therefore am I out of the Tenderness of my Soul and in bowels of Compassion towards thee moved to warn thee and to advise thee in dear and tender Love to the oppressed Seed in thee which groans to be set at Liberty Now the Desire of my Heart is that thou shouldst awake out of death and come unto CHRIST the LIGHT that he may give thee Life and to cast off every weight and burden and the Sins that so eaâ—â—ly beset thee and that thou shouldst put off the Armour of darkness and put on the Armour of light for assuredly there is nothing that makes a Separation between thee and thy God but Sin but now herein stands the wonderful Love of God towards the fallen Sons and Daughters of Men who were dead in Sins and Trespasses and altogether in Darkness without any Means or Hope of Recovery in themselves now the Lord beholding poor distressed man in this State whereinto the Prince of Darkness hath captivated him out of the Tenderness of his Compassion unto the poor distressed Sons and Daughters of men he gave his only begotten Son into the World for a Light and to every man and woman which is born upon the Face of the whole Earth hath the Lord in mercy given a measure of this true Light which hath enlightned every one which cometh into the World in which Light standeth the Power of God and in this Light man comes to see his Sins and to see the Deceit of his own Heart which otherwise he could not have seen and though thou art unacquainted with it yet that is it that lets thee see the actings of the Prince of Darkness in thee for if he plotteth in thee any mischievous Intents whereby to destroy any man's Person or Estate and so endeavours to make thee an Instrument whereby he may do it secretly in the dark and although no Eye of man can see thee nor see his secret acting in thee yet this Light will follow thee and discover his subtil Delusions unto thee and make him many times appear odious unto thee and calls thee and invites thee from following of him and many times brings Fearfulness and Dread upon thee for thy wicked Actions now this is that that would redeem thee out of Sin which saves all them that believe in and follow the Son of God the true Light of the World out of Sin and Death which is the Wages thereof Now it is but vain for thee or any other to call Christ thy Redeemer and thy Saviour and to say that thou hopest to be saved by Christ after thy Death because he was crucified at Jerusalem sixteen Hundred years ago and yet thou livest in Sin and Wickedness in Pride and Vain-Glory of this world which passeth away as a Vapour of the Night afore the Morning Sun but for all this let me tell thee plainly without Deceit nevertheless for all thy high Conceits of thy self and for all thy vain Hopes and thy feigned Faith thy Hope is the Hope of the Hypocrite which will perish in the time of Trial and thy feigned Faith cannot give thee victory over the world therefore if ever thou comest to witness Redemption to thy Soul thou must witness Christ's Death to kill Sin in thy mortal Body and thou must witness his Resurrection in thee And as for his Sufferings at Jerusalem I own according to the Declaration of the Scriptures but thou must witness him nearer to thee then at Jerusalem if ever thou witness him to be thy Redeemer and the Salvation of thy Soul Now let me reason with thee a little in Coolness and Moderation if Christ be thy Redeemer what is it that he hath redeemed thee out of seeing thou yet livest in Sin and in the Polutions of the World And if he be thy Saviour what hath he saved thee from seeing thou art yet in Bondage to Sin and Iniquity Therefore the sting of death is not yet taken away while Sin remains so thou canst not call him thy Redeemer in Truth and Righteousness unless thou couldst witness him to have redeemed thee out of sin and transgression and thou dost but deceive thy self to call him thy Saviour unless that thou couldst witness that he did save thee out of temptations when they arise in thee from thy own Lusts and so from Sin which they bring forth and from Death which is the Wages thereof Now as the first Nature hath reigned which is of the Earth earthly in all mankind which is the first Adam over whom Sin came to have the Dominion whereby Death came to reign over all Mankind in that nature so now as the Children of men come to be begotten into Christ the Second Adam and so born of the new Birth of Righteousness they come to know what the Immortal Seed is whereunto the Promises are Yea and Amen and come to witness Christ to be the Redeemer and Saviour in Deed and in Truth and that his Cross in them is the Power of God unto Salvation and they see as they abide faithful in that which crosses their own fleshly wills therein they come to see the power of God and as they stand stedfastly faithful in it they come to see the Power of Light in them which is far stronger then the Powers of Darkness for they come to see Victory in it over the Devil all his subtil Delusions and over the Flesh and all its Lusts and over the World and all the Vanities thereof and as they abide in this Power which is CHRIST the Light of the World and the Power of God unto Salvation and as they follow him faithfully through all Sufferings and all the Hatred and Malice which arises against them in the Children of Darkness they will come to see him to trample down all his Enemies in them and make them his Footstool but as any man or woman goes out of the Cross wherein standeth God's Power and let their own wills rule in them then they go into the Power of the Prince of the Air which ruleth in the Children of Disobedience whose Dominion wholely standeth in man's corrupt and carnal will and then he leads them captive at his own Pleasure and so as they stand in his Dominion Sin comes to have Power over such in all his Motions and then comes in Complainings and Murmurings against the Lord who made them and so they come to cry out for want of Power and because they cannot have power and victory over Sin in their own wills and in their own time which is the very Ground wherein the Power of Sin standeth then when they see they cannot have Power over Sin there which is impossible for any to attain to unless they come out of the Power of their own will into that Power which crosseth it then they come to plead for Sin in themselves then they not having Power over it there they inform all others that they can never have Power over Sin nor be set free from
it whilest they remain in this earthly Tabernacle and then if the Lord raise up any to witness that he hath redeemed them from under the Power of Sin and so by his Power in them which is a Cross to the carnal will of man freed them from the Power of sin and Death then cry out those that live in all manner of sin and polutions these are Deluders take heed of being deceived when alas there is nothing reigning in them that they can be deceived of but sin and wickedness and so they cannot bear the hearing that they should be free from sin until the Lord cut off them and their sins together but they never consider that as the Tree falleth so it lieth and as Death leaves them so assuredly shall Judgment find them for in the Grave there is no Repentance neither can any unclean thing enter into God's Kingdom which consists of Purity Holiness and Righteousness Now the scriptures they declare that God is Light and if we walk in the Light and aâ—ide in the Light as he is in the Light then we have Fellowship one with another and the Blood of Chrâ—st cleanseth us from all Sin Now if thou comest into this LIGHT this will let thee see that there is something in thee that doth check reprove and cross thy own natural will and this is the Power of God in thee and would be unto Salvation if thou wouldst but obey it for it will crucifie thy old Nature and stand a Cross over thy own will and so keep it down that it might not rule in thee and so thy Soul will come to stand in the Power which is above the Power of sin and so come to be saved out of sin and out of Death which is the sting thereof And so as thou comest into the Light and therein standest with an Upright Heart the Light will make sin and the Power thereof manifest unto thee in all its Motions and will crucifie all that is of the first Nature and all that which ariseth from thy self and will judge out that Power daily which hath moved in thee and hath carried thee forth at all times to act contrary to the Mind and Will of God and hath caused thee to oppress the Seed which God hath placed in thee and so SION with the pure Seed of God in thee cometh to be redeemed through Judgment and her Converts come to bring forth a righteous Life and Conversation Now thou that readest understand The Life is more then Meat and the Body is more then Rayment and the pure Life is more then Knowledge for old Adam or the first Nature may eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and so by thâ—t may come to talk much of the Truth and what the Saints enjoyed in former Ages but cannot come into the Life thereof for he is driven out from the tree of Life into the earthly Imaginations without him and the ANGEL of the Lord with his flaming Sword even the Righteous Law is placed to keep the Way of the Tree of Life lest he put forth his Hand and take of the Fruit there of and eat and so live forever Now the first Nature is not to live forever but for an appointed time for that is the first Adam and his Life which standeth in sin and he hath transgressed the Righteous Law of God and so hath sinned and that Soul that sinneth must dye the Death and so death cometh to reign over all Mankind from Adam till Moses from the first Nature till the Seed of God in the creature moveth under the burden of Iniquity whereby it hath been pressed down as a Cart is pressed with sheaves and comes to stir up the Creature and draws him into some Consideration and brings him to understand his Condition that he is even a Captive under sin in the Land of Darkness even in spiritual Egypt and under many Lusts which are as so many hard Task-masters to him and that he is but a stranger and a sojourner there and that the Lord hath promised him a land of rest and freedom but he knows not how to find it out until the Lord God shall raise up the great Prophet like unto Moses to lead him out of this Land of Darkness through the red Sea by his LIGHT or PILLAR of Fire which Light is Darkness unto the Egyptians even in their Day which Pillar of Fire is to guide the Creature through the long desert Wilderness into the land of rest and Moses is till the Prophets and the Prophets they declare that there shall a REDEEMER come out of Zion or the Seed of God within who shall reign in Peace and Righteousness over his own House which shall be raised up for he will make them a willing People and he will turn unto them the pure Language and they shall all call upon the Name of the Lord with one Consent and he will bring back again their Captivity and settle them in perfect Peace so that they may every man sit under his own Vine and under his own Fig-Tree and none shall make them afraid And the Prophets they are till John who is as the Voice of one crying in the Wilderness now the VOICE said Cry the Prophet answered what shall I cry That all Flesh is Grass and the Clory of man as the Flowers of the Field therefore prepare the Way of the Lord and make streight the crooked Paths and let the high lofty Mountains of Man's proud Will be laid low and let every Valley and low despised Place be raised that so the ransomed of the Lord may pass and John he baptizeth to Repentance and bringeth the Creature into a Sorrow and a Trouble because it cannot bring forth Fruit worthy of Repentance and he declares that he is not the Messias that is to come after him which is to be preferred before him whose Shoe-latchet he was not worthy to unloose but that he is sent to bear his Testimony of him and John he is till Christ and when he comes which is the true Messias and the true Redeemer of the promised Seed of Israel after the Spirit who is the second Adam and the true Prophet like unto Moses whom the Lord hath promised since the Dayes of old even this is he that shall come out of Sion and shall bring Deliverance unto that Seed in all the Sons and Daughters of Men that hath long groaned and that which Sion hath long travailed with and been in Pain to be delivered from under the Burden of Oppression and he will crucifie the old Nature even the first Adam who hath been the Oppressor and nail him to the Cross and so by the Cross to him â—nd to his corrupt Will will mortifie or kill his Deeds even by the Power of the Spirit which Power standeth in that which crosses the old Nature now the first Adam's Life that standeth in Sin and in Transgression and in Deceit and Guile which are all
the Fruits of Death whereon he feeds and is in some sort satisfied for he dares not approach unto the Tree of Life because the Angel of the Lord's Presence standeth with the flaming sword ready lifted up even the righteous Law which still layes hold on him when at any time he approaches near unto the Tree of Life this cuts him down so that he at all Times remains in Death and feeds upon the Fruits thereof this is the true State and Condition of the first Adam who hath lost himself and is fallen from God his Maker But now the second Adam whom the Lord is creating and whom he hath created even after his own Image in Righteousness and true Holiness who was and is the first born among many Brethren even Christ the Son of the living God who puts an End to Transgression and destroyes Sin and sayes O Death I will be thy Death and fulfills the Royal Law in all things and passeth through the flaming sword for the Fire cannot touch him but he has free Access to the Tree of Life and feeds plentifully upon the Fruit thereof and so lives forever and nothing will satisfie him but the very Life it self And this is the true Condition of the second Adam who is the true Heir of all things Now he that comes to have this Babe begotten in him that which hath begot him will bring him forth for shall I bring to the Birth and not bring forth saith the Lord now he that comes to be born of this Birth and to have his Life to stand in this he shall with this come to eat of the Tree of Life for this is he that shall enter in at the streight Gate into the City whose Builder is God Therefore if thou feelest any thing in thee which stirs and moves in thee against sin and against the very Appearance of Evil there lies the seed out of which this Babe is formed and therefore as it is as yet but weak as in Appearance to thee thou oughtest to be tender over it even more tender then the Mother that is newly conceived is over the tender Fruit of her Womb and beware of bruising of it and of smothering of it for a small thing will offend it and choak it but as thou art tender over it and with Carefulness dost cherish it and come to take Delight in it thou wilt find it to grow daily and encrease in thee from strength to strength but thou must beware that thou dost not at any time lay any Burden upon it whereby it may be offended for if thou dost thou wilt come into Condemnation for the same and thou wilt come to suffer Loss in thy self which Loss will not easily be regained for thou wilt find Deadness and Barrenness to arise up in thee and the Dread and Terror of the Lord will take hold daily upon thee until the Lord hath executed his Vengeance upon that which hath oppressed his seed for thou must assuredly come to know a day of Vengeance in thee to light upon the Head of the Transgressor and a Night of sâ—rrow before thou canst know the day of Joy and Gladness Therefore if thou wilt give up freely to let the Seed of God go free to serve the Lord its God in Truth and Righteousness and wait in Patience to see the Oppressor judged and condemned in thee and to see the Vengeance of the Lord to be laid upon the Head of the Transgressor and so to become one with that which judgeth and executes the fierce Wrath and Indignation of the Lord upon that which oppresseth the righteous Seed in thee Now if thou become one with the Lord in this and give up thy self willingly in Obedience to him then a short Work will the Lord make in the Earth and thou shalt come to see him whom thy Soul loveth who now doth but spring up in thee as a Lilly among Thorns but when he comes to be brought forth he will be the fairest amongst ten thousand and this is Christ in thee the Hope of Glory and thou wilt come to live in him and he in thee and so thou wilt come to live in the Life that was before Sin was and before Transgression was and shall be when Sin and Transgression is destroyed and shall be no more and then thou wilt come to witness old things to be done away and all things to become new a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness and thou wilt come to witness God's Will to be done in thy Body of Earth as it is in Heaven and his Kingdom in thee to be come and established and his Power made known in thee to the destroying of the Power of Sin and Satan and his Glory to be made known in thee to the setting forth of his eternal Praise in the midst of all his Enemies and this is declared by many who are faithful Witnesses of it according to the Measure which the Lord hath freely been pleased to give and bestow upon them and this do they witness to be an eternal Truth according as the Spirit of the Lord God of Truth hath revealed it unto them for they never received from Man neither by Man but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ who leads into the Path of Light and Life all that are willing and obedient to follow him now these things are deep and hidden Mysteries to them that yet remain in Darkness but if thou canst but read the Scriptures singly without adding thereunto thy own or any other Mans Imaginations they testifie of him that hath the Life in him and they declare how the two Births have been brought forth in all Ages which Births came from the two Seeds even the Seed of the Promise and the Seed of the Serpent and between these two Seeds there is an everlasting Enmity placed so that they can never be reconciled one to the other but still arise one to destroy the other but at last the Seed of the Woman must and will get the Victory for that must come to bruise the Seed of the Serpent's head although the other bruise his Heel for a short Space now see the Seed of the Serpent brought forth by the first Birth in Cain how the Enmity comes to work in him so that he came as it were to murder Abel the second Birth which was brought forth of the Seed of the Promise and wherefore was it but because the Sacrifice that was offered up by the promised Seed was accepted and his the Seed of the Serpent was not therefore Cain the first Birth who as in Reference to his outward Birth after the Flesh was therein his Brother but yet he being ruled by the contray Seed to Abel the Enmity caused him to rise up and to murder innocent Abel and then he became a Fugitive and a Vagabond upon Earth all his Dayes not having an Habitation in God although he builded a City and call'd it by his Son's Name so here