called Quakers who say we expect to be Saved by a righteousness of our own and by works of our own If it were so as you falsly and vainly do say then might we not keep in the broad way with you Hypocrites who are gotten above the dayly Cross and so led about by the Thief above the door where you Foxes who are cunning in hunting about after others works have holes enough to creep and cringe into to keep you in the glory of the World of sin and iniquity where you have had a long Trade in your imaginations conceiving God's works in his blessed Instruments without you whose Lines you have long made your boast of so your Lyes are upon your own heads For this I testifie and the Testimony is the same in thousands who are witnesses of the works of God's holy Spirit in some degree or measure viz. That it is in Christ God's Covenant in which we hope for Salvation and in no Covenant or Work of man's and in this Covenant we are made a good savour unto God and one unto another And acceptance with God is obtained no other way but by the one pure offering without spot or blemish by the effectual workings of the Eternal Spirit where the Blood of Christ is witnessed to be sufficient to purge Consciences of dead works and so to serve God in the New and Living way which he hath consecrated for us through the Vail his flesh And therefore all who are thus partakers of God's works by the Revelation of God's Spirit being true witnesses of the Blessing of God in this one unspotted offering we cannot but confess him before men denying all imaginary offerings in mens wills where their Garments are filled with spots and blemishes and their Consciences are defiled with dead works of their own Inventions and Works the which having some outward shew of Holiness may recommend unto man who lives in the same but not unto God and therefore experience in the works of God's blessed Spirit hath taught us to deny them And by this Christ of God the Mediator of the New Covenant we have Acceptance with God from whence the knowledge of Salvation comes by the Remission of offences and sins and therefore we deny all false and vain Mediatorship of vain man in his works of Conceivings and Imaginations concerning this Mediator the which is really to be enjoyed and known by the effectual workings of God's Eternal Spirit to the Consolation and Peace of Souls who partake thereof And through the blessed Works of this blessed Spirit of God the deaf Ear comes to be opened to hear the voice of the one true powerful Shepherd who alone doth feed the Sheep of his Pasture with that convenient and wholesome Food the which causeth soundness of Heart and Mind and therein doth he take care to preserve and keep his Sheep in a living sense of his Love and Fatherly care who calls to his Sheep when the Lion the Woolf and the Bear appears and strengtheneth them who take pleasure in hearkening and obeying his voice So to the one Shepherd and one Fold Testimony is given unto whom all that are erred and strayed must return if ever they witness deliverance from evil and preservation from danger So we deny all false Shepherds whose works of darkness tend to the scattering people in their minds and understandings from the sense of God's Works in Christ in reconciling lost mankind and bringing them home unto himself the substance of all of which the Law outward was but a shadow of good things the which are enjoyed in this one Shepherd and Bishop who takes care and oversight of Souls magnified and praised be his holy and glorious works of Redemption for ever and ever And so to the Honour of this one blessed Physitian of Souls whose Works are certain and effectual the which has been tryed by many wounded Souls who could find no Cure without by the foolish and vain Physitians without who are meer Deceivers and Daubers up of people through their Inchantments and Sorceries by which they have made a long Prey of people through their fair Speeches getting their Money through meer Deceit and Flattery intruding into things they have no knowledge of in which Works they are puft up above the pure holy Works of God's blessed Spirit the Revelation of which they have denyed they in lew thereof have set up their own Imaginations and Conceivings in the Revelation of their Singular exalted Spirit the Flattery and Deceit of which having taken with people how are Nations corrupted by it and what Misery have these wicked Works brought into this Nation God having given signal Testimonies of dislike unto them by Plague Fire and Sword and by many Messengers whom he hath drawn near unto himself by his works by the hands of them Messengers hath he sent warning upon warning and exhortation upon exhortation with tenders of his blessed works of reconciliation upon just and equal terms of his enemies repenting and turning unto him by turning from their wickedness But what Entertainment these Servants of the Living God have found by these foolish Physitians who are meer Time-servers for their own ends whose refuge is an Arm of Flesh to defend their wicked corrupt works which have filled the Nations with their Defilements who by their Flatteries have drawn a Compliance from Magistrates to punish the Messengers and Servants of the most high God for telling the Truth from a certain knowledge of the works of God's Spirit of Truth and therein testifying against the works of error and darkness But the sufferings that have been for this love of God in and through them who have been Instruments in his hands may through search be known so Testimony is given against them who are in the exaltation of works without and denying the immediate blessed works of God's holy Spirit in its Operations and Revelations of the Mind and Will of God unto wounded Souls within And further concerning these blessed works of God's righteous holy Spirit the which are attended with Peace unto which way many have been turned and becanse some loiter and are sloathful and yet remain unconverted of the old man's corrupt words and deeds and therefore not fit to put on the new man Christ Jesus and some who were in the way do turn out of it again and some fall head-long down to Perdition Oh! what occasion have the watchers for evil taken at this and thereby set at nought God's works in his holy righteous Spirit and them that abide therein making conclusions in their dark imaginary conceivings of the works of God That he hath no such perfect works now adayes but that all are fallible and changeable And so measure and weigh the things of God in their corrupt false measure and ballance which things are Abomination in the sight of God So Testimony is given to God's blessed works though many are so brittle that they will not abide them yet notwithstanding God's works
come first to the way and means that God hath ordained And is not the second coming of Christ in the Light of his Holy Spirit the way by which all must come unto God the which is without spot without guile And must not all that come unto God come unto him in this one blessed savoury offering And is not this Christ of God the same yesterday to day and for ever as he was before Abraham was and so the same in the beginning of all things And must not all that come to God come out of Transgression the cause why mankind was drove from the presence of God And is not this Christ of God the way out of Transgression who was obedient and subject to the will of his Father in all things And must not they all that are saved be brought into this blessed Covenant of Life the end God's great love in his Son manifested to the World that through him they might not abide and perish in Darkness but through believing and obeying that second coming and appearance of the Light of him they might have the Light and Understanding of the Life of him the one blessed Offering that perfects for ever them that are sanctified And now all you blind Leaders of the blind under all your imaginary lifeless Confessions and Professions of God and Christ what strength of Arguments do you use in your perverse Wills and Affections to strengthen the old World of Transgression in sin and iniquity whereby you go about with all your might to make void the second Covenant which is without fault and so you shut up the way to God's Kingdom and the knowledge of his Righteousness by labouring and moiling in your vain service and works to establish your own Righteousness and dark works therein And by this fruitless labour and travel what darkness and blindness have you brought over the Nations through your ignorant Concâ—â—vings of those gracious words which were spoken by the effectual working and moving of God's holy Spirit in and through holy men the which was for a blessed end spoken even to turn people from the darkness which was over them by reason of their transgression unto the true witness in them the Light makes manifest all that is reprovable and wicked in mankind the which being turned from and the Light obeyed that they may be led to the knowledge of God that they may not be without God in the World whom to know is Life Eternal And so Light is sown for the Righteous that through this blessed Seed the Serpenâ—'s head may be bruised and kept under in all and so is way made to put on the Heavenly Image again by being led and guided out of Darkness by the Light of the Emanuel in and through every blessed and glorious degree of his works to the mark of that price the measure and stature of the fulness of Christ Jesus the Heavenly Man the Heavenly Image as many as are baptized into Christ put on Christ Now I say unto you blind Leaders of the blind who have got some few of the gracious words and works of the righteous mâ—n of God therefore I say but few of them because there is but little upon record of those mighty works which did then shew forth the wonderful power of God in and by the effectual workings of his holy blessed Spirit the which if all had been written the World could not have contained the Books and of that which was written you have but a part with which you blind Leaders of the blind have made a long Trade in Wresting Perverting and Corrupting to your own destruction making them look every way but the right in your imaginary Conceivings thereof So wrong you are in your Judgments who have denyed the effectual workings of God's holy Spirit that what in you lyes by your works of darkness you are making void God's holy Law and Covenant as to any true understanding or knowledge of it in the mind and heart And so building your selves up in Imaginations and Conceivings what strangers are you to God's holy work in and by the effectual working of his holy Spirit within man How bruitish are you in your understandings to stand and wonder and some to despise till they perish at the news of these works though God hath raised many faithful Witnesses who have declared and given Testimony to them even to the laying down their Lives and many their Liberties and in great measure their Estates whereby it hath plainly shewed that this is the time and season wherein God is making known his mighty power for the subduing and bringing under the power of darkness that the Kingdoms of this World may become the Kingdoms of God and that the Kingdom of his Son which is in Righteousness Peace and Joy of his blessed holy Spirit may be set over all And is not this according to that Prayer Thy Kingdom come thy Will be done on Earth c. Now consider are not all those wayes destructive to mankind that are made up in the dark Conceivings of man without the Light of understanding the will of God herein And by your works of darkness in opposing the blessed effectual works of God's holy Spirit what misery and consusion have you brought your selves and the Nations into where you lye in heaps in Controversies about the works and words without till the enemy's works of darkness be overgrown in you by which you are so droven from the presence of God and the Light of his Countenance that you are greatly confounded kicking and stumbling at the precious stone the which in your fleshly worldly wisdom you think too mean to be in your Buildings by reason of which how many fashions are your Building of reeling and staggering from one fashion to another soaring alost in your airy imaginations of the things of God in using your Wits and Arts to bend the holy men's Testimonies to your corrupt Wills and Affections And so much more as you strive in these works so much more you are and must be confounded What a sad work have you herein taken in hand and what vast Sums of Money have you exacted out of Nations to maintain the Pride and Arrogancy of your hearts herein Oh! that there were such a heart in people to sit down before the Lord that they may partake so much of his works as to open the Eye of their understandings that they see over these works of darkness where nothing is good nor pleasant to the truly hungering and thirsting Souls after God's Righteousness How miserably have these Nations been cheated by these blind Guides who have exacted abundance of Wages under pretence of being Healers and Curers of the Nations but are now found by the Effectual Workings of the Light of God's holy Spirit to be the chief Instruments of the letting in of Darkness Corruption and Abominations that raign on the Earth through that adulterated Spirit the Mother of all Harlots who are departed from
in and through his holy Spirit of Truth are righteous holy perfect in every degree and measure and remains firm in goodness and unchangeable there being no spot nor blemish in them the which praises them for ever out of which none shall ever find acceptance of him Mutter peep whine and scold as long as you will your works of darkness must down which have corrupted the Nations which is cause of the great Judgments past in this Nation and the greater yet to come For the Sword of the Spirit the Word of God is gone out against wicked workers and works and thus saith the Lord No Peace to the wicked their prayers are abomination in my sight So whatsoever your professions and coverings therein be of your talkings and imaginations concerning the gift of God which is Life Eternal you being really out of it in your own imaginary parts and gifts in comprehending the works done without you and so not sensible of any real perfect pure work of God's holy Spirit in you the which is the cause you are so dark and wickedly blinded to plead for sin the which is accompanied with the wages of death the cause of death being sin the which remaining the effects cannot cease even death and corruption from that venomous sting over all flesh that is corrupted with it So for shame leave your false Accusations against an innocent people called by the Name of Quakers for testifying of the works of God's holy Spirit the which are perfect in every degree and therefore there is not the least sin nor evil in them So all you who say You are not without sin in your best duties I say they are all works of your own which blind and hide God's works from you And as you may read of the works of God's Spirit in Mordicai how they could not bow to the Pride and Arrogance of Haman and also the works of God's Spirit in Daniel how they could not bow to them that would have restrained and limited them and also the works of Gods Spirit in Shadrach Meshech and Abednego how they could not bow to the Golden Image set up by Nebuchadnezar though Laws under Penalties of Death in a Cruel manner was before them and also the works of God's holy Spirit in the Primitive Christians through the strength of which they under-went hard and grievous things under the spirit of Antichrist which got up in a form of good words in the pleasures and vanities of the works of the fleshly wisdom the which have been kept up by the same wisdom by the Arm of flesh under which the Innocent people who are true witnesses of the works of God's Spirit have suffered very deeply in this Age the which cannot be hid though the cause for which they have thus suffered is so far hid that it cannot be believed though they have been wonderfully declared of But it is Mordecai Daniel Shadrach Meshâ—ch and Abednego's God which we who are in scorn called Quakers do worship in and by the effects and blessed Operation of his own blessed Spirit wherein stands our confidence and not in Flesh and our Faith Belief and Hope is in him that he will turn the Hearts of our enemies unto us though many will perish in their gain-saying So over all the works and powers of darkness in our Faith and Belief that the holy righteous works of God's blessed Spirit shall be exalted and the God of Truth in and through his blessed works in preparing and fitting the hearts of people the knowledge of him shall increase till it spread over all And for this purpose hath God raised many contrary to the wisdom of the World in whom he hath made known his Righteous Works who have unity and fellowship therein who are true labourers therein purely out of love to God and his blessed works in good-will and true-love to all men that all may taste of the goodness of God the experience of which will bring mankind to be of one mind and heart and therein to agree to praise and magnifie God who shows man his Thoughts to whom belongs honour and glory for ever And now all you Leaders of the People in all forms and fashions who are denying the works of the Divine Power of God in its blessed operation and powerful workings in setting free them who are heavy laden and weary through the enemies works of sin and iniquity the which you say cannot be overcome therefore you are denyers of the sufficiency of God's works and his kingdom wherein dwells righteousness peace and joy in and through effectual workings of God's holy Spirit the which though you say in words Thy Kingdom come thy Will be done c. But being sayers and not doers you are so darkened that with all your own wills and mights you are strengthening the old Kingdom of transgression where sin and iniquity aboundeth the Devil's works Was it not by reason of transgression that the first Law the first Covenant was added which was written in Tables of Stone And was not this in force till the Seed of Life and Power the coming of the Messiah to finish Transgression and to put an end to Sin and so bring in everlasting Righteousness God's Kingdom Now all you blind Leaders of the blind is not here God's second Covenant writ in the heart into which all must come that come unto God where his Light is to shine who is the True Light that enlightens every man that comes into the World And if this righteous Law be taken heed unto will it not judge Lust when it rises in the heart And will it not judge Anger when it rises in the heart And will it not judge every desire of breaking Promise when it arises in the heart And will it not judge every hasty and froward Action and Lightness when they appear in the heart And is not all that proceeds from this righteous Law and Covenant of God in the heart Pure Truth Yea and Nay And what is more then plain Truth Yea and Nay is it not judged by this pure Law in the heart And are not all fotbidden to Swear by this one Law-giver who is able to Save or to Destroy And must not his righteous Law and Decree take place though many Laws through darkness and Ignorance may be made against it And must not all that come to Sion the City of the Living God be redeemed through these righteous judgments And all that will not come under this righteous Law and Government where Mercy and Peace kisses and Truth and Righteousness is set over all is it not just that they be left to Judgment without Mercy So is not Destruction from Self-willing and running of people out of the counsel and knowledge of the will and mind of the living God And is not the Salvation of every Soul in and through the righteous Decrees and just and holy Laws of God which is Light in every Conscience And must not all come to Salvation