THE Fall of Man DECLARED AND The way declared in plainnesse and according unto Truth how faln Man and Woman may be restored into that pure innocent state and being that Adam was in before the fall AND A Warning from the Lord God of life and power in bowels of dear and tender love unto all the Rulers Priests and People that they hasten to Repentance who are spending their time without the fear of the Lord and nourishing their hearts as in a day of slaughter For the triumphing of the wicked is but short and the hope of the hypocrite but for a moment and though his excellency mount up to the heavens and his head reach the clouds yet shall he perish like his own dung and he shall vanish away like a night vision and they which saw him shall see him no more LONDON Printed for Thomas Simmons at the sign of the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate 1661. The Fall of Man Declared GOD who made the World and all things therein who formed the mountains and created the Winds who is a God at hand and not a God afar off who is near unto all that call upon him in Truth and Righteousnesse Oh all people Seek ye the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is near you he created Male and Female after his own Image and to do his will and to delight alone in him and to worship serve and obey him who gave man whom he created after his own image power and authority and set him over and above all the creatures which he by the word of his power created for the use and service of man I say the Lord God gave man so long as man continued in obedience unto him power and authority over all the fowls of the ayr and the fishes of the sea and the beasts of the field And the Lord God he planted a garden in Eden and he took man whom he had formed and put him into the Garden to dresse it and to keep it and commanded him saying Of every tree in the Garden thou mayst freely eat but of the tree of the knowledge of good evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die And the Lord God he said It is not good that the man should be alone I will make him a meet help for him and the Lord God made of the rib which he took from man a woman and brought her unto man and said Adam this is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh and she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man Now the Serpent being more subtile then any beast of the field which God had made saith he Yea hath God said of every tree in the Garden you may not eat of The Woman said unto the serpent We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the Garden but of the tree that is in the midst of the Garden God hath said ye shall not eat of it neither shall ye touch it least ye die Now the serpent being more subtile then any beast of the field although God had said in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die said the serpent unto the woman Ye shal not surely die for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil and when the woman saw that it was good for food and pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise she took of the fruit thereof and did eat and gave unto her husband with her and he did eat and immediately their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked and they gathered fig-leaves and sewed them together to make themselves aprons for to make a covering to hide them from the presence of the Lord mark that all ye people who are yet in the fall in the transgression driven out from the presence of the Lord into the earth that when man woman had disobeyed transgressed the command of the Lord God in eating of the the forbidden fruit that was of the tree of knowledge of good and evil which God commanded man whom he had created after his own image saying Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou mayest not eat for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die I say that when man and woman had disobeyed the Command of the Lord in eating of the forbidden fruit immediately their eyes were opened and they saw that they were naked and they sewed figg-leaves together for to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord And they heard the voyce of the Lord God walking in the Garden in the coole of the day they seeing their nakedness they hid themselves amongst the trees of the Garden from the presence of the Lord mark that all ye who are in the fall in the transgression and spending your dayes without the fear of the Lord and your precious time which the Lord God spares you for to see if you will return unto him in sports pleasures rioting and wickednesse turn in your minds into the light of the Son of God with which you are enlightned which checks and reproves you for sin and evil and makes manifest the evil of your doings and the thoughts and intents of your hearts unto you when there is no man present with you or can accuse of them yet is the Lord God present with you by his light which is his true and faithful witnesse which he hath placed in you which never consented unto sin and evil but is a witnesse for God against sin and evil I say then is the Lord present to reprove you and to condemn you for the evil of your doings I say turn in your minds into the Light of the Son of God with which you are inlightned and come and let us reason together a little Is there not in you after the height of your wickednesse is over and you come into a little calmnesse in the cool of the day a still low voice following of you and crying in you man or Woman Where art thou what is this which thou hast done Then by the light of Christ in thee with which thou art enlightned comes to see thou hast disobeyed the Command of the Lord God And that thou hast acted contrary unto his pure mind and will and unto his true and faithful witnesse in thee which is the light of the Son of God with which thou art enlightned So I say by that thou comes to see that thou art naked and then terrour and fear takes hold upon thee and then thou strives to get a covering to hide thy self from the presence of the Lord then in that state and condition as thou art striving to get some Fig-leaved Garment or some words as the enemy of thy souls peace that old serpent who was a lyar from the
beginning shall put into thee or raise up in thee to speak but this I tell ye all from the Lord God who are yet in the fall and in the transgression driven out from the presence of the Lord and without God in the World that all the coverings that you have made or ever shall make are too narrow and they cannot hide you neither can you be hid under them from the presence of the Lord God for from the Lord God you cannot hide nor from him you cannot flie but unto him you must give an account for the deeds and works done in the body whether they be good or whether they be evil And the woe of the Lord is unto all ye who are making false fained coverings to hide you from the Lord and from the eyes of men for woe saith the Lord unto the rebellious Children who take counsell and not of me and that cover with a covering but not with my Spirit And woe unto them that hide their sins for they shall not prosper And this I tell you again from the Lord that your coverings are too narrow and they cannot hide you neither are you hid under them from the Lord nor from the pure single Eie which the Lord God hath opened in hundreds of his dear Babes and Lambs who are counted by you the off-scouring of all things and people not fit to live upon the Earth and as sheep for the slaughter and are reproachfully and scornfully by you called Quakers So now all people as you tender the good of your own souls and have any desire to know the Lord God who created ye this is the counsel of the Lord God unto ye Oh! Turn in turn in your minds into the Light of the Son of God with which you are enlightned and waite ye in patience in it and hearken diligently unto the Voice of the Lord unto the Voice of the true Prophet Christ Jesus the Son of God the light of the World Who is the light that enlightneth every man that cometh into the World who must be heard in all things For said the servant of the Lord A Prophet will the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren like unto me him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you And it shall come to passe that every soul which will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from amongst the People So all people who are yet in the fall in the transgression driven out from the presence of the Lord into the Earth and without God in the World I say as you tender the good and welfare and happinesse of your immortal souls cease from man whose breath is in his nostrils who keeps you ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the Truth and give not way unto that spirit which hath led and acted you into sin and into transgression into lightnesse and ayrinesse but turn in your minds into the light of the Son of God and keep in your minds and wait ye in patience in it and hearken ye diligently unto the voice the true Prophet Christ Jesus the Light of the World who is the true Light that enlightneth every man that cometh into the World I say hearken ye diligently unto the voice of the true Prophet which is a still low voice which follows the Creature and when the Creature turns either unto the right hand or unto the left it saith this is the way walk in it Mark that all ye who are yet in the fall and in the transgression that is the voice of the true Prophet which cries in you for purity and holinesse and after the heighth of your wickednesse is over and you come into a little calmnesse then in the cool of the day it cries in you Man or Woman where art thou what is this that thou hast acted and done then you with the Light of the Son of God comes to see your nakednesse and then you strive to make coverings to hide your selves from the presence of the Lord and in this state and condition as I said before the wo of the Lord is unto you For wo saith the Lord unto the rebellious Children who take counsel and not of me and that cover with a covering but not with my Spirit And the Lord God called unto Adam and said where art thou sayes Adam unto God again I heard thy voice and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid my self so when Man whom God created after his own Image had disobeyed the command of the Lord who created him in eating of the forbidden fruit that is of the tree of knowledge of good and evil which God said in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye and immediately after Adam and Eve his wife had eaten of the forbidden fruit the Lord he opened their eyes and then they saw their nakednesse and they gathered fig-leaves and sewed them together to make them coverings and they strove to hide themselves amongst the trees of the garden from the presence of the Lord and said the Lord unto Adam who shewed thee thy nakednesse Hast thou eaten of the forbidden fruit which I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat of Then answered Adam unto the Lord the woman that thou gavest to be with me did give unto me and I did eat Then said the Lord unto the Woman What is this that thou hast done Then answered the Woman and said The Serpent did beguile me and I did eat Then said the Lord God unto the Serpent for this that thou hast done thou art cursed above all Cattle and above every Beast of the field upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shall be thy meat all the dayes of thy life And said the Lord God I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed and it shall bruise thy head that is the seed of the woman and thou shalt bruise her heel And so now all people who are yet in the fall and in the transgression in the earth driven out from the presence of the Lord unredeemed and without God in the world This I write unto you all in dear love and in bowels of tender love and as you prize the good of your own souls consider and lay it to heart how you have spent your time without the fear of the Lord God who created you to do his will and to serve and obey him so now I say unto you all come to a true and a serious consideration for what end and purpose God created you whether to do his will and to serve and obey him or to do your own wicked corrupt wills and to serve and obey your own hearts lusts unto the witnesse of God in all your Consciences do I speak which I know from the Lord God will answer and confesse that God created you to do his will and to serve and obey him Then this is the counsel of
tender love unto all your souls Oh! turn in turn in your minds into the light of the Son of God which is made manifest in you which light gives life unto the soul for he that hath the Son hath life but he that hath not the Son not life And so I have in plainnesse and according to truth and not contrary but according also unto the Scriptures of truth which are as a cloud of witnesses for me and for the truth which I have written declared the way how fallen men and women may be restored into that pure innocent state and being which Adam was in before the fall and the cause of his fall was through disobedience unto the Lord God So the God of Heaven raise up his own witnesse in you and open your understandings open that Eie in you which the God of this World hath blinded that so you may see the things which belongs unto your souls peace which is the desire of my soul the Lord God knoweth my heart and that you may partake of that living vertue which nourisheth our souls and to have fellowship with us for truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Christ Jesus the light who is the Author and Finisher of our Faith and he is the Anchor and Bishop of our souls who is God blessed for evermore Amen A Warning from the Lord God of life and power in bowels of dear and tender love unto all the Rulers Priests and People that they hasten to Repentance who are spending their time without the fear of the Lord and nourishing their hearts as in a day of slaughter REpent repent repent and return unto the Lord God of Heaven and Earth whose voice is terrible unto the Nations and all Nations are in his sight but as the drop of a bucket and as the small dust of the Earth Oh dread and fear ye the living God who rules in the Kingdomes of men who hath the hearts of all men in his hand and he can turn them whensoever he pleaseth Oh all ye tall Cedars and stout Oakes thus saith the Lord God that except ye speedily repent and return unto the Lord the Lord God will top you and he will lay you low and the Lord God will make you bend and bow before him and he will stain the pride and the glory of all flesh and will make all to know that all flesh is as grasse and the glory of man as the flower of the field for the grasse withereth and the flower fadeth away but the word of the Lord endureth for ever By which word except you speedily repent and return unto the Lord the Lord God will cut you off and then woe and misery will be your portion for ever Therefore I say unto you all who am a lover of all Souls as you tender the good wel-fare and happinesse of your immortal souls Return return unto the Lord and unto his light in your consciences which checks and reproves you for sin and evil and makes manifest the evil of your doings unto you when there is no outward eye sees you or can accuse you of them yet the al-seeing eye of the Lord God sees you and beholds you and he is present with his light which is his true and faithfull witnesse in you to condemn you for the evil of your doings which light in you never consented to sin or evil but stands a witnesse for God in you against sin and evill Therefore I say unto the light of Christ take heed as you prize the good of your own souls and put not the day of the Lord afar off any longer for to day saith the Lord if you will hear my voyce harden not your hearts Oh ye Stif-necked and Rebellious and Uncircumcised in hearts and ears ye do alwayes resist the holy Ghost as your fathers did so do ye Oh prize the light prize the day of the Lords Visitation of you for now he is visiting of you with his pure everlasting love and he waits to be gracious unto you and for your return Oh return return ye unto the Lord God and hearken to his reproof and go on no longer in rebellion nor stif-neckednesse against the Lord for if you do you will provoke the Lord against you to destroy you which is not the desire of the Lord if you will return unto him for saith the Lord I desire not the death of one sinner but rather that all should turn and live for saith he Oh house of Israel why wilt thou dye why wilt thou dye turn unto me and thy Soul shall live Oh people why will ye dye why will ye dye Oh return return unto the Lord and your souls shall live for he hath long waited and is yet waiting for your return for said the Lord Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem how oft would I have gathered thee as a hen gathereth her chickings under her wings but ye would not And all the day long saith the Lord have I stretched out mine hand unto a disobedient and a gain-saying people who would have none of my Councel neither regarded they my reproof but choose the things wherein I delighted not Therefore people as you tender the good of your own Souls return unto the Lord God while he waits for your return and while his hand is stretcht forth unto you For this I testifie unto you from the Lord God that the day of your visitation is near passed over your heads and the time is very near approaching that the spirit of the Lord God will leave striving with you for my spirit saith the Lord shall not alwaies strive with man Then woe and misery will be your portion for ever and a day of blackness a day of darknesse and a day of gloominesse you shall assuredly come to witnesse where you shall weep and howl for sorrow and vexation of spirit and then there shall be none to pitty you and this shall assuredly come upon you except you speedily repent and return unto the Lord for what I speak I speak infallibly and it shall stand for ever Therefore all ye Rulers Priests and people I warn you from the Lord God of life and power that you hasten to repentance and amendment of life knowing assuredly from the Lord that there is a woeful day approaching and is near at hand upon all the heads of the wicked and the ungodly and the Lord will make many open examples unto others except they speedily repent and return unto him for the month of the Lord hath spoken it Therefore I say as you price the good of your own souls provoke the Lord no longer against you but while ye have time prize it for the time present is all peoples time to make their peace with the Lord for the time past cannot be recalled again and the time to come is in the hands of the Lord and he can stop the breath in your nostrils and take it out of your bodies and then time