the Jews have Hebrew as well as the Priests and Pilate which knew not the son of God the originall but set Lattin Greek and Hebrew atop of him when they had crucified him John 19.19 20. So for a season these Merchants of Babilon I traded with receiving and bying their wares hoping it had been good durable stuffe I had got of them being it was prised so high and people cryed they had the originall and could give the meanings of the Scriptures and none else and the Beast upheld or carried the Whore and all the World wondered after them as I did then at length something in me began to be more and more awakened and hungered after true bread yet thought I should be still fed at their Table and did untill I was neer starved with the huskes that the swine did eat for a stirring word in me was give me food or else I perish and went to hear them even with teares for hunger many times untill I perceived they spake not out of the mouth of the Lord the word of life the true bread that came down from heaven but had studyed and patcht up something from the Scriptures without them mixing their meanings and Babilonish whoreish wisedome and Serpents subtilty with it and bid us hear the word of God and so we lookt for light but behold darknesse and dust we were fed with and that was made sad in me by them which the Lord God proclaimed joy and liberty to as the Deceivers and false Prophets in ages past did whom God was against And upon these Crafts men and Merchants of the great Whore will the perpetuall plagues and vengeance of the Lord God be poured down without mixture and as they have done so shall it be done to them and God will fill double to her and she shall know that he is the Lord that search the heart and shews unto man his thought and that God is light and in him is no darknesse or mixture at all and the day is hastening in which they shall howl and lament for no man byeth her ware any more that is taught of the Lord and the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of his power as the waters cover the Sea and in that day the thiefe shall be ashamed that have stole the word from his neighbour and the false Prophet which deceived the Nations shall be ashamed of his vision and Diviners will be mad and the Beast will hate the Whore and burn her flesh with fire and there will be dissolation widdowhood and losse of children come upon her in one day he that readeth let him understand And this I can truly say and doe testifie in the Lord That when a true hunger and thirst in me did arise after the living God it was often hurt darkened and spoyled by the earthly wisedome Philosophy and vain deceit which came out of the Priests mouth which beguiled me of my reward drawing out my mind from the pure measure of God within insomuch that the simple honest and meek principle which stirred in me was weary to hear them any longer and from no other ground did I at first deny them but as that of God in me discovered and witnest against them as such as should never profit the people at all being out of his councell not able to turn any from their evill wayes but strengthening the hands of the wicked and making the righteous sad this is their work as by their fruits is made manifest whose reward shall be accordingly So in those dayes my soule was awakened by the witnesse of God feeling the burthen of sin and was ofâ—en afraid of death and misery without end but knew not how to get out from under the power of sin and death nor to escape the wrath to come being ignorant of him that saveth from it which is Christ the power of God that lighteth every man which cometh into the World which condemnes sin in the flesh but now I see that people perish for lack of knowledge and that the leaders of the people cause them to err and they that are led of them are destroyed Isa 9.16 for nothing will help or satisfie the longing soule immortall but the eternall true bread of life the power of God which he giveth to as many as â—â—â—ives him that condems for sin and destroys the works of the Divell who hath the power of death for the sting of death is sin so he delivers them from that which is the ground of bondage and feare of death who beleeves in him that is the resurrection and the life over whom the second death hath no power glory to the Lord for ever and ever So now having in measure began to leave the Priests I kept at home not desiring for a season to hear any but to be private and quiet alone which was a great crosse to my Parents Wife and Relations and also to something in me and to my Companions and acquaintance which loved me with that love which quickly turned to hatered so I found it hard to break the customes that I had lived in and to become contrary to all my neighbours and acquaintance and to loose the love of them all as that I saw I should if I followed that which let me see the Priests and the vanity of the World and the Scripture speakes not in vaine Jer. 13.23 Can the Ethiopian change his skin no more can they do good that are accustomed to do evill hear this ye carelesse ones that live in the vanity of your mindes pleading for your customes vanities traditions and fashions of the World that lye in wickednesse and for the fleshly lusts which wars against your own soules the Lord God will plague you with it and that will become the greatest torment to you in which you have most delighted in the day of your visitation then you shall know you were warned in your life time but in the middest of these my tryals and temptations within and without a word was very nigh me even in my heart though I then know not what it was saying seek first the Kingdome of God and mind eternall life yet not knowing where to seek or find it but the deep consideration of it did much strengthen me towards God and some times even breathings and cryes would ascend up from the prisoner of hope in me and my heart was even broken and melted by the power of the word of life which I felt therein hammering down the hardnesse thereof and renting the vaile that seperated me from peace with God but not knowing Christ within the hope of glory which lighteth every man that cometh into the World whose name is called the word of God the Male in the flock which opened the Womb holy to the Lord the Lamb slain from the foundation of the World which lies in wickednesse the first and the last the holy one in the midst whom my soule loveth which had been peirced wounded and as
A short Relation or Testimony of the working of the light of Christ in me from my Childhood by one who is now a witness of the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive which doth convince of sin of righteousnesse and of judgment and brings all things to rememberance and shews me things to come glory to the Lord for ever W B Come see a man which told me all things that ever I did is not this the Christ Joh 4 29 IN the eternall light and life of God wherewith stand all mankind are lighted doe I now stand and rejoyce over the world and all its glory and enmity over the beast and false prophet with in and without having received power from the father of life in the way of his judgments after which my soul had long breathed and thirsted even from a Child though then I knew not what my soul panted for but now know the misteries of Gods everlasting Kingdome are revealed to the babes that feare him but to others its parables When I was about 10 years old I doe remember that sometimes I desired to goe and sit alone quiet in some desert place where I might bemoan my selfe and weep in secret even untill my heart was broken not knowing wherefore and did begin to pray in fear to God with tears though I knew not who or where he was but had little to speak only some thing cryed in me and breathed confidently beleeving that God heard me where ever he was and would pitty me and save me at which thankes did arise unto him not knowing it was a seed in me which was and is beloved of God contrary to the course of this world to which the blessing and promises are that did arise in the quiet of my mind to break down that which the Serpent and my own will had wrought in my heart contrary to God that thereby I might enjoy peace in the everlasting covenant of light for at any time when I had done or spoken that which was contrary to God I was soon checkt for it judged and condemned and put in fear by his witnesse in my conscience which beheld all my wayes and woâ—ds though never so secret and is the same that Job speakes of which set a print upon his heeles and mark his steps Job 13.27 in which light I can see all that ever I have done and doe remember the first oath that ever I swore being provoked by another lad and that I was smote with trembling scarceable to stand on my feet by the witnesse of God in my conscience which I know not then what it was but could have fled any way from it being put in such horrible feare and condemned by it when I had done any evill so there is no place at last where the worker of iniquity may hide himselfe from the dreadfull presence of God as David saith So about 15 yeares old I went among the Soldiers being the time of war not heeding the true guid the light and spirit of God which strived often with me to lead me in meeknesse and feare out of all strife which comes from the lust that wars against the soule I then was entertained and became one among them both in garison and Army where for a season I was kept and preserved out of much wickednesse by the feare of God in me though I knew not then where he was nor long after yet by his secret hand of power unexpected and undeserved was I preserved when many were slain on my right hand and on my left hand glory and praises to his power for ever and ever But about 17 yeares old I was under the command of him called Major Generall Massey where I found many wicked and ungodly men and some that had turned from Gorings Army among them through which company the honest principle in me was betrayed and even murthered and I begin to be hardened from the fear of God for I was but a youth and of a bashfull countenance naturally and was soon checkt for any evill and felt the condemnation for it quickly but now I could swear and vapour among them and drink till I was sometime drunk and grew in it untill I even took delight in swearing and drunkennesse yet oft times when I was gone from my company alone and quiet fear and dread from the witnesse of God in me would seaze upon me in great and horrible terror and in the night in dreames was I often fearfully scared and tormented with fearfull sights and visions of Hell and Divels death and damnation which indeed in that state was my just portion and so in the coole of the day I heard the voyce of God and was afraid like Adam in the transgression and though I would have hid my sin like him yet the Lord did search it out And now I know God speaketh unto man once yea twice yet man perceiveth it not in a dreame in a vision of the night when deep sleep falleth upon men in slumberings upon the bed that he may withdraw man from his purpose and hide prides from him Job 33 14 And in this company I continued neer 2 yeares untill all was disbanded about which time I was so smitten by Gods witnesse the light in my conscience that I began to leave of my swearing and lewdnesse and my prophane compapany became even loathsome and burthensome unto me and I never swoar an oath from that time to this day which is about 10 yeares agoe so at length I became a little zealous to hear the Priests and began to look into the Scriptures to get them to talk of as many prophane ones doe now to make a covering and then thought I must be guided by the Priests who had the learning and the tongues which they called the originall not knowing then that their originall began at Babell where God confounded the languages and the people before were of one language in the begining which is the originall so their originall is from Babell which is confusion where they still are and all their followers who will partake of their plagues if they come not forth to the light which is the originall before Babell or the Priests or Lattin Greek and Hebrew was which Pilate set over him that is the originall Christ the true Prophet which all are to heare his name is called the word of God which was in the begining John 1.1 so poor ignorant blind people that be from the light which they be lighted withall they cryes up Greek and Hebrew with the Priests to be the originall and that the Scriptures cannot be understood without it not considering that they who had Lattin Greek and Hebrew crucified the son of God who was in the begining gloryfied with the Father before the World began the originall by whom the world was made the power and wisedome of God whose crosse to the Greeks is foolishness and to the Jews a stumbling block and the Greeks have Greek and
this is to you all Priests Baptists and people that be from the light which you be lighted withall that lets you see your ungodly deeds and hard speeches what shall I say more of you Why you passe over judgement and so the love of God you know not this is from the Lord God to you as shall be witnesse on your death bed So after a season in this my breathing and longing condition in which I desired that God would make an alteration and change among us being in all we performed dead to the pure simple life of God for which my soul thirsted it happened that I heard a book read of the sufferings of some of the people of God who were called quakers in a dungeon at Suesham whose name and sufferings was strange to me at that time yet at the hearing of it something in me did arise with much tendernesse and pitty toward the innocent suffering people which drew tears from mine eyes believing they did suffer for conscience sake and the same thing in me even said that God would avenge them on the bloudy persecutors which hath been performed by his mighty hand of power on some of them even to the cutting them of the earth as briars and thornes for the fire but did not know all this time what it was that let me see these things and knew not light from darknesse as is the state of thousands who professe Christ as I did in words who lighteâ—â— every man that cometh into the world and leads his sheep out of darknesse into the fould of eternall life and peace from which the wise and prudent withall their knowledge comprehension and imaginations are shut out for ever Then I heard Jacob Behements bookes and began to read much in them and to gather something of that into my comprehension and imaginations in the braine but this and all the other gave not pâ—ace and rest to the immortall soule which still lay in death and bondage by reason of transgression and sin but not long after came one a Minister of the word of life whose name few know and preached to the spirit in prison which rejoyced much at the sound of his words to which I gave diligent heed and was eternally convinced that it was the very truth he declared and that there is no other way to know God or to be saved but as I walked in the light which I was lighted withall which did let me see all my ungodly deeds and hard speeches that ever I had committed which light comes from Christ the Saviour and leads all that follow it out of the evill that is in the world unto him that was before the world was by whom it was made gloryfied with the Father the substance of all the types figures shaddows ordenances of which might be spoken many things but he is the sum that redeems man by his blood the life out of the earth into which man was driven in transgression up unto God againe before transgression was to the beginning and the end So as to the true light in my heart my mind was turned many Scriptures came fresh unto me confirming the truth of which he spoke and the povver of the vvord in my heart of God vvhich the light comes from began to stir and vvorke and condemnation vvas administred upon all my former profession and a svvord vvas comming upon the earth vvhich had sate still in peace and open vvar vvas proclaimed against the beast vvhore and false prophet by the lambe that vvas slaine vvhose svvord came out of his mouth and the prisoner of hope rejoyced at the begining of this day of vengeance believing the yeare of redemption vvas come so that here vvas a change began and that vvhich seemed strangâ— to me vvas happened vvhich vvas quickly perceived by the baptists vvho vvere then my companions in profession but not in tribulation for I vvas made to vveepe and lament seeing all the religion in the vvorld to be but as a fading Leafe vvithout the pure life and povver of God vvhich saveth from sinne and brings into unity vvith him so that I could no longer be satisfied nor live in a talke of God and Christ and not enjoy the eternall rest even the sincere milke of the immortall vvord of life vvhich my soule breathed after even from a Childe though I knevv not vvhat it vvas nor vvhere to find it but in this my troubled condition many baptists follovved day and night to persvvade me out of it looking upon me to be deluded and some vvith prayers and some vvith flatteryes and others of them vvith envious vvords strived to get me back to them telling me that I vvas fallen from grace and vvas become under the Lavv and makeing the blood of Christ of none effect but I not knovving then the blood to be the life and that the life is the light of men though I vvas convinced in my conscience of the eternall truth yet my understanding God vvas confounding and the day of the Lord vvas darknesse and not light to that part which had held the truth in unrighteousnesse as they shall all one day vvitnesse vvhere their covering is rent of them and their inside made more manifest vvho by their many tattling vvords drevv out my minde from Gods vvitnesse in me and from the Law vvritten in the heart to vvhich I should have kept and been faithfull even the sure word of prophecy which let me see all that ever I did for Moses vvas faithfull as a servant in all his house but this mistery I knew not then and so to get ease turned out my minde from the truth which is required in the inward parts and gave heed to seducing spirits and words which darkned councell in so much that I joyned againe vvith them in more zeal then before and encouraged others to follovv their strong imaginations from the letter of Scripture looking for a Saviour vvithout us though the Scripture saith Christ within the hope of glory and know yee not that Christ is in you except yee be reprobates c And for his comming without us though he said when they shall say loe here and loe there believe them not and goe not forth and for his Kingdome and glory vvithout us though the Kings Daughter is all glorious vvithin and the King said the Kingdome of God is within you and for his resurrection and life and reign without us when as the King said I am the resurrection and the life and am come a light into the world who lighteth every man that commeth into the world these things we imagined and builded one another up in contrary to the Scripture and to the Saints which builded up in that which is a miistery held in a pure conscience so we past over judgement like the Pharisees and hipocrites of old which did professe and say but doe not climbing up an easier way then by the doore Christ who condemnes sinne in the flesh like the