THE DISCOVERY OF MANS RETURN To his First Estate by the operation of the Power of GOD in the great Work of REGENERATION With a Word to all Saints who set their faces towards Sion to seek the Lord their God And to those that are waiting in Sion to worship Him in Spirit and Truth A Word to the Back-slider who hath tasted of the good Word of GOD and the powers of the World to come and hath turned the grace of God into wantonness and gone back into spiritual Sodom and Egypt where our Lord is Crucified With a Discovery of Mystery-Babylon and her Merchants With a Word to the hard-hearted unbelieving Jews who profess Christ in words and deny to be guided by his Counsel the light in their Conscience and stumble at him to their own Destruction From the Spirit of the Lord Written by one whom the people of this World calls a Quaker whose name in the flesh is William Deusbury but hath a New Name the world knows not written in the Book of Life London Printed for Giles Calvert at the Black-spread-Eagle at the West-end of Pauls 1655. All Men and Women Behold and see in what Estate you were created ANd God said let us make man in our Image God created man in his own Image and in the Image of God created he him male and female created he them And the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to dress it aâ—…d to keep it and the Lord God commanded the man saying Of every tree of the Garden thou mayst freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day thou earest thereof thou shalt surely dye the death The Sâ—…rpent was more subtil than aâ—…y beast of the Field which the Lord God had made he said unto the Woman ye shall not surely die for God doth know that in the day you â—…at thereof your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as God knowing good and evill And when the woman saw the tree was good â—…or food and that it was pleasant unto the eyes and a tree to be deâ—…red to make one wise she took the fruit thereof and did eat and gave also to her husband with her and he did eat And the eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig-leaves together and made them aprons And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day and Adam and his Wife â—…d themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden and the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him where art thou And he said I heard thy voice in the garden and was affraid and because I was naked I hid my self And he said who told thee that thou wast naked hast thou eaten of the tree whereâ—…f I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat and the man said the woman who thou gavest to be with me she gave me of the tree and I did eat And the Lord God said unto tâ—…e woman what is this that thou hast done the woman said the serpent beguiled me and I did eat And the Lord God said unto the Serpent because thou hast done this thou art cursed above all cattel and above every Beast of the field upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the daies of thy life And I will put enmity betwixt thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed it shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heâ—…l And the Lord God said Behold this man is become as one of us to know Good and evil and now lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live for ever therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken and he drove out the man and placed at the East end of the garden of Eden Cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life Every Man and Woman behold and see how you are fallen from the estate and condition you were created in you were created in the image of God to delight alone in him but you are fallen in obeying the counsel of the Serpent and are driven out of the presence of God into the earth and there your minds are feeding upon the dust of the earth created objects which will perish some delight in father and mother some in wife and children some â—…n house and lands some in mony gold some in meats drinks some in raiment what they shall put on some in lusts and pleasures in wantonness vain idle communication foolish jesting and laughter which is madness and folly and some in honour and preferments in this world wherein their hearts are lifted up in pride and exaltation above others whom they have power over not considering how ye are driâ—…en out from the presence of the Lord wherein you were placed in the beginning and some there are that feed upon the letter of the Scripture which is death comprehending God and Christ in their wisdome from what the Saints of the most high God spoke forth from the life they enjoyed in Christ Jesus which was in them the hope of their glory and man in his serpentine wisdome steals the Saints words into his understanding and never knew the life and power thereof in himself and so speakes a divination of his own brain a riddle to his own heart and while he speaks to others himself is a cast-away Every man and woman in particular deal justly with your hearts and see where your hearts are and what they delight in for in some of these created objects you delight in and feed upon if you cannot witness your change by the eternal and powerful Word of Truth for into the earth you are driven from the presence of God and these are the fruits which spring forth of the earth which is in your hearts self-love pride covetousness anger revenge hastiness frowardness back-biting hard-heartedness cruelty and oppression lust and uncleanness drunkenness impatiency and unbelief and you are fenced out from coming to the Tree of Life with Cherubims and the flaming Sword which turns every way to keep the Tree of Life So every one see what you can witness of your return again unto God from whence you are separated by the disobedience and evill of your hearts and see what is the ground of the hope of your callings and by what power you are acted in your obedience unto God whether by the power of the first Adam or by the power of the second for if thou upon the convincement of the evill of thy waies doe not wait in the light which is in thy conscience that convinceth thee of the evill of
thy doings for power from the Lord to guide thee forth of the evill which the light discovers which would guide thee into the Kingdome of God but thou runnest out into the wisdom of the first Adam to seek the Kingdome of God in outward formes and observations according as thou comprehendest of the Saints practices and thou imitatest their practices in thy wisdome and though thou walk never so strictly in these outward formes thou art alive in the first Adam sewing fig-leaves together to cover thy nakedness a peece of new cloth in an old garment thou art putting new wine into old bottles and art building up a tower to get up to God in thy heathenish and Babylonish wisdom and confusion will come upon thee in the day when the Lord comes to look for fruit thou wilt be found a fruitlesse tree that cumbers the ground Cain with his offering up sacrifice unto God in thy first nature Esau seeking the birth-right with teares who shall never find it and all the fruit that is raised in thee is from Hagar the Bond-woman and thou hast thy end for thy self in all that thou dost which is thy hire which thou expectest in the end life for thy labour and obedience and thou regards not the glory of the Lord and his fear is not before thine eyes therefore every man and woman deal justly with your own hearts under what name or title soever thou be whether thou be a Teacher of others or a Professor of what thou comprehendest to be truth from the Testimony the Saints gave forth from the life and power of Christ that was in them and thou expectest life in thy outward formes and observations and mindest not to be guided by the light which is of Christ in thy own conscience which light guided the Saints that gave forth the Scriptures and while thou disobeyest that light profess what thou wilt thou art in the fall first Adam is yet alive in thee Cain is not yet banished nor Esau reprobated nor the bond-woman and her son cast out which are all figures and types of the first nature which is yet alive in thee and thy will is thy guide and thy heart is in the earth notwithstanding all thy profession and thou art a painted beast made drunk with the wine of the wrath of the Whore which is thy wisdom which comprehends that which thou never didst know manifest in it self and sits deckt a well-favoured harlot above the Crosse of Christ thou wilt be found a Thief and Robber who comes not in by the door Jesus Christ but climbs up some other way and thus far went the Scribes and Pharisees and the young man who had kept the Commandements from his youth but when he should have sold all for Christ he went away sorrowful And thus far went Paul when he persecuted Jesus Christ according to the Law he walked blameless and all thy strict walking to get life in observations according to the Letter is striving again to get the tree of life by thy own power who art fenced out with Cherubims and a flaming sword which turns every way to keep the way of the tree of life And if thou never â—…awest thy self senced out from the presence of God notwithstanding all thy righteousness in observations thou art not come so near God as to see the flaming sword which is placed to meet thee in every way thou turnest to get life in thy own power and to cut thee down and kill thee â—…hat Christ may be thy life thou art alive in the first Adam and art in the death for death reignes over all from Adam to Moses and Moses is until the Prophets and the Prophets till John and John untill Christ and if thou canst not witnesse that thou art come to Moses profess what thou wilt thou hast not set thy face towards God noâ—… one step in the strait and narrow way to eternal life but art going the broad way to destruction whatever thou be whether a Teacher of others or a Professor of what thou comprehendest to be truth from the Leâ—…ter of the Scripture under what form name or title soever thou be thou art a dead man and a dead woman and the wrath of God abides on thee though thou see it not Rom. 7. 9. there Paul witnesseth I was alive without the Law once but when the Commandement came sin revived and I dyed Friends every one in particular deal justly with your hearts see what you can witness of your death with Christ by the powerful word of truth which enlightens the conscience and condemns sin in the flesh for every one would ascend with Christ to be partakers of the life and glory with him but he becomes a stumbling stone to be baptized with him into his sufferings and death to ascend with him into hell and this thou must witness before ever thou come to sit with him in heavenly places for it is they and they alone that shall reign with him who suffer with him and they that are dead with him shall live with him it is the dead that hears the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live Arise thou that sleepest in the dust of the earth securely in thy earthly and Serpentine wisdom thy mind feeding upon the dust of the earth created objects which will perish arise stand up to Judgement that Christ may give thee life This is required of thee O man to doe justly love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God examine thy heart and deal justly with thy own soul there is a light in thy conscience which light is of Christ minding it will let thee see the mystery of iniquity that lodgeth in thy heart which is deceitful and desperately wicked and this light in thy conscience which discovers unto thee the evil of thy heart is of the etarnal Word of God and was from the beginning according as it is written in the outward testimony of the truth In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word is God and the same was in the beginning with God all things were made by him aâ—…d without him was not any thing made that was made in him was life and the life was thâ—… light of men and the light shineth in 〈◊〉 and the darkness comprehends it not Every one arise out of your earthly wisdome and minde the light in thy conscience and wait on the power of the Lord in it and it will bring thee to Judgement before the Throne of the Lamb where the righteous Law will be opened in thy heart that will cry through thy earthly heart for righteousness and judgement and the book will be opened in thee where thou shalt see all written that thou hast done in the body and shall give an account for every idle word and receive thy reward for what thou
eares shall hear a voice behind you saying this is the way walk in it when you turn to the right hand or to the left therefore every one of you mind the light which is of Jesus Christ in you that judgeth the unrighteousness of your hearts give up to be guided by the pure light in you which is your Teacher the counsel of Iesus Christ and it will bring Judgement forth unto victory and whatever he makes manifest to you to be his will wait on the Lord in his counsel and he will give you power to obey and when you have obeyed his will take â—…eed of departing from the counsel of the Lord which is the light within you to hearken to the counsel of your own hearts which will draw your minds to look back to your obedience and the experiences you have passed through so will the beast which received a deadly wound with the sword the righteous Law that goes out of the mouth of the Lamb in you his deadly wound will be healed and sits a painted beast above the Cross of Christ working lying wonders in your hearts and imitating the operations of the power of God who is purifying his Sons and Daughters with the spirit of Judgement and the Spirit of burning and the beast in you that tasted of the power of God when he received his deadly wound under the justice of God now can imitate the same in deceit and cause fire to come down from heaven in the sight of men imitating the operation of the spirit of burning and so deceives himself and all that dwel upon the earth he is made manifest to all that dwell in the heavenly light in their hearts All friends mind your watch for your adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lyon seeking whom he may devour abide in the counsel of the Lord which is the light in you and you will discern between the Beast which is Antichrist in his lying wonders and the Lamb Iesus Christ in the operation of his power so you will come to try the spirits whether they be of God yea or no all that are guided by the Beast have their life in speaking and acting in outward operations what they once experienced and what they comprehended to be truth speaking that they enjoy not and is exalted in pride the heart returned into the earth But thou that art guided by the Lamb the light in thy conscience the righteous Law cries through thy earthly heart and brings it to judgment and thou canst find no life in the operations of the power of God nor in thy obedience but whilst the presence of the Lord is with thee in it and when thou hast done the will of God in obeying what he hath made known unto thee thou seest thy self to be an unprofitable servant and hast need of patience that thou mayst receive the promise where thy life is hid with Christ in God to save the freely for his names sake or else thou perishest and to carry thee on by his mighty power or else thou fallest so thou hast nâ—…thing to glory in but in the Lord And as they that are guided by the Beast which is Antichrist speak of the truth a riddle to their own hearts not knowing the power and life of what they speak adding to the Word of the Lord and the plagues and curse of God will be added unto them But thou that art guided by the Lamb Iesus Christ thou knowest when the Word of the Lord is committed to thee If any have my Word saith the 〈◊〉 let him speak my Word faithfully is not my Word Like 〈◊〉 saith the Lord and like a hammar that breaketh the rocks in peeces Thou canst witnesse the VVord of the Lord to be as a fire and as a hammar to break the rocks in pieces in thee and bring down all in thee in subjection to its self and it alone rules in thee and thou that canst witness the word of the Lord thus manifest in thee thou art a true Messenger of the Lord let not the deceipt stop thy mouth for the word the Lord calls thee to speak shall perfect his work for which he is sent All friends stand fast in the counsel and will of God be faithfull in following the Lamb dayly through the Cross and none be discouraged in temptations be content look up to the Lord to keep you in the hour of temptations for it is no sin to be tempted but to yeeld to the tempter and when the Lord delivers you from the power of the Tempter watch that your will get not from under the Cross but sink down into the love of God and every one be content in what the Lord hath made manifest to you and be faithful according to your Talents and more will be communicated to you and none look forth at others conditions for if you do the Enemy will cause you to stumble and you will come to a loss in your own condition wait patiently in the cousel of the Lord the light in you for he is making a short work in the earth that you that come into the Vineyard at the eleventh hour shal receive as much as they that came in â—…t the third hour and have laboured in the heat of the day All ye children of the Lord lift up your heads behold your King riding in majesty and power upon the wild Ass Colt which is your wild nature subjecting it to himself that you may enter with him through the gates of the City into New Jerusalem where there enters nothing that worketh abomination and maketh a lye but what is written in the Lambs book of life and there you shall dwel in the banqueting house of the Lord forever feeding upon the feast of fat things rejoycing 〈◊〉 â—…he eternal love and mercy of your souls in the free Covenant of life in the blood of Christ who is the Lord of Lords and King of Kings God blessed for ever who is riding on in Majesty and in Power conquering and to conquer all the powers of darkness in the hearts of his Saints that they may reign as Kings upon the earth to the praise and glory of our God who is taking unto him his great power to reign in his Saints for evermore to whom alone be all honour glory power and eternal praises for ever To all revolted souls who have departed from the Counsel of the Lord and are made drunk with the Wine of the wrath of the fornication of the Whore bewitched with the mother of Witch-craft to return into spiritual Sodom and Egypt where our Lord is Crucified WHoever thou art in whom the righteous law of God Jesus Christ the light in thee hath cried through thy earthly heart for righteousness and judgment and there thou didst stand arraigned before the Throne of the Lamb where the book was opened in thee and written therein all
for these observations they call the Ordinances of God as they are practised by them There is no Scripture that Christ or any that he sent forth did take a child and sprinkled water on its face and said in so doing they baptized it into the Church of Christ Suffer little children to come unto me saith Christ aâ—…d forbid them not for of such is the Kingdome of God for whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter therein he sets the child as a type and a figure to shew forth to every one that they must become as a little child depending upon the will of God before they enter into the Kingdome of God he took them up in his arms and put his hands on them and blessed them but that he sprinkled water on their faces and said Hee baptized them into his Church there is no such Scripture An other observation your Teachers tel you you mu observe is hearing these stndied Sermons in taking a part of Scripture and adding to it their wisdom calls it the word of God which is contrary to the Scripture but they say they have Christ for an example There was delivered unto him the book of the Prophet Isaiah and when he had opened the book he found where it was written The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel unto the poor he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives recovering the sight of the blind and to set at liberty them that are bruised to preach the acceptable year of the Lord and he closed the book and sate down and he began to say unto them This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears and all bare him witness and wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of his mouth he was the substance of the prophecy which was then fulfilled in him This is no ground for any to take the Saints words and add to it their wisdom and call that the word of God The Prophet that hath a dream let him tell a dream he that hath my Word let him speak my Word faithfully What is the chaff to the Wheat saith the Lord Is not my word like a fire and like a hammer saith the Lord that breaks the rocks in pieces All to whom the word of the Lord is committed can witness it to be as a fire within them and as a hammer that breaks rocks in pieces in subjecting all in the heart under the power of it self so it alone rules and guides him that he is what he speaks that if he had never seen any thing that the Saints hath declared without him he had known what is manifest in him and he to whom the word is thus made manifest is a true Minister of Christ who is called to speak the Word faithfully But these that call themselves your Teachers and makes bargaains with you for so much in the year they never witnessed the word of the Lord in them as a fire like a hammer that breaks the rocks in pieces so they never had any thing to have spoken of the Lord but as they have stoln it from the testimony of the Saints so they speak a divination of their own brain a riddle to their own-hearts and whilest they speak to others themselves are cast away And the Lord testifies against them Behold I am against the Prophets saith the Lord that steals my word every one from his neighbour Behold I am a ainst the Prophets saith the Lord that use their tongue and say Hâ—… saiâ—…h Behold I am against them that prophesie false dreams saith the Lord and do tell them and cause my people to erre by their lies and by their lightness yet I sent them not nor commanded them therefore they shal not profit the people at all saith the Lord and this fruit is made manifest of the ministry that hath been in England Another observation your Teachers tell you to observe which is contrary to the Sciâ—…ture at it is practised by them in singing of David's Psal. in Metre taking David's wordâ—… who was a man after Gods own heart and putting words into the mouths of poor ignorant people to sing that which they never knew and so causes them to blaspheme the name of God saying Let us sing to the praise and glory of God as O Lord I am not puft in mind I have no scornful eye I do not exercise my self in things that be too high for me when they never knew any change wrought in their minds and so causeth the people to lie And causing them to sing David's prayers as O Lord rebuke me not in thy wrath neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure for thine arrows stick â—…ast in me thy hand presseth me sore for my iniquities are gone over my head as a heavy burthen they are too heavy for me to bear my wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness I am troubled I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all thâ—… day long and may be none of you in al that place can witness the condition and so blasphemes the name of God who wil be worshipped in spirit in truth and this is the rule given out from him If any be afflicted let him pray if any be merry let him sing Psalms and there is none merry but the ransomed of the Lord who returns to Sion with joy and singing and â—…verlasting jâ—…y shal be upon their heads and they shal obtain gladness and joy and sorrow and sighing flies away All people may search the Scriptures and see how you have been deceived by your Teachers who have caused you to seek your lost God in carnal dead observations which they have not any Scripture for all cease from them for the Lord complains of them The leaders of my people causeth them to erre saith the Lord of Hosts and now are these Scriptures fulfilled in these men which the Apostle prophesied â—…f This know also that in the last daies perillous times shal come for men shal be lovers of their own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemous disobedient to Parentâ—… unthankful unholy all people see are not your Teachers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before they come at you they must know what they must have covetous griping for much and if you wil not give them so much as they can have in another place they wil not come at you here is self-love and covetousness manifested without natural affection truce-breakers false accusers traytors heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God having â—… form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such the Apostle exhorts to turn away All people behold and see all these Scriptures are fulfilled in your Teachers they speak against pride and live in it against covetousness and live in it they teach by their worâ—…s