Canaan whom Noah cursed And the beginning of this mighty Hunter's Kingdom was Babel where the Lord whom he hunted before followed after and confounded the Language of all them that belonged to this mighty Hunter who was a mighty one in the Earth and out of this Land of Babel went forth them that built many Cities and afterwards there was a People whose gods were according to the number of their Cities And so see what followeth when man is not led by the Spirit of God as Noah was and so preserved but hunts mightily before him being mighty in that which is Earthly first he is mighty in the Earth then a mighty Hunter then builds a mighty Tower whereby he that is earthly would climb up to Heaven this a Figure and then God confounded the Language and after wards those that were in the many Languages professed God who confounded the Language before whom their Father Nimrod hunted and they being found in that which God confounded though they professed God yet in Works denyed him and crucified his Son the Lord of Glory and writ over his Head of the many Languages Latin Greek and Hebrew and this was written above him that was the Light and so them now who are of the stock of Babel are yet exalted above the Light and count the Light a weak and low contemptible thing not able to save it self much less to save them that believe in it and so therein manifest themselves to be of their Fathers who crucified him that said I am the Light and said unto him If thou be the Son of God save thy self and so despised him who came to save them And this is some of the effect of mans hurting mightily in the Earth before they came to receive the Spirit as Nimrod did Gen. 9. 18 25. ch 10. 8 9 10 11. ch 11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. John 19. 19 20. But Jacob followed obeyed and believed the Lord who is a Spirit and the Presence of God was with him and the Blessing of the Most High was upon him and the Lord promised To be with him who was a Worm in six Troubles and in seven and when he passed through the Fire and the Water and God gave him a new Name and afterwards promised To give his Seed a Name better than of Sons and Daughters and Jacob was a plain man and dwelt in Tents and him God loved and he prevailed with God Isa 41. 14. ch 43. 1 2 3 4 5. Gen. 22. 28. Isa 56. 5. And so Nimrod with his Followers who was mighty in the Earth came to be confounded and Jacob who was little in the Earth as a Worm and dwelt in Tents he and his Seed came to be blessed And Moses the Servant of the Lord whom God Almighty honoured in his everlasting Love and made him a Deliverer unto and a Judge and Ruler over the People Acts 7. 35. he being in Aegypt the Land of Darkness and Bondage and all the Seed and Israel of God in cruel Oppression and I do not read that he had any direction from Man or Scripture or any thing else without him to guide him at first to refuse to be called the Son of Pharoahs Daughter and the glory of Aegypt and to chuse to suffer Affliction with the People of God Neither do I read that he saw the Angel or Glory of the Lord until after he was and had been Obedient unto that which God had given into him for that which may be known of God is manifest within Rom. 1. 19. for it is said in the Scriptures of Truth That it was by Faith Heb. 11. 24. that he refused the evil and chose the good and Faith is that which is in the Heart Acts 15. 9. As it is written If thou believe in thy Heart Rom. 10. 9. Acts 18. 37. And of that Faith in the Heart God hath given to every man a Proportion Rom. 12. 6. And as that which is but little in man is loved and obeyed so man comes to know more of God and hear his Word of Faith which is in the Heart Rom. 10. 8. And by hearing and Obedience of Faith man receiveth the Spirit Gal. 3. 2. which is an undeniable Truth which I might prove by a cloud of Witnesses from the Scriptures which were given forth from the Inspiration of God by his holy Servants And so there being something of God in man whereby man may as Moses did first refuse the Evil and then chuse a suffering state and so learn to do well the Sin then comes to be done away Isa 16. 17 18. and afterwards more of God's enless Love and powerful Presence is made manifest and so being faithful in the little received from God in the Heart man comes to rule over much as Moses did who first learned the Obedience of Faith in the Heart though in Aegypt and in the time of great Persecution where he was also despised of his Brethren yet he obeyed the Word of Faith in the Heart and so afterwards to him God appeared and the Word of the Lord came unto him and he talked with God afterwards face to face as a man talketh with his Friend and the many Wonders that the mighty Power of God wrought in and by him are recorded at large in the holy Scriptures for a Testimony thereof to last throughout many Generations And by this Faith also afterwards the Members of Christ did walk 2 Cor. 5. 7. And Joshua who succeeded Moses was full of the Spirit of Wisdom consider that he was first full of the Spirit and so thereby he came to be a Leader and Ruler over others and the Dread of the Lord fell and his Judgments came upon them who rose up or stood against him and those whom he by the Power of the Spirit in him came to rule over and great many and mighty were the Victories that God gave unto this man who was bold and couragious by reason of the fullness of the Spirit that was in him and the People hearkned unto him as they did unto Moses and he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses Deut. 34. 9. Josh 11. 15. But the Lords people in these dayes who are led by the Spirit of God in them are accounted both by Priests Rulers and People to be drunk or mad as it was before when the Son of God who is the Light was revealed in Paul Gal. 1. 15 16. he was accounted by the Ruler of the People to be mad Acts 26. 24. And when the Disciples of Christ had waited and afterwards received the Spirit of Truth within from the which they spake as with new Tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance at them then many were amazed others mocked supposing them to be drunk Acts 2. 12 13 14 15. And when Hunnah prayed in Heart being grieved in Spirit was esteemed to be drunk even by Ely the Priest yet she by her Prayers in her Heart obtained her desire of
miserable Offendors And seeing that following is said to be the Absolution and Remission of Sins with the words of Almighty and most merciful Father c. together with the Absolution and Remission of Sins following be a true Confession Repentance and Remission from the bottom of the heart Or is it false and feigned If false is it no tâ—loaked of more sin and dissembling with God and deceiving their own Souls If true how then are such after Confession and Remission Miserable Sinners before they depart as in the Letany And if the Confession Repentance and Absolution be right and true and from the bottom of the Heart and such thus pardoned and so made clean run afterwards and that again and again into the very same Sins whether they be not like the Dog and the Sow that turn to the wallowing in the Mire and the Vomit again V. Whether after true Confession and Repentance such may thenceforth live a godly righteous and sober Life and that pure and holy according to the latter end of the Confession and of the Absolution VI. Whether all such as have erred and strayed from the ways of God were before they did so err made Members of Christ and Inheritors of God And whether any were made such Members c. but such as have tasted of the good Word of God and the Power of the World to come And whether such as have so tasted thereof and after err and stray from the ways of God can be renewed again by Repentance If not is not their Repentance false or not effectual like Esau's If true how then is the Scripture true seeing it speaks as afore-mentioned of not being renewed by Repentance VII Whether such as were made Members of Christ Children of God and Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven and are now erred and strayed from the ways of God so that they are Miserable Offendors and that against God's holy Law as themselves confess can then in that state and in that very hour sing unto the Lord and heartily rejoyce and come before GOD'S Presence with Thanksgiving And whether such Miserable Offendors are the People of God's Pasture and the Sheep of his hands VIII Whether all such as in the beginning of the Letany do themselves acknowledge four times over That they are Miserable Sinners can call God their Father by saying Our Father which art in Heaven Or can such Miserable Sinners make others the Children of God by sprinkling a little Water upon their faces And whether God hath such fourfold miserable Children Or are those that are truly the Children of God at the same time in such a fourfold miserable state Or are such miserable men truly the Ministers of Christ IX Whether God's people may be delivered by him from See Letany 6 7 8. Particulars all these things following that is to say from all Evil and Mischief from Sin from the Crafts and Assaults of the Devil from God's Wrath and from Everlasting Damnation from all Blindness of Heart from Pride Vain-glory and Hypocrisie from Envy Hatred and Malice and all Vncharitableness from Fornication and all other deadly Sin from all the Deceits of the World the Flesh and the Devil And whether such as are delivered from all these things be not delivered from all Sin And then are not such free without sin If not then what Sin is it they are guilty of who are truly delivered from all these And whether such as pray to be delivered from all these and do not believe that they shall be so delivered do not therein sin against God and so instead of being delivered out of sin by their praying add sin unto sin being it is written Whatsoever is not of faith is sin X. Whether shall I own that man as Christ did and believe See Letany the 14th Particular him who said We know that God heareth not Sinners or else miserable Offendors who in their Prayer say We Sinners do beseech thee to hear us O Lord and so believe that the Lord doth hear them though their continual fruits and the Scripture testifie otherwise XI What and where is the way of Truth which all such See Letany the 26th Particular as have erred and are deceived are to be brought into seeing when one sin was committed the creature was deceived and if deceived and in sin then unclean and no Vnclean thing shall enter into the Kingdom of God And whether Christ who is the Way and the Truth be not in the Kingdom of God And whether all such as are not only yet unsaved from their sin but are miserable Offendors and that against God's Righteous Law and yet in the same Nature Way Words Worship and Practice as were their fore-Fathers whom they confess were in Iniquity have not all these erred and are yet deceived seeing Christ saved his from sin And whether such do yet rightly know the Way of Truth themselves which they should be brought into in which there is no sin XII Whether all men are capable of the Mercy of God And whether Christ hath not lighted every man that cometh into the world And whether God doth shew to all men that be in Error the light of his Truth to the intent they may return into the way of Righteousness according to the Collect appointed for the third Sunday after Easter And whether the Word be not the Truth John 17. 17. And is not the World in the heart And hath not God shewed that to all men though they be in Error XIII Whether men may with the help of God's Grace cast away the works of Darkness and put on the Armour of Light now in the time of this Life And whether the works of darkness be not Sin the works of the Devil And whether the Armour of Light be not the Power of God And whether the Power of God be not sufficient to defend from the Enemy and his Power and able to defend from the Devil and his works XIV Whether those that in this life have put on the Armour of Light are not to let it shine before men that God may be glorified And whether it be not for God's glory when his people are by the Light defended from all the works of darkness And whether those that now deny the Light and would hinder the children of Light from letting their Light shine before men which saveth them from sin be not them selves against the Common-Prayer and the late Reformation of it against GOD CHRIST and Scriptures seeing that God is Light and Christ said I am the Light and the Scriptures testifie of him that is the Light who commanded his to let their Light shine And then is he a man or below the principle of a man who hideth his Light under a Bushel XV. Whether any men in their Youth Infancy or full See publick Baptism about the midst and Catechism a â—ittle after the beginning Age may forsake the Devil and all his works the vain
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
and there is neither him nor any Priest Preacher Professor or Profane that can have any good ground or reason to envy me for declaring openly against all that in them which I declare against in my self when it ruled in me when I was as they yet are I being by several long unjust Imprisonments detained from Liberty to declare in words those and other things therefore for this very end have I written this in short that God's Truth might stand clear and not suffer in any thing done or said by me before Gods pure Wisdom was born up in me and that also the ground of all other things against the Truth if occasioned by me may be removed out of the Minds of all that are willing to receive the Truth if they knew it for I would not if possible that any thing whatsoever which concerned me should so remain in the Mind of any one as that thereby he should be hindred from receiving the living Truth which I have found so precious without which none can be saved And if by the appearing of the Shame of my former Nakedness an inlet for the Truth may be made into the Minds and Hearts of any therein will be my Joy and the Eternal Comfort of all them who by receiving and Sanctification of the Truth and faithfulness in the Light do come to rest in the Kingdom of Joy and Eternal Peace forever and ever Thus at present in tender Love to the Souls of you Rulers and Professors in Herefordshire to whom I say believe in the Light and mind God's Witness in you and be not Rigid Bitter nor Persecutors of the Children of Light who by them in the dark are called Quakers among whom I have chosen to suffer Reproaches for Christ's sake and Whippings long Imprisonments and Dungeon and now in the House of Correction all which declares me to be as you may read 2 Cor. 6. 3 to 11. who am a Friend to the Souls of all Mankind a Servant of Jesus Christ not by the Will of men to whom I am known by the Name Humphry Smith Winchester the 19th of 6th Moneth 1658. THE Wandering-Star DISCOVERED And his False Light Comprehended and made Manifest Or something in Answer to a Book called The Duakers Blazing-Star Or The Worlds-Wonder Set forth by Edmund Skipp who calls himself A Preacher of the Gospel at Bodenham in Herefordshire But is sound and seen by the Light of Christ and proved by his own Writings to be out of the Light of the Gospel and to be himself wandered from the Truth and is now amongst the rest of the Wandering Stars mentioned in Jude v. 13. With a Word to all Professors BEing moved to write something in Answer to the Scandals that have been cast upon the Truth by Edmund Skipp in a Book called The Worlds Wonder or the Quakers Blazing-Star whereing he hath not only cast many Aspersions upon us in these parts of the Nation to wit Here for dshire but also on those yea all of the same People whom he never saw nor heard whom the great and mighty Power of God hath raised by the pure Life of Christ in them to witness and live in which we here a handful of Babes are but in a little measure yet brought to witness therefore not for our own Vindication but for the simple Ones sake who ever were carried away in all Ages with Scribes Pharisees false Prophets false Apostles through the sleight and craftiness of men whereby they lay in wait to deceive 2 Cor. 4. 2. Therefore take notice that not many Wise men after the flesh not many Learned not many Mighty for the Wisdom of this World passeth away and the Lord is now taking the Wise in their own craftiness and chusing the Foolish things of the World to confound the Wise and the things that are not to bring to nothing things that are That so no Flesh may glory in his sight but that the Lord alone might be exalted in this the great day of his Power Isa 2. 11. wherein he is risen out of his holy Habitation Zach. 2. 13. to shake terribly the Earth Isa 2. 19 21. and bring down the Haughtiness of man and lay low the Haughty looks of man Isa 2. 11. who are going forth like men of War in their own Strength against the Lord and against the anointed witness the last page of Edmund Skipps Book Psal 2. 2. Now that the Truth of Jesus Christ may the more appear I shall in this following Discourse in brief lay open some of the stromer and yet-lived-in Deceits of this open Enemy and also some of his Lyes which he hath written against the Truth of Christ whom the World knows not therefore they write spake hate stone whip imprison and falsly say all manner of Evil against us wherein the Scriptures are fulfilled by them Mat. 5. 11 12. whose Judgment slumbereth not and whose Damnation lingereth not Now before I proceed further I give thee a little notice what sort of people he thus hath opened his Mouth wide against and it shall be made manifest and that from his own writings which declare us to be the People of God chosen out of the world John 15. 19. and he to be the Persecutor I shall give thee a few short hints but if thou wilt observe his Writings thou wilt find that he himself hath declared that our whole Life and practice is proved by plain Scripture and that our Lives and Practices are the same with them that did write and speak forth the Scriptures But in short see his own words in page 40. Did you ever know People acted through a more Glorious show or appearance of Righteousness then they are to wit us their denying and throwing off the World and all care and Pains for Christs sake their forsaking Father and Mother and Wife and Children Mat. 10. 37. Luke 14. 26. though with so much Affliction Opposition Persecution and Disgrace from men Is not this like the Cross of Christ and the Sufferings of Christ and his Apostles yea even the same Their traveling so many miles from place to place and speaking so boldly unto great men crying out against their Abominations their writing so many Letters dealing so plainly with men Jer. 18. 18. And there are hardly a People to be found that cry out more against Antichrist and all appearance of Sin and Unrighteousness than they do And in page 41. The whole bulk of their actings hitherto as far as I know or have heard do declare them to be carried forth as Ministers of Righteousness page 44. for I am perswaded they dare not tell a Lye Now see plainly before thou proceed the Darkness Ignorance and Envy of this man that can persecute in writings and smite with the Tongue such a People as he himself in this very Darkness cannot chuse but confess such things by and in who that is not altogether blind will not see the Blindness Darkness and Ignorance of
Lye witness thy own Words after the Meeting at Clifton where thou sayest Thou sawst such a Spirit of Prayer as thou never hadst seen before To which those that were there can yet testifie and we witness growth in Grace and Knowledge 2 Pet. 3. 18. and walk from Grace to Grace leaving the first Principles of the Doctrine of Christ Heb. 6. 1. forgetting those things that are behind we press forwards For man in his own Wisdom cannot find out the Lord who is a Spirit John 4. 24. and regardeth not the Wise in Heart Job 37. 23 24. Therefore if any man will be Wise let him become a Fool that so he may be found in the VVisdom that is from above James 3. 17. Next thou sayest That we desire the Perishing of the former Wayes of God This is another of thy Lyes For all the Wayes of the Lord are Righteous Psal 145. 17. so in page 18. Satan acts thee to call that Scripture dangerous Phil. 3. 7 8. If thou callest Paul's Experience dangerous it s no wonder that thou callest ours so too But we know that all Scriptures are written for our Learning the which we are searching Next thou wilt show the Thoughts and but the Thoughts of thy own Heart which is thy old sinful Heart wituess thy own Hand page 5. Line 11 12. Therefore from thy wicked Heart thou being ignorant of the Spirit dost in page 24. even Jeer at speaking by the Spirit in opposition to all the Holy Men of God 1 Pet. 1. 21. Therefore thou art an Enemy to Prayer in the Spirit Ephes 6. 18. the which we witness Therefore in the Light of Jesus Christ thou art calling thy own Company to wit the VVorld to try thy Exposition of thy own Lyes that thou hast cast upon us in page 23. and the last in thy Second Rule page 23. there thou denyest the Sufferings of Christ being ignorant of it in thy own Soul but we know that if we suffer with him we shall be glorified with him So we are made willing to fill up the measure of the Sufferings of Christ and those that have thus suffered in the Flesh have ceased from Sin 1 Pet. 4. 1 2. Thy Second where thou mentionest Quaking thy Lyes there we deny but Quaking and Trembling we witness to be the Saints conditions fulfilled in us who witness the same Power of God as they did Jer. 5. 22. â—sa 66. 2. Psal 2. 12. In the Third thou speakest thy own Lyes at random In the Fourth thou hast declared thy self to be an Enemy to the Sufferings of Christ calling it A Delusion Oh let Shame stop thy Mouth forever thou Enemy of the Cross of Christ and thy own Soul For although Isaiah prophesied of what Christ in his own Person hath fulfilled yet the Members of Christ are to take up his Cross and follow him as it is written and and witnessed 2 Cor. 1. 5. For as the Sufferings of Christ abound in us so our Consolation also aboundeth by Christ 1 Pet. 4. 13. 2. Cor. 4. 10. That which thou and the rest of the VVorld doth call our Bondage and Slavery page 18. that was the Saints and is our Joy and Liberty by which the righteous Seed is brought forth in Obedience to the Living God But it is no wonder that the World hate us for they know us not If we were of the World the World would love his own John 15. 18 19. Matth. 5. 11 12. In Answer to that in page 29. Jesus Christ is unto us the Bread of Life John 6. 33 35 48. and he is unto us the Water of Life John 4. 14. and 7. 37. In page 30. thy Lyes are made manifest unto all men that know us For which of us doth deny to Labour with his Hands And which of us is it that live in Idleness Nay it is Satan the Father of Lyes that acts thee to say that we should say It is the Language of Antichrist that bids men take care for their Families For we do take care for our Families with all diligence in the sight of God but our Conversation is without Covetousness Heb. 13. 5. What is mentioned in the third Rule page 31 32 33 34 To that I answer The same Spirit that ruled in the Children of Disobedience then even in the dayes of the Apostles the same Spirit ruleth in thee and others Now they stumble at both Prophets Christ and his Apostles and now the same Generation are stumbling at Christ in his Memembers so all they that stumble stumble at the Light and at the Corner-stone As for the Professors page 36. I tell thee and them that all Professors that are Enemies to Possession we do deny to be any Members of Christs Church which is in God 2 Thes 1. Page 37. Is another Lye yea more then one plainly in saying That we rank our selves with the sinful men of the World who are indeed under all the Powers of Antichrist from the which thou wast never yet redeemed by Christ in thee for thou art a stranger to his Life See what thou raisest from thy Supposition or thy If in pag 37. see what thou cast witness from those Scriptures fulfilled in thee thou art a Thief and a Robber stealing the Apostles words stealing the word from thy Neighbour thou confessest That we walk like as the Apostles did in many things as in Conversation Words and Writings In pag. 40 and 41. thou sayst That the whole Bulk of our Actions hitherto as far as thou hast either known or heard do declare us to be carried forth as Ministers of Righteousness Oh! let all take notice of this the Devil speaks some Truth but in the latter end of pag. 40. thou art thinking that Satans Kingdom is divided Oh filthy Conclusion Oh meer Babel Canst thou open thy Mouth and let thy Pen run against such a harmeless People of whom thou thy self art made to confess such Excellent things I shall now leave a little in following of thee in thy confused and deceitfull Lines and shall turn to that Scripture 2 Cor. 11. 13 14 15. for such were false Apostles deceitful Workers c. In pag. 41. elsewhere thou raisest thy own Conceivings as of other things of the Scripture and then amplisiest or illustratest upon thy own Imaginations so givest private Interpretations of the Scriptures for thy own private ends whereas no Scripture is of any private Interpretation 2 Pet. 1. 20. I shall lay down by plain Scripture who those false Apostles are 1. They are such as preach another Jesus 2. Cor. 11. 4. Now Jesus is a Saviour Thou shalt call his Name Jesus for he shall save his People from their Sins Mat. 1. 21. He maketh an End of Sin Dan. 9. 24. Being dead with Christ Rom. 6. 8. the Body of Sin is destroyed Vers 6. He that is dead with Christ is freed from Sin Vers 7. compared with 1 Pet. 4. 1. By the which we are made free from Sin
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
of Hosts goeth before you the mighty God is in the midst of you the shout of a King is among you and your Weapons are not Carnal but Spiritual which will bring down their Holds though never so strong And you who suffer in outward Bonds and there in your place according to your measures bear your Testimony against the covetous Hirelings who are the Merchants that belong to the great Whore who have long fed at Jezables Table and have long deceived the simple Oh! faint not in your long-suffering the Lord God is with you as you continue in patience and long-suffering and you shall be crowned with Immortality forever if you endure to the end for the Cry of your Affliction is ascended up on high and the Lord hath heard the Sighing of the needy and a three-fold Reward will you at last receive who endure to the end For the Lord God of Life who seeth in secret is sccretly undermining the very Foundations of all Sions Enemies and bringing Deliverance unto the Captives in a Way that hath not been known that unto you O ye afflicted Ones may Deliverance come not by might nor by strength of man but by the mighty Arm of Gods Power which in due time will bring Deliverance unto all the dear Lambs of Christ who this day stand faithful in the Innocent sufferings And all you who are yet but young and tender abide you all in Meekness Lowliness Diligence and Faithfulness without murmuring at them that are growing up before you and let no Root of Bitterness spring up among any of you I beseech you in the Bowels of the Lord Jesus Christ And all you that are grown up into the Understanding of Holiness walk you all in the Life of God and let that guide you in God's Wisdom as Examples to the Flock among whom you are placed not as Lords to rule with any thing in the Will but in Tenderness to serve the least Member that it may be preserved that all may grow up a holy Building unto God the Father To whom be all Glory forever and ever The Blessing of the Lord be upon you and the Power of the Most High overshadow you that you may spring forth as the Rose in Summer and be fruitful as the Vine in its Season The true and ever lasting Rule discovered c. THe Lord God formed man of the Dust of the Ground and breathed into his Nostrils the Breath of Life and and man became a living Soul So man was formed of that which was earthly and into that which was earthly that which was living was breathed and that which is living comes from God which is to keep and lead man unto God but man going from that which is living into that which is Earthly is thereby led from God and being led from that which is living he is also pleading for another thing than that which is the Life to be his Rule and Guide and so comes not to be guided by that which is manifest of God in him Gen. 2. 7. Rom. 1. 19. Now the Letter is not living but the Breath of Life within is the which living Breath man not knowing goeth forth from it to be guided by the Letter which killeth 2 Cor. 3. 6. But the holy men of God who walked with God and were obedient to his Will and spake forth and writ Scriptures from that which was holy in them and were Perfect in their Generation they were such who came to be guided by that which was living in them and from that men in dayes of old called upon the Name of the Lord Gen. 6. 28. and they had not a Scripture without them to guide them thereunto And Enoch walked with God and so he walked with that which is living and not with that which is earthly neither had he a Scripture without him to be his Rule and so he walking with him who is the Life came to be translated that he should not see Death Gen. 5. 24. Heb. 11. 5. And Noah who was Perfect in his Generation found Grace in the sight of the Lord. Consider this he found that by which man comes to be saved for by Grace man is saved which Grace to all men hath appeared and so Noah found that which bringeth Salvation which is the Grace of God in the Heart and thereby he came to do God's Will and not by any thing that was earthly nor from a Scripture without Gen. 6. 8 9. Ephes 2. 5 8. Col. 3. 15 16. And Noah who found that by which man is saved him God blessed and his Seed and said The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every Beast of the field and they were to multiply and bring forth abundautly from the living that was within the Earth for by that comes the increase of God and with them God established his Covenant and so Gods Covenant came to be established with him who found that in the Heart by which man is saved Gen. 9. 1 2 7 8 9. And the Lord who is the one Spirit was Abraham's Leader from his Kindred and Father's House and so Abraham heard that which was living and obeyed that which was spiritual who had not a Scripture to be his Rule and unto him the Lord appeared and blessed and in the time of the grievous Famines he and his seed was fed Gen. 12. 1 2 7 8 9 10. And he that is led by the Spirit comes thereby to receive feedings when the Famine comes upon them who are led by another thing and Abraham who followed the Lord was called the Friend of God and he through believing became the Father of many Nations and he saw the day of Christ the Light and obeyed the Word which liveth and abideth forever 1 Pet. 1. 23. and being led by that which is living from his Father's House and out of his Country so by that which is living was he preserved and him God loved and to him afterward the Word of the Lord did come saying Fear not Abraham I am thy Shield and thy exceeding great Reward And Abraham answered the Lord and the seed which God blessed came forth of his Loins who are led by the Spirit Gen. 15. 1. Heb. 11. 8 9. And on the contrary Nimrod who began to be a mighty one in the Earth he went hunting before the Lord who is the one Spirit and now there is that first which is earthly and much earthly Wisdom whereby man goeth hunting before the Spirit comes the which should not be but man should stand still and not hunt and see the Salvation of God and so receive the Spirit to lead or go before him and not to run or hunt before the Spirit but let it lead man as it s written As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sons of God Rom. 8. 14. but Nimrod hunted before God who is a Spirit and he was one of the seed of Ham who was the Father of
Be quiet now therefore and hear all ye Judges Rulers Governours Justices and all other Officers and People whatsoevr upon the face of the whole Earth who ignorantly from your Zeal in that knowledge which puffeth up have had a hand against a dispised rejected forsaken People that are accounted the Off-scouring of all things and are accounted as sheep for the slaughter and are killed all the day long who follow him in the Travail of their Souls and brokenness of Heart whose face is marred more then the Sons of men to whom from him no Beauty nor Comeliness doth appear nor any thing wherefore he should be desired who indeed and in truth is not of this World Behold I say unto you who have persecuted the Innocent and smote the harmless with the Tongue and the Fist of Wickedness if you will let the humble seed arise in you and read with fear and consider in Meekness with a true desire to receive the Power of God's Love unto you is this Word of Visitation sent therefore O ye men feel ye that which opens the heart for behold I was made of one flesh with you and the Lord God and Father of my Life made all men of one Blood that they might feel after him and find him and surely from the true sence and feeling of Gods infinite Love unto Mankind that he might be saved from Wrath to come Therefore am I moved with my Father's Pity to visit you to whom Gods Love is and in whom the Seed lieth in Bondage and is not brought to the birth nor deliverance but the Earth is over it and you that should be gathered into God's Everlasting Covenant of Peace who lie yet in the Bondage why will you not believe my words which are the Truth of the Lord in the Power of his Love which will stand forever And so all your Hating Reviling and Imprisoning the Servents and Seed of God without you in the Nation and your ruling over the Innocent Honest Plain and Harmless is unto you a true figure of your hating resisting and imprisoning the Seed of God which is in you and your ruling over the honest meek thing in you with Tyranny and Cruelty in the strength of your wills and this hath long been so and by this figure hath the Lord been pleased to preach unto you of late years that you might hear and see and understand and this is plainly so you being not reconciled unto that of God in Bondage in you Therefore is your hatred against them without you who are reconciled to God and have no Confidence in the flesh and because you are not reconciled to him that made you therefore hath his witness in you often times disturbed and broke your Peace in the Earth and the hand of the Lord hath so followed you that many times you could not cause his Spirit to cease striving with you for some time but even trouble from it hath come upon you even in the Night-season when you would have Peace and when the Power of the Enemy of your souls hath risen up in you with Wrath and Envy in hastiness and passion against the Servants of the Lord and thereby have been moved with Envy to act that which was Evil against them intending thereby to make the true Jews bow down unto Haman's spirit in you then afterwards and some at the very time hath the witness of God in you arose and brought Judgment and Trouble and Torment upon you when some of you have been alone in quietness then hath the Lord been secretly Dealing with you by his measure of Light in you the which you have strove against some not knowing what it was and sought Peace and ease another way and so have not loved that which came to confound your Wisdom nor received that which is to bring the understanding of the prudent to nothing for that prudent understanding is in man and that which is to confound it is to be received in man I speak what I know and the Truth of which will stand forever but you have not received that which in the heart began to judge you nay rather are you not afraid of being judged and of that which judgeth in you And is it not a hard saying unto you that have talkt of God to preach him unto you who confounds the Wisdom of the Wise and brings the Vnderstanding of the prudent to nothing and to tell you how that which may be known of God is manifest in you Is it not therefore plain that you are yet joyned to that which is to be confounded and so have not received that which is to confound though it be in you for the Kingdom of God was in the Pharisees but they not knowing it did neither know the Lord of Glory but crucified him without them and resisted that which was holy in them yet professed the Scriptures without them as you do whose minds are out from the measure of the Inspiration of that Spirit in you which gave forth the Scriptures which are without you which Scriptures also testifie of the Light of Christ which is in you and of that which may be known of God in you to which you are to come for unto them who had the Scriptures without them Christ Jesus said Come unto me I am meek and low in heart and his Name is called the Word of God which is nigh even in your hearts though from you there it be hid as a Treasure hid in the Field but though it be hid from you yet it is there and though you have been unprofitable yet have you had a Talent yea the Lord God hath given Gifts to the Rebellious though they receive it not that he might dwell in them ye hard-hearted stiff-necked and uncircumcised why will you not believe my words Why will you not receive the Truth When will you bend and bow before the Lord God of Life Can you say in your hearts like the fool That there is no God Would you shut him out from having an entrance in you When was it that you did come to this thing which is hid in the heart And when did you try this thing which sometimes judgeth condemneth troubleth or confoundeth whether this thing would give you the knowledge of God And is not the Light to give the knowledge of God And doth not he that is the Light enlighten every man And is not the Light that which doth make manifest And is not there something in you that doth at sometimes make manifest And is there not something in you which doth judge and condemn you for Evil which is made manifest by it You that talk of trying all things Is not there one thing and have you not yet need of one thing even that which gives Power over sin and cleanseth from all sin And have you tryed this one thing the Light or that of God in you Whether this will bring you to Peace with God and man And whether by
laying heavy burdens upon the neck of the Poor Is not the Poor Oppressed and the Rich live in Oppression Is not the Fatherless the Widdow and the Stranger oppressed within your Gates Have you not evil intreated the Servants and Messengers of the Lord of Hosts whom he sent to Warn you and some to be Signs and Wonders among you as Isaiah who walked naked and bare-footed Isa 20. 3. 1 Sam. 19. 24. that you may see your Nakedness and repent of your Loftiness and come down from your high Mountains where you are making your Nests above the Stars of God in your Airy Imaginations from the first Wisdom of the first man from the Earth Sensual and Devilish where the Prince of the Air rules in all the Sons of Disobedience who are wise to do Evil and subtil foxes in that Knowledge which puffeth up and there you stand like strong Oaks and fed Horses fatted for the day of Slaughter whose Sins are ripe unto Judgment whose measure of Wickedness is even at the full you your selves the Servants of Sin fitted for the Wine-press of the Wrath of the Lord God Almighty who is coming a swift witness against you and from his presence you shall not fly Therefore prepare to meet the Lord for the day is at hand that your Iniquities shall be rewarded upon your own Heads and you shall receive from the Lord the just Reward of all your Doings and every mans Heart shall be made manifest in the sight of God and by the Witness of God in every mans Conscience shall God be acknowledged to be Just by which the Mouth of Proud Flesh shall be stopped and the Conscience shall be awakened by the Witness of God that did always testifie against Deceit Sin and Hypocrisie and when the endless Judgments of God are upon you and his everlasting Torments have taken hold upon you then shall my Witness in every mans Conscience witness for me that in love to your Souls I was moved to write this for a Warning to you all that to the Cross you might come to the true Light of Christ that lighteth every man that cometh into the World that all men through him might believe even in him that is the Light the Corner Stone refused by all you wise Builders who build above the Light which to you this day is a Stone of stumbling and a Rock of offence even Christ the Light the true Teacher that in secret condemns for Sin who is the Heir and is now come whom all you Wicked Husband-men that have not brought forth Fruit unto God are now slaying in your own particulars and persecuting in us his Members that if possible you might murder the Heir Christ the Light and so the Inheritance be yours But it is in vain for you to kick against the Pricks the Light in your Consciences which checks in secret for Sin is and will be your Condemnation whilst you fight against it and hate it and the measure of the Breath of Life will kindle a Fire in your Bowels like a stream of Brimstone forever which shall never be quenched nor depart from you Wicked and Ungodly men whose Sins have exceeded many and whose ways are right in your own Eyes and hate to be reformed and despise stone persecute and imprison them whom the Lord hath sent to warn you whose blind zeal is like Jerusalem's from whose Eyes the things of God are hid and your Madness like unto Saul's who thought to do many things against the Name of Jesus Christ the Light And do not many of you fight against the Light and so are found Fighters against God who is now come to try you and to search you and according to your deeds shall you all receive And now who among you will hear this Who among you will regard Are you not covered with a deep sleep that so the Destroyer may come upon you unawares Who hath an Eye now to see and a Heart to understand Who will regard this and return from the Evil of his ways Who will lay it to heart unto him is the day of Grace offered let him return and that with speed and let the rest look for their Portion according to the words written Let not this be slighted for it was written for a Warning aforehand unto you all upon the 30th day of the 8th Moneth 1656. by a Servant of Jesus Christ a Prisoner at Exon known by the Name of Humphry Smith Some of the Effects of the Priests Ministry in Devonshire YOu that have been the Teachers and the Leaders of the People long you who say the Priests Lips preserve Knowledge and they shall seek the Law at his Mouth now consider what have you taught the People and what have they learned of you Is it not to persecute the Innocent and to hale out of your Synagogues and to stone and to beat them whom the World knows not whom the Lord hath sent as Lambs among Wolves into the Towns Villages Market-places and Synagogues to witness and declare in the Name of the Lord against all Unrighteousness and preaching Repentance unto all even to them of the highest place of Worship and to a Crooked and Perverse Generation who have been long learning of you that connot your selves cease from sin 2 Pet. 2. 14. neither are they by you brought to the knowledge of the Truth so as that they need not any man to teach them but are still learning and are not come to the knowledge of God whom to know is Life Eternal but are found this day in that in which the knowledge of God is not and in that nature which murdered Abel and stoned the Prophets and crucified Christ and slew his Apostles and yet you all pro-fess the Scriptures but upon you the Scriptures are fulfilled who are in these days haling and causing to be haled out of your Synagogues and persecuting from City to City the harmless Lambs of Jesus Christ who saith unto his These things shall they do unto you because they know not the Father nor me John 16. 2 3. Doth not your evil Savour come up into the Nostrils of the Lord And is not your Nakedness seen by all the Children of the Light who walk in the Light Are not both you and your Hearers a Seed of Evil Doers And are you not fierce Despisers of them that are good And do you not daily cry out against those that are dead unto Sin and alive unto Righteousness And do you not even hate him that walks in the paths of Peace and the steps of Innocency Is not there a noise amongst you against the Lambs of Christs Are you not stirring up the Rulers against them as your fore-Fathers did Acts 4. 1 c. and c. 5. 17. John 11. 47. Are you not seeking to your earthly Magistrates to defend your Profession with their carnal Sword which must be by Persecuting and Imprisoning the Lambs of Christ who break not your Magistrates Law nor yet the
of Ages the Power of God the Wisdom of God the Son of God the Light of the World which whoso followeth shall have the Light of Life and in him receive Power to become the Sons of God and so come by the light to the Teachings of the Father and receive the Anointings that they will not have need of your teachings For the Pastors are become Bruitish and have not sought the Lord therefore they shall not prosper and all their Flock shall be scattered Jer. 20. 21. And as Troops of Robbers wait for a man so the company of Priests Murder in the way by consent for they commit Lewdness Hos 6. 9. Written by a Servant of Jesus Christ a Witness against Deceivers a Prisoner at Exon called Humphry Smith THE First Second Priesthood Declared according to the Scriptures That both Priests Professors and People may come to see with the Light of Christ which Priesthood this belongs to THe First Priesthood and its Ministry stands without and consisteth of the outward things The Second Priesthood and its Ministry stands within and consisteth of the inward Work and Paul who was made a Minister of the Spirit which is within he said Work out you Salvation with fear and trembling 2 Cor. 5. 6. Phil. 2. 12. The first Priesthood being made in the time of the Oath under which Priesthood the Swearing is upheld and the People continue in the Swearing and in the Strife The second Priesthood is made with the Oath the Confirmation thereof is the End of all Strife Debate and Dissention and the End of the Lust from whence the Wars Fightings and vain Janglings doth arise And the Confirmation of this Oath and the second Ministry which is confirmed by this Oath puts an end to all Oaths and Swearing the Word of the Oath being come and become Flesh which Word was before the Oath and the World and since the Law which Word is the Son who saith Swear not at all Heb. 6. 15 16. Chap. 7. 20. Mat. 5. 34. James 5. 12. The first Priesthood and its Ministry under the first Covenant had a command to receive Tythes of the People yet they were not to sue People at the Law if they did not bring the Tythes but were to receive the Tythes and Offerings when they were brought their command was to receive them And these Tythes were given unto the Stranger unto the Fatherless and to the Widdow that they might eat and be filled as well as the Levite and the Priest Deut. 26. 12 13. Now that Priesthood must needs be of Antichrist which is not agreeable to the first Priesthood and it is also contrary to Christ Luke 10. 4 5 6 7. 2 Cor. 6. 3. and so on 2 John 9. 1 John 2. 22. The second Priesthood and its Ministry is of the New Covenant where the Law is changed by which the first is made and this is not of the World neither upheld nor maintained by the things of the World neither is made by a Carnal Commandment but by the Power of an Endless Life Heb. 7. 16. Mat. 10. 7 8 9. Gal. 1. 12. 16. The first Priesthood was after the Flesh where the Lusts were not crucified whence the Wars and Fightings come where the likenesses were found among such as were not come to the Substance for Abraham came from the Wars and gave the tenth of the Spoils unto him who was made like unto the Son of God Heb. 7. 3. Chap. 8. 5. Gen. 14. 18. The second Priesthood who is of the Spirit who comes of Abraham according to the Flesh is the Power of God and the Substance of the former Likenesses which Substance being come it puts an End to the Wars and so an end to the Spoilings and also an end to all that which causeth the Spoils and if so then an end to that of which Tythes were first given and so the Substance of the Likenesses being come the Blessing is received in him and the Multiplyings known and the Increases of God witnessed and the Spoils divided at home the strong man being bound and his Goods spoiled Heb. 12. 22 23 24. 1 Thes 3. 12. Col. 2. 17 18 19. The first Priesthood is of the first Covenant which makes nothing perfect and stands without as in Tables of Stone and divers Ordinances written by Moses a Minister of that Law which condemns and yet is glorious in its time 2 Cor. 37. 8 9. Heb. 7. 9. The second Priesthood is of the New Covenant which is written in the Tables of the Heart by a Mediator of a better Covenant in which Covenant there is a coming to be presented Perfect in the Head unto which by the Ministry of the Word of Life they come to be joyned 2 Cor 3. 2 3. Jer. 31. 33. Heb. 8. 6. The first Priesthood stands in divers Washings and Carnal Ordinances until the time of Reformation until which time the outward Ordinances yet standeth and the outside Worships yet are which Worship being daily performed yet the daily comers to these Ordinances are not made perfect as pertaining to the Conscience Heb. 9. 10. The second Priesthood is Eternal purging the Conscience from dead Works whereby also the Spirit of Truth is received and so the worship in Spirit and in Truth is known which worship the Lord delighteth in and such seek the Lord and find him and he is merciful to their Iniquities and their Sin he remembers no more but they are blotted out as a thick Cloud And so being made free from Sin and become the Servants of Righteousness then Fruit and Service is brought forth and performed unto God well-pleasing in his sight Heb. 9. 14. 1 Cor. 6. 11. Rom. 6. 22. The first Priesthood stands in divers and carnal Offerings for Sin and Confessions of Sin Morning and Evening and yet the Sin not taken away Heb. 7. 22. Ch. 10. 1. 11. The second Priesthood stands in one offering for Sin whereby the Sin is taken away Zach. 13. 1. 1 John 1. 7. Rev. 1. 5. Ron. 6. 2. 7. 18. Heb. 10. 17. Under the first Priesthood the Vail is over the Heart and they that are there cannot see to him that is the end of the Law who is made under the Law to redeem them that are under the Law 2 Cor. 3. 13 14 15. Under the second Priesthood the Vail is rent and the broken Heart is known with whom God is and so him that is entred within the Vail is seen even him that is the end of the Law and the Prophets Heb. 9. 24. Ch. 10. 20. The first Priesthood hath the Shewbread which the carnal Eye may see and the natural Man perceive and so the Worship stands in outward shew in some form and place where the Life is not and such may worship they know not what being not come to the Truth which makes free to worship in Heb. 9. 1 2. John 4. 22. The second Priesthood hath the Bread of Life which comes
Worship the God of the Spirits of all Flesh and feel it in the inward parts according as the Lord requireth by which Truth man comes to be sanctified for the Word that liveth and abideth forever is Truth which comes to be ingrafted into them who believe in the Light and in it wait for the Promise of the Father even that Spirit of Truth which the World cannot receive for they know it not it being in Gods Wisdom hid from the Wisdom of the World who know not him that may be felt after and found who is near unto every one of you whose measure of Light in you is it you are all to know by it to come to know the eternal Power and Godhead as they did who had not Scriptures Rom. 1. 19. for the Light of Christ in you is that which is to give the Knowledge of God 2 Cor. 4. 6. who hath assuredly revealed his Son in me and led me in the straight Way to Life Eternal and the enjoyment of the Truth which is Immortal the which being to me a Pearl of great Price and more precious than a thousand Rivers of Oyl And that none may be hindred from receiving of this which I have most assuredly found to be more excellent than the Royalty of Diadems or the Excellency of the most purest Gold or the most Renownedst Glory Beauty or Riches that the natural Eye can behold and that all who breathe after divine Refreshings and the Rest that never shall be shaken and the attaining to the Covenant of Life and Peace may come to be gathered into the One Fold of blessed Happiness and rest upon the Rock of Ages and never more be moved henceforth and forever And that if possible all Murmurings Reasonings concerning me or what I was may be taken out of the Minds of all People of all sorts and that all Jealousies Whisperings and Heart-burnings in the Wrathful Nature may be passified and cooled with the over-spreading Streams of God's free Love which truely is shed and groweth in my Heart and streameth forth as a Well-spring of Life toward the Seed that is yet oppressed in them among whom sometime I walked in Darkness wallowed in Unrighteousness and afterwards stood up as a tall Cedar in the height of Profession preaching great and high things daily unto others whereby then I was admired by many Hundreds who thereby came not to receive Power to overcome their Sins neither yet attain to that which the Souls of many of them thirsted after whom since I have often mourned over in Pity and in the Bowels of my Father's Love to the Soul in Bondage in them from whom I have been long and far absent in Body And that none of them by looking and wondering at me or any thing that hath befallen me may stumble thereby at the Light or Truth it self or be thereby kept from receiving the living Truth or from giving heed to that which all the Wise Master-builders refuse nor that they by looking at what I was before I received and lived in the Truth and at that which justly came upon me for my former Rebellion against the Light nor at the Judgments of God that came upon me within or without because of my unwillingness to follow him who said I am the Light follow me and said He that will not leave Father and Mother Wife and Children Goods or Lands for my sake is not worthy of me and he that will not deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me is not worthy of me And what a Cross it was for me to leave what I did let that of God in all that knew me judge But I say that none of them who are Colonels Captains Justices Professors nor People by looking out at any thing concerning me may not be with-held from receiving the Truth and so kept from that which is the way to the Father and the Door to the Rest for evermore Therefore hath it lay long of late years and often upon me and that from the hand of the Lord to lay something before your Eyes O ye Rulers Professors and People of Herefordshire and thereabout endeavouring thereby to remove any cause of stumbling by reason of what I was or of any false Reports raised upon me whereby the whole Truth of God might be Evil spoken of And this have I waited long to declare among you either in Words Writing or Print thought thereby Shame might come upon my former Course of Life when I lived in all manner of Sin and Iniquity except it were actual Adultery Fornication and Murder and though also hereby Contempt may come upon all that great Profession I was in when I preached daily in the Synagogue or upon all that I then spoke or preached out of the Innocent Life of God or if hereby at present suffer I Reproach as it is like I may by many yet the Reproach of Christ is greater Riches to me than the Treasure Glory and Preferment of England And first Concerning my Call out of the World or my going out from my House Country and outward Employment THe Light of Christ which condemns the Evil Deeds comes from him who calleth his out of the World and from their Employments to follow him who putteth forth his Sheep and thrultech forth Labourers into the Harvest and Abraham of whose Seed I now am went out of his Country and from his Fathers House Gen. 12. and him God blessed and encreased mightily and the Lord also called and thrust forth me who at last was obedient to the Command of the God of Abraham and ever since his Presence hath been with me and his Blessings have I found and the Encreasings of God have I received Praises to the Lord God of Life for evermore who hath called me by his Word of Power through his Grace which did teach me to deny Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts and to obey his blessed Will which was and is my Sanctification in Jesus Christ who did also call Matthew from the receit of Custom to follow him and Peter and John from their Employment of Fishing and made them fishers of men and Paul also being called left his Employment of Tent-making after a time and was Obedient to the heavenly Vision and those then became a Wonder and a Gazing-stock to many yet they continued on Travelling through many Countries as I since have done preaching the Word of God with boldness And one of these men who were called from their outward Employment said Every man wherein he is called there abide and whereunto they were called they did abide and so do l and when the Priests and Rulers would have stopt their Mouthes by their Commands they said Whether it be lawful to hearken unto God or Man judge ye But these Ministers of Christ did not say he that is a Husbandman there abide for Noah was a Husbandman yet a Preacher of Righteousness and Elisha a Plow-man and Amos a Herdsman neither did they
this mans confused Writings See one more page 50. Now these People as far as I am and ever was able to discern them are indued with a large measure in those things the Apostle mentioned in Heb. 6. 4 5 6. I mean many of them that I know that I did take in my former Intimacy and Acquaintance with them to have received much of the Power of Truth through Christs and to have much communion with God and large experience of his Love But as for others of them they were never judged by me or the rest to be any more than a willing People and for such this Scripture doth not touch them Even by this although there might be much more mentioned thou mayst see in measure in the Light of Christ what he is that doth Rail against such a People whose Words Lives Ways and Actions are agreeable to the Scripture as he confesseth in his own Book The World loves his own and the World delights in its own the World speaketh to the World and the World hears that which is spoken from the Earthly Heart reacheth the deaf Ear and no farther that which is comprehended by the dark Mind that is spoken forth by the deceitful Tongue that feeds the Deceit that lodgeth in the Hearers so one Darkness upholds another and the same Deceit upholds its own in both Speaker Hearer So in both Writer and Reader yea all that write and speak that which proceeds not from the Life but from the Death being in the state of Death is but Death speaking to Death whereby Serpents are begotten or the Seed of the Serpents is encreased Now they that are of God hear God's Word and they that hear not his Word are not of God for the natural man perceiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are spiritually discerned by the spiritual man that judgeth all things though no man can judge him who is a Child of the day and dwelleth in the Light and hath no fellowship with the unfruitful Works of Darkness out of which the Children of the Day are delivered and can witness the Darkness past and the true Light now shining in them But all those who say they have fellowship with Light and walk in Darkness are Lyars and all Lyars are shut out of the Kingdom and are estranged from God who is altogether Pure Holy and Righteous Just Perfect Light and those that dwell in him are as he is and they only have the Mind of Christ the which all the World and earthly Hearts are ignorant of Therefore I shall not put the worldly carnal Heart to judge of what may be written by me although I am but yet leaving off the World and entring into a little of that which is Eternal which no Eye of Flesh can ever attain unto and live neither can any but those that live in the same Life that speaks aright or understands what is spoken from the life by those that spake aright from the pure life Therefore let not thy deceitful Heart deceive thee in judging herein for the Old Heart is Deceitful as I shall further make manifest both unto the World and unto the Children of the Light not only from what I hear but from his own written words and my knowledge and being witnessed by the Light and Truth as it is manifested in me whereby something may so plainly appear that even the World it self may see the Deceit that always hath been and yet is in this man who now desires all the World to take notice p. 24. of his Exposition of his Lyes that he himself hath cast on us who are not of the World therefore the World knows us not for we witness against it that the Deeds thereof are Evil. After Edmund Skipp had thrown off his Tythes and convinced of much more which he was waiting to throw off too he then told me not long before he lest us That he had not Faith to carry him through neither could he believe but he was confident That the Devil would steal all that he had from him again the which is now too true Wo Wo Wo from the Eternal God to all the Inhabitants of the Earth who dwell in the earthly Darkness being seated in the Earth drove out from the presence of the living God and are Vagabonds and Fugitives in the Earth whose center is in the earthly dark Mind Wo to all those that put Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light Wo to all those that go down to Aegypt for help in Aegypt the pure Seed is captiyated and kept in Bondage in Sodom and Aegypt the Lord is daily crucified and put to open shame Wo to all the Oaks of Bashan and all the Beasts of the Field Wo to them that build their Nests among the Stars for Capernaum that is lifted up to Heaven and in its wisdom in its own strength shall be brought down to Hell for the Lord God of Life and Power is risen out of his holy Habitation to confound the Language of Babel and dry up the Tongue of the Egyptian Sea and famish all the gods of the Heathen that know not God whose presence is terrible to all the Children of Disobedience Therefore Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker who ariseth to scatter his Enemies and to wound the Head of every one that goeth on still in his Wickedness Oh! the Day of the Lord is at hand wherein every man shall receive according to the Deeds done in his Body then he that hath seemed to wait and now begins to smite his fellow-Servants saying his Master delays his coming and so eat and drink with the Drunken that are drunk indeed with the Wine of the Fornication of the Whore of Babylon those are Drunkards indeed that are drunk with VVine and overcome but not with strong drink such stagger at the Promises and stumble at the Corner-stone but when that Stone shall fall upon them it will grind them to Powder Therefore be warned of the Lord thou that despisest and wonderest For all the Works of the Lord are Wonderful lest thou perish for the Lord is working a Work in these dayes that thou canst not believe nor any that live in their own Wisdom exalted above the pure Wisdom of Christ who teacheth all his to deny all yea even all both their Wisdom Righteousness Wit and all carnal Comprehensions for they are Followers of him who lived not in his own Will For saith he I came not to do mine own Will but the Will of him that sent me and saith Not my Will but thy Will be done And he that is not yet made a Fool and so denies his own Will and Wisdom is yet exalted above the Cross and the Son of Perdition is exalted above all that is called God sitting in the Temple of God even in the Holy Place where Truth should alwayes be exalted Christ should reign as King and subdue all his Enemies under his Feet and lead Captivity
of of others as thou hast read E. S. p. 6 11 19 16. And as for the five Charges which thou mentionest p 9. and saying That if we had had more Accusations against thee its like thou shouldst have had them and in saying The first Charge was Hypocrisie in pag. 7. I answer That that which was written by me in answer to thy Deceitful Lines first sent to us I shall for the sake of the simple set down plainly in the same order as it was written by me having a just Copy of it by me and then let the tender spirited read thy Lyes in thy own Book A true Copy of the Answer sent by me and the rest to thy Letter and Accusacion 1. You said you would tell us truly c. Answer There cannot be a true discovery of Truth brought forth in these that are yet in the fallen estate as thou art 2. That there is a Mystery of Iniquity in us that we see not Answ The Mystery of Iniquity is not discovered but by the pure Light and Life of God as it is freely given forth from God the which Light all the Children of Light live in but thou livest in the dark ways of the World and livest not in this pure Light to judge by 3. That the time is come that thou shouldst dis-burden thy self of the discovery of Truth Answ Thou hast laid aside too much Truth that which convinceth of thy Evil is now a burden unto thee but we disown all that disown the Truth Mark 4. That the Devil is an Angel of Light and his Nature is to act in the Light Doth the Scripture say that the Devil's Nature is to act in the Light Answ Thou art imagining what the Devil is without thee but thou knowest but little of his actings in thee although thou art his Servant and livest in his Light as thou callest it but the Light of Life thou art a stranger unto 5. The Light as it is acted in the Soul giveth no Discovery of the Deceit but rather covers it all Answ By virtue of the pure Light that proceeds from the Father we see thee live in that thou callest Light which doth not discover unto thee the abominable Practices thou art in to wit Pride thou dost usually call thy own Child Mr. Benjamin Skipp a Proud practice seldom heard of the love of the World deceiving the People upholding the Worship of the Beast painted over with the Saints words an Enemy to the Saints Life as doth now more fully appear 6. Thou writest so largely of the Devil as if thou wert acquainted with all his secrets both what he is doing and what he will do Answ The things of God thou art a stranger to for they are hid from thine Eyes and all such wise Ones of the Devil the World and the Flesh who are in the first Nature as thou art 7. Thou writest of what the Devil will bring us to Answ 1. It is neither thee nor the Devil in thee that know what we are much less what we shall be 2. If thou and the Accuser of the Brethren in thee have ought against us at present that we walk not up to the present discovery of the pure Light as it is in measure brought forth in us then I charge thee to speak 3. Thou Hypocrite first cast out the Beam that is at present in thy own Eye before thou goest to cast the supposed Mote that thou thinkest may fall into our Eyes hereafter In the close of this Answer I writ a tender Letter in love to his Soul Now let any that live in the Light compare these several Answers with that in pag. 7 8 9. In Answer to that which thou callest Railing and Reviling Language in pag. 10. the Devil hath always brought up his Children with so much pretence of Manners that they must not tell a Lyar he Lyes nor a Thief he is a Robber or if any tell the Proud of hsi Pride or the Covetous of their Covetousness then this is called Railing read the Scriptures cited by him this is fully cited Tit. 1. 13. c. 3. 15 c. See how thou condemnest the Practice of Christ both in his Person and Members in pag. 11. To that which thou callest thy Experience in pag. 11. I tell thee thou hast had much Experience of Deceit being always in it but thou never hadst any experience of the powerful Workings of God in us only thou wast made by the Light to see thy Filthiness in some measure and then presently thou wentst from the Counsel of the Lord and acted and spoke in thy own Will the which was Deceit indeed running before the Light the which I mourned over and often complained to my Friends who can witness the same Pag. 12. The Scripture cited by thee Mal. 3. They shall discern between the Righteous and the Wicked between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not the Promise being in measure fulfilled in us we discern thee still to live in thy own Will and Wisdom Therefore when thou haltedst between two Opinions long at last one of our Friends was made sharply to reprove thee the which thou couldest not own and therefore left us that had undergone burdens upon our own Spirits for thee in condescending unto thee in tender love desiring thou mightst be made at last to witness the Work of the Lord in thee unto which thou art still a Stranger and now an Enemy unto In thy pag. 13. thou mentionest a Scripture as to us 1 Tim. 6. 4 5. They are there discovered by their Covetousness for they suppose that Gain is Godliness And canst thou in the least accuse â—s of Covetousness if thou canst spare not to speak the Truth but else let shame cover thy face for so many Lyes and comparing us with those in this Text. Ask the Light in thy Conscience whether thou hast not looked after Gain witness thy Tythes thy looking after another Parsonage to that thou hadst witness thy Physical Office thy questioning what to do for more Maintenance although thou hast told me that thy Lands was 10 1. per Annum 2 Tim. 3. 4. that is thy own Portion witness thy many Instruments of Musick in thy House Page 16. thou writest of Faith but thou knowest not that Faith that purifieth the Soul he that hath this Hope purifieth himself as he is pure he that believeth is entred into his Rest hath ceased from his own Works as God did from his the which Faith thou art a stranger unto for thou hast writ thy own Lyes and the Deceit of thy own Heart and thy carnal Thoughts the which thou callest the World with whom thou art to judge witness pag. 9. line 11. 7. 18. and thou thinkest in pag. 16 51 56 57. Page 17. Thou sayest that we esteem The more our Hearts are brought off the dealings of God and Prayer and Spiritual Exercises the more pure and Perfect The which thou knowest to be a
natural man perceiveth not the things of God which are hid from the Wise and Prudent even from the Readers of the Scripture from Scribes Pharisees Priests yea the Princes of this World for had they known they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory who is crucified daily by the same spirit that now ruleth in the Children of Disobedience even in the Scribes Priests and People that live in the same Nature where the learned Ones of the World are and all those that walk in Darkness to wit Pride Covetousness Love of the World Hatred Varience Strife Sedition Heresie Backbiting Heady High-minded Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God Scoffers walking after their own Ungodly Lusts Raging Waves of the Sea foaming out their own Shame who account Gain Godliness whose Eyes are full of Adultery Feet swift to shed Blood Ears open to all deceit whose Mouthes are full of Cursing and Bitterness the Poyson of Asps is under their Lips their Throats are an open Sepulcher who imagin Mischief their Hearts being altogether Deceitful and desperately Wicked Such as these are the Fruits of the Flesh in the which all the World lies therefore I witness against the World that the Works thereof are Evil. Now in the world there are Sects Schismes Judgments and Opinions there they are heaping up Teachers to themselves having itching Ears and according to the number of their Fansies so are their wayes of Worship according to the number of their Imaginations so are their gods for there are many gods and many Lords but the living God is not known by the World for it by Wisdom knows not God No man knoweth the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son revealeth him Now he that hath the Son revealed in him is born of God and he that is born of God overcometh the World and sinneth not He that sinneth hath not seen him But this is a hard saying who can bear it the World cannot for the World hears its own they that are of God hear Gods Word ye hear them not therefore ye are not of God Now Friends all you that have looked after me and other men for teaching now I can write unto you what I know that it is the Lord alone that teacheth his people to profit none teacheth like he who is now my Teacher indeed and will be yours if you are made willing and obedient to be taught directed and guided by him who is gathering his out of all Nations Kindreds and Tongues Ezek. 31. 11. which is by Jesus Christ the one and only Priest who is the Light of the Gentiles and the light of the World by which he hath enlightened every one that cometh into the World John 1. 9. which light shineth into the Darkness and the Darkness comprehendeth it not verse 5. Now the World is set in the heart of man eccles 3. 11. Of the which World Christ is the Light and he that followeth him shall not walk in Darkness but shall have the Light of Life John 8. 12. This is that Grace of God that hath appeared unto all men teaching them to deny Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts and live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Tit. 2. 11 12. This is the Light of Christ who is the Word of God in the Heart for his Word of the living God is not far off but it is nigh thee in thy Heart and in thy Mouth that thou mayest do it Deut. 30. 14. Now therefore Friends look not forth after them that say Christ is here or there for they are all Deceivers The Word is nigh the Light is within thee even in thy Dark Heart although thy Dankness cannot comprehend it because thou lovest Darkness rather then the Light of Jesus Christ which shineth in thy Consceince and lets thee see the evil of thy Wayes and calls thee to Repentance and to forsake the Wicked and live This is the Talent that thou art hiding in the Earth for the which thou must give an Account therefore say I unto thee mind that Teacher that teacheth to deny Ungodliness and this is the Light to Jesus Christ in thy Conscience the which Light proceedeth from Christ and leadeth all that love it John 8. 12. up to Christ who is the Way the Truth and the Life the only Way and no other way to the Father Now all of you owning this VVord and Teacher and Light in your own Consciences you will come to witness Jesus Christ in the Light of Life and know him to be the way unto the Father which leads out of the Darkness of all the VVorld's Ways VVorships Forms Fashions Customs VVords VVayes and Actions and come to be gathered in the Light unto Jesus Christ who is the Light and from the Light then to come to witness the Scriptures to be true yea even fulfilled in you by the same Spirit as it was in them that did write and speak forth the Scriptures and so witness with them against the same things that were witnessed against then by the Children of the Light who had fellowship with the Father by the which they saw that which in measure I witness that there is but one Way one Truth one Light one Faith one Baptism one Spirit one Head one High Priest whoever liveth to make intercession for us one Church of the first-born whose Names are written in Heaven one God over all who is Rich unto all that call upon him in Spirit and Truth the which Worshippers the Father seeketh to Worship him who is a Spirit and all his Worships are Spiritual but God hears not Sinners and he that regardeth Iniquity in his Heart the Lord will not hear him for there are none but the pure in heart that shall see God whose Presence is Terrible to all the Workers of Iniquity that continue in the unfruitful Works of Darkness Now all of you see that you keep unto the true Guide which is Jesus Christ and follow him and see that you do not turn again to the Vomit as the manner of some is who begin in the Spirit and end in the Flesh Oh! leave all for Christ you cannot serve two Masters you cannot be of the World and of God you must witness a Separation Therefore in Love to all your Souls that have been Professors with me in publick in these parts of the Nation and all others flatter not your selves in your Conditions promising your selves Liberty whilst you are the Servants of Corruption therefore forsake the Wicked and live Now my Friends and all Persecutors marvel not at my Change for the Wicked have no Changes therefore they fear not God Psal 55. 19. but I am made to witness the fear of the Lord to be the beginning of Wisdom the which Wisdom is pure which cometh down from above James 3. 17. which none of the Princes of this World know 1 Cor. 1. 21. therefore they call the Doctrines of Christ Madness Acts 26. 24. for the preaching of the
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
are we not to be led by that To which I Answer That God changeth not And where doth the Scriptures say That the Scripture is to be a Rule to walk or be led by And the Ministers of Christ did not say As every man hath received the Scriptures so Walk But As every man hath received Christ and he is the Light so walk Col. 2. 6. Consider there is first something to be received and then there is to be a walking in the Power and Strength of that received for a Babe is not able to walk by all the words that may be spoken unto him until he receive power and strength within him and the new born Babes are to receive the sincere Milk of the Word and the Word is in the Heart and then to grow up by that received 1 Pet. 2. 2. and every man is to walk as he hath received of Christ the Light which comes from the Word which lighteth every man John 1. 9. but every man doth not receive that into the good Understanding which he is lighted with but rather strives against and hates it for every one that doth Evil hateth not the Scriptures but the Light John 3. 20. and so they hate that in which the Power standeth but as many as receive him who is the Light to them and none but them he that is the Light gives Power and he hath gifts for the Rebellious but they hating the Light and his own whom he lighteth receive not him that is the Light and to them he committeth no more and so they have not Power yet they may have the Scriptures And so man walks by the strength that is in him which strength comes from the Word by which all things were made and man receiving the ingrafted Word which is not the Scriptures it is able to save the Soul for Christ the Light whose Name is called the Word of God Rev. 19. 13. is able to save to the utmost all them that come to God through the Light of the World Christ Jesus and in him neither Circumcision nor Uncircumcision availeth any thing but a New Creature and as many as walk according to this Rule I do not say my Writings peace be unto them Gal. 6. 15 16. And so here was the Rule which whoso walked by the Peace belonged to but many call the Scriptures their Rule and have not Peace but they to whom the Spirit is a Rule from it to them Peace comes and man being led by the Spirit in him hath that to be his Rule from whence the Scripture was given forth And now that which man is to be directed guided and led by tryes measures or searches things that sometimes he calls Rule and it is not said the Scriptures searcheth all things but the Scripture is to be searched into John 5. 39. and it s said The Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God 2 Cor. 2. 10. Prov. 20. 27. and that Spirit which searcheth all things comes from him Who hath measured the Waters in the Hollow of his Hand and meeted out Heaven with a Span and comprehended the Dust of the Earth in a Measure and weighed the Mountains in Scales and the Hills in a Ballance Isa 40. 12. and draws a Line through the midst of his People and layeth Judgment to the Line and Righteousness to the Plummet and sweepeth away the Refuge of Lyes Isa 28. 17. and telleth the number of the Stars and calleth them all by their Names Psal 147. 4. And they to whom this Spirit is a Rule and are led by it they are the Sons of God Rom. 8. 14. and it is not said as many as are led by the Scriptures are the Sons of God and man is to walk by the same Rule of that he hath attained Phil. 3. 16. and mark them that walk so and it is said If ye are led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law Gal. 5. 18. but many have the Scriptures and yet are under the Law but the Spirit which is the Word Ephes 6. 17. cometh and hath power to redeem from under the Law which the Scriptures doth not for through the Spirit the Deeds of the Flesh come to be mortified Rom. 8. 13. And while Paul profited much in that Religion which he learned from the Pharisees he was an Enemy to Christ the Light but when Christ was revealed in him and he obedient to the heavenly Vision then was he led by the Spirit in him to do God's Will and he did not say That the Mystery of Christ which in other Ages was not made known was then manifest to him by the Scriptures but he said That it was by Revelation made known unto him and revealed to the holy Apostles and Prophets by the Spirit Ephes 3. 4 5. and he did not say without Scriptures it was impossible to please God but it is said Without Faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. and Faith is in the Heart and purifies the Heart and so without that in the Heart which purifies it men cannot please God and so man cannot please God without being guided by that in the heart which respects no mans Person Jam. 2. And so every one is to walk according to that which he himself in particular hath attained unto and to mind the same thing according to the measure of the Rule which God hath distributed 2 Cor. 10. 13. and that Rule which God hath distributed is the Rule and no man ought to go beyond it or boast of things without or beyond that measure or of other mens labours or things made ready to their hands but to give all Glory to the Lord 2 Cor. 10. 14 15 16 17. And this was the Rule received from God which his Ministers walked by and exhorted others unto and so I do not bid People walk by my Writings but by their measures in them received from God and that is living as God is and of his own Nature and enables man to do his Will and so fulfills that which is written without and was given forth from the measure of God within What then do I herein in the least make void contemn slight villifie or deny the Scriptures God forbid nay I had rather my Pen mightfall out of my Hand or my Arm from my Shoulder or my Tongue cleave to the roof of Mouth forever then I should go about to make void the Scriptures of Truth and is a true Declaration Luke 1. 1. Which was given forth from that which is my Life which is hid not in the Scriptures but with Christ in God Col. 3. 3. and the Word was God and that which was God is God John 1. 1. but if I should say the Scripture is God I should be a Blasphemer like unto others Do I herein deny the Scriptures Nay rather I establish the Scripture in its place and make use of it as a Cloud of Witnesses by me in directing all People unto that which
of him who is the Light of the World unto whom all the Prophets gave Testimony Isaiah who witnessed the Son born and the Child given Isa 9. 6. by whose stripes he came to be healed he preached the Light and said The Light was come and the Gentiles should come to his Light and Kings to the Brightness of his rising and he also prcached the Light to be everlasting Isa 60. 1 2 3 19 20. so that Kings and Gentiles shall come unto him that is the Light who is Gods Wisdom that is from Everlasting Prov. 8. 23. who is given for a Light to the Gentiles and in him they trust And Isaiah said Come ye let us walk in the Light of the Lord Isa 2. 5. And the Disciples called him Lord who is the Light And David's servants were careful that the Light of Israel might not be quenched by his going forth to War Mark That which leads forth to War quenches the Light 2 Sam. 21. 17. And Job did not deny but the Light was given to him that was in Misery and to the man whose Way was hid Job 3. 20 23. And David preached him who is given for a Light unto the Gentiles to be Salvation to the ends of the Earth and said The Lord is my Light and my Salvation Psal 27. 1. And in thy Light we shall see Light Psal 36. 9. And Light is sown for the Righteous Psal 97. 11. And he that came of David said Truly Light is sweet Eccles 11. 7. And when he came of whom the Prophets prophesied who is the only Prophet and High-priest and the end of the Prophets and the Law and that Priest hood which was made by a Law he being come preached himself to be the Light of the World and said While you have the Light believe in the Light John 8. ch 12. And John who was a Minister of Christ preached the Light and said it was the Life of man John 1. and Light is come into the World John 3. 16. And Peter preached the Light shining in a dark place And the Ministers of Christ who were Eye-witnesses of his Glory said The Light shined in Darkness and God commanded the Light to shine out of Darkness and some witnessed that they were made partakers of the Inheritance with the Saints in Light And many more Proofs might be brought from the Scriptures of Truth as a Cloud of Witnesses to prove that we who preach declare and bear witness to the Light do not therein preach a new Doctrine nor another Gospel but the same with all the holy men of God and that which we have heard and seen which was from the beginning which Message is this even the Light which Light in the World in the Heart is the Corner-stone which is the sure Foundation and other Foundation can no man lay than he that is the Light that is already laid And this is the true Prophet which all are to hear and the Children of the Light do hear know and obey his Voice and stranger they will not hear but him by whom God speaks for God in times Past spoke unto our Fathers at sundry times and in divers manners but in these last dayes he hath spoken unto us by his Son who is the Light whose Name is called the Word of God Rev. 19. 13. which Word was hid in Davids Heart of whom Christ came who is the Light and the Word which was a Light unto Davids feet and a Lanthorn to his steps and so David called him Lord who is the Light and the Word nigh who is in the midst and preacheth Peace to them that believe in follow and obey him that is the Light and the Light is the Condemnation of all them that hate it and every one that doth Evil hates the Light but the Light is the Condemnation of all whose Deeds are Evil and every one that loves the Light wherewith he is enlightned brings his deeds to it and by it the hidden things of Darkness are made manifest and waiting in that which it doth make manifest to be Evil so Christ the Light comes to destroy the Works of the Devil and make an end of Sin and reconciles up unto God who hath given him a Light of the Gentiles and a Covenant to be salvation to the Ends of the Earth and this is he that lighteth every man that comes into the World which World God so loved that he gave his Son a Light into it that all men through him might believe and be saved from Wrath to come and so it s the Will of him that sent him who is the Light that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the Truth which Truth brings Freedom to the Seed whereby it comes to have Peace with God being redeemed from the Bondage of Corruption and set at Liberty from under the shadow of Death wherein many long have walked whose feet now comes to be guided into the Way of Everlasting Peace where the Children of the Light do rest together And this is he who hath wrought Redemption with his own Power and redeemed out of the Captivity and opened the Prison Door and preached Peace to the Spirit that was in Prison in the dayes of Noah when the old World was destroyed and brought the Flood upon the Ungodly yet saved the Seed in the midst of the Storm and raging Waves and by him even he that is the Light is Captivity led captive and that which ruled over is brought to be a Servant under and when the Word of the Lord came to the Rock it opened and much of living Water issued forth abundantly whereby the Thirsty came to be satisfied and clothing from him who is the Light doth daily come and the Rayment that never waxeth old he clothes with the Armour of Light and is as a Sun and a Shield from him the Spiritual Weapons come and he teaches the Hands to War and the Fingers to Fight so that the strong Holds are broken down and every Thought comes to be subjected and when he leads through the sufferings like a Lamb so is he followed and when he arises up to speak with Authority and not as the Scribes then is he obeyed who then utters his Voice like a man of War and lifts up his Voice like a Trumpet crying aloud unto all them that are Thirsty and proclaming the Woes unto all them who wear the false Coverings and by him are his Enemies confounded and Judges led away fools and Princes laid in the dust And at him do the Kings of the Earth shut their Mouthes and before him shall they all bow for with the Sword of his Lips doth he slay the Wicked and his slain are many and shall be more for no Flesh shall stand before him who is now come to plead and make War in Righteousness and now are his Enemies flying unto their strong Holds and fenced Cities but his Salvation is stronger than Walls or Bulwarks and that all
spoken unto you being yet present with you but the Comforter which is the holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things John 14. 25 26. And then what if I did write after the manner of men and say If Moses were now upon the Earth and Christ in his own Body upon the Earth and Moses with all his Priests Tythes and Offerings and Religion which discovers sin but makes nothing perfect which Paul profited much in if he I say should command and exhort all People under his Ministry to go to Christ and hear him And if Christ were now upon Earth and notwithstanding his outward Miracles Circumcision Baptism Supper and Death yet he should command and exhort all that come through the Law or Ministration of Moses unto him to look and tarry and wait for another Comforter that they might receive the Spirit in them and say unto them that that should teach them all things and lead them into all Truth Then whether or no People were to continue following Moses Priests with their Tythes and long Prayers and still be seeking the Law at their Mouth or to come to Christ to seek the Gospel for Moses himself did not say that they should seek the Gospel at the Priests Mouth And then when did the Priests ever preach the Gospel And then whether those obey not Moses who leave the Priests and come to Christ the Light And whether such when they are come to Christ should alwayes be looking and following after Water Baptism and outward Supper or tarry and wait to receive the Spirit within them And then which of these now should all People that profess Christ be led by in these dayes either Moses or the Person of Christ or the Spirit of Truth And whether such as have received and are truly indeed led by his Spirit of Truth and know that to be their Teacher and follow it and are ruled governed and guided by it according to the command of Moses and Christ do not hereby obey the command of Moses and of Christ and fulfill their Doctrine And whether any other People or Professors whatsoever do obey the command of Moses and Christ but only such And whether this be not a thing of great Concernment to be known and learned by all that profess Christianity But why then do People follow these Priests of England any longer which are contrary to Moses and also to Christ who have no Store-houses but suffer the Poor to want within and without and the Widdow and Stranger ready to perish and moreover devour and can never have enough of the Spoil of other mens Goods And why do others dispute about and talk of the Body so much which they know not And is it not better to be silent and know the true God and Jesus Christ who dwells in his People and the Spirit of Truth which he requires in the inward parts and to feel after God even the Life in themselves because the Apostle said They were saved by his Life being before reconciled by his Death Rom. 5. 10. And until the Life came there were many things which they were not saved from and the Death which reconcileth was passed through and the Life was received again to save and justifie And why then are People so much busied about that which was before the Reconciliation and so therein much short of the Life and for outward Bread Wine and Water Are not these things which are seen And are not the things that are seen Temporal But Christ the true Prophet being come of whom Moses did write who is the end of the Law and so the end of that Ministry whereby that is done away for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof and Christ coming after John of whom John bare witness that he was before and greater and came after him and Christ having finished that which he himself came to do and likewise so largely and often exhorted to wait for another Comforter even the Spirit Then what Ministration is it that now standeth and remainâ—eth which is according both to Moses Christ and the holy Scriptures And what Ministration is to be expected or waited for but the Ministration of the Spirit And whether all they be not compassed about with a Cloud of Error who are upholding that Ministry of the Law or a worse which Christ is the end of and the Apostles said was done away and likewise such as are upholding and keeping up that which Christ said he had finished And whether the upholding of such things now be not quite opposite both to Moses Christ and Scriptures And being that Moses nor indeed his true Ministers of the Law are not upon Earth neither that Body of Christ which by the Professors was murthered at Jerusalem visibly to be seen upon Earth Then what was it that those have to follow who have not received the Spirit to be led by and if they will say They have the Writings of Moses and the Words of Christ I say if that be all then they that forsook and denyed Christ had more then them for they had the Words from his own Mouth which was Spirit and Life and yet they understood not and then what do those understand who have not so much as they had therefore after he had suffered and rose again he opened their Understandings And so what is all their Religion worth who are not come to the Spirit And whether Moses Ministration being ended by Christ and Christ also having finished his Work are not all People in the first place now to wait for the Spirit and to receive the Spirit by it then to be led into all Truth and so being first led into the Truth then in the same Truth to worship God in the Spirit who is a Spirit And whether there be now any true Worship standing which God accepteth but only this And whether this alone be not agreeable to Moses Christ and Scriptures And then whether all other Worship now upheld be not contrary to this true Worship of God and contrary to Moses Christ and Scriptures and indeed chiefly opposite to the Spirit of God whereby he is grieved And if so whether all such Worship Way Practice Performances Duties and Ordinances so called be not better left undone than performed until God's Spirit be received to guide therein Thirdly Concerning the Ministration of the Spirit which abideth forever Moses and his Ministry were visible and Christ in the form of a Servant and so like unto Moses was visible and so was his Miracles and that which is visible to the Natural Eye the Carnal Mind can come to profess and contend about but the blessed Eye which God openeth with the Light cometh to see the one done away and the other finished by Christ the Light and Life And this Spirit is that which first moved and yet moveth and moved unto and led through the visible Ministration and this Spirit is invisible as it
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
be condemned Rather then to inflict great Punishments upon mens Bodies and Forfeitures of outward Goods because of a Principle in the inward Mind which is not removed thereby 3dly Because that Heresie is first occasioned by the Devil whereby the mind is mistaken or mis-lead and then prompt on in the same by a spiritual Motion which worketh in the spiritual Wickedness which is of another Nature and Being than the visible body simply considered in which it acts or than the outward Goods And therefore the Power of God and the Spiritual Weapons and the continual exercise thereof is to stop overcome and remove that which the taking away of carnal Goods and casting into carnal Prisons neither yet a carnal Commandment it self can do 4thly Because it is no less than the Duty of a true Minister to render an account of the hope that is in him unto him that asketh 5thly Because twenty years ago there was no such a necessity of enquiring into those things as now there is forasmuch as then your way was going down and now coming up again and that then there were not so many unsatisfied so much about such things as now there are 6thly Because divers things and Opinions in the minds of many hath within these Twenty Years been more largely contended about and opened both in open Conserrence Disputes Writing Print and Practice than in some Ages before whereby in Twenty Years time you might be learned therein and so know the better how now to return the morereadier Answer thereunto 7thly Because now you are as it were upheld under both Arms with Law on the one side and Armed men on the other that so you need not to be afraid but may with more boldness answer to such things than in the late years when the Powers of men ruled so much over you that you durst not so openly contend for your Faith or answer such things nor manifest and practise your Principles as We do ours now in Bonds under you And again as in respect of my own particular and so in the behalf of others truly with me concerned in the same First Because that I was taught educated and trained up in the very same things which you practise and profess and which yet among you your selves stand in force 2dly Because I now suffer Bonds this day as an Heretick or as a Seducer as the Mâ—â—iâ—us saith who hath to this very day with the help of God's special Grace more and more endeavoured and come to lead my Life and regulate my Words Wayes and Duty towards God and Man according to the best most weighty and chiefest things set forth in the Common-Prayer according as I was by some of your own called Episcopal-Divinâ—s trained up and without which they would not receive me into Communion with them at which time I was by one of them encouraged as by others at other times 〈◊〉 press on further commending me for what I was then already come unto 3dly Because that ever since that time unto this day I have been pressing forward and was never cast out from among them for so doing nor any thing else as by any way of Excommuniâ—ation or any known Order or Rule used or owned by them neither yet hath any one of them come to admonish me from pressing forward since that to this day neither can they well justifie rejecting of me until after the second Admonition if they could prove I was an Heretick Tit. 3. 10. 4thly And Lastly Because they did not tell me nether did I ever learn out of the Common-Prayer nor read in the holy Scriptures That a 〈◊〉 might persâ—vere too much or too far in the way of Holiness or walk too much with God or to be too much mortified or leave sin too much or be too holy or too circumspect or too just or too upright or too faithful to God and man and walk and speak too much according to the Scriptures or be too innocent or too harmless or be too much conformable to the Image of Christ or be too much like unto Him or too much cleansed by his Blood from all Sin whilst in this World or walk too much in God's Commandments all the days of Mans Life The Queries propounded to you are these viz. VVHether the late Resormers and Composers of Query 1 the Rites and Ceremonies in the Book of Common-Prayer were not themselves for Liberty of Conscience If not how are their own words true * Seeing in that before the Common prayer which sheweth why some Ceremonies are abolished and some retained they say These things were taken away which were most abus'd did burden the Conscience If they were Whether those that profess the Common-Prayer and are against Liberty of Conscience are not contrary to them like those who profess Scripture and are contrary to that Spirit by which they were given II. Whether those who profess the Common-Prayer and prescribe things to those whom they own not as their own People but persecute them as Hereticks and do think it not convenient neither will allow every People who are not their own or one with them in Worship to use such things as they shall think best to the setting forth of Gods Honour and Glory and to the reducing the People to a most perfect and holy Living c. be not contrary to them that reformed the Book of Common-Prayer Seeing they said We condemn no other Nation nor prescribe any thing but to our own People only for we think it convenient that every Country And if so then consequently every People should use such Ceremonies as they think best to the setting forth of Gods Honour and Glory and to the reducing the People to a most perfect and godly Living without Error or Superstition III. Whether those that now profess the Ceremonies and will not have other things put away than they who reformed See the latter end of that abovesaid it be not therein contrary unto them and to their Order who said They should put away other things which from time to time they perceived to be most abused And whether they did not order that not only Abuses and the things themselves that were abused should be put away and not only the things which they had put away because they were abused but likewise other things which from time to time they perceived to be most abused And so whether these now that would have no oâ—her things put away but what they did be not worse than them and contrary to their order mentioned in the Margent IV. Whether that Confession and Repentance in that beginning Seeing they say not the Scripture At what time soever a Sinner doâ— repent him of his sin from the bottom of his heart God will put out all his wickedness And seeing they say They should not dissemble nor cloak their sin And seeing they confess they have offended against Gods holy law and there is no health in them but are
Pomp and Glory of the World with all Covetous Desires of the same and carnal Desires of the Flesh so as not to follow nor be led by them and afterwards keep God's holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the dayes of their lives If they may why should they not profess the same and not be counted boasters by such as taught them so And why may they not live in the same without being persecuted for it by such as bound them to it If they cannot why is it that they are forced to promise and vow so to do XVI Again whether they that minister this Promise and Vow unto others have in all things performed the same viz. Whether they themselves who impose this upon others do forsake the Devil and all his Works the vain Pomp and Glory of the World with all Covetous Desires of the same and the Carnal Desires of the Flesh so that they themselves do not follow neither are led thereby but do keep God's holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same every day of their own Lives If they do how is it that their Fruits appear otherwise not only in vain Pomp and covetous Desires like Balaam but also in Covetous Practices worse than Balaam If they do not then whether therein they are not just like the Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites of Old who laid heavy Burdens upon the People but themselves would not move them with one of their Fingers XVII Again if any men in Youth Infancy or full Age do attain so far in their own particulars to forsake all tho things aforesaid which indeed includes all Sin whether they can safely and with a good Conscience Promise and Vow for another that he shall do the like seeing also it is but an Infant And whether all Infants in England be elected and are of the faithful Seed and whether any but Gods Elect can perform the Promises and Vows aforesaid If not why should the People be forced to make such Vows which cannot be kept and be constrained and taught to tell Lyes in the presence of God by saying We forsake them all if they nor the Child do not so If they do let God's Witness in their Consciences answer which will shew the truth of the matter XVIII Again whether it is good or evil for People To forsake the Devil all his Works the vain Pomp Glory of the World with all covetous desires of the same and carnal desires of the Flâ—sh so as not to follow nor be led by them and then to keep God's holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the dayes of his Life If Evil why are they bound and taught so to do If Good why are many this day Persecuted and Imprisoned only for so doing XIX Whether the old Man in People or Children may be See further in publick Baptism so buried that the new Man may be raised up in them If not why have the Priests prayed so many Years together If it may be so why may not such then profess the new Man raised up in them without being called Hereticks for so professing XX. Again if the new Man be to be raised up in People when they are in Infancy then whether it be not to be raised up any other time or some other time of their Life if it be not raised up in their Infancy And then whether they be not true Labourers who labour to raise this up in People And whether they be not effectual Preachers who do thereby raise it up in People And whether this new Man be not Christ And if he be not raised up whether the Preaching be not vain the Faith vain and the People continue in their Sins that being not raised up in them which is to save from Sin And whether this new Man is not in People and Children before it be raised up And is not the new Man the second Adam And is not that the Seed which if we had been left without we had been as Sodom And is not the Seed sown in all sorts of Ground And is not the Seed Christ which is still in the World though not known by the World and who lighteth every man that cometh into the World And is not this the Truth Christ which God desireth in the inward parts Psal 51. 6. And is not this the Truth which is promised to spring out of the Earth Psal 85. 11. And was not the first man made of the Earth and are not all People descended from him and so of the Earth And whether it be not unreasonable that many Hundreds should be Persecuted chiefly for professing this and that by such who taught them so to profess and for witnessing speaking and writing of the new man raised up in them and for living uprightly according thereunto XXI Whether Children or People who have the new man raised up in them may have all carnal Affections dye in them and come to know all things belonging to the Spirit not only to live but also to grow in them If not why are they deceived with those fair Speeches If they may then who are most agreeable thereunto and the best Christians they that only talk of and profess these things effected inwardly and yet deny that any live in it or them that are come unto and do truly know and live in the possession of these things within them XXII Whether the New Man be not the second Adam the quickning Spirit And if it be whether as many as are truly led thereby it being within them be not the Sons or Children of God And whether there be any other that be the Children and Sons of God but only such as have this New Man raised up in them and are truly led thereby See further in publick Baptism XXIII Whether all the Children these late hundred Years that were baptized were regenerated when a little Water was sprinkled upon their faces though it were done by such a Priest who himself was Unregenerate and either a Proud Covetous or Drunken Man If they were or the most part of them how then did they come afterwards to be Unregenerate seeing that after their Infant-Baptism most are looked upon to be and by their Fruits do indeed appear in an Unregenerate estate And whether in any Age it can be proved by Scripture that there were so many either Young or Old first regenerated and then unregenerated again If they were not how then are the Priests words true when he saith after he hath sprinkled them Seeing now dearly beloved Brethren that these Children be regenerate XXIV Whether all or any of those Infants these many See privaâ—e Baptism hundred late years whom the Priests say were born in Original Sin and in the Wrath of God did come to Regeneration in their Infant-Baptism and were then receiv'd into the number of the Children of God and Heirs of Everlasting Life Was all this done for them and did they
Devil one way or serve him another XXXVII Whether the man be not Head of the woman and then whether that which is head and above must worship that which is under And whether such a joyning together as this for the one to worship the other be of God and whether God's People in time of Law or Gospel were ever joyned together in such a Covenant and whether it be not contrary to all Scripture and good understanding And whether it be not time to have this put away as is mentioned in the beginning XXXVIII Whether it be not a piece of gross Apostacy See visitation of the â—ick and Popery for proud covetous Priests who are in divers Sins generally to pretend power to absolve the Sick from Sin with these Words I absolve thee from all thy Sins And whether most of the same Priests will not themselves acknowledge that they are miserable Sinners and Offenders And can such forgive the Sins of others and cannot leave Sin themselves Or can they pull the Mote out of anothers Eye before they have cast the Beam out of their own XXXIX Whether the Priest though he by his own confession a miserable Sinner doth absolve the Sick from his Sin that so he is then free from it Or doth he not If he doth whether he doth not more for another than God hath done for him And then whence had he that Power so to do and whether any true Members of Christ can believe it If not whether therein the Priest be not a most miserable blind Leader of the Blind and a foul Deceiver of Mankind both at their coming into the World by a pretended Regeneration and at their going out of the World by as false an Absolution And whether ever there were any greater Deceivers than these XL. Whether the People that dye in their Sins and the Priests that live in their Sins be not therein truly Brethren See Burial of the dead together in Iniquity seeing the Priest saith at the burying of the dead For asmuch as it hath pleased God to take our dear Brother here deceased XLI Whether the Priest doth give God thanks for the safe deliverance of no other Women but such as are Gods See Churching of Women Servants Or whether they are not to give God thanks for almost all Women after Child-birth And whether all Women that they are to give thanks for and do give thanks for be the Servants of God seeing they say Almighty God which hath delivered this Woman thy Servant Or whether most of the women they give thanks for be not Servants of Sin and led about with divers Lusts And whether it be not one thing to be a Servant of Sin and another thing to be a Servant of God XLII Whether the new Man which is within Children See Commination and People and to be raised up in them be not Christ and whether Christ be not the Light And whether he that is the new Man and the Light be not the Way and whether all they be not blind that know it not And if Christ the Light and the Way be to be known within the hope of Glory and that the Priests have caused Children and People who were so blind they did not know it to go out from that which is the new Man and the Light and the Way within and also teach them to go after and walk in something without Whether such Priests have not these many Years cursed themselves or read the Curse against themselves and causing the People to say Amen to it in saying Cursed is he that maketh the Blind to go out of his Way XLIII Whether the Priests themselves have not put their Trust in Man and taken one Man and Protector afteru aother for their Defence And whether some of them have not been unmerciful in taking more than Ten times the value in Goods of what themselves demanded from men And whether some have not been Fornicators and some Covetous Persons and some Slanderers and Drunkards and many Extortioners If not let Gods Witness and their own Fruits testifie If they are such then whether they have not a long time read the Curse against themselves and that from Year to Year in these late Ages as long as they durst do it saying Cursed are the Vnmerciful the â—ornicators and Adulterers and the Covetous Persons the Worshippers of Images Slanderers Drunkards and Extortioners XLIV Whether the Priests that did in our Infancy sprinkle us who are now in derision by them called Quakers did then by that Water and their Words make us or so many of us as they did so sprinkle the Children of God the Members of Christ and the Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven If not whether did not they grosly deceive us as also by after teaching and perswading us we are already regenerated and born again in our Baptism by which means hindering us what in them lay for ever looking after it and causing us to say we were that we were not and so made innocent Children speak Lyes we not knowing it to be Lyes If they did make us so then what have they since done in Reviling and smiting with the Tongue and Pen and writing against us the Members of Christ and persecuting us the Children of God and that so many Years together and in causing us the Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven to be Imprisoned Year after Year to the depriving many of us of our Healths and some of our Lives and many of their Livelihoods by spoiling of their Goods And by this time some other thing then what the former Composers of the Common-Prayer did put away which did burden mens Consciences are herein by way of Query made manifest to be abused yea even the Prayers abused and several of these things the Minds of People will never be quiet concerning as to own them again unless some better satisfaction in plain and sound Words be given them either by answer hereunto or otherwise in the like nature in Love and not by Severity for Love and sound Words may win the Hearts of those which Severity Bonds and Cruelty cannot force them unto till they are better satisfied concerning it Written by one that hath learned as he was taught To for sake the Devil and all his Works the Vanities of the wicked World to hold the true Christian-Faith and to keep God's holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the dayes of his Life H. S. An Epistle to all the Meetings in Dorsetshire ONce more am I moved to visit you with an Epistle of plain words from the free and powerful operation of divine Love unto the seed which in many lieth oppressed by reason of that which through disobedience doth hinder the growth thereof so that many come not into the Life of Truth which in the power of God was declared unto you whose hearts at that time were much broken and true desires in many raised but afterwards
this in you you may overcome the World which is let in the heart And was not he that is the Light and the Lamb slain from the Foundation of the World And hath not the World such a Foundation in you and such a growth and stature over you that you cannot see to the end of it nor believe to the overcoming of it And is it not therefore that you are joyned to that by which the Lamb is slain so that his Grave is with the Rich and his Burial with the Wicked read and understand And doth not the Blood of the slain Cry from the ground against you Did you never hear the the oppressed Cry Did you never feel a seed in you cry aloud for Life though it lies in the Death Did you never know the house of Mourning nor feel him near who is a man of Sorrows Are you quite dead and past feeling Nay nay there is many of you are not so far hardened nor yet so much given up however the time hath been that you all might have known this thing I declare of which belongs to your peace you that have the Scriptures and are talking of the place of holy Worship take heed hearken and hear a little He that makes an end of sin is come near unto you he who remains a Priest forever Mourneth over you and your day of visitation is come yea behold the Lamb the meek harmless unspotted beloved of God comes meekly though esteemed not able to save himself yet behold it s the King of Glory crowned with Immortality forever who rides meekly in Righteousness and gentle in the Father's Wisdom yea the Heir is come resist him not lest the thing which belongs to your Everlasting peace be hid from your Eyes for evermore and you left desolate only having the Scriptures of Truth but not the Truth in the inward parts where the knowledge of it makes free For behold the Prince of Everlasting Peace I proclaim unto you even the Word by which the World was made by which Word all things are upheld and the Word of Reconciliation reconcileth the heart Mark it s the Heart of the parents to the Children and the Children to the parents that the Earth may not be smitten with a Curse and who so have received that Word so as it comes to be ingrafted into them thereby their hearts come to be reconciled one to another and have Love Unity and Peace with all those Things Persons and Creatures which were at first made and are upheld by the Power of that Word to which he that is come of him it s written In Famine he shall redeem thee from Death and in War from the Power of the Sword and thou shalt be hid from the Scourge of the Tongue neither shalt thou be afraid of Destruction when it cometh at destruction and famine thou shalt laugh neither shalt thou be afraid of the beast of the Earth for thou shalt be at league with the stones of the field and the beasts of the field shall be in league with thee and thou shalt know that thy Tabernacle shall be in peace and thou shalt visit thy habitation and shalt not sin And you that are far off from coming to read this within may search the Scriptures and read it there of a seed that shall be great as the off-spring that shall be as the Grass of the Earth for Number so shall they be multiplied in whose Mouthes there is found no guile are Children that will not Lye that are come to him who is the Prince of Peace that makes an end of sin and is the Word before the sin and the Covenant of God the Everlasting Father who proclaims Liberty to the captive and is the one thing needful in the which all things are reconciled to God and in him to one another whether things in Heaven or in Earth or under the Earth whereby comes Peace in the receiving and submission unto that Word of Power by which all things were made and are upheld and the Light of that word is that which is become unto us both Rest and Joy and Life and Peace And this is that which is ministred into every Creature and this we have heard in secret and proclaim on the House tops and this is to be preached unto all Nations that by it he that is above all through all and in all may come to be known which is the Gospel of the Kingdom and this I proclaim unto you and publish within your borders and make mention of his Name within your Gates that the Life of Immortal Peace there you might feel and this is it which you have long resisted as your Fathers did and when you have rebelled against this like them before that also rebelled against the Light Job 24. 13. And having resisted it in your selves then you rise up against us who believe in the Light John 12. 39. and when you have even murthered the witness in your selves then you seek to destroy us who bear witness that he is come who reproves the World of sin and the World is set in the Heart and the Light is come into the World and that which reproveth for sin is in you though by reason of sin it is wounded and often overcome and with that which is wounded in you we mourn and with that which sometimes troubles you we have Peace and that in you is our Friend and pleads for us against you whom you refuse to hear and that which you are most afraid of we love and embrace and that which would break your hearts hath broke ours and that in you which is to kill the Life you live is that which hath brought us from Death to Life by which we now live for that which was alive is dead and that which was dead is alive and the first born is slain and the seed is come forth from under Deaths Bond but you that are Rich and think you need nothing in whom Wickedness is found are the grave Isaiah in which that is buried as a dead thing which should save from Death and give power over the Grave and bring peace for evermore And if that in you arise not to give you Life and Peace and so fellowship with us whose Life is in it yet do we with it rejoyce in its Righteous Judgments and have fellowship with it as it ariseth to judge and condemn you for your disobeying and contemning of it for absolutely if you will not let it now arise to mortifie the Lust and bring down the Life which is in the strength of your wills and so to give you peace then will it arise hereafter to judge and condemn you when you shall not be able any longer to resist nor overcome the strength of its dreadful power in executing Judgment upon the Transgressor To Friends at Ailsbury Prison and in them parts DEar and well-beloved Friends who continue true Followers of the Lamb of God in faithful Sufferings for
thou never hadst thou saidst but now That thou wast but in part convinced of the way And hadst thou the Comforter long ago and lost him now the Way and the Comforter is but one the which is Jesus Christ John 14. 6. 17. 26. chap. 17. 23. I know that if Jesus Christ had been brought forth in thee without which there is no true comfort who is the substance of all Tythes Types Forms and Shadows that thou couldst not unto this day have remained a Parish Priest and so upheld an Antichristian Priesthood halting between many Opinions neither according to Aaron Levi nor Christ but living in thy own will and so living above Christ who lived not in his own Will for saith he Not my Will but thine be done John 6. 38. And now who will regard thy writings when thou acknowledgest That the Comforter which is the Spirit of Truth is departed from thee Now it appears thou art a Lyar indeed now thou hast no Truth born up in thy Understanding thy former Enjoyments as thou callest it which were indeed nothing but Comprehensions got up in the Wisdom of the Serpent Oh! art thou not ashamed that the World should now read thy Confusion which thou didst soon make up in thy Writings Art thou not ashamed in such a condition as this when thou confessest thy former Enjoyments and Comforts are departed from thee even now to writ against those that thou acknowledgest to have large Experiences and much of the Power of Truth through Christ page 50 Oh! take heed lest it had been better for thee that a Millstone had been hanged about thy neck and thou cast into the Sea Oh! canst thou not look back on him whom thou hast thus pierced to wit the Life of Christ in others Now thou mayst read with Shame and Tears that which thy own hand hath written from own sinful Heart look in page 5 8 and 18. which was then in the apostatized condition without the former Comforts as thou calledst it page 53. Now thou art found to be a false Apostle indeed Oh! remember from whence thou art fallen and do thy first Works yea Repente'er it be too late Rev. 2. 5. Oh though thou canst strive with man there is no striving with thy Maker who will come a swift Witness against all deceitful Workers who livewithin the power of what they speak or write much more against those that write filthy Abominable Lyes Oh! if thou lovest either Christ or thy own Soul return return unto the Light of Christ in thy own Conscience which will let thee see the Deceit of thy own sinful Heart out of the abundant Deceit thereof thy Pen hath run so largely in Confusion Now I charge thee in the presence of the living God in as much love to thy Soul as ever that thou return to the Light of Christ in thy own Conscience and mind that which cheks thee in secret I tell thee man in love there is something yet in thee which will witness me to be true See one more page 64. where for thy own defence not for the defence of the Truth thou sayst Thou wast necessitated to fly unto the Practices and Truths of other men to wit Baptists where it is plain thou hadst not the spirit of Christ to fly unto and speak from as the true Apostles had witness one Acts 6. 10. Therefore thou art both seen in the Light proved by Scripture and thy own Writings to be a false Apostle and a false Minister 2 Cor. 11. 13 14 15. Much more might be said and proved both from thy Writings and Actings but I desire the good of thy soul by this which is sufficient at present to prove thee to be one of the Wandering Star Jude 13. A Word to all Professors in the World BEing it was ordered of my Lord God and Father of Lights that something must go forth in Print as from me who am the least of all Saints I was even as freely engaged in my Spirit out of tender Love to your Souls to present a few Lines from that measure of the Spirit which is brought forth in me Oh! My Friends my Friends the hour is not only coming but now is witnessed in me that the dead shall hear the Voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live John 5. 25. and the Voice of the true Dove is heard in our Land to wit this Earthly Tabernacle that is made the Temple of the living God who is now fulfilling his Promises in us that walk not after Flesh but after the Spirit even in us is the Lord establishing his New and Everlasting Covenant even the sure and certain Mercies of David which is by the Life of Jesus Christ in us fulfilled and witnessed whereby we have fellowship with the Father and are in measure brought to live in him and he in us where we have Joy Rest and eternal Peace which passeth all Understanding and all the Worlds Comprehension where all the Children of the Light meet and see face to face for the Lord hath brought again Sion who is become the Perfection of Beauty out of which God now shineth Psal 50. 2. and is become our Glory and we his Isa 46. 13. O Praises Praises be unto him who hath redeemed us out of the Nations Kindreds and Tongues to serve the living God in Newness of Life and not in Oldness of Letter that so now we may offer up eternally living and eternal Sacrifice and Praise for evermore who hath in measure redeemed us from the World and out of all Darkness that is therein and hath translated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son and made us Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light which is the Eternal Light of Life for God is Light and in him is no Darkness at all and all those that live in him are the Children of the Day who walk in the Day even the pure Light in the which there is no occasion of stumbling our Feet being guided in the Path of Peace which is the true and living way in which the way faring man though a Fool shall not Err Isa 35. 8. which is the pure way of Holiness leading up into the full Enjoyment of the Father who hath long waited to be gracious unto us and now in the Day of his Love and Power hath gathered us in his Arms of Love and brought us home unto himself who were before the Out-casts of Israel wandering with you from Mountain to Hill but did not find Rest unto our Souls but now the great and mighty Power of the Lord hath raised up his own Seed in us to cry Halelujah unto him to whom alone be all Honour Glory and Obedience and Eternal Praises forever even forever and ever for he that was lost is found he that was dead is alive and behold he liveth for evermore Now my Friends the whole World lieth in Wickedness and all the World by Wisdom knows not God the