walk in the Light and continue in faithfulness in your Measures enduring the Cross unto your Wills that by it the Carnal may be crucified and that which is Earthly mortified and all the fleshly Lusts subdued and the ground of Unbelief removed that you as Obedient Children to the Light may walk not as do others in the Lusts of Ignorance and Wayes of Unrighteousness where all the Ungodly lie and are without his Fear not knowing that in which the Power of God doth stand and many of them are Murmurers and Complainers who dwell in all Unrighteousness from among whom Redemption you are to find that a true Separation you may come to know that the Unclean you may touch no more and that which defiles to be no more entangled with For the Lord our God is pure his living Truth is to be known in the inward parts and that which makes Free received in the Heart and pure is the Lord in his Ministration of Life and free in the Discoveries of his Love his unsearchable Riches are made known unto his Jewels and his Secrets revealed unto them that abide in his Fear whose Fear is a Fountain of Life whose Love is streaming forth as a River of Oyl unto the broken hearted and in him the Fatherless find Mercy and he giveth strength unto the Faint he cherished the Babes as a Nurse and feedeth the Young with Milk he gathereth the Lambs with his Arms and nourisheth the tender Plant he confoundeth the Proud in his Judgments and removeth the Ground of the Wicked Kings before him are as the Drop of a Bucket and Ungodly Rulers as the Smoke before a mighty Wind His Wonders are seen among the Living and his Judgments made known upon the Wicked they that come to him find Mercy but his Enemies he turns into the Land of Darkness the Ungodly are not able to come near his Presence when he is Angry the Wicked stand afar off but there 's no Darkness in which they may be hid nor shadow of Death in which they can be covered for his Hand will find out all the Rebellious and he will reward them all according to the Pride of their Heart then shall they be banished from the Lord as the Chaff before the Wind and none of their strength shall save them But all you that wait for Sion's Redemption and call that love his Appearance who are willing to take up the Yoke deny themselves and follow the Light thus I say unto all such The Lord God of Life is at hand he is hastning his Mercies to the simple and reaching forth his hand to the Helpless your Redeemer is near your Deliverer is at hand for the Lord God hath not cast off his People neither will he leave or forsake his Chosen Ones With the Brightness of his Power is he appearing to judge down that which kept his own in Bondage and lay low that which did the Just oppress that from under the Oppression it may now arise that the Hungry may be fed and the Naked come to be clothed with the Everlasting Righteousness of God who brings his Righteousness near unto the Humble and clothes them with the Armour of Light that so they may be able to stand where the Wicked cannot endure Wherefore all you my dear Lambs in whom there is honest Desires begotten after the living Truth of my Father who are in measure made willing to walk as Children of the Day and to undergo the Reproaches and Revilings of Wicked and Ungodly men and desire the Kingdom that is not of this World from the honest Simplicity of your Hearts that you may come to rest in the Kingdom of the Father forever Unto you I say my Heart's Desire and Prayer to God for you is That you may be enabled through the Power of him who is the Light to undergo all your Tryals within and without and that none of you may faint in your Way nor be weary of well doing but that you may come to shew forth the Works of Righteousness by a chaste Conversation in the midst of a crooked and perverse Generation by whose Filthiness the Just is grieved And my dear Lambs grieve ye not the Spirit of the Lord neither be you Envious against the Evil-Doers let not Wrath arise in any one of you but be Examples of Love and Meekness one unto another and all come to know what a true waiting upon the Lord is in the Sincerity of the Heart to receive that which the World never knew even the Spirit of Truth which comes from the God of Peace in which the Blessing is received and leads in the way of Righteousness and will joyn your Hearts together in the Everlasting Covenant of the Father which he is establishing with all his faithful Ones among whom you may now come to be gathered and find an eternal Inheritance with them that are sanctified who come to be made one with him that sanctifieth who now cometh to purge away the filth and cleanse that which hath not been cleansed that Sinners may be converted unto him and the Filthy redeemed from their filthiness before the day come wherein it shall be said He that is Filthy let him be Filthy still Wherefore let the Day of your Visitation be dearly prized knowing that God who is Light will not alwayes strive with man and it s his Everlasting Love in that he hath visited you and passed by the Wise and the Mighty and made your Hearts sometimes soft and tender by the powerful Drawings of his Everlasting Love which by your Obedience and Belief in the Truth comes to be more and more shed abroad in your Hearts which Love will constrain Obedience to the Light in which Light Gods Power is received which Power maketh Sons who cry Father unto him that begeteth after his own Image whose Image comes to be renewed in the Children of the Light which Light is now come and we are Witnesses of it and testisie what we have seen and declare unto you the Message that was from the beginning and so preach not another Gospel unto you but the same which is the Power of God which I neither receive of men nor learn of men but by Revelation in which the Father is known which to the World is a Mystery and sealed from all them who believe not in the Light whose Deeds are Evil but manifest through the Operation of the mighty Power of God which worketh mightily in me that I might reach forth unto you also and that you might feel the Operation of the Fathers Love that is manifest in my Bonds to you who through many Tribulations with the rest of the Lambs of Christ are to wait for Deliverance from the Bondage of Corruption in the which you have long continued but now Christ Jesus the Light of the World is come to redeem them who through fear of Death were all their life time subject to Bondage and the Bonds of Iniquity are now to be
of Israel Who can declare his Mercy to the Afflicted or utter his Bowels of Compassion to the Spirits in Prison What Tongue can declare the unsearchableness of his Way of Life or make known the Infiniteness of that which passeth Knowledge He hath been a Father to the Fatherless he hath given Light and Life to them that sate in Darkness and in the shadow of Death he is found of them that sought him not he spreadeth forth his Arms to gather them that asked not for him he giveth Gifts to the Rebellious and he is grieved with those that receive not the Tenders of his Love and complaineth from the grief of his Soul when Israel will have none of him He delighteth not in the Death of the Wicked but waiteth long for their Return If Israel backslide yet afterwards return with true Repentance forsaking the Evil he sheweth Mercy even to the Prodigal and he heals the Backslidings and loves them freely that none may say their Destruction is from him nor that he appointed them thereunto nor charge him with Injustice in the day of his Judgments when the Just shall arise to the Resurrection of Life and the Unjust to the Resurrection of Condemnation forever that every Moath may be stopped and every one stand Guilty before the Throne of his Judgment and every Tongue confess to God That he is Righteous in all his Wayes and that all his Judgments are Just and True And out of his Fatherly Pity from the freeness of his Love hath he visited many of you even with a Message of Life and Salvation by the Word of his Power making known that unto you which hath been hid from Ages and Generations and is yet hid from all Ishmaels Princes and Nimrods Builders yea even from all the Wise and Prudent of the Earth even that is he revealing to many of you who are willing to become Fools and suffer the loss of all for his sake who saves the Soul and that not for any Works of Righteousness which you have done but of his own free Love through the Power of his Immortal Word is he begetting Sons and Daughters to himself that he alone might be honoured who worketh all their Works in them that his Workmanship all such might be created a new in Christ Jesus unto good Works in them to walk in Newness of Life bringing forth Fruits unto God who with the Light of his Son in whom he is well pleased hath convinced many of you of the Evil of your Ways and the Blindness you were in when you were Children of Wrath even as others and his Light of Life hath shined in you to let you see the want of a Saviour and feel the burden of your Sins that the Word of Repentance you all might receive and come to be led by him whom God the Father hath sealed for a Covenant of his Eternal Love and sent for a Light to be a Leader to the House of Joseph and a Deliverer to the House of Israel and to inherit the Gentiles and possess the utmost parts of the Heathen that the Brightness of his Power might shine over all the World and the sound of his Voice be heard to the utmost parts of the Earth that the Outcasts of the Earth might be brought to the one Fold and the Seed of Abraham be gathered from the four Corners of the Earth that Redemption might be known from under the Shadow of Death and that the blind which have Eyes and the deaf which have Ears might come forth to the Light of the Son who looseth the Tongue of the Stammerer that it may speak plain that those who Err in Judgment might learn the Doctrine of the Son of the Father's Love who comes to lead the blind by a way they know not and lead them in Paths that they have not known and with Weeping and with Supplication doth he lead them that walk in the strait and narrow Path of Life where those that abide in the Fear shall not stumble but walk in the Uprightness of Innocency through the Power of the Father's Love continuing in the way of Holiness where only the Ransomed of the Lord do walk the which Way of Holiness the Lord God hath made known to many which reached unto your Hearts whereby it was at the present made soft and tender and you received the Truth with love rejoycing that you came to find the way to Eternal Peace and many began to say one to another This is the Way let us to walk in it and for a time many walked in Humility and pure dear and tender Love began to spring up in you one to another and the Enemies of your Souls began to be subject to you and the tenders of God's Love was over you to do you good at your latter end but behold before you came to the Land of Rest the Lord tryed you by suffering the Enemy to present Hardship Straits and many Difficulties to come on the other hand to present the Glory of the World and the Favour of great Men and some the Enemy draws forth their Minds from the Strait and narrow Way into carnal Liberty and Ease in the Flesh and so to contain an Easier way whereby the simplicity in many is betrayed into the Power of the man of Sin who worketh strongly to keep his hold in one Deceiveableness or another to keep in Bondage the Life of the JUST to keep his Head from being bruised by the Power of the Seed of the Promise which under the Subtilty in many hath cryed for Vengeance upon the Head of that which Murders the Just and when times of Tryal come by Judgment and Famine and Want have come upon others then have they started aside like a broken Bow and caused th Offence of the Cross to cease and then hath Unbelief come in and the Enemy caused Questionings of the living Truth and Consultations about the Way of Life and such grew weary of their Tryal like their Fore-fathers in the Wilderness even letting the Enemy draw back their Hearts to the Flesh Pots of Aegypt which God by his mighty Power had redeemed them from and was leading them by the right Hand and in the narrow Way that they should go And others the Enemy who still seeketh to devour the begotten of God hath drawn forth their Minds into a sottish careless Condition not regarding the stirrings of Gods Spirit with them by the Light of his Son in their Hearts and so not minding that his Spirit will not alwayes strive with them and having seen before the straitness of the Way the Enemy will work by all Subtilty to keep such from it and from the Meetings and Society of them that in the strait Way abide keeping them still from the Cross which would be his Death and the Life of that which would give Peace and Victory over him and all his Wiles And others coming to see that they are come so far so that they need not Words
with Humility forever the little Child is you to lead in the peaceable Path of the Fathers love that you all as Lambs may follow him whose Power saveth from Sin in him trust compassed about with the Walls of Salvation and feeling the everlasting strength you all to preserve in the Power of his Might his Blessing to receive unto the Seed that you in it and by it may be fruitful unto God forever For dear Friends the Father is well-pleased in him who is meek and lowly in the Heart and in obedience unto him through the leadings of his Spirit of Power in which the Father's Love is manifest which leadeth in the low Ground where the safe way of everlasting Peace is known where all things are quiet and still where the small still Voice is heard whereby the Dead come to live in the powerfull Life of the Fathers Love which compasseth about the Seed as a Wall of everlasting Strength which is made perfect in Weakness and to the Weak is only to be known that the Weak then may say I am strong feeling Strength ministered forth from that which is begotten of the Father which never was comprehended by the Earthly Wisdom which is all scattered as the Smoke before the Wind when he ariseth who hath long been as a Servant and is now to be served that he may be Lord over all who is as a Man of Sorrows and leadeth through the Suffering state that by the Obedience of Faith through the Power of the Cross which crucifies and brings to the Death that which is to dye that the Vail may be rent the way into the Holiest of all made manifest and that received into the new Ground which abideth forever even that which now Comforteth the weary Soul and Satisfieth the longing Spirit and Replenisheth the dry and barren Land with the Rivers of the Valley and the Springs of the Desart that the Meek in the Earth may Rejoyce forever and through the Earth may grow as a Lilly in Summer For plainly it s the Poor that receive the Gospel and the Meek of the Earth that shall inherit Substance and its the Lowly that will abide forever and the Seed of the Shepherd that shall be set on the Throne and he that is low shall never fall neither shall his Footsteps at all be moved he leads the Creature in the Fathers fear and guideth the Tongue in Wisdom and it s him alone that all are to wait for to receive and continue in even him that is acquainted with grief who never openeth his Mouth in Perverness but speaks Life in Wisdom through the Power of the Father's love which overpowereth the Soul as an overflowing River of Oyl which makes all well and heals the grieved Spirit which none ever comes to find but such as alone walk with him who humbled himself to the Death of the Cross and became as a Servant though he was Lord over all in him there is Safety for he is the Rock and the sure hiding Place even out of the sight of the World and from the Tempters power for the Devil hath nothing in him who is meek and low in whose Mouth there is found no Guils And this is he that hath been long set at nought whose Tenders of Love constrains Obedience to himself because of the Beauty that is in him which from them is hid over whom the Vail is through which they cannot see the Comliness of his Love Oh all ye Lovers and Followers of Truth and Righteousness come ye all and sink down in your Minds unto him whose love springeth forth of the low Ground as a Well-spring of Life issuing forth abundantly as through a Rock that is hid under the Earth thence cometh Life to the Humble and there may you drink with me of the Cup of Blessings for from the Root of Jesse and the Foundation the Branch which is low doth spring forth the Life to the satisfying of every Branch and truly in him there is Life indeed and with him there is no want Who can desire another than he or who can complain that dwells in him where the Unclean doth never come where all things are at Peace and Rest is enjoyed forever Oh let none turn aside from him nor climb up above the measure of his humble Life nor reach beyond the Power of his Breathings forth neither grieve ye him through the unkindness of your forward Wills but love him as the Life of your Souls and prise him above all that can be spoken and tender his Love as the Apple of thine Eye that he to thee may be forever the Prince of Eternal Peace and the Power of thy Strength and the Blessing of thy Life that thou never mayst want Food nor Rayment nor want a shelter in the hour of Temptation nor look for another to help in the time of need And so my dear Lambs in him keep for evermore for it s he that comes out from God and keepeth them in perfect Peace who in his lowly Spirit abide from thence to feel the Fathers Love arise with it to love and tender one another So to that which is of my Fathers Life in you all I desire to be known and in it with you to have Fellowship forever which is more than â—â— to be declared by a multitude of Words or written in many or long Epistles the bowels of my Fathers love from the measure of his own Life in me is to his Image and that which is begotten of him in you all So the Life of the Power of the Lamb of God be with you all and the Blessing of the God of Love and Peace preserve you in all Humility of mind that the begotten of the Father through the Power of his Love may increase and grow up unto him who is the Life of my Soul who is blessed for evermore Amen H. S. Winchester-Bridewell To such in whose Hearts the Spirit of the Lord is beginning to move his Truth to declare YOu whom the mighty God of Power hath found in a Desart Wilderness polluted in your Blood without help or strength of your own whose Nakedness did once â—ppear and you in it stood guilty before the Bar of Gods Justice receiving the Condemnation due from him who then said unto you Live and since in the measure of that Word upon the Lord have waited to receive that which was promised of him who is the Father of the faithful This I say unto you the thing is great that you are come unto and entering upon to speak in the Name of the mighty God and to publish the Message of the most High to declare the Word of the Lord among the Heathen and minister Life to the Spirits in Prison to stand Witnesses for God to the People and to be as Guides and Examples to the Tribes of Israel Oh! how can you but be overcome with the dread of the Lord and filled with the Power of his Love How can your
not standing in the Cross to your wills in Obedience to the Light to receive the Judgment due to that ground from whence Transgression ariseth whereby the Enmity might be â—â—ain the love of the World rooted out and that ruled over with the perfect Law of God which was not subject to it that the Law of the Spirit of Life your minds might be alwayes exercised in thereby to be made free from the Law of sin and death that sin might not reign in your mortal Bodies but that through the power of the Cross of him who is the Light the sinful Lusts of the flesh might be mortified and you led by the Light through the Law by it to have the Transgression thereof to you in every Particular discovered that every one might deny and stand out of that which leads into the Transgression thereof seeing with the Light that not one jot nor tittle thereof shallpass till all be fulfiled and the Righteousness thereof is to be fulfilled in you by your humble and faithful following of him that worketh in us who cannot transgress the Law who being made as a Servant under the Law to him you are all to come and see the Law stand in force over every one that doth transgress which Law is addedbecause of sin and that which saveth the Soul doth not make it void nor mittigate the power thereof against any one that sins wilfully after the knowledge of the Truth received but upon such the Wrath of God abideth which is ministred forth through the Law with Tribulation Anguish and Wo upon every Soul that doth Evil so Trouble Torment and Vexation of Spirit cometh upon such who turn aside from the simplicity of the Gospel and let the spirit of the world reign over them not being faithful in the little which from God they had received by the powerful ministry of his living Truth that the smallest of all seeds in them might spring with obedience through the whole body of the Earth under which it lieth and by it in many is oppressed and such in whom it is so are in many Doubts and Reasonings from that ground out of which Unbelief doth arise And then the Mind being from the Light a hardness comes in and the Rebellious take entrance and so that which is worse than before gets strength which being joyned unto leads in a secret deformity farther from the Witness then ever so that then the good Savour comes to be lost and the Understanding darkned not knowing the true motion and often a carcless Spirit gets head and such are from the true Love and suffering Seed in themselves and so not joyned in the Covenant of Love and Peace with them that abide therein the which they sceing a discontent ariseth therein in the mind so did Cain he murmured at the other but the Fault was in himself for Sin lay at the Door and it is Sin to transgress against that which is Perfect and the Light is the perfect gift of God and his Gifts are Perfect and in the Light there is no Evil and the Light is to lead out of that which is Imperfect they that err from the Light are in the strife and fleshly will And the other Eye seeks for evil and then that kindles a Fire in the Bowels and eats as a Worm and so drowns that from whence true Love should arise as deep as the depth of the Sea and nothing but raging Waves over it sometimes ready to vent forth its own shame and discover the nakedness of it self and others which begets its Image in the minds of them that regard it so as to come under it or let it have entrance in them And where these things are there is little increase within or without but Truth suffers and the World takes advantage and the Weak stumble for whom Christ dyed and the Lambs hurt and their dear Life grieved And so these things are far from answering the dear and tender Call and Visitation of the Lord and then if not faithful in little when can such come to rule or how can they receive the blessing of God being joyned to that which he hath cursed What shall I say to such or with what Words shall I find entrance in them Surely if I had not a Word to write I would mourn in secret for them Oh fruitless Trees dry Branches foolish Virgins unprofitable Servants take heed lest the Lord spue you out of his Mouth What should the Lord do for you that he hath not done My Bowels within me are troubled for you and I even mourn under the burthen of your Iniquities How is it that you delight in other Lovers and what is it in you that keeps you from the power of Truth How long shall the Lord stretâ—h forth his Hand to them that rebel against the Light And how often have you grieved the Spirit of the Lord And why is it that he is provoked to Jealousie every day Will not the Lord visit for these things And can the Wicked go unpanished Turn ye now therefore O ye Rebellious and let the Double-minded fear and tremble before the God of Power for no Peace have I to preach for the Wicked nor Pearls for the Swine in which the Unclean is entred Let your Hearts now therefore be opened and let Judgment come upon that which is above the Seed and sink down into the House of Mourning that the Prisoner may hear my Voice And now you that are honest tender faithful willing and obedient dear is my Love unto you the Lord God eternal preserve you dear Babes and give you up your Lives and praise his endless rich love who hath called you to come out of the World My dear Friends let my Fathers love arise in you even the same which I now feel towards you and let me come near unto you in the power of my Fathers love that you may feel my Life and partake with me of the hidden Treasure that your Hearts may be open to me again from the feeling of the Power of the covenant of Life that in him I may salute you who is at the Fathers Right Hand For unto you O ye Children of the Light is my Heart enlarged and toward you doth the Power of my Life arise from the streams of unlimitted Love which from all the World is hid and reserved in the Bosom of the Father for the meek and tender Lambs for whom the Milk is prepared and to whom the Bread is to be given and the sure Waters that never shall fail Let the Light arise in you my dear Ones that with it your Hearts may be opened one to another that you may know that the Lord is a God of Power and near at hand unto the Humble that in his Love you may be kept and by his Power be defended and so from strength to strength in his fear to walk and to come at last to be a People saved from Death and redeemed from the
done it away with the same Power whereby before he came so to serve man under the Sin as to help him from under it and so to bring man with himself in his Power as it suffered by the Sin out of the Sin and out of that Power which captivated under or into the committing of Sin so to the end of it with Christ over it to live and reign forever as it is received in that way manner and operation which at first it doth come and shew forth it self in the Power of its sufferings whose Power and Virtue therein at first is known And so such who know Him in his suffering-state He permitteth chuseth and electeth to live and reign with him in his Ruling-state And so he that hath power to Reign hath power to Suffer and so to Suffer that he may Reign the exercise of whose power in his Suffering is in order to his Reigning and such as feel know and receive his Power first enabling them with him to suffer they with the same are brought to the end of sin and sinning by which the suffering came upon the Just for the Unjust and as man to this is joyned in his sufferings its Power worketh man's Redemption and so not of man or brings man back from under that power which held in the Transgression and Separation from the Bridegroom of the Soul and takes away that which captivates it and so breaks the Wall which stood between the desired Liberty and the present Bondage and so brings the true and lasting Peace and so both receive each other and are made one in each other and not otherwise It is certainly so And that man which truly suffered with it reigns with it who was joyned to it in its suffering till it came to reign and then to submit unto it and serve it in its Motions Leadings Rulings and Governings in the power of its Love which winneth the heart so to do as the chaste Wife to the Husband so with it in the Power of it man comes to reign over that which was both contrary to it and to the upright hearted man until all its Enemies are put under it and so under the man that is one with it and whose Life is in it being truly joyned to it of the Lord then not to be put asunder and so loving of it and in all things submitting to it more than the true chaste Virgin to the Husband living in the Power and the Power living in man and so both becoming one in Sufferings one in Tryals one in Tribulations one in Afflictions one in Joy one in Peace one in Liberty one in Captivity one in Riches one in Poverty And so truly one partaking with each other in all states unseparable may well in some measure be termed The Marriage of the Lamb which is come and more of it may be known and the Virgin being thus and more fully espoused to the undefiled unspotted of God they are thus far made one and she becomes the Daughter of the Husbands Father the King of Kings or the Adopted Child of God And thus the undefiled One of God and the Virgin of Sion becomes one in the unspeakable Unity which Unity being felt both as one preceive me and my Lines are understood and my Words received in Love And this is written and sent forth among all Friends who desire to hear of me and who have known me in the invisible Truth and such to whom the Lord hath made me serviceable in the precious things of the Kingdom of God which is of Peace and Righteousness where my Rest is that hereby they may hear from me and know that I remain in the labour of the Gospel which is very great and in the Fellowship of the Saints Your Brother in the unexpressible Love of the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour Humphery Smith From Cogshall in Essex in which parts very many of late have received the precious Truth the 12th of the 5th Moneth 1661. This is to all dear Friends who keep faithful in their measures to the end My dear Friends THe Father is well pleased in him who is meek and lowly in the heart and in Obedience unto him through the leadings of his Spirit of Power in which the Father's love is manifest which leads in the low Ground where the safe Way of everlasting Peace is known where all things are quiet and still where the small still Voice is heard whereby the dead come to live in the Powerful Life of the Fathers Love which compasseth about the seed as a Wall of everlasting Defence whereby there is boldness and courage comes in to Jacob the worm that it s then able to stand in that everlasting strength which is made perfect in weakness and to the weak â—â— only to be known that the weak then may say I am strong feeling strength ministred forth from that which is begotten of the Father wâ—ich never was comprehended by the earthly Wisdom which is all scattered as the smoke before the Wind when he ariseth that was laid in the Earth who hath long been as a Servant and is now to be served that he may be Lord over all who is a Man of Sorrows and leads through the suffering state that by the Obedience of Faith through the Power of the Cross which crucifies and brings to the death that which is to dye that the Vail may be rent and the way into the holiest of all made manisest and that received in the new ground which abideth forever even that which comforteth the weary Soul and satisfieth the longing Spirit and replenishâ—th the dry and barren Land with the Rivers of the Valley and the springs of the Desart that the meek in the Earth may rejoyce forever and through the Earth may grow as a Lilly in Summer For painly its the poor that receive the Gospel and the meek of the Earth that shall in her it Substance and it is the thing that is low that will last forever and that shall be set on the Throne and he that is low shall never fall neither shall his Footsteps at all be moved he leads the creature in the Father's fear and guideth the Tongue in Wisdom and its him alone that all are to wait for to receive and continue in even him that is acquainted with Grief who never openeth his Mouth in perversness but speaks Life in Wisdom through the Power of the Fathers Love which overpowers the Soul as an overflowing River of Oyl which makes all well and heals the grieved Spirit which none ever comes to find but such who alone walk with him who humbled himself to the Death of the Cross and became as a Servant though he was Lord over all in him there is safety for he is the Rock and the sure hiding-place even out of the sight of the World and from the Tempters power for the Devil hath nothing in him who is meek and low in whose mouth there is found no
the Testimony of his Name and remain Prisoners for the same Truth and Testimony of Jesus for which also this Body of mine doth and hath long suffered Restraint and Bonds and my Soul grieved with the Sodomitish Wickedness and Heathenish Prophainness of Hard-hearted Rebellious to God and disobedient Ungodly People whose Judgment slumbereth not and whose Damnation will certainly come and be just from God upon them who have made a Covenant with Death and shew forth themselves as a people at an Agreement with all the Powers of Hell in which is the Reward of all the Wicked that have forgotten God and wholely rejected the manifold Manifestation of his Mercies which unto you O ye dear and tender-hearted is as precious Oyl and as desirable Treasure Who can but prize the Mercies of the God of Heaven How refreshingly hath it often flowed in upon the thirsty Habitations of many to the abundant refreshing and comforting of the weary Land Oh! how sweetly and with what pleasantness hath mine Eyes beheld the springing up and the growth and spreadings of the tender Plants after the distiling streams of the Heavenly Dews upon them and every one standing in his place flourishing with their Branches over the Earth not one offending the other and all casting forth a sweet favour being daily replenished with the springings up of the Sap of Life and comforted with the Sun Beams of Righteousness How harmoniously then doth the Garden flourish And how beautiful is every Plant whom God hath planted And is it possible for any other plants to bring forth Fruits unto holiness but only such whom the God of Heaven causeth to grow And how sad is it for any one Plant to hurt kill or destroy another And who can without some Remorse or pity behold the withering and fading of any such Plants whose flourishing was once so delightsom that all who passed by and took notice thereof commended them for their virtue or at least took some special notice of their prudence and the wisdom of him by whom they flourished in that they grew multiplied and prospered though they could not perceive nor understand by what invisible virtue they thus were nourished nor whence it came I say again when I have beheld the Trees of the Lord the Plants of the Garden of God in their fresh green growing flourishing united State in the Life of Liberty my heart hath often been refreshed my Soul quickned my Spirit revived and my mind and desires abundantly satisfied Then hath my life founded forth the precious praises of the Almighty in the Assemblies of the upright and my Heart broken therewith in the delightsom Love hath poured forth Thanksgiving with tenderness and tears in secret O! how then hath the overflowing of Mercy reached over the uttermost borders of my dwelling and how sweetly have we then been comforted and revived one in another How lovely then hath the face of the Righteous been when Righteousness it self in the Meekness of Love looked forth at the Windows How were the Bowels of each other then enflamed within them How sweet was the Beauty of Meekness to the Beholders Who then could but receive the love of the loveliness it self Dear Lambs of the fold of Heaven whose hearts are still opened by the feeling of the virtue of life who only know me and can hear the words of my Life and understand the Voice of my Love My Heart and Soul salutes you my Love is dear unto you my Life hath long reached forth it self towards you in my Remembrance your Life is written I am your Servant in the Love of God a Member of the Body with you a Brother in Tribulations a Companion with you in your Warfare a Feeder with you at your Table and one that rejoyceth with you in the Joy unspeakable being made with you a partaker of that precious Inheritance that fadeth not away where Life and Love and fellowship with Praises and Thanksgiving aboundeth forever Wherewith should I greet you in the Greetings of that Love which cannot be uttered And how should I Salute you in that which cannot be declared What words might I use to speak forth the Life of Wisdom or reach forth the true love of a broken Heart Behold I may become as a Babe herein and be silent as a Child yet learning utterance lest in reaching forth of my strength I should signifie my weakness to unfold the undeclareable Infinitness of the fulness of Virtue Wisdom Meekness Life and Love from the measure whereof my simple words most certainly do at present proceed as some few amongst many will surely perceive hereby who remain in the single-heartedness of undefiled Unity whose desires are still afresh enflamed and whose Bowels yet daily yearn after a more fuller enjoyment of God and the encrease and preservation of his Precious Truth and who for the same can still deny themselves to serve others in the true sense and feeling of the undefiled brotherly Love and who can lay down their Crowns that the Lamb may be honoured and suffer in the inward man that the Brother may be preserved for whom Christ dyed and towards whom Gods Love was even when he was an Enemy the which love of God being continued towards thee in the same Love shouldest thou continue towards thy Brother and there-with mayst thou do him good and perform some service towards the Lord whose love was towards you both and then from him shalt thou receive a Reward into thy own Bosom and in the needful time God will deliver thee and at the hour of Tryal he will Succour thee and thou the dear Plant of the Lord thereby mayst stand though some that were stronger then thee be overcome and fall into the Snare of the Enemy in that hour of Tryal and be then entangled with many Incumbrances and that of divers kinds The Lord God of Heaven and Earth preserve my dear tender hearted Lambs and Brethren out of such things that a Vail may not come over you and so the Life be stopt from springing up in you for then may such again go Mourning all the day long when none doth pity Friends the often Incomes of Gods Love and the forth flowings of the same towards you and the precious seed of God in them parts hath constrained me at present to visit you in the true love of my Soul with these Lines that so you might not only hear from me but also in some measure be comforted in me and likewise some of you a little refreshed hereby For Behold the God of Heaven is my Refuge and strength and the Lord of Host is my Upholder and the holy One of Israel is my Everlasting Support and the daily Incomes of that which doth truly comfort is as Marrow to my Bones yea the Lord hath prolonged my dayes inlarged my Borders and beautifyed the Place of my Dwelling My heart is overcome with his Love my Soul is filled with his Virtue and my Tongue doth declare of
the Priests and Professors could not teach but were almost as ignorant as those that in time past had not heard of any such thing and void of the saving knowledge of Jesus the way of God and could not say that he was the Christ by it I then hearing that in this Prison was that faithful Servant of the Lord and having longing desire to see him went with some of Andever that used to visit him there being that day a Meeting in the Prison which day I hope shall never be forgotten by me nor that faithful and able Minister of the new Testament knowing that which only and alone is made alive by the Spirit and quickned and reached unto by the Ministers thereof which Humphry Smith was one to the turning of many from Darkness to the Light from the Power of Satan to the Power of God by which alone People come to receive Remission of sins and an Inheritance among them that are sanctified through the great Mercy and Loving-kindness of God was he an Instrument in convincing and turning me off and from the Worlds by-Paths and crooked Ways of the Wicked which were and are Darkness in which there is no Peace to them that walk therein to the Light of Jesus the Way of the Lord and Path of the Just which is a shining Light which shineth more and more to the perfect Day and to the fear of the Lord which ever was and is the beginning of Wisdom and will be forever to all that do abide therein a Fountain of Life to depart from the Snares of Death I have cause forever to praise the Lord in the behalf of this tender innocent faithful man to God's Truth and People his Memorial cannot pass into Oblivion by any that had a true knowledge of him dear Humphry Smith whose Health was impared him suffocated and visible Body destroyed by this bad corrupt Prison though thou wast here destroyed thou art greatly rewarded God having proved thee and found thee worthy for himself The Memorial of the Just is blessed the Righteous shall be had in Everlasting Remembrance and the Name of the Wicked shall Rot but they that were and are wise shall shine as the Brightness of the Firmament and they that turn many to Righteousness as the Stars forever and ever Edward Waldern Winton-Prison the 8th day of the 11th Moneth 1682. Humphry Smith's Testimony concerning his Father COncerning my dear Father who to his unspeakable gain but to my great sorrow and loss the Lord took from me to himself whilst I was young besides the natural and dutiful Remembrance of so dear a Father I and many others who knew him can say of him The Righteous shall be in Everlasting remembrance in which I may say by way of Introduction unto many who never knew him and have since received the Truth unto whom these his works may come for their encouragement to read them That the Lord of the Harvest who among other faithful Labourers sent him forth into his Harvest did sanctifie and prepare him to so good a work and prospered it in his hand so that many were turned to God by him notwithstanding the great Opposition of Malicious Cruel and Ungodly Men by whom he suffered more especially in Cromwel's time Imprisonment Dungeon Whipping and much Affliction and Hardships but being zealous for the glory of God and the good of Souls he valiantly endured it all and broke through the Ice-like hardness of envious Professors who having been first some-what warmed by that which formerly stirred up good desires in them after God but not keeping thereto became the sooner and harder frozen And as his diligence was great in this great work so was their Envy great in endeavouring to hinder him therein by many long and hard Imprisonments which brought great Sicknesses upon him yet upon all occasions he was given to Hospitality apt to teach and in his place taking care for the Church of God As his Admonition was tender so his Reproof was sharp not neglecting the one nor refraining the other but dealing with every one according to their Condition not sparing me his only Son any more than another having in his last Letter to me written a little before his Death these words among many tender Expressions And now although as I said before thou art my only Son yet if thou refusest the Instructions of thy Father and shalt reject the Counsel of God and not walk in Gods holy fear nor keep in the way of Truth then let the Judgment of Friends pass upon thee let the Law of God seize upon thy Conscience c. The last time I saw him was about a year before he dyed at which time he gave me such Advice and Warning as thereby I perceived I should never see him again so great a sight of things and men had he that I may truly say he had the necessary Gift of Discerning of Spirits with frequent Visions and Revelations from God by which he foresaw and prophesied of many things some whereof he saw fulfilled others are since and the rest will certainly be fulfilled in their appointed time some of them are herein extant dispersed among his Works which are now printed for thy benefit sober Reader it being agreeable to words he wrote to me in a Volumn of Books he caused to be bound for me That I should keep that Book safe and not spoiled any way that in years to come Ages may read and see my love to the Seed This in short I have written concerning him knowing there be many still living who have a larger Testimony in themselves concerning him And some who were his Fellow-Labourers in the Word and Doctrine whom he did and I do love and in Honour Prefer counting them worthy of double Honour some of them having more knowledge of him are able as they see meet to give a larger Testimony concerning him I shall conclude desiring that my self and all the Children of faithful Parents may walk in the good Way they walked in and not like that Generation mentioned Judges 2. 10. Who arose after the Death of Joshua and the Elders which knew not the Lord nor yet the Works which he had done for Israel but that we may follow the Lord fully and faithfully and he may raise up in us the same Love Zeal Diligence and Vallour as he did in our Parents is the earnest Desire of Humphry Smith Saffron-Walden in Essex the 13th of the 9th Moneth 1682. Dear Friends BE pleased to take notice that dear Humphry Smith was a man that suffered many long and crueâ— Imprisonments for his Love and Testimony he bore to Gods blessed Truth and People in his day which occasioned part of his Writings to be scattered about in Manuscript and not found till part of this Book was printed whereby some few of them are mis-placed as to the years in which they were written but the following Table of Contents will direct to the particular Heads of such collected
therewith and Tears was as my meat and drink night and day and often was my Heart refreshed with love from God when I came unto that which came from Christ the Man of Sorrows who said Come unto me and suffer little Children to come unto me but many despised my Tears and vilified my Mournful state not knowing as they said what the matter was with me and much provocation was used to get me out of that Condition and as I grew up to hurry me into the Earth which brought much disturbance upon my foolish despised state that fear and terror then entred upon me and ghastly Dreams in the Night and sometimes strange Visions in which I should cry out and speak aloud to the raising of all in the House who with all the means they used could not get me out of it which even astonished the Parents with fear which things I well remember and by the violent fierce wrathful Nature that ruled in others was my quietness disturbed which begat Wrath and Anger in me again towards them which may be a Warning to you yet something of God in me was not wholly overcome And the first words according to Scripture that pierced my Heart and remained with me was He hath filled the Hungry with good things and the Rich hath he sent empty away The which words remained as a thing printed and sealed in my Heart from the pure love of God and my Meditations of him and his Love was exceeding prevailent upon my little tender Heart being a Child and so much the greater was my Grief when by the Earthly mindedness and wrathful hasty Nature in Parents and others I was even forced out of it and so provoked to Wrath Grief and Discontent and not suffered to come nor keep to Christ who saith I am the Light which I felt meek and low in the Heart therefore was my Trouble great many times and wrath and hastiness began to have entrance in me the which being sensible of and finding a love towards God to be much more precious than any thing of the World and having a Hope towards him I do affirm That when I was a little Child I should and did often pray to God believing there was a God though I knew him not even earnestly did I pray with Tears and my Heart was opened with his Love to whom also I should make my Complaint in secret sometimes upon my Knees when I could get into such a place that none could see me nor at all come to know it And sometimes as I went along the way when it come into my heart then should I even as it were beg and cry with many Tears and had boldness towards God as towards a familiar Friend though much in submission and fear as one unworthy because I had sinned against him And for these things I had no Creature to be my Example nor to learn it of and not knowing nor hearing of any that did the like I durst not let any know of it nor wherefore I did so often weep when they did see me for I saw none but despised that condition and were unsensible of my state And so having not any that was sensible of that tender Principle of God in me to cherish that or be a help to me in it but all as I grew up to nurse up the evil earthly thing that was begotten in me as I said before by that nature my Leaders were in and as I grew in years so that was apt to grow in me my natural Father being more eager than most men in labouring and caring for earthly things that when I grew to the age of six or seven years and upwards there was seldem one day in six but he caused me to cry bitterly and through provocation continually thereunto the Earth and Darkness got entrance in me more than before and the tender Principle of God in me was vailed from me and so became in after years as a Child of Wrath disobedient to God as I have written in a Book entituled Man driven out into the Earth wherein is declared the dreadful Indignation of God that after came upon me because of that wicked Nature which I was led into before I came into this peace with God which now I do enjoy with him forever whose Name my Soul doth magnifie for evermore And this I do write to be an Ensample unto you and a Warning that you may not bring your Children into the like Alienation Torment and Condemnation as I was and the more especially because that few afterwards do return to God with all their Hearts and enter in at the straight Gate And this you may also consider that this I write in plainness and true love to you and your Children for the good of Body and Soul that in the fear of the living God you may train them up so may you have comfort in them at the last and they may grow up in the Wisdom of God to rule over such outward Earthly things as the Lord or you may commit into their hands for this you may or should know that such as truly fear God will do no Evil nor waste the Creatures upon their Lust and if you teach them to waste the Creatures of God in Pride lust vanity and needless things when they are young how can you expect but they will abuse spend and waste your Estate when they are grown up and some have been bred up so high in Pride that when they have wanted to maintain that and other Wickedness they have robb'd and stole to maintain it and at last with shame come to untimely ends and many things might be named which with the Light you may also see and know that these things are of great concernment both for Body and Soul and for your good and your Children Therefore that it may go well with them and you and that God may do them good at the latter end let all your Children every where be trained up in the Way that they should go which Way is Christ and he saith I am am the Light and the Light in them will let them see that they should not Lye nor speak Wicked Words nor do any Violence one to another and so you are to train up your Children in the Light for the Light is the Way in which they may come to know God and hear his Voice for God speaks by him that is the Light And God called Samuel being yet a Child and Ely bid the Child answer the Call of the Lord. And the Child who answered the Call of the Lord reproved old Ely the Priest for that Priest's Sons were Sons of Belial and knew not God and them sons of his were the first Priests that ever took Tythes by force and they and their Father came to an untimely Death under the Judgments of God which is also to follow upon all them Priests that take Tythes by force And certainly when I was a Child the Light
of Christ in me did let me see the Abominations of the Priests practices and did speak against their way of sprinkling Infants and said I should never stand as a God-father for any nor never did whereat a man Swore at me and said It was pity any one did it for me but I said I mattered not if they had never done it for I was never the better though I had never heard any one speak against the things nor did not until many years after And so that which is now my Guide is the same which was in the beginning before the Sin and no other Foundation I never knew neither can another Foundation be laid in any than that which is already laid which is Christ within the hope of Glory and he saith I am the Light come unto me and suffer little Children to come unto me for the Kingdom of God is of such as come to him meek and low in Heart who saveth from Sin And certainly I never knew the Kingdom of Righteousness and Peace until I became again as I was when I was a little Child And how hard it is to come again into that simple innocent state when degenerated from it let Gods Witness in the Couscience answer Therefore is this written that you may not shut up the Kingdom of Heaven from your Children Secondly Take heed how you cause or suffer your Children to Babble many vain words with their Tongues with a delight to hear them prattle when there is no need for thereby afterward the Tongue becomes an unruly Member set on fire of Hell Jam. 3. 6. as I found and bore the fierce Indignation of the Lord for and many little Children would not come to speak so many vain and evil words which corrupt the good Manners if they were not much provoked thereunto and seeing People delight to hear them speak the most crasty words which are from the subtilty of the Serpent and many send their Children abroad among other wild People or Persons to have them learn subtilty and crast to speak their words from and how to be hardy or too hard for others by subtil Words and Lyes also in buying and selling and when they have learned it say They can live any where and that they can shift for themselves and live by their Wits and forecast which indeed oft-times to deceive others and yet there 〈◊〉 such a plain honest simple Principle in some that they can never be brought into such subtil words nor into so many words as others though they themselves have much endeavoured to attain it but they have been more plain and simple and the Lord preserveth the simple Psal 11. 6. and such sometimes could not defend their own cause but were pleaded down when their cause was just by others that had learned more of the Serpents subtilty which the Vengeance of God will one day come upon when the Lord avengeth the cause of the oppressed And in this I have had also much experience for when I was a Child I saw much into the vanity of needless words and was very backward a long time in speaking and in that and some other things much differing from other Children and many thought I would have been a fool 〈◊〉 they call it 〈…〉 the foolishness of God and therefore oft-times much means was used to cause me to speak and many Provocations long together and yet not at all scarce make me speak one word for I saw then it was needless and could not ask one how he did when I saw he was well nor answer that which was needless and when I was a little grown up and sent upon any small Errand I should deliver my Message in very few words that people thought I would be never like a man and about ten years of Age my Father in the flesh would sometimes send me to Market and it was long before he and all others could make me ask any more then the price he did allow me to sell at or if he did not set me a certain price then I should resolve of a price in the mind according as I saw the Market and so I often sold with the cheapest being loth to take too much and therefore was often esteemed and called a Fool and Dunce but it had been easier for me if I had never been drawn out of that state when I was taught of God to do unto others as I would be done unto and was fearful to strike any one but rather gave way to them that struck me and so was by many of my equals abused and it was hard for me to take away the life of any Creature and pleaded much against it with my Father and Mother when they commanded me to do it though it was but to kill a young Dog or Cat or the like my Life in me was grieved to do it and much was I forced to harden my Heart before I could do any such thing though commanded by my Parents which may be a warning to all Parents that they be not the cause of the hardning of their Childrens hearts and then say of them they are hardy Lads for that which har dens the heart seperates from God who is Love and from Christ who comes to save the Life and so the Sacrifice of God is not known which is in the broken Heart but the Lord is with the humble and the broken hearted And you should all take heed of provoking your Children to many words for all flesh should be silent before the Lord and their words and yours should be few seasoned with salt that they might minister grace to the Hearers for God sitteth in Heaven unto whom an account must be given for every Idle word and according to every word that a man shall speak shall he be judged Therefore let the fear and dread of the Lord God be before your Eyes that you bring not your Children into the Condemnation by speaking more then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Of plain simple Truth in few Words left the Lord God of Heaven and Earth requite it of you in the day of his firce Wrath when you will not be able to answer him one of a Thousand and left you bring your tender simple Babes to be Children of the Devil and then it be not in your power to bring them back out of that state again but they dye in their sins upon whom the Wrath of God abideth Therefore as you love and tender their good both of Soul and Body see that you keep and in all things bring them to Gods Witness in them and that will judg and reprove them for any Evil they have done and will keep them more out of all Evil then you by any other Reproof can do and will answer your chastizing for any Evil to be just when done in the true Moderation not exceeding the Offence committed nor proceeding from the least motion of the wrathful nature in you mark that Thirdly take heed of provoking your
Children to unquietness neither disturbe them of being quiet for many are not content to see them sober and quiet but are provoking them to Lightness and vain Pleasure when they would be sober like Lambs for it is written In quietness and rest shall ye be saved Isa 30. 13. And study to be quiet I Thes 4. 11. And commune with your own Hears and be still Psal 4. 4. For when I was a Child I did often sit and stand quiet long together pondering many things in my Mind and as I grew up all along that thing remained with me that for an hour or some hours if I were not disturbed I should sit quiet either waiting on the Lord for Counsel or searching which motion in me to be guided by And when I have been riding along the way when I have sound the right thing in me did not lead me I have turned back and not rode that Journey And my silent siting like a Fool my Father hath often called studying and hath often sharply reproved me for it saying by way of Reproach I would sure study to be some great Preacher or another and my Mother hath come to me it s like hundreds of times both when I was a Child and a Man and in her pity hath laid hards on me and bid me should not sit studying so for surely I would make my self a fool not knowing what my condition was And being so usually disturbed and grieved sometimes on First-dayes or when I could I should get into some Wood or place so private that none should find me and there wait in quietness three or four hours and sometimes the Love of God would break through me and his Word would make my heart soft and I felt the same then which now is my Life and now I know that those that wait on the Lord renew their strength and though it is written The Lord was weary of the Peoples Sacrifices and with their Words Mal. 2. 17. Yet it was never written in Scripture that the Lord was weary of those that waited upon him Therefore you should suffer your Children to wait upon God or at leastwise to be quiet and that which may be known of God is manifest in them Rom. 1. 19. And the Lord hath not lest himself without a Witness in every Conscience and it is Christ that is given for a Witness Isa 55. 4. and his Light shineth in their hearts who saith Come to me and learn of me for he is the Shepherd and Bishop of the Soul who teacheth all to Prosit Isa 48. 17. And is that true Prophet which whoso hears not the Soul is cut off and certainly my Soul was cut off from the Life when I was forced from hearing his voice in me that is a man of Sorrows and as a Lamb dumb Therefore take heed of provoking your Children to hear ken to a stranger or another Teacher than he that is a living Mimster within the vail and the vail is over the Heart where I have found that Instructor that shall never be removed but all Teachers without may be removed and Priests and men may dye but this abides a Priest forever being made by the Power of an endless Life Heb. 7. And so now all such as come to know something of God in them they also come to sit in silence and quietness to receive Instructions from God which is no new thing invented by the will of man or learned one from another but is the same with that which guided the Prophets and was in my heart from God of a Child and I do affirm in the presence of the Lord God that I had never returned out of that degenerate state which I was hurried into from the measure of the breath of Life in me if I had not waited in and been obedient unto the Light of Christ which was in me so a Child And you may all mind that all along there hath been something in you which in secret did reprove you for sin and will let you see the sins of your Youth or Childhood and that is the Light of Christ the Son of God who so loved the World that he gave his Son a Light into the World and the World is sct in the Heart Eccles 3. 11. that all men through him might believe and be saved from Wrath to come and that is it that is given for a Witness and the Witness is alss in the Conscience of a Child which will testifie against it after it hath done Evil and the Countenance will fall like Cain but before they have done Evil they are not ashamed as Adam being innocent and if they be falsly accused of an Evil they have not done they will have Boldness therein and the Witness in them will justifie them and the Witness is given of God to be a Leader Isa 54. 4. and a Captain Heb. 2. 10. and a Saviour Mat. 1. 21. And the Lord in the midst is mighty to save Hos 11. 9. And this is freely given to every one without Money and without Price so that there is neither Jew nor Greek Barbarian nor Scythian Bond nor Free but Christ is all and in all and he is called a Witness and the Light of the Gentiles and he saith I am the Light believe in the Light And God is Light who is above all and through all and in all Ephes 4. 6. And he hath placed a sufficient measure in every one Psal 46. 5. Heb. 8. 10 11. which was my Teacher when I knew no other and before I knew what it was and is my Teacher now and is the same as ever it was and doth not Change and this is that which comes from God and is not put in them by Man nor humane Learning but men by their Eloqent Speeches and vain Deceit may lead them forth from that in them and so break the Command of Christ who said Go not forth Mat. 24. 25. And then when they are led forth after Lo here and Lo there from the Rock which Christ the Light within and from the sure Foundation which God hath laid and no man can lay another though they despise this and reject and refuse this precious Corner-stone which is the Light that shineth in the heart to give the knowledge of God from the which being led by the subtility of mans fallen Wisdom then are they liable to follow any devised Fables and Imaginations and Sects and Opinons and to be scattered upon every dry barran and dark Mountain as the Lord knoweth I was long not knowing where to find Rest having been hurried from and led out from my true Guide from and by the which at first I could pray with the Spirit as in measure the Spirit that was within helped my Infirmity with Sighs and Tears which being led out from and the tender Motions of it quenched then after I grew up was taught to say Prayers and some Prayers that others learned out of Books and this they
Peace with God and his Blessing to be with you alwayes and be a Comfort to your Parents and all that truly fear the Lord. Written by a Member of Christ whose love was to little Children and so is mine who am called Humphery Smith THE True and Everlasting Rule From God discover'd AND That which proveth all things Published from the Spirit of Truth To the which Rule the Scriptures also bear Testimony that the Simple and Honest-hearted may see what Rule they are to walk by to come to perfect Peace and Rest with God for evermore Also A Testimony of the true Prophet who was to come and is come and there is not another his Work witnessed and Truth declared from a feeling-sence and experience according to Scripture Wherein also is shewed That the Prophets of God and Ministers of Christ did preach the Light and so those who preach the Light now do therein preach the same Doctrine as the Prophets Christ and his Apostles did With an Invitation from the Spirit of Christ By a Servant of the Lord and a Sufferer for his Truth in the House of Correction at Winchester in Hampshire called Humphry Smith The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee of thy Brethren like unto me unto him shall ye hearken Deut. 18. 15. To the Flock of GOD whom he hath gathered in Glocestershire Herefordshire Worcestershire Wiltshire Oxfordshire Buckinghamshire Hampshire Dorcetshire and Devonshire TO you my dearly beloved Lambs and Babes in Christ Jesus chosen of God the Father before the Foundation of the Word called to be Saints sanctified with the living Truth in the inward parts justified by him that is near redeemed with the Blood of the new Covenant glorified as a royal Diadem in the hand of the Father preserved through believing and obedience by the mighty Arm of unlimited Power compassed about with Salvation anointed with Oyl of Joy and Gladness of Heart who are beloved of my Soul and the Joy of the whole Earth who are chosen and faithful and true who through great Tribubation the Kingdom do come to receive who have not loved your Lives unto the Death who did once walk in the Shadow of Death whose feet now come to be guided in the Way of Everlasting Peace to whom the hand of the Father's infinite Love hath been reached forth as unto tender Babes who come to be born and nursed up by the Womb and the Paps that are free which is the Mother of us all who know the first-born which is blessed for evermore who are become the first Fruits unto God and to the Lamb who have received the Testimony of Jesus who have washed your Robes in the Blood of the Lamb and have received the fine Linnen which is the Righteousness of God and the Righteousness of the Saints whose Sins are done away forever whose Nakedness is covered who have put on the pure Robes and are adorned as a Bride for her Husband who are clothed with Righteousness as with a Garment and are all Glorious within and are able to stand upon the Sea of Glass mingled with Fire and before the Throne out of which proceeds Lightnings and Thunders and Voices who have cast down all your Crowns at the fect of the Lamb and come to wait on him forever and ever who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is worthy of all Glory and Honour and Praise and Thanks and Obedience and Dominion from all his for evermore The Salutation of me the Prisoner of Jesus Christ with my own hand unto you my dear Ones unto whom at present my Bowels of Love from God the Father are poured forth with whom I am in the Spirit of Love and Meekness among whom I have passed through good Report and evil Report yea that which is not to be named who am as one of the least yet not the least in Love unto you who are unto me as the Children of my own Bowels bound up with me in the unspeakable Life of the Father which from all the World is hid for evermore where Life and Immortality dwelleth forever and is daily felt by all you that abide faithful in the Obedience and keep your Garments unspotted of the Flesh abiding in the pure Fear and godly Humility your Bread is continued and your Waters are sure and your Souls are made as a watered Gardâ—n and Peace and Life springs up in you and you may delight your selves in Fatness and find the replenishings from the Fountain of God's living Mercies and grow up in the holy Life as Trees of Righteousness the planting of the Lord that he may be glorified The Church of the first born are you come to be the Pillar and Ground of Truth made lively Stones elect and precious growing up a holy Building unto God the Father who will dwell in you his holy Temple forever and ever who are founded upon the elect precious and Corner-stone the sure Foundation the Rock of Ages the Light of the World whose light is your life which is shining forth unto the Sons of men that they may see your good Works which are wrought in and by you and hear your seasoned words which ministers Grace unto the Hearers and answers Gods Witness in all and makes for your Advantage who are as Plants of Renown a Habitation of Holiness Vessels of Honour Clusters of Grapes who receive nourishment from the Vine whose Fruit never fadeth whose Rivers are never dry whose Rayment never waxeth old whose Glory never fadeth whose strength is renewed as the Morning your Dread is upon the People and your Terror upon the Heathen your Enemies are all as stubble before you and your God in the midst of you is a consuming Fire Dreadful is his Presence in you unto all his and your Enemies the Workers of Iniquity who shall fall before you as the Grass that is cut down and wither as the Blossom that is cut off Paleness shall cover the faces of all your Enemies before you shall all People be much pained Sorrow shall take hold upon them in the Night-season then shall the Arrows of the Lord reach into their Bowels Astonishment of Heart shall be upon them and they shall fly when none pursues and be in Distress and none shall deliver Arise against them O ye my Lambs in the strength of the Lord who teacheth your hands to war and your fingers to fight let the Beast be overturned forever let the Whore have blood to drink let her Merchant be spoiled forever and all her Children dashed against the Stone and broken to pieces as a Potters Vessel with the Power of the Light let the Darts of your hands who handle the Word of Life strike through all the false Prophets and reach unto the secrets of all their Hearts to the renting open of their Chambers of Darkness and the cutting down of the Enemies of the Most High and fear not let not your hands be slack the Lord
Hearts be restrained from breaking and your Bowels from an unexpressible yearning after the advancing of the living Truth of God which he hath so freely made you partakers of May you not fall down to the Dust before the presence of the Lord and become as the smallest thing in respect of him Who can but fear before him and be astonished at the Power of his Might and bow before him who is the God of the Spirits of all Flesh that he over all may be honoured who is blessed for evermore And as through Humility you come to receive that which maketh Honourable even that which is Holy like pure Oyl to comfort and nourish you in that keep treasuring it up for your selves until you receive Power from on High or feel the higher Power that stands over all opening the Mouth of that which is to speak giving you Power and Wisdom your Life forth to minister to the reaching of that in all which can receive the Gospel and to the chaining down of all the Powers of the Prince of Darkness that would arise up against it And such as feel something stirring to speak Words and a great War and trouble within being neither quiet one way nor the other and by reason of fearfulness Words begin to go forth as from under a load and trouble and then feel the Earth lie upon the Seed let such take heed of speaking too much with a strangled and strained Voice but sink down again and wait to feel that rent and broken which is as a hard thing between thee and that which should rise up to speak that thou mayest feel it opened in thee as a place of broad Rivers giving thee room or as the opening of a Rock and the powerful issuing forth of a mighty stream of living Water pure and clear not mixt with Earth and Dirt and when thou hast felt this take heed of spending all upon others and another time take heed of that which would imitate such a Power again And also let such who speak in Meetings take heed of speaking above the Vail with a forward Zeal leaving the Light behind him lest he do more hurt behind him than he doth good before him and when the Vail is rent and a few Words spoken and the measure being declared the Vail comes on again upon a sudden and then some there be that change the Voice and continue in a form of strange words an hour after like a Priest Now the measure in such is owned the which they keeping to might increase but going beyond it the other will increase and that decrease but stopping with the Light when it stops and so become a Fool the Light would arise again Life speak and it s that alone which doth Service for God and other long Declarations of Words do but thicken the Vail over them that have felt Life though Death in others who have not found Life will feed upon the many words And such as are moved to bear their Testimony against the false Prophets or the Wickedness of men in it be faithful keeping in the fear and dread of the Lord that in his strength you may stand as a Wall of Brass against the Ungodly and spare not to thresh the Heathen so long as you feel the Hammer of the Lord up over them and then take heed of Disputations after and go not out of that which is your strength lest you fall before your Enemies and dishonour the Lord. But let every one take heed of running too soon for some such there are who run to Priests and others in the light airy Spirit and pride of Heart who are vain Boasters out of the Truth whose service the Lord abhors and likewise some such speak in Meetings whose Mouthes should be stopped Thus Friends from the dear love of my Life to you all and the living Truth of God for which I suffer in Bonds have writ these things in plain and few words to be considered of by you whom it concerns and the Lord God of Life make it a blessing unto you Winchester-Bridewell H. S. Sound things Asserted I. In the King 's own Words II. From late Experience III. From Scripture-Truth IV. According to Reason and Equity And certain things opened or propounded by way of Enquiry thereupon Offered in meekness and good will unto the consideration of the King's Lords Counsellors and other his chief Officers under him in all places of Justice Trust both Civil Military and Ecclesiastical Being intended for the good of the KING and themselves and all Persons under him and for the preserving of Peace amongst men The first Assertion I. FOrasmuch as you are set in Authority under the KING and so are to observe and to be Ministers of his Laws for the punishment of Evil and not to go beyond his Will and Proclamations and so to do that which is just and reasonable toward all his Subjects thereby to preserve them in Peace towards him and one with another II. In that the King hath freely engaged himself by Promise in his Declaration from Breda That no man shall be disquieted nor called in question for differences of Opinions in matters of Religion c. And in that he hath since he came to England doubled the Confirmation thereof in repeating the self-same words twice over in his Declaration Of Ecclesiastical Affairs bearing date the 25th of the 8th Moneth called October 1660. page 5 and 18. And since all this he having again renewed the same in a late Speech of his to the Parliament bearing date the 8th day of the 5th Moneth called July 1661. saying It is to put My Self in mind as well as You that I so often I think as often as I come to you mention unto you my Declaration from Breda And he further saith My Lords and Gentlemen let it be in no mans Power to charge either Me or You with breach of Our Word or Promise which can never be a good Ingredient to our future Security Page 5 6. III. In that he hath confirmed the same to us in particular in a late Proclamation entituled The Enlargement of Prisoners called Quakers bearing date the 11th of the 3d Moneth called May 1661. wherein he writeth us his Subjects called Quakers whereby Friends were generaly released out of Prison and that without Fees IV. In that the King hath promised the same by word of Mouth and granted that we should have our Liberty of Conscience and that we should not suffer therein engaging Himself thereunto in the Word of a King and in that he hath manifested the same towards us several times The first Queries upon the first Assertions THese things above written being rightly considered and truly understood this then would I learn from you or enquire of you whom the King hath set in chief places of Authority under him and let just witness of God in all your hearts answer hereunto Query 1. Whether all or as many of you whom the King hath
guile this is he that hath been long set at naught whose tenders of Love constrain Obedience to himself because of the beauty that is in him which from them is hid over whom the Vail is through which they cannot see the Comliness of his Love I rest in the Fathers will your Souls Friend H. S. FRiends the Lord is with us and the God of Heaven is on our side and the Lord is our Defence who hath spoken Life and Peace to my Soul behold he will be with us forever and the holy Arm of his precious dreadful strength shall no Nation under Heaven prevail against dwell all in the Power of God and the blessing of the God of Heaven will be upon you all forever THe Spirit of the Lord came upon Saul and he then Prophesied but after for his disobedience he lost the Kingdom and was afraid of the shame before the People and the Kingdom is rent from such who disobey the Lord though they were among the Prophets like Saul who afterwards went to the Witch And the Witchcraft is near to all such as stand not in the Counsel of God to cause the People to hear his Word and not their own whose Word feeds not the flesh above the seed but is as a Hammer to break the Rocks in pieces and it kills and makes alive and opens a way through the Earth for the Prisoner of Hope to come forth And the Spirit came upon Balaam who was reproved by the dumb Ass that he was exalted above and resisted and he durst not go beyond the Word of the Lord he durst not go beyond that which was quick and powerful in the heart nor over-reach it to do more or less for the gaining of half a Kingdom in the Earthly And such as exceed Balaam therein may expect to be cut down also by the true seed as he was and so to fall among the rest of the Enemies of the Israel of God who is dreadful in Power And the Spirit came upon Jephthah who after offered his own Daughter for a Sacrifice and the Spirit came upon Sampson and yet he not standing in wisdom was bettrayed of his strength by a Daughter of the Philistines who also afterwards put out his eyes And so the Spirit may come up in some and yet afterwards they lose that with which they should see and some there are that use their tongues as in the Name of the Lord upon whom the Spirit never came mark that And Caiphas the High Priest prophesied and he spake not of himself and yet he was an enemy to Christ the Power of God and such as are got up high like high Priests above the measure of the Man of sorrows speak from self or flesh and are in that by which he that is the Light doth suffer and the power is resisted and the seed in others oppressed and they not brought to the Living Minister within the vail that abides a Priest forever but are in that which will dye And many might be named upon whom the Spirit came And Judas also had obtained part of the Ministry â—ut now consider the Spirit resteth upon the branch of the Root even the seed it self for the Spirit came upon many but it rested and relieth upon the se ed only even the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanâ—ing and counsel and might and knowledge and of the sear of the Lord in the fear of the Lord which is a fountain of Life which Life all are to feel and not be kept from by words without it but to feel that which comes from it and favour that that Jacobs Tent all may know which who so dwell in are blessed against whom there is no enchantment and where the Witch-craft cannot enter which leads from the strait and narrow way to the Spirit and Life into a liberty to that which is fleshly where that is kept alive which the word in the heart as a hammer and a sword should have broken and cut down for Paul was grieved with such who at first could almost have pluckt out their own eyes for him and after sought occasion against him and themselves to be made perfect in the flesh and all flesh as grass is to be cut down with the Sword of the Lamb and where the flesh is above the Spirit suffers by it and the vail is thickned which keeps from the Unity and out of the Life and Power of God H. S. THe Lord God of Heaven preserve all every where in the Love Long-suffering Forbearance Meekness and Gentelness out of the Strife or Self-seeking for suerly Wo will come upon that Spirit where-ever the Lord finds it and even the Lord knoweth the desires of my heart in true Simplicity hath been That his Righteous Judgments might pass betimes upon every appear ance thereof in my self and all others and I believe that God will never prosper it in any therefore my Exhortation in the Everlasting Love of the God of Heaven is That you all every where live in true Brotherly Love remember Joseph's Advice to his Brethren That they fall not out by the way The heavenly God of Power and Life and Virtue keep ye out of all this in the Life of Wisdom and Meekness where Strife shall never inhabit nor Death enter within the walls of Zion in which their dwellings are who keep themselves undefiled and remain in the fear of God to whom I commit you all and to the Power of the Word of his saving Grace praying to the Lord for you that evermore you may continue in the Love of Christ Your Freind and Brother Humphry Smith To the meek and open hearted Lambs and Flock of Heaven in meekness of Love with Greetings of Peace from the Seat of Infinite Mercy â—endred unto and sent to be read among them all who live in the humble State THere was a time of Blackness and Darkness which covered all flesh and the Guilt of Sin was upon all Consciences and Hardness of Heart possessed every Vessel and the Minds of all was astray from God and their Souls in the bonds of Iniquity in the day when none was able to deliver his brother O! who can utter the distress and the Languishing state which the Sheep then scattered were in O! the secret Groans of the Out-casts of Israel which God hath now gathered Why should it be forgotten Who could pluck their Feet then out of the Snare or deliver their Souls from Death had not the Lord in mercy looked down from Heaven surely many had sunk in the Pit of Misery and never come to see the Light of the Morning for the which the Bowels of the humble yearned in secret and the Sights were deep in the Solitary Place And then did the Lord in the Bowels of his Mercy let open his Ear and for his own Names-sake had regard unto the Complaint of the poor and needy and he caused Light to break out of Darkness and Truth to spring from its secret
which teacheth to deny Ungodliness should stand and remain And how wonderfully hath the Lord preserved his whole flock unto this day even so that with true gladness of Heart in living Praises it might truly be said That no Weapon formed against Gods Israel hath to this day yet ever prospered though no man hath appeared either in Field or Court on their behalf nor visible hand appeared for the defence of the flock of Heaven O! where is that Lamb of the fold who now stands in the Covenant of Redemption that cannot breath forth the Praises of God in the heart-breaking Power of his Love and the sensible feeling of his tender unspeakable Mercies Behold O friends the goodness of God is unutterable yea I have not words to express it and such that feel it may taste of it and drink of the fulness thereof beyond the narrowness of my broken speech and let such draw near unto me and let lose that which bindeth and closeth up in the Bowels that we may meet at the entrance of Wiâ—dom's Gate and live one with another and one in another so as the World did never â—now neither in their nature shall eveâ— understand for my heart is filled with Love and my dweling is enlarged with bouâ—dless Borders of Peace and my Life streams forth in meekness Behold there is none can stop it where the seed springs up as a Lilly and where the dawning of the day is witnessed where undefiled Love which cannot think Evil hath its resting-place and where the true simplicity of meekness remains Even there my Lines are read my Words are heard my Mind is Known my Language understood my Love received and even my Life takes entrance What shall I say I am with near or in the midst of aâ— the Innocent Lambs by the virtue of that Power and inviâ—â—ble Spirit which filleth all in all and in silence with you could â— long rest where the World should neither know nor yet perceive me the same Bread which I receive in the invisible Power break unto or disperce among the Lambs of God who can feed upon no other Even so the same is it which my Soul at present doth live yea behold I live who once was dead and my Life is hid among the rest with Christ in him from whence the heavenly Food and the Souls-saving and hearts-satisfying Power doth come And this is to stir up your Minds and to put you in remembrance of the Lords dealing with you and his large Loving-kindness towards you and his effectual work of Love in you that you may never forget him nor be unmindful of his fatherly Pity towards us all when we were all in our low estate and that you may feel the Revivings of his virtue and the Inlivenings of his power and the quicknings of his Spirit That you may grow therein and wax fruitful to God and come to be seated and established in the Land of Life blessed from Heaven with much more fruitful increase than the Land of Goshan That the fruit of Lebanon may be known and the Rose of Sharon and your selves as the Cedars that are full of Sap and your Life as the Vine that never wanteth Nourishment whose Fruit aboundeth to the glading of the Vine-Dresser that the Lord may rejoyce over his Heritage and delight himself in the midst of Zion and be glorified in his People and admired of all them that believe THe Lord God of Heaven preserve all every where in the Love Long-suffering Forbearance Meekness Gentleness out of the Strife or Self-seeking for surely Wo will come upon that Spirit wherever the Lord finds it and even the Lord knoweth the desires of my Heart in true simplicity hath been That his righteous Judgments might pass betimes upon every appearance thereof in my self Neither do I believe that God will ever prosper it in any nor any with it Therefore my Exhortation in the Everlasting Love of the God of Heaven is That you all every where live in true Brotherly Love and remember Joseph's advice to his Brethren That they fall not out by the way The Heavenly God of Power and Life and Virtue keep you out of all this in the Life of Wisdom and Meekness where Strife shall never inhabit nor Death enter within the Walls of Zion in which their dwelling is who keep themselves undefill'd and remain in the fear of God to whom I commit you all and to the Power of the Word of his saving Grace praying to the Lord for you That evermore you may continue in the Love of Christ From the feeling and refreshing whereof in the heart this is written unto you by him that in the Truth can serve the least of you being your Friend Humphry Smith ANd Friends this is a time of quietness and stillness or a time for you so to be and there hath been a large time of gathering and for convincing and now the Lord is proving and trying them that are gathered And after this time blessed and thrice happy shall they be that are found faithful in it and worthy to be Crowned with Heavenly Honour and to be further employed in Gods service and to remain as Pillars among the Flock of Heaven and as Lights to invite others home to the dwelling of God And now should all Friends be kept in Wisdom and take heed what words they use among men or concerning any men though they do contrive against us Had the Lord left us where they are and set them where he hath placed us then might we have been this day as ignorant of the Way of Peace towards Enemies and of the Path of Innocency and Righteousness as they now are but the Lord hath shewed us Mercy And I say the God of Heaven forgive them and defend us And all that dwell in this may come at last to see a time of greater Gathering than ever yet was Oh! my Pen cannot write it And if all were quiet in their own measures and little at all were moved in that measure either to write print or speak at this time waiting singly upon God Oh! he would plead for us and he alone would help us and keep us as in his Arms until the Indignation were over-past And this I write that you might know of my continual confidence in the Lord if he had or did not at this time raise up or make use of any of us to help him or to be workers together with him But a Remnant he hath whose hearts he enlargeth with prayer and some of them with strong inward desires and groans and some with utterance to declare the good will of God unto others in your Assemblies and some steadfastly to believe in God that he will never leave us and all this ascends up before the Lord even as one sacrifice And he that hath heard and had mercy on us when we were not his People and turned not back our complaints in that day O! how shall he now forget
us now we are his people and are purchased unto him with a Ransom more precious than all the Gold in the World Who is it among all the flock of God but have already had much experience of his Love good Will and Mercy And wherefore then should any of the Sons or Daughters of Zion suppose that God will ever forsake or leave them in distress I even say doubtless and certainly it will not be so but the Lord will stand by us and the God of the whole Earth will go before us and the wonderful dreadful powerful Presence of the most High will be with us over us among us and in us for evermore and we shall certainly be preserved by his Power And by this my tenders of Love in these Lines all the dear anâ— humble hearted Friends of Christ may hear from me and understand that something of the virtue of the Vine is and remaineth in me and if the will of God should be so that my Body suffer in this close unsavory Prison at Winchester many Moneths or several Years longer yet shall the Lord be my God forever and my Rest unto the end of Troubles and in silence and secret shall and doth my Heart and Soul pour forth Intercession to the Throne of Power in the behalf of his own Truth and People and for every feeble Plant which God hath planted And when I have put you in mind that you ought not to forsake the Assembling of your selves together I leave you to God at present H. S. ANd you should all take heed of that which would lead you up an easier way than by the Light that condemns sin and terrifies and troubles you for by it doth God speak and in it calls for Repentance and in it strives with you and many more so strongly that they cannot rest night nor day being not yet reconciled to it but this consider that this will not alwayes strive with you therefore while the Light is and is not put out if you will hear his Voice by whom God speaks peace that Peace you might enjoy forever then take heed of that by which a hardness comes upon the Heart and a Vail so thick with unbelief that the true Mourning is done away that there cannot be then a secret Crying unto the Lord for help and deliverance in the true brokeness of Heart which openeth to God with Bowels of Love and Tears whereby Gods Mercy is felt but a hardness upon the heart and a wrong thing ask for Peace in the unbelief from that which darkneth Take heed of this thing And this know assuredly that when Trouble comes in the inward parts and the rumour of War is heard between the two Nations Jacob and Esau both in the Womb and the Light condemning in the heart which hath been fleshly and the Witness of God awakning the Conscience that then if there be not a Brokeness thereby and a Mollifying of the Heart and a humbling of the lofty part then will Hardness take place and Rebellion prevail with thee against the Light Therefore in its season let these things have entrance in you and come to that which can receive it in love faithfulness and plainess as it is written H. S. The Cause of the long Afflicted and sore Oppressed sent forth in brief from Winchesteâ— Prison bâ—iâ—g a Copy of the Mittimus whâ—â—eâ—y Hâ—mphry Smith was again committed in oâ—th pace of his former lonâ— suffering in the same streight unsavory Prison wiâ—h his Answer which was then sent bâ—ck thereunto As likewise a shoâ—t Relation from the rest of them called Quakers there The Mittimus To the Keeper of his Majesties Goal at Winton or to his sufficient Deputy Greeting YOu shall herewithal receive the Body of Humphry Southton Smith who was taken at unlawful Meetings at Alton being a Ringleader and one of the chief of the Quakers who travelleth the Country to seduce the People and disturb his Majesties Peace contrary to the Law in that behalf made and provided These are therefore in his Majesties Name to will and require you forthwith that you receive the Body of him the said Humphry Smith into your Custody and him to detain in your said Goal until he shall be delivered from thence by due order of Law Whereof fail you not at your peril Given under our Hands and Seals at Alton the 14th day of October in the thirteenth year of his Majesties Reign Anno 1661. John Norton Humphry Bennit The Answer THe Jews who denyed him that said I am the Light laid hands on Paul crying out Help men of Israel this is the man that teacheth every where against the Law Acts 21. 28. And the Jewish Christians who denied the Light laid hands on Humphry Smith and in the Mittimus say He was at an unlawful Meeting And so these called Christians say Our Meetings are Unlawful or against the Law And just so it was said of Paul That his teaching was against the Law Again John Norton and Humphry Bennit say That Humphry Smith was a Ringleader Likewise Turtullous said That Paul was a Ringleader Acts 24. Again Humphry Smith is accused for one of the chief of the Quakâ—rs and for travelling the Country to seduce the People And in the same manner Paul was accused for a mover of Sedition among all the Jews throughout the World Acts 24. 5. and if so then Paul was a greater Traveller than Humphry Smith And as Humphry Smith is here accused for seducing the people so Paul was accused for setting forth of strange Gods and for preaching new Doctrine Acts 17. 18. And again Haman accused the Lords People That they kept not the Kings Laws And these men accuse us that we disturb the Peace contrary to the Kings Laws And the Rulers accused Paul for teaching things that were not Lawful And these accuse Humphry Smith That he did that which was contrary to the Law which they say is made and provided which is as much as if they had said We have a Law just like their Fathers who crucified Christ and said We have a Law and by our Law he ought to dye And so these who have Envy which is Murther in their hearts say We have a Law made and provided and by the force thereof Humphry Smith who is a member of Christ must be Imprisoned his Body Mark not his Soul then his Soul may be at liberty And them Magistrates cast Paul into Prison And so these did by H. Smith And they charged the Goaler To keep Paul safely Acts 16. 12. And these charge or require the Goaler in no less than his Majesties Name and at his own Peril to receive and detain the Body of Humphry Smith in his said Goal until he shall be delivered by due Order of Law And in this their acting and writing they themselves have compared Humphry Smith with Paul and others of Gods people And themselves with Pauls Persecutors and But now they have above a year
or meerly by something in you A. What! wouldst thou have me say that all Swearers Lyars and Drunkards that live and dye in their sins are justified because Christ shed his Blood upon the Cross The Priest said Nay Then I said The Blood of Christ that was shed upon the Cross I do not deny but though he hath shed his Blood there for Sinners yet none come to be justified or have benefit by it as to Salvation but those that the Blood and the Life of Christ is raised up in for they that have not the Spirit of Christ are none of his and such are not justified by him and though he hath shed his Blood upon the Cross yet the Unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God And wouldst thou have me say more but that thou waitest to ensnare me Then the Priest gave over that also and went to entrap me in another thing and said One of you that are called Quakers and is a Teacher among you did bid me give over deceiving the People in telling them That the Scripture is the Word of God Now do you own the Scripture to be the Word of God A. The Scriptures I own and witness to be a true Declaration Luke 1. 1. spoken forth by holy men of God as they were moved by the Spirit 2 Pet. 1. 21. and they are those that testifie of Christ John 5. 39. to be the Light of the World John 1. 9. and the Word of God Rev. 19. 13. Q. Are not the Scriptures the Word of God A. The Scripture saith God is the Word Q. Are not the Scriptures necessary to Salvation A. They are useful for Doctrine for Exhortation and Reproof Q. But are they necessary A. They are useful Q. Are they not necessary A. They are necessary to stop the Mouthes of Gain-sayers Q. But are the Scriptures a necessary means unto Salvation A. Jesus Christ is the only means of our Salvation and there is no other Name given under Heaven by which men shall be saved Q. But are men saved without Scriptures A. Now the Scriptures are written and what is written is written for our Learning therefore we are not without it but Enoch walked with God Noah obeyed and Abraham believed before Scripture was and they that are come unto Christ are come unto that which was before Scripture was Q. How did you come to know any thing but by the Scripture A. Although I had the Scripture yet I never knew Christ of whom the Scripture testifieth until he was revealed in me Q. Did not you come to your Knowledge at first by hearing some Minister A. I never profitted by any of them but lived in Wickedness so long as I followed them Q. But if ye own the Scriptures to be true and spoken from the Spirit of God why will you not own it to be the Word of God A. Bring me any one Scripture that saith the Scripture is the Word of God and I shall own it but the Letter killeth the Spirit giveth Life and the Word of God is quick and powerful sharper than a two edged Sword then I took my Bible and laid it down on the Table before them and said See this hath no Power in it neither can it stir Then the People laught at me again then I said to them Be silent for shame for I speak soberly and this Bible is not sharper than a two edged Sword and if this Bible be the powerful Word of God then the vilest Person in England may buy the powerful Word of God for Four Shillings Thus when the Priest had sought in these and the like Questions to ensnare me and found no better ground then he turned to them called Justices and said Sirs you see that though they deny Popery in the general yet you see they hold it in the particular as I have made it plain before you in that he holdeth a Man may be free from Sin and to be justified by Works wrought within and if this Popery be suffered to creep in then you may conceive the danger that may follow in this whole Nation therefore I shall leave it unto you and you know that I came not here until you sent for me therefore it is not of my procurement So after he had betrayed me as much as he could into their Hands like Judas then he would have washed his Hands like Pilate And after I was sent to Prison to the Goalers House for refusing to Swear that which afterwards they blotted out of my Mittimus and after two dayes being at the Goalers House where the mighty Power of God appeared to the silence and amazement of all the beholders as they were amazed at the Apostles Acts 2. 7. For several times after I had prayed the People were shaken and the Word of God was spoken with boldness Acts 4. 31. then I was sent to the main Goal where the People were exceeding mad against me as Saul once was against the Saints Acts 26. 11. And the Rulers stretched forth their Hands to vex us like Herod Acts 12. 1. And the Town was moved and the People ran together Acts 21. 30. And the Multitude with the Magistrates Acts 16. 22. Being cut to the Heart some gnashed on me with their Teeth Acts 7. 54. And the Multitude of the Town was divided and there was divers assaults made against us both of the Heathens and the Rulers who sought to vex us despightfully as they did Acts 14 4 5. Some threw Stones in the Prison the wait of five pound and threw Dirt and Water on my Lodging and spit on me and I hid not my Face from shame and spitting Isa 50. 6. And Pist at me several times and once they Pist on my Food and they made divers Assaults and Insurrections against our Meetings but Friends feared none of these things Rev. 2. 10. but in patience endured all their bitter Persecutions At last they were ashamed and so were the Rulers who were far worse then the rude People For though Friends met in the Street by the Prison daily yet the Meeting was not broken by the rude People but by the Magistrates who were at last more quiet and then Friends met as peaceably in the Street as if they had been in a private House so they met thrice every Week besides on the Market-dayes after the Market was over the People of the Country did come there in Peace and receive the Word with gladness and the Ignorant began to be convinced and the Gain-sayers Mouthes stopped and much People received the Truth in love whereby the Meetings were increased and the Work of the Lord began to prosper thus we continued for four Weeks together day by day in Peace and then there arose up a new Mayor which knew not the righteous Seed as there arose up a new King in Egypt Exod. 1. 8. And he saw the People of God increase was vexed at it as the world was alwayes vexed at the increase of the
with Fire and the Abominations of Molech confounded forever and the Whoredoms of the Whore punished with an everlasting Destruction and all them that have committed Fornication with the painted Harlot shut up in the Bed of Torment and in the Wine-press of the â—ierceness of the Wrath of the Almlghty for evermore In that Day shall the Songs of your Temples be turned into howling forever the place of your Worship laid desolate and the Dung of your solemn Feasts spread upon your Faces your Rottenness shall appear and your Unsound parts be made manifest the Skirts of the VVhore shall be discovered and all your Nakedness that long in secret have committed Fornication with her shall now appear to your everlasting shame And this shall come upon you as a Whirl-wind and overtake you as a Thief in the Night and when you cry Peace then shall Destruction upon Destruction come suddainly and you shall not escape Torment shall take hold upon you and Anguish shall seize upon your inward parts a Fire shall be kindled in your Bowels forever which shall burn and none shall quench it Oh who shall stand in this Day or who shall be able to endure the Terror of the Wrath of the Almighty Surely all the Ungodly shall be as the Grass that is cut down in the heat of Summer and all the Unrighteous as Fuel fitted for the Fire Oh! Whither then will the Sinners fly for Help or the Wicked for a Refuge VVhere shall the Lyar stand or how shall the Proud endure VVhat shall be the End of them that know not God And where will they be hid that obey not the Gospel of his Son Why certainly into the Lake must they be turned and with an utter Overthrow shall be condemned forever as it is written The Wicked shall be turned into Hell and all that forget God Therefore lament O ye Inhabitants of the Earth for the Lord is become your Enemy by reason of your Sins he is raining Snares as thick as Hail-stones upon you and the VVise men shall be taken in their own Craftiness Judges led away Fools Princes laid in the Dust Diviners turned Mad and a Curse will come upon all your goodly things Y your Glory shall vanish as the Dust and your Beauty shall be as the Dung upon the Earth Your Riches shall eat you up as a Moth doth a Garment your chiefest Delights will be your greatest Torment For the Lord is making the Earth empty and Wo to the Inhabitants thereof for evermore no Deliverer in it shall be found neither yet any to comfort you therefore shall the Young man VVeep and VVail the Strong man Cry bitterly In that day the Priests shall Howl the Honourable Lament and the Ancient go Mourning all the day long For the Lord is changing Times and Seasons and the Iniquity of the People is ascended up and the remembrance of the VVicked is come before him and once more will the Lord shake his Hand against the Wicked as in the day of Sodom and overturn the Oppressors as in the day of Pharaoh and shake the Heavens the Earth and the Sea and this shall be known when the Lord passeth through the Earth with his grounded Staff and Battels of Shakings And in that Day shall your solemn Meetings be confounded your high Places left desolate and your goodly Temples defaced Bats and Owls shall then build in your Steeple-houses and they shall be for the Fowls of the Air to lodge in the Night the unclean Beasts and Spirits of Devils do and shall resort thither a Den for Dogs shall it be made Your Bells shall come down after your Organs and your Temples shattered as the old Abbies and a perpetual Shame shall come upon all them that have been and are upholding the outward Temple made with Hands wherein God dwelleth rot and they themselves a Den of Thieves and full of Rotteness Therefore Astonishment of Heart shall come within and Destruction and Overturnings without Fear on every hand and Amazement shall come upon all Flesh then shall the Vine-dressers be ashamed and them that preach Peace to the Wicked shall no longer be hid Wherefore all you that have been Parliament-Members and all Judges Mayors Justices and Constables and all other Officers and People whatsoever that have been upholding the Wicked and oppressing the Just and have been hatching Mischief against and acting all manner of Cruelty you could invent upon the Servants of the Most High God behold the Lord will kindle a Fire in your Bowels which shall burn in the Night-season and with all your striving against it and vain hopes shall you not be able to quench it and when you should go to your Graves in Peace even then shall the Pangs of Hell lay hold upon you and utter Darkness shall compass you in on every side Oh! Fierce Furious and with unspeakable Violence will the Plagues of God come rolling in upon you When I was sick in Prison for a long time so weak as neither I nor any Friend then with me ever know any one and recover strength in the Body again at which time I gave up my Life and took my leave of Friends and lay down in the Fathers love not feeling sorrow or pain Friends hardly then knowing whether I breathed or not in which time I saw things unutterable And though Heaven was opened two Angels by my sides to bear me away into everlasting Rest yet was I left only for this end For the work of the Lord amongst the Sons of men for a time and so came into the Body again having seen before the way that all the Wicked shall go out And this I eternally witness to â—e true and now this Paper is written as a Warning from the Lord by one that came as from the Dead and yet many of you will not believe like the unmerciful mighty Waves of the Sea Which none can stop For verily and plainly I have seen the way that all the Wicked shall go and the place that they shall abide forever and none of their greatness in the world shall save them from it And I have seen the place where the Innocent whom you hate and all that dye in the Lord shall sleep in the Infiniteness of fulness of the Fountain of the Fathers unspeakable Mercy and unlimited Love where they shall rest in the fullness of God forever and ever and the entrance thereinto is easier and more to be desired than to fall into a sleep the sting of Death being taken away And this I know and testifie what I have seen and so warn all you the Enemies of the Lamb 's dear Members and your own Souls of the day that is coming upon you and the Vials of Wrath that therein will be poured forth upon you who when have felt Torment in your selves have then let Wrath arise up in you whereby you have been filled with Envy against a harmless People upon whom then to get ease
of that Torment you have acted that Cruelty which afterwards the Light of Christ in your own Consciences hath condemned you for and the same will condemn all you forever that Repent not And these things will certainly come to pass and then shall all the Heathen know that the Lord is the same that ever he was and that he hath heard the Cry of the Oppressed and seen the Affliction of his People and taken notice of all your secret Contrivances against them who are born of and led by the Spirit who are as the sound of the Wind unto you that know not whence they come nor whither they go who now suffer by you with Christ and shall reign with him forever and ever when he who is their Life shall appear to confound Zion's Enemies forever and overturn the very Foundations of the Wicked though never so great and high and bring down the Mighty from their Ungodly Seats and overturn the Inventions of the Wicked and pour forth Everlasting Judgment upon the Beast and all them that bear his Mark or worship his Image And when the Whore shall have Blood to drink and the Mouthes of her Merchants stopt forever and all them that love and make Lyes their Refuge with all the Unclean and Unbelieving who receive Honour one of another and all the Blood-thirsty turned into the Lake then shall Righteousness spread over the Nations as the Morning-due and Holiness as the Light of the Sun in Summer and Judgment run down as Water and Peace spring up as a Fountain that overflows and is never dry In that day shall the poor of the Flock be gathered and the Out-casts of Israel return Deliverance shall come to the Captives and Joy to them that have Mourned the Wilderness shall then rejoyce and the Desart be glad for evermore Springs shall arise in the Desart and a Fountain shall be opened in the Wilderness the Standerd of the Lord shall be lifted up on High the scattered in the Desart and the Meek of the Earth shall flow unto it Nations shall turn unto the Lord of Hosts and People be gathered to the Banner of the Most High they shall feed together as the Lambs in the Morning and be satisfied as the Flock in Summer and then shall Zion's Mourners be comforted and filled with Joy forever then shall they shout aloud for Joy with Halelujah for evermore when the Smoke of the Torment of the Whore her Lovers and her Brats ascends up as the Smoke of Sodom forever and ever Then shall Glory Honour and Praise arise from them that were beheaded for the Testimony of Jesus the Light of the World and unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and the captives shall come out of their Captivity and the Prisoner out of the Pit and every Bond-man shall be set at Liberty and those that are at ease and Liberty in the Flesh shall be bound with Chains of Everlasting Darkness forever and ever and they shall be tormented day and night in the presence of the holy Angles and in the presence of the Lamb who is Light even all them who will not that he should reign who is the Lamb the Light and then shall they see Abraham Isaac and Jacob who wandered up and down and were Strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth these with all their Seed then shall they see in the Kingdom and Dominion of God and they themselves shut out and so the Parable of the Rich man and Lazarus shall they know fulfilled Wherefore Wo Wo Wo to the Inhabitants of the Earth and all you the Enemies of the Lamb by reason of the Judgments that are yet to come for your Proud Flesh which is as the Flesh of Horses shall be as Dung upon the Earth and your Flesh is to be given unto the Fowls of the Air to feed upon for the Day of the great Slaughter is at hand and the Battel of the great King shall be set in order and every Battel of the Warrier is with confused Noise and Garments rolled in Blood but this shall be with Burning and Fuel of Fire and Blood shall all them have to drink who are found in Babel the great Whore that long have made the great men of the Earth Rich in whom the Blood of all the Saints is found from Abel unto this day wherein she and her Children are thirsting for the Blood of all them who believe in the Light Written upon the seventh and eight dayes of the 2d Moneth by him who suffers by some of Gogs Army in the House of Correction and common-Goal of Hampshire with the rest of the Lambs of Christ who is the Captain of my Salvation who hath armed me with the whole Armour of God and clothed me with the Armour of Light whereby he hath enabled me to stand in the day of Battel against all the Fiery Darts of the Devil and the Oppressions of Pharoah's Host and yet have nothing to Glory in but in the Lord having received all from him who teacheth my Hands to War and my Fingers to Fight and that not with Carnal Weapons but with Spiritual and deny all Carnal Fightings Qurrellings and Wars that ariseth from the Lust and learneth of him who maketh War in Righteousness and joyns with him in the Battel against the false Prophet the Whore and the Beast and all those that have his Mark in the Hand or in the Fore-head who rise up against them that have their Father's Name written in their Foreheads who is Light in whom I have believed and by whom do expect Deliverance in his due time with all his suffering Seed out of outward Bonds in the which I bear my Testimony against all his Enemies without Respect of Persons or Flattering Titles to any but in Love to the Souls of all though never so Dreadful to that in all which doth the Soul destroy to the which I am never to be reconciled but stand a Witness against until the Just under that arise and witness for me whose Love is only to the Seed of God in all by which I am known read and understood in the Light and of the other called Humphery Smith A Sad and Mournful LAMENTATION For the People of these Nations but especially for the Priests and Leaders of them and the more because of that which is coming to pass And let all People read it and let it have entrance into their Hearts in the fear of God for it is of much Concernment both for Priests Rulers and all People it being the deep Meditations of my Mind and the true Openings with the Light and Revelation of God in my Heart sundry times when my Spirit hath had secret conference with the Lord at such times as I have been absent from men or in the Night season in a true Mournful state of Pity towards the Souls of all Mankind for the Eternal good whereof this is written In Winchester-Prison and House of Correction being a colse Prisoner in a
said You have we aried me with your Sacrifices And so say I to you now you have wearied the Lord with your Words and yet many are saying Wherein have we we aried him I say in this have you wearied the Lord in that you say such as do Evil are Good in the sight of God Mal. 2. 17. Therefore thus I declare unto you who are yet in your Sins meeting together in the Idol Temples Your Service is not the Service of the true God neither is your Worship that which the Lord accepteth for he accepteth none but the Worship in Spirit and in Truth not in one high Place or other but your Worship is in some High-Place Idol-Temple or Steeple-House where all manner of Viperous Beasts are round and unsanctified Persons meet together who commit all Abominations and live in all manner of Filthiness and yet lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us no Evil shall come unto us Whereas they are an evil and an adulterous Generation adulterated from the Spirit of Truth in which the true Worship stands and are ignorantly worshipping in a Temple made with Hands in which God dwellcth not neither is his Power there received to overcome the Sin and so the People are wearying themselves for very Vanity and travelling to bring forth Death and labouring for that which profits not neither do they come to meet the Lord in the way of his Judgments nor find the Path of Life where the Unclean can never come neither yet do they know the Bread of Life nor drink his Blood that cleanseth from all Sin nor come to be translated into the Kingdom of the Son of God but remain in that Ground which was eursed by reason of man's Rebellion Gen. 3. 17. Heb. 6. 8. which Ground being not removed with the mighty Power of God the Blessing cannot be received nor the Understanding opened to know and receive that which the Natural Man perceiveth not the Eyes of their Minds being darkened through the Ignorance that is in them the Vail being over the Heart when that is read every day of their Worship which discovers Sin but makes nothing Perfect which Worshippers did and do Crucifie him that comes to take away the Sin But now he is come who hath forever perfected those that are sanctified and he that sanctisieth and they who are sanctified are all of one But they that are not sanctified are not of the one but are in the many Opinions in the Lusts of Ignorance and Wayes of Unrighteousness being not come to the one Faith which purifieth the Heart nor to know the one Baptism one Church one Way one Truth one God the Father of him who is the one Light which lightneth every man that cometh into the Wâ—rld of the which Light which is but one there is given a measure to every one of you which Light shineth in Darkness though not by it comprehended which Light will let you see that you your selves are out of God's Covenant in the World's Worship not reconciled to God upholding Idol Temples and Heathenish Customs with Bells and such things which the People of God never used but did and do deny forever and exhort you and all others to leave worshipping the Beast or upholding that which is not the true Worship of the true God practised by men of Sin in Steeple-Houses every First-Day Wherefore all People every where leave your Idolatry which you have learned and received by Tradition from the former Papists and Heathen who worship the Work of their own Hands and bow down to their own Inventions as you long have done and for this many Hundred Years have been learning and yet are not come to the Truth neither to believe in it but remain in Unbelief and Ignorance and your long time of Ignorance God winked at Acts 17. 30. But now Light is come in which God is calling to you and all men every where to Repent and forsake your Idolatrous Worship which by you a sinful Generation is practised in a Steeple-house one day in seven and Catn's Nature remaining in the inward parts from the which Idolatry all that sear the Lord God of Abraham are now to come from the Uncleanness of that Worship which is upheld by the Heathen for verily the Hand of the Lord God Almighty is stretched sorth against it and them Wherefore all People turn your Minds to the Lord God of Life who dwelleth in his People and not in Temples made with Hands and hath given to every one of you a measure of the true Light of his Son which Light in you will let you see your secret Sins and will teach you and shew you plainly of the Father if you love it and come to be led by it to do God's will so may you come to worship the Lord God of Life in Spirit and in Truth with the Children of the Light and of the Day which hath dawned upon many who need not any man teach them but are all taught of the Lord Glory and Honour and Everlasting Praises to his blessed Name forever and ever Amen Given forth as a Testimony against all Idolatry and Heathenish-Worship from the true Love of God the Father in pity to the Souls of them who have Eyes and see not and Ears and hear not that they may come forth of Darkness to follow Christ Jesus the Light of the World who is bringing the Blind by a Way that they know not Isa 42. 16. Therefore is this to go abroad among all People and read in Steeple-Houses Streets Market-places private Meetings and Families that all may consider what they have been doing in the dark Ezek. 8. 12. By a Servant of the Living God a Sufferer for the Testimony of his Name in the Common Goal and House of Correction at Winchester Humphery Smith The 4th Moneth 1658. Man driven out of the Earth and Darkness By the Light Life and Mighty Hand of GOD Wherein plain and simple Truths are brought to light that so the cause of Stumbling may be taken from before the Eyes of both Rulers and all sorts of Professors in Herefordshire c. Also something related of the Wonderful Power of God in the Work of Redemption and Restroration With a plain Self-denyal by him that takes up the daily Cross Behold the Lord worketh wonderfully every Morning he bringeth his Judgments to light he hath brought me back from the Grave and saved my Soul from Hell and set my feet upon a Rock THE Living Truth of the Lord God which he hath revealed in me by the mighty Operation of his Word of Life which living eternal Truth being my Life and shall last for evermore and be as a Standard of the Most High lifted up to all the scattered weary Souls that they may flow unto it and have it to be unto them a place of Refuge and Defence to fly unto in the day of Distress and by it come to be made Free and in it
the Refreshings of God and at the present made willing to undergo all Tribulations if in my whole Life I did Convert but one Soul to God seeing and feeling the Redemption of one Soul to be so precious the which then grew so strong in me that I was scarce able to retain from present actual Obedience to God therein but when I looked at my outward things and how first to settle that in order then was I by Temptations made afraid That it was a Delusion or something of the Devil transformed as an Angel of Light and then between both I was in much Trouble and Distress not knowing what to do having not then known any called Quakers nor any such Operations in any man in those dayes yet that could hardly prevail to make me believe it was a Temptation But at last reasoning about outward things I then resolved not to leave them but to mind the things of the World and not obey that which called me out of the VVorld And to write in short at last I did strive and joyn with all the Powers of Darkness that I could and used all means possible to drive the Power of God from me and the Thoughts of him and his Works out of my Mind but Wo was me after for it and it had been just if his Spirit had never strived more with me but left me to be cut off forever and to remain in the horrible Pit of Darkness And surely it was for the good of others that the Lord did spare me some whereof may now with me rejoyce for evermore For when all was too little to overcome the mighty Power of God in me then did the love of the World prevail and even thirstings for the love of it to come into my Heart to drive out the Love of God at last I with it against God prevailed though the living Power of God was so great that the Devil the Flesh and the World was scarceable to overcome it for a time and so I have seen Children Wife Farms and Oxen to hinder from the Kingdom of God but that which hindred most was the love of outward Goods And so it was but just with God to take that at the last out of the way and if he had swept all away in his Anger as from Job he had done me no wrong But when I had thus in a cursed manner overcome the striving of the sweet and lovely Spirit of Truth yet was I not quiet but much troubled and in a sad Condition which I was not able to hide from the World who said I was going Mad seeing me so changed into Sadness but of all this and much more I durst not then spake a word to any Creature And now mark what for my Rebellion did justly follow My outward Goods which I then loved more than Christ became as a Prey and a Spoil to unreasonable men and most unjustly on their parts was I by them deprived of it and the Lord also dried up all my Springs within that such a time after I knew that I was left without hope being in the horrible Pit of Darkness from God that I could neither pray nor believe but concluded that I was accursed from God forever and that which disobeyed was accursed and being in a sad miserable Condition resolved to write a VVarning to all People that they might take Example by me and never resist the Spirit as I had done but before I could write sinking down into the Condemnation without Murmuring against God knowing him to be just if he cast me into the nethermost Hell forever the Lord had Compassion on me and listed my Soul out of the Horrible Pit and staid me with his hand for a time yet afterwards his Afflictions followed me in Judgments within and much trouble in things without which my Heart was so upon and yet for a long time I turned not unto the Lord that did smite that his hand might make whole though Checks I had by his Light in my Conscience but strong was my VVill about it until the fierce Judgment of the Lord did often break forth upon me with much Astonishment of Heart and Horrible Indignation not to be uttered with Tears as streams of VVater from mine Eyes night and day when it came upon me with Tremblings and Breakin gs which broke the hardness of my Heart and opened a way to something in me which then I dearly loved but going out again from that I reasoned about my Outwards and not waiting to receive Counsel from the Lord I went unto a Rich Understanding man in outward things whom I loved who may yet remember that I made my Complaint unto That I was not able any longer to abide in the Way of the World whose Counsel I then took and my own Will together and so sought to keep two Kingdoms some time longer and therefore much Trouble followed me within and VVasting Loss Shame and Destruction upon things without But however I durst do no less than follow the Lord and be Obedient unto him whatever Loss I suffered or whatever Shame or Reproach I might undergo though often times I was afraid that this Power of God in me would soon come to an end or fail from me and that then I might return to my outward Employment with great Shame and Loss and that then instead of doing Service for God I might bring a Reproach upon his blessed Name and my self thereby be a Hissing-stock to all men and they say I began to build and not able to finish and this also kept me back very much But such was the Everlasting Love of the Lord who is known in the Ways of his Judgments that his Hand was heavy upon me and his Judgments encreased in me that there was no way for me to escape but I must be Obedient and bow under it or be cut off forever by it so that my Bowels were often pained in me and it is like for many Weeks had little sleep or bodily rest and sometimes knew not my Wife and Children that I felt and heard in the Bed by me but thought they were People I should not be with And therefore one time after it was day I was rising and putting on my Clothes in a sober manner and in Meekness said Surely I should not be here and my Wife then laying hand on me easily perswaded me but I said I Know not who I am with neither did I know her Voice at that time And some time after having endured much I told she and my Family with Heaviness and Tears That I was not able to enduce it any longer and that I had abode with them in the way of the World so long as possible I could and that I must give up my Life to serve the Lord desiring them with Tears to be Content and in what I could I should be careful for their good as ever I was And this is true and but little of what might be written
For another time formerly the Light of Christ in me which then I knew not did so condemn me and judge and trouble me in secret that it brought Sickness upon me and thereby being Weak expecting I should dye I was then much troubled and it lay much upon my Conscience at that time that I had not in the time of my Health gone to the Steeple-house and in the fear of the Lord warned all People to Repent and I was then much grieved because I thought I should dye and not first in that thing discharge my Conscience And so though I might write much by what is written may appear to the Meek and Sober-minded that the Lord did not only call but also thrust me forth of the World into his Harvest and this was of God and the operation of his powerful Word which called me out of the World and Hundreds since by the Word of his Power through me have been gathered out of the Way of the World and received the Earnest of the Rest Eternal and many converted unto God and Wo be unto them who openly oppose me in this the Lords Work I now am in which he hath thus called me unto and let none think that I did wilfully neglect my outward Employment neither let any one think that I left my Family as not regarding them nor that I stay much out of that Country for any By-end for the words are true A Prophet is not without Honour save in his own Country and in his own House and those that did since seek to stop my Mouth did not well Concerning my publick Preaching and something of what followed THAT none may stumble thereat and say We called Quakers are such who change from one thing to another and so what we hold not to be regarded But I say Those that have to changes are not come into fear of God psal 55. 19. and the Fear of the Lord is to depart from Evil And they depart from Evil are become a Prey but such were cleansed and changed from Glory to Glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. and grew in Grace and Knowledge in the Lord Jesus Christ And what I did or said then was in a great Zeal and real Intent to do good neither did I covet mens Silver for it neither was it my end to make a Gain thereby though much was freely offered me more than I intend to make mention though I recceived it not so that therein I was not much found in Covetousiness But when Judgement came upon me as before-mentioned I gave up that Preaching and said at the last Meeting I had then which was at Stoke-bliss That my Mouth was stopt at that present but if ever the Lord should open my Mouth again I should Preach indeed and it is so Praises to the Lord forever who hath indeed opened my Mouth and since I was no longer Rebellious and the living Truth of Jusus Christ do I declare and bear Testimony to his Name where-ever I come as his Spirit moveth me And let none herby think that I now glory in what was then my shame for though I had a great Zeal then for God it being not according to the Knowledge of the Crofs of Christ which crucisies to the World and all its vain Customs the which Cross being then left behind which is the Power of God so the Love of the world which is Enmity to God remained in me and the Root Iniquity not them removed out of my Heart therefore Fruits of Disobedience in secret were still brought forth which the Would the World took little notice of but I had one near me who did let me see all that ever I did and reproved me for vain Glory and having the Praise of Men and the Love of the VVorld and so my Preaching did not bring Souls home to God though I informed their Minds of many things which many ignorant People knew not before and so though much Love was in many yet this brought not forth Fruits of Obedience unto God and so all came to little for the People remained in their Sins and received not Power to come out of them neither came they out of the Fashions and Customs of the World nor to the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ which purrisies the Heart stands in the pure Conscience my self And so their Faith and mine was vain being then in our Sins Therefore let none think that I now justifie any Deceit Hy-pocrisie or secret Evil that then was in me or practsed by me for in the Presence of the Lord God I do openly declare against it all and that Spirit that acted me therein but I own that simple thing which then encourged me to do good out of an Honest Intent and that kept me out of Covetousness and from receiving of Gifts And I openly declare against all Cruel Unjull and Ungcdly Action and Words and all that Filth which I wallowed in before I was a zelous Professor as it is known to may Ungodly Persons how I was once as Wicked as many of them whom I Warn all to Repent otherwife they cannot escape the Dammantion of Hell And I utterly deny and declare against that Blindnese and Hypocrisie I was in when I followed the chief Priests from one Idols Temple to another who were chief in the Serpent's Wifdom deceiving me and many more and taught me that Knowledge which came from the Devil who said Te shall be a Gods knowing Gen. 3. 5. And in that Knowledge in which every man is Bruitish Jer. 10. 14. from them Hirelings Iencreased in that which pusseth up and encreased my â—orrow as before was mentioned for by that Serpent's subtilty which I learned from them without me I fought against and resisted that which was holy in me Therefore I declare in the Name of the Lord God that all the Hireling Priests do more harm than good and shall never bring People to receive the Power of God but lead them into Subtilty and further off from the Knowledge of that of God in them Rom. 1. 19. And as true as the Lord God liveth upon their Death-beds shall both Priests and People witness this to be true And it s also as true that I write this without any Prejudice to any of their Persons but in Love to all Peoples Souls do I warn all them Hireling Priests in Herefordshire and elsewhere to leave deceiving the People for absolutely the People are deceived by them and forced to maintain them too who may be warned of them by what I have learned by Experience from them having tried them and their ways to the utmost and have much experience of them more than many Country People whose Souls I truly love and therefore this I write And I declare against that which ruled in me in the time of Ignorance and Perverseness and acted me in Cruelty or Oppression towards any Person or to Wrong Defraud or Insult over any one in Tyranny either by Word or Action or wherein I
abused or smote with Envy which is of the Devil Either man or Beast and that whereby I was led into any manner of Hypocrisie or Double-mindedness or any manner of Evil whatsoever which was Unjust in the sight of God though not seen by Man or any secret Evil that then lodged in the dark Corners of the stoney Heart then in me whereby any thing did arise in me or proceed from me which was contrary to the Humble Meek Innocent Upright Life of the Lamb of God who is now come and hath taken away the Sin of the World and is Pure Humble Meek and Lowly whose Life and Power of Love constraineth me to declare openly against all that which was done or said by me in Envy either openly or secretly against any Creature for there is nothing done in secreet that shall not be made manifest And let all who knew me before who are saying I was an honest man be warned of the like Evil and leave it considering that if the Righteous scarcely be saved where shall the Ungodly and Sinner appear for many did look upon me to be either a Godly or an Honest man yet am I made willing to let open Shame come upon all that which then was in me contrary to the Righteousness of God for he alone is to be exalted and the Transgressor is to be ashamed Psal 25. 3. And every mouth shall be stopt and every one stand guilty before God and the Shame and Nakedness of all both Priests and Fathers and People shall appear as much as mine when Gods Witness in them arise though they cover it for a time by deceitfull Flatteries Promising Liberty but are as deeply the Servants of Corruption as I was And I do assirm in the presence of the Lord God that there are a Generation of Professors who follow Sermons and have gathered themselves into outward Forms who are grown up into a Profession and Knowledge in the Letter who are further off the Life of God than the Publicans and Harlots and are grown into Pride Hypocrisie secret Deceit Arrogancy and Covetousness and some of them for a time denied the Priests and then for their own ends got into their places and so are more Abominable than they and the Tree of Knowledge they feed upon but the good savour of pure Obedience unto God in all Self-denial they have cast behind their backs and are become an ill Savour among all men And the Lord God will visit them for these things and in the Day of his sierce Wrath will all such want a Hiding-place and when the day of Howling and Astonishment come upon them as it hath passed upon me then shall they know that the Sinners in Sion shall be afraid and Horrible Fearfulness shall surprize the Hearts of the Hypocrites and then shall they find that God will not be mocked though they deceive themselves with vain Hopes which shall perish with all such Professors if they Repent not ard strip themselves bare from all their false Coverings which in the day of the Lord which they put afar off will certainly be all too Narrow For because of the greatness of my Profession without the Power that overcomes all Sin therefore was the Wrath of God the more upon me and I never came to receive Pardon for Sin nor Power over it nor to receive the Life of the Son of God until his Judgments had confounded all that Wisdom which I had learned from and among the Priests and Professors And this is absolutely true and may be a Warning unto all them And all that is herein declared of the Strivings in me and Judgments of God which came upon me is very short of what it was neither indeed can it be ever declared being then confounded both within and without not having any man to be a Director unto me nor then to guide me in Gods Wisdom neither did any man bring me unto that Condition nor lead me through it but even the Lord alone in whose Judgments I now rejoyce for evermore but this especially would I have all people that then knew me to consider That at that time when I was in Distress I knew not well what I should do or spâ—ke among men neither what I should be being become a Fool for Christs sake and my Wisdom being confounded and my Understanding brought to nothing Read 1 Cor. 1. 1 9 vers 27. And so that is true which I have writ in that book in Answer to Edmund Skipp wherein I said That we were but in measure leaving of the World and entering into a little of that which is Eternal at which time before-mentioned I was brought to be silent from my publick Preaching and waited on the Lord with a few foolish contemptible Ones in the Eyes of the World at which time having lost my Earthly Wisdom and not received that measure of the pure Wisdom of God which since he hath given me whereby to order all my Words and Actions in Prudency and Moderation before the Eyes of all People and others also might then with me therein fall short whereby some to this day may stumble at the whole Truth of God looking at what happened among us in that time when the Judgments of God was often on us by which Judgments his Sion is now Redeemed and so they looking at that and watch ever since for Evil may be kept thereby from receiving the precious tryed Stone which the wise Master-builders also refuse though we now know he is laid in Sion redeemed with Judgment for a Stone of Stumbling and a Rock of Offence even to both the houses of Israel But let all take heed of stumbling at the stumbling Stone the Light of Christ for other causes of stumblings especially by me I have hereby endevoured to remove out of the way and minds of all that are willing to receive the Truth or believe in the Light John 12. 36. And as for Edmund Skipp if ever he come again to that which convinced him of Evil and made him in publick deny his peaching for Hire and Tythes though after he strated aside and stumbled in the Dark not minding the Light of Life which once he honestly desired after in him to which Light if he return and love the Witness of God in him which hath ever since stood a Witness for me and hath let him see his Barrenness and without a true Eternal Rest and if he to that be obedient which is manifest of God in him and by it be led into Meekness and Plainness without Prejudice he may come to receive the living Truth of Jesus Christ for which this day I suffer Bonds for I did never yet look upon him to be so utterly Reprobate as not possible to receive the Faith that purifies the Heart and Respects no mans Person for truly my love hath been to the Seed oppressed in him though that which hath exercised him in Rashness against the Truth of God I do deny forever
Cross of Christ is to the Joros a Stumbling-block to the Greeks Foolishness for Christ is this day as he was ever a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offence to both the Houses of Israel 2 Cor. 1. 13. therefore are they this day speaking Evil of that they know not for say they concerning these Sects call'd Quakers We know that it is every where spoken against Acts 28. 22. But in the Way that men call Heresie do I Worship the God of my Father Acts 24. 14. and am not ashamed to own the Power that shakes the Earth for if I should be ashamed to own the Power of Christ before men then he might justly be ashamed of me before my Father which is in Heaven but I own and witness the same Power which made Moses exceedingly fear and quake The which overpowered Daniel that he had no strength left in him Dan. 10. 8. Which Power made Habakkuk Tremble his Lips Quivered Rottenness entred into his Bones Hab. 3. 16. the which Power struck down Paul Acts 9. 3 4 5 6. which caused the Goaler to come in Trembling Acts 16. 26 27 28 29. Therefore I say unto all serve the Lord with Fear and Trembling Psal 2. 11. and work out your Salvation with fear and Treambling Phil. 2. 12. for now I know the Lord to be with them that Tremble at his Word Therefore O foolish People without Understanding which have Eyes and see not Ears and hear not Fear ye not me saith the Lord Will ye not Tremble at my Presence Jer. 5. 21 22. Are you worse than Devils that Fear and Tremble Isa 2. 19. And now the mighty Power of the living God hath shaken the Earth and the Heavens that now that which cannot be shaken may remain Heb. 12. 27. Now all you that will enter in with the Bride-groom wait to receive the same Power for the Lord Jesus Christ is come tendering himself unto his own John 1. 11. and I witness that as many as receive him receive Power to become the Sons of God John 1. 12. O be not Fools and slow with Heart to believe all that the Prophets and Apostles saith for the Lord is still a God with Power he is the same yesterday and to day and forever whose everlasting Love is shed abroad in our Hearts by which the Love of the World is cast out For if any man love the World the Love of the Father is not in him John 2. 15. But we are bought with a Price and after glorifie God in Body Soul and Spirit which is the Lord's 1 Cor. 6. 19 20. Being made Ministers nof of the Letter which killeth but of the Spirit which giveth Liâ—e 2 Cor. 3. 6. Giving no offence in any thing that the Ministry of Christ be not blamed but in all things approving our selves as the ministers of God in much Patience in Affliction in Necessities in Distresses in Stripes in Imprisonments in Tamults in Labours in Watchings in Fastings by Pureness by Knowledge by Long-suffering by Kindness by the Holy Ghost by Love unfeigned by the Word of Truth by the Power of God by the Armour of Righteousness on the Right hand and on the Left by Honour and by Dishonour by Evil Report and Good Report as Deceivers and yet True as unknown and yet well known as Dying and behold we Live as Chastened and not Killed as Sorrowful and yet always Rejoycing as Poor and yet making many Rich as having Nothing yet Possessing all things 2 Cor. 6. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and 10 Verses Now the Light of the glorious Gospel in the Face of Jesus Christ hath shined into our Hearts whereby the Grace that was to be brought in at the Revelation of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1. 13. is now in us witnessed even the Grace the Apostle exhorted to hope for and the Prophets searched after 2 Pet. 2. 20. the which Grace and Glory is now made manifest in the Sons and Daughters whereby the everlasting Gospel is sounded forth in the Ears of many Thousands in England blessed are they that hear the joyful sound thereof For verily verily as the four Hundred and Thirty years Bondage in Aegypt was at last accomplished and as the Captivity in Babylon had an end and the Lord brought again the Captivity of his People even so now the many Years of Apostacy is over and the Lord hath heard the Cry of his own Seed and is come down to deliver Israel out of all Distresses and to gather the Out-casts Psalm 147. 2. And to bring home that which is driven away and to bind up that which is broken and to strengthen that which is sick but he will destroy the Fat and the Strong and will feed them with Judgment Ezek. 34. 26. but his own shall be delivered from the many Shepherds which have destroyed the Flock of Christ and they shall feed no longer Verse 20. yea verily People the mighty Power of the Lord is risen in England to gather his from the Corners of the Earth and they that have been long in the High-ways to Destruction being â—lind and Lame shall now be compelled to come in to the Supper of the Lamb and eat of the hidden Manna But many of the Children of the Kingdom shall be cast out For for Judgment is Christ come into the World that they that see not may see and they that soe may now be made Blind Joh 939. And the Sword of the Lord is drawn against the man of Sin to cut it down Root and Branch and to set up the Kingdom of Christ in Rightcousness and true Holiness And this Work of the Lord shall certainly go on and Men Devils nor the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against it The just Complaint of the Afflicted against the Rulers who oppress the Innocent to be delivered to the Judge of the Sessions at Winchester the 8th Moneth 1658. YOu that are set to rule over others should not let secret Envy Ambition and Prejudice so rule over you as not at all to hearken to the Counsel of the Meek nor receive Instruction from the Simple whom the Lord preserveth but you should let Haughtiness and Arrogancy be done away for God resisteth the Proud And you should come to that which is meek low sober and humble with it to know a ruling over that which hath captivated you under the power of Sin and Satan who hath so blinded the Mind that the Meek of the Earth are become your Enemies for telling you the truth and the Day upon you is come in which you cannot endure sound Doctrine But this I tell you That they who hate Reproof are bruitish and every man is bruitish in his Knowledge yea O ye men your Pastors are become bruitish and have not known the Lord though this be a hard saying to you who are your selves in that which is to be ruled with the Sword of God's dreadful Power who will execute Judgment upon all and with his own eternal
broken and the Oppressed are now to be set at liberty and the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God is and is to be made manifest Therefore Friends wait on the Lord that you may come to reap the peaceable Fruits of Righteousness which in due time comes to be brought forth in all them that faint not And take heed of seeming to be what you are not for all Proud Boasters are for the Lake Take not Counsel of the Serpent neither reason by the carnal Thoughts for the Morrow be watchful in all Diligence that you may know Gods Work wrought in you before the Night comes in which none can work Therefore be not Idle Sloathful nor Negligent for the Lord who is Love will not alwayes wait upon such to be gracious yet they that Honour him through Obedience he will Honour but they that despise him shall be lightly esteemed Those that obey him he honoureth in his Love and the Disobedient he leaves in a Bed of Torment You who are tender humble lowly in the bowels of my Father's Love I salute you all and Friends take heed of your Wills and learn of him who is the Light and leads into Lowliness and came not to do his own Will and him hath God the Father sealed And take heed of words and be not hasty any of you all to utter words before the Lord I charge you in his living Presence and speak not rashly unto men nor out of Gods fear one unto another for that which bridles the Tongue is able to rule the whole Body and keep it in Subjection to him who is the God of Order The Blessings of the Lord God Almighty be with the Suffering Seed and with you all to which only I desire to be manifest and to which my Love doth reach and by it am felt and received who am known to some only by the Name Winchester-Bridewell Humphery Smith The two striving within THat Mind and Spirit which went out from and disobeyed the Life of God professed the Name of God to cover itself with that without the Life the which Profession through the secret subtilty did more more encrease which led farther off from the sence of the feeling of the Life of God and when it stirred to judge that which went out from it then presently would that which out lead forth farther to seek after and comprehend in the Knowledge and Profession of his Name treasuring up that in that which went out from his Life therewith to cover that without the Life and then for a time that was quiet being got so far out from the sence of the feeling of the stirrings of the Life which stirrings being got out from ceased for a time to strive being resisted with that which abode not in it whereby it became vailed and covered with a thick Cloud by that which sinned against it the which thereby came to be Exalted above it even above all that is called God and is of his Nature increasing getting strength and covering it self in the Earthly Wisdom through the Carnal Coverings and Profession of God out of the Life and the Power which by that was grieved and under that oppressed which under the Oppression sometimes would stir again and in secret judge that which did oppress and wound that which grieved it even striking through it with the dreadful Darts of its Power making the other sensible that its Judgments was to pass over and cut down the Head of that which was above it exalted the which Judgment being loved turned to there is a coming again to the sence of the feeling of the operation of the Power which judgeth and stirreth against that which got up against the Power professing his Name who is the Power but not bearing his Image nor feeling his Nature who being with the Power judgeth and condemneth with the Light which cometh from the Power yet being not kept to the Cross and his Head always under the Sword of the Power through the Law in the Judgment his Head gets forth again the twining Head of that which got the Profession but abode not in the Power which Head being not bruised in its first motion the Body grows up even the man of Sin with Spiritual Wickedness in High-places shewing it self like the Power but exalted above the sence of the Power and there stands in opposition against the Power which being judged condemned confounded scattered and overturned with the powerful breakings forth of that which by it suffered so the true thing presents it self to be the Leader which being received and obeyed it driveth the mind in where is stillness and quietness out of that which labours for Vanity into that where the labour and striving ceaseth and the Rest is received and the Day come which God hath blessed for evermore where the Lamb is the Light and the small still Voice is heard and the Power of the Word is received the which some coming to see through the Openings in the Light and yet not in it waiting through the Openings in the Light and yet not in it waiting through the Judgment to be led into the thing it self so that that which stood in the Power soon leadeth out the Mind into a false Joy because of the sight to cover it self again therewith And so as that is still followed which leadeth forth from the Power in the sight conceiving and professing of the Light being out of it having not the Substance and the Power is more and more departed from in what Image or From soever it be and the bare Form is continued in the Power is denied but as the Power is minded and waited for standing out of dead Forms and Images so the other which abode not but leadeth out of the Power of the Truth cometh to be crost judged and denied and so not followed but kept out of in the Light to Watch and War against it by the Light out of it to be lead into that and it to receive Immortallity abideth forever And so as there is a continual watching with the Light that may be seen which abides not in it but is got up above it working in all Deceiveableness in the Mystery of Iniquity to cover it self with a Profession of Truth but still keeps out of it And also that may be seen which suffers under all this and lieth under it so that it cannot be come to nor come at by that which is out of it and stands above it and it is vailed and covered and the narrow entrance to it is hard to be found and being found is soon turned out of and hard to be kept in by reason of the many Twinings of the Deceiveableness of that which is and is rightly named the Mystery of Iniquity which worketh in them that obey not the Light which cometh from the Truth in which the Power standeth out of which that goeth forth which hath not the Power which is to be confounded with the Power that the
Power without Hands may break in pieces that made with Hands or the greatest tallest or most glorious Image that hath been conceived in the dark mind and set up on high above the humble suffering Seed to be worshipped within in the Power of the Light is resisted with all his Wiles though therein he bringeth Scripture to uphold his Kingdom and Dominion over the other to have it bow down to him and worship him who abode not in the Power which by the Power is resisted and denied forever And so that which denies the other and is Humble and Low it is that all are to wait to receive and joyn unto from it Power to know in it to stand against the other which did it oppress and by secret subtilty being exalted doth alwayes endeavour to sit in the Temple of God shewing it self as God being covered with a Profession of the Truth which in the Truth doth not abide yet to the Truth in words may confess and acknowledge that which saveth from Sin to be the begotten of God and may believe and tremble and yet remain an Enemy to the same tempting him by many Glorious Presentations to bow to that and worship that which abideth not in the Power that so thereby over the Power it may always rule in the Deceiveableness of Unrighteousness wherein many are ensnared others tempted and some Overcome whose latter end is worse than their beginning Oh! who can declare the Depth of the Ground of this Mystery of Iniquity or utter forth the Innumerable Transformings and Changings of that which still seeketh by all subtilty to keep from the Obedience to the Life of the Power by which man was made and from which he was led by that which said Ye shall be as Gods which against God doth stand in that ground which by him is cursed And how can the unsearchable Love of the Father be uttered with words who so loved the World that he gave his Son to them that asked not for him that by his Light might be seen the Deceiveableness of the many Workings of the Powers of Darkness in the Mind that is darkened which from the Darkness to the Light is to be turned with the Light in the holy Fear to watch against every appearance of the changeable Powers of Darkness which sometimes appeareth as an Angel of Light against whose Appearance all are to stand armed with the Power of him who is the Light and to feel the Power of the Word which is as a Fire and yet to resist that which the Devil darteth in which is also like unto Fire that the tender Simplicity after which my Soul breatheth may not be betrayed by that which still seeketh to devour and to keep from the Power of the Cross and turn aside from the narrow Way of Life and that in it all the innocent Friends of Christ may be kept to follow the Leadings of that which from the God of Truth and Love and Peace to them hath come by it to be led out of and from all that which in the Truth did not abide Therefore is this given forth even from the Breathings of my Life appealing to the pure Witness in you all which the Changeableness of Iniquity doth always stand against the which in Gods living Power let all that feel it keep against the other to stand and keep out of all Satan's Wiles to be preserved to the end of all that which hath an End that then when time shall be no more you may rest and abide with and in him that is the Truth whom the Devil hath nothing in to receive the Blessings of the Father and the tender Mercies of the most High to refresh you and overcome you with the Power of his Love that it to you all may be the Bond of Everlasting Peace in which with all the humble and faithful I am bound up and in it with them for evermore do rest Humphry Smith Winchester-Bridewell 1685. THE Love of God Declared AND SATAN'S VVILES DISCOVERED THE Lord God of Life and Father of Infinite Love Preserver of all the simple Deliverer of all the innocent whose Power reacheth unto the Heavens and his Goodness to the Sons of men who never forsook the Faithful but was near unto them in the hour of Temptation and knows how to make War for the Innocent to escape and deliver the Oppressed in the day of Distress whose Mercy endureth forever whose Love can never be fully declared whose Glory is beyond all Expression whose Wayes are past finding out whom my Soul honoureth forever to whose Infinite Fullness and Incomprehensible Power be Blessing and Glory and Honour from the Power of my Life to the Throne of his Love forever and ever Even he who is the Fountain from whence cometh the Breath of the Life of the Souls of all Mankind He I say from the Throne of his Power through the brightness of his Love with his Eye of Fatherly Pity hath look't down and taken notice of the Wants the Groans and the Cryes of his captivated Seed which hath been long oppressed with the strong and cruel Bonds of Iniquity which separated man from God and grieved the Spirit of the most High who bowed the Heavens and came down to visit the Captives and relieve the Oppressed which is acceptable to many and a time of everlasting Comfort for by him the weary come to be refreshed and the weak receive Everlasting strength for the Lord hath Compassion on the Needy and comes to clothe the Naked with the Righteousness of his Son for his Spirit reacheth unto that which is in Want and his Compassion is extended to the Lowly in Heart which long breathed after Life and Power to overcome the Evil but knew not the way to obtain it and therefore in the restless Wilderness under the burden of Sin did long Travail as in a wearisom Land of Darkness having little hope towards God being often in much Distress when no Eye pitied even then had the Lord Mercy for his own Name sake and he remembred his Covenant with Abraham his Friend and had Compassion on the Seed of the barren Womb which was as the Root of a Plant hid in a dry Land whom the Lord came to visit in the Power of his Infinite Love and said to the dead Live forever which Word of Power reached through the Earth making way through it unto the Seed that it through the Earth making way through it unto the Seed that it through the Earth might spring by the Virtue of his Life as a Lilly in the Spring that so the Prisoner might grow up out of Captivity and receive the early and the latter Rain and the Dews of Heaven that as a tender Plant it may grow and become as a Tree and be fruitful as a Vine bearing much Fruit over the Earth Oh! the Infinitness of the Fullness of the Fountain of the Father's unexpressible Love unto the Prisoners of Hope and the captivated Seed
nor any man to teach them then hath the Enemy invited them to sit down at ease and so not minding the continual fear at last they loath the Manna and call it Dry whereas the driness and barrenness comes by reason of their Unfaithfulness in not improving what they had through their continual watchfulness under the daily Cross And the Enemy geteth forth the Mind of others to watch for Evil or at least to look at the Temptations Backslidings Backwardness and Failings of others more than their own Conditions who see their own Evil therein some whereof thereby at last draw back others question the Truth it self and by such things as these the Simplicity in many other tender Lambs is burdened grieved and the Life pressed down by which they should grow and be fruitful unto God And others being convinced with the pure Light of something that is Evil which seemeth little to the carnal Eye and so going out from the Obedience to the Light and consult and reason and take Counsel of the Serpent who then contrives a way to shun the Cross therein and so endeavour to dawb the thing over from a secret Deceit working in the Power of Darkness until the Light hath even ceased striving with that Person and then he goes on with the thing saying He hath liberty therein But let such mark and observe themselves for no more unto them is committed neither do they grow or come any further but there stand as dry Plants coming long to Meetings having the Form but not feeling the Power for such who knowingly deny their Obedience in any thing to the Light of Christ he will deny them his Power in all things And thus doth and will the Enemy of your Souls make havock of the Flock if in the pure humble fear he be not alwayes watched against and slain by the Power of the Cross in the Light and many other Wiles and Ways doth the Enemy of your Souls watch to devour ensnare and overcome you the time would even fail one to declare it the Lord God Almighty help you against it that so in the Light you may see all these and many more things which you are all to Watch and War against that Spiritual Wickedness in High-places may not overcome you and that you may not turn aside with the Error of the Wicked nor be overcome with the power of Temptations but that you may be all diligent and watchful against every appearance of your Enemy and be able to stand in the day of Tryal that the Enemy of your Souls prevail not Therefore all Friends every where keep upon your Watch let the Light search your Hearts and keep your Meetings together in the silent fear and dread of the Lord that his Power in you all may raise you all in the Dominion and Wisdom of God to stand and feel that which keeps your Hearts together in the unlimitted Love of God and so his presence you will be fruitful unto his Blessing come to receive whereby you will be fruitful unto him in every good Word and Work The living Power of my Father preserve you all from the Power of the Enemy and keep your Minds in that which crosseth your Wills that the Lord God of Life may watch over you all for good for evermore Written for the good of many from the true Love of him who is known to many of you by that which is nearer than the Name of Humphry Smith Winchester-Bridewell the 4th Mon. 1658. TO THE Musitioners Harpers Minstrels Singers Dancers and the Persecutors From one who loved Dancing and Musick as his Life which being parted with and the Light being come which was before these things in which they are all seen And from it is declared THE Ground Foundation Beginning and Father and Children and Compass and End and the Effects of all the Harpers Musitioners Singers and Dancers Who may read what I have learned who have tryed their wayes and also searched into the things of God and declare this according to Scripture and have found the Joy which Man cannot take away JUBAL was the Father of all such as handle the Harp and Organ and so the Father of all such Musitioners being himself of the Seed of Lemach who slew a man and so the Son of a Man-slayer was the Father of all such as handle the Harp and Organ And the Man Christ the Light is the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World And Jubal was of the Generation of Cain who first slew a Man and then built a City he slew his Brother one that was near unto him and the Light of the Lamb slain is near unto every one even that which comes from the Man of Sorrows is in the Heart Cain's Seed slayes the man of Sorrows the Musitioners were of Cain's seed And that which slayes the man of Sorrows invents sets up and delights in the Instruments of Musick and the Father of all such was Jubal the seed of Cain who built a City and so was a Rich man and his seed delighted in Musick and so his seed who are gone from the Lords leading are building Cities Strong holds high and large Houses with painted Parlours and then set up the Instruments of Musick in the cieled Houses without and within themselves full of Rottenness or as a Cage of unclean Spirits whereby the just is murthered and the House laid wast and desolate as to the Life of God which should be the Temple of the holy Ghost and the Father of all these was Jubal the seed of Lemach a Man-slayer who also had another son Tubalcain the seed of Cain an Instructer of every Artificer in Brass and Iron and he that hath attained to never so much if not come to that which fulfills the perfect Law is as sounding Brass 1 Cor. 13. and there is many also of the Seed of this Instructer whose Instructions bring people to be but as sounding Brass And this first Instructor and Jubal were the Off-spring of Cain the Vagabond driven from God against whom the Blood of the Righteous doth Cry yet so rich in the Earth that he built a City being separated from God who confounds mans wisdom then comes that which makes merry over the Witness Gen. 4. And they who danced in the wilderness and sung and made a great noise and were in the Mirth and Vain Delights were a stiff-necked People and such as sate down to eat and drink and rose up to play like the same Generation now who are stiff-necked and bow not to him who is the Light low in the Heart to whom every knee shall bow but eat and drink and rise up to vain delights having Musick at their Feasts seeding themselves without fear Jude 12. like Jezabel at whose Table the false Prophets feed who made a Feast when she intended to murder the Righteous to gain his Possession read within and that which Murders the Just and such who forget God delight in
not thereby lifted up in Pride Ambition and Wrath so as thereby to keep your selves from the attaining unto a Pearl of far more greater Price and of a more durable Substance for great is the Riches Honour and Dignity that is coming near unto you if you let not your Hearts be hardened against it in the strength and perversness of your own Wills despising the Day of your Visitation of Love and rejecting the Message of Life to your Souls and contemning that by which you might come to live forever and have Dominion over Death and Hell and escape the Torment which all them fall into in the day of their Death who dye out of the Covenant of Life and Peace the which Covenant that you may attain unto and come to live in forever let Love Mercy be received in you and then brought forth by you and let Humility and Fear be placed in your Hearts with it in tenderness to rule over others and let the Light in you which lets you see the thing that is Evil lead and guide you to speak and do the thing that is good right and just and let your Words be few sound sober and meek and hate not them who from good will to your Souls bring the Reproof of Life unto you or publish the word of Repentance among you or proclaim this message of Love and Peace within your Borders let not such be harmed for a day and time of Visitation is coming near upon you all and happy may you be if you receive Instruction and love the Light By a lover of the Souls of all Mankind a Servant of the God of Life Prisoner at the City of Winchester known by the Name of Humphry Smith TO ALL Parents of Children Upon the face of the VVhole Earth That your Children you may the better train up in the right Way that they should go therein something of the True Way it self is discovered that Iniquity may not be received by Tradition from Parents to Children and so from one Generation to another but that your Children may come to Christ and be Children of God and so be a Comfort unto you Therefore is this sent among you every where in love to your Children and you FRom the Bowels of God's infinite Love unto a tender Seed of him not known nor brought forth in tender Babes am I moved to you to write That your Children you provoke not to Wrath nor draw forth their Minds into Unrighteousness neither be ye Examples of Rashness nor Frowardness neither teach ye them that when they are little to please your vain Minds which you must chastise them afterwards to leave again neither teach ye them to be Proud by drawing forth their Minds to look at foolish Toyes which you in the Transgression have put upon them in any manner of dressing which is needless for this know that in so doing you bring them from being such of whom the Kingdom of God doth consist to be Children of the Devil who is the Father of Pride which many harmeless Children would not come unto were they not trained into it by such as are in Pride already neither teach ye them to strike in the least nor provoke them to have any delight to see striking for thereby afterwards they come to strike one another and hurt one another and so you teach your own Children to be unnatural one to another and you unnatural to them in teaching them to strike one another and then when they are a little grown up to strike and beat them for striking one another the which you taught them Neither teach ye them to speak wicked Words nor many Words for in the Multitude of Words there wants not Sin Neither teach ye them to call Names in the least nor any such thing as you will answer it for their Souls in the great and terrible Day of the Lord for in these things is greater weight than many Thousands are aware of And for want of taking heed of these things in the true fear of God Children have grown up in these and the like things to be a great Grief unto their Parents of whom they learned it and some beat their Parents being taught thereunto when they were little and so trained up out of the fear of the Lord. And by this Wickedness received by Tradition and nursed up from one Generation to another Nations are overspread with Sin and Iniquity and Towns and Countries are filled with all Abominations whereby the Lord of Heaven and Earth is grieved Therefore of these things be ye all warned for this do I know that in many tender Babes and young Children there is a meek innocent harmless Principle from God who willeth not the Death of any and they have a Light from Christ that lighteth every man that cometh into the World which Light is in them And he said Suffer little Children to come unto me forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God who come unto him that is meek and low in Heart therefore you should suffer them to keep unto come unto that which is meek and low in the Heart for that which may be known of God is manifest in them And Christ the Light had a love to little Children and said He that will enter the Kingdom of God must become as a little Child Therefore Wo be to you if you teach and cause such to become the Children of the Devil by following your devised Fables evil Examples and wrong Guidance in your own rebellious Wills For behold and look upon young Children and see how innocent and lamb-like they look and consider if every thing were as good as God made it and how much more if they were brought forth in the Covenant of God And wherein have they delight in Pride or any Covetousness or any manner of Cruelty And is it not better for their Souls if you let them keep in that state and so to suffer them to come to Christ who saveth from Sin and his Power keepeth out of Sin and his Light in the Conscience condemneth for Sin where it is and he cometh to destroy the Works of the Devil Therefore you should consider that you are far from Christ if you teach such the works of the Devil that never knew it and teach Children to enter into Sin which separateth them and you from God and keep you forever from Salvation unless you come through Judgment out of it again which many come short of and most attain not unto for few there be that enter in at the strait Gate And that you may the more consider my words and come into Moderation and the Wisdom of God in these and other things to walk exemplary before your Children and to be to them Patterns of Gravity Meekness and Sobriety therefore shall I set before your Eyes some plain and simple Truths of my experience when I was a Child First as concerning Tenderness my Heart was much affected
midst and hath rent the Vail and from under Death is risen in his unlimited Power Dominion and Authority even him that Death nor the Grave cannot hold who through Death hath conquered Death forever and though Death had Power over him before the Way into the Holiest of all was made manifest yet now Death hath no more dominion over him but he is risen through Death who was made a Curse and hath born away the Curse and removed the cursed ground upon which fallen man stood and hath born away the sin of the World and was made sin for us that we might be made the Righteousness of God through in and by him who hath opened the Understanding whereby the unsearchable Riches of unspeakable love comes to be made manifest even unto us who were going astray and were Children of Wrath as well as others and Aliens and Strangers to the Covenant of Grace and long were without God and in the World tossed to and fro with every wind of Doctrine after the cunning Craftiness of men whereby we were long deceived even by such who still bewitcht the Minds of the simple out of which Witchcraft I can say the Lord hath delivered and obedience to the Truth that makes Free is yeilded and Love Mercy and Judgment is come and brought forth and Victory is witnessed the Messenger of the everlasting Covenant is come even he that we long waited for and we do not look for another but he that is the same yesterday to day and forever who was to come and is come and is to come he that readeth let him understand who is without beginning of time or end of dayes who is made under the Law and became as a Servant being obedient to the Death through which the Life is risen up into the understanding and hath born away that which the Law had power over and hath brought in that by which the Law is fulfilled and so he that is the end of the Law for Righteousness is felt and received who taketh away the Sin and reconcileth the World up unto the Father where the sin is taken away by him who though he was made sin yet knew no sin who appears now the second time without sin to the saving of that which was lost which is now brought again and plenteous Redemption is known for the desire of all Nations is come and the second Houses is filled with his Glory the Wine-press is full the Fat 's overflow for the VVinter is past and the Summer is come and the Lillics appear in the Field where the Pearl was hid the Fig-tree puts forth her buds and the Vine yeilds her encrease the Olive doth blossom and the Apple-Tree in the midst of the VVood doth flourish and the good ground yeilds her encrease and is fruitful in its season to the good Husbandman and there is seed to the sower and bread to the eater the Barns are filled with abundance and the Store-houses with plenty and Treasure is laid up for many years in the heavenly places which are purified with the lively sacrifices so that the earthen Vessels are fitted to keep the heavenly Manna that shall dure throughout many generations and so against the Famine comes upon the Earth and all them that feed at Jezabels Table Oyle is laid up in safety and the finest of the Flower in a place where it is sure where it will last and never fail until the Heathen are scorched with heat and they that have forsaken the Lord are become as a parched Heath and all the gods of the Heathen famished and the Tongue of the Aegyptian Sea dryed up and all the false Prophets overturned who belong to Jezabel whose Body the Dogs must tear though she yet sits as a Qeen in opposition to the true Prophet Christ the Light and until them who are drunk with the Wine of the Fornication of the Whore and are the Merchants of Mystery Babylon the great the Mother of all the painted Harlots be all condemned in one day with an utter overthrow and the Seat of the Whore removed and all them that commit Fornication with her made as the Valley of Hammon Gog and as the Dung upon face of the Earth and all the Brats of the VVhore dashed against the Stones until then I say shall that in store remain and a Hiding-place be found for the Prophet of the Lord who is also hid near thee in thy own Land though thou art seeking him afar off Wherefore hear O ye Kindreds of the Earth for as the Dew spread upon the Mountains so doth the Streams of my Beloved raise overspreading the Earth with the comliness of his Love and filling it with the Beauty of his Grace the Banner of his Love is spreading forth as a Curtain and under the shadow of his Wings is a certain Hiding-place both from the Storm and from the Heat and though the Sea rage and all Kindreds and Tongues swell up in Wrath Pride and Arrogancy yet he come known witnessed and received who commands both the VVirds and the Sea who is the former of all things by whom they all were made and at his Command all are subdued and the lightnings of his Light enlightens the VVorld Psal 97. 4. and the Glory of his Power is spreading over the Nations and the excellency of his Beauty is reaching to his Lambs and because of his Comliness the Virgins love him and to him the Daughters of Jerusalem bring their Gifts and before him the Princes of the People lay down their Crowns and because of him the VVilderness doth rejoyce and the Desolate is made glad for the fruitful Land was become a barren VVilderness and now the baren VVilderness is turned into a fruitful Field and the plant sprung out of a dry Ground and the Seed is born of the barren VVomb and there is a VVay made in the VVilderness and streams are given in the Desart and the Ear of the deaf is opened the Lame doth walk and the Leaper is cleansed and the stammering Tongues speak plainly the Gospel is received and the everlasting Power is come even the Immanuel God with us and in us and we confess Christ come in the Flesh and do not look for another but do know that this is the great Prophet who is come into the VVorld that is set in the Heart Ecclcs 3. 11. which is in the midst out of which Moses said the Lord would raise up a Prophet Deut. 18. 15. the which Prophet being come which all are to hear he saith I am come a Light into the World John 8. 12. ch 12. 35 36 46. The VVorld being set in the Heart there is the light of him who saith I am the Light and he that is the Light is the true Prophet and the true Prophet is in the midst who is the Light whose day Abraham saw unto whom the Gospel was preached which Gospel is Gods Power whereby Abraham rejoyced because he came to see the Day
more because none came to visit it nor succour it for it was in a desolate place and unseemly and few had regard unto it and yet there was some hopes it might be delivered And this was a true resemblance of the state of the Seed of God in all the World And in plainness concerning Oliver Cromwell and his Son Richard late called Protectors the Vision from God was shewed to me before the downfall of either of them thus And I beheld a great and mighty Tree much bigger than ever I saw before and appearing without Sap or Virtue in it or Leaf Bough or Branch upon it much less Fruit and the top of it was broad being all big much like unto the top of Pauls Steeple in London and close by this great old Tree grew up another Tree as out of his Root and belonged to him but not both in one Body though very near together and stood both upon one Foundation and this was as a little stripling Tree which also was without Leaves or Branches or any thing to bear Fruit so that I admired to see it so with the young Tree for I looked for Branches or Leaves but there were none And whilst I was beholding of them a Man being sent came in much haste with an Ax in his hand to cut down the great mighty old Tree which seemed strange to me that one man should adventure upon so great a work to cut down such a Tree as that for the lower part of the Tree was exceeding big and almost as broad upon the Earth as half the height so that I thought he had need of three or more to help him and that one man could scarce cut him down with one Ax if he stood hewing all his Life time But I much more admired to see the Confidence of the man that came with speed with his Ax who made no stop at all because of the greatness of him nor any thing else but as soon as ever he could get to him smote with the edge of his Ax and struck between the Ground and the Tree so that I soon perceived he intended to separate between the Tree and the Ground on which he stood and the man in the might of his strength struck but three Blows in all but he separated the Tree from the Earth on which he stood and immediately the Tree fell with a mighty overthrow and the Foundation of the Tree was altogether rotten and not one Root at all but where the Root should be was Rottenness and the Earth shook at his fall and many Great men stood amazed and fear seized on many because of the great sudden fall thereof And as this great Tree fell I saw under the Foundation of the young tall Tree that stood near the other and it was much like to fall presently after and was almost down on the one hand and then almost down on the other and yet it recovered and stood up for a time having no Root but Rottenness And the great Tree fell from him on the one side and the Earth parted from him on two sides more so that only upon one side in four or less the Earth cleaved to him and he being slender and tall without Root was not like long thus to stand neither did Richard And I likewise beheld many more smaller Trees and the man with his Ax in his Hand cut them all down at the Butt somewhat above the Ground and so left the Stumps in the Earth and therefore it might be possible for them to grow up again As some did come up again who were put down but fell the second time through Disobedience And after all this I beheld also many more Trees in abundance yea more numerous then the other coming up out of the Earth and covering the face thereof and growing up apace which were not yet ready to be cut down and I saw the man with the Ax in his hand standing still for a time having cut all the other until those should be ready to be cut down and he waited till the time came and was in a readiness with his Ax in his hand ready to strike when those abundance of Trees should come up to their growth which hastened And let those who are now come up read this and let the whole City of London take heed as I said before and Repent with speed and turn to the Lord whose Servant I am called Humphry Smith Postscript WHen those People to whom God gave his Ordinances and his Statutes had long resisted and grieved his Spirit in them who said I am God and not man the holy One in the midst of thee and had also refused plain Instructions then the Lord sent them the Prophet Isaiah who said With stammering Tongues and other Eips will I speak unto this People and for a Sign he was sent to walk Naked among them And the Prophet Ezekiel was sent with that which they might esteem dark Visions and foolish Signs which were many and hard Sayings And Jeremiah he lamented over them and all the Lords Prophets proclaimed against their Priests and Leaders of them who caused them to Err and yet would they not be warned nor their Priests leave preaching Peace unto them nor they leave following their Priests until they had crucified the Just and denyed him that is the Light who saveth his People from their Sins and Jerusalem became a Heap and a Desolation and an Astonishment and so both Priests and People went into Destruction and Captivity together And thy Sins O London may be equalized with hers and are as many and as grievous and that thou mayst a little the better understand my Vision concerning thee therefore have I written these latter things that concerned others which if thou understand not that which concerns thee is more Mysterious To the great Flock of the Imprisoned Servants of GOD Almighty THe Lord is become our Portion and the God of Jacob the Lot of our Inheritance even the God of the whole Earth whose Throne is in the Heavens his Dwelling in the Hearts of the Humble before whom the least Lamb of his Fold is more delightsom than the beautifulst Flower of the Grass of the Field and of more value than the Fowls of the Air or many Sparrows which are according to his Providence the Mystery of whose Will lodgeth in the secret Chambers of his Wisdom whose Wayes are unsearchable and his goings in the deep none can fathom the unsearchable Fountain of his Goodness nor find out the utmost of the Intents of his Heart but as Love springs up with healing Oyl discovering a measure of the Motions of his Spirit whereby something of his Mind is known who inhabiteth Eternity and is dreadful in Holiness severe in his Judgments clear in his Love free in his Mercy bountiful in his Goodness large in his fatherly loving Kindness wonderful in his Operation pitiful to the Meek gentle to the Upright in Heart rewarding the
greatest of his Adversaries according to the fruit of their own Ways and altogether Righteous in all his Doings from whom the Upright may certainly expect a plentiful Reward and all his Servants the Wages of Righteousness and every one of the least of his Children a certain Inheritance with the sanctified in the Kingdom that fadeth not away Even this is the Lord our Righteousness whom the World knoweth not who also appeared unto them who were truly our Fathers in the dayes of old who is the same both in Wisdom Strength and Power as ever he was and it is he that found us in the waste howling Wilderness and tossed to and fro with the unsetled Waves on which the Whore sate that brought into Drunkenness and with his holy Arm did he bring us out of the Miery Clay and my Soul from under the deep Waters and set our feet upon the certain Rock of Ages that Men Laws nor Decrees can never remove and he hath been unto us a Shield and will certainly be an exceeding great Reward or a Reward that shall exceed and surmount all the contrary What shall I say what he will be unto the faithful can never be uttered what he hath been in his Power Wisdom and Love to us we have seen and what he is let all my Brethren feel and this we are most assuredly assured of that he is become ours yea even our own and we have a part in him that is true our Covenant with him stands in the Power of his Life which is endless and he hath bought us with the price of that which puts away the Sin and certainly I cannot but glorifie him even in the Body Soul and Spirit and no other Lover doth my Soul desire nor a better Shepherd can Israel ever find nor a more wise stronger and tender Father can Children ever have nay he himself as I have said is become the Lord our Righteousness and the portion of our Cup in which Salvation standeth of which we daily drink and know it to be the Cup of blessing and can truly say our lot is fallen in a good ground I can truly say my Soul cleaveth unto the Lord who bringeth Deliverance and hitherto the Lord hath helped us and hath done greater things than could have been by man expected and what now though there be a Sea to pass through and Floods of ungodly men to get beyond shall we therefore be discouraged or shall we murmur because of the length of time or be discontented when the Lord brings his People into Tryals for a two fold end or purpose as in himself that is to say For the proving and humbling of his People that he may do them good or much more good than he hath done at their latter end And for the drawing forth of the Cruelty and Tyranny of his Enemies to the utmost which was in them before or grounded in their Hearts that their Sin being finished he might destroy them forever and overturn them so that they never rise again Or shall we be unsatisfied because the People of the Land of Darkness do shut us up out from amongst them by reason of the dread and trouble that is upon them Or shall we not be contented if the Lord should suffer us to be deprived of all things but himself that we might have none other thing to have unity with but only him alone surely this would be his Love and great would be the Unity between such and him What if we went out as Jacob did and left all behind us even Goods and Lands and Fathers House as did our Father Abraham And what if there should be a Pursuer like Saul and David yet we know the Dominion belongs to the faithful Seed though in many Tribulations even to us the seed of Abraham according to the Promise whose seed was led out of the place of Bondage as it is this day And what if we had none but him even the Lord our God to take care for our Bodies who causeth the Rayment not to wax old and the Widdows Oyl to encrease and gave Bread from Heaven in the needful time yet should it go well with us and though we had none other to trust unto then he who delivered his People after the Decree was sealed for their Destruction in the days of Mordecai who could not bow though the King had commanded it yet should we not be discouraged and though we had none other to cry in secret unto but him that preserved Daniel in praying to his God though his Life thereby was in great Jeapordy and the Decree of the King broken yet might we have quietness and peace yea much better it is to enjoy the Lord than life it self and the lowliness of his Countenance than earthly Treasure Nay truly let them take what they are for and their Minds in so we may but enjoy the Treasures of Life Immortal and the Crown of Everlasting Peace which fadeth not away Dear Friends and Lambs of the Morning and Flock of the Fold of God in the suffering state through which the Everlasting Life doth spring when I am declaring of the unutterable Goodness and transcendent infinite Loving-kindness of the Lord I am sometimes rather willing to be swallowed up in that infiniteness of it self than to be declaring of that which in it self can never be uttered as it is and when I enter into the Chambers of secrecy where the hidden Wisdom is treasured up I have been even ready to shut up all the outgoings and to dwell in the inward Chambers of the secret Closets where the unutterable Treasures are treasured up abundantly forever and even say in my Heart unto the yet scattered Ones Oh! that ye would come and see my Dwelling and find out my Resting place and abide in the beautiful Habitation and rest in the munition of Rocks Oh! that ye would come and drink of the everlasting Streams and be satisfied with the Springs of Virtue that your Bones might be full of Marrow and the inside of your dwellings beautiful so shall the Lord delight in you forever and though the World hate yet he will love and though Relations may deny yet he will own though Riches may take themselves Wings yet he will never forsake nay though mortal Parents might cast off yet then the Lord will not cast off but receive and though Wives or Husbands may break their Promise and so be without natural affection yet the Lord will never break his Covenant with his People for that shall last for evermore and though Children might for sake their Parents the Lord will be more unto them than ten Sons So that I say again were I in one day bereaved of all and seperated from my Fathers Children which of all outward things are most dear unto me yet enjoying the Lord and his Presence being with me in whose Covenant I am with all the flock of God in the invisible Life so should it be well with me
and so may it be well with all you as ye are faithful to God in the suffering state and so enjoy his Presence thus also with you for evermore may it go well Shall I now therefore return to Exhortation and Admonition with desires of tender Love towards you that you all in patience may stand and look to the Lord whom we have and have none other in Heaven to hear our Cry nor in Earth that truly commiserateth our Cause nor hath Power like him to help Dear Friends he knoweth our Intents and seeth how it is with us he hath given to many of us an heart to say Lord if thou shouldst suffer us to perish we will not leave thee and whatever become of us we dare not deny thee before men for thou hast called us and we are thine even thine own whom thou hast chosen Let your desires be forever thus unto the Lord and wait upon him continually and let your Eyes be more upon the Lord than upon those things which in this day of Tryal are suffered to come to pass by him which he can also turn for his own Glory and your Everlasting Comfort And Friends this know that as your Minds are upon and much caring how to preserve the temporal things the weight of them will lie upon you and stop the Springs of better Treasures but as your Minds are towards the Lord a great case and satisfaction will be come unto you And Friends Murmur not that this day is come for it may be there was need of it even amongst us and it may be ye are more yet to be redeemed out of the earthly part and transitory things and question not but this will be for good and as for Tryals since this cloud was up I have even drunk deep with you of the inward sufferings yea more than is convenient to mention but the Lord hath kept my feet upon the Rock and with all the Upright I sing Praises to his Name And now be tender one to another you may read the Figure God is bringing you near together and Aegypt is thrusting you out by reason of the Torment that is upon them and a Land of Rest is before you and from the presence of the Lord they cannot Banish us nay nor what they would neither for God is on our side though they have yet something more to do and when every mans Work is over he shall certainly receive his Reward from God either good or evil and then as the Apostle saith of the Wicked They shall be punished with everlasting Destruction from the Presence of the Lord and from the Glory of his Presence 2 Thes 1. 6 7 8 9. But Friends it is safe for you all to dwell in your own Tents and mind the Lord and let your love be towards him above all things and in all things that you do wait to feel his Counsel and Guidance and trust him forever for great is the work of the Lord yea I have even looked for this day that the Cry of the innocent may reach unto Heaven and as I have said the sound thereof reach over Europe that Kings may come to be crowned with Honour and Judges decree Righteousness and true Judgment may stream forth as Water and Righteousness as a living stream that Thousands and Thousands of Thousands may slock to our Fold as Doves to the Windows that the Nations of men may bow under the Scepter of Righteousness and the Powers of Darkness shut up forever Behold O Friends yea stand still and see the fall of Babel the Destruction of the Whore and the Torment of the Beast for though Hell hath enlarged her self yet this we know the Lord liveth who scatters the Powers of Darkness Oh! what more shall I say who come to the dwelling-place of its unutterable Power may feel the unsearchable things of God And Friends let not the Enemy prevail through Unbelief for there Israel fell in the days of old and there is no greater danger than that of Unbelief But consider that you have something still to resist and seldom ever more than now and you have a spiritual Enemy to war with which flyes not but as he is resisted and in the time of your weakness and inward trouble is his time to prevail if ever and if thou canst stand then full easie mayst thou walk when Refreshings come and with delightsomness mayst thou persevere when the Cloud is over and this know that a Storm lasteth but for a time and Winter is but for a season and the Night remains not always nay the four hundred and thirty years had an end and the Bounds of the Seas are set and happy is he that always looketh unto him that ruleth over them for though when the Waves swelled even the Disciples were ready to think he cared not if they perished yet he intended better things for them and when for the Life's sake they cryed unto him he soon and easily abated the Rage both of Wind and Sea and then the sweetness of a Calm is prized Dear Friends I need not open the Parable unto you but even rather say The Lord be with you even every one of you beyond all that I can write and the Lord strengthen you and keep you stedfast in the Faith and refresh your Souls and minister more strength virtue and comfort unto you all every where for evermore Amen This is chiefly intended for all the imprisoned Servants of God and them yet at liberty and to be read among them with a good Understanding in that which gives it distinctly in the fear of God Humphery Smith Chalfont in Buckinghamshire the 13th of the 11th Mon. 1660. To Nâ—w-Englands pretended CHRISTIANS Who contrary to Christ have destroyed the Lives of men Having seen something of yours called by you an Appendix whereby you would justifie your selves in Whipping Imprisoning Banishing Killing and making Spoil of whole Families I being weak of Body and in Bed the strength of the Lord arose in me from the which was given forth that which followeth THe Lord God will answer you with that which you shall never be able to resist from the which you shall never be 〈◊〉 to fly neither shall your Coverings defend you but God will visit in secret and the Almighty will rain Snares upon you and all your strong holds in one day and that suddainly in a moment will the Lord God scatter and confound with all your strong Reasons and your Weapons which you have gathered together against the invisible God and his Servants like your Fathers in the dayes of Old Isa 41. 21. these with all your Weapons of War against the Lamb and the suffering seed shall be broken in the midst of you and Death will overtake you and Gods Righteous Judgments will enter within your dwellings and a day of blackness from the Throne of God will come upon you and his Anger with Bitterness will be poured forth upon you as a mighty Storm which
which cometh on a suddain and as a Whirlwind which none can stop and as the mighty unmerciful raging Waves of the Sea which none is able to resist even so shall the day of your Calamity come which is hastning as the lighting whose breaking forth all your fleshly Wisdom shall never be able to hinder Behold I have heard a Voice of Terror from the Lord against your Unrighteous Proceedings and the day of Gods Vengeance is in his heart and who should stand to plead with him Behold ye Thorns the Lord our God is a consuming fire and before him you cannot stand for your Sins have reached up to Heaven and your Iniquities are come before the most High and your grievous blood-thirsty actions are spread over Nations and Gods witness in thousands who are not of us but rather yet against us do rise up in their hearts against you and when you are awakned you will be filled with Anguish and a Cup of Astonishment from the Righteous God of Truth will be poured forth unto you and as sure as you have thirsted after and drunk deep of the Blood of Gods chosen though despised of men so certain shall you have Blood to drink and Trembling Horror Amazement will most absolutely come in that day which approacheth as a Thief in the Night and then shall your Bowels be ripped open and your inside Coverings broken and then shall your Hearts be rent with Perplexity and Amazement shall come over you as a Cloud of the Night and the hand of the Almighty will find out your secret lurking places and then shall ye know that the Lord our God doth and will plead the Cause of his People and avenge himself on his and their Enemies and then shall ye know that ye have risen up against the Lamb who is sometimes silent from pleading his own cause who though dumb as to answer the mighty Ones of the Earth yet faithful in suffering according to the will of him who ruleth over all and then shall ye know that though no answer at all were written unto your dark pretended Coverings yet shall you then feel an answer near unto you and the sound of Gods Terrible Voice shall be heard in the midst of you and form the dreadful Noise of his War shall you never be able to cover your selves with all your Writings Printings nor Declarations though never so strong from the prudency of the Earth for God hath cast all that behind his back and in the day at hand shall you most absolutely come to know it so to be For behold my heart is indeed rent and God hath opened in it the secret Counsel of his Will and his Purpose concerâ—ing you whose Decree shall never be changed which is sealed against the evil doer And 〈…〉 or Evil-doer who have done worse then 〈…〉 selves a Reproach amongst me◠〈…〉 the People O horrible and Wicked Cruâ—lty and Mercilâ—ss Tyranny which is found in the midst of you Is this the fruit of your Profession And has the Spirit of Truth led you to do these things Do not even the Nations stand and look at you And do not the Upright in Heart mourn in secret because of your Sins Ah! who could have believed that you would have done such things And do you think now to stop the Mouthes of People by publishing your strong Reasons Nay this is plain in my heart that all whatsoever you Print Publish or Declare shall never give satisfaction to the meek just Principle of God which remains in the Spirits of many Thousand Thousands in the Nations round about you And if your called An Appendix with the rest of your Writings were never answered by us and if we therein should lay our mouthes in the dust forever yet this we know that the holy One of Israel the Righteous God of Truth will plead our cause and execute Judgment in his fury and avenge the Blood of his Saints and help the man of low degree against him who is too strong for him and to the Lord God of Righteousness we commit our Cause and the Innocency of our dear Brethren and in Gods blessed will I rest and am satisfied in respect of his love unto his Jewels though but as Fools to the World and in respect of his answering of you acording to the fruit of your own wayes And behold ye Children of men I cannot but proceed to declare unto you the Day which is near at hand and warn you all to strip your selves from your coverings and sit down ye People in Dust and Ashes and confess your Iniquities in secret unto the Lord before it be to late for great is the Wo which is coming upon you and that which I have heard concerning you is none other then a Voice of Terror O the Trouble Distress and Calamity that soundeth in my heart concerning you and from the Lord God will it be poured forth and exceeding deep shall you drink thereof and this shall you know to be true when the Whirlwind cometh from far and the shadows of the Night draw near when no hiding place will be found for the Hypocrite neither a refuge for the Evil doer And then as ye have not spared the despised of the World so will the Lord cast upon you and not spare O the Bitterness and Unutterable Torments which will then come but who amongst you will believe these things and who can entertain the Counsel of the Lord And are not your hearts yet hardened against Reproof And are not to be reproved for your Envy against Gods People Nay moreover are you not sometimes already reproved by him who seeth in secret and who searcheth the Intents of the Heart and maketh manifest unto man the Wicked Enterprises thereof and overturneth the Counsels of the Wicked but remembreth the Cause of the Needy and pleadeth the Innocency of the Upright in whose sight the Death of the Saints is precious and who pleadeth their Cause in the day of Trouble and will most certainly confound his Adversaries and scatter his Enemies as smoke is scattered with a mighty Whirlwind and in that day where then will your place be found And a seed there is which God will deliver from your hands and preserve from the Blood-thirsty men which shall grow up in the midst of you as a Lilly among Thorns and Gods blessing shall be upon them with whom my Life is And as the latter gleaning in the time of Harvest so shall the gathering of Gods Heritage be And what you have done will be for the advantage of the suffering Seed and for the Glory of God and much for your disadvantage and eternal Shame and endless Misery if you repent not And this you men of sin should know that inasmuch as you have taken away the Life of Gods Creatures and moreover Unjustly by an Unrighteous Law destroyed the Lives of his Servants therein may all men see that you are contrary to Christ and led by a Spirit
Honour 1. By His Subjects Unity one with another 2. By His Subjects Submission to all his Laws 3. By His Subjects Faithfulness unto him 4. By His Subjects Uprightness in Craffick with other Nations 5. By His Subjects Departing from that which dishonoureth both God and the King 6. By His Subjects Being the peculiar People of God and they having his Spirit to counsel him I. Concerning the honour of the king by the Unity of his Subjects one with another WEre all or the Major part of the King's Subjects so in Unity one with another that every man sought each others good as much as his own and so fulfilled the Law of God therein by each mans loving his Neighbour as himself and doing unto all and at all times as they would be done unto having the Bond of Peace upon their Hearts by the power of his Spirit who commanded the Christians not only to love one another but also their Enemies whereby they are so far from Defraud or coveting other mens Goods or wronging any man in Person or Estate that Covetousness is not named among them neither could be by any justly charged upon them but rather the things they possess are acknowledged to be the Lord's and themselves to be but Stewards thereof and therefore durst not be unfaithful towards God or man in the Unrighteous Mammon lest the Lord should refuse to commit unto them the greater Riches And were they brought to have a certain knowledge one of another herein that they durst with boldness confide one inanothers Constancy in those things without the least fear of being any way wronged or oppressed or injured by each other with what abundance of satisfaction would such live upon the Earth and how desirable and amiable would this be for Christians and Brethren to live thus in Unity And were they brought not to turn away their faces from their own flesh nor to slight the Cry of the Poor but with an Eye of Pity still to be commiserating the Needy and much caring how to have Oppression removed that so with the more chearfulness the Necessities of their poor Brethren might the easier be relieved and such continual Care to be taken herein until all Oppressions were brought to an end and all the Poor kept from want their being sufficient within the King's Dominions to do it that what is spent in Vanity might be forborn and what is wasted in Oppression might be withheld and other wayes found out as something hath been prescribed by Thomas Lawrence of Marleborough until there were not one poor Member of all the Body of the King's Dominions to be found that had need to ask for Food or Rayment by reason of the Brotherly Care Love and Unity in the aforesaid Subjects And all Jealousies and Heart-burnings one against another and fear one of another as to be hurt in Person or Estate or destroyed one of another to be as clearly removed out of all minds as if such things had never been all being contented with the things and places that they have and no man seek another's Goods or House or House or Land or Place or Worldly Honour from him nor any strive to be greater than another therein but if any strive then so to strive as to excel in Virtue and in his service of love to his Brethren and People of his Nation until Love Unity and lasting Peace and Concord spread over all and all the contrary removed which would be much for the Honour of the KING not onely all the dayes of his Life but would reach unto the Ages to come II. Concerning the King's Honour by his Subjects submission actively or passivly unto all his Laws VVEre the King's Subjects or the major part thereof brought to be as ready to observe and keep all his Laws Edicts and Commands which are according unto and grounded upon good Reason the holy Scriptures and according to Gods Witness in their Consciences as he is to require it and as freely willing to walk according to all such his good and wholsom Laws Statutes and Ordinances as he is to impose such upon them And moreover that they could not be constrained to break them by any Forreign Prince or Evil Member at home but at all times and in all cases standing so faithful that the King be never dishonoured by their transgression of his just and righteous Laws and that for Conscience sake out of love and not for fear And moreover did the King make such Laws and Orders or suffer such to remain in force which his Subjects aforesaid did certainly know were contrary to good Reason and not according to the Scriptures or Law of God but quite contrary also to Gods Witness in their own Consciences and that such Laws also were well known to them to be destructive to the King's Subjects and much hurtful to their Estates and danger of ruinating their Families or if it should reach to Death or Banishment yet they not to rebel against the King nor raise Arms to defend themselves though they are truly satisfied that such Laws are unreasonable yet for Conscience sake not to oppose but submit unto every Ordinance of Man whether unto the King or such as are set in Authority under him And so though they cannot actively obey those Laws which are contrary to Gods Righteous Law written in their Hearts yet passively to fulfill those Laws also by a passive suffering the Penalties which those Laws require of such as actively keep them not And so therein again are those Laws fulfilled also by them that so it might be said of him That his Subjects are alwayes ready to fulfill or submit unto all his Laws and Orders either by active or passive obedience whether they be reasonable or unreasonable And a People being brought thus to submit to the King in all things would be very much for his Honour in Truth and Righteousness III. Concerning the King's Honour by the Faithfulness of his Subjects unto him VVEre all the King's Subjects brought unto such Faithfulness unto him that he himself could with good Confidence trust them or himself with them and without any doubting believe and know that they would not harm him in the least nor in the least contrive the shortning of his dayes but all desiring his long life to govern in Righteousness And were they all of such a Principle and unalterable therein as not to destroy any man's Life though their Enemies much less a Friend a Neighbour or a Christian that the King might be well perswaded of them that they would never harm him nor plot nor conspire against him nor ever offer or intend Violence towards him though he had none to guard him so that if he please he might even with boldness and confidence at any time trust himself with them or amongst them without the least danger or fear in himself knowing all his Subjects to be as careful of his Life as his Life-Guard so that if he please he might
the King and God might bless and prosper him for their sakes as he did Pharaoh for the sake of that one faithful man Joseph after the King had released him out of Bonds But by this time many might say unto me as a Lord said unto the Prophet when he spake of things much unlike to come to pass How can these things be though God should make Windows in Heaven To which I answer That though I do not affirm that all those things shall come to pass concerning him yet I say that many are already and many more may come to the slate asoresaid And it would be his Happiness and more for his Honour than men can yet receive to be chief Magistrate among or over such a People and to have most of his Subjects so qualified and great would be his Peace thereby And thus further I say That the God of Heaven and Earth hath promised That a People shall be all Righteous and that Iniquity shall cease and the Nations shall learn War no more but every one shall rest under his own Vine and and none shall make them afraid and they shall be in League with the Stones of the Field and the Beasts of the Field shall be at peace with them And the Lord God hath brought many into the entrance of these things that with Christ in the Prophet they can give their Backs to the Smiter and their Cheeks to him that plucketh off the Hair And if it were well if that all the King's Subjects were come to the things aforesaid and to live in that upright state then it is not ill that some are come unto that state already And if the little that is begun towards this work were cherished might it not grow and encrease towards that state hinted at in the former brief Particulars touching the Honour of the King though there is an Honour which exceeds all this And certainly the Word of the Lord will stand forever though Men and their Powers and Heaven and Earth may pass away And assuredly the God of Righteousness hath begun his Work in this Nation and in the hearts of many of his little Ones And a Little One he hath said shall become a Thousand and a small One a strong Nation and the Kingdoms of this World shall become the Kingdom of our God and of his Christ And what if a Nation be born at once and Sion bring forth before her Travel and the Lord answer before his People call and hear while they are yet speaking and multiply the seed of Abraham as the Stars of Heaven and encrease the innocent flock of his Fold as the innumerable Plants upon the face of the Earth that Sin and Iniquity may have an end and Righteousness reign for evermore And if it be farther enquired How the King might have his Subjects truly principled and qualified as afore said or have such Subjects generally thus for his great Honour I Answer further to the everlasting Praise of God That there are many which may well be called some of his truest Subjects in his Dominions that are already truly principled and qualified as aforesaid and more are entering and growing up into the same Faithfulness Love Unity and Peace with all men and God will encrease them and it might be much for the Honour of God and the King to encourage them therein and much for the dishonour of God and dishonour and great disadvantage of the King divers ways if he seek or should be perswaded to seek the hindrance of these things or of his Subjects who are thus already qualified or the encrease of their Number therein or their encreasing in the honest noble honourable upright things aforesaid which things might make for the Honour of the King and will certainly be for the Glory of God And this is written by one that desireth the Peace of all the Nation and Unity amongst all men and that many more may come into the Righteous things aforesaid which would be for the Glory of God the Honour of the chief Magistrate the great Benefit of the Nations and much Comfort to themselves And that desireth the encrease of love truth and virtue which brings into the true honourable Nobility for the which this is written that men may come into the true Noble and Honourable Estate in the sight of God and all just Men among whom I am a true Friend to them all in love called Humphry Smith The 10th of the 4th Moneth 1661. To the Lambs of Christ MY dear Brethren who are Children of my Father whom he hath visited with the Power of his Eternal Love and gathered into his covenant of Light where Life and Immortality abideth forever who come to feel the Life of the risings of the Son of Gods Power with his Immortal strength you all in his Power to keep as living Branches of the Root to himself single and pure in the uprightness of Innoceny in this the day of his infinite love wherein the Glory of the Most High is revealed to the humble Seed which receives the Gospel of Peace and the Ministration of Life to those who in the Death did lie and by Captivity was long in Bondage kept which now from the Lord God of Life Refreshings comes to receive and Oyl of everlasting Joy to the mourning Plant whereby the everlasting Covenant of the Father is known in which I am with you forever you standing in obedience to the Power of the Word which operates in the Heart by which all things were made in which they are all enjoyed as you all in his Wisdom stand by it to be guided in the dominion of the Word with it over all to find Life and guidance with that which is Immortal in the strength whereof to stand as Pillars of Life for the living Truth of God against all his Enemies with boldness and cheerfulness through the Power of his Son whose Life you are to feel exercising you therein to which you are to yield Obedience with all humble Submission to the Fathers will abiding low in his fear and there is both Safety and Strength that the Fountain of the Fathers love may be opened in you as a Well-spring of Life to overcome you with the Power of himself that thereby you may be refreshed one in another and be opened one to another in the bowels of the Fathers love that it may overshadow you as a Tree in Summer and be to you as the refuge of a Rock in it to be hid from all the high and raging Waves Winds and Storms and from all secret Discontent or Swellings in the mind which are apt to hurt that which is little and tender which is to be brought forth into Liberty Peace and Life with the pangs of Sorrow and as with the anguish of a travailing Woman so is the Seed brought forth which lives forever which is fed with the Milk and preserved from the Storm and the Heat and fed with Food convenient and clothed
should cry after us A Quaker A Quaker And whether such be willing to suner as much for their prophane Swearing as they would us and as we have done for not Swearing at all And whether such can be content to suffer as great Punishment for going to an Ale-House needlesly on the First-Dayes or any day as they would have us suffer for not going to the Steeple-house the First-dayes which to us is needless And whether they would have such Laws made against them for such things and such their practices as they would have made against us for our practices in Liberty of Conscience as pertaining to the service and Worship of God And if Liberty had been so much promised them in this their Wickedness as hath been to us in the matter of Conscience would they have had that promise broken And whether they would be haled out of their Ale-houses Tipling-houses and Whore-houses as oft as they meet there or could be found there by any Officer Souldiers Boyes or People as they would have other sober persons haled out of their own Houses and peaceable private and Publick-Meeting-houses wherein they meet to serve God And would they receive every such time the like usage or abuses by any Boyes or Persons that should find them there or take them in such things and that would stone them for their Whoredom and Drunkenness at the present or would they receive the like Punishment afterwards when they were brought before a Magistrate in Imprisonment or otherwise If not then whether all such men as these who would have the King break his Word be not absolutely of the Devil And would they not limit the Spirit of God and his Worship and Servants and tolerate the Spirit of the Devil and have liberty for his service and his Children therein And then whether it be good or safe at all for the King to hearken unto the Counsel of such men or in the least to incline thereunto in this matter And whether the Lord God will ever bless their Counsels herein which lead to Destruction And whether the King be in the least to receive or consent to the Counsel of such men herein or their Petitions in that matter and so become a Breaker of his Word and Promise This will I leave to Gods witness in themselves and in the King Council Parliament and all other Magistrates and other inferiour Officers and People whatsoever to answer yea or nay And further I might enquire in like manner concerning the matter and manner or form and place of Worship whether they would be deprived of theirs as they would have us of ours and be haled out as they have haled us and suffer so much therein as they have caused us and have Laws made against them for it as they have made against us and have another manner of Worship and Place and Teachers imposed upon them than what they are perswaded of to be Right And how do such come to be more certain that their way of Worship is right in things they have no Scripture nor example therein for than we do come to be certain that our way is right which we have Scripture and example therein for And how came they to know that their worship is better in a temple made with hands in which God dwelleth not and the Apostle declared against Acts 7. 44. than ours is in the Spirit of which God is John 4. 24. and in the Truth which is his Son in whom the fulness of God doth dwell Col. 2. 9. and in the Light where God doth dwell for Christ said I am the Light John 8. 12. And he that hath Immortallity dwelleth in the Light 1 Tim. 6. 16 And whether such as are compelled to a Worship which they are perswaded is not right and that God doth not accept are they not therein made Hypocrites And if they would compel us from such a Worship that we are perswaded is right and also compel us to such a Worship that we are perswaded is not right whether they themselves would be done so by And if not how do they love their Neighbour as themselves and do unto all men as they would be done unto according to the command of Christ Mat. 7. 12. And wherein are such like unto a Christian Spirit which the true Christians were in and them that by the Holy Ghost were made Overseers of the stock of God who said that it seemed good unto them and to the Holy Ghost to lay no greater burthen upon the Gentiles thâ—n to obstain from Meats offered to Idols and Blood and things strangled and Fornication which were necessary things Acts 15. 28. These things in brief at present are offered in plainness and love unto the consideration of all Rulers and People by one that truly desireth Peace amongst men being an Innocent sufferer for the cause of God in the place of my late long and sad Sufferings in a close unsavoury Prison at Winchester the 28th of the 9th Month 1661. being known amongst men by the name Humphry Smith If a Ruler hearken to Lyes all his Servants are Wicked Prov. 29. 12. Bewise now therefore O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the Earth Psal 2. 10. Judge righteously and plead the cause of the Poor and Needy Prov. 31. 9. The King that faithfully judgeth the Poor his Throne shall be established forever Prov. 26. 14. Thou shalt not wrest Judgment thou shalt not respect Persons neither take a Gife for a Gift doth blind the Eyes of the Wise and pervert the Words of the Righteous That which is altogether just shalt thou follow that thou mayest Live and Inherit the Land which the Lord thy God giveth thee Deut. 16. 19 20. The People that are gone out of the way it were them that knew not the way of peace Rom. 3. 12. vers 17. But Christ who is our Way and unto us the Prince of Peace hath taught us to give the Back to the Smiter and to turn the other Check Forty Four Queries propounded to all the Clergy-Men of the Liturgy by one whom they trained up in the best things set forth in the Book of Common-Prayer Eleaven Reasons why these Queries are proposed BEcause your manner and way of Worship and practice First in many things hath been these twenty years by many Zealous persons very much questioned who ought to be satisfied or stopt by sound Arguments and Doctrine and words of Scripture-Truth or else a true Reconciliation in the hearts and minds of both cannot easily be 2dly Because it is most agreeable to the Law of God and most according to the Commands of Christ and doth most suit with the Doctrine and Practice of the Apostles and is professed even by you in the Book of Common-Prayer To love thy Neighbour as thy self and not hurt the Body of any man by word or deed to Love Enemies to do good unto all and to convince Gain-sayers with sound Doctrine and words that cannot
Corruptions of the Flesh And walk in the Life of Righteousness to preach forth the Innocency of the Lamb in uprightness through a suffering state and therein to glorifie him whom in Spirit and Truth you are to serve forever more so your Life may be renowned with him forever and your Souls replenished in the bountifulness of his Love whereby Fruits in you may abound to the glory of his Grace and you become rich in every good Word and Work And all you that are weak who meet with many Hardships and Tryals and Temptations within and without be ye not therefore discouraged nor moved but still mind that the Lord is able to deliver and still on him in much Patience wait that in the due time you may come to reap And truly Friends in faithfulness you will come to know the Lord to minister strength to the weak and give power to the faint that the small thing in you may become great and the barren become fruitful for in him who is the Light the plentious Redemption is and he it is that succours and saves in the time of need and helps and delivers in the time of distress and he will not leave the Humble Comfortless nor forsake the Meek of the Earth neither can the Lord forget his Covenant of Peace with the Seed of Jacob though it be but as a Worm in the Earth And you who suffer Bonds Imprisonments or loss of Goods for his sake who hath called you out of the World dear is my love unto you and precious is the faithful suffering Seed in you to me who also with you suffer both within and in outward Bonds seeing the Crown of rejoycing that through a suffering state is manifest to the Seed which through suffering comes to live forever and the Life is that which will uphold in the measure whereof manifest in you The power of the Lord preserve you that you may feel Truth kept clear in you and preserved blameless by you that the Prisoner of hope in you may Reign over its Adversaries and you feel the Power of the Lord strengthning the spoiled against the strong that under it the other may bow that to the humble Life of the Lamb slain all Nations may become subject And all consider that he that is the Wonderful Counsellor who saith I am the Light In it therefore wait the counsel of the Lord to receive And all take heed of going out from that to set up a form of barren Words without neither build ye the things which began to be destroyed but all take heed of vain Talkers high Boasters and such who by a multitude of Words darken that in you which is to give the knowledge of him whose Kingdom consisteth not of Words for many see things afar off and speak too soon and too much and out of the true fear whose Words feed that above the Seed in many who live thereby and it burthens the Seed in some tender Lambs so that it which should live in them is kept in Death And so such Talkers with their many Words do scatter the Flock and cause Strife being separated from the suffering Seed within and so cannot suffer one with another and things are out of God's Wisdom and out of Unity and true Brotherly Love and then the Mouthes of the Heathen are opened against you all and the precious Truth of God suffers Therefore it s better all such were silent and that in the true fear you come to wait on the Lord that the power of his Life might be opened in every particular and then if that speak a Word or two it will hurt none but be received by all that fear the Lord and that my Soul loveth but this I know and feel that many Words are spoken which murder the Life in the Meek Therefore where these things are let it be searched into with the Light in every particular that the true thing in all may arise and act and lead and guide in Meekness and true Fear that the Power of God in you all you may come unto And let all your Meetings be kept as in the dreadful Awe and Presence of God and meet together often that the Seed through Death may come to which my Love is dear in which Love which comes from God his Arm of Power preserve you all which is both my Desire and Prayers to God whom in the measure of his living Truth I serve in my Spirit and for which now I suffer Bonds who to some of you may be felt in that which is more near unto many of you than the Name Humphry Smith To the despised rejected and persecuted Lambs of Christ in the County of Dorset YOu whom the Lord God of Life hath visited with his Everlasting Loving-kindness in a day of Salvation and in an acceptable year hath the Lord â—ought after you who from him were going astray in the frowardness of your Wills and haughtiness of your vain Minds whereby your Souls were kept in Death out of which the Lord is now come to redeem and gather you his long lost sheep in his everlasting Arms of unlimited Love home unto the rest eternal where Peace and Plenty is within the Walls that are Salvation and the Gate of everlasting Peace within which the redeemed of the Lord do dwell and their rest is gloriously glorified with the presence of the most High who comes to rule in the Kingdoms of men and set his Righteousness and Judgment in the Earth whereby the meek of the Earth shall rejoyce and the Mourning seed shall be comforted because of him that executeth true Judgment upon the head of the Wicked which ruled over the growing seed which cryeth unto the Lord in the hour of distress and mourned for him who is the bright Morning Star whose lightnings begin now to enlighten the Earth and shine out of Darkness to give the knowledge of God in the sensible feeling part of the heart which comes to be made soft and tender thereby so that its wrought into Gods love which melts the Hills and shakes the Mountains and divides asunder that an open way fair clear may be made for the longing breathing seed to spring out of Bondage and feel Gods Mercy showered down as the latter Rain upon a dry and thirsty Land whereâ—y the Lillies grow and the Vine yields her Increase and the Olive flowrishes and Clothing from the God of Righteousness comes to cover the mourning naked Birth who hath no strength nor help but from the Lord God of Mercy who is the Father of the Fatherless and the Helper of the Helpless who also hears the Cry of the Needy and knows the mind of the Spirit and hath pity on all Sion's Mourners and Compassion of all the faint and he is helping the Prisoner out of the Pit whereby the Captive comes to be set at liberty and the opening of the Prison Door is felt by the Lambs and Children of the Day who unto the day
of Salvation are come wherein God even our God is shining out of Zion the redeemed of the Lord the perfection of Beauty unto all the World and all Nations who have been high shall now be brought down into the Valley there will Christ the Lord of Hosts plead in the cool of the day with all Flesh and fallen man and the day is come that the Heathen shall be weakned and the strength of the Mighty shall fail and he that handleth the Bow and the Shield and the Spear shall not deliver himself but the mighty man shall fall in the Streets and the strong man shall utterly faint and Wisdom shall perish from the Wise and Understanding from the Prudent and Judges shall be led away Fools and the Honourable shall be laid in the Dust and no Weapon formed against the Righteous Seed shall prosper for of a truth the Lord is with us and in vain do all the Potsherds of the Earth strive against the Lamb and his meek Spirit in his Members for though they Fine one and Whip another and Imprison many yet the day is come that they shall fall down under the Prisoners and bow down under the Slain for the Lord our God is risen over them all and he even laughs them to scorn and will have them in derision Therefore by ye still and quiet O ye flock of the most high and let the Bountifulness of God's everlasting Love break the Earthly Pitchers and feel Gods unlimitted Power fighting for you who are now to be quiet for a little season and you shall see the destruction of the wicked and the overturning of the seats of the ungodly who are all but as Chaffbefore the wind as stubble ready dryed before the fire of God's Jealousie which will shortly smoke against his Enemies who shall vanish like smoke when our God ariseth to confound Babel and overturn the foundation of the Wicked for great Babel is come in remembrance before our God who is now giving her Blood to drink and the day is at hand that Vengeance shall be poured forth upon the head of the Wicked and Flames of everlasting Burning upon the Whore the Beast and the false Prophet and all they that commit Fornication with strange flesh and they shall now be taken and cast alive sensible of Gods Wrath into the Lake that burneth forever and ever yea the day is at hand and the Ungodly shall not escape Therefore ye Sons and Daughters of the most High lift up your Heads behold your Redemption draweth nigh therefore rejoyce in the Lord forever and again I say Rejoyce for your Redeemer cometh riding upon the Wings of the Wind a Fire devoureth before him and behind him a flame burneth behold his Reward is with him and his Work before him and long his Enemies shall not stand but the overflowing Scourge shall pass over them all and their Covenant with Hell shall be broken and their Agreement with Death shall be dissanulled and their Shame and Nakedness shall appear to the view of all Nations and their Whoredoms shall be made manifest in the sight of all People and the Nations afar off shall hiss at them and they shall become a By-word and a Hissing to them afar off Wherefore be ye still and quiet O ye Children of the Light commune with your own Hearts and be still in your own Closets and fret not your selves because of the Ungodly for his day is short and e'er long his place shall not be found and in the mean time your Patience comes to be exercised and by the Tyranny of the Wicked and the Oppression of the Merciless your Faith is tryed and blessed forever are they who love not their Lives nor Goods more than Christ the Light but follow him unto the end who is despised of men contemned of the Wise and consulted against by the Rulers of the Earth who are now lifting up their beastly Power unto Heaven and are laying Snares and setting Traps to catch the Innocent and are openly blaspheming the God of the Seed of Abraham whom they call Quakers who confess we are Strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth And all you who stand fast in the Faith that respects no man's Person and you that in patience endure the spoling of your Goods the Imprisoning or Whipping of your Persons and all you in whom there is honest desires begotten after the living Truth of the God of Life even to you all my Bowels of Love do reach and of your sufferings I do partake and my Prayer and Hearts desire to God for you Night and Day with Tears is That you may be preserved unto the end and this I write from a true sence and feeling of you your Sufferings and Conditions who are tryed divers wayes both within and without but faint not my dear Lambs the Lord God will never break Covenant neither can he leave or forsake the faithful Therefore only trust in the Lord and be still for the Lord of Hosts is fighting for you yea it is so and all your Enemies shall be but as the dust of the Earth and as the mire in the streets so shall the Lamb in Meekness Trample upon them all And my dear Friends now the Everlasting Love of God unto you hath appeared with the same Love come to love one another and be watchful one over another and in the Light meet often together and be not soon shaken in mind and so turn from the true Guide as some have done and that which is out of the Light with it judge in wisdom and meekness that you may answer that of God in all who contrary to the Light do act but of rash Judgment see that you all beware but rather in love wait to restore and build up one another and none of you depart out of Gods fear but be low single-hearted plain and honest without any By-covering or Double-mindedness but as Doves and Lambs in the godly simplicity all walk not as Strangers unto or High-mindedâ—ess one over another but in Love to serve and let your Minds be kept on the Eternal Invisible things and let Faith Love Meekness and Vertue abound in you so shall the work of God prosper in and by you Truly Friends the Love of the Lord is towards you and he will make you a blessing and a praise over the Earth and if you stand in his Counsel your Enemies shall be confounded and overturned Believe it it must be so And you the Jewels of the Lord shall be Crowned with Eternal Dominion and the Lord of Glory will be your God and Peace Righteousness and Plenty shall you enjoy forever Wherefore faint not O ye seed of Abraham who are Strangers and Pilgrims on the Earth but let the meek be encouraged and the tender nursed up in the everlasting Arms of Gods endless Love and let none turn back because of the Enemy that standeth up before but all joyn battel with the Lamb and Gog and
as deal justly with us but writ therein That we were lately taken at a Meeting as though it had been very lately indeed and thereby have sought to conceal the long Imprisonment we had then suffered for the same Meeting therein signified and concerning which we have also suffered nine weeks more in this Prison of Winchester this 13th of the 11th Moneth 1662. And these our heard and unreasonable Sufferings and grievous Abuses doth even cause a Cry for Mercy and may claim Compassion in Equity as well as Justice from you who in Justice ought to shew Mercy in relieving the oppressed who having suffered all these things only upon the account of some difference in Opinion in matters of Religion or matter in us of Conscience to God wherein also the King 's late Declaration offereth us Relief the benefit thereof we shall gladly receive but if otherwise then we say The will of the Lord be done whom we dare not but follow though it should be to the loss of all John Austin Jonas Goff William Bucklan Thomas Cozens Nichlos Cumplin William Jennings Solomon Nun also a Prisoner eleven Weeks for not paying four Shillings for being absent four First-dayes from their Church at Fareham which in Conscience he could not pay and so he is kept from his Masters business being a young Apprentice-lad John Bishop also a Prisoner nine Weeks being taken out of his own House from the which he was not departed neither were there then found with him any more men but two Humphry Smith a Prisoner one year and three Moneths and never called at Assize or Sessions nor suffered to come to any of the Rulers in the County to lay before them the true state of his Case And now seeing the hardness of the hearts of the Rulers is such that though a Copy of this fore-going Paper was sent unto them at the time of their late appointed Sessions and they not release the said sufferers nor commiserate their long and fore suffering Cause being some of them but poor men and seeing the said Paper was turned again and so the cause of the long oppressed turned aside Therefore is this published with the other that both Rulers and People may hear and see the long and many Afflictions of the harmless And now as touching four Coats that in cold Winter weather were stript off us since we came to this Prison and openly carried forth by one whose name we forbear to write and the Money for them drunk presently in strong Beer concerning the which although we mentioned not a word amongst the rest of our sufferings in the fore-going Paper And yet seeing it is so that just thereupon we were curbed and checked and Friends kept out from us and bitter words used at them that were let in though the Goaler had profit by them and that even by the Goaler's Wife she having slighted Gods love and so now hath little Pity for us and this being also done at the same time when the King's Declaration was come forth which is so largely tending to our Liberty And that the said Goalers Wife and himself if they own that action may know that it was out of forbearance of love and not of slavish fear of any that we mentioned not these our Coats in the said Paper Therefore are these few lines pertaining to this matter now added to the rest of the sufferings of us J. A. T. C. J. G. N. C. This 14th day of the 11th Moneth 1662. And the cause or the Reasons wherefore the Copy of the Mittimus with the answer of me H. S. is herein made publick are these First Because John Norton and Humphry Bennit have not only thus committed me upon no other account but for being such a man as Gods servants were in the days of old and for doing no other thing but what was though sometimes unjustly charged against them and also before this late Law was made intentionally against Meeting Secondly Because they have kept me close Prisoner one Year three Moneths and upward and that only upon this account Thirdly Because I have been all this time deprived even of that benefit of the Law in this Land which Thieves and Murderers have being not all this time called at Assize or Sessions Fourthly Because the said John Norton refused to let me have any liberty for a little season when a Friend came to seek it of him after I had lain here almost a Year Fifthly Because nothing of evil is proved or brought in against me nor any Law known by which they thus keep me in long Bondage though wrongfully in the Mittimus they have pretended a Law Sixthly Because I am more hardly dealt with in my imprisonment then the High-way-men that break out of Prison or any other Ossendor here by their order for the keeping of Friends from coming in to visit him that is one of the Members of Christ in Prison Seventhly Because that by no means all this time I can be permitted once to pass forth to any House in the Town and several Reasons more wherein I am unreasonably dealt with all which having so long and with much silence and patience undergone Eightly Because all this and much more of their hard dealing and my sufferings are so little regarded by the said John Norton and Humphry Bennit and other Rulers who some of them said I might Rot here Therefore I say thus much is at present published and that other tender hearted people and the meekest among the Rulers may both read and consider the cause of the Oppressed and also the long sufferings of Humphry Smith The time cometh that whosoever killeth you will think that he doth God service John 16. 2. If the World hate you ye know that it hated me before it hated you John 15. 81. But in the great day when it shall be said Come ye Blessed and Go ye Cursed the things then laid to their charge will be these I was Hungry Thirsty a Stranger Naked Sick and in Prison and ye visited me not Answer When saw we thee so Reply In as much as ye did it not unto one of the least of these ye did it not to me according to Mat. 25. 41 42 43 44 45 46. The the Sons of Men. YOu Sons of men whom God hath made to shew forth the works of his hands listen a little be quiet and hear and let your Minds be still Why should Envy arise in your heaâ—ts let my words be received in Love for behold I speak in Righteousness and in Peace from him that hath good-will towards man let your vain thoughts be denied and in coolness of Spirit in true Moderation give ear a little Why should the true fear of the Lord be dispised by you And why should you not receive instruction that your Souls might live in Peace forever Or why should I be esteemed by you as an Enemy for bringing the Message of Everlasting Peace to you which long did want it
his Goodness the praises of the Lord ascend up to Heaven whose Mercies refresh the Earth Oh that you might partake with me of the unspeakable Blessings of God and feel and receive in your selves the true Tenders and Offers of the tenderness of my Love hereby presented unto you that you might feel your Hearts begin to open therewith to receive the same that in the Life of the Spirit of Truth you may truly perceive me to be present praising the Lord with you and likewise pertaking with you of your sufferings having also Acquaintance of your Grief and being truly sensible of your manifold Tryals and Tribulations The Lord preserve you to the end thereof And Friends let not your hearts be sad neither be ye overmuch cast down with any thing whatsoever of which I forbare to mention neither be ye discouraged by reason of any thing that the Lord bringeth or suffereth to come to pass either amongst us or concerning us neither let the multitude of Tryals nor the length of dayes therein cause you in the least to distrust the Lord who in his secret Wisdom in the end of all things bringeth forth good unto such who in all conditions and under all Tryals do truly love and cleave unto the Lord their strength But why should I multiply words The intent of my heart is that you might have benefit by the increase of the same love of God and the Springings forth thereof of the which we have all received For you know the Truth which teacheth all things and a measure of that Life from whence all these words do come which do service for the Lord and are helpful to his Servants and comfortable to his Chosen people and for the refreshing of the tender Lambs and the building up of the members in the holy Unity to grow up in the holy Life for the honour of his Glorious Name forever in whose blessed Name Life Strength and Virtue is found the which indeed is become a true Refuge unto the Chosen Israel of God where they are succoured when none can help and where they are preserved when none other can uphold unto whom they can pour forth their Complaints in secret and Address themselves at every needful time whose complaints are never by him rejected nor turned back upon the Upright hearted as sometimes it hath been when help or comfort hath been expected from some of the Children of men who may also be tempted and in danger of being overcome but the Lord can never be overcome neither can he ever Err in his Understanding or mistake in his Judgments nor reject that which is truly simple and tender neither yet receive that which is deceitful though appearing or seeming never so Glorious Let all Friends whose hearts are tender in the tenderness thereof still return unto him from that which causeth a hardness and out of that which bringeth distrust to leave that which bringeth darkness into the mind and so to get from the barren places into the fruitful Habitation of the living Then shall Peace flow as a River and Unity shall flourish as the varieties of the various Flowers in the Field and Righteousness shall spread over all as the Morning dew and then the Beauty of the Righteous shall shine and the Glory of the Lord shall yet more abundantly appear and fruit shall encrease as in the Summer season and the Vineyard of the Lord shall yet again flourish in Righteousness and the Lord shall be glorified in his Saints who is greatly admired by all them that truely believe Oh! that the seed might lift up the head Oh! that the Plants of Righteousness might spring that the true Mourner might be comforted That fruit might abound in abundance That the weak might receive strength That the Seed of the Lamb may know the Boldness of the Lyon That all might be refreshed together and that you all might live and grow and encrease with the Encreases of God The Lord God of Heaven and Earth grant these things unto you and fulfill them in you that you may be filled with Virtue and wax bold and Valiant to the end in the noble Life of the honourable Power of God whose Name is blessed for evermore Amen From Winchester Prison is this sent forth towards you and the true Love and Simplicity of Heart by your Brother in the fellowship and Testimony of Jesus and the Bonds of the Gospel Humphry Smith To the Young and Tender and to the late Convinced People of God amongst the rest of the Elect and already Chosen whose outward Habitations are in and near the County of Essex To be read amongst them in much Wisdom Meekness Deliberation and most chiefly in the true fear of the Lord God THe sound of the everlasting Truth of the Lord God of Heaven and Earth hath passed through and amongst you and the Word of his Power in the dread of his holy Name hath been published within your borders and the way of everlasting Life and Righteousness hath plainly been declared to the understanding and the Covenant of everlasting Peace and Truth hath been tendred unto your Hearts and the Day of Visitation from God hath been freely offered unto your Souls and the things which belong to your everlasting happiness hath been set before your Eyes and those things of the Kingdom of God which pertain to the Sons of men to know in the power of his Wisdom and in the strength of his Might hath been demonstrated among you and the tender Call of God in the day of his love hath been unto you Oh that your Hearts might retain it forever and that your Eyes might be abundantly opened to see into the unsearchable things of God! Oh that your understandings might yet be more opened to receive the Riches of the invisible Truth of God! Oh that your Hearts might come to be more enlarged therewith and that you who have known the Call of God and felt the working of his Grace in your hearts unto a true Convincement might all come to live the Life of Righteousness end forever hereafter to walk from that more and more which you are truly convinced of to be evil either in Word or Deed or any manner of Practice whatsoever and to walk with more Circumspection and Integrity and Faithfulness to the Lord in obedience unto all things truly made known unto you to be right and justifiable in the sight of the God of Heaven This certainly is the breathings of my Soul unto the God of Heaven for your everlasting Well-fare And the true desire of my present enlarged Heart for your Eternal Happiness is That as the Lord of Heaven and Earth hath counted you worthy of his Call in the power of his Grace which bringeth Salvation unto all you may not judge your selves unworthy of the Kingdom of God but may cleave unto his Truth in the inward parts leaving all that which hath kept you from it whatsoever it be and all that which hath
way works worships and nature of such to serve the living God in the newness of the spirit through Faith and Patience and to walk in Innocency before the Lord for evermore Such shall come to rejoyce in the Truth and the Arm of the Lord shall bring them more nearer to himself that they may come to see the Lord in his Glory and to praise him in the Land of the living and to behold Sion in her perfect Beauty and to feel their Unity with Gods Elect and to enjoy the Covenant of Everlasting Peace that shall never be broken to be bound up together in the life of Immortality Wisdom and Righteousness to shine forth as the Morning like the Jewels of the Lamb and to be beautified with Meekness as the Members of the unspotted of God Oh! the Crown of Rejoycing and Everlasting Felicity that is set before you to whom I am not able to express the infinite bounty and goodness of the Almighty Oh! who can hold when the Lord hath spoken or conceal his loving-kindness when the Almighty giveth utterance The Lord hath enlarged my Heart let me not therefore enquire among you where there is room to receive it Oh! let there be an inward search whether that the door be open and the straitness taken away that he which was with you may find entrance in you and you truly come to feel the receiving of his life to the glad Tidings of your Hearts From such an outward Prison cannot keep me nor from them the vast distance of Miles cannot with-hold me Behold I say in the Name of God I am near unto you And when you are assembled together with one accord in the place where the Light is a Ministry to the work this read among you in the fear of the God of Heaven then shall many of you know it so to be that the Lord hath given me of his unlimited Spirit which I freely let forth unto you And the breathings of my life are that you might receive benefit thereby and be comforted together And be strengthened in the inward man that the Devil may not prevail nor the love of the World overcome the innocent desires which God hath begotten let no unbelief nor slavish fear hinder you in your spiritual progress toward the attainment of the Crown of Life in the Kingdom of blessedness which God hath certainly prepared for the upright and innocent And now behold I turn unto my Brethren the called and chosen of God whom my Soul hereby saluteth unto whom I cannot by words sufficiently express my Love neither have I room to publish the enlargedness thereof in writing neither will usual phrases of Speech satisfie my broken Heart Oh! blessed be the day that ever you were called and the hour of your Visitation and the time of the Conception of the Seed in the Womb and the season of the forth-coming thereof into the liberty of Peace Blessed be the Lord forever on your behalf who hath chosen you to the riches of life and brought you to the Well-springs of Mercy and caused you to drink of the Rivers of his strength which hath daily been renewed unto you Oh! blessed be the God whose love hath not been with-held from your Souls and who hath not with-held counsel from your Eyes Friends God hath opened my Heart unto you receive me therefore as in the Bowels of Mercy that now we may praise the Lord forever Oh! that your Souls may with me forever magnifie the unutterable Power of the God of Heaven and that you may this day with me drink freely of the Cup of Eternal Salvation that then we may rest together as in a Bed of Repose in the delightsom Arms of our Father's love that forever we may sing the Song of the Lamb and sound forth the Praises of the Almighty together that you may know the Lord is with me and that the holy One of Israel is indeed become my everlasting Support And unto you all Friends Erethren and fellow Members of the heavenly Body these are the pourings forth of Gods infinite Love free for all that can receive it And thus in few words as unto you my Brethren even desiring to be felt and received in that which comprehendeth all words and is more than words can express in which the words end which was before the words were where my dwelling is and you that truly know me know it so to be where-with you in the eternal Beeing and Substance of all living I rest in the Fountain of Mercy desiring daily in my pourings forth of my Soul unto God that you all may walk blamelesly and be preserved in the Truth of your Hearts to stand stedfast in the day of Tryal at hand And so in the power of Wisdom which is the Refuge of the Innocent the Lord God Almighty of Heaven and Earth preserve you all and keep you all for evermore Amen And hereby you may likewise know that I am in health and strength of Body and Soul and that my Heart is sometimes enlarged with the Power of Gods Love and my Spirit at Liberty which is out of their power to imprison by whom my Body is shut up in the close unsavoury Prison of my late and long sad Sufferings in the common Goal at Winchester where this is written by him that God hath called herein to be your Servant in obedience to his blessed Will known to the World but unto you in that which is nearer than this Name Humphry Smith Concerning TYTHES TYthes at first were not required but given only of the Spoils of the War only once by Abraham unto him that was made like unto the Son but the Substance being come even Christ who was before the Wars and before Abraham he redeems out of the Lust from whence the Wars arise and so bringeth to an end of that from whence Wars come and so to an End of that from whence Tythes were first given and so to give nor pay Tythes any longer being redeemed out of Lust and Wars and Fightings by the Blood of Jesus who said I am the Light that abideth a Priest forever and his day Abraham rejoyced to see who brings to the End of the Tythes and makes War with that and slayes that which caused men to Slay one another in the Wars who comes to save the Life who is Greater than Abraham who being now come denyeth fighting and saith He that taketh the Sword shall perish with the Sword And so that was to perish whereby Tythes were first given then must there needs be an end of Tythes which also perisheth with the using and the Law for the Tythes which had a shadow of good things to come decayes and waxes old and vanisheth away the good things themselves being come and good will towards man and the Covenant of Light to joyn the hearts together For Tythes were never given nor paid until after men had killed and slain and done violence and wrong one to another