all to this day that he may set your Sins in order before you and bring all to your Remembrance whatsoever you have done from your Youth unwards as he did to this Woman O therefore you that have any tenderness for your own Souls prize your time and the day of Gods Love to your Immortal Souls lest the Midnight Cry overtake you at unawares in the Night of Apostacy before you come to own and submit to the Ministration of Condemnation against Sin which is glorious in its time here is the strait and narrow way that is hard to that Birth that lives in Sin therefore this is the strait way that Christ spoke of that all must walk in that come to know the Ministration of Justification in the sight of God which is far more glorious in its time those who thus come to receive and submit to Gods Visitation the way that was once strait and narrow doth become a Path of Pleasantness to them and all his ways peace to that Birth which Christ spoke of to Nicodemus which is of his own nature and he that is begotten and brought forth in his Heavenly Divine Nature as the Scripture saith in 1 John 3. 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit Sin for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot Sin because he is born of God So there is not a good Thought nor a good Desire but what is of the Lords begetting in us and he that begets these good desires in us is able to fulfil the desires of them that fear him according to his promise in the Holy Scriptures of Truth and those he makes able rather to chuse as Moses did to suffer Affliction with the People of God then to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin which is but for a Season O therefore you Priests and People of all sorts that are pleading for Sin term of Life search the Scriptures for they are they that testifie against you in all your Ungodly Actions for you are not only under the Condemnation of the Law of Moses but also Transgressors of the Law of Grace that do live and act in Sin in Persecuting your honest Neighbours who for Conscience sake cannot bow to the wills of Men in things relating to Gods Worship for the Law of Moses was added because of Transgression for before Sin entred there was no need of an outward Law to punish for Sin but to keep to the Law of the Spirit of Truth within in which state Man would have been happy had he kept therein for Christ is the Resurrection and the Life that was promised after the Fall of Adam and Eve that should redeem fallen Man out of that Estate into the Restoration and Image of God again Therefore you that are pleading to be saved by Christs Death and Sufferings and yet keep in the Image of the Earthly and are not come to suffer with Christ to be buried with him in Baptism that you may know the Resurrection of his Life to raise up your Souls that are dead in Trespasses and Sins that you may put off the Old Man with his Deeds and so come to bear the Image of the Heavenly and so live in newness of Life you are but deceiving your own Souls for the end of Christs comeing was To Redeem his People out of Sin and not to save them in their Sins for as Christ said If you Dye in your Sins whither I go you cannot come for he is of purer Eyes then to behold Iniquity as to let it go unreproved or to dwell with Uncleanness therefore as the Prophet said He was a Man of Sorrow and acquainted with Grief in that prepared Body of which it was said He went about doing good and healing all manner of Diseases for them that did believe in him but where unbelief was he did not many mighty works there for there is nothing unpossible to those that do believe in his Name O! therefore fear and tremble ye Inhabitants of the Earth and wait to know the Iudgments of the Lord to be set up in you that you may learn Righteousness through them for the unlimitted Power of the Lord is going through this Nation and it is in vain for mortal Men whose Breath is in their Nostrils to set themselves in battle array against the Lamb and his Followers for the Lamb and his Followers shall have the Victory for he is that great Prophet which Moses Prophesied of That should be raised up like unto him and said Him shall ye hear in all things and those that will not hear this Prophet shall be cut off from among the People For the mighty Power of the Lord is going through this Nation and the day that is at hand will burn as an Oven against all the Proud and all that do wickedly for they shall be as Stubble before Devouring Fire For the best of them is as a Bryar and the most Upright as a Thorn Hedge therefore the day will be very terrible in breaking down the Pleasant Pictures and Guilded Cup of vain Religion that have been held out to deceive the Nations full of Abominations And against you Priests and Teachers also that are not come so far as the Pharisaical Righteousness to make the outside clean for there is a fire kindled in the Wrath of God which will burn in his sore Displeasure against all you that are covering your selves with a covering but not of Gods Eternal Spirit for all other coverings will be too narrow and the Bed too short to stretch your selves on for there is a Cloud of Witnesses against you the Law the Prophets Christ and his Apostles your Persecution exceeds Sauls which was a Man that walked as to the Law blameless and he Persecuted in Zeal for the Law which Moses received from the Mouth of God and was Ignorant that Christ was come who was the end of the Law for Righteousness sake to as many as did believe in his Name and so his Zeal was for the Law and the Temple where Gods Holiness once appeared so the Lord smote him down in mercy that he might pass thorough the Ministration of Condemnation which is glorious in its time and be raised up in the Administration of Iustification which came by Iesus Christ which is far more glorious For the Law came by Moses but Grace and Truth by Jesus Christ and if they escaped not that refused him that spake on Earth of how much sorer Punishment shall they be thought worthy that refuseth him that speaketh from Heaven whose Grace hath appeared unto all Men to bring Pardon for Sin to them that do obey it and to teach them to deny all Ungodliness and Wordly Lusts and to live a Righteous Godly Life in this present Evil World And so such come to witness that Christ did not come to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfil all Righteousness within and to cut down Sin in the motion by the true Circumcision within and then such
comes to witness the Apostles words who said That neither Circumcision which was outward nor Uncircumcision availeth any thing but a new Creature But Ah! you Priests Rulers and Persecutors that are risen up against the People of God in these times how have you appeared against the Law and the Gospel and by your Fruits you are known to be those that Christ spoke of to his Disciples who said By their Fruits ye shall know them and he also bid them that had the Everlasting Gospel to Preach As they had freely received freely give but wherein hath your Love appeared to God or to your Neighbours To Love the Lord your God with all your Hearts and with all your Souls and your Neighbours as your selves On which two great Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets which must be fulfilled in the Royal Law of Christ within but you have rather appeared like them that came forth out of the City Desireing Christ to depart out of their Coast for the loss of a few Swine notwithstanding the great Miracle which he did for their Neighbour in casting out Legions of Devils that did torment him and he sate by Jesus cloathed and in his right mind O! therefore blush and be ashamed you that pretend the Scripture is your only Rule and live so contrary to it for have you not appeared worse then those who prayed Christ to depart out from their Coast to save their outward Substance and would have none of the Knowledge of his ways for you have rejected and despised Christ in his appearance who hath waited long to be gracious to your Souls though he hath knocked so long at the door of your Hearts till his Locks have been wet with the Dew of the Night and yet you still refuse him and the knowledge of his ways and had rather entertain your Legion of Unclean Thoughts and Ungodly Deeds and have also said That there is no living without Sin on this side the Grave and so have made a Covenant with Hell and Death which must be broken if ever you come to know the travail of your Souls as David did when he cryed under the sence of Gods Iudgments for Sin That he would give no sleep to his Eyes nor slumber to his Eye-lids till he had found a Habitation for the God of Iacob to dwell in for he must have the whole Heart where he takes up his abode and no room left for Uncleanness O therefore search and see whether you be not worse then they that desired Christ to depart from them to save self that will give no room for Christ in your own Hearts to reign there nor no room for his Subjects that are under the reign of his Power though we would eat our own Bread and wear our own Apparel but you are taking away our outward Substance which the Lord hath blest us with to nourish us and our Familys and taking of us to Prison and then come to disturb us in the Prison for no other cause but for meeting together in the Name of Jesus to worship the Father and the Son in the Spirit and in the Truth and for this cause are we put into Prison and for the same cause are we still sufferers in the Prison for several times was I pulled out of the Meeting while I was a Prisoner at Bridewel and kept from the rest of my Friends till the Meeting was done for no other cause but being at Prayer to the Living God before the now Sheriffs came into their places and since they have come in they have also bent their Bow against the Righteous and gone from Prison to Prison to disturb us in our Spiritual Worship in the Prison and gave the Keepers Orders That we should not be suffered to come together to Preach and Pray And according to their Orders were we Lockt asunder But blessed be the Name of the Lord our Teacher cannot be removed into a Corner and therefore they cannot seperate us from his Presence which is life to our Souls if they put us one by one into a stinking Dungeon there will our God hear our Prayers and send the Angel of his Presence down amongst us to sweeten our Souls with the sweet Oyntment of his love as blessed be his Name he did at that time amongst us and in the sense of his living Presence and Power my Heart and Mouth was opened to Praise the Lord for his Goodness and Mercy to our Souls and in Prayer That he might preserve us in the living sence of the same to the end of our days that so we might receive the end of our Hope and Faith even the Salvation of our Souls and in the mean time came in Sheriff Arnold with others in his Company who took me off my Knees from Prayer and sent me away by his man to Newgate and he and the rest followed after to disturb Friends here and when they came in they were very fierce to thrust in through Friends that sate in the outward roomes that they might come to the innermost room in the Prison to see if they could find any Preaching or Praying but Friends being sitting in silence they could hear no Words till after they came in a Friend spake to them To Fear the Lord because his Name is Great and for these words or such like was he commanded to be taken away out of his lodging room from the rest of Friends and put him down into a dark Room called the West-house they commanded that I should be put from the rest of Friends also and not be suffered to meet with them so I told them They were but Mortal Men and that the Sword of Mortality hanged over their Heads which was near ready to cut them down and therefore my desire to them was to Repent So the Turn-key took me down into a place called Paules and put me into a dark hole and Thomas Lugg an Informer and now a Constable one of the company that came along with the Sheriff followed after and spoke of Chaining of me that I should have neither Bread nor Water and the next Meeting day being lockt and kept one from another in several Roomes I being at Prayer the Goaler and his Man came where I was and took me off my Knees and would not suffer me to stay with the rest of my Friends that lodged in the same dark Room it being a place where Felloners use to lodge and would not suffer one Friend to go along with me but put me among the Felloners and Debtors where I was Derided and shamefully Intreated and Water thrown on me for no other cause but Praying to the Living God and ever since I am not suffered to stay in the Room with my Friends on our Meeting days but in a little time taken forth and put from the rest of my Friends though Drunkards and Swearers are suffered frequently to meet and make themselves drunk without being used after the manner
that we are used What is above written is not written boastingly or to exalt self but that all may know our Innocency and the true cause wherefore and by whom we suffer and it is great pitty that Men Professing Religion should bring forth no better Fruites which is no way inducing to any sober People who have any regard to Gods Honour or the good of their own Souls to come to be of their Religion the thing that they in words so much press for And blessed be the Name of the Lord we have no cause to complain that our sufferings are too hard for the Testimony of Jesus who suffered Death for us neither have we any thing to glory in but in the Lord Jesus that is giving us strength in weakness for of our selves we have nothing to glory in but our Infirmities but glory be to his Name for Evermore that is redeeming of us out of Imperfection and making our Hearts sound in his Statutes who works in us both to will and to do of his own good Pleasure and so let his own works live to praise him saith my Soul forever and for evermore for it is by Grace we stand and not by any works of ours but that Faith that doth not bring forth good works is a dead Faith and is not the Faith which the Iust lives by which stands in the Power of God Oh! therefore consider before it be too late ye Rulers and Teachers of the People what Fruites there are brought forth in this Nation that Preaching and Praying to the Living God is become a Crime in this Nation and hasten to put a stop to this great Current of Wickedness that is running down the Streets like a mighty Stream for the Determination of Israels God is to Humble this Nation and to thinn the Land of Evil-doers and those that will not bring their works before death to Iudgment the Lord will send forth his Destroying Angel to cut them down by Mortality for as sure as he did send forth his Angel in Jerusalem to mark all that Mourn Sigh for the Abominations of the times so is the Angel of his Presence sent forth this day to mark all the Upright Heatted that our Souls may rest in the day of Trouble that is coming upon the Wicked that will not come to see Sin to be exceeding Sinful and so come to cry out under the Body of Sin and Death as the Apostle once did in the sense of his wretchedness till he came to witness Victory through Christ Iesus his Lord and a resting place in him for his Soul for as to an outward Callamity the Lord may suffer the Righteous to pertake with the Wicked the Miraculous Works of God in this day are inward an Inward Change and a through Translation out of the Kingdom of Satan into the Kingdom of the Lord Iesus Christ within for the King of Heaven suffereth Violence in and until the Violent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it by force O! you that are gazing after Christ and his Miracles in the outward Observations like unto the Wise Professing Jews notwithstanding they had seen many Miracles that Iesus had done yet nothing would serve them but their own Wills Without he would come down from the Cross they would not believe in him and many Miracles have been wrought by Christ in this day not only among the mean ones but also some among the great and mighty of the Earth that have believed on him and have parted with their Legions of Unclean Thoughts and Actions to entertain Christ and when this through Change hath been made your Visible Eyes have beheld that they have lived in Newness of Life outwardly also and yet you will not understand that Scripture John 14. 12. where Christ said Verily Verily I say unto you he that believeth on me the werkes that I do shall he do also and greater worke then these shall he do because I go unto my Father And what greater workes can be done in the sight of the Visible Eye then was done by him in that prepared Body which suffered without the Gates of Jerusalem for as many as did believe in his Name and seek him in Brokenness of Heart as Mary Magdalen did out of whom he cast seaven Devils when she sought him at the Sepulchre if she could see his Body but he was risen out of the sight of all Visibles for though she had seen that Body but three days before yet her Visible Eyes could not discern the Lords Body but thought it had been the Gardiner which indeed he is the true Gardiner which pulls up every Plant and Weed in his People which is not of his own Right Hands Planting that their Sacrifice may be Pleasant and Sweet in his sight but he saw the Integrity of her Heart that she was sick of Love after him and therefore in his tender Bowels of Mercy and tender Compassion he could not refrain himself any longer but made himself known unto her and said Woman why weepest thou whom seekest thou and when she asked for her Lord in the Resurrection of Life and Power he appeared unto her and indued her with Wisdom and Power and sent her to Preach the Resurrection to his Disciples for if Christ send us in a Message whether the Words be few or many it is Preaching the Everlasting Gospel whether it be Male or Female they are all one in Christ for as the Woman fell first into the Transgression so in the Restoration Christ first appeared unto her and sent her to declare unto the Men that he was risen and afterwards he appeared unto the two Men as they were walking on the way and their Hearts burned within them while he was opening the Scriptures to them but their Visible Eyes could not discern the Lords Body that was risien out of the sight of all Visibles though they knew him a little before until he made himself known in breaking of Bread with them And he is the Resurrection and the Life at this day that opens the understandings of his People whereby they understand the Scriptures of Truth and causes the dead to hear his Voice and live Oh! therefore my counsel is unto you both Professor and Prophane that you do not trifle away your pretious time to sit under the Ministry of the Idol Shepherds this day which do feed you with a Form of Words without the Power for the Book is Sealed to the Learned and Unlearned till the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah open the Book and unloose the Seals Oh! therefore hearken no more to the corrupt teachings of Men who have gotten the words of the Prophets Christ and his Apostles but are ignorant of the Power that preserves from Sin and speaketh saying Thus saith the Lord whereas the Lord hath not spoken unto them therefore they do not profit the People at all for they have nothing to do to take the Name of the Lord in their Mouths who do hate to be reformed