A DISCOVERY Of some fruits OF The Profession Religion Ministry Government of this NATION Which maketh the Land to mourne and vexeth the soule of the Righteous from day to day Also the Relation of the world discovered and wherein it differs from the pure Relation With a few words to the Magistrates that doe cast Christ into prison and will not visit him when they have done nor suffer his friends and brethren to visit him OH how doth the Profession Religion and Ministry and Government of this Nation shame it selfe that drunkennesse oaths and cursing is heard in the streets which causeth the Land to mourne and destroys the creatures of the Lord and such the Lord commands his servants and children to reprove and they are made a prey upon who reprove in the Gate sin and evill drunkennesse cursing and swearing which is heard up and down the streets by their faith by their troth and many other oathes when the creatures of God crosse their will they will bid a pox on them and swear as Gods wounds and these cursed languages cursed speakers for reproving such the children of God are hated and persecuted by them that should punish evill doers here justice falls in the streets and righteousnesse is stopt for running down for the cry of righteousnesse is spoken against for when the cry of righteousnesse is sounded in the streets against unrighteousnesse against drunkennesse against deceitfull merchandize cozening and cheating they are sent to prison as peace-breakers and when they cry in the streets against oaths that the Covenant of light might be received and to turne from their oaths unto him who saith Swear not at all which cause the Land to mourne such are cast into Prisons and because they cannot swear but abide in the Covenant of light and life which saith Swear not at all And now is the cry at midnight among all the professions in the world and now is all profession seen and Religion seen to be in the night it is midnight with it and now is the voyce cryed among you that saith All flesh is grasse and shall wither and fade as the flower and God will staine the glory of man and lay the Crowns in the dust and bring the honour into contempt for the end of Religion and Profession is seen to be without the life of what they doe professe for what mocking scorning reproaching plotting and inventing against them that be the children of light who be in the possession and the life of the Scripture what hallowing and shouting there is against them in the streets which is unbeseemly and how do the people manifest that they are ill bred and how doe the people manifest their corrupt manners by their evill communications as let the streets and the high wayes witnesse but how is youth run into wantonnesse which should be kept in sobernesse and ancient people how are they turned into foolishnesse and shame themselves and the breeding of their children which should be trained up in modesty and sobernesse and the fear of the Lord and they themselves walk in gravity adorned with meek and quiet spirits which is with the Lord of great price O how can you but expect Gods judgements to come upon you and his wrath to be turned against you and his fury who with your lips professe him but your hearts be found afar off and his life in practise deny where will you stand in the day of Judgement for you that be wicked will be as the chaffe who in words professe God but in works deny him Was it ever in any age as it is now men that professe the Kingdome of Christ and of God and yet cannot indure to have the Kingdome of Satan to be cryed against to have pride cryed against openly works of darknesse cryed against openly pleasures cryed against openly drunkennesse cryed against openly oppression cryed against openly that which is not just not holy not good cryed against openly and deceitfull merchandise in the markets and lying cryed against openly and fighting quarrelling oathes and cursed speaking cryed against openly which Christ cryed openly against and said Swear not at all whose Kingdome is not of this world and testified against the world that the works thereof are evill therefore they hated him and now men professe his kingdome and yet cannot indure these things to be cryed against and Deceivers and blinde guides cryed against openly they cannot indure as Christ did Mat. 23. and false Teachers to be cryed against openly or writ against openly as Peter and Jude did and as the Prophets Jeremiah Isaiah Micha and Ezekiel did but such as are commanded of the Lord to cry against such and to witnesse against such are with them that professe the Kingdome of Christ persecuted and cast into holes and prisons and yet shame doth not strike their persecutors in the face but God will cover your face with shame and night shall be upon you and all your tinkling and haughtinesse and bravery God will bring down O awake and tremble you carelesse ones that are grown so lofty and fear before the Lord to make a profession of his Son which are not come to own his light which from him doth come and is given to you to believe which if you doe believe you shall not abide in darknesse but shall have the light of life but not believing in the light which is given you to believe this is your condemnation the light saith Christ Oh how doe the Teachers of the world manifest now their folly and madnesse and their persecuting blinde zeal which doth incense the Magistrates to cast the lambs of God into prison how doth the profession of the world who professe a Church and Gospel and Christ young men young women old men old women but now are turned scoffers and mockers which shewes the end of their profession to be without the possession Oh how hath pride stollen away the heart of man from sincerity which carries him after toyes and fables and after fashions and lusts of his eye which manifests to be as the wild Asse-colt and shewes to be as the wild Heifer that shame and modesty is wanting in the streets and there is insteed of that scorne and derision Therefore every one of you having a light from Christ the light of the world who doth enlighten every one that cometh into the world which light loving it leads you from the ways of the world and the world for ye cannot be Heires of two Kingdomes And you that cannot indure that wickednesse should be reproved in the Gate but persecute them that doe and cast them into prison you are the incouragers of evill doers and not of that which is good but the Lord God of glory is come and coming to exalt his Kingdome and overthrow wickednesse out of its place and give the glory to his Son and the glory of man staine and confound and exalt his truth and his Kingdome over all which shall answer the
light in every man I am the light of the world and doe inlighten every one that cometh into the world Now every one of you being â—inlightned with the light that cometh from Christ which light shews you you should not lye tells you you should not be drunk tells you you should not take Gods name in vaine tells you you should not follow whoredome which light tells you you should not cozen nor cheat one another nor swear but keep to yea and nay in all your communications Now with this light in you which Christ hath inlightned you withall you see evill thoughts and evill dâ—sires and evill affections this is the true light that doth manifest these things afore mentioned and this is the true light which doth reprove when you act those things contrary to the light which if you love the light and walk in it you will come to learn of Christ who saith Learn of me from whence it comes who inlightneth every man that cometh into the world that all men through him might believe Now you poor people you all are inlightned with this light and you all know these things before mentioned to be contrary to the light with the light which it manifesteth And you rich people and great men you have a light in you which comes from Christ Jesus which shews you your hearts and sin and evill when that your hearts are grosse and deceitfull this light within shews it you which is the light that cometh from Christ the true light who lighteth every man that cometh into the world that all men through him might beleeve and he that beleeveth receives the Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation to every one that beleeves And every one in particular waiting in the light given to you to beleeve which cometh from Christ who saith Learne of me I am the way I am the truth and no man cometh unto the Father but by me here you will feel your Teacher that cannot be removed into a corner Christ Jesus who saith Learn of me This is my beloved Son hear ye him saith God And here every one having a light from Christ given to you to beleeve who saith Learn of me here is your Teacher but if you hate this light which from Christ doth come and follow the worlds Teachers the hireling which deceives you and follow such as the Apostles and the Prophets and Christ cryed against as Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel and Micha and Peter and Jude and Mat. 23. as you may read now these that gave forth Scripture say these are the Deceivers and were witnessed against and Christ hath said Learn of me I am the way no man cometh unto the Father but by me now if you hate this light and follow the forementioned contrary to the light this is your condemnation the light saith Christ but if you love the light which is Christ who saith learn of me you will find your Teacher as you lye in your beds and as you are in your occasions which will keep you to yea and nay in your communications for whatsoever is more is evill from the light contrary to the truth THe Relation that stands in destroying is by the children of light denyed all such who live out of the light and out of it walk who weare the old Garment whose minds is corrupt and hath a wisdom and with it know not God and hath a knowledge and with it corrupt themselves and hath a humility but feigned and hath a worship but in the will and hath a righteousnes but in the selfe and speaks the high words but it is in the hypocrisie and hath a liberty but in the flesh where the Spirit is in prison who in Cains way is gone hath not an habitation in God whose affections are below in the Earth and to it and serve the lusts and the pleasures whose conversation is among the wicked and there is the worlds Relation where lodgeth the strife and debate and deceit and disdain and setting up that which God will throw down now while this is standing which is contrary to the light they that in the light doe walk and be in it those they deny and see that which leads nature out of its course which set the whole course of nature on fire and there the whole world are in confusion and all the tongues are unbridled where power over them is not while that reigns that leads nature out of course his Religion is vaine and that Relation stands out of truth but all such as to the light be turned see with the light that doth manifest what leadeth nature out of course the marriage that is honourable and the marriage that is not honourable and what sets the whole course of nature on fire and what leads nature into course where the pure Relation the entrance of it is received where the selfe and its righteousnesse is denyed and the righteousness of Christ received where the worship of the will is denyed and the worship of God in Spirit and truth is received where selfe righteousnesse is denyed and Christ the righteousnesse of God received and the former conversation put off and the conversation in Heaven witnessed and the affections below changed and the affections which are above come to here is the pure Relation known without guile which are out of Cains way where the habitation in God is witnessed and seen where the just lives by his faith and the honouring in the Lord known the true humility learned of Christ who is not of the world though it by him was made who lighteth every man that cometh into the world who is mans way out of it which light is mans condemnation if he doth not believe in it And the Relation which is in the world who hate light is in the lust where the perversnes is in the love of the world where the envy is where the invention is selfishnesse crossenesse perversnesse back-biting maliciousnesse filling with unrighteousnesse yet they have a love yet they have a Relation now the light which comes from Christ the beloved of God where the love of God is received the worlds Relation denyed for the Relation of the world destroys and devoures but the children of light which be in the Relation out of the world live in peace unity and fellowship and comfort injoyed in the Holy Ghost So all you that professe Relation in word and envy lodgeth in your heart against one another and yet flatter one another to your faces and back-bite one another behind the back such Relations we doe deny and have a witness in your own conscience against it And all that professe Relation to one another and love and friendship with the tongue and in heart deceive one another and cozen one another and cheat one another and lye and dissemble one with another all such Relations we deny and have a witnesse in your conscience against it And all such as professe Religion or worship or humility
righteousnesse and the Scripture Christ and the Prophets words and live out of their life live in envy malice yet professe you have a Relation to Christ and God whom you have not seen and you love him and doe not love them whom you have seen such Relations we doe deny And all such as cry up your experiences high notions your manifestations as you call them dispensations as you call them and live in pride strife and envy debates derision scorne loftinesse high-mindednesse be out of the light and out of the way in Cains and out of the pure Relation we have a witnesse in your conscience against those things which lets you see what you possesse and let you professe no more if to it you hearken which turns from the world and the Relations therein for all who believe not the light and are not to it come have a love but it is in the world and a Relation but it is in the world which is enmity to God so that relation which is enmity is denyed with the light that love which is enmity is denyed with the light which leads to the pure Relation the pure love which envies not where the destroyer and devourer is rebuked YOu that be Magistrates which doe cast Christ into prison and will not visit him when you have done nor suffer his friends and brethren to visit him in prison and there you keep him in prison till he hunger and thirst and you prison him as a vagabond who hath no place to lay his head sick and in prison and you visit him nor but the corner stone is set up and the rock of ages manifest and him who bears the Government upon his shoulders whose kingdome is without end and dominion hath no end which is an everlasting dominion which dominion is over all dominions whose Scepter is righteousnesse whose Law royall stands over all answereth that of God in all and respects no mans person but is holy just and righteous persect and good whose Priesthood is royall everlasting that never changeth who lighteth every man that cometh into the world that men might believe and see the way out of the world Christ the light the way the truth who is the Covenant of light of peace and of life Was not Christ crucified in Sodome and Gomorrah spiritually and are not they Sodomites that imprison him and are not the Sodomites them that live in fulnesse of bread and idlenesse and the filthy conversation which the righteous soul grieves and vexeth which Christ is Shepheard of and the Bishop who is a witnesse in all consciences which witnesses against the lusts that war against the soul Was not all the profession of Christ before he was manifest in the flesh and when he was manifested in the flesh hypocrisie among them that professe him in words and did not believe in him who was the light but cast him into prison and he was sick and they visited him not and was hungry and they fed him not and he was naked and they cloathed him not such as neither knew his voyce nor the Prophets that shewed the coming of him and is not all the profession of Christ now hypocrisy among them that professe him in words and doe not believe in him who is the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world but cast him into prisons and holes and dungeons and he is sick and you visit him not and hungry and you feed him not and thirsty and you give him no drink and naked and you cloath him not but into prison cast him as a vagabond who hath no place to lay his head The foxes have holes and the birds of the aire have nests but the Son of man hath no place to lay his head Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever Therefore awake you Rulers and fear the Lord and hear the voyce of the Son of God that you may live for now is Christ come to reign the same that ever was whom into prison you doe cast and with your wills would not suffer him to reigne but Christ will reign who is not borne by the will of man who is King and rules and now reignes in his Kingdome and dominion which is without end and in his power in his fulnes who filleth all things thousands of his fulnesse have received of his power as many as have received him to become the Sons of God From them whom the world scornfully calls Quakers London Printed for T. Simmons at the Bull mouth near Aldersgate 1656