gown up to age and able to defend his portion from his elder Brother who otherwise would be ready to seize on it and waste it upon harlots again Therefore lie stil and bear the indignation of the Lord against that which hath transgressed til he judg it and deliver from it and lead into the innocency and righteousness and then he wil find a time to arise and plead the cause of the innocent and give the crown of immortal life to that which he hath prepared for it Therefore think not the race long nor the battel hard nor be weary of the afflictions and chastisements in the way but follow the Captain the guid the leader whose light strength courage and wisdom wil overcome all and bring the soul which abides in it into his own throne Now as you thus wait taking up the Cross and keeping in the feeling so the corrupt natural the mortal wherein Satans throne and power hath been wil wither decay and grow weak daily and the tender plant of God the immortal seed will shoot up and gather strength daily and you will come to a will in God and an understanding in God and that which is of God wil manifest it self and you wil come to know and desire and take delight in the things of God Then the soul which is immortal wil come to hear and receive and feed on the immortal word which is the bread of life and which alone is able to preserve and nourish up to eternal life Then ye wil know what it is to tremble at this word and to have all the powers of nature melt and fail before it Then ye will know the faith which gives the victory and the knowledg which lets into life and the fear which keeps the hearts clean and the hope which anchors the soul immortal in the immortal God and the patience which wins the Crown And so ye wil come to witness the several conditions of the Saints in Scripture at ye grow up into them wil not need men to give you meanings of Scriptures from their brain-studies and acquired arts and understandings but wil know the meaning from the thing felt in your own hearts and hear the words from the living voice of that spirit that first spake them who alone is able to interpret his own mind and open the words which he himself spake And then ye wil know and love life and need no more exhortations to depart from all dead corrupted and corrupting forms which ever were and ever wil be enemies to and be traytors of the life And to the peace of God the rest of God the true Sabbath of God the everlasting light and life of God wil come to be your own and enjoyed by you past all gain-saying or dispute in you while the natural understanding in others is reasoning contending and disputing about them but can never know while they are from the thing within for that mind is not the heir nor must not inherit the kingdom of God A Postscript TO those who have had a seriousness and depth in their Religion who could not sit down in empty forms and shadows of things but have been pressing after the living substance and missing of that through error of judgment the true eye being not fixed in the head have come to a loss and so are returned to overgrown with and hardned in the old nature and have taken up a pittiful rest and centre in the earth having let fal the pursuit of their spirits after the true center of rest in the life a word to such from the love in the life There was a spirit soul or image of God brought forth and standing in his life before the fall This soul was brought into death under the burthen and bondage of corruption out of its proper centre and resting place by the fal Now as there is in this state a true loss so there is in this spirit a sensibleness a groaning under the burthen a feeling the bitterness of the captivity and a panting after redemption and restoration to its former state Now though the whorish part which seduced from the life make a great noise in the flesh about Saints words and tempt to pleasures of the outward part and pleasures in the mind and draw into forms and religious worships and frame deep centres of satisfaction in the understanding perhaps from true openings of the life quenching it and so seek to quiet the soul and stil the cry yet the lost state remaining the soul being not truely redeemed but a false rest taken up by the way in the false part this wil fail and the sense be again renewed in the day of tryal and sore trouble For the soul by any imagination or notion or feeling of a centre in the corrupt mind cannot be healed or restored but onely by having the true life raised up again in it and it brought into its proper place and mansion in the fountain of life There have been in the shakings of this Nation great stirrings the seed springing up and great openings to the seed the spirit of prophesy hath been enlarged in us above what many of our fore-fathers felt but the way into the spring of life hath not been known where the preservation is so the whorish part the corrupt part the understanding which was not purified brought into subjection unto the truth this harlot caught the openings and prophestes of the true spirit conceived with them and brought forth children to the flesh bringing for a more inward apprehension of things a more spiritual kind of knowledg as of God to be all all to be good and in God and all sin and evil done away there c. and so such a centre for the fleshly mind as it were in him as was not known before And now the redemption is forgotten the pantings after life slain and the flesh can lie down quiet in the un-redeemed estate and say it is his wil it is good and it can rest satisfied there in that wil of his which is good Thus the great abomination from the subtle flesh sprung up which made many hearts desolate of very precious springings up and buddings forth of the true life and power of God But after this great loss and betraying of the life in them it hath pleased God to raise it up in others and to discover the hammer the sword the fire which can knock down cut down burn up this whorish part and thither the whore is brought when she comes to betray again and the springings up of life shrink back and lie safe in the centre while the whore is burning And as the whore is burnt the heir comes up and the Spirit which is the portion of his inheritance descends and rests upon him and by this he is known and that which is in union with him knows him Therefore if you will live come to that hammer that sword that fire which flesh dreads and let the flesh
part in every sort and Sect of men opposeth us the rage of man every where riseth up against us But those that are so hot against us if at any time they become but meek and calme patiently considering our cause and consulting there upon with the testimony that they finde in their own hearts concerning us they soon become pacisied and see that we are no mans enemies against no righteous Law not against relations not against Governments not against any thing in the World that is good but only against that which is evil and corrupt And of a truth the corruption of things God hath shewed unto us and daily cals us forth after an immediate manner to witness against Therefore let men be sober and take heed what they do least they be found fighters against God for the reproaches the scoffs with other presecutions which seem to be cast at us light on him It is not as we are men but as we are obedient to him as we stand witnesses for him that we meet vvith these things Novv as it is not vve our selves that do these things but the life and povver of God in us so it is not vve that are struck at but that life and povver If it vvere not for that vve might be as acceptable as other men It is because vve are not of the World but God hath called us out of the World that vve are so hated of the World This is the true cause though the World vvill no more novv acknovvledge it than it vvould in former ages Yet I do not speak this for my ovvn sake to avoid my share in the cross for the reproach of Christ is our riches yea far greater treasure then is to be found in the Palace of Egypt Yea the presence of God the svveet povver of life makes up all our losses so that vve have no cause to complain It is very svveet pleasant and profitable for us to be found sufferers for God but vve knovv it vvill not be profitable for you to be found persecutors and this is told you in true love and good vvill by one vvho vvishes no evill to you for all the evill that ye have exercised tovvard the dear and precious people of God for these many years O that God vvould open your eyes that ye might see vvhom yee have opposed and against vvhom ye have hardened and strengthned your selves that ye might bovv to him and receive life from him and not perish in your gainsaying and opposition I. P. The cause of all error from the truth and the Universall call out of it into the low voice and beginnings of the true Eternal light which is the only leader to Eternall life and to followship in it NOw is the calling in of the Jews of the Papists of the Christians of all Sects upon the earth to the Lord into the fould into the covenant of God into the end of the Prophets the end of Moses the end of Abrahams words the end of the Apostles preaching into the substance Christ who is come to gather together in one and reconcile in one things in heaven and things in earth into covenant with God and this is the age the call is gone out the voice is gone out and the trumpet sounding for all to come in and the spirit bids come and he that hears may come and the bride and the Lamb saith come who raigns and the great war is begun and the slaughter shall be till the tenth of the spoile shall be offered up and the gathering of all Nations is come and the war among all Nations shall be and all shal be on heaps before the light of the Son of God be risen in the hearts of all people with which he must be seen and receive his government upon his shoulders Now is he come to raigh who doth enlighten every man that comes into the World Jews Gentiles Papists Christians Independents Baptists Heathens and all the Sects upon the earth whatsoever and all in the light are to be gathered into one minde and heart and soule and spirit concerning God and the Scriptures concerning the Prophets concerning Christ and the Apostles and concerning the types and parables and the figures with the light they shall see all and have unity with all who being out of the light they see not one another nor the Prophets nor Christ nor parables nor types nor figures and so have not unity with their words and so out of covenant with God and one another in the earthly nature in lusts strife and pride which causeth the wars which must be all burnt up and the cause of all peoples upon the earth setting up Images and Idols is because they are gone from the light which Christ hath enlightned them with all and so bows down to them but to the light should every one bow to Christ and to confesse him to the glory of God the cause of all them that are called Christians in Christendom setting up and making Images crosses and Idols likenesses and pictures names and worshipping Names 〈…〉 hath enlightned them withall and so they set up likenesses Images and Idols and fals down to them to put them in minde of Christ which coming to the light which Christ hath enlightned them withall every knee shall bow to him who is Immanuel and confess him to the glory of God and receive his minde and they need not have any outward thing to put him in their minde and the cause of all high notions of God Christ and Scriptures that are making Images and likenesses of things in heaven and setting up their imaginations of the Prophets Christs and the Saints words and falling out about them is because they be from the light which Christ hath enlightned them withall and t is the cause why the Jews rest in the types in the outward letter preist tythes temples shadows is because they be from the light which Christ hath enlightned them withall in which all people should have unity one with another with God and with Scriptures Jews and Gentiles to be gathered together in one with God with one another with Scriptures in which light people should have peace with God and one with another which is the covenant of God with man in which covenant people being in covenant one with another shall shake all Nations saith the Lord that that may appear that cannot be shaken and such an earth-quake shall be upon the World and the cause of all heresy and Sects and opinions Judgments and errors and false Prophets and deceiving men is going from the light which Christ hath inlightned them withall and the devil going out of truth which truth destroyes him and his works and death who being the power of it who hath blinded the minds of all the transgressors upon the earth who went out of the truth So this is the true light who hath inlightned every one that cometh into the World that all through the light might believe and
in this fear and this fear keeps the heart clean from the evil which defiles and preserves the love from the enmity which springs up where this fear is not Now this fear in the Apostacy was lost or else what needed there an especial ministry to be raised up to preach it again Rev. 14. 6. 7 And the estate of Christians every where doth manifest this loss for their hearts are not kept clean which sheweth that the fear which doth keep clean where it is is wanting in them There 's pollution there 's filth there 's deceit there 's high-mindedness self-conceitedness and love of the world and worldly vanities and many other evils to be found in the hearts of those that go for Christians and the purity of heart which comes from the fear and stands in the wisdom is not known They are wise to do evil but want the knowledge to avoid the evil and do the good They are wise to get and enjoy the world but know not the true riches They are wise to gather together many Scripture-words against sin and yet still keep the nature and life of it in the heart and it as a sweet morsel under the tongue They are wise to apply promises to comfort themselves with when sometimes they receive a just wound in their hearts from the righteous one but know not that nature or that estate and condition to which all the promises are made but are yet in that nature and in that estate and condition to which the curse appertains The true righeousnesse stands in the faith in hearing and obeying the word of faith How comes the righteousnesse of the law but by hearing and obeying the voice of the Law And how comes the righteousnesse of the Gospel but by hearing and obeying the word of faith who is preached and the Preacher of righteousnesse in the heart The Apostle Paul makes this comparison Rom. 10. The righteousnesse of the Law speaketh on this wise The man that doth those things shall live in them But how speaketh the word of faith The word is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart he that doth that he that heareth that shall live in that The hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voyce of the Son of God and they that hear shall live Disobedience to the Law is unrighteousnesse and brings death and disobedience to the living word is unrighteousnesse and cannot be justified but condemned and obedience to it cannot be condemned but justified So that when the soul hears believes and obeyes then it is justified then its former sins are forgotten and this is imputed to it unto righteousnesse But when the soul will not hear will not believe will not obey this unbelief is judged in him and his sins retained and not remitted Now is not this a just and equall way of justification O ye sons of men is not your way unequal shall a man continue in the unbelief and rebellion against Christ against the light against the faith and yet be justified by Christ by the light by the faith This cannot be Gods way of imputation will stand but mans invented way of imputation which sprung up in the Apostacy will not stand If we walk in the light as he is in the light the blood clenseth but not otherwise If we walk after the spirit and not after the flesh there is no condemnation and not otherwise The true Baptism is the plunging down of the old thing with all its filth and the raising up of a new thing and it is the new thing the circumcision the baptism which is justified God justifieth his Son and man onely so far as he is bound in his Son The true sanctification consists in the growth of the seed and its spreading like a leaven over the heart and over the whole man By faith Christ is formed in the heart the hidden man in the mistery is formed there and as this seed this leaven this man growes so he makes the man holy in whom he grows The seed of life the Kingdom of heaven is an holy thing and as it grows and spreads it purgeth out the old leaven and makes the lump new But now in Christians that have grown up in the Apostacy this seed is not known this leaven is not so much as discerned but their holinesse consists in a conformity to rules of Scripture received into the old heart and understanding And what a noise hath this made in the world all this night of the Apostacy as if this were the heir and should inherit the Kingdom Nay nay The heir hath appeared by whose presence it is seen that this is not the heir and ye shall not be able to kill him but he shall live to enjoy his inheritance and the inheritance shall not be yours Redemption consists in being bought by the price of the life out of sin out of death out of the earth out of the power of the devil It is a casting off the strong man out of the heart with all that he brought in and a delivering from his power It is a dissolving of the work of sin which the Devil hath wrought in the heart and a setting the soul which is immortal at liberty free from sin and free unto righteousnesse this is the true Redemption But this redemption in the Apostacy is a fained redemption wherein salvation from sin and the Devil and his power is not felt but the strong man is still in the heart and keeps the soul in death and brings forth fruits of death daily The Christians formerly in the first day of the breaking forth of Gods power had Christ in them the living word opened their hearts to him received him in felt him there sound him made of God to them their wisdom their righteousnesse their sanctification their redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. They had the thing that these words signifie and speak of and knew the meaning of the words by feeling of the thing But Christians now in the Apostacy have got several apprehensions from the words without feeling the thing the words speak of and ther lies their Religion And now the true heir being come holding forth the thing they have been all talking of all Sects upon the earth are mad against him and would fain kill him They would not have the living substance which is the heir live and nothing be esteemed life but that but they would have their dead apprehensions from the words live and their dead forms and practises owned and the heir of life must come in their way in the way that they have hoped and waited for him or they will not own him Awake awake O ye Sons of the Apostacy and of the night rise up out of the fleshly wisdom out of the dead fleshly interpretations of Scriptures out of the dead invented forms of worship and bow to the Heir kiss the Son lest ye feel the force of that dreadful sentence Those mine enemies
stirrings of the spirit of God And this is the best way for man in this state to know them by That which discovers that which is evill that is good that which discovers that which is spiritually evill that must needs be spiritually good for evll is darkness and cannot make it self manifest That which discovers that which is undoubtedly pure and inclines to it that must needs be of God Now to know this and be joyned unto it is a joyning of the creature unto God by some what of him that comes from his spirit and so is a true beginning of life eternal 7. That whereby the spirit of God convinceth of sin is his light shining in the conscience Fallen man is darkness The light shines in the darkness and shews man the evill which otherwise would ly covered in him Man fel from God lost the image of God and became wholly darkness but the spirit of God is light and shines in the darkness and strives with man to reduce him back again to that light from which he fel. God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God c. 2. Cor. 4. 6. Where did the Apostles and Christians in those dayes meet with the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in Christ God shined it in their hearts He that made the light to shine out of the dark deep Genes 1. 2. by his spirit he by the same spirit made the light of the knowledge of life shine in their dark hearts and there it is also that the work of conviction is wrought by the same spirit He that perfects the good work in the heart the same is he that begins it there and his beginning is by reproving and convincing of sin and so turning the heart from it unto God and unto the obedience of that righteousness which he makes manifest And he that meeteth not with the spirit in the beginning of his work or slinketh back and goeth not on with him but smothereth his reproofes not forbearing that or parting with that for which he is reproved is never like to meet with him in the end And then it will be too late for him to blame that Religion wherein there was only a dead form but not the living power of God He that will come to life eternal must be translated out of his dead understanding and all his dead wayes and worships which please that understanding into a living principle and keep in that principle and then he shall know life indeed and the true food of that life and the true worship and service from that life and the reward belonging to all 8. That this light convincing of sin shineth in every conscience He hath shewed thee O man what is good Micah 6. 8. The life which was in Christ was the light of men Joh. 1. 4. Christ is the light of the World Joh. 8. 12. God as he loved the World so he manifested his love to the World by sending his light into it to enlighten every man that cometh into the World that with the light they might see his Son and as many as receive him to them he gives power to become the Sons of God As God would have all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth So he hath given that light to all which may bring to the knowledge of the truth which saveth He is the true light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into the World Joh. 1. 9. The grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men c. As the enemy got possession of every mans heart by filling it with darkness so Christ pursueth and seeketh to dispossess the enemy by the light which he sendeth after him into every man And this is the condemnation of man not that he wants a light to witness against and draw him from the enemy but that he loves the enemy and chuseth to be one with the enemy but hates the light and turns from it Joh. 3. 10. 20. He hearkens to the reasonings of his minde against the light and so smothers and choaks it but does not turn to the light to have all the reasonings and strength of his minde subdued by it and subjected to it 9. The true way to life eternal is by believing in the light of the spirit which shineth in the conscience Man is in darkness which keeps him in death and there is no way to come out of the death but by coming out of the darkness and there is no way to come out of the darkness but by following that light which discovers it and cals forth from it And he that doth follow that cannot remain in the darkness but must needs come out There is an evil principle in man calling for evil and there is a good principle calling from the evil to the good Now he that follows the good cannot follow the evil but departs from it I am the light of the World saith Christ he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life Joh. 8. 12. But this is that which undoes man he loves the darkness he loves the world the course of the world the worships of the world He loves his own understanding and his own will and so hates that light which crosseth these which teach would him by the denial of them to crucify that nature from whence they spring and to which they are sutable And from hence it comes to pass the love to sin within being strong and Satan the strong man keeping the house that the motions of Gods spirit are easily overborn either by reasonings of the understanding or by perversnes of the will But if man durst trust himself to them he would quickly finde of what nature they were by the strong opposition of the strong man against them It is indeed a strait and narrow way into which no flesh can enter and walk And yet it is the only way for there is no life in God no peace with God while the enemy lives in the heart But when the light is received and turned to then the power begins to work which slayes the enemy in the heart and that being done there is no more war but peace Then the true peace which passeth understanding fills and refreshes the heart where as the peace which was in the soul before was but the peace of the enemy and will abide no longer then the enemy is suffered to keep possession quietly 10. That believing in the light of the Spirit which shines in the conscience unites the soul to God and opens the springs of life to it Belief in darkness which is unbelief towards God disunited the soul and closed up the springs of life from it belief in the light which is sent to lead from the darkness unites again and opens the springs again God is light he dwels in the
be delivered up to it and do not despise the day of smal things waiting for some great appearance but know it in its lowest knock for its power of redemption is as truly there as in its greatest appearance He that hath an ear let him hear and his soul shal live Let those therefore whom this concerns consider their waies as the grace that appeared to me hath taught me to do and try their foundation upon what they stand and that they do not kill what is opened and live in the slain openings and so in the end become dark airy dry withered wheeling about and turning into the earth it becoming their rest and foundation again and so loosing the joyes which formerly the opener did open This with me many of you may witness for whom my desire is that they may also witness the return to that which then opened and live in the opener and be preserved by him from abusing his precious openings any more For though I had a true taste of life and power from God yet not knowing the foundation there could be no true building with it and so the spirit was quenched the life wasted the portion spent upon harlots the true bread lost and chaff and husks fed upon without the least satisfaction to the soul the sense whereof when the spirit of the Lord awakened me did almost over-whelm me Yea the bands of death were so strengthned upon me and the spirit of the word had taken such hold of me that I found my return very difficult yea when living words of hope were mentioned to me to draw me back to that principle of life from which I had gone out I could receive nothing but cry out impossible impossible impossible I felt my self like a tree twice dead plucked up by the roots without the capacity of life sence or motion in the eternal being any more But at length it pleased life to move in a low way in the midst of the powers of darkness in my heart and by sinking low out of the wisdom out of the reason out of all high imaginations and trusting my self to it though dreadful stroaks and oppositions were felt from the powers of darkness yet at length there was some appearance of the deliverer in such a poor low weak despicable way as could never have been welcomed had not the soul been first brought to distress and the loftiness of the imaginary part brought down And then coming out of that into the feeling in another part there was a seed sprung up into a child and as that child grows and feeds on the milk of the immortal word I live am strengthened in him and daily weakned in that part which lived before These are true words from an honest heart for the relief of those who may have been entangled in the same snare Here follows the Testimony Concerning the Estate of the True Church what she hath been and what she is and it was given forth as being the motion of the Spirit of the Father and left with me and is Judged sutable and servicable to be here inserted and it may be for the edification of many COncerning the True State of the Church what she hath been and what she is at this day and concerning her increase and decrease thorough ages and generations past and her present State is this returning again out of the Wilderness where she hath long been fed having a place prepared of God Now the Apostle saw her a woman clothed with the Sun covered with the light of Heaven and with the glory of God having the Moon under her feet the light which was ordained to rule the night Thus she was and this was her state in the dayes of the Apostles when many were converted out of darknesse and renewed to be members of this Church for her glory shone through the World and she flourished through Nations and this was her Estate in the Apostles dayes and she travelled to bring forth the man-child Christ Jesus which is the child and husband of this woman which was clothed with the brightness of the glory of God the elected spouse of Christ the Lambs wife and his body of his flesh and of his bones having power and dominion and treading under all contrary And thus was it with her in generations past whose seed spring forth as branches fruitful and glorious But in process of time it came to pass that this woman the spouse of Christ his body the wife and mother of thiâ— man-child she was bereaved of her beauty and her garments were taken away her seed was made war against and was smitten and overcome and she fled into the wilderness and there hath sat desolate as a widow lamenting the losse of her children and being deprived of her husband and the man child which should have ruled the Nations for she hath been fled into the Wilderness and her former beauty hath not appeared to be and her former glory hath seemed to be gone and she hath been driven away from her head from her husband and from her seed Behold all people the Estate of such a woman and read this parable who can a woman most glorious and fair having her husband ruler of the whole earth and having an heir born to rule over heaven and earth being covered with the light of heaven and of the everlasting day and having the light of the night under her feet yet hath this woman been deprived of her glory and sate desolate in the Wilderness a mournfull place seperated from her husband and made childless and without seed and what ey that sees this a right but must mourn and what heart that truly perceives it but must lament a woman so great and so glorious and so fruitful as to bring forth the heir of heaven and earth yet hath she been left as a mourner as without husband and without issue for many generations This hath been her estate and condition for ages since the dayes of the Apostle which John saw in a vision would shortly come to pass after him and we see it hath been come to pass within this sixteen hundred years and this hath been the estate of the true Church for many ages a woman childless whose heir hath been taken from her and whose seed hath been made war against and killed for many generations But her time was decreed and she should but be thus for so many dayes and now are the dayes expired and she again shall receive her heir that hath been caught up from her and her seed shall spring forth and her slain shall live and her beauty shall be given her and her first glory shall be increased and she shall feed no longer in the mourning Wilderness but she shall be fed upon the Mountain of Gods house which is to be established upon the top of all mountains and her seed shall spring forth numberless and her heir shall rule with an iron rod and her marriage day is
doth not John say it was by the unction the anointing was in them a foundation or wel-spring of light and life issuing forth continually such Rivers and streams of life within as they needed no other Teacher in the truth and way of life ver 27. The Comforter did refresh their hearts sufficiently and lead them into all truth Search the Apostles Epistles and ye shall find them testifying of the Lords sending his spirit into the hearts of Christians and exhortations to them not to grieve or quench the spirit but to follow as they were lead They were to live in the spirit and to walke in the spirit Gal. 5. 25. and the spirit was to walk and live and bring forth his own life and power in them 2 Cor. 6. 16. And what can be the proper and full rule of Gods Sons and Daughters but the light of the spirit of life which they receive from their father Thus God did advance the state of a believer above the state of the Jews under the law for they had the law though written with the singer of God yet but in tables of stone but these have the law writ by the finger of God in the tables of their hearts Their's was a law without at a distance from them and the Priests lips were to preserve the knowledg of it and to instruct them in it but here is a law within nigh at hand the immediate light of the spirit of life shining so immediatly in the heart that they need no man to teach them but have the spirit of prophesy in themselves and quick living teachings from him continually and are made such Kings and Priests to God as the state of the law did but represent The Gospel is the substance of al the shadowes contained in the law A Christian is he that comes into this substance and lives in this substance and in whom this substance lives and his rule is the substance it self in which he lives which lives in him Christ is the substance who lives in the Christian and he in Crhist Christ lives in him by his spirit and he in Christ by the same spirit ther he lives and hath fellowship with the Father and the Son in the light wherin they live and not by any outward rule 1 Joh. 1. 6. 7. But what is the rule now in the Apostacy Among the Papists the rule is the Scripture interpreted by the Church as they cal themselves with a mixture of their own precepts and traditions Among the Protestants the rule is the Scriptures according as they can understand them by their own study or according as they can receive the understanding of them from such men as they account Orthodox And hence arise continual differences and heaps and sects one following this interpretation another that An this is a grievous apostacy and the root spring and foundation of al the rest for he that misseth in his beginning he that begins his Religion without the true rule how can he proceed aright in any thing afterwards Object But are not the Scriptures the word of God and is not the word of God to be a Christians rule If every one should be left to his own spirit what confusion and uncertainty would this produce Answ The Scriptures are not that living word which is appointed by God to be the rule of a Christian but they contain words spoken by the spirit of God testifying of that word and pointing to that word which is to be the rule Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testifie of me and ye will not come to me that ye might have life Joh. 5. 39. 40. The Scriptures are to be searched for the testimony which they give of Christ and when that testimony is received Christ is to be come to and life received from him But the Pharisees formerly and Christians since I mean Christians in name search the Scriptures but do not come to Christ for the life but stick in the letter of the Scriptures and oppose the life with the letter keeping themselves from the life by their wisdome and knowledg in the letter Thus they put the Scriptures into the place of Christ so honor neither Christ nor the Scriptures I had been no honour to John to have been taken for the light his honour was to point to it nor is it any honour to the Scriptures to be called the word of God but their honour is to discover and testifie of the word Now hear what the Scriptures cal the word In the beginning was the Word and the word was with God and the word was God Jho 1. 1. and the word was made flesh vers 14. This was the name of Christ when he came into the world in the flesh to sow his life in the world And when he comes again into the world out of a far Country to fight with the beast and false Prophets and to clense the earth of the Whores fornication and idols wherewith she had corrupted it he shal have the same name again his name is called The word of God Rev. 19. 13. So Peter calleth that the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever 1 Pet. 1. 23. And this word that liveth and abideth for ever was the word that they preached ver 25. And they that believed did not cry up the words that the Apostles spake for the word but received the thing they spake of the ingrafted word which being received with a meek quiet and submissive spirit is able to save the soul Jam. 1. 21. This is the word of faith that is nigh in the heart and in the mouth Rom. 10. 8. This is the word that stands at the door of the heart and speaks to be let in Behold I stand at the door and knock and when it is let in it speaks in the heart what is to be heard and done It is nigh it is in the heart and in the mouth to what end that thou mightest hear it and do it The living word which is quick and powerful and sharper then any two edged sword divides in the mouth and divides in the heart the vile from the precious yea it reacheth to the very inmost of the heart and cuts between the roots Ebr. 4. 11. and this thou art to hear and do Thou art to part with al the vile words the vile conversation the vile course and worship of the world outwardly and the vile thoughts and course of sin inwardly as fast as the word discovers them to thee and to exercise thy selfe in that which is folly and madnesse to the ey of the world and a grievous cross to thine own worldly nature yea when the word reaches to the very nature life and spirit within from whence al that comes that strong wise root of the fleshly life in the heart must not he spared nor that foolish weak thing to mans wise ey which is brought in stead
thereof be rejected which when it it received is but like a little seed even the least of all seeds and when it growes up it is a long while but like a child and yet keeping in that childishness out of the wisdom it enters into that Kingdom which the greatest wisdom of man in al his zealous waies and forms of religion fels short and is shut out of This is the word of life this is the true living rule and way to eternal life and this is the obedience this is the hearing and doing of the word He that hath an ear let him hear Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith prove your own selves Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates 2 Cor. 13. 5. Are ye in the faith then Christ is in you Is not Christ in you then ye are in the reprobate state out of the faith Is Christ in you and shal he not hold the reins and rule shal the living word be in the heart and not the rule of the heart shal he speak in the heart and the man or woman in whom he speaks run to words of Scripture formerly spoken to know whether these be his words or no Nay nay his sheep know his voice better then so Did the Apostle John who had seen and tasted and handled and preached the word of life send Christians to his Epistles or any other part of Scriptures to be their rule Nay he directed them to the anointing as a sufficient Teacher 1 Joh. 2. 17. He that believeth on me as the scriptuce hath said out of his belly shal flow rivers of living water Joh. 7. 38. He that hath the fountain of life in him issuing up rivers of living water continually hath he need to go forth to fetch in water The Kingdom of heaven is within you saith Christ and he bids seek the kingdom Light the candle sweep thine own house seek diligently for the kingdom there it is if thou canst find it Now he that hath found the kingdom within shal he look without into words spoken concerning the kingdom to find the lawes of the kingdom Are not the lawes of the kingdom to be found within the kingdom Shal the kingdom be in the heart and the laws of the kingdom written without in a book Is not the Gospel the ministration of the spirit and shal he who hath received the spirit run back to the letter to be his guid shal the living spirit that gave forth Scriptures be present and not have preheminence above his own words What is the proper intent of the letter is it not to testifie of the spirit and to end in the spirit The Law the Prophets John led to Christ in the flesh and he was to be the increasing light when they should decrease Christ words in the flesh the Apostles words afterwards and al words since are but to lead to Christ in the spirit to the eternal living substance and then the words of Christ of the Apostles or any words spoken from the same spirit in these dayes have brought to the spirit to the feeling and setling of the soul in the living foundation and to the building and perfecting of the man of God therein they have attained their end and glory But to cry up these not understanding their voice but keeping at a distance from the thing that they invite to the words hereby are put out oftheir place out of their proper use and service and so attain neither their end nor their glory And though men put that upon them which seems to be a greater glory namely to make them his rule and guid yet it being not a true glory it is no glory but a dishonour both to them and to the spirit who gave them to another end Now for the other part of the Objection that if men should be lest to their own spirits and should follow the guidance of their own spirits it would produce confusion and uncertainty I do acknowledge it it would do so But here is no leaving of a man to his own spirit spoken of or intended but the directing and guiding of a man to the word and spirit of life to know and hear the voice of Christ which gathers and translates man out of his own spirit into his spirit and here is no confusion or uncertainty but order certainty and stability The light of Gods spirit is a certain and infallible rule and the ey that sees that is a certain ey whereas mans understanding of the Scriptures is uncertain and fallible he having not the true ear receiveth such a literal uncertain knowledg of things into his uncertain understanding as deceives his soul And here man in the midst of his wisdom and knowledg of the Scriptures is lost in his own erring and uncertain mind and his soul deceived for want of a true root and foundation of certainty in himself But he that is come to the true shepherd and knows his voice he cannot be deceived Yea he can read the Scriptures safely and taste the true sweetnesse of them for he being in the life can taste the sweetnesse of the words that came from the life but man who is out of the life feeds on the husks and can receive no more He hath gathered a dead dry literal husky knowledg out of the Scripture and that he can relish but should the life of the words and things there spoken of be opened to him he could not receive them he himself being out of that wherewith they were wrote and wherein alone they can be understood But poor man having lost the life what should he do he can do no other but cry up the letter and make as good shift with it as he can though his soul the mean while is starved and lies in famine and death for want of the bread of life and a wrong thing is fed The Scribes and Pharisees made a great noise about the law and ordinances of Moses exclaiming against Christ and his disciples as breakers and profaners of them yet they themselves did not truly honor the law and ordinances of Moses but their own doctrines commandements and traditions So these now who make a great noise about the Scriptures and about the institutions of the Apostles do not honor the Scriptures or the institutions of the Apostles but their own meanings their own conceivings their own inventions and imaginations thereupon They run to the Scriptures with that understanding which is out of the truth and which never shall be let into the truth and so being not able to reach and comprehend the truth as it is they study they invent they imagine a meaning they form a likeness a similitude of the truth as neer as they can and this must go for the truth and this they honor and bow before as the will of God which being not the will of God but a likeness of their own inventing and forming they
worship not God they honor not the Scriptures but they honor and worship the work of their own brain And every Scripture which man hath thus formed a meaning out of and hath not read in the true and living lights of Gods eternal spirit he hath made an image by he hath made an idol of and the respect and honor he gives this meaning is not a respect and honor given to God but to his own image to his own idol Oh how many are your idols ye Christians of England as ye think your selves to be how many are your idols ye gathered Churches how full of images and idols are ye ye spiritual Notionists who have run from one thing to another with the same mind and spirit wherewith ye began at first But the founder of images hath never been discovered and destroyed in you and so he is still at work among you all and great will your sorrow and distress be when the Lords quick eye searcheth him out and revealeth his just wrath against him In my heart and soul I honor the Scriptures and long to read them throughout with the pure eye and in the pure light of the living spirit of God but the Lord preserve me from reading one line of them in my own-will or interpreting any part of them according to my own understanding but only as I am guided led and enlightened by him in the will and understanding which comes from him And here all Scripture every writing of Gods spirit which is from the breath of his life profitable to build up and perfect the man of God but the instructions the reproofs the observations the rules the grounds of hope and comfort or whatever else which man gathers out of the Scriptures he himself being out of the life have not the true profit nor build not up the true thing but both the gatherings and the gatherer are for destruction And the Lord will ease the Scripture of the burthen of mans formings and inventions from it and recover its honor again by the living presence and power of that spirit that wrote it And then it shall be no longer abused and wrested by mans earthly and unlearned mind but in the hand of the spirit come to its true use and service to the seed and to the world 2. The true worship was lost The true worship of God in the Gospel is in the spirit The hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him Joh. 4. 23. The true worship is in the spirit and in the truth and the true worshippers worship there and such worshippers the Father seeks and such worship he accepts but all other worship is false worship and all other worshippers are false worshippers such worshippers as God seeks not nor can accept their worship Did God refuse Cains sacrifice formerly and can he accept any sacrifice or worship now that 's offered in that nature why he that worships out of the spirit he worships in that nature But he that worships aright must have his nature changed and must worship in that thing wherein he is changed in that faith in that life in that nature in that spirit whereby and whereto he is changed For without being in this and keeping in this it is impossible to please God in any thing He that is the true worshipper is a believer and in his worship he must keep to his rule the law of faith the law of the spirit of life in him the law which he receives by faith fresh from the spirit of life continually He must heat and observe the voice of the living word in all his worship and worship in the presence and power and guidance of that as that moves and as that carries on or it is not worship in the spirit I shall instance only in prayer Praying alwaies with all prayer and supplication in the spirit Ephes 6. 18. Mark all prayer and supplication must be in the spirit yea it must be alwaies in the spirit which speaks in the heart to God and makes the intercession or is is no prayer If a man speak never so much from his own spirit with never so much earnestness and affection yet it is no prayer no true prayer but only so far as the spirit moves to it and so farr as the spirit leads and guids in it If a man begin without the spirit or go on without the spirit this is out of the worship this is in his own will and so will-worship and according to his own understanding and so fleshly worship both which are to be crucified and not to be followed in any thing under the Gospel Wee are the Circumcision which worship God in the spirit here are the true worshippers the circumcision and here 's the true worship in the spirit and they have no bounds and limits in the flesh wherein their strength and confidence is broke and have no confidence in the flesh If a man address himself to any worship of God without his spirit hath he not confidence in the flesh If he begin without the ving of his spirit doth he not begin in the flesh if he go on without the spirits carrying on doth he not proceed in the strength and confidence of the flesh But the worship of the spirit is in its will and in its time and is carried on by its light and power and keeps down the understanding and affectionate part of man wherein all the world worship and offer up the unaccepted sacrifices even the lame and the blinde which Gods soul hates Now this worship as it is out of mans will and time and in that which continueth so it is continual There is a continual praying unto God There is a continual blessing and praising of his name in eating or drinking or what ever else is done There is a continual bowing to the majesty of the Lord in every thought in every word in every action though it be in worldly things and occasions yet the spirit of the Lord is seen there and the tongue confesseth him there and the knee boweth to him there this is the true worship And this is the rest or sabbath wherein the true worshippers worship When the creation of God is finished when the child is formed in the light and the life breathed into him then God brings him forth into his holy Land where he keeps his Sabbath They that are in the faith which is the substance of the things hoped for under the Law are come from all the shadows and types of the Law and from all heathenish observation of dayes and times in the spirit of this world where the spirit of man is hard at work into the true Sabbath into the true rest where they have no more to work but God works all in them in his owntime and according to his own pleasure We which have believed do enter into rest Ebr.
Object But hath there been no true Religion since the daies of the Apostes no true rule no true worship no true faith no true love no true hope joy or peace no true repentance conversion regeneration no true wisdom righteousnes sanctification and redemption no true Church no true Ministry What hath become of all our fore-fathers did they all perish And hath not this ministry converted many to God were not yee your selves converted by it Nay have not many of them been Martyrs and witnessed to the truth of God And though some of them are bad yet are not many of them zealous and conscientious Preachers of the Word at this day By such reasonings as these the wisdom of man much strengthens and hardens it selfe against the truth Answ The rule in Nations the worship in Nations the faith love hope joy peace repentance conversion regeneration c. which have been cried up in Nations for the truth the Churches in Nations the Ministry in Nations all these have been corrupted and never recovered their true state to this day There have been changes from one thing to another but the restauration hath not been known The whorish spirit hath been hunted puriued and so run out of one form into another traversing her way and changing her ground and garments but hath not been taken and judged to the death and the true spirit hath not been able to find the bed of her husband but hath wandered from mountain to hil all the time of this cloudy and dark day forgetting her resting place Yet though the whole earth was corrupted and false doctrine and worship set up every where among the Nations which continued the fornication and whoredom from the spirit of life in the publick wayes and national worships notwithstanding this even all this while God reserved a seed to himselfe which he caused to spring up in a remnant and which he moved and carried on to witnesse against somewhat of these corruptions in their several ages and generations And as fast as the beast killed and knocked down these God raised up more yea though the whorish spirit in some Nations painted her self curioussy leaving some of the grosse Doctrines and Worships of Popery and got into a more refined way yet God raised up witnesses against her there also and still doth into what form soever she gets for though of late she hath decked her self very pleasingly as she think and covered her selfe round with scripture-words and professions and practises as like as ever she can form them to the practises of former Saints yet quick and lively is the spirit of God that searcheth after her who hath found her out and raised up witnesses against her there also Now this seed this remnant though they were not able to recover the possession of the life and power that was lost yet they had a true taste of it and their testimony which they gave out from that taste was true and so far as they kept to this testimony in the faith and in the patience which they had learned and received from God though but in a low measure they were accepted of him So that all were not lost in this night of darkness but such as feared God and knew and hearkned to his voice had the testimony of his presence with them and tasted of his life and power in measure God was not an hard master to them but tender and gentle and contented to reap what he sowed But the appearance of God in this dark time was weak and low and easie to be made a prey of And this is very observable that so long as the simplicity ran pure it was preserved but so soon as ever the spirit of man was tempted either into any old or into any new invented form the wisdom of the flesh got in with it grew up more than it and when it had gathered strength corrupted the vessel betrayed the simplicity and lost the life Thus many pretious beginnings and buddings forth of life have been betrayed in these late daies There was a pretious thing stirring in Queen Maries dayes the life whereof was more hurt and suppressed by that dead form of Episcopacy succeeding afterwards then by the foregoing persecution The persecution did clear and brighten it but the fleshly form of Episcopacy brought death over it And the forms of Presbytery Independency Anabaptism have been little lesse then graves to bury and keep down the life How many spirits that had a precious savour in them at their entrance into those forms did soon become fleshly earthly and very unsavory loosing the quicknesse and freshness that was in them before and falling into the deadness of the form withering with it And as touching the Ministry though in it self it was evill being in the degeneration from the true Ministry all this time of the Apostacy and the persons therein for the most very corrupt being brought up to it as to a trade and making use of it as a trade yet I do believe that there was a simplicity of heart in some persons among them which did cause them in some degree of faithfulnesse to seek the Lord his service and the good of souls And in the time of ignorance and darkness it pleased God to wink at and over-look the evill and to cause good to passe from the good in them to the good in others through the evil that hung about both And this was the great tenderness of the Lord in pitty to his poor creatures who were very destitute to help in the thick night of darkness and should not now be made use of to justifie and keep up the evil Do ye thus requite the Lord O foolish people and unkind Because his mercy and goodness extended to you notwithstanding the evil which might have hindered will ye make that an argument to keep up the evill and to oppose the light which discovers it Because God causeth light to shine through the darkness and visiteth man in the dark wil ye therfore set up the darkness as his proper way of ministration The corrupt way call and exercise of the corrupt ministry could not keep out the tender love of God but he had respect to the simplicity of some who were found in it and to the simplicity of others who waited on him for instruction there and did please to give some answer to both And will ye make this uningenious use of it to interpret it as his approbation of that ministry which sprung up in the Apostacy from him among those that were apostatised and is a great dishonour to him and the abhorring of his soul A ministry of Christ a ministry set up by his spirit is precious but a ministry made by man according to his will and ministring in his wisdom the soul of the Lord beareth as a burthen and is pressed with it and as he raiseth up his own life wil ease himself of it And what do they minister from but the literal
will lay low make foolish weak poor empty Lean for it lies in wickedness He will feed the fat and strong cattle with that judgment which shall make them lean and weak And the humble the foolish the weak the poor the empty the lean he will raise up and make wise and strong and rich and full and fat with the true honour the true wisdom the true strength the true riches the sure and living mercies of David who sets his feet on top of the high places of the earth of whom Christ came according to the flesh Thus I have in plainnes of heart and with plainnes of speech set the truth and the error before you and lent my hand toward the removing of some blocks which lay in your way in love and pitty to your souls Now if any in the reading of this feel a secret touch upon their hearts startling them and giving some testimony to the truth though very smal and through a thick dark covering there is that to which I speak there is my witness within the vail and there is the testimony rising up which leads to life if given heed to Keep to this and this will prick and wound judge and condemn the contrary nature though never so strong And when it doth prick and wound keep the wound fresh and open as thou lovest thy life till thou meet with the tâ—ue healer For the false prophet will rise up in thee and fill thee with reasonings and perhaps multitudes of promises and comforts from Scripture skinning over the wound and crying peace peace when there is no peace And when thou hast thus got over the trouble then the false prophet which brought thee this peace will stir thee up against the witness exalting the wisdom and reasonings of the flesh and making merry with thee over the witness which witnessed against thee and him and over the trouble which came thereby and this wil bring thee to that hardness of heart which is for destruction And then when thou hast slain the witness in thy self and exalted thy fleshly reason and understanding over it then the false prophet which seduced thee will kindle a zeal in thee against the witness in others and thou wilt prove a persecutor of the life under the name of deceit error heresy and blasphemy whereas thou thy self art fallen into the deceit into the error from the life and into the blasphemy against it and art in Cains nature and wouldst fain be handling of Cains weapons to destroy it Therefore take heed of the fleshly wisdom take heed of thine own understanding take heed of thy reasoning or disputing for these are the weapons where with the witness is slain That wisdom must be destroyed and that understanding brought to nought and thou become a child and learn as a child if ever thou know the things of God Where is the wise where is the Scribe where is the Disputer of this World did they ever from the beginning of the World to this day attain the knowledge of the things of God where are the Councils where are the great Convocations where are the Synods where are the assemblies of divines what is become of them all what have they done have they been ever able to lead out of the Apostacy from the truth into the truth again Nay that wisdom is cursed it is of the earth and fixeth in the earth and is the grand enemy to the wisdom that is from above And where that wisdom stands there is no entrance for the other This made it so hard for this sort of persons in all ages to own truth Thy wisdom and thy knowledge it hath perverted the. This made the whorish spirit so able to use sorceries and inchantments from the life in all ages And it is easier for publicans harlots drunkards swearers all sorts of sinners to own truth and enter into life then for these For it is easier to empty them of their profanenes then it is to empty these of their setled conceited Religion and devotion and yet this with their Religion and devotion cannot enter no more then the other with their profanenes Ye have a knowledge a righteousnesse an hope a faith c. founded by your pretence to Scriptures who can shake down these say you and yet these must fall before ye can build upon and grow up in the life that the Scriptures came from For the Scriptures were not given for men to gather the meanings out of and lay a foundation of faith there by their own wils but to discover and testifie of the foundation And he that comes thither is built there knows the truth not because the Scriptures say so but because he feels the thing is founded upon the thing grows up in the thing and the thing in him whereof the Scripture speaks And this knowledge shall abide and this faith and this righteousness and this holiness and this redemption whereas the other is but a name put upon that which is not the thing These are precious faithful words though through a Vessel weakned and weak beyond measure and happy is he that hath an ear to hear them but woe from the Lord to that eye that is closed to that ear that is shut to that heart that is hardned in the inventions and imaginations of mans fleshly mind against the truth of God Let the witness of God in thee stir and speak it shall answer me now but if thou through the strength of the flesh and the vain imaginations which thou huggest in thy heart stifle the voice of it now yet I know it shall answer me one day but then it will be too late for thee to hear it The Lord is now gentle and tender pursuing thee with his love and following thee up and dovvn with his light and though thou run from him into sin and transgression and hearken to the wisdom of the flesh yet his voice comes after thee to reclaim thee and if thou wilt hear and but yeeld thy self to him he vvil not put thee to do any thing but subdue all thy enemies for thee yea he vvil slay the serpentine vvisdom in thee vvith all its inventions and dash all she children of Babylon against the stones vvithout pitty to them though vvith great pitty to thee But if thou refuse and choose the pleasure of the flesh and the gross flesh-pots of Egypt and turn thine ear from his voice giving vvay to the reasonings of the flesh and keeping dovvn the vvitness that day of vvrath and severity vvhich all the Scriptures have spoke of vvil come and thou vvilt have thy portion vvith hypocrites vvho in all ages have covered themselves vvith a form of religion pleasing to the flesh and the vvorld but have vvith-held their hearts from the povver of life therefore prize the love of God to thee in giving thee this warning and be not uncircumcised in heart and ears as this generation of professors have alvvaies been but let