be freed from sin or death this Doctrine they do preach Whereby we all our Life-time have been kept in misery They also boldly do affirm that Paul he then did lye When unto God he did give thanks which was his strength and stay For that he had deliverance through Jesus Christ the Way And though Paul in his Agony did ask the question so From this Body of sin and death Who shall deliver Who This question it was only writ ' cause he would answer make Who was the alone Deliverance and for whose onely sake For none such tender pitty had to the poor wretched man To bind his wounds and 's wants supply but th' good Samaritan Who poured oyl into his wounds set him on his own Beast And brought him unto Christs own Inne the place of all Souls Rest With Wounds bound up and Charges paid this Love the Lord doth send With Stock laid in for future time what the poor Soul should spend Now shall not Paul when he is cleans'd and other Leapers to Return and give to God the thanks to whom alone t is due With David also come and tell what for his soul is done And that no Condemnation is in Jesus Christ Gods Son For they now walk not after flesh another Law they have The which of Spirit is and Life that doth their poor Souls save And this doth also set them free from Flesh Law Sin and Death And makes dry Bones together come for God sends for his Breath Which is the Gospel-Power of God which those Ministers hide Whose minds the God of this World blinds lest he should be espide Thus they go forth and People tell from sin they can't be freed Whilst on this side the Grave we are So their Lord's Lord indeed So making void the mighty Power of the Emanuel Who came to save People from sin Lyes of him they do tell As if his Hand were shortned and weakned were his Power Or that the World the Divels were for to rule every hour Whereas all Power in Heaven and Earth unto the Son is given And he must surely Raign on Earth though's Enemies have striven Him to oppose yet if not here Oh where shall Gods Son Raign For all his Enemies Death and Hell shall every one be slain For he must Rule till these be brought under his feet then shall The Son his Kingdom re-assigne and God be all in all So stop your mouths you Messengers that are Satanical For the Lords Christ is come to Raign his Rule must be your Fall And all your mighty Captains to which are of his Empire For Dragon Beast False Prophet to shall be cast in the fire For the Lords Christ came to destroy all the works of the Devil That Righteousness E'relasting may be brought from all that 's evil And if he were not to destroy his works in this world wrought What other World doth he work in that any out have sought When he his Messengers and Works are all cast in the fire What Works can he or they then do that any can desire 'T is also in this wicked World Gods Grace Salvation brings Teaching us worldly Lusts to shun and each ungoly thing And in this present world to live godly and soberly And to relieve in Righteousness the fatherless thereby The Widow likewise to visit this is Religion pure From the Worlds spots thus to keep clear the Devil can't endure And if all this you can't believe take your own evidence Of your own Doctrine the result and Catachistick sence Whereby this Truth it is confirm'd ' gainst all to be the same Where Children they are taught to say what 's promis'd in their name That the Devil and AL his works they must and will forsake And AL the Pomps and Vanities of this world leave to take And AL the sinful Lusts also of the Flesh which do rise ALL these they must be now forsook that did their hearts surprize And these not only to be left but they Gods Word must keep And his holy Commandements all their Life not in sleep This Christian Article of Faith they must fully believe Though they themselves their works destroy yet this to learn they give Oh is no here Babel built now anon pull'd down again This is the Dialect they speal of Sounds this is the strain Object But some may say For all this yet Paul in his flesh did feel A Prick Buffeting of Satan and this God did not heal Answ All this is true in his Warfare Pricks in the flesh he may And Buffetings of Satan to who sought him to destroy For when that â—e a Souldier was of Satan on his side He then with might did Persecute Christians could not abide And like his Master went about roaring for to devour And Letters had from the High Priest to take all in his Power And said himself He was e'en mad ' gainst all on God did call He went from house to house and did them unto Prison hall Now all this time there was no cause Satan should buffet Saul Till that he had his Champion lost and was convert to Paul And now who otherwise can think but Paul bufft'ed must be by his old Master that he serv'd now they do not agree Moreover must not Paul now have the measure he hid give And now the Wheel's upon him turn'd till the Lord him relieve So this no evil was in Paul nor ought that was unjust Though to the Lord he three times sought ' cause he did on him trust This seeking to the Lord did shew who had the power and might And that himself was but weakness 't was God must for him fight The Answer was he should not Fear sufficient was his Grace Him to defend and Courage give his Enemies to face He now must be a Souldier for his new Master t is right Therefore with Pricks and Buffets to his old Master doth fight Against him in temptation in raising of his mind To glory in the things he saw to which before he 's blind But by the Shield of Faith he did defend himself from evil And quenched hath the fiery darts cast at him from the Devil And Gods Light Armour on he put with the Sword of the Spirit The Helmet of Salvation to all 's Free here is no Merit So with this Armour and Weapon Paul did fight a good fight Against the Devil kept the Faith by Gods Pow-er and Might And by this Faith he did resist the Devil and made him fly And in this Faith the Victory got also a Crown thereby The which the Righteous God will give unto his Souldiers all That under this his Banner fight and on his Name do call So all may see that this was not an evil then in Paul But Souldiers marks of Jesus Christ the which we must bear all And his seeking thus unto God is as a sucking Child That seeketh for its Mothers Breast that is tender and mild And when the Child had suckt its
THE POOR Widows Mite Cast into the LORD'S TREASURY Wherein are contained Some Reasons in the Justification of the Meetings of the People of God called QUAKERS with an Approbation of several Truths held by them and the ground of Dark Persecution Discussed Written by a Woman of the South who came from the ends of the Earth to hear the Wisdom of him that is greater than Solomon and doth a far off behold the happy Estate of his Friends and Servants who stand continually before him to hear and receive Wisdom from him who is the true Emanuel Now lest it should be counted a Libel or any should think we dare not own it in the World I have subscribed my Name A MITE if ALL is more than ALL Than they Abundance have That have not FAITH to give up ALL Their ALL will not them Save Printed for the use and benefit of such Bees as suck their Hony from the Flowers and Blossoms that God makes to spring that they may have to keep themselves alive in the dark stormy Winter 1671 THE Widows Suite TO Her FRIEND T. S. whom she desires to be IMPRIMATOR to her Small Mite My Friend THese Lines to thee are sent that thou mayst them review Because I know thou dost Believe and Seest in things are True So that if ought be Unsav'ry and thou dost know the Fault Thou having in thy House Seas'ning put thereto the Earths Salt Moreover I not willing am that Truth at all be Blam'd Nor would I do or give out ought that any should be sham'd Therefore unto the Sanctu'ry I do my Weights forth bring The Ballance thereof them to try this is the only thing To have all right and made good weight Infirmities to heal And what Weights equal are and just on them to strike the Seal Which when they have Truths Seal on them Oh! then none will question Let the Noble Bereans search they 'l find the Weights all one The Poor WIDOWS MITE Cast into the LORDS TREASURY Where in are contained in short some reasons in the Justification of the Meetings of the People of God called QUAKERS c. NO Prologue Preface Frontispice nor no Epistle have To Usher in this little Mite that long hath lain in Grave But now a Resurrection hath and from the Grave is come And in the Holy City walks though before deaf and dumbe Nor did it see at all for that in 's very Birth 't was blind Nor taste the goodness of his God nor could him feel or find Now Praises praises unto him that quickned hath dry Bones By breathing makes the sences live to Abraham's Seed of Stones This is the mighty Power of God on us that blind were born His giving forth his Light his Christ his Everlasting â—…orn His Gospel Grace and Righteousness his Joy his Peace his Strength His mighty Arm Salvation brings unto us now at length With Wisdom Truth and Holiness which is to Sanctifie And cleanse this little New-born Babe which long in sin did lye This is the true Emanuel that doth his People save From all the sins that they have done that kept their Souls in Gravâ—… This is the Spirit that quickens us this is the time of Love When in our Blood we wallowing were Oh then What did 〈…〉 Our Father could not seeing he by birth an Am'rite was Nor Mother either cause that she came of the Hittits These fleshly earthly Canaanites could not help in that day Of the Souls great calamity God only is its stay For Pitty pitty no Eye had on it for to help when It was cast out and loath'd of all Love to it God had then He then did purge and purifie that Birth that is his own The which is born of the Spirit by a new Name is known And He it is deliverance brings from Satans Power and Might And hath translated us into his Sons marvelous Light Whereby we wonder and admire his Mercies manifold And from his Truth cannot retire his Truth doth make us bold And valiant for it upon Earth for which we All have lost For in our Building we sate down and did cast up the Cost And by the same our Souls have gain'd let th' world go as it will Let Life or Death or Sufferings come so God be with us still This is the Test we have for God in this we all agree That of our selves no help we have All is of Grace and Free For Obligations we have none wherewith the Lord to tye But the Free Promises he makes on them we do relye So those that true experience have pray tell it to each other What for their Souls the Lord hath done be it Sister or Brother This is the Cause that we do Meet together it 's Gods due That we may serve and witness Him by his Word which is true For in the mouth of two or three when they witness Allone Gods Word it is established and Truth prevails upon The Hearts and Souls of them that hear both IN and OVT also Whereby they the same Spirit know that is in many MO. This was the Order Paul did give the Co-rin-thi-ans to That to one place the Church should come and this also should do The Prophet or to Prophesie to Judge the others were By the same Spirit which they spoke that to them Truths did clear And if amongst them there did come one that believed not Convicted then he is of all and Judgement is his Lot And thus the secrets of his heart all manifested be So falling down upon his Face then worship God will he And of a truth report that God it is that lives in you This way th'unlearned come to know the Way of God that 's true Here one by one may Prophesie that all may hear and learn And also may be comforted that to Gods Spirit turn We Members of each others are being Christs Body dear Which he hath purchas'd with his Blood and plac'd in us his Fear For we be they the which are built on the Foundation Of Prophets and Apostles to Jesus Christ's Corner-stone In whom also the Building is fitly fram'd together Grown unto an holy Temple from which God will not sever For being Built together are through the Almighty Spirit An Habitation of God the which he will Inherit And so the Head it cannot say to 'th Foot I need not thee Nor eke the Eye unto the Ear O be thou gone from me For that the Body is but One yet Members hath it Many Apeare there would Deformity if lack there were of Any This Body God hath temper'd so the Members each with other That all should have the self same care Vncomly parts to cover Not to Rejoyce at Nakedness as did that cursed Cham But as Japhet and blessed Shem going backwards cover'd shame So what is wanting in each one a supply others have To Minister unto each wants by it their Soules to save And this all is by the same Spirit diversities of Guifts With
fill the Breast likewise is eas'd The Child then it is satisfi'd and Mother also pleas'd This figure God made use of when to Israel he did say Her Child can a Mother forget that sucks on her each day This is the Faith that sucks the Breast of Consolation By which the Just shall ever live if they feed thereupon For in the World we are but sent this plainly doth appear Which shews our Father is alive in whose House is our chear In which is Bread of Life enough and Mansions there are many So Prodigals must come thereto if they mean to have any And this may well observed be what doth the Father move No sooner sees his Son to come but RVNS to meet his Love Oh here is Love Love Love indeed Who can such Love er'e shun For when poor Souls begin to move the Father he doth RVN Yea not away but towards him as if it were a Bliss With arms spread out doth it receive and gives to it a Kiss And is not only here content with joy his House doth sound Because the dead is made alive his lost Son now is found And seemeth to be servile to beset with cares and fears Waiting for to be garcious on Israel forty years And when that we did wallow in the blood that was our own Vnsalted washt or pittied then was his strong Arm known Oh this was Gods own only Power that did Salvation bring Oh this was then a time of Love which makes us now to sing Salvation Glory and Power unto our God for ever Who is our present help at hand his Promise faild us never So all may see the ground-work then that solely doth us move In our affections to Love him ' cause first he did us Love For when that we ungodly were then he his own Son sent From sin and Satan us to free this was his true intent From Egypts darkness and Deaths bonds poor Souls he did set free This was Gods Love and the Sons Word in this both did agree This Truth also in many things illustrated may be That we no Independants are alone on God live we Though we as strong as Sampson were who the Philistines killd And heaps on heaps of them did bear yet he to Death must yeild Till the Lord cleave a hollow place where water did spring out In the same Jaw-bone of the Asse wherewith he made the Rout And when that he had drank thereof his Spirit came again And he revived also was though given himself as slain So of our selves no strength we have 't is in God we must hoast Who is our Captain Strength and Stay the only Lord of Hoasts Now by experience David may yet in Gods strength alone Declare how he by it had killd the great Philistian The Lyon Bear and through an Hoast gone by this strength he hath And he over a Wall hath lept that stood a cross his Path. This is the way that he did go and therefore Courage took ' Cause formerly God did him help and never him forsook Though then were some as there be now which unto him did say That in his God no help there was whereon his soul to stay This plainly then you now may see these cause mens hearts to faint Denying of Gods strength which he doth work in every Saint So putting them quite out of heart for ever to attain Over their hearts-lusts Victory or Ground on them to gain This Spirit you may also see in Israel of old Which did not the true Spies believe though they God Truth bâ— told For they the Sons of Anack feard that mighty were and tall So did not in Gods Power trust but fell a murmuring all And their false Spies to help forward their unbelief and spight Said They appear'd like Grashoppers in the Anakims sight None doubted then nor do they now but the Land it is good But how 't could then or now can be attaind the Question stood And notwithstanding God to them such Miracles did show And wonderfully brought them out of Egypt they did know Yet those false Spies did them perswade as Ministers do now Of Satan which do make a trade against God to avow That from their Masters Kingdom he poor Souls cannot set free Or that his Kingdom in this World diminished shall be Which is the cause of Vnbelief amongst us now at length But those that unto Sion come do grow from strength to strength And now as then the true Caleb do still the People tell The Land is good and to Conquer they able are full well And that the People should not fear unto them thus he sed Their Defence doth from them depart they are to us for Bread And that the Lord he was with them there was no cause to fear Yet they for all this did rebell for their words did not care For many false Spies still they had which brought an ill report So that the Congregation bad stone them with stones for 't Now if there be a Caleb that God follow fully will With other Spirit than they do they cry him stone or kill And yet for all this God will bring his Calebs to this Land They and their Seed shall it possess which to his Truth do stand Who do believe and so confess God by his Power can Bring his People out of Egypt to heavenly Canaan From this it may observed be The false spies they are many From which the ground of Vnbelief doth spring Truth scarce hath any Though in this work it is their share to suffer as men think Yet unto us it is our Joy of Christs own Cup to drink E'en as t was then so it is now Destructions way is wide And many follow in the same few from it turn aside These men that did Gods glory see and miracles also In Egypt and i' th Wilderness do tempt him ten times mo Than those that never yet did see Gods Power that 's Divine More tollerable it shall be for such who have no Sign These Miracles and Wonders great Advantages should be And in our hearts such Courage raise that we no fear should see This is the way David did go with confidence to Saul He took up Courage in his heart and told Israel all That in Gods strength a Lyon he had killed and a Bear And therefore this Physitian bold knew no such thing as Fear This Plea we ' gainst all those have that unto People preach Let God or man do what they can Man Canaan Land can't reach Something of the Cause of DARKNESSE IGNORANCE and PERSECUTION AS the dark Body of the Moon which in the Night is Light That it receiveth from the Sun by standing in its sight And then again by Reflection on us this Light doth cast While it thus governeth the Night no longer doth it last For when the Day-light doth appear it wan doth wax and fade ' Cause it retains no Life or Power nor hath it any Shade For that the brightness of
the Sun with its most glorious beams In its large Womb hath swallowed up her pale and glimmering Streams By which he Body is made dark this all may plainly see And when it gets before the Sun then an Eclipse will be Yea this also may be minded because it is most clear The Sun is ne're Eclipsed but when th' Moon is in its Sphere And the Earths Body also is as dark as is the Moon For when it gets before the Sun the Moon 's Eclips'd full soon Thus Nature hath these outward Signs that in their Sphears do run For the Earths Body doth Eclipse the Moon and She the Sun These outward Signs of Heaven were discern'd by men of old Who yet the Mystery did not see being all led blind-fold Because the God of this World had their minds wholly blinded Lest that the Gospel-Light should shine and they by it be led And though the Hypocrites of old Heavens outward could discern Yet did not know true Bethlehem where Gods own Seed was born Of these Figures the Prophets did of old make use you see When they told where the World was set in mans heart there to be So he that to God is a Friend must have the World cast out From this same place where it is set else Truth it will not sprout And this the cause of the Eclipse that man comes not to know Neither beginning nor the end of him God doth not show The works that he at all times doth they being heavenly Because of this total Eclipse that on his heart doth lye So that the Moons dark Body 's of to us no use at all The Sun reflecting not thereon by the Earths Interval This made the Seers which of old with shame confounded were For they no Answer of God had because they Preacht for hire Yea for money they did Devine and Judged for reward Thus building up Sion with blood no sight had of the Lord. The dark Moon here is turnd to BLOOD tho it pretend to build The glorious Mountain of the Lord have hereby Saints blood spill'd And yet for all this seem to lean themselves upon the Lord As if no evil she had done but in heart did accord This hard-heart Earth was still the same of which the Lord so long Complain'd of in the Wilderness it grieved him so strong To day to day for forty years oh this was all the noise But their hard hearts they could not hear the sounding of his voyce This Earth this Lust this Will this Fesh they being of one nature Are those that keep the glorious beams from shining on the Creature But now the Day of God is come expel those Mists he will Which do his Sun-beams over-cast that shine would on his still For though a man have outward eyes be they never so clear Yet if that Night do him oretake he is little the neer And as it is in outward Earth this is the cause of Night Having a Body thick and gross its self hinders the Light This Judgement was on th' Prophets which with their keen Teeth did bite ' Gainst those that put not in their mouths in War prepare to fight Therefore Night should be unto them they shall no Vision have Not so much Light as to devine how they themselves may save And down o're them the Sun shall go are Prophets of that day Yea darkness shall oretake them all who make not God their stay They therefore shall cover their Lipps for tho they call and cry They shall no answer have from God ' cause in the earth they lye These were also the Belly-gods whose glory was their shame For that they Earthly things did mind and therefore were to blame And this likewise was that also which Demas did embrace Who for this present world did forsake both Truth and Grace These were the false Teachers of which Peter did so fore-tell Should Heresies damnable bring that swift destruction fell Upon them in their great glory for that they should deny The Lord Light Life that thus bought them so in dark Death shall lye Yea these are they through Avarice and fained words should make Merchandise of the People too this darkness they did take And following these pernitious wayes is the sole reason why Truths way is evil spoken off to th' Light they 'l not come nigh So this is Moon Eclips'd you see the Earth and the hard Heart And now before this Cloud be gone these things must feel the smart For that the World and things therein must all be burnt with fire And be removed from his place in the Day of Gods ire But what is that which doth Eclipse the Sun The Moon I 've said When it is turned into Blood then doth it the Sun shade And makes his Body to look black and shine as if it were For all its great and glorious beams but a Sack-cloth of hair This was the time that Joel did prophesie of and say When Sun was dark then Moon was blood this should precede Gods day And 't was fulfil'd when the sixth-Seal was opened for loe A mighty Earth-quake then was seen which many well do know For then the Stars of Heaven fell unto the Earth their place Because they were untimely Figgs they staid there but a space For by this mighty Wind and Storm which God among them sent He shook off what untimely was tho glorious things were ment And now the Earth not only doth but also Heavens shake Because Gods Day is at the door they tremble do and quake For this first Earth and Heaven too which Man could not sustain Are both together shaken now their Form doth not remain Therefore this Heaven departed is even as it were a Scrole For all their glorious fained words together when t is rowl'd And every Mountain and Island which glory in their graces Are by this Storm and mighty Wind remov'd out of their places And they that were Kings of the Earth Great and Rich Men also With chief Captains and mighty Men with Bond and Free-Men go And hide themselves within the Dens yea on the Mountains call And on the Rocks for to hide them or upon them to fall These are the Presbyterian Moon which in the Night was Light But when to Persecution fell then all was Blood and spight But now their Kingdom shaken is and they are made to quake Having their Measure measured back this makes their own hearts akâ— This makes their Stars their mighty Men down from their heaven fall Rather than they will drink this Cup that is mixed with gall And so what Antichristian was in Way and Form before And Covenanted then against the same they now Adore Thus now their Valiant Captains do from Heaven daily slide Their Rich and mighty Men also in Rocks and Mountains hide From the Light Face of him that sits upon his Fathers Throne And from the Wrath of the Lamb which they often made to grone Object But some may now Object and