and declares against who have run and God never sent them For why they waited not for the Word of God to speak in them and by them but stole the Words from their Neighbour and used their Tongues to say The Lord-saith when the Lord never spoke by them Ier. 23.30 and therefore saith the Lord these Teachers shall not profit the People at all Verse 32. For what are their Chaffy Words to the Word of God Verse 28. So the Teachers of the Parishes this day get into the Pulpit with the Words of the Prophets and Apostles in their Hand and Sin in their Hearts as those other did dreaming over them for Filthy Lucre and cry to the People BELOVED yea Beloved because they put into their Mouths Hear the Word of the Lord as you shall find it written in such a Chapter and such a Verse when the Lord never spoke to these Hirelings nor sent them thus to preach but they are Men made Ministers Men of the Evil World and great Lovers and Pleaders for it and therefore the World hears them 1 John 4.5 But â—â—e true Messenger of Christ saith for himself and his Brethren We are of God and the whole World lieth in Wickedness And saith Christ to his Disciples Ye are not of the World as I am not of the World for if you were of the World the World would love you for the World loves its own but now I have chosen you out of the World therefore the World hates you John 15.18 19. So all People fear the Lord God for the Name of Christians without the Nature of Christ will do you no good at all for the Lord is come to search all that called Christendom with Candles and to pull down the lofty Hearts and Looks of all amongst them called Christians first and then of all the World besides for now is the Lord exalting his great Name over all as in the Beginning before the Antichrist Beast False Prophet and Whore got up and who shall stop the Passage of this mighty Jehovah in the great Work of setting up his Kingdom over all the Kingdoms of the Man of Sin that the Kingdoms of this World may become the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ whose Right alone it is to Rule and Reign according to that Saying in the Prophet I will Overturn Overturn Overturn till he come to Rule whose Right it is And now Wo and Misery begins to take hold of all Hypocrites and all the Wicked because of the arising and appearing of the great God from Heaven this day who is on his Throne judging in Righteousness and in Righteousness making War whose Fiery Word his Two-edged Sword goes out of his Mouth not only to discover but also to destroy and consume the Man of Sin in all the Earth And now the Hireling Teachers of all sorts the Merchants of Mystery Babylon shall cry Alas alas that great City People begin to see us and they will not Trade with us nor buy our Merchandize as in former days but declare against it see Rev. 18.10 11. O yea it cannot be otherwise for now the Witnesses that lay slain in the Streets of the great City Sodom and Egypt Spiritually so called are arisen and stand upon their Feet praised be God And now Judgment is given to the Saints of the Most High God Dan. 7.12 25 26 27. So that though the great Antichrist under many Shapes and Appearances hath spoken great words against God his Truth and People and hath oppressed the Saints yet now the Judgment of God being set against him his Dominion shall be consumed and destroyed and the Saints of the Most High God shall have Dominion and Reign with Christ whose Kingdom is an Everlasting Kingdom and all Dominions shall serve and obey him to wit our Lord Jesus Christ for whose Blessed Name and Truth 's sake the Holy Tremblers who Tremble at his Word and follow him in the Regeneration do this day suffer it is so Thomas Taylor In the Year 1679. Something in Answer to some Passages in that Wicked Antichristian Book written Catechism-wise by some Popish Stickler for his Master the Pope the Romish Antichrist and his Followers Printed at Douay and Subscribed H. T. IN his second Chapter he saith Faith is necessary to Salvation and that Faith is firmly to believe Matters of Faith because God hath revealed them Then say I Not the Pope But saith he again It is not enough to believe all that is written in the Bible but we must believe also Apostolical Traditions citing 2 Thess 2.15 Now say I in answer hereto That through wresting and abusing of this Scripture have they made way for bringing in all their Filthy Popish Stuff whereby Thousands and Ten thousands of poor Peoples Souls both have been and are at this day miserably deluded for certainly the Traditions which the Apostle there tells of whether by Word or Epistle where all of one nature and not directly contrary or contradictory one to another But the Popish Traditions though they may falsly call them Apostolical are directly contrary to Holy Scripture But saith he The Apostles Creed is not in the
are approved may be made manifest He doth not say Heresies come for want of a Pope and General Council And I may add another Reason and that a main and universal one and that is Peoples either not living in the Spirit or not walking in the Spirit and so not keeping the Vnity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace And so not keeping the Head to wit Christ in whom if the whole Body be coupled and knit together increase of the whole Body to wit the true Church is made to the Edifying of it self in Love and not otherwise Eph. 4. This is the Cause and continual Cause A Second Reason of those Differences saith that Popish Book is because the very Ground work of Protestancy is That all Men even the whole Church of God are Fallible and subject to Err so that they cannot pretend to Certainty or Infallibility saith he for any one Point of their Belief To which I say if any Protestant say the whole Church of God is Fallible and subject to Err if they understand the Church as Paul doth in Ephes 5.25 26 27. and as he doth in 1 Tim. 3.15 or as Christ doth in Mat. 16.18 where it is said The Gates of Hell shall not provail against it they do not well For though all Men as Men in Adam the Earthly are not only Fallible and subject to Err but also really in Deceit and Error yet in Christ Jesus the Second Adam the Lord from Heaven that quickning preserving Spirit of Truth there is no Fallibility nor Error as the Apostle saith 1 John 3. He that abideth in Christ sinneth not Ver. 6. And he that is Born of God sinneth not nor can sin Ver. 9. But what is all or any of this Glory to the Pope or his Synagogue which he falsly calls the Church of God For they do not attribute the Infallibility to the Eternal Spirit which is in every true Member of Christ's Church which is their Leader into and Preserver of their Souls into all Truth but to the Pope and General Councils as though Infallibility were annexed to the Dream of Peter's Chair and not to Christ's Spirit in the Faithful O the Abomination of Desolation that is in this Popish Doctrine But what is there such Unity amongst these Deluded Disciples of the Pope Surely nay for as we read there was amongst the Jews the several Sorts and Sects of Pharisees Sadducees Libertines Cirenians Alexandrians and the like yet all against Christ So in the Popish Hierarchy there are the several different and divided Sorts and Sects of Franciscans Dominicans Jesuits Cappuchins Carthusians and others all agreed this Day as of long time they have been against the Blessed Crown Kingdom Dignity and Dominion of our Lord Jesus Christ But these with all the rest of Mystery Babylon's Merchants have cause to wail because the Light and Spirit of God in Christ Jesus is broken forth in Power and great Glory this Day to judge them all that the Kingdom not Worldly but Heavenly may be given to the People of the Saints of the Most High God for an Everlasting Inheritance as in Dan. 7.27 Here also I may well take notice of some other words that this Popish Pleader hath in his Book Treating of this Matter viz. Since then saith he to be of one Religion is to be of one setled Perswasion in Points of Faith and seeling cannot be without Infallibility or Necessity it is not well possible that any two Protestants or Sectaries to be of one Religion every Man Expounding the Scripture as he lists and no one having Power to Controul the others Exposition of it I Answer and in the Power of Christ do grapple with this Beast that arose out of the Sea and with his Image also and do say That no Humane Conceit nor Natural Man's Exposition with the help of all the World's Wit and Skill whether Pope or other is infallible or binding or controuling But by the same Spirit that gave forth Scripture whether in a Fisherman Tradesman or other now as well as formerly is the Scripture rightly Understood and Expounded So the true Oneness in Religion stands in the Oneness of that Spirit that gave forth Scripture and gives a right understanding of it and of all things as the Apostle saith The Anointing which ye have of the Holy One teacheth all things and by it you know all things 1 John 2.20 And he that hath not this Spirit is none of Christ's Rom. 8.9 And he that is guided by this Spirit is a Spiritual Man and so not to be judged or controuled in his Spiritual Concernment by any Man of this World neither Pope nor other as saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.10 15. It is so But whereas he tells of every Man Expounding the Scripture as he lists I say this is the Pope and all his Priests Fault and of all the wicked World besides who are not in Heart and Life subject to that one Pure and Holy Spirit that is of Jesus that leads Spiritually into all Truth which Truth is one And so though they that are of another Spirit may agree never so much and in never so great numbers in their several Ways of Deceit yet the true Religion of God's Holy Ones in Light they still remain ignorant of And so his Blindness of imagining that Protestants and Sectaries as he calls them cannot be two of them of one Religion doth hereby fully appear For not only they but all the People of the Earth under what Name Notion or Profession soever are either the Children of Light or Children of Darkness and so not only two but all of the same sort may and do agree in the Root in their Religion if it may be called so though we know there is but one true Religion and that is truly and properly the Religion of God's People the Children of his Light even that which in Purity and Holiness binds their Hearts to God And so by this word Controuling which this Remish Agent here useth it is easily seen how the Pope hath set up and maintained his Wicked Kingdom that is to say by a Worldly Controuling Power over Mens Souls and Consciences and not by the Power of Truth For if his Earthly Power with his Worldly Assistants were taken from him his Decretals Expositions Bulls Excommunications and Curses for not obeying his Commands would be of little force this Day in the Earth because of the Light that God hath raised up in the Hearts of People this Day to discover him Glory to his Great Name for Evermore And so the true Judge and Controuler of all Judgments and Controulers is on his Throne this Day judging in Righteousness and on his White of Glorious Power going on Conquering and to Conquer the Man of Sin in all Lands and his Holy Ones in Light His Called Faithful and Chosen follow him with great Joy of Heart Rev. 19.11 12 13. He that hath an Ear let him hear what the Spirit
saith Again saith this Popish Book asking this Question Is the Church visible He answers She is and must be visible at all times as consisting of a Hierarchy of Pastors Governing Teaching and Administring Sacraments to the Worlds end and of other People governed taught and receiving Sacraments at their Hands all publickly professing the same Faith all which things are visible And for this brings Ephes 4.11 12. Mat. 5.14 15. Answer Now to this I say that the true Church the Spouse of Christ and not the Adulterer the Popedom are visible and known to God and its own Members but invisible to the World as such as the Apostle saith 1 John 3.1 Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us that we should be called the Sons of God therefore the World knows us not because it knew not him to wit Christ Jesus their Head though he did appear in Flesh and so the Flesh was the Vail by which he was hid from the World then as the Flesh is the Vail by which the true Saints are hid from the World now And this makes manifest that that Scripture Ephes 4.11 12. makes nothing for his Purpose at all And as for that other Scripture Mat. 5.14 15. where it is said Ye are the Light of the World a City set on a Hill which speaks of them that were truly so and kept their savour and not at all for the Pope or his great Army of Apostates nor of any other who have the Name only of Christians but have lost the good savour and so want the true Christian Life and so having put the Candle under a Bushel though they may have a shew in outward Observances of their own devising of a Church yet still wanting the true heavenly savoury Life I say they are to be trodden under Foot of Men as unsavoury Salt and so this Scripture makes nothing for them neither But some may say Though this makes not for the Pope or any false Church yet doth it not make something for the visibility of the true Church I answer No not in the Popish or Worldly Sense at all for though the good Life of the true Church be very savoury to that of God in every Man and the same Holy Life shining before Men is of great Service to Men and Glory to God and so because they separate from the World not only in the inward but outwardly also therefore they cannot be hid if they do any thing contrary to their Holy Profession and Separation yet still the Apostle 1 John 3.1 stands firm in his Testimony to which my Spirit agrees Therefore the World knows us not because they knew not Christ For how can the World who are in the False Life and Religion and yet think it is true know or believe them to be the True Church of Christ who separate from them and bear witness against them And this farther appears if we consider how the True Church as Christ himself was ever hated and persecuted of the World Rev. 12.6 c. and many other Scriptures And wherefore is all this Enmity but even because the World knew them not as they were but even accounted them through their great Ignorance as the Off-scouring of all things As it is reported also concerning the Christians in the Heathenish Persecutions after Christ Sejanus vir bonus sed est Christianus Such a one is a good Man but he is a Christian So amongst and by you called Papists Such a one is a good Man but he is a Protestant And amongst the common Protestants Such a one is a good Man but he is a Quaker Thus hath the true living Seed been vailed from the World under some Reproach or other through Ages and Generations as at this day And so to conclude I say That which is here said of the Invisibility of the True Church is not as this Popish Book would wickedly Insinuate Because there were none called Protestants before Luther's Time or because others since Luther's Time have had other Names but because the Truth according to the Scripture of Truth so judges as is here in a few words set down But to return the Wickedness of these Popish Pleaders upon their own Heads it may be truly said That the End of their Pleading so much for the Visibility of the Church is Because they have little in their Religion if any thing at all but what the blind and evil World can both see and exercise themselves in and yet continue still in their sinful Nature So that the Pope's Daughter the Popish Synagogue is most unlike the Heavenly King's Daughter the True Church which is all Glorious within but the Pope and his Daughter the False Church is all Foul within and only Glorious on the out fiâ—e and that not with a true out-side Comliness or Glory neither but even with the rotten filthy Rays and menstruous Clouts of Humane Traditions and Carnal Ordinances and Observations of their own Devising beautiful only to the Adulterous Eye but not with the Ornament of a truly Godly Life and Holy Conversation which is the True Churches Golden Ornament or Rayment which is truly Beautiful in the Eye of God and his Saints It is so as saith God's Good Spirit in his Servant A Warning to the Papists at Stafford Thomas Taylor a Servant of the True and Everliving God in the Everlasting Gospel and Kingdom of his Son sendeth Greeting and a Warning unto you from him in whose Hand is your Breath and the Breath of all the Living I say unto you who call your selves Catholicks or Roman Catholicks here about Stafford Awake Awake look into your selves Trim your Lamps and see whether the true Oyl be in you which the first Christians witnessed in them which they had of God whereby they knew all things for if you would be found true Catholicks Members of the Universal Church the Heavenly Body this you must have for the Cry is gone forth Behold the Bridegroom cometh and it 's none but the Wise in Heart the pure Virgin Souls can enter God's Kingdom it 's not enough for you to say We are Catholicks or Roman Catholicks and our Religion is old or so for it is not how Old but how Good for how much old an Error or Way of Evil is by so much the worse it is and to imagine that God will receive you because of your many Outside Observations and Carnal Ordinances you are very much mistaken so long as the inside is unwashed for it 's a pure Heart and a right Spiritual Worship from the same that God Requires And did not the Apostle to the Galatians say He was afraid of them because they thought to Please God in observing Days and Months and Times and Years after Christ was come in the Flesh and Offered up to end all such Shadows and all of like Nature that can be brought in since then as a part of God's Worship and to bring in Everlasting Righteousness even the
Body shall be full of Light but if you say Nay but we will do and say and Understand as we have been accustomed then know for certain you are of those that Reject the good Counsel of God given you by his Spirit in his Servant Thomas Taylor Something in Answer to a Paper from a Nameless Author directed to be left at Joseph Holt's in Okeham BUT Before I speak in particular to it I cannot but touch a little upon another Paper to that part of it where it is said Perhaps the Man concealed his Name on purpose to try the Man's Skill who said He had an Vnction from the Holy One and knew all things If so be he knows all things he will easily inform thee who it was that wrote it Now to this I say that all People may here take notice what a Scoffing Prophane Spirit lodges in these Men to wit Those Priests and their Auditors Who but a Julian or some Gross Heathen would have made a Mock of the plain words of the Apostle For the Man did not say so of himself but only brought the Apostles words which say 1 John 2.20 Ye to wit the Saints have received an Vnction from the Holy One and ye know all things To prove that the Saints Teacher is the Anointing of God now in them as then And I may say therefore such as have not this Unction are not of Christ But doth it therefore follow That either the Apostles and Saints then or the Children and Saints of God now do know all Natural or Worldly Things I remember it 's said in Scripture that when the Jews and Gentiles had blindfolded Christ they Smote him and wickedly said unto him Prophesie who it is that Smote thee and was not this from the very same ground that this Scoffer speaks reasoning What if thou be Christ and a Prophet thou canst tell all things and therefore thou canst easily tell who Smote thee Those also did it for the very same end that this Man supposes this to be done for to wit To try his Skill But the Lord will Judge for ever all such his Enemies But what if one had gone to the Saints whom John writ to and said A Paper was sent to me this day and there is no Name at it and I desire to know it but cannot surely you can tell me what the Man's Name was if you know all things Or if a Man had had his Horse or other thing stolen from him Would it have been good Work from any especially from a Tempting Scoffing Spirit to have said you Saints know all things therefore what is the Thief 's Name or so O Impiety To what a height Wickedness is grown up in the Unbelievers and Mockers in this Age. But come ye Teachers of the Parishes tell me Do you indeed believe or you do not that John spoke true when he said The Brethren had received an Vnction from the Holy One and they know all things If you do believe that the Brethren then did and that they now do receive such an Anointing I ask you What are those All things that the Unction taught them were they Heavenly or Earthly things If Heavenly even things pertaining to Salvation and Preservation in a Saved State as without all question the Apostle did intend as is plain there and not such earthly things as this Scoffer speaks of Then I say this Scoffer is either very ignorant of the Scriptures or he is very wicked in his Mind in sinning against Light to make God's Children Odious But the Cause of his Truth God will ever defend and the Scorner he will Judge And for those other words in that little Paper where it is said to Joseph Holt When thou dost know me do not pelt me with Reproaches call me not Vnrighteous Priest nor one of the World as your Phrases are nor yet be so rash as that Old Peevish Man at Sommerby was to tell me I am Damned I answer That I am the Man I suppose thou intends by that Old Peevish Man at Sommerby and therefore whoever thou art that says I said thou art Damned it was not so but a meer Falshood in thee to say so for I never said so to any man that I know of but what I said at that time at Sommerby against your Deceit was not Rashness nor Peevishness but pure Zeal for God which caused me to declare for God against you for wresting the Scripture and abusing the People thereby What you are by your Fruits is very manifest he that runs may read what your in free is by your Words and Works the Day of the Lord hath found you out and therefore if you repent not you cannot miss to perish with all the Wicked that are gone before you though we should hold our Peace And so to call you that are Unrighteous as by your Fruits is manifest and who by your own Service-book are tearmed Priests I say to call you as you are is neither False nor Reproachful when in the fear and feeling of God it is so said to or of you But that you should account your selves either wronged or reproached if one tell you that you are of the World is something strange seeing the Course of your Lives is so in the broad way of the World and your Spirits so Worldly as not only by your earnest Pleading for worldly Elements so necessary to Salvation as outward Water that you can hardly be perswaded that any can be Regenerate or Saved without it but also at your very Scossing at the Holy Anointing of the Spirit of God in his People as is manifest but without this Anointing of God none knows Savingly any thing of the things of God's Kingdom but for all that other Understanding which is not of this Holy Anointing of God's Spirit Man may be Brutish And so I come in the Ability I have from the Lord to refute and make void thy Dark Thoughts Arguments and Reasons for and concerning outward Washing or Sprinkling the little Infants with Elementary Water mentioned in that first Paper And first where from Matt. 19.14 thou drawest these Arguments for Infant-Baptism First sayest thou Those whom Christ would have brought unto him it doth not at all become us to stop from Baptism c. To this I answer That by this manner of wild Arguing thou mayst deceive the Simple and lead the Blind into the Pit but none that in any measure are guided by God's Light can be deceived with it For what if I form thy words into a Syllogism your Diana there will no such thing at all as Infant-Baptism arise from them but only this that those ought not to be hindred from coming to Christ whom he would have come to him Unless you will say That Christ Baptized those Children with outward Water which if you should either say or think it would be most Absurd and to be exploded by all Neither was it in the desire at all of them that
Christ his Honour grutch And do not rather such rebuke and say If you 'll not Hear we 'll quickly turn away And shake your Dust from off us we 'll be free From you and yours that all may truly see We are not such as would our selves advance Nor Mens Estates of any sort inhance But seek to set up Christ to be the Head Of all things in all Worlds with Fear and Dread And thus it was with Good and Godly Men In the beginning of the Gospel when The Spirit of the Lord did teach them what to say And Men did walk i' th' Sun-shine of the Day Before I say that Pope and Turk arose Who to Christ's Kingdom are Professed Foes And would themselves set up o're th' Sons of Men To Rule as Gods that neither Tongue nor Pen Might Publish ought but what their Heads devise Whose Wisdom out of the dark Pit doth rise And which for Ages hath spread over all To bring the Souls of many into thrall But now the Lord of Great and Endless Power Is making bare the skirts of that great Whore And giving double of his Furious Cup To such as of her Wine still dare to Sup It 's her strong Poysoned Wine that makes Men mad In Persecuting of the Just O sad That ever any who do Christ Profess In Words should seek his Members to Distress So then if you be Wise you 'll search and see How from that Monst'rous Haâ—lot you are free For if in Hand or Head her Mark you bear The Lord amongst his Enemies will you tear If you your Ways Reform not which are ill He will not spare he will your Glory spill He 'll Fight against you with his Fiery Word Which Kills and Slays as doth a two edg'd Sword Live in Deceit and turn which way you will His Sword will reach you and your Cup will fill With Woes and Sorrows and sad Acclamations The just Reward o' th' Wicked in each Nation Yea tho' the Name of Christians you may bear Yet it 's his Nature must the Lawrel wear For Christ your Persons doth not now Regard But as your Works are he will you Reward If you 'll not give a Reason of your Faith But Trample under Foot what any saith Concerning things that are amiss amongst you And to the Powers cry out they hate and wrong ye And thus with Fig-leaves seek from Men to hide Your Crying Sins of Avarice and Pride And Persecution and instead of mending Still Harbour Evil Thoughts which tend to Rending Then know for certain in a Moment God Will Visit you with his Almighty Rod And you who have not Visited in Love His suffering Servants will his Enemies prove And when his Peoples Sufferings are Compleat Then they shall Feed when you shall pine for Meat So be it And if the Writers Name in Writing you would see A Lover of God a Lover of Man is he This is my Natures Name which shall Remain When Sinful Men are Dead and all Disdain And God the Worker of my Souls Salvation Shall Rule and Reign as Head in every Nation And though the Devil fret yet Truth shall stand Over all and be the King in every Land for evermore Amen And to you called Church-wardens and Sideâ—men how weak is your Hearts and how slavish are your Minds through unbelief become that you cannot withstand and avoid such a manifest Temptation and Danger as to come under and Swear to the Bishops Articles for which of you either do or can or intend to Perform according to what you seem therein to engage your selves unto And that which is sad to consider the more ready you are to Engage and the more observant in the Performance the more Miserable oftentimes are you for thereby you must not only accuse the Drunkard and Swearer your own Mothers Sons but even the People of God also for their pure Consciences sake and so you had need all and every one of you Repent lest the Lord Swear in his Wrath against you that you shall never enter into his Rest as he did against those that had grieved him Forty Years in the Wilderness Thomas Taylor Certain Queries Propounded to the People called Anabaptists especially to such as believe and hold forth that Water-baptism is an Ordinance and Command of Christ Jesus the Door of Entrance into the True Church and so of such Absolute Necessity as that there can be no True Gospel-Church-Fellowship without it 1. WHAT do you believe concerning the Baptism of John the Son of Zacharias the Priest who was sent to Baptize in Water Was he in and under a pure Evangelical Office and Ministration and his Baptism in Water a Gospel Ordinance to continue to the end of the World If yea prove it by plain Scripture 2. What do you believe concerning the Witness or Prophesie of John Recorded John 3.30 I must decrease but he to wit Christ who was to Baptize with the Holy Ghost John 1.33 must increase Did he speak this of his own Person and of the Person of Christ or of the Office and Administrations which they respectively were sent to Execute and Administer If of the Persons then tell us how and wherein the Person of John decreased and how and wherein the Person of Christ increased and whether that saying Recorded Mat. 11. He that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John was spoken of or in relation to John's Person also and not concerning his Office or Ministration 3. Is that Baptism which you Administer and so earnestly press People unto John's or Christ's seeing John himself did expresly distinguish betwixt his Baptizing in Water and the Baptism which Christ was to Baptize in John 1.26 And Christ also and his Apostles did distinguish betwixt John's Baptism and the Baptism of the Holy Ghost Acts. 1.5 Luke 20.4 Acts 13 24 and Chap. 18.25 26. Chap. 19.3 4. into which Christ Baptized Mark 1.8 And are these distinct diverse or several Baptisms Or do you believe that they are but one Baptism and so no distinction to be put betwixt them If yea then tell us upon what Ground and Certainty you would have us believe you seeing therein you agree not in Doctrine with John nor with Christ and his Apostles 4. Is that Baptism which you Administer a Figure of the Spiritual Washing away of Sins by the Blood of Christ and of Plunging into his Name Spirit and Life Or is the outward Water in which you Baptize and your Act of Baptizing that is Plunging or Dipping in it really Sanctified to the doing of it and so consequently doth that Work and so no Sign Type nor Figure Tell us plainly what you your selves believe concerning it 5. Do you believe that those mentioned Acts 19. on whom Paul laid his Hands and the Holy Ghost came upon them who were Baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus and had before that been Baptized in or unto John's Baptism who Baptized in Water were they then again
God Christ dees not send him or bid him go to the Spirit of Truth and wait for it Had Christ done so he might then have sent or directed the Man out of the way to get Life Eternal and so further from God than before for then the Man had not come through the Father to him according to John 6.44 45. And Page 15 further erroniously thou say'st You Quakers cannot find as that Christ the Prophet did give any Command to any People as was in ignorance of the Ways to Salvation or Life Eternal that they should leave off to be taught of Moses or his Law or Precepts and go to learn of the Spirit of Truth and let that teach or lead them God forbid O miserable Blindness and Ignorance That ever any Professing God or Scripture should thus belch out their Enmity against the Spirit of Truth The glorious Promise of the Father without which all Knowledge and all Profession is a meer Nothing but a heap of Darkness and Confusion and without which there had never been any true Prophet nor Scripture of Truth for Holy Men of God spoke not in their own Wills or Times but as they were moved by the Holy Ghost the Spirit of Truth without which never Man did nor never Man can come to any Saving Knowledge of God or Christ or the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God and Christ and therefore saith Paul after many Years zealous Profession of Moses's killing Letter That which the Eye hath not seen nor the Ear heard nor hath entred into Man's Heart to conceive God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit for the Spirit of God that Spirit of Truth searcheth all things even the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2.9 10. And therefore saith the same Paul 2 Cor. 3.6 God hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Letter but of the Spirit for the Letter killeth but the Spirit giveth Life And therefore saith Christ John 16.7 It is expedient for you that I go away that the Spirit of Truth which leads into all Truth may come who is the Saints Comforter And this is that means by which the Father draws to Christ even the Spirit of Truth and not as thou ignorantly Dreamest the Letter of Moses's Law John 6.44 45. And so T. Hall thou art not far from that unpardonable Sin of Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost who says That if Christ had directed the Man in the Gospel to go to the Spirit of Truth and wait for it he had directed him out of the way of Life O sad that ever such a Monster of Men should appear in these days when the Lord is so graciously arising with his Healing Wing of Light Life and Spirit to save his Israel out of the Hands of their Souls Enemies And thou T. Hall say'st farther God forbid that Christ should send or direct People that were in Ignorance of the ways of Salvation to go and learn of the Holy Spirit of Truth to be taught of it and not at Moses 's Law I say again This proceeds from the same bitter Root of Error and Blasphemy in thee that the former did and so Wo Wo Wo to that Nest that hatches such Venomous Birds and Cockatrice Eggs as thou dost And if that People of whom thou professest thy self a Member should see these things and not deny thee for them they would be as much to blame as thy self who hast plunged thy self so deep into the Pit of Destruction that no less than a Miracle of Mercy can help thee to see and acknowledge the Truth of God whom thou hast Blasphemed For O thou full of all Unrighteousness What must ignorant People come to know the things of God by but only by the Spirit of Truth as Paul says No Man knows the things of God but the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2.11 And saith Paul Gal. 3.2 to some of like mind with this T. H. concerning Moses's Law This only would I learn of you Received ye the Spirit by the Works of the Law or by the Hearing of Faith And Verse 3. Are ye so foolish having begun in the Spirit are ye now made perfect by the Flesh Thus he shews That the Spirit of God is received into the Believing Soul through the hearing of Faith preach'd and not by any fleshly conforming to Moses's Letter of that Law for saith he in Ver. 10. of that Chapter As many as are of the Works of the Law are under the Curse For it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them See T. Hall what thou hast done for thy self and wouldst do for others by pleading for Moses's Letter of the Law to be over Christian People thou hast brought thy self under the Curse for they that come under that Covenant of Works must not only do all things written in the Book but they must continue therein without Sinning or Offending against it otherwise they are Cursed as the Apostle James in another place saith He that keepeth the whole Law and sinneth in one Point is guilty of all And so as I instanced to thee in that of the Sabbath day for though in thy blind Mind thou wouldst be a Teacher of the Law yet thou neither knowest what thou say'st nor whereof thou affirmest for the Sabbath-day which Moses commanded to the People under that Covenant was the Seventh day of the Week which thou neither keepest thy self nor any of thy Fellows and so you are guilty of breaking the whole Law and so under the Curse And whereas you think to save your Heads by saying You keep the next day being the First day of the Week for a Sabbath that will help you nothing at all for the Law admitted of no change of the day which was the Seventh from the Creation into another day And so the Apostles meeting together on the First day of the Week was so far from establishing the legal Sabbath that it was on purpose done to shew that Christ the end of the Law and everlasting Sabbath of Rest to his People was come And so to thee T. Hall and all of like mind with thee I say as Paul to the Galatians Chap. 4.21 c. Tell me ye that desire to be under the Law Do ye not hear the Law For it is written Abraham had two Sons the one by a Bond-woman the other by a Free But he who was of the Bond-woman was born after the Flesh but he of the Free woman was by promise Which things are an Allegory for these are the two Covenants the one from Mount Sinai which gendereth to Bondage which is Agar For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia and answereth to Jerusalem which now is and is in Bondage with her Children But Jerusalem which is above is free which is the Mother of us all For it is written Rejoyce thou barren that bearest not break forth and cry thou that
the Law was in its Childhood but when the Fulness of God's time came for the Manifestation of his Christ and the Pourings forth of his Glorious Spirit according to Prophesie and Promise then came the Church to be like the Heir at full Age entering into the Blessed Possession of the Father's Kingdom the Inheritance of Saints in Light And therefore saith Christ the Law and the Prophets were unto John since which time the Kingdom of God is preached and People press into it And amongst them that are Born of Women there hath not a isen a greater Prophet than John Bâ—pâ—â—st but he that is least in the Kingdom of God is greate than he Therefore Wo is unto thee Tho. Hall and all such Jewish Spirits that would shut up this Blessed Kingdom of God from Men and you will neither enter into the Kingdom of God your selves nor suffer others Obj. But what then was the Law for Answ Paul answers The Law was added because of Transgression till the Seed which is Christ came to which the Promise was And so saith he before Faith came we were kept under the Law shut up unto the Faith afterwards to be revealed Gal. 3.23 Then saith he Verse 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Law was our School-master unto Christ but never a word of bringing us to Christ by Moses's Law but a shuting up We were shut up schooled saith he or hard kept to our Task and Whipped But he that reveals Christ to the Soul and draws the Soul to Christ is the Father by the Living Power of his own Eternal Spirit whom the Fleshly World knows not Obj. But must not the Soul be humbled in the sight and sence of its Sin before it can receive Christ for Salvation Answ I say yea but this is the Work of Christ also who by his own Eternal Spirit which ministers his Fiery Law doth Convince the World of all their Sins of Unbelief and mighty Transgressions whereby they have dishonoured him and slighted all his Love and so that which now makes all the Sins of People so Damnable is their Sin of not believing in and receiving Christ the Light of the World into their Heares to dwell guide and rule there and so he that believeth not is Damned already saith Christ and this is the Condemnation that Light is come into the World and Men believed it not And ye search the Scriptures saith Christ to those Jews that boasted of being Moses's Disciples for in them ye think to have Eternal Life and they are they that testifie of me but ye will noâ— come to me that ye may have Life Also consider that Paul for all his Zealous Profession of Moses's Law and Letter-knowledge was never truly sensible of nor truly humbled for his Sins until Christ appeared from Heaven and struck him down See Tho. Hall how Christ here sets forth the Nature of Carnal Professors of the Letter of Scripture and Boasters of Moses's Law they are dead from God because they will not come to Christ in whom only is Life They thought to have had Eternal Life in the Scriptures which test fi d of Christ but they sticking in the Form and dead Profession of the Letter without Christ the Living Power of God to Salvation they could not have Life Eternal Foâ— he only that hath the Son of God hath Life and he that hath not the Son hath not Life but the Wrath of God abides upon him For you being under the Law as is said before are under the Curse and the Law worketh Wrath saith Paul and that is the reason that the Carnal Professors of the Letter are Persec tors of the Life of Christ where-ever it is made manifest in Son or Daughter in all Ages as Paul saith in that forementioned place Gal. 4. He that was Born after the Flesh Persecuted him that was Born after the Spirit even so it is now But the Lamb shall have the Victory and the mouth of all Iniquity shall be stopped Glory to the Lord our God over all for Evermore Another Piece of thy Enmity Tho. Hall against Christ and his Spirit is manifest in thy Paper where thou sayest That there is no Scripture that warrants Peoples going from the Law as Moses taught though it 's a Law written in the Letter to hear and learn at any other either a Christ Called a Law-giver or the Spirit of Truth as you call it Answ So here all may see that thou art so full of Enmity against Christ that thou canst not endure to have him honoured with the Title of Law-giver and thou art so full of Darkness that thou knows not nor wilt believe that God's People have any such thing indeed as the Holy Spirit to guide and teach them but comes forth with thy scornful Words like the Jews that Crowned him with Thorns and Spit in his Face saying A Christ called a Law-giver or the Spirit of Truth as you call it So it 's high time for all People to take heed of falling into the Error of these Men to wit Tho. Hall and his Fellows who have chosen the Killing Letter of Moses's Law and denied the Son of God and his Blessed Spirit and so have Builded the Babel of their Rotten Profession upon a Foundation of Sand to wit their own Righteousness which in the Day of God will utterly fail them for every Man's Works must be tried by Fire And so all such as have not Christ for their Foundation must Perish For other Foundation can no man lay than that which is laid even Christ who is our ALL and will Reign over all his Enemies for Evermore And so let no Man trouble us any more for we bear in our Bodies the Marks of the Lord Jesus And Ever-praised be his Name who hath given us an Understanding to know him the Salvation of God to be in us and we in him and so to be Witnesses for him before Men that the time of the fulfilling of his Scriptures is come which saith Jer. 31.31 c. Heb. 8. Behold the Days come saith the Lord that I will make a New Covenant with the House of Judah and with the House of Israel after those Days not according to the Covenant which I made with their Fathers in the Day when I took them by the Hand to lead them out of the Land of Egypt which my Covenant they broke although I was an Husband to them saith the Lord but this is the Covenant that I will make with them after those Days saith the Lord I will put my Laws into their minds and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a People And they shall not teach every man his Neighbours and every man his Brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest For I will be merciful to their Vnrighteousness and their Sins and their Iniquities will I remember no more Now in
that he saith A New Covenant he hath made the first Old Now that whichâ—d cayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away This is the Apostle's Conclusion from the former words as is to be seen in the last Verse of that 8th Chapter to the Hebrews Now mind whoever thou art that reads these words that the Covenant which here he calls Old was that which God made with the Fleshly Seed of Abraham at their coming out of Egypt which is mentioned in the Writings of Moses as you may read and part of this Covenant was the Two Tables of Stone which the Lord by his Angel delivered Moses for that People to observe and keep with the rest of what Moses had in Charge for them and set down in the outward Book to be done and which the Children of Israel did Promise and Covenant that they would observe and do but they broke Covenant with God as all Flesh ever did and doth at this Day and so the Lord regarded them not for no Flesh can do what the Pure Spiritual Lord God commands them having no more help thereto but what a Law or Letter without can furnish them withal and therefore the Lord God in love to Man's Soul sent Christ into the World to be his own Arm and Power to and in Man to bring forth that Righteousness and Holiness which he required and therefore saith Paul after he saw his own utter unableness to do the Will of God with all the outward Helps that ever he had he concludes that they that are in the Flesh cannot please God let them turn which way they can for the Enmity against the Law whilst in that Principle and in that thou T. H. art still remains against the Spiritual Law of God as he saith Rom. 8.7 For the Carnal Mind is not subject to the Law of God nor indeed can be And therefore as Paul so must all come to Christ the Lord that Spirit to know him in them to destroy the Enmity out of them that so the Will of God and Law of his Mouth which is Spiritual may be done in them and so come to witness as Paul there in Rom. 8.2 did That the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made them free from the Law of Sin and Death And the Ground or Reason of the Lord 's gracious Dealing with Man in the next Verse e sets down saying For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the Flesh God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful Flesh and for Sin condemned Sin in the Flesh And the end of all this he shews in the next Verse saying That the Righteousness of God's Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit And thus he stops the Mouths of all the Enemies of Christ who with Tho Hall would object That with Preaching of Christ and his Light and hi Spirit in Man to be all in all they make void the Law Answ Nay nay I say By Preaching Christ we establish the Law to the Glory of God in Christ over all And so thou Tho. Hall hast been he which hath not hitherto either truly heard Moses nor the Prophets nor Christ nor his Apostles or his Spirit in these days and so canst not in that wretched Mind believe though one come from the Dead And so for the Truths sake and to stop the Errors and Blasphemies of this Thomas Hall who ceaseth not to pour forth his Ignorance against the Lord Jesus Christ and his blessed Spirit of Light and Life in Man the only Teacher of God's People in these Gospel days have I writ these Lines that the Truth of the Gospel against his and all such Unbelieving Jewish Persecuting Spirits in these days may stand cear over all their Heads and triumph for ever in the Hearts and Consciences of all tender and honest-minded People whose Desires 〈◊〉 continually after the Kingdom of God and the Righteousness thereof whose Kingdom is everlasting and the Righteousness thereof is Pure Spotless and Undefiled of God and endureth for ever And this is our Righteousness and the Righteousness of all Saints Praised be God for ever and for whose Name and Truths sake and for bearing Testimony thereof in this World do we suffer Reproach and Persecutions from the present evil World not only of the Prophane but even of many such unreasonable professing vain Talkers as this T. Hall who would be Teachers of the Law not knowing what they say nor whereof they affirm as Paul the Apostle of Christ witnessed of such in his days who would never be quiet from opposing the Gospel with their False Interpretations of the Law until God cut them off and cast them away for their Wickedness But we know saith the same Apostle in that place to wit 1 Tim. 1.5 6 7 c. that the Law is good if a Man use it lawfully I nowing this that the Law is not made for a righteous Man but for the Lawless and Disobedient for the Vngodly and for Sinner c. So say we and so the Law of God we love and honour â—s God's Ordinance for good to restrain limit and condemn such ungodly and unreasonable Spirits as this T. Hall is for those that will not believe nor obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ must be ruled and bruised and condemned with the Iron Rod of God's righteous Law which whatsoever it saith it saith to them that are under it that every sinful Mouth may be stopped and all the World of wicked unbelieving Men may be found guilty before God Glory to his Name for ever who giveth us the Victory by Jesus Christ our Lord who is our Light Life Wisdom Righteousness and Salvation for ever whose Grace alone is able to keep us and preserve us and present us and all that believe in his Light and know him in them unto himself without Spot and Wrinkle and unreprovable in everlasting Peace Rests a Lover of the Soul of Man which is in great Captivity until it come to the Liberty of God's Sons and who in a patient quiet Suffering way do wait to do it good as a Servant of God wherein I may be known amongst Men by the Name of Thomas Taylor but in the New Name which is of God and not of this World which the Father hath given me doth my Soul rejoyce And though I be set a-part for Sufferings amongst the reproached despised People of God called Quakers by the World yet we are Happier than our Persecutors in that the Lord is on our sides and justifies us in his way which is Christ while his Holy Spirit testifies against our Adversaries because they are his Adversaries He that hath an Ear to hear let him hear and give Glory to God by believing for these words are Faithful and True Thomas Taylor FINIS A Testimony for the Lord God and His Work in the Earth HEar O EARTH and hearken ye
How could the Word of God be called a Mystery hid from Ages and Generations but now is made manifest if the Light within be sufficient And then quotes Eph. 3.9 Col. 1.25 26. Mat. 11.25 I answer That it was within and sufficient when it lay hid as a Mystery till God's full time came of revealing it and therefore Christ compares it to many Powerful and Precious though hidden things and of little account to the outward view as to a Grain of Mustard-seed in the Earth to a little Leaven within much Flower to Treasure hid in the Field and Christ said to the Pharisees that God's Kingdom was to be found in Man he excludes none and those Scriptures thou sett'st down prove for this Truth and against thy roving Mind which is in the outward observings thinking to find the Kingdom there when Christ saith it cometh not that way see Luke 17.20 21. What wilt thou conclude it was not because it lay hid What Logick is this Doth not Paul there say that the Mystery which was so hid and which he by the Spirit now Preached which was Christ in the Gentiles the Hope of Glory And Christ was Light and to this Light he warned every Man to take heed but the little Children not the Masters obey the Voice and so are led into the Understanding of the Mystery Qu. 2. In the next general Query thou askest Are not the Scriptures the Words of the Lord whose Words are they And why is the Scripture so often called the Word of God and the Word of the Lord And for this thou brings many Scriptures as Exod. 24.4 2 Kings 20.26 27 28 29. Psal 12.6 Jer. 36.4 6 8 11. Acts 19.10 2 Cor. 2.17 1 Thes 1.8 Answ To this I say First That the Holy Scriptures were given forth by Holy Men of God as they were moved by the Holy Ghost and so they may be called the Words of God or of the Lord not that Spirit and Living Word but that those Scriptures prove what thou bringest them for to wit that the Scriptures or Writings without is there called the Word of God is not true it is said indeed in that of 2 Kings 20.16 That Isaiah said unto Hezekiah Hear the Word of the Lord and Hezekiah said Good is the Word of the Lord and in other places of Scriptures that the Word of the Lord came to the Prophets and that in the fore-mentioned place of Acts and Corinthians and Thessalonians mention is made of the Apostles Preaching the Word of God all this is true but of Exodus and Psalms and Jeremiah mention is made of Words but what doth all this prove but only that the Word came to Holy Men this Word was God and as this Word moved in them and gave them Wisdom and Utterance they writ or spoke forth Words as a Declaration of what was in the Mind or Word of God or what God was and what though the Scriptures may be thus called The Words of the Lord or his Prophets or Apostles Acted by his Power which we never denied this is nothing to the Hypocrites who use their Tongues to say The Lord saith when he never spoke by them but make a Trade of the Scriptures for filthy Lucre and by their much pressing the Declaration to be the Word of God have quite clouded the Word it self Christ from whence true Words come from the Peoples Minds so that scarce any have any true Living Feeling after God in his Word Christ for in the beginning was the Word before all Declarations and shall be after all the Peaceable Life of all that Believe for ever So that the Lord saw it good to stir up a People in these days to be True and Living Witnesses of the Word for the stopping of the Mouths of all such as have gotten the Words as Thieves from others and so kept People in the form with themselves always Professing but never Possessing the Power which the Scripture Witness unto and so the Letter and empty Words kill'd and do kill but now the Living Spirit and Living Word being Witnessed the Scriptures is owned in its place and Resurrection to Life being felt the Crown is set upon the King's Head whose Name is called The Word of God who was and is and is to come over all God Blessed for evermore and it is considerable that the Ministers of Christ are never called Ministers of the Letter or Words but of the Word and Spirit 2 Cor. 3. and that Christ and his Apostles mentioning the Prophets Words usually called them Scripture and not The Word of God as the custom of Hypocrites is now All Flesh is Grass and all outward Sounds and Signs vanish but the Word of the Lord that endures for ever and this is that Word which by the Gospel the Power of God is Preached and by nothing else savingly which when understood People are One but not before for it is the weakness which is like the Womans speaking makes Dissention so let the Scripture have its due and the Word of God its due and all is Beautiful in its place Query 3. In thy third thou askest How shall we know whether the Spirit that speaks in us be the Spirit of God or an evil Spirit but by trying them by the Scriptures And for this thou bringest 1 John 4.1 Isa 8.19 20. Acts 17.11 John 5.39 then thou replies and as it were says If you say we know the Spirit to be of God because it convinceth of Sin then I ask how do you know that to be Sin but by the Scripture For this thou bringest 1 John 3.4 Sin is a Transgression of the Law and afterwards says If we say that Spirit tells us it 's of God or that we know it but by its Fruit how do we know it not to be a lying Spirit or how do we know the Fruits of the Spirit but by Scripture Answ Now I say by all this it plainly appears that thou art no Gospel-Minister no Minister of the Spirit of God at all but art a meer talker of the Letter and Law not knowing what it faith nor whereof it affirmeth for doth not the next Covenant run thus I will put my Law in their Hearts and in their Minds will I write it Jer. 31.31 and Heb. 8.8 and the Apostle that said unto his Brethren Try the Spirits in that place 1 John 4 1. did not say you have a writing without by which you know all things but you have an Anointing from the Holy One and this abides in you and by this they know all things 1 John 2.20 27. according to what Paul in 1 Cor. 2.15 16. saith The Spiritual Man judgeth or discerneth all things but is judged or discerned of none for the Natural Man knows nothing aright though he may have all the Scriptures to talk of without him and though he may cry up in appearance even as Isaiah said to the Law and to the Testimony yet he never goes to the Law
tell of the Jewish Temple Synagogues and Pulpit thou askest if Christ and his Apostles did not resort to these places to instruct the People To which I answer First That whilst the Jewish People stood Christ and his Apostles did sometimes go into their Temple and Synagogues to Preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and so an end of those things and to bring them out of these things which they and you so much dote on and plead for but they did never Command Christians to Build such amongst them but told them Their Bodies were the Temples of God 1 Cor. 3. and that those that abide in the Faiâ—h were the House of God Heb. 2. And these Christians never so confined themselves or others to any such place for the Exercise of their Conscience in the Worship of God but met as the Lord Jesus and his Apostles did much less did they stir up the Magistrate and drive the Jews out of their Temple and Synagogues and the Gentiles out of theirs that so they might creep into their Houses and under another Form of Worship live upon the Jewish Priests Tythes Offerings c. nor upon the Maintenance of the Idolatrous Priests of Diana and the like Idols as you Priests to the shame of your Profession have done and do at this day What have you driven the Papists out of their Mass-houses and do live upon their Priests Maintenance of Tythes Glebe-lands Smoke-mony Garden-pence Handmony and the rest of their Foolish things What cannot a Man be Born Marry Live nor Die but you must have Mony for it O Horrible and Filthy thing stop your Mouths for ever for your Folly is manifest to all and you can proceed no further And so you Priests of the last Order called Presbyters did not you drive out the Prelates out of their Houses which they had gotten from the Papists and there you sate down Feeding upon the Spoil of the People as your Fathers had done and now think much that you are driven out again And thus you fight with and drive out one another like wild Beasts striving each of you to get Power of others to be great in the Earth and do what you will in your fat Pastures But as I said the Lord is arisen to whip you all out and to pull down your Nests and to restore all things to their Primitive Purity as in the beginning before the Temples Tythes Pulpits and such things were Secondly I consider that though I read that Christ and his Apostles went amongst the People in their Temple and Synagogues as we do at this day to Preach the end of these things and so to bring People to the Word that was in the Beginning before all things that the Worship might be in Spirit and Truth as it ought to be John 4. Yet I never read that either Christ or his Apostles got up into their Pulpit nor ever Commanded his to perk up into a Pulpit of Wood over the People as a Master of a Synagogue to tell his Thoughts of the Letter as you do For though Ezra a Priest of the Law had his Pulpit or Tower of Wood to Read or Expound the Letter in in those days before the Life was manifest yet now the Life Christ Jesus is arisen whose Voice in the Heart and in all places is to be heard without a Pulpit and without Mony and without Price and the Apostles Preached this Gospel in Towns and Countries where neither Temple Synagogue nor Pulpit was but Tumults rather and so the Gospel is not a thing that will set up its Servants in Worldly Honour but indeed the contrary which he that hath an Ear may hear but the Wicked is so Proud in Heart that neither Preacher nor Professor amongst them will stoop to the simplicity of it The next thing Considerable in this Query is thy twisting and striving to keep up the Honour of the old Mass-house however if it be but a Name though it want the Nature yet if thou canst save that thou thinkest better that than nothing and say'st What though the Saints of God are called the Church yet that cannot hinder the House where the Church meets from being called a Church A Profound Reasoning What is this the Fruit of your cried up Vniversities What must every Place where any People meet be calledby the Name of that People What Logick is this Surely the Wisdom of the World makes haste into its Nothing again God is utterly Confounding it Do you call the place where the Parliament or Privy Council sit the Parliament or Privy Council Do you call a Barn or such a mean place where the Saints of God now a-days often meet by the Name of a Church If we should Reason for the places where we meet as you do for yours surely you would Laugh at us and might then well call us filly Women and Seducers indeed But to go on thou bringest a Scripture as though thou would'st prove the thing and it is Acts 19.37 but the place being well weighed shames thee the more for the words in that place are the words of a Town-Clark a Worshipper of Idols and they are these For you have brought hither these Men which are neither Robbers of Churches as K. James's Translators of the Bible have it but in the Translation of the Bible by Beza it is You have brought hither these Men which have neither committed Sacriledge nor c. if Paul had spoken to him or others and called a Stone-house a Church as ye do it had been something to the purpose but the Heathen speaking there of Sacriledge improperly Translated Robbing of Churches can neither be understood to speak of a Christian Assembly nor the place where they Assemble for the Covetous and Idolatrous Copper-smith and his Rude Fellows matterr'd little what Paul had done to these but this Sacriledge whatever it was it must needs respect something that the Heathen had in great Esteem But thou bringing this to prove that a House may be called a Church because of the Church that may meet in it is nothing at all to the purpose for thou wilt not say it 's like that the Worshippers of Diana were the Church for he that runs without Light must needs stumble if not fall often So J. R. walk more soberly and take some Light along with thee when thou hast to do in such things Then the last thing in this thy Query is a secret Confession of a weakness of thy own Arguments in this matter and thou say'st What tho' the Worship of God be not so tyed to any place as formerly yet there should be convenient places for the Church to meet in Answ I answer The Worship of God now is not tyed to any set place at all and so all your set places that you plead for are in the will of Man and the true Church God both hath and will order it and provide convenient places for it to meet in though the World cannot
dwels keeps People always learning and never brings any to the Knowledge of perfecting Truth of the Lord Jesus for how should it For they have Run and I never sent them saith God therefore they shall not profit the People at all Jer. 23. And under this woful Condition lieth all the World of unbelieving People who believe not in the Truth Christ Jesus but follow their own dark Spirits which see nothing of the Kingdom of God nor the Holy Worshippers therein A long and dark Night of Apostacy hath passed over the World since the Apostles time wherein the Spirit of Antichrist and Devils hath wrought effectually in the Children of Disobedience as was foretold to the blinding of their Minds and hardning their Hearts against the Everlasting Gospel of Truth the Heavenly Light and Power of God unto Salvation and hath so deluded them that they have thought they were doing God service when they were Persecuting his Truth and Members of his Body as many in the same dark deluded state do at this day but now the Lord is lifting up his Standard against that great Whore Dragon false Prophet and their Armies who Gog and Magog like would devour the Lambs of Christ And now no Weapon formed against Christ his Truth and People shall ever prosper any more at all but the Lamb shall have the Victory and the Kingdom Dominion and Greatness of it shall be given to the Saints of the Most High God whose Kingdom is Everlasting and that Nation Kingdom and People that will not bow to Truth will moulder away and come to nothing as the Lord hath said For now is the effect of every Vision fully to come and no more at all to be prolonged And therefore Wo Wo to the Inhabitants of the Earth and the Sea who are putting the Day of the Lord a far off crying Peace Peace when there is no Peace for there is no Peace to any who will not have Jesus Christ the true Light that Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World to rule in them and over them for his is the Kingdom Glory and Power and he will Reign for Evermore in the midst of his Enemies Glory to his Name without ceasing Amen and Amen saith my Soul whom thou hast Redeemed O Holy One of Israel to set forth thy Praise amongst the Living in Jerusalem thy Holy Hill so be it So now O all ye that love Righteousness and daily wait to see the Heavenly Kingdom thereof set up in you and in all People I T. T. your Brother in the Joys and Sufferings of the Gospel having had through the Mercifulness of our God and Father perfect knowledge of his Good Way from the beginning of this Day of his Love which hath dawned upon his Beloved Seed in these Islands and in all the World do declare and bear my Testimony for God amongst many Brethren that there is no way to God the Father of Light but by the Light Christ Jesus that true Light that Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World with a Light that is Pure Free Spiritual and Sufficient that all Men through it may believe and so be led out of Darkness Sin and Death the ways of Sin into the Marvellous Light and Life of Righteousness and true Holiness and so into Fellowship with the Holy God without which Holiness none can see him nor enjoy him for ever For this Gift of God the Light is Holy and in all that believe and receive it it brings forth it s own Blessed Image which is Holiness And it is Free and works according to its own Blessed Nature in all that joyn to it setting them free from all their Spiritual Enemies whatsoever and so making them Free-born Children of the Heavenly Jerusalem which is free for evermore from all the false and imbondaging Impositions of the Man of Sin whatsoever And so also because this Heavenly Gift of God Christ Jesus the Light who Lighteth every Man John 1.9 is perfect and shines in the Heaâ—t therefore it doth of its own Nature make perfect every Man that wiâ—h their Hearts receive it and so come to God by it It makes perfect to God as pertaining â—o the very Heart and Conscience of all its Lovers for if you Love the Light you Love God from whence it comes for he that Loves him that is sent â—oveth also him that sent him And therefore I say unto all People upon the face of the Earth that all that Faith Hope Worship Religion or whatever it may be called That stands not in and is not carried on in this Power of God the Light which Lighteth every Man is nothing worth Every good and perfect Gift saith James cometh down from the Father of Light who is Unchangeable and it shines in the Heart of every Man though the Darkness which through the Full hath gotten place there comprehends it not yet the Light is there a sure Foundation a tried Corner-Stone Elect and Precious Blessed are all that fall upon it so as to be broken into Godly Sorrow and Tenderness of Heart and Blessed are all that Build upon it they shall be called the Elect of God Precious Sons and Daughters of Zion and their Building shall never fail them nay the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against their FAITH because it standeth in the Power of God Christ Jesus the Light that ever Liveth to keep them in a good and safe Condition that thus come to God by him The Day is dawned which makes all things manifâ—ll Praised be God forever even the Spirit of Truth which leadeth into all Truth is come and the Holy Anâ—iâ—ting is witnessed in all that believe in the Name of the Living Unchangeable God which Teacheth all things and it abideth in the Faithful Hearts and is sufficient And he called the Light Day and so the joyful Day which the Lord hath made being come we will Rejoyce and be Glad in it though the Children of Darkness be never so Angry For the Lord our Strength will maintain our Cause against all his Foes for evermore so be it And now though the Children of the Night be many and Professors of the Letter of Scripture that want the Life of it come forth as so many Armies to plead for and contend for their several formed Ways and invented Worships against the Children of God this day who Worship God in Spirit and in Truth yet Greater is he that is in us then he that is in the World and so though we are forced to Build in this our Holy City New Jerusalem with our Spiritual Sword in our Hand yet we are all well content finding the Lord still with us in this Day of the Restoration of all things And so though Tobiah and Sanballat with all the Heathen Mock and carry false Reports concerning us to the Rulers of the Earth yet through the Help of our God we are enabled to go on in our Holy Spiritual Work in the Lord 's Holy City
and Temple and the Word of the Lord Prospers in our Hand and in our Hearts And though they say we deny the Ordinances of God because we cannot plead for or put confidence in a Shadow or Figure yet holding the Head Christ Jesus the Light and Life Eternal we are safe enough and have the Witness of God in our Hearts Justifying us and Sealing in our Hearts our Acceptance with his Majesty which is our Peace and Assurance for ever for Praised be the Name of God for ever who hath given us an understanding to know him that is true the Son of God and we are in him that is true who is the Everlasting Ordinance of God and in him are we Baptized with a Baptism made without Hands and our Supper is with the Lord in Spirit and Truth where we are daily given to feed freely at his Table whose Body is Meat indeed who said I am the Living Bread that gives Life for ever John 6. And he that Believeth in me and feedeth on me shall never Dye chap. 6.50 51. God gave the Children of Israel Manna in the Wilderness and they died notwithstanding but my Father giveth you the true Bread For God so loved the World that he gave his Son to be the Light and Life of Man and so to as many as Received him then and do Receive him now to dwell in their Hearts by Faith to them he gave and daily doth give Power to become the Sons of God whose Birth is not of the Mortal Seed of Flesh and Blood nor the Mind or Will or Words thereof but of the Incorruptible Seed of the Word of God Eternal Real and Essential which Lives and Endures for Ever which perishes not with Using as mortal thing do but it Lives and Triumphs in its own Creating saving Sustaining Upholding Comforting and satisfying Virtue and Power for evermore well witnessed in the Hearts of Spiritual Believers this day For in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and by it wore all things made and it was and is the Light and Life of Man and he Delighted and doth also this day greatly Rejoyce and Delight in the habitable parts of his Creation For I will dwell in them and walk in them who open unto me saith the Lord who by his Servant said Behold I stand at the door and knock and by his Servant also now saith Behold the Lord stands at the door of your Hearts all People and whosoever opens unto him he will come in unto them and the pure in Heart shall see the pure and Holy God supping with them and they with him and they shall drink abundantly of the Heavenly Wine with Jesus Christ in the Fathers Kingdom fresh and Living for now is the Lord rending away the Vail the Covering that hath been upon the hearts of People and making to all People the Feasts of fat things full of Marrow and of Wine upon the Lees well Refined And now is the Lord God Blessed for ever fulfilling the Promises of his Great Love in Christ Jesus which have been since the World began in this day of the pouring forth of his Holy Spirit whereby the Holy City New Jerusalem is felt come down from God out of Heaven and God himself dwelling with Men even the Tabernacle of God with Man as was said before all Holy Praises to his Name Yea he that sits upon the Throne hath made and is daily making all things New and now the Lamb is known to be the Light of his People and they need no other for the Anointing which they have of him Teacheth all things and now is Jerusalem a rejoycing indeed and her People a joy but now the Uncircumcised in Heart and Ear who do always resist the Holy Ghost are greatly troubled and offended by reason of the great Darkness and enmity of their Hearts because they cannot in their unclean mind enter in for into this City no unclean thing nor any that loves or makes a Lie can enter for now the Serpents meat is Dust and his Head is bruised Glory to God for ever See Isa 65.17 c. Rev. 21.1 c. Acts 7.51 52. And now are all the Climers who have not come in by the door but are Climed up another way in their unclean minds whom Christ calls Thieves and Robbers â—seen and by the same that discovers them Judged and Condemned these are they that have taken away the Key of Knowledge and will neither enter into the Kingdom of God themselves nor suffer those that are entring into enter These are they whom Christ-cries wo against who love to be called of Men Master heady and high minded Men with the great Train of their seduced Followers who Plead for them and Fight for them because they cry Peace to them in their Sins and tell them they must never be Perfâ—ct whil'st they are here but must carry about them a Body of Sin without all Hope of ever being free'd from it whil'st on Earth and so in effect deny the end of Christ's coming who came to set free the Soul by destroying the Body of Sin also they deny the very end the very end of Christ's Ministry for when he Ascended up on High he gave gifts to Men for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the Body of Christ and for the Perfecting of the Saints Ephes 4. Come ye Contenders against Truth Is not the Perfecting of the Saints in Holiness by bringing them out of Unholiness and in Faith out of Unbelief and into the Spirit out of the Flesh and all Fleshly and Perishing Observations And doth not the Ministry of Christ which is the true Spiritual Ministry attain its end and do its work to the utmost Yea yea though the Ministers of Antichrist Fret and Foam and Gainsay and Contradict and Blaspheme and spend their strength in Vain and perfect nothing but their Sins yet the Work of the Lord goes on and Prospers and the Body of Christ is Built up and the Songs of Sion Sung in the Holy Land and none can take part therein but the Redeemed of the Lord who are redeemed from the Earth into the Heavenly Society and Church of the First-born whose Names are written in Heaven and who follow the Lamb whither soever he goes these are not Defiled with the Cup of the great Whore for they are Virgins and have Oil in their Lamps and so need not go to the Merchants of Babylen to buy And so all People bow to Truth in the inward parts for obedience to that is the Sacrifice which God requireth and better than all other Sacrifices all your Sabboth out of this are but meer Druggeries and all your Will worship Ceremonies and Traditions being out of this are but meer mock Services yea out of this to wit the Light and Truth in the inward parts your very Faith is vain and your Hope of none effect and your Prayers Sin for unto
like Not knowing what they say nor whereof they affirm when they speak of such things because to the Kingdom of Heaven within in Man they are Strangers Eyes they have but see not and Ears but hear not for the inward Eye which should see have they fast closed and the Ear which should hear have they shut lest they should see and hear and be converted and be saved But Blessed is the Eye that sees the Kingdom of God which he hath set up and is setting up in his Trembling People and the Ear that hears the unutterable Word of the Living Father which raiseth the Dead they shall ever be Prasing of him in the Congregation of the Righteous where none can come to make affraid for these Love and Fear the Lord and that frees them from the Fear of Vain Man whose Breath is in his Nostrils But all whose Religion stands upon the Sandy Foundation of Mans Wisdom and Thoughts and Doings which Perfects not to God these will be like the Chaff which the Wind scatters to and fro the Regenerating Power of Gods Eternal Spirit they being ignorant of in themselves all their shew of Religion is meer Hypocrisie and the Religion of Hypocrites shall never be established for all who gather not with Christ shall scatter and every Plant that his Heavenly Spiritual Hand hath not Planted shall be rooted up O! What Darkness have you wrapt your selves in and how is the Understanding Part clouded in you that you will neither see nor learn to know the things that pertain to Everlasting Life Can you say the Branches of the fallen Tree the first Adam are Unholy and Corrupt because of the Unholiness of the Root And will you not see that the Members of the Heavenly Man Christ Jesus who never fell are Holy because of the Holyness of the Root For if the Root be Holy so are the Branches Anoint your Eyes with Eye-Salve that if possible you may see and know a better Root in you than the fallen Mans Nature to grow on that the Kingdom of Holiness you may feel come near you For they that are in the Flesh cannot please God whatever they may profess And this adds to their Misery that when they have brought forth the Deadly Works of the Flesh they would charge them upon Gods Elect and make their Works like their own These Fleshly ones are great Enemies to Christ and his Righteousness and his Members for they that are in Christ are New Creatures and to Abel and his Offering God hath still Respect though Cain and his Offering was always Rejected because Polluted with Sin as the Prayers and Performances of all Hypocrites are at this day Therefore for this purpose was the Son of God manifested and is at this Day Received of the Faithful even to destroy Sin which is the Devils Work And in him to wit Christ Jesus the Light is there no Sin nor Sinsul Narure So they that Love Christ and Walk in his Life and Light please God for he is that Way Undefiled wherein no Unclean can Walk but the Redeemed are here And what if I should set down the words of Jesus to wit Whosoever abideth in Christ Sioneth not whosoever Sinneth hath not seen him nor known him 1 John 3.6 Can you believe it I know you cannot whilst you stand reasoning with Flesh and Blood not Believing in the Light that Lighteh every Man that cometh into the World but call the Light of Christ in Man Natural and thâ—n put the Letter which only witnesses to the Light instead of it And then the Enemy works in your Natural Earthly Wisdom causing you to wrest Scriptures to Establish your Empty Forms which maks nothing Perfect and this was the Sin of the Old Jews who though they talked of the Messiah yet when he appeared they would not come to him that they might be saved and so under the Dead Profession of the Letter they lay Slain And tho' they had a Zeal for God as you have now yet it was not according to Knowledge and so stumbled at the Stumbling-Stone and so in their dark minds would needs keep up the Forms and Shadows of things in opposition to the Substance the thing it self Christ Jesus when he appeared as you do now O! that you could be perswaded of this how well would it be for your Poor Souls in time to come Therefore now that the True Heavenly Everlasting All-sufficient Light is broken forth again from under the Clouds after the long Dark Night of Apostacy turn your Minds in to know a measure of it in you and wait therein to be led out of all the Dark Paths of Sin and Error by it For I am the Way saith Christ the Light that true Light which Lighteth every Man that cometh into the World and I will send my Holy Spirit of Truth to lead into all Truth He is come and his Promise fulfilled Glory to his Name forever And do you not know that Christ is in you except you be Reprobates saith the Apostle And if we walk in the Light as he is in the Light then have we fellowship one with another and the Blood of this innocent Lamb cleanseth from all Sin and washeth from all Unrighteousness all real Comers thereunto saith the same Spirit Therefore go not forth for without are Doggs and all Liars but Truth and the Kingdom of it is to be found within nigh in the Heart O how Beautiful is the Way of the Just Holiness is the Girdle of their Reins continually their Hearts ponder deep things in Holiness they do no Iniquity who walk in this Everlasting Undefiled WAY Christ Jesus the Light for by the Light are they led out of all Defilements and to such there is no occasion of Stumbling O stoop down low with your minds to the Light of Christ in you that convinceth you of Sin and Evil that through the Light the true Door and Daily-Cross to the Carnal Mind you may come into the Sheep-fold for all who clime up another Way are but as Thieves and Robbers and must be judged as Goats and set on the left hand because they would not hear Christ's Voice the Light in the Conscience to be led by it Great Wo to the Climers over the Door such neither receive Christ nor his Servants whom he sends but choose rather to follow such as love to be called of Men Master and live in the respect of Persons and Persecuting Nature and daub over an old Heart with fair Promises of Life as it is amongst you this Day for what tho' some in the outward stand against you for your Form and Words sake as the Heathen of old did the outward Jews yet both those outward Jews then as you outward Professors do now stood and do stand against Christ and us for his Truths sake For we find it true from you all that whosoever walketh in Christ and holdeth forth his Life and so Worshippeth God in Spirit and Truth shall
their own Members them of their own polluted Church who divers of them are left in Prison upon other accounts as well as over thee And so unless thou be provided for otherwise thou mayst remain there in Misery and Want or Perish there as well as they for any Care they will have of thee for thou must not look that they that hate their own Flesh can love thine But the Righteous cannot be forsaken for their Keeper is the Lord God of Truth and Love So O Prophet be content and wait in the Will of God in thy Condition for Blessed are they that Suffer for Righteousness sake and the Scripture must be fulfilled which saith They shall hawl you out of their Synagogues and many other ways evil intreat you yea some of you they shall put to Death and think therein they do God Service And so wait to see the Sins of Gilead full and then in the Judgment shalt thou O Prophet of God and all thy Suffering Brethren rejoyce and all the Workers of Iniquity be Confounded with all that Thirst for Blood and into the Holy City shall none such enter but the pure in Heart who have come through the great Tribulation and have washed their Garments white in the Blood of the Lamb shall only enter and alone inherit to the Glory of the eternal righteous God for evermore to whom all Honour and Glory is due for ever and ever Amen and Amen And now for the Use of these Doctrines oh Priests and People that make a Trade of talking of the Scripture of Truth and Uses from it now and then in your high Places but make none of walking in the Truth in your daily Conversation it is to let you see That there were Wolves in Sheeps Clothing formerly and so to find such now is no new or strange thing And That under a Profession of God People may be found Workers of Iniquity and full of Blood And That a whorish Spirit in a Teacher is a murtherous Spirit and will draw others from God into Wheredoms and Death and so by all means to be taken heed of And it is to let you see oh all People what evil use the Priests and Leaders of you the People in these days as formerly make of the Scripture for whereas as you may see here it was given forth by the Holy Men of God a Witness against the Enemies of God and for the Servants of God such People and Priests as formerly so now abuse and wrest it from its proper Mind Use and End going about what in them lieth to make it speak for Deceit and its Upholders and against Truth and its Followers as is manifest For whereas the Scripture speaks of no Worship now nor Worshippers to be acceptable to God and Christ but that which is in Spirit and Truth they wrest and force the Scripture for carrying on a Worship which stands in outward Ceremonies carnal Ordinances Types and Shadows and a Kingdom to come in outward Observations as Lo here lo there like the Jews which a Man of Flesh a Câ—in or an Ishmael or an Esau or a Haman or a Dives or a Judas may conform unto and be accepted with them just contrary to Scripture and so in effect deny Christ the Substance to be come and as the Scribes and Pharisees which came to Christ and said Why dost thou and thy Disciples break the Traditions of the Elders in eating with unwashen hands To whom Christ said Why do you make void the Law of God by your Traditions mentioning in particular their Corban So when the Priests the Teachers heaped up over the People in this Age say unto us whom God by his mighty Power and out-stretched Arm hath delivered out of Mystery Babylon yea Sodom and Egypt Spiritual where the Witnesses lay flain and where our Lord also was Crucified to worship him in Spirit and in Truth I say When they object and say unto us Why do you not observe but transgress the Tradition of the Elders in not bringing your Infants to Baptism in not frequenting the Meeting at the Steeple-house called the Church And why pay you not the Priest now called Minster his Tythes Easter-Reckonings and other like things called his Dues And why observe you not the Customs of the World in Swearing at Courts and bowing the Hat and Knee and giving flattering Titles to Men Job 32.21 22. and bidding God speed to the Wicked and the like 2 John v. 9 c. Our Answer to all such is Why do you break the Commands of God by your Traditions teaching for Doctrine these and the like things which are meerly your own Commandments and evil Customs and not the Commands of God For we put you all Teachers and People to prove by Scripture where we are commanded these things you put upon us to do and if you do not which we know you cannot then I say your gathering together in Companies and going about to establish such things by a Law for any People to observe which Christ hath not commanded See how you can free your selves from the Charge which the Prophet here lays upon the People of Gilead and the Priests thereof and therefore why may not the words be turned upon you and applied to your Condition with the Names only changed after this manner that is England is a Nation of them that work Iniquity and is polluted with Blood and as Troops of Robbers wait for a Man so the Company of Hireling Teachers called of Men Ministers and Masters murther in the way by consent for they commit Lewdness And therefore high time for you all People who love your Souls and would not be murthered to look about you and in the Light which-Christ hath lighted you with to watch and take heed that you be â—ot robbed and spoiled of the Heavenly Treasure by these Layers in wait as you would be careful to avoid a Troop of Robbers that wait for a Man so all having time prize it and come out from among them and know Christ in you to be your Teacher for he is the true Light that lighteth every Man that cometh into the World that all in him should believe and he is come to teach his People himself and to deliver them by his Power and Spirit from the Hands and Mouths of all such as have made and would still make a Prey upon them according as he promised of old by his Servants who spoke and wrote from his Mouth of these things as you may read in Scripture all abroad and namely in Deut. 18.15 c. Isa 54.13 Ezek. 34. throughout Jer. 31.33 34. Heb. 8. John 6.45 1 John 2.20 27. Rom. 8.14 Rev. 21. throughout And the Scripture cannot be broken For behold the days come saith the Lord that I will perform the good thing which I have promised to the House of Israel and to the House of Judah Jer. 33.14 Now all People know that these are the days of fulfilling these Scriptures