away How did you Reform that which you call Baptising Infants you layed by the sign of the Cross which was made by a man called Minister in the Childes Fore-head and you layed by those called GOD-FATHERS and GOD-MOTHERS and yet you continued sprinkling water in the Childrens Faces and call it Baptisme and say You baptize them into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost What Scripture have you for this practice Did not the Sign of the Cross and sprinkling water in the Childes face both spring from one Root and neither of them can be proved Warrantable from the Scriptures of Truth and you have layed by the One as unlawful and continues the Other as lawful and this you call REFORMATâ—ON Are you not in the Midnight of Apostacy who upholds such things in your Profession of God which the Saints never practised nor any Scriptures declare of such things being used by them Who taught you to sing Davids Words in Meeter and to call upon your Congregations to sing to the Praâ—se and Glory of God and to have a Clerk to publish them and give them forth Is this to sing with the Spirit and Understanding and to make melody in your hearts to the Lord who have not a Psalm before the Clerk give it forth and then for all people of all Conditions to sing the Words though they know nothing of the state of David who Published the words from the sensibleness of his Condition as then he was in when he did declare them so they were true in him but such as cannot witness David's state you make them to sing Lyes in Hypocrisie And who taught you to take a portion of Scripture and call it a TEXT and tell people It is the Word of the Lord and that they may finde it written in in such a Book Chapter and Verse and then raise Doctrines from it Uses Motives Helps Arguments and make Applications Is not this the Colledge Work And have you not learned it there And is not this the Philosophy and vain Deceit which peopâ—e is to beware of Do you know the Scriptures and the Power of God you that are so wise in your own Eyes Where is you Scripture for these things Or did ever the LORD of LIFE and GLORY teach his Ministers so to Do as you are Doing at this day You are from the Saints life and in the old Root and your Birth is begotten in Whoredome and formed in the Inventions and Imaginations of the Old Man and brought forth in the strength of that Nature and the Lord's Controversie is sore against You because you do in Words profess him but in your Works deny him Therefore Repent speedily and turn to the Light of Christ in your own Consciences and be not so wise in your own Eyes but become Fools to you own wisdome that you may be wise in the Wisdome of God that your understandings may be opened to know the Scriptures and the Power of God For the Lord is visiting the Nations in this day of his Mercy and his love reaches unto you and with a measure of his Spirit he doth Reprove you and secretly discovers unto you the intents and thoughts of your hearts Turn when Reproof comes and hate it not for the Lords Love is tendred to you in that which doth Reprove you Hearken to it that you may be Converted and Healed before the Door of Mercy be shut and no place of Repentance can be found for the Lord hath a Seed to gather from amongst you that cannot live long with you such is the earnest desire after life in many this day whilest it is called to day let none behard but all wait to Receive from the Lord in tenderness that his Spirit may guide and lead you which is manifest in you and that the fruits thereof may be brought forth by you that LOVE and PEACE and GENTLENES may abound amongst you that WARRING and FIGHTING and DESTROYING one another may all cease that the Sound of the TRUMPET and the Al-arm of WAR may not be heard in the Land but that you may be gathered and united in the Spirit of Life where no Confusion nor Distraction is but perfect love and peace for ever Turn to the Lord and walk in the way of Understanding A few Words of tender Counsel unto those called INDEPENDENTS with all that walk in that way HEar ye Wandring ones who upon the Mountains are scattered You are tossed up and down and driven to and fro in the Cloudy and dark day something of the Morning did once appear unto you though you knew it not and in the Dawnings of the light which in you did begin to shine your understandings were opened and you beheld the Formes and Practises and abominable Idolatries which were come up in the Darkness and a true tenderness was raised in you towards the Lord and a breathing there was in you to enjoy his presence and you departed out of the Idolatrous wayes and worship could not joyn with them nor own their Customs and Tradâ—tions which were set up but seperated from them and gathered into a more particular and private Fellowship to wait upon the Lord and in this tenderness abiding and you kept in the fear to wait and the Visitations of God did break upon you and his Love did open to that which breathed in you and this was a good Day unto you and you were sweetly refreshed in it But behold how you have erred and from the Lord are gone astray and betrayed the Innocent Life you were not faithful unto God nor did not sink into his Counsel that his Arm of Power might have wounded the Head of the Transgressor smitten him down into the Death buryed him under the Judgement for ever you fled from Him when you should have joined unto Him and so never came through the Gaâ—e of Death to obtain Life in the Resurrection But you reached forth with that Mind which should have come to Judgement and with that Mind comprehended those things which in the Day of Tenderness were opened to you in the Light then did you enrich your selves and grew Wise and Mighty in Skill and Knowledge and you decked the false Birth with that which God opened to you in the Day when you breathed after him in the unsatisfiedness of your Minds were in the true hunger and in the sensibleness that you wanted Bread so you betrayed the simplicity delivered it up into the hands of the subtilty under which it lyes in Captivity and sorely oppressed and afflicted and so you erred from the LIFE which was near to be revealed in many of you and lost the WORD and drew back again and ran into the words and have got the words and with them stands filled in the earthly mind that fled the Judgement and there you are lifted up and exalted above the Witness of God and the false Birth hath beautified it self with the Saints words and sits
have declared of them then examine and try your selves whether you be in the Faith in which they were made partakers of the Divine Nature for the words which from the Life are Ministred will not give unto any a Possession of the Life neither are they the WAY unto Life but they are a true DECLARATION of Him who is the WAY TRUTH and LIFE and the Light being believed in which from the Life is made manifest it leads to the enjoyment of the Life from whence it comes and then is the knowledge of the Lâ—ght of the Glory of God revealed and known in the face of Christ and the Understanding is then opened and the Scriptures known and set in their right place so that you have neglected the needful thing which is but ONE and have chosen the wrong part and cumber your selves with many things having got the Saints words and want their Life You are dayly cumbred in your minds about their Meanings and know not what they meant when the Truth is spoken by them in plainness So being from the WORD you are from the Saints Life the WORD that was in the Beginning was their LIFE and they witnessed that LIFE to be the Light of men and in the measure of that Life received they gave forth the Scriptures which none upon the earth can understand without Union with a measure of the Word of Life from which the words were Ministred forth So that you are found to be amiss and wandering in a way that doth not lead to life and all that you have formed and brought forth is but the Work of your own hands conceived and generated in the Earthly Corruptible part which fled the Hour of his Judgement and could not abide his coming in Judgement So you never came to the Judgment-Seat where the MIGHTY falls and the LOFTY bows where the EARTH trembles and the HILLS melt and all Flesh is put to silence You did not wait in the Way that in the Victory over the Corruptible you might have come to life in the Incorruptible but you started aside when Judgement came to be laid to the line and could not abide such a Tryal so you fled it and retained the Corruptible and saved your life in it and the Birth after the Flesh is seated over God's Witness and that is the Birth you set up and strive to make it fair and beautiful and to enrich it with the choicest things that it may appear beautiful unto men and if you have but Scripture to speak you are perswaded the thing is right and so you carry on your practise in words and set up your Kingdom in words but you want the Power and the Flesh never came into subjection to learn silence but speak though it be not permitted And thus do you run in the many things and cumber your selves with them and labours to set them where they ought not to be you would set the Words above the WORD and give them the Name of the WORD and call them the Word of God and in this you erre and knows not the Scripture nor the Power of God for CHRIST is the WORD of God and his Name is called so Rev. 19. And the Words are nor CHRIST but a true Testimony of him So amongst the Words you find how the Saints in some things walked and what they practised and then you strive to make that thing to your selves and to observe it and do it as near as you can And here you are found transgressors of the just Law of God who saith Thou shalt not make to thy self any Graven Image nor the likeness of any thing Now what difference is there in the Ground betwixt You the Pope though in the appearance there seem to be such a great space And though you read of such things which the Saints performed and in which they were accepted if you want their Life and make the thing to your selves you are found Transgressors of the Law and comes under Reproof for doing that in your Corruptible Wills which they had peace in as they performed it in the Incorruptible Life and yet in the appearance no difference found in what is done So you read that after they received the Word and believed they went into the Water and were baptized and you come to observe and do the same because you read that some of them walked in such a practise and you say you believe in Christ and you receive his Word and you go into the water and are washed and call it Baptism And here is no difference found in the Likeness of the thing but yours appears the same as theirs did in the outward practise But come up to tryal the Light makes all things manifest as they are and doth not judge according to the appearance but judges righteous Judgemment they did receive the Word and they did believe and some of them went into the water and were baptized unto John's Baptism and after that were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Acts 19. And then the Holy Ghost came on them and they spake and prophesied Can you read this Scripture not see your selves where you are Who would be alwayes swimming in the Water would not come to the Holy Ghost and Fire that his Name you may know in which Salvation is and his Fan you may feel which in his own hand is placed which purgeth the Floore from all filthinesse and prepares the Temple to exalt his own Name in This is the Baptism which they witnessed who in his Life believed and in which they were baptized into his Death and there were buried with him and so came to the Resurrection through the operation of his Eternal Power you are not come to know this Practise but are satisfied with your going into the Water and coming out again when neither filthinesse of Flesh nor Spirit is cleansed from you but the pollution still abides and the Old Man lives And so you are short of the Saints Condition whose practise you pretend to follow and that Spirit by which they were baptized into one Body you are not found subject to and this was not water that baptized them into one Body neither was it water that baptized them into Christ and by which they put him on but it was the Eternal Power of Life in which they were baptized and in which Baptism Self was buryed and all the Affections and Lusts of the Flesh were destroyed and here was not Self standing in them neither did they make any likeness for that part to glory in but judged it down in the Power and in the Power were truly baptized into the death of the Corruptible Earthly part and could no longer live to themselves and then was the entrance Ministred into the Fathers House where Daily-Bread they received which did refresh the Immortal Soul Now because they were made Witnesses of such a state who believed followed the Light and denyed themselvs took
up the Cross in obedience to the leadings of the Light and because in the movings of the Power they declared it and it is written doth this Minister satisfaction unto you to read it or to hear it if you come not to partake of a Measure of the same life which ministred pure refreshment unto them and in the strength of which they were constrained to minister forth again I tell you nay for no satisfaction or refreshment can any find but in that life which the holy men of God were inspired with and declared the Scriptures from so all that you make to your selves profits you not how like soever you may make it in the appearance to that which the Saints practised in the Power And is not this your present state reading what the Saints did and you make to your selvs the same as near as you can and in your wills perform it and can make it to be near in the likeness of that which they in the appearance practised So you read some of them went into the water and you go into the water because you read it and you read that they brake bread together and you do so because they did it Will you not be found setting up the highest part of the Image and drinking of the Cup of Fornication and committing VVhoredome and bringing forth a Childe of VVhoredom and a Birth after the Flesh For you lye in the Degeneration and walk in the Night of Apostacy and are not come to the Regeneration nor have no Knowledge of that VVater So the Old man you Retain and live his life and bear his Image and you never came to the Power which Crucifies the Old man and puts him off and brings forth a new Birth which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness that so you have not put on CHRIST the heavenly Image but are at enmity with him and the Old man is standing and you joyn to that which would not that Christ should Reign And thus you profess him in Words but in Works deny him And your practising that in your wills which the Saints performed in the life will not make you stand approved before God nor justifie you in his sight Therefore depart from your Imaginations come to Gods wâ—tness in you wait the power of it to feel to break down your Images and all the Carved VVorks which your own hands have made out of Gods Councel and which you have in your earthly wisdome set up to worship and set not your Post by the Lords Post nor mix your Work with his Work but cease from your own doings and be still that the Lord may bring forth his own Work in his own time according to his own pleasure that you may come through the gate of Death For verily there is not another Way for you to obtain eternal life And this is his Work whose Arm is Powerful to cut down and destroy the Earthly and Corruptible part and to Raise up the pure Immortal Seed which breathes after Life so will you come to know the New-creature-state and the new-Birth born which is not of flesh nor of blood nor of the will of man but of God and his appearance in you will testifie of him that he is the Son of God and this is the true Birth whose Right it is to Reign and under whose feet all the Harlots Children must be trodden down let your Eye be towards him that his Appearance you may behold and of his fulness receive that you may feel union with his life and be translated into his Likeness So all you that have any tenderness and groan under your heavy Tasks minde the Lords Counsel and obey his Teaching Start not aside when Reproof comes and hate not to be Reformed for the day of your Visitation is upon you and God is tender over his Seed that abides yet amongst you and is scattered upon the Mountains with you who breathes unto him and can feed no longer in your Pasture Oh the Bowels of Gods love that opens in this day to every Nation Kindred Tongue and People that he may Redeem his Chosen that cry unto him and give Ease to all the Afflicted ones who mourn for want of him For this is the Day of his Everlasting loving kindness held forth unto all people in the Light of his Son that who will come unto him believ in him may not perish but have everlasting life Therefore all stoop down and encline your ear to hear Do not continue climbing nor build so high in your Inventions for that is Babylon and the ground of all Confussion and from that lust of pride in the self-conceitedness arises WARS and CONTENTIONS and there is no service of God nor any thing brought forth in which he taketh pleasure so all mind that which makes for peace and that which leads into love and unity for that is the Light of Christ which is given of the Father to be a Leader unto you and it is true and will not deceive you it is the DOOR that gives entrance unto life which you have not found with all your climbing but have been heightned far off from it Therefore stand not exalted but come down and there feel the true Baptizer which will not suffer an evil thought to arise in you but baptize it down into the death if you encline to his Counsel and the Fan you will feel in his hand and his Power to purge the floor and to gather the VVheaâ— into the Garner and burn the Chaff with unquenchable fire and as you keep in the Patience and wait in the Judgement he will bring Judgement forth unto Victory and bring you into the Courts of his own House and there minister to your want and supply your need for the bread is in his own hand and unto the hungry he deals it and at his pleasure he gives it and if you wait in patience to receive it he will not let you want for his compassion is tender and freely doth he give good things to those that walk uprightly So let not the feeble faint nor the weak be discouraged but turn to the Light and walk in the Light and it will lead you to the Cross and bring you to the Judgement-Seat and through the Gate of Death and will open the Door into the Fathers House where there is bread enough it is sure water that never fails So will the Lord feed you with the fatness of his House give you to drink of the River of his pleasure and this is Meat and Drink indeed which if you wait to receiv you wil not be in such want suffer hunger as many of you now do who are from the leadings of God and upon the Mountains scattered and there famished for want of Bread And this in tender love is unto you who have been in the Water and hath been dipped and yet feel that you are not Cleansed but your Consciences
THE Morning-Watch OR A Spiritual Glass Opened WHEREIN A Clear DISCOVERY is made of That which lies in Darknesse from whence WARS CONTENTIONS and DESTRUCTIONS do arise concerning a professed RELIGION With a few words of tender Counsel Unto the Pope Prelate Presbyter Independent Baptist c. That they may all watch to the Morning and in the Glass behold themselves and try their Principle and Practise and see whose Image it bears and vvhether it be the same Principle that the Saints vvere guided by and the same Practice that they walked in that none may lye any longer in darkness and be deceived but all may come in one spirit to be gathered and into one body baptized where Love and Life Peace and Eternal Unity is truly enjoyed and possessed By one vvho travels for Israel's Freedom William Smith LONDON Printed and are to be sold by Robert Wilson at the sign of the Black-spread-Eagle and Wind-Mill in Martins near Aldersgate 1660. To the READER READER THe Way of Life or the Way of Death is the Choice that all people make and are found walking in The Way of Life is strait and there be not many finds it the Way of Death is broad and many walk therein Theâ—efore it is of concernment for thee to examine thy present state and to be careful in what way thou walkest least suddenly thou fall into danger for God would not have thee peâ—ish nor to go on in the Way of Death but would have thee turn and depart out of it and for that end hath he freely made manifest in thee a measure of his Spirit to discover it that thou mayst see the danger and escape it and that thou mayst not run into it and destroy thy self and that is in thy Conscience placed which truly tryes thy wayes and doings and doth not let an evil thought word or deed go unreproved thaâ— is the Light of Christ which thou art enlightened withall and lets thee see that when thou art at liberty in the flesh and satisfying the lusts of it thou art in the broad way that leads to destruction it reproves thee for it calls thee to turn and depart out of it if thou walk in pride drunkennesse covetousnesse envy or malâ—ce in scorn or disdain of others the Light of Christ doth reprove thee in thy own Conscience for such things and calls thee to abstaâ—n from them and this is the broad way that leads to destruction all that walk in it and will not turn from it when reproof comes they destroy themselves and will perish in their gain-saying Therefore whilest the Lord is visiting thee in his tender mercies harden not thy heart against him nor reâ—ect his counsel but be diligent and ready to receâ—ve and in the quietnesâ— of thy mind attend to the Word near thee which is in thy heart and in thy mouth that thou mayst obey it and do it for it is Gods gift unto thee and stands a witness for God in thy Conscâ—ence it is Life and the Life is the Light and the Light breaks forth in thee and makes manifest unto thee the secrets of thy own heart and lets thee see all thy thoughts whether they be good or evil and thou canst not hide thy Counsel from it nor cover any intent so close but it will find it out This is God's Love unto thee who hath given his Son for thee that thou in him might believe and have everlasting life Wait in his fear his counsel to know and his leading to follow and he will bring thee to the strait Way and open it for thee to walk in and he will judge and condemn all that in thee which must not enter and he will bring thee down into the Death where God's Wonders thou wilt behold in the deep And this is the straitness of the Way and the Ground why so few findes it and walks in it Because that flesh and blood must not enter but be judged down to death Therefore Reader be diligent to find out thy present state and to know the Way wherein thou art walking and do not deceâ—ve thy self by crying Peace when sudden destruction is near at hand and be not secure with a talk of God and Christ but wait to know them and speak not of Faith and Grace until thou have them for thereâ—n thou deceives thy self and the Enemy blinds thy mâ—nd in a secure state So unto that of God in thee which is pure I direct thee that thou mayst know the Leadings and Teachingâ— of it and believe in it and joyn to it and it wâ—ll bring thee to know those things that concerns thy own Peace And in the measure of God manifest in thee read this following Treatise and it will keep dâ—â—n that mind thaâ— covets Knowledg and would be feeding upon Knowledge which the Lord forbids or if any thing arise in thee which would be angry oâ— envious the Light of Chrâ—st will judge that down and â—â—ll keep thee low in the meekness and patience to read and understand and if any thing seem hard unto thee whiâ—h at present thou mayst not have clearness â—n let it aloâ—e until the day declare it And be not hasty to know nor rash to juâ—ge in that which cannot dâ—scern it but be stiâ—l coâ—l and sink down and wait in patâ—ence until the appointed time And this is published in the servâ—ce of Love for thy sake who erres for want of knowledge and is not come to walk in the Way of Understanding that thou mayst be informed of the subtil workings of the Enemy of thy Peace and to know a part in that which gives Dominion over him which is CHRIST JESUS the LIGHT in thy Conscience unto which I am made manifest who â—ravels to relâ—eve the weary and to ease the oppressed ones that the feeble may be strengthened and all that breath after God may be saved â—n this day of his Mercy My Friendship is to thee and all people in the Truth of God W. S. THE MORNING-WATCH Or A Spiritual GLASS Opened c AWAKE Awake all people Arise lift up your eyes watch to the Morning the Day is come and the glory of Israel is risen all things is manifest as they are Darkness is dangerous and the Ways thereof leads unto Death Why will ye walk therein And why will ye dye O ye yeople Everlasting Mercy from the Lord God is held forth that none might be lost but all might be saved Bow down your ear and hear be diligent and encline for that is come which was before the Subtilty and that is manifest which in the beginning made all things and was before the Serpent prevailed or before that sin or death entered and this hâ—th God revealed in his tender mercy and hath visited many therein whose Understandings are opened and their eyes enlightened to behold the way of life and they are come to that which was before the World was made and knows a part in that
quickning Spirit and the faith that they have made is not held in a pure conscience but is conceived in the heart that is degenerated and corrupted So people being from that of God in them which he makes manifest unto them 〈◊〉 god of this world rules over them and blindes their mindes that those things which are eternal they cannot perceive then doth he lead forth their mindes into the temporals and they make haste thither and opens their eyes to look at the things which are seen and this is pleasing to the carnal minde which is willing to turn any way that it may escape judgement And what was by the Saints given forth and appears in writings without them that their life is in and that they contend about and all strives to set up their own Conceivings and teach for Doctrine mens traditions and minde not the measure of God in themselves but stretch beyond it in the comprehension and run into other mens lines and labours and are all upon the earthly root and in darkness and confusion in their practise and worship that from the crown of the head to the sole of the feet the Image hath no whole part in it but is full of putrifaction and corruption and every branch rotten and deceitful and no good fruit is found for the bringing forth of all is from the heart that is deceitful and corrupted which lyes fallen and degenerated from God and cannot bring forth any thing that is pleasing to him or accepted by him for as is the root so is every branch in its nature from high to low and through all these appearances there is not a sound part found but some of them abominable filthy others have healed the sore sleightily and are all out of the life power of God and are all found wanderers in the night of Apostasie and in the darkness have taken the Whores Cup and do drink it and received the mark of the beastâ— and do bear it and this is Babylon the Mother of Harlots and the abomination of all uncleanness who hath held forth a Golden Cup in the night of Apostasie and hath through her Sorceries and Inchantments bewitched many to receive it and drink it untill they have been drunk with the Wine of her Fornication and have committed Whoredome with her that many children have been begotten and many Bastards brought forth of flesh and blood and of the will of man which is the birth that persecutes the Son and Heir And unto all those is the Cup of Gods indignation poured forth and they must all come under the severity of his Judgement because they are Bastards and not Sons for these adulterous births have provoked the Lord and grieved his Spirit and he hath long forborn and spared But on Babylon he will be avenged and all her Brats and Children he will dash in peeces in the fierceness of his anger and not one of them must stand though never so seemingly glorious for the day is come and the true Birth is born whose right it is to Reign and his glory he will not give to another nor his praise to graven Images he is the Son and in him is life and his life is the light of men all must bow before him and all that is contrary to him must under his feet be troden down for unto him alone belongs the issue from death the same that was and is and is to come Everlasting Powerful God over all for ever and ever Hear ye wise and consider ye prudent of the world Is not this your Way and Is not this the fruit of your doings Do you not walk in darkness and are you not building in your Imaginations and setting up your own inventions and brings forth likenesses and Are you not from that which was in the beginning and from the Saints life and Do you not want rest and peace to your souls Be stayed and feel Gods witness in your own selves which will return a true answer in your own bosomes And now a few words of â—ender Counsel from the Lord God unto you all that you may see the form of the Image and how uncomely every part of it is that you may not love nor delight in it any longer for the Lord will destroy it together and the little Stone cut out of the Mountains without hands will dash it all in peeces and there will not be a man upon the earth found to save or uphold any part of it So all watch to the Morning that the day may break upon you and the Light shine out of darkness in you that your eye may look into the Glass of Righteousness the pure Light of Christ in your own consciences and there you may behold both the Ill-favoured and Well-favoured Harlot and what Image you all bear and what Cup you all drink of and what Mark is in your foreheads and if you be diligent and incline to the Lords Counsel and hearken to his witnes in you your understandings wil open and you will see to the beginning and know that which was before imaginations or any inventions was found out and you will come into unity with the Saints life and know every word you utter forth to be spoken in the life and all flesh silent before God and so will your gatherings be unto Christ who is set up for an Ensign that all may come unto him and be saved and you will feel his life in you revealed and in his face behold the express Image of the Faâ—hers glory and his Power he will make known in you and baptize in the death and every formed fleshly birth that exalts it self against him and he will save you as you in him beleeve and redeem you from your vain conversations which you have in the world and give you life and peace for ever A few Words of tender Counsel unto the POPE with all that walk in that way who are called PAPISTS HEar and consider you that set your selves on high and boast in the Works of your own hands you are weighed and tried and your Way and Work is proved and you are found to be out of the Saints Life and from the Scriptures of Truth for the Lord spake by Moses saying Thou shalt have no other Gods but me thou shalt not make to thy self any Graven Image nor the Lâ—keness of any thing in Heaven above or Earth beneath or Water under the Earth thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them For I the Lord thy God am a Jealous God Exod. 20. Are you not found Transgressors of the Holy and just Law of God making to your selves Likenesses and bow down to them and Worship them and forget the Lord who saith Thou shalt have no other Gods but me And are not these your Gods which you make to your selves and sets them up to Worship And do you not adore them and bow and cringe to them and doth not this practise erre from the
Scriptures of Truth and from the Saints life Where do you read that the Saints made Images and set them up and bowed unto them and worshipped before them Or did they pray unto Images or make an Image of Christ or of the Saints and fall down before it and pray unto it Or did they ever sprinâ—le Water one upon another and called it Holy Water And did they ever pray by their Beads and use Crosses and Crucifixes And had they a POPE to rule over them and to order them in the Worship of God Who first made Cardinals and Fryers and Nuns and erected Abbyes and Monasteries Who first set up Houses of Wood and Stone and called them Churches Are not you the Inventers of all these things which are come up since the dayes of the Apostles Who made Saint dayes and called them Holy Dayes And who set up Colledges to make men Ministers And who gave the Colledges their several Names And who brought up Tythes and gave them to the Ministers made at Colledges And who made a Law to compel the payment of them unto such a Ministry Who first brought up Bread and Wine and called it Sacrament And who first gave Power to the Colledge-Ministers to communicate it unto People at certain Times and Dayes And who first ordained that every Receiver of it from their hand should give them two pence for so doing Who first brought up those Easter Reclignings and Midsummer-Dues and Ten-shilling-Sermons Whether was this the Saints practice who lived in the Life and Power of God Or are not all these things come up in the Invention since the Spirit of Truth was lost and ravened from How will you clear your selves before the Lord when he calls you up to the Baâ— of his Justice to give account of your doings How wil you make these things with much more that might be mentioned warrantable or lawful seeing that the Scripture doth not declare of them nor the Saints who were by the Power of God Redeemed and Regenerated into newness of Life they did not live in them nor set them up From what Root then doth all these things spring Do they not come up from the Carnal mind that is at enmity with God And is it not the flesh that brings forth such a Birth as this Have you not committed shameful Whoredom and run into deep Fornication who are so far degenerated from the holy Spirit and from the Scriptures that your Birth is not at all shaped or formed like unto that which is true So that your Birth is conceived in the Adulteress Womb and is a Child of Whoredom and there is no Scripture to prove it lawful Your building Houses and calling them Churches your setting up Crosses in many Towns making Saints Dayes praying to Saints erecting Colledges calling them Christ's Colledge and John's Colledge and such like Names your making Ministers at them and your giving them the tenth part of Peoples Encrease to maintain them and making a Law to compel it with much more by you brought forth in the Mid-Night of Apostacy Have you not erred exceedingly from the Scriptures and from the Spirit that gave the Scriptures forth And so are neither found in the Saints Life nor Practice Therefore be stil and hearken to the Lords Counsel and reject it not it is near you to reprove you for your abominable Idolatries Turn to it for it is Truth and there is no deceit in it the Lord hath placed it in your Consciences to be a Witness for him from which none can hide their Counsel nor cover their secret Thoughts and Cease from your doings and give over making Likenesses and forming Images and turn to that of God in you which the Imagination cannot comprehend nor the Invention make any Likeness of Bow down and worship it and be subject unto it in all things it is CHRIST the Power of God the Heavenly Image who is jealous of his Glory and wil smite all other Images and Image-Makers For Babylon must fall before him and Antichrist he wil destroy with the brightness of his Appearance Oh ye people your Way is corrupted and is not found right before the Lord though you challenge the first place after the Apostles and set your selves on high with that you call your Mother Church yet the Lord hath found you out and all your deceitful workings and Whoredoms and Abominations whither your hearts have run out of God's fear that your Mother Church doth now appear and is made manifest in this Day of God to be MYSTERY BABYLON THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS which hath made all Nations drunk with the Wine of her Fornication and hath handed forth a Golden Cup full of Abominations by which she hath deceived the Nations But the Day hath declared you and your Work is seen of what sort it is and it is not like the Saints Work who drunk of the Cup of Salvation And thus have you spread your Skirt over the earth and have pollutted it with your abominable Idolatries and have caused many to drink of your Cup of Fornication and have bewitched them with your Sorceries and the abundance of your Delicacies But the Lord is rending your Skirt and taking away your Covering and your nakedness appears to your shame for you are seen to the bottom and your Root is the corrupted heart of the old Man in the degeneration and you lye in the Fall and in the Transgression where not one doth good and the Lord hath no pleasure in you neither doth he require your Worship nor your Offerings at your hands but is weary of them Therefore Arise out of yâ—â—r Idolaâ—ry and depart from it for it is polluted and the Lord will suddenly come upon it and destroy it with a sore destruction And cease from your Cruelty and Blood-thirstiness and lay by your Stocks and Whips and Prisâ—ns and do not use such Weapons to defend your Religion for that makes you manifest to be out of the Saints Life who never used such things to compel any to Conformity or to punish such as differed from them in Practice and Worship Therefore all turn to that by which they were guided and in which they walked and lived the Spirit of Truth by which they were led into all Truth and were kept from Idols and as it is made manifest in you wait to receive it and then fight against Spiritual Wickedness in High Places that sin and transgression may be cut down in your own particulars that you may live no longer in Pride and Haughtiness Envy and Malice Riotting and Drunkennesse and such like filthinesse which you like to retain and have a love to more then the Light that doth reprove you for them but all come to the Light that in the Light your Minds may be ordered and exercised and it wil gather you into a measure of the same Life the Saints enjoyed and raise your souls from Death and it wil destroy all your Images and Bastard-Births which in the