THE True Light Discovered to all who desire to Walk in the Day In several little TREATISES Written by that faithful Member of the true Church of Christ Jesus lately deceased STEPHEN SMITH Then spake Jesus again unto them saying I am the Light of the World he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the Light of Life John 8.12 LONDON Printed in the Year 1679. To the Friends of Truth in the Counties of Surrey Sussex and Hampshire Friends HOw greatly hath the Lord appeared in this day in raising up many Instruments to sound forth his glorious Truth yet many are not sensible of it nor of the great Work he is a doing who is a setting up his Spiritual Kingdom and is establishing Righteousness in the Earth and all those that oppose this Work shall in â—im be ashamed and the Lord will go on with his Work who is come to restore Man into the primitive purity he was first created in Man that hath been drove from him into the Earth by reason of Transgressions and been a Servant to sin and under the power of Satan and been ignorant of the Life of God and of the sweet refreshments of his living presence not knowing the motions and leadings of the Father neither hath his ear been open to hear the voice of God but hath been without any sensible feeling of the Life and Power of God and had no savour of the things of God In this condition is Man that is drove from God in the Fall But now is the Lord come to restore him again by his beloved Son Christ Jesus who redeems Man again from his lost estate and brings him out of the Earth and out of all such things which had separated him from God to delight in the Lord his Maker again and from being a Servant of sin to be a Servant of God and of Righteousness and Holiness and to bring him again into Innocency in which he was first created And this hath been the Work of the second Adam the Lord from Heaven in all that did receive him and it is his Work at this day The Father of Mercy and great Compassion he hath considered Mankind who had corrupted his way and he sent his Messengers to foretell the coming of the acceptable day of the Lord and the day of Salvation of God who invited all the hungry and thirsty to come and drink at the Fountain of Life And this was the free Love of God to help Man out of the Pit wherein there was no Water and to offer him the Wells of Salvation to drink at that so he might be washed from sin and from pollution into which he was fallen and could see no deliverer till the Lord was pleased to open a door of Hope and to set him free by his Son Christ Jesus and to save that which was lost and to bring Peace and Salvation whose power is indeed as able to cleanse from sin as ever the Devils was to defile and corrupt This is true and witnessed by some though many cannot believe that ever any can be free from sin in this life Now he that is in the first birth and sees no further but is overcome with sin daily and his mind is earthly and corrupt and has never known the power of God to work in him the New birth and a change from his sinful Estate he judges he can be no otherwise while he is here and so is like a blind man who though the Sun shines because he cannot see it he will not believe that it shines or that others see it But this must not make the Faith of some void who have known the second Adam to be a quickning Spirit and have found him able to save to the utmost all that come unto God by him and the bloud of Christ is to them of full effect and they witness him to be a perfect Saviour and indeed for this end was Christ given of the Father and for this end came he into the World and was made manifest to destroy the works of the Devil and to save his People from their sins and until Christ hath brought Man out of the Transgression he hath fallen into he hath not finished the Work that the Father hath given him to do for as sin hath reigned unto death so must Righteousness reign unto Life Eternal and as through the power of Lust man hath been defiled throughout in Body Soul and Spirit so by the power of Christ is man to be sanctified throughout in Body Soul and Spirit and being once cleansed by his power to be saved from those sins which formerly have defiled him and by this Man doth witness the Restoration by Christ and the renewing by the Holy Ghost into the Image of God again which he had lost whilst in the Transgression and so Man comes again into unity with God and to know his voice his motions and the leadings of his Holy Spirit which while he was in darkness and served sin he was wholly ignorant of This makes Man fruitful again unto God who before was as a barren Wilderness and whereas he was before filled with Darkness he now comes to be filled with Light and Life and now he hath Visions and Revelations of Heavenly things before he was crying There was no Revelation nor Vision they are ceased whilst night was upon him he saw no Vision and because he saw no Vision nor had no answer from God therefore he thought it was so with all others and that Revelation and Vision was ceased and he measured all men by his dark rule darkness being over him and his eye blinded Whilst he was in the first birth he was Earthly his mind Earthly delighting in Earthly things he could not then believe there was any immediate Teachings of the Father by his Holy Spirit nor any enjoyment of Heavenly things neither was his eye inward but to an outward Teacher and outward Books and Writings but when the inward ear came to be opened and the day of the Lord appeared unto him then he heard the words of God and saw the Visions of the Almighty and then he began to praise the Lord for his goodness and for his mercies which endure for ever And now being come to taste of the loving kindness of the Lord and his heart being filled with Heavenly blessings he ministers forth the same to others and these are the true Ministers indeed who are moved by this blessed power of God to seek the Salvation of Souls And of this number was our dear Brother Stephen Smith now deceased a man who laboured in faithfulness and constancy according to the ability God had given him to beget others to the Truth and was constant in Sufferings in Travels and Labours and had a good esteem in the hearts of many for his faithfulness to the Lord as you well know and therefore I need not write much concerning him especially since some others have written so
cover with a covering but not of my Spirit that they may add sin to sin And as Peter said of the salse Teachers Having eyes full of Adultery and that cannot cease from sin 2 Pet. 2.14 beguiling unstable Souls an heart they have exercised with covetous Practices cursed Children And as Jude in his Epistle said of them who was then departed from the Faith and blessed works of the holy Spirit so it may be as truly said of these These be they who seperate themselves sensual having not the Spirit But these speak evil of those things which they know not but what they know naturally as bruit beasts And being thus corrupted and exalted live above the pure fear of the Lord they in this exaltedness pervert and wrest the Scriptures to bend them to their corrupt wills and imaginations They do in the dark works of the man of sin give their private Interpretations of the Prophesies in Scripture and in a mystery of iniquity they speak evil of the motions of Gods holy spirit in which blessed motions those blessed Prophesies were given forth and cannot be understood but by the blessed operation and moving of the same blessed spirit but the moving of this blessed spirit being mocked at by Hagar's brood that Birth after the flesh which gendereth to bondage this brood in their several Sects do exalt the mystery of iniquity and spiritual wickedness in high places and under this mystery conclusions are made that Christ who suffered by wicked hands hath done all for them and that their sins are forgiven in what he did and suffered without them and their Confessions and Professions to this purpose they look upon to be sound and good Religion though sin and iniquity they live in and plead for it for term of Life But let all the wise in heart who have not so far betrayed their reason and understanding in the things of God but that some little glimmering and descerning they have thereof Consider and judge whether the man of sin be not the Author of that Religion and whether such dark works have not a tendancy of overthrowing the true purpose and intent of all the holy mens Testimonies given forth by the moving of Gods holy spirit as recorded in the Scriptures Much might be written concerning these workers in the works of darkness but I give but some brief hints thereof and leave the wise in heart to Judge And I do ask this question whether in case the Motions Operations Revelations and Inspirations of Gods holy spirit of Truth have not the leading and guiding of peoples hearts and minds in their conversations and all their ways and works where this is denyed Whether then doth not a spirit of error and falshood deceit and hypocrisie lead instead thereof Indeed misery and miserable will be the end of all those who do persist and go on under the cover of the Antichristian spirit to oppose the great love of God in the manifestation of the Son of his love who both was and is manifest to destroy the Devils works And in this glorious manifestation of Gods spirit of grace light power and wisdom is the Lord of Heaven and Earth at work this time and season to create again and redeem mankind out of the fall death and curse and is pouring out of his blessed spirit upon all flesh as was Prophesied of through the moving of Gods holy spirit in old time by the Prophet Joel 2.28 And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your Sons and your Daughters shall Prophesie your old men shall dream dreams your young men shall see Visions and also upon the Servants and upon the Handmaids in those dayes will I pour out my Spirit Now Hagars brood do object and say that this was fulfilled in the primitive Christians days but now it is ceased c. Answer That the spirit of the Lord was poured out upon the primitive Christians who believed and waited in the manifestation thereof that is evident to all who read what blessed Lives they lived and boly examples they were in their day and generation And they were built upon the foundation of the holy Prophets and Apostles and this was the spirit of Christ as you may read 1 Pet. 1.10 11. The Spirit of Christ which was in them did signifie when it testified before-hand the suffering of Christ and the glory that should follow It was by the moving of the spirit of Christ in the Prophets who prophesied of the grace that should come This spirit of Christ in them was their foundation on which they built and from whence they had those blessed Revelations and Visions of that great salvation the which through the pouring out of the same blessed spirit of Christ upon all flesh should come And those who denyed themselves and took up the Cross and followed Christs blessed example even in his great humiliation and patience they were witnesses of the fulfilling of those blessed Prophesies And the Apostle in his Epistle to the Romans saith plainly Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8. Let all take notice that it is alone by the spirit of Christ that any can be truly said to be followers of Christ and so true Christians as being baptized by this one spirit into one body out of the many Sects And all them who were possessers and injoyers of Christs Spirit In them was fulfilled the Prophesy so far as they were partakers of the spirit thereof But unto what a degree of gross darkness are people plunged into through a great night of Apostasie where conclusions are made that the Operation Revelation and Inspiration of this Spirit of Christ is ceased now adays They may as well say Christ hath now adays no followers therefore none are true Christians the many Sects and Opinions have gotten varieties of Baptisms but all out of the Spirit of Christ That is ceast they say now adays the operation and work thereof was fulfill'd in the primitive dayes Now every one to his private Interpretations and build some Babel the Nations are now become as waters and the Whore with her Golden Cup of Sorceries rids over all and the Nations have drunk of her Cup of Fornications and are made so drunk therewith that they see no need of the Revelation of Christ's Spirit now adays Their Mother Mystery Babylon the Mother of Harlots she instructs her brood of Children to kindle fires of Confession and Profession without true Faith and Obedience of what blessed Testimonies are left upon record and to warm themselves by the sparks of their fire and to cover themselves with the Harlots Attire even their own self-righteousness in seigned Faiths and feigned Humilities in feigned Worships and feigned Beliefs having denyed the sufficiency of the Arm and Power of God now adays and the Sanctification Wisdom Righteousness and Redemption of Christ Jesus now adays contenting themselves
with the Lord for ever Susanna Smith The Testimony that lives in my heart concerning the Life and Death of that holy and worthy Servant of the Lord Stephen Smith O The remembrance of that holy and worthy Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ by whose Heavenly power he was made a holy Temple for the Lord to walk in whose Earthen Vessel was filled with Gods Heavenly Treasure by which the Life of Jesus was made manifest in his mortal Flesh so that the excellency was of God and not of man so that by Gods holy power he was made a perfect and upright man one that feared God and hated all manner of Evil wheresoever it did appear And indeed I can never forget him whose blameless and innocent Life and holy Conversation when he was amongst us it was a good pattern unto us for he was a man of a meek and gentle and of a tender Spirit in which he was very careful and tender to all in whom the least appearance of Truth did manifest it self for which his Travels and his Labours were very great for the Truth and Christs sake in whom he was made very instrumental as in the hand of the Lord that he thereby might beget a People unto the Lord being not satisfied to eat his Bread alone as many yet living can truly testifie to the truth hereof knowing that he was a true and faithful Labourer in the glorious Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus for whose sake he was made willing to suffer for he accounted it all joy that he was counted of the Lord worthy to suffer for his Name sake who truly trampled upon Aegypts Glory and chose rather to suffer afflictions with the People of God then to enjoy the pleasures of Sin for a season who often said he accounted nothing the Lord had blessed him withall too dear to part withall for Christs and his Gospels sake concluding that it was but a reasonable Sacrifice to part with Life and all that a man hath for Christs sake and he that could not part with all for Christs sake was not worthy of him And he was a man of a tender and of a broken Spirit and always constant in his Love to all his Brethren in the Truth and having a great esteem of them therein and whose care was very great over all the Flock of God who was filled with the Spirit of wisdom and understanding in which he truly laboured to prevent all manner of differences or discord that might happen among Brethren and if any did happen he was always willing to compose and reconcile all manner of differences which would have been to the great dishonour of the Lord and his Truth which was prevented by him so that he was a true Peace-maker and he was as a Father to the Fatherless and as a Husband to the Widow and as a Child I have been often a partaker of his Fatherly kindness and living still in the remembrance of the same I hope I shall never forget but to return the honour and glory to God who is the Fountain of all our blessings and mercies from whence floweth all our fresh Springs in and through Christ Jesus the Son of Gods Love in whom was the Spring of Life flowing in and through him even to the great satisfaction of my Soul as one that did but partake of the overflowings of that Life in which his Soul was deeply consolated and wrapt up in the Heavenly Joy of the Lord God so that in the greatest extremity of his weakness he would be very often declaring of the great and mighty loving kindness of the Lord God by which he was lifted up above the fear of death Nor was he afraid of the terrors thereof so that a little before his departure I being present with him he being filled with Gods heavenly Spirit by which he was enabled to pray and supplicate the Lord God of his Life in which he was praising and magnifying that holy and innocent Life of Jesus saying Lord and dearest God O assist in this Heavenly passage from death to life who being subject to the will of his Heavenly Father said further to me Now I am going into my sweet sleep so that he immediately and innocently laid down his head in perfect peace with the Lord and lives for evermore O the heavenly and the blessed Testimony of the Lord God that sprung in and through him by a heavenly Exhortation to them that came to visit him saying That it was a blessed and a heavenly thing to have the mind clear and holy free from all troubles and cumbers of this evil World as he truly said his was having all given up to the will of the Lord that it might truly be done in Earth as it is in Heaven O what a blessed and a heavenly Habitation is this for the Soul of man to rest in which I have a full assurance of And a little after there came in one to see him and he exhorted him to dread and fear the Lord God and to repent of all his wickedness whatsoever that holy and pure witness in his conscience makes manifest to be evil So if happily he may find mercy with the Lord which will be better to thee said he then all the World besides And a little after came in another to see him so that the mighty power of the Lord God was seen and felt whereby he was refreshed again and desired her to fear the Lord that thereby she might be preserved out of all evil and desired her to love the Truth above all for the Truth is a very precious thing and to be sure to keep low and humble to it and not to be high-minded nor exalted above the pure of God in her conscience for that would he very hurtful to her About two or three days after the blessed heavenly power of the Lord did arise in him from which did spring a living and a heavenly Testimony in a holy remembrance of the tender dealings of the Lord with him from his Childhood to this very day who said to his Sons That his days were very near drawing to an end and declared how that his Father and Mother cast him off when he was but a little Lad But the Lord had always preserved him and his Blessings did always attend him in raising him up by multiplying his Blessings upon him having been often in many great dangers and perils by Sea and Land So said he having my mind chast and sober to God and having the fear of the Lord placed in my heart by which I was preserved out of evil and doing the thing that was right in the sight of the Lord so that I found favour of the Lord and gained the love and savour of all people in dealing justly and truly with all people not wronging any man So this in charge he gave to his Sons That they might always be kept chast and fober in their minds having always their minds
the chief Corner-Stone So here was the Primitive Christians Foundation from whence proceeded and proceeds Heavenly blessed and gracious words from the true sense and feeling of the operation and powerful works of God's holy and blessed Spirit And from this holy uncorruptible pure Foundation and way of God were all true Ministers and Teachers of others raised from the blessed operation of the Spirit of Truth in themselves whereby they had and have the Will and Mind of God unto People though not all in the same measure or degree But every one being faithful to his own measure of knowledge is therein a Minister of the universal love of God in his Eternal Spirit unto the World So here lyes the difference between true Teaching and Teachers and false The true Teaching being the anointing of God's holy Spirit and Power wherewith mankind being anointed and taught of God and according to God's blessed will therein in a cross to his own Carnal Will and Affections speaking forth and delivering the Truth unto people as it is in Jesus Lord of all in whom the Peace is and from whom Peace is proclaimed under those Conditions and Qualifications as it pleases him to make and tender who is Lord of all The false Teaching is that Spirit of Iniquity the old Deceiver of the World the Serpent that worked and wrought under a Mystery subjecting mankind unto his will under a vain hope through which he beguiled him at first drawing out a Compliance of his Will unto his delusions and so to transgress the blessed commands of his Maker through which yielding of mankind unto the Serpent's Counsel they became Transgressors of God's holy Law and Covenant and for that cause was drove from God's Presence and then Fear entered and Trouble and Sorrow entered by man's yielding to the Traytor by which means he partook of the Nature of his Cursed works and being thus drove out of the Garden of Eden the Lord placed a Flaming Sword which turned every way to keep the way of the Tree of Life And now the same Mystery of wickedness by which mankind was drawn into Transgression the same spiritual wickedness got in a high place above the pure Seed of God in man there keeps mankind in bondage to his will under many fair and specious hopes That though sin and transgression the cause of death be not finished in them yet deliverance shall be had by the manifestation and works of the Seed without them So here mankind being Imbondaged by these corruptible works under the dark power of the enemy from whence arises all corruptible ways man being gone from the uprightness in which he was created goes now abroad hunting about in his Inventions and Conceivings being led about by this Thievish Spirit which first drew his mind from the will of God and so in this is climing up and down every way but the right door and so being in this Earthly wisdom from below by Arts and Trades set a teaching of their Imaginations and Conceivings concerning the holy works without and so here lay down Foundations under Confessions and Professions of good works and gracious words without and thereby keep the Serpent's works of transgression and sin alive within and here the false Teachers under several covers of Confessions and Professions in the spirit of Antichrist set up And so here being tossed up and down in floods of Inventions from thence their shameful works are cast up in the old World of transgression and sin where these false Teachers are so rivited the works of the Enemy being become so natural unto them by reason of the continuance of time in transgression and sin that thereby they are now become impudent and bold even to dare to plead for the Serpent's works sin for term of life taking it for delusion and high presumption for any to speak to the contrary And so here false Teachers being raised from the works of the enemy moving in the Earthly wisdom for Earthly things being propt and bolstered up through vain glory praise of men and weighty Pounds many Nobles and special Marks with abundance of Crowns and frequent appearances of Angels in and by which they are so oyled that their Tongues run at their own Wills and Lusts by fair Speeches of other mens Lines and Works with which ignoront simple people being taken have so fed and oyled the Wheels of these Trades-men the which hath set them up so strong that they make all the defence they can to strengthen themselves and their Clients in the old World of sin and Iniquity And so these false Teachers having put darkness for light and light for darkness what strong Pillars and props they are grown under the Devil's Kingdom and power of darkness under several heads more that might be mentioned being derived from one beastly power from whence is risen several Heads and so branched out in several Horns the which are pushing every way against the Horn of God's Anointing the power and strength of the effectual and blessed Teachings of his holy and blessed Spirit the door and way by which all must enter that come to be truly satisfied with God's righteousness Christ the same Seed promised in the beginning to bruise the Serpent's Head the effectual works and power of which according to God's good pleasure was and is manifest in the World So to the praise and honour of God's holy works many can say Peace from him that is and was and is to come Jesus Lord of all who delivers his people from their sins the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World through which powerful and blessed works of mercy and Peace is extended to all mankind without respect of persons upon Earth So blessed are they that fear God and are found out of their own willings and running in their perverse and crooked nature in a true submission and obedience to the righteous works of God's righteous holy Spirit the true Christian Spirit that Christianity may flourish again and that Heathenism and Paganism under that name Christian may be subdued and vanish away and Jesus Lord of all exalted in the hearts and minds of people over all his enemies Then shall the Nations flourish and yield Fruit in Season to the praise and honour of God forever ANd now all you Merchants of Babylon Howl and Cry Alas alas What! all these precious Trades whereby we have gotten so much Gain must they all down Where be all our Mountains and Rocks that have been so long a making up by all our Fellow-Tradesmen by Arts and Inventions in Professions and Confessions of good works and words without through Ages and Generations past Will none of these Mountains and Rocks cover and hide us from the great wrath of the Lamb What must we now bow to his righteous works who takes away the sins of the World or else will ye grant us no Peace Alas alas what clothing in Scarlet and and Purple and Fine Linnen of Egypt