whom her rule was great like as a stately Queen For Ages by-past its now seen She hath her Whoredoms plaid And Kingdoms have bewitched been And have her power obey'd But now it s seen she shan't deceive Her Witchcrafts they are known And men no more will her believe her Misery is shown And now the wofull Bed I see of Torments great prepar'd Whereon she shortly cast must be and Plagues must not be spar'd But wo to her the wrathfull Cup is fill'd she others gave She must it now her self drink up the same she now must have And drink she must and that full deep of God's fierce Indignation And then shall all her Lovers Weep and make great Lamentation The City also I have seen which once was great and fair Destroy'd and soon laid waste hath been her Merchants did dispair Who by her got great gain and trade to make them rich withall And trafficks from far she had but now lament they shall For Fire in her is kindled bright which must her all consume And up to Heaven day and night ascendeth up her fume And Antichrist who ravened from Truth within the Light Was with Sheeps Clothing covered and rul'd Kings by his might Who had laid waste God's Heritage and had a Kingdom great The Saints against him war did wage and Truth gave him defeat Behold the Whore's Flesh burnt I've seen her beauty doth now fall All Harlots Mother she hath been her Daughters are Whores all Behold the City great and fair she 's fallen to the ground By which Nations inriched were in her no profits found Behold the Antichrist once great his Kingdom 's near laid waste The Lord will bring him from his Seat the day comes on in haste Christ's Kingdom 's coming on with speed the Lord alone will reign He will for aye exalt his Seed o'er Antichrist and 's Train The Woman I have seen return the Wilderness did take A place where she did greatly mourn and rest she there did take The springing of her Seed I 've seen the Man child now must sway By'm Nations have replenisht been for evermore I say Then Praises to the Heavenly King when come to pass this shall Oh then do ye rejoyce and sing ye Saints and Prophets all When God shall pour his Vengeance great to cause our Enemies Fall Then is the Day of Praises meet for Saints both great and small E. B. THis Epistle was by E. B. prefixed to a Book of Fox's in Folio Entituled The Great Mystery of the Great Whore unfolded published in the year 1659. which though some of it related to that Book yet it being B's Epistle and much of it of a more general Concernment it was judged meet to be here inserted and published with the rest FRANCIS HOWGIL's TESTIMONY Concerning the Life Death Tryals Travels and Labours of Edward Burrough That Worthy Prophet of the LORD SHall dayes or months or years wear out thy Name as though thou hadst had no being Oh nay Shall not thy noble and valiant Acts and mighty Works which thou hast wrought through the power of him that separated thee from the Womb live in Generations to come Oh yes the children that are yet unborn shall have thee in their Mouths and thy Works shall testifie of thee in Generations who yet have not a being and shall count thee blessed Did thy Life go out as the snuff of a Candle Oh nay thou hast penetrated the hearts of many and the memorial of the just shall live for ever and be had in renown among the Children of Wisdom for ever for thou hast turned many to righteousness and shall shine as a Star of God in the Firmament of God's Power for ever and ever and they that are in that shall see thee there and enjoy thee there though thou be gone away hence and can no more be seen in mutability yet thy Life and thy Spirit shall run parallel with Immortality Oh Edward Burrough I cannot but mourn for thee yet not as one without hope nor Faith knowing and having a perfect testimony of thy well-being in my heart by the Spirit of the Lord yet thy absence is great and years to come shall know the want of thee Shall I not lament as David did for a worse man then thee even for Abner when in wrath he perished by the hand of Ioab without any just cause though he was a valiant man David lamented over Abner and said Dyed Abner as a fool dyeth Oh nay he was betrayed of his Life even so hast thou been bereaved of thy life by the hand of the Oppressor whose Habitations are full of cruelty Oh my soul come not thou within their secret for thy blood shall be required at the hands of them who thirsted after thy life and it shall cry as Abels who was in the Faith even so wert thou it shall weigh as a ponderous Milstone upon their Necks and shall crush them under and be as a Worm that gnaweth and shall not dye When I think upon thee I am melted into tears of true sorrow and because of the want that the Inheritance of the Lord hath of thee my substance is even as dissolved Shall I not say as David said of Saul and Ionathan when they were slain in Mount Gilboa The beauty of Israel is slain upon the high places Even so wast thou stified in nasty Holes and Prisons and many more who were precious in the Eyes of the Lord And surely precious wast thou to me Oh dear Edward I am distressed for thee my brother very pleasant hast thou been to me and my love to thee was wonderful passing the love of Women Oh thou whose Bow never turned back neither Sword empty from the Blood of the Slain from the slaughter of the Mighty who made Nations and Multitudes shake with the Word of Life in thy Mouth and wast very dreadful to the Enemies of the Lord for thou didst cut like a Rasor and yet to the Seed of God brought forth thy words dropped like Oyle and thy Lips as the Honey-comb Thou shalt be recorded among the Valiants of Israel who attained to the first Degree through the Power of the Lord that wrought mightily in thee in thy day and wast worthy of double honor because of thy Works sake thou wast expert to handle thy Weapon and by thee the Mighty have fallen and the Slain of the Lord have been many many have been pricked to the heart through the. Power of the Word of Life and Coals of fire from thy Life came forth of thy Mouth that in many a Thicket and among many Bryars and Thorns it came to be kindled and did devour much Stubble that cumbered the Ground and stained the Earth Oh how certain a sound did thy Trumpet give And how great an Alarum didst thou give in thy day that made the Host of the Uncircumcised greatly distressed What man so valiant though as Goliah of Gath would not thy Valour have encountered with
Counties at divers Meetings and divers particular Friends he took his leave of them saying to very many That he did not know he should see their Faces any more exhorting them all to faithfulness and stedfastness in that wherein they had found rest for their Souls And said to some I am going up to the City of London again to lay down my LIFE for the GOSPEL and suffer amongst Friends in that Place as having some sence of his Suffering before And a little after his return to the City at a publick Meeting which the People of the Lord have kept these many Years to hear and speak of the things of God to Edification at the Bull and Mouth near Aldersgate by certain Souldiers under the Command of Richard Brown then General of the City of London he was violently plucked down and haled away in a barbarous manner and carried to the Guard and so committed to Newgate not for Evil-Doing but for testifying unto the Name of the Lord Jesus and for the Worship of God as though this were become a great Crime worthy of Bonds and at last Death He was had to the Sessions in the Old-Baily and his Accusers were Witnesses against him and them that had abused him violently their Testimony was received as good Proof against him And at last after two or three Sessions he was fined by the Court One Hundred Marks which at last was reduced to Twenty Marks and to lie in Prison while payment where he continued a pretty long season about Eight Moneths with Six or Seven Score Prisoners besides upon the same Account many being shut up among the Fellons in nasty Places and for want of Prison-room the Natures of many were suffocated and corrupted till at last many grew Weak Sickened and Dyed At last this same Young Man grew Weak and though a special Order from the King was sent to the then Sheriffs of London for the Release of him and the rest that were left in Prison yet such was the Emnity of some of the Rulers of the City that they did what in them lay to obstruct the Execution of the Order that he should not be released And so Weakness grew upon him daily though in much Patience he was carried through all In the time of his Weakness he was very fervent in Prayer and that often both Day and Night unto the Lord as concerning himself and also his People and at several times he spoke several precious words from the sensible feeling of God's Spirit in his Heart and said I have had the Testimony of the Lord's Love unto me from my Youth and my Heart hath been given up to do thy Will And he said I have preached the Gospel freely in this City and have often given up my Life for the Gospel's sake and now Lord rip open my Heart and see if it he not right before thee Another time he said when he had a little ease There is no Iniquity lies at my Door but the Presence of the Lord is with me and his Life I feel justifie me Another day afterwards he said Thou hast loved me when I was in the Womb and I have loved thee from my Cradle and from my Youth unto this day and have served thee faithfully in my Generation And he spoke to Friends that were about him To live in Love and Peace and love one another And at another time he said The Lord taketh the Righteous from the Evil to come And he prayed for his Enemies and for his Persecutors and said Lord forgive Richard Brown he may be forgiven And though the Distemper and the Disease was violently upon him yet he was preserved sensible And in the morning before he departed this life being sensible of his deaâ—h he said Now my Soul and Spirit is centred into its own Beeing with God and this form of person must return from whence it was taken And after a little season he gave up the Ghost and died a Prisoâ—er and shall be recorded and is in the Lambs Book of Life as a Martyr for the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus for which onely he suffered and gave up his life whose death was pretious in the Eyes of the Lord. But now he ever liveth with God and his Work follow him and his Labours shall testifie of him in Generations to come and thousands beside my self can bear witness his Life and Death was to the praise honour and glory of the Grace of God unto whom be the glory of all his Works for ever Amen ANd oh thou City of London who hast been a professing City of the Name of God and Christianity so many years must it be said of thee as Christ said of Jerusalem that a Prophet cannot perish out of thee Oh how many Warnings hast thou had and how dost thou remain in obdurateness and impenitency Oh thou art not worthy of those Heavenly Tydings of Salvation which hath been proclaimed in the midst of thee these many years by this faithful Messenger of God deceased with many more who is taken away in judgment unto thee because many of thy Inhabitants despised and set at nought that in which the blessedness of all Nations consisteth Oh how is thy Gold become dim and how is thy glory stained How is thy Countenance marred How is all thy Profession became dead and like a withered Tree without Sap The Symptomes of death are upon thee Your Sun is set your Glory is passed away Night is coming and Darkness is surrounding you and you shall have enough of Darkness and your Paths and Ways shall be filled with it because you have hated the Light and would not have him who is the Light of the World to rule in your hearts but have chused Darkness rather then Light because your Deeds are evil and in the end thou shalt be made to see you have chosen lying Vanities and have taken Pleasure in the Flesh and have forsaken your own Mercies Repent repent if any can find a place while it is called to Day lest you be shut up in everlasting Darkness and Truth be hid from your Eyes for ever â—ake warning cease from Persecution and afflicting the Lord's People who desire to live quietly and peaceably and to worship God in Truth and Righteousness with a pure heart It is too too much that you have done already the suffering and death of many Innocent Righteous Men who have suffered these Winters past will lie as a load upon your City in Summers to come Remember what God did to Amaleck the first of the Nations and to Moab when Israel would have passed to their own Land and Countrey that God had promised them and have eaten their own Bread and Drank their Water and have passed on peaceably but they rose up and fell upon the Poor and upon the Hindmost and Weak God was Glad to Force his Way though it proved the ruin of Amaleck and the Misery of Moab We would glad walk on
could not be believed if it were spoken of the several and particular Operations and Manifestations of the everlasting Spirit that was given us and revealed in us but this is the sum Life and Immortality was brought to light Power from on High and Wisdom was made manifest the Day everlasting appeared unto us and the joyful Sun of Righteousness did arise and shine forth unto us and in us and the holy Anointing the everlasting Comforter we received and the Babe of Glory was born and the Heir of the Promise brought forth to Reign over the Earth and over Hell and Death whereby we entered into everlasting Union and Fellowship and Covenant with the Lord God whose Mercies are sure and infinite and his Promise never fails and much might be spoken but this is the sum we were raised from Death to Life and are changed from Satans power to God and gathered from all the dumb Shepherds and off all the barren Mountains into the Fold of eternal Peace and Rest and mighty and wonderful things hath the Lord wrought for us and by us by his own out-stretched Arm. And thus we became Followers of the Lamb whithersoever he goes and he hath called us to make war in righteousness for his Name sake against Hell and Death and all the Powers of Darkness and against the Beast and false Prophet which have deceived the Nations and we are of the Royal Seed Elect Chosen and Faithful and we war in Truth and just Judgment not with Weapons that are carnal but by the Sword that goes out of his Mouth which shall slay the Wicked and cut them to pieces and after this manner was our Birth and bringing forth and thus hath the Lord chosen us and made us an Army dreadful and terrible before whom the Wicked do fear and tremble and our Standard is Truth Justice Righteousness Equity and all that comes unto us must cleave thereunto and fight under that Banner without fear and without doubting and they shall never be ashamed nor put to flight neither shall ever they be conquer'd by Hell or Death or by the Powers of Darkness but the Lord shall be their Armour Weapon and Defence for evermore and they that follow the Lamb shall overcome and get the Victory over the Beast and over the Dragon and over the Gates of Hell for the Lord is with us and who shall be able to make us afraid Then having thus armed us with Power Strength and Wisdom and Dominion according to his Mind and we having learned of him and being taught of him in all things and he having chosen us into his Work and put his Sword into our hands and given us perfect Commission to go forth in his Name and Authority having the Word from his Mouth what to cut down and what to preserve and having the everlasting Gospel to preach to the Inhabitants of the Earth and being commanded in spirit to leave all and follow him and go forth in his Work yea an absolute necessity was laid upon us and wo unto us if we preacht not the Gospel for when we looked abroad and beheld the World behold it was altogether Darkness and even as a Wilderness and desolate and barren of good Fruit and Death reigned over men and no good Fruit was brought forth to God but Leaves we beheld upon every Soul and all men and people were made drunk with the Wine of Whoredoms and the Whores Cup they had drunk and was committing Fornication with the great Whore and she reigned over the Kings and peoples of the Earth and the Antichrist was set up in the Temple of God ruling over all and having brought Nations under his Power and set up his Government over all for many Ages even since the days of the Apostles and true Churches hath he reign'd while the Woman hath been fled into the Wilderness and the Man-Child caught up to God Christ said Antichrist should come and put on the Sheeps cloathing and be inwardly a ravening Woolf and Iohn saw that Antichrist was come in his dayes and he went forth then from the true Church and went into the World and deceived the World and ever since his Kingdom hath reigned over Nations for then he begun to exalt himself and it is sixteen hundred years since all which time Antichrist that hath had the Sheeps Cloathing but inwardly a Ravener and hath ruled and reigned and this we saw and perceived in the very time of our birth and bringing forth and we behold Nations as a Wilderness untilled and mens Hearts as the fallow Ground unbroken up and not plowed nor sown with the good Seed of Gods Kingdom so that we saw all states and orders of men corrupted and degenerated from what they ought to be and from what God had once ordained them As for the Ministry first we looking upon it with a single eye in the Light of the Spirit of God which had Anointed us we behold it clearly which formerly we had been stumbling at and much doubting of that it was not the perfect Ministry of Christ for many years before not to be of Christ nor sent of him nor having the Commission power Authority of Christ as his Ministry had in the days of the true Churches but in all things as in Call practice maintenance and in every thing else in fruits and effects we found it disagree and be wholly contrary to the true Ministry of Christ in the days of the Apostles and likewise we truely beheld it to be in Call practice and Maintenance and all things the very same in fruits and effects with the false Ministry and false Prophets and false Apostles and Deceivers of old and this I do testifie and am able to prove in the Spirit and Authority of the Lord that the publick Ministry as now it stands generally is wholy degenerated from what the true Ministry of Christ once was and differs and is contrary in all things to what Christ's Ministers were and agreeth and is equal in all things with what the false Prophets and Deceivers were thoughout all Ages and this I charge upon it in the face and view of all men to whom this may come for this we saw concerning it in the beginning and our first assurance And as for other Places and Orders of men and Callings we saw them also corrupted and degenerated and evil and iniquity abounding among all sorts of people and blindness and darkness covered the face of the Earth and of the World and all people were in their Transgressions and making void the Law of God and that it was time for the Lord to work and to arise to ease himself of his Adversaries and as for all Churches so called and Professions and Gatherings of people we beheld you as all in the Apostacy and degeneration from the true Church not being gathered by the Spirit of the Lord nor anointed thereby as the true Members of Christ ever were but to be in a
by which he was made an able Minister of the Everlasting Gospel to preach Repentance Conversion Salvation and Remission of Sins and accordingly he went forth in the Name and Power of the Lord Jesus the Saviour of Mankind and was an able Minister of the glad Tidings of Salvation in many or most parts of this Land and also he travelled through again and again the whole Nation of Ireland and in some part of Scotland and some part of Flanders and his Ministry was made effectual through the Almighty Power of God in turning many from Darkness to Light and from the power of Satan to God there are many thousands who are living in the Body and alive in the Truth who can in the Spirit of the Lord bear Testimony to the Power and Verity of his Ministry in many Countreys where he travelled for he laboured much in divers places even in the heat of the day though he began early in the morning and in the beginning of his Travels and Labours it was his share to break up rough places and untilled ground and to walk amongst many Bryars and Thorns which scratched and pricked and teared and travelled with some other not without great opposition and he often trod the pathes and wayes which had not been occupied in the Truth and where darkness had the Dominion and was as a covering he brake through as an armed man not minding the opposition but the victory and the good of all souls though to my knowledge his sufferings and tryals have not been small nor his exercise a little on the right hand and on the left in travels often oftentimes buffetted sometimes knocked down by unreasonable men who had not Faith loaded with Lyes Slanders Calumnies and Reproaches often in Weakness yea in Deaths often in Watching Fastings and Temptations often in Straits and Necessities in Perils among rude Multitudes in Perils in Idol-Temple in Perils in Streets and Markets where the Lord did move him often to go in the beginning of his time besides the exceeding weight of service from Weeks end to Weeks end insomuch that he had seldom many Hours of repose and often suffered by those spirits who lost their first love and rose in opposition He was very diligent and faithful true hearted and valiant and the Yoke at last came to be easie unto him though no ease at all in the Body as to the outward man for he made the Work of the Lord his whole business without taking so much Liberty unto himself or about any outward occasion in this World as to spend one Week to himself to my knowledge these Ten Years He had ventured himself often for the Bodies sake and a great care I know was in his Heart that them that he had ministred unto and others that had believed in the same Truth might thrive and prosper and might walk as becometh the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was of a manly Spirit in the things of God he hath engaged himself often upon the Lords account singly in great Disputes when there were many Opposers he hath stood in the Door and in the Gap against all his Enemies for the worthy Name of God and taken the whole weight of things upon his own Shoulders that others might be eased though often to the weakening and almost destroying of the outward man yet doing all in love to the Lord and for his peoples sake he did it with Cheerfulness and it was a Grief to him if any opportunity was missed of doing good He was a man of no great Learning in natural Tongues which men so much applaud yet indeed his Heart was full of matter and his Tongue was as the Hand of a ready Scribe and yet he had the Tongue of the Learned having had experiment of the Work of the Lord and being acquainted with many conditions which God had carried him through he could speak a word in season unto all who declared their conditions unto him or otherways in his publick Ministry he was very plausible and elegant in his speech and indeed had the Tongue of a learned Orator to declare himself to the Understandings and Consciences of all men with whom he conversed by which many received great profit and their Understandings came to be opened for his words ministred Grace to the Hearers and his words were forcible and very pleasant as Apples of Gold in Pictures of Silver This young Man of whom I am speaking was one of the first with some others who came to the City of London where he met with no small opposition both from Professors of divers Forms and also Prophane who heeded no Religion at all and the Way of Truth seemed contemptible and without form or comeliness to them all which made the Opposition so great and the Labour so hard that notwithstanding it pleased the Lord to reach unto the Consciences of many and many were prickt to the Heart so that they cryed out what shall we do to be saved And God made his Ministry very effectual to the conversion of many in the City of London whereby a great change was wrought in the hearts of many and many hundreds brought to know the Lord their Teacher which are as Seals unto the Word of Life through him unto this day And many hundreds I may say thousands heard the lively Word of God declared by him and were convinced of the Way of Truth though still remaining in the Disobedience to that of God in their own hearts unto which he declared and many have lost their day which they had of hearing and receiving the things of God for now he is taken away which might have been a help unto them while they had time and all such are not worthy of him He continued in this City very much at time and times betwixt eight and nine years together preaching the Word of God and speaking of the things of his Kingdom to all that looked after it and great watching travel and exercise in the Work of the Lord and his earnest desire was That all might have come to know God's Salvation and the Redemption of their Souls And his great diligence was known unto many that his only rejoycing was in the prosperity of the Work of the Lord and the increase of Faith amongst them that did believe And his heart was much drawn towards this City and oftentimes hath he said to me when sufferings did come for the Gospel sake which he knew would come I can freely go to that City and lay down my Life for a Testimony of that Truth which I have declared through the Power and Spirit of God which in the end indeed came to be his share and will for ever be his Crown who loved not his life unto death for the Testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ. And in the same year 1662 being pressed in his spirit to go visit them who were begotten unto the Faith of God's Elect at the City of Bristol and in divers other
Heathen and under the barren dry and empty Ministry of Man which stands in the will of man and have proceeded out of the carnal inventions and imaginations of fallen man and is not according to God nor to the practice of the Saints in former Ages and Generations To you all do I clear my conscience in the presence of God by declaring to you in writing being that I cannot have freedom through the subtilty of the Serpent who doth work alwayes to prevent the living Truth to be declared and the deceits of himself to be discovered and made manifest to declare in word among you I have been sent by the Lord moved of him to come and to declare to you the Word of the Lord to the directing of your minds where to wait to attain the true Knowledge of the Lord and to that one Thing needful the Eternal welfare of your souls and to lay open the deceits of the Serpent who doth work in the cursed deceitful Ministry which is upheld by you whereby your souls are kept in the death and only your dark minds fed and nourished by the painted and Serpent-like expressions and declarations coming out of the carnal wisdom and brain knowledge of your Hireling who walks in the way of the false Prophets of Israel which the true Prophet called greedy dumb Dogs four several times hath the Lord by his Eternal Spirit working in me moved me to come into the Congregation and Assembly he himself is the Witness that I came not of man nor by the will of man but contrary to the will and desires of man wherein stands the true Ministry of God now as it was ever the true Prophets Ieremiah and Ionah witnessed the same and the Apostle Paul and as it is known to you unto whom I speak that I could not have liberty to declare to you the Truth from God who came not to you with entising words neither what I had gathered out of Scripture from without me neither to speak my own imaginations and conceivings as your false Hireling doth but to declare the Word of the Lord to the convincing your dark understandings that you might see the deceits by which you are and have been led that your souls might have been redeemed up to God out of the imagined worships of the World to worship in Spirit and in Truth Hear ye the Word of the Lord ye people all your carnal traditional Ordinances and Observances is abomination to the Lord all your praying and praising is odious in his sight for all your worship is an imitation and an imagination of the dark mind of man and was never commanded by God therefore consider all ye people what you are doing and reject not the Lord nor his Everlasting Truth but prize your time and now seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon his name while he is near Your souls are kept in the death under your dead Minister and under his dead Doctrines dead Reasons Points and Uses which he speakes from the Saints conditions and experiences but is an enemy to the substance and to them in whom the same conditions are made manifest in the power of Truth and he doth make manifest himself to be in the same generation of them who had the form of Godliness but denies the Power having the Letter as the Pharisees had but persecuting the substance as they did All people consider whether he be not in the generation professing God and Truth in Word as the Scribes and Pharisees were but persecuting the Son of God who is the Substance of Truth where he is born and made manifest he is in the generation of them who professed Abraham's freedom and that God was their Father but were of their father the Devil for his workes they did they said and did not as he doth as it is made manifest he is a whited Wall a painted Sepulcher which Christ the Son of God cryed wo against who was and is the Light by which all Deceivers Hirelings and false Teachers are discovered and cryed out against The Light which is Christ do I witness to be made manifest in me from God the Father of Light daily leading me up to him to live in Purity and Uprightness praises be to him for ever in which Light I see your Teacher to be a Hireling a greedy dumb Dog seeking for his gain from his Quarter one that God never sent but hath run and was not sent therefore doth he not profit you at all and from this Light which is Christ do I declare against him as knowing him that he hath not the Word of the Lord but the Letter Freely do I declare against him as knowing him to be a Deceiver and an Antichrist being once I was deceived by him but now through the rich Love of my Father who hath made himself known to me hath shined by his Eternal Light in my heart do I see him and all such to be Antichrist and no Minister of Christ from the mouth of the Lord I do declare it that you are led blindly by him your blind Guide and you are ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the Living Truth by his Ministry He layes heavy burdens upon you He is in the generation of them who had the Law and Prophets but persecuted him who came to fulfil the Law and who hath the substance of the Prophets He hath the Conditions and Experiences of the Saints in the Letter but who are brought to witness the same Conditions and the same strait Way in which they walked He is an enemy to all people to you from God I do declare it he is one that God never sent to speak his Word to you he calls good evil and evil good and puts Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light and therefore wo is his Portion and wo is the Portion of all that upholds him What will ye do in the end thereof He doth bewitch you to observe That calling is an Ordinance of God which he never commanded Poor people your souls lies in the death under the power of darkness and corruption under your dead Minister and under his dead carnal Observances and your dark Minds your Wit and Reason is only fed and so the enemies of the Lord are strengthned by him and you remain in ignorance and in blindness and cannot attain the true Riches for Christ only is the Way to the Father the Light in every man which leads to the Father but this Light he denies as having enlightened every one that comes into the World as several times he hath done to me in Argument Here he makes Christ a Lyar and doth not know the first Principle of Religion nor the Light which leads unto God but is a Heathen and knows not God for this is the Light which all the Servants of God in all Generations witnessed and which Light we do now
shall conquer by the sword of the Lord which the Lord hath put into their hands over Countries and Dominions For O Nation the Lord is with them and thy unjust Rulers and Officers cannot hurt them not a hair of their heads shall perish without my heavenly Father It is for a testimony of their Fathers love to them that they suffer shame and reproach and some of them imprisonment by the unjust Rulers and for a witness against them that some of them are brought before them the Lord is chusing the weak things of this World and he is making manifest his Counsels to Babes and revealing his Counsel and eternal Truth to Children and keeps his hidden Treasures from the eyes of the Wise and vulturous ones Praises praises be to him for evermore For the Lion of Judah is opening and hath opened the Sealed Book let all his Saints rejoyce for evermore This is the day of thy Visitation O Nation wherein the Lord speaks to thee by the mouth of his Servants in word and writing therefore return to the Lord thy God from whence thou art fallen Now will the Lord gather his Jewels and Chosen ones out of thee and will raise up the dead which lies slain under thy Teachers and Pharisees which makes a prey upon the people which was never sent by God to speak unto thee O Land Hear the Word of the Lord Depart from all thy Teachers for the Lord hath drawn his Sword and lifted it up against the false Prophet and the Vials of Indignation shall be poured upon him and upon all that upholds him in his Whoredoms and Witchcraft by which he deceiveth the simple therefore lest thou be partaker of their Plagues depart from them And all people mind that measure of Light within you which the Lord hath lightened every one of you withal for the Lord is risen to teach his people himself and he is fulfilling his Prophesie in thy ears O Nation they shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will put my Law in thine inward parts and write it in their hearts Ier. 31. 33. The Lord is about his great and wonderful Work in thee and all the Wars and Contentions in thee O Land hath but been a making way for this Work of the Lord and hath not been the Work which the Lord hath purposed This Work is made known to them that feareth the Lord and abideth in his Counsel The Lord will overturn overturn the Nation and will create new Heavens and new Earth wherein shall dwell righteousness in which all the Chosen of the Lord shall rejoyce for evermore And all the Kings and Nobles shall cast down their Crowns before this Glory And all the men of War shall lay down their Armour and Weapons of War And Nation shall not lift up a Sword against Nation any more For the Lord will establish Righteousness and Peace this will the Lord bring to pass in thee O England through the destruction of that which now liveth and through the Resurrection of that to Life which now lieth in Death Hear O Land give ear O People for the Lord of Heaven and Earth is now turning the World up-side down all old things shall pass away all things shall become new by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh and the slain of him shall be many corrupt Judges and Officers will the Lord sweep away and their name shall no more be found in the Nation the fire is kindled and the sword is drawn happy is he that keepeth himself from fighting against the Lord in this his Work and happy are ye O Brethren that stands faithful to the end to see these things accomplished great shall be the battel it is now begun many shall see death and shall yet live to see these things TO all the Despised and Contemned ones who are Persecuted and shamefully entreated by the Generation of the Chief Priests and by them who live in the highest Profession in the Word outwardly ye who are the scorn of the Nation and the derision of all the Heathen and are called Quakers you are my brethren children of my Father have been brought forth by the same Womb and have sucked the same Breast Ye are chosen out of the world out of all worldly glories and earthly excellencies and are not of this world and therefore the world hateth you you are brought out of the broad way of the flesh and are separated from all the world in their ways worships and forms of religion and are redeemed out of the mouths of all Idoll dumb Shepherds and hath one Shepherd and are gathered from all the mountains and out of all the desolate disinhabited places and are come into the pleasant sheepfold where is green pastures and fresh springs of living Waters By Faith with Abraham are ye come out of your native Country from among your kindred and out of your Fathers house And with Moses have you forsaken the glory of Pharaohs house and chosen rather to suffer affliction among the poor despised people than to have enjoyed the pleasures of sin but great shall be your reward ye Contemned ones glory and honor and everlasting happiness is prepared for you if you stand faithful to the end the Lord is with you as a mighty terrible one and therefore shall all your persecuters be ashamed and confounded the sound of a trumpet is heard among you which makes all Nations at a stand and all the Heathen to wonder and all the Rulers Nobles and chief Priests are in consultation combining together to suppress the Army of the Lord of Hosts which he is gathering together fear not nor be dismaid for the sounding of your trumpet causes an alarum and makes all the inhabitants of the Land to tremble and all bows before the sound of it for the sound of it is terrible to the Nations to all Kingdoms and Dominions the Lord of Heaven and Earth is your Captain which rides upon the Clouds and whose glory is above the World and therefore in the battel shall you obtain the conquest and all your enemies shall be put to flight and one of you shall chase a thousand for he is with you who hath all power in his hand and all your enemies are limitted by him therefore be not discouraged at the raging and swelling words of your Adversaries but be bold and valiant and faithful to him for his is the victory and by his own Right Hand will he get himself the victory Ye are my fellow Souldiers and fellow Members of the same body and my joy in the Lord stand faithfull to the Lord and be bold and valiant for the Truth upon Earth for you hath the Lord chosen of all the Families of the Earth to place his Name among you and he will glorifie his
Christ in them and no more after the flesh come to know his Resurrection he is the resurrection he is the first and the last who knows him risen and have seen him witness the first day and the last what speaks thou of a last day that never came to the beginning and so thy soul lies in death and in chains and in utter darkness and therefore lay thy hand upon thy mouth and see where thou art and the Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures thou canst not witness 11 Quer. If after death there is no bodily Resurrection for the Spirits of men to possess an immortal Glory to eternity or to suffer an eternal Devil-like shame according to their deeds whether good or evil Is it not one of the vainest things in the World to discourse of God and Righteousness unless it be for earthly Gain amongst men Answ. There is a Resurrection both of the just and of the unjust the just into everlasting life and the unjust into everlasting shame and contempt and every one shall receive according to his works whether they be good or evil but this is a mystery hid for none knowes it but through death but what knowest thou who art yet alive in sin what shall be in the resurrection which is after death which whoever comes to know the resurrection knowes the end of all things therefore it is not taking their words nor thy own imaginations that is Faith nor if thou know Christ no nearer than Ierusalem nor no nearer than above the stars thou knowst not where but through thy dark imaginations this is not to know Christ risen from the dead see therefore what hast thou seen in thy self But thou art dead while thou livest in that nature and at the resurrection contempt and shame will be thy portion and turn in â—hy minde to that which shews thee sin and witness the body and sin destroyed within and then and not till then shalt thou know how it is in the resurrection 12 Quer. Thou raises a question from Pauls words to the Athenians and didst before condemn them that stole other mens words and here thou hast stolen a Query and thou askestwhat think you did that spiritual Creator dwell and sive in the Athenians Consciences or did his glorious person visibly appear in the highest heavens Answ. The Athenians to whom Paul spoke worshipped the work of their own hands as this Generation doth their own imaginations and that God whom ignorantly they worshipped at a distance which God lived in Paul's Conscience Paul declared unto them and they looked as thou dost carnally thinking God to be carnal and at a distance but he said he was not at a distance from every one of them for in him they lived moved and had their being and this was the God which Paul preached of which Creator we witness lives in the high and holy place and with him also that is of a humble and a contrite spirit and trembleth at his Word 13 Quer. And thou sayest what think you can there be any living Spirit without a body or person to display its life in or from and must not the Creator of necessity be a glorious personal substance and thou sayest doth not these men that worship an infinite Spirit without any bodily form living in mens Consciences glory only in a god of â—â—eir own imaginations instead of honouring the onely Lord of all life the man Iesus yesterday today and for ever Answ. That which is not possible with men is possible with God which God is a Spirit as Jesus Christ saith and a spirit hath not flesh and bone nor a created body but displays it self as it pleases contrary to thy will and the will of all men and thou who wouldst by thy reason tye the Creator with a necessity to a personal Beeing art void of the knowledge of God and led by thy corrupt reason which shall never know God and all those who worships God in Spirit worships an infinite Spirit which Spirit inhabiteth eternity and lives in the Consciences of the Saints and this is not to glory in an imagination but a witnessing of the same eternal Truth which the Saints witnessed which spake forth the Scripture for they witnessed Christ to dwell in them and the same God they worshipped whose temple they were and not another and the same we witness and this to the honour of the Man Jesus who was yesterday today and for ever 14 Quer. The eternal Spirit Creator and alone everlasting Father which dwells essentially in the glorified Body as our Lord Iesâ—â— his eternall Son and virtually reigns in all the Saints Elect men and Angels be Record between me and you world without end whether this Epistle shall not be sent to you and all the chosen that shall peruse it principally for the establishing of your tender spirits upon that eternal spiritual Rock Iesus Christ God and Man in one distinct body or person glorified and onely honoured with all spiritual praises from Elect men and Angels when this World is consumed into ashes and all time or times is swallowed up into eternity or eternities Ans The Eternal Spirit which is the Everlasting Father which thou sayst is essencially in the Son thy word essencially I deny and thy voice yet Christ and the Father is one and the same Spirit that dwells in the Son dwels in the Father which is one I and my Father is one the same dwells in the Saints thy word virtual I deny the same that dwells in the Father and in the Son the same dwells in the Saints not distinct nor divided For he that hath seen the Father hath seen the Son and he that hath the Son hath the Father also and Christ is not divided I in them and thou in me that they may be perfect in one and he that is joyned to Christ is one spirit and not distinct nor separate if thou have an ear thou mayst hear and that eternal Spirit which is the Father and the Son which dwels in the Saints is Judge of thee and by that Spirit I judge thee that this Epistle came not from him to none of the chosen for they who are chosen deny thy voice and what dost thou speak of Elect and Angels with whom God dwells when in thy fourth query thou saidst they were defiled and the holy Ghost saith He dwells with no uncleanness and so speaks confusion and Babylons language which is the land of thy nativity from whence all these things have been spoken by thee and all that shall ever be established with thy declaring or thy Epistles shall be thrown down for the Rock shall beat thy Image to pieces and therefore leave off thy speaking of him and of thy distinct body and of his glory for when he shall appear in his glory instead of thy praises thou shalt bowl and lament and wish the mountains to cover thee and he who is out of time shall consume thee to ashes who
thy Law and defends by thy unrighteous power thy power is limited and it shall be taken from thee and thou shalt be overcome and the Lamb shall get the victory and into the pit and lake of fire shall you be turned to have your resting place And thou false Prophet which hath deceived the Nations and scattered the Inhabitants thereof and builded by fraud and daubed with untempered morter thy Judgment is past upon thy head already and the Decree of our God is sealed against thee thy smoke shall ascend for ever and ever and of thy sin there is no forgiveness nor of thy torment no remission Over you do we and shall for ever rejoyce and sing and over your god and your King the Dragon that old Serpent cursed be he and his memorial for ever Ye Lambs of the true Shepherds fold with whom my soul resteth whether ever I behold you outwardly yet my heart is with you and I am one of your fold and I lye down with you under the shadow of the rock upon the Mountain which the beast cannot touch where we are safe from all our enemies and am to you wel known to be read in your hearts in the Record of the Lambs Book of Life and known only to the world by the name of EDWARD BURROUGH Written at Dublin City in Ireland To the Camp of the Lord in England Several Epistles to Friends in LONDON Written in the Year 1655. by E. B. Some of which were subscribed by F. H. who was Fellow-Labourer with him in the Work of the Lord. FRiends of God in the Truth whom the Lord is gathering as desolate Stones to build unto himself a Habitation whom the Lord is bringing back out of Captivity wherein you have been held under the Chains of Darkness in the Land of the shadow of Death the Lord is calling you and chusing you to place his Name in you and to spread forth his glory among you Therefore all dear Friends whose hearts the Lord hath touched by his Love and by his Power be faithful unto God who hath called you and look not out at any thing that is mortal to draw you from the Obedience of the Eternal Light of Jesus Christ which shines clearly in Darkness Resist not the Drawing of the Father but take up the Cross and abide in it daily that your wills may be crucified in which the ground of enmity lodges So all in your own conditions wait in the Fear of the Lord in singleness of heart and in simplicity of mind for the powerful Appearance of the Son of God to be revealed in you to destroy the works of the Devil for where he is not witnessed the works of the Devil stands and the nature of the earthly man in the fall All of you whose minds are turned home to within where the Pearl and the Lost Money is to be found dwell and walk in the pure Fear and Obedience to that of God which is made manifest in you and made known unto you and there will Peace flow in from the Presence of the Lord unto you and refreshment and strength to the Seed and the Pure will live and the Corrupt will die daily Beware every one that have put their hands to the Plow that you look not back at any thing which you have left behind in the World but press on in the strait Way which is the Light which gives no liberty to the fleshly man but which judges and condemns all that hates it and turns from it the Light is the Way that leads to Life and by it as you wait in it the Life will be made manifest which is immortal and your Redemption will be witnessed dwell in the Judgment and in the Burning that the Dross may be consumed and the Pure may be refined and the earthly carnal minds may be confounded and judged The Lord is near unto you wait for his powerful Presence in his own Light to see him and in it to comprehend all the World with all its Profession which leads not to God but keeps in the separation from God your Way is near walking in the Light you will see it and in the Light you will see all the paths and all the wayes of the Harlot which leads into the Chambers of Death look not out at words for that which feeds there is for the Famine but dwell in the Light joyning with the immortal Principle which receives nourishment from the Eternal Fountain which the World knows not nor comprehends as you grow in the Pure and in the Life so you are unknown to the World and your growth will appear by your obedience in the Cross of Christ so take off stumbling at the Cross for such hath no part in the Eternal Inheritance but walk in the Cross which is life to the New-man and death to the Old and so through Death Life is made manifest and the pure Life of God arising in all the World will be trampled upon and denied by you but such amongst you that chuseth the World wrath from God I declare against you and you who knows the way and casts off the Truth and for the love of that which is visible turns from the Truth you cannot escape the Damnation of Hell So all dear and tender hearts abide in the Counsel of God and let not the World overcome your minds but wait for a daily victory over it that so you may with the Saints possess the Eternal Riches and that in you which is carnal and corrupt may be overcome by that which is Eternal and Holy as you abide and walk in the Truth and grow up in the knowledge of the eternal God so our joy will be fulfilled in you and our rejoycing will be encreased by you therefore walk and live in that which God hath made manifest in you which is of himself and the eternal God of Life and Power prosper you and lead you up unto himself to dwell and walk in his Love for evermore Be not troubled at the rage of the World nor at Temptations but stand in the Will of God which hath been declared amongst you that you may all be established and guided by that which is not of this World but by the Principle of Life which is Eternal which judges all the fruits and grounds of Darkness Our love salutes you all who walk in the Truth and our prayers are for you that Life may spring up in you to praise the Lord for ever We are Servants unto you and unto all the Elect Seed of God every where for whose sakes we give our selves to be spent E. B. F. H. To Friends in London ALl Friends whose minds are turned to the Lord by that which is Pure which comes from him who is the Light of the World all mind it that with it your minds may be turned to him from whence it comes out of all the perishing things and out of all the visible to the invisible that so
who saith in your hearts you are the onely people but your lying hearts deceives you and you are found naked and without a covering All ye that desire after the way of the Lord of all sorts of people who are simple and honest hearted whether prophane or professor you have a day of visitation from the Lord yet stretched forth unto you Come ye unto the Lord and forsake all your lovers lay aside your evil hearts which hath led you aside from the way of salvation and now learn the fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom and mind the one thing needful which is of great prize even the salvation of your souls press after and come out of the broad way of perdition wherein the world goes on to destruction and enter into the strait-way where the unclean walks not cease from all the deceitful wayes and worships of the world and love truth and walk in simplicity Cease from all your Idoll Temples for God dwells not in them but his Saints are his Temples wherein he dwells and walks cease from all your Idoll worships and feigned prayers and praises for God is not worshipped in vain traditions as in observing dayes and times and outward things but in Spirit and truth is he worshipped and such he seeks to worship him and a broken spirit and an upright heart is accepted with him Cease from all your Idol Shepherds and Priests of Baal that preaches for hire and divines for money and seeks for their gain from their quarter for they profit not the people at all who are ever learning while they live upon earth and none able to come to the knowledge of the truth therefore cease from man and wait upon the Lord who is now risen to teach his people by his Spirit in his way of truth and righteousness in his peace and purity where his blessing is received from his presence which is with all that fear him Therefore awake awake out of darkness and love not to slumber in the dark night which long hath ruled over you this is the day of your return and of your visitation wherein the Lord would gather you Therefore resist not the love of the Lord wherein he calls you to repentance from dead works to serve him in righteousness but every one turn your minds inward to the Light of Christ Jesus wherewith every one of you is lightned which light is it which convinceth you of sin and lets you see your evil deeds and whom you have served and how you have spent your time the Light shines in darkness and reveals unto you the secret intents of your dark hearts and doth secretly reprove the wicked purposes of your minds with this light in your consciences your sins are written and all that ever you have done is recorded and this light shall be the swift witness and the condemnation of the wicked in the day of the Lord and by it all your works will be brought to remembrance and your sins will be set in order before you to receive judgement by Christ Jesus And here is the free love and gift of God unto you who hath given you a light to guide you in his way if you own it and wait in it it will manifest the judgements of God against sin in you and will condemn sin in your flesh and will reveal the righteousness of God to be your covering if you dwell in the light it is your Teacher and way unto life eternal and if you bring all your deeds to it it will reprove every evil word and work and give you discerning of things that differ it will manifest the secretest deceit of your heart and winding of the Serpent and will be judge thereof till unrighteousness be taken away and a birth brought forth from above and born of another nature and Seed which if you be not born again you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Therefore in the fear of the Lord all consider and search your selves in tender love to all your souls I write You must be judged in the flesh that you may be justified in the Spirit and you must be made poor and emptied of all your knowledge and wisdom that you may be filled and made truly wise So if you believe in Christ Jesus the Light and life of the world your hearts will be cleansed by the word of God which endures for ever and the Covenant of peace will be established with you where sin is no more remembred being condemned so â—ow you have all time this is to you all a warning as I was moved of the Lord. Repent the dreadfull day is at hand and meet the Lord by confessing and forsaking your sins and prepare the way of the Lord his coming draweth near lest his Judgments come upon you unawares and his Wrath sweep you away in fury and your Nation become more cursed then the rest all your applying of Christ's Righteousness whilst your selves are Sinners is to no purpose for no Hypocrite can enter into Life nor none that work wickedness have Eternal Life abiding in them but are in the death which hath passed over all men and the curse remaineth upon the Disobedient and all in the first nature are Children of wrath Therefore every one wait in the Light that you may be changed and take up the daily Cross of Christ that your own wills affections lusts and desires may be crucified and you may become dead to the World and may live unto God in his Nature and Likeness that your souls may be satisfied therewith and all that hunger and thirst after Righteousness shall be filled with the true Food Therefore wait all you that fear the Lord and meet together in his Counsel and wait for his Law that you may walk therein and lay aside the works of Darkness which are made manifest by the Light and also condemned in all that come to Sion Spend not your time in the vain deceits of the World nor follow noâ— the delights thereof for according to your works must you be judged in the day of the Lord. Depart from Iniquity and all the works of the Flesh Pride and Cotousness Lying Swearing and Double-dealing and all the fruits of unrighteousness let them be judged and let the time past be sufficient that you have wrought evil and now return and work Righteousness in God by the Light which all that love works in God And deceive not your selves with a deceitful covering of self-making and self-righteousness professing Scriptures in your carnal minds which was given forth by the Spirit and is not understood but by the same Spirit Whilst the first nature stands alive in you you cannot please God but are in the emnity against him Humble your selves and come down to the Light and search your hearts thereby Wo unto the Lofty and High-minded who will not be instructed but hatâ—â— reproof Wo is unto all Lyars and Swearers and Whoremongers and Vagabonds and prophane Persons
them like to the Beast none upon Earth hath bought or sâ—â—d or judged or given evidence or been respected in all the World that 〈◊〉 not had the Mark of the Beast and the number of the names of Antichrist rich and poor small and great have receive his Mark as a Seal of their subjection to the Beast whose many heads and many horns have subjected all by the force of his arm and he hath blinded the eye lest men should see him and cast darkness over all faces and the false Prophet hath deceived many a Christ hath said and all the Earth hath been wandring in the Wildernâ—… of Wickedness and the Long-suffering of the Lord hath been wearied and he continually provoked to destroy the Nations who have followed Antichrist who hath shewed himself in the Seat of God to be God and hath sat in the Seat of God in the Seat of Justice Righteousness and of Mercy and the Abomination of desolation hath long stood in the place where it ougâ—â— not for many Ages and length of Times and his many Heads and many Horns hath swayed the World through the terror of the Beast who haâ—… made all worship him and they that would not he hath killed who hath carried the great Whore who hath made all men without exception and all Nations without respect to any wholly drunk with abomination and all hath staggered and fallen into grievous iniquities and the Dragon hath stood ready continually to devour the Child of Righteousness as soon as it was born and the Woman hath been forced to flee into the Wilderness that hath brought iâ— forth and hath fed there for so many dayes and for a long season hath the Lâ—â—d been blasphemed even the Name of God and his Tabernacle and them thâ—â— dwell in Heaven But now hath the Lord considered and looked down from his Habitatiâ—n and of a truth he is risen and hath taken to him his great Power that he may reign and put all things under his Feet and subdue the power of the Beast and Antichrist and all their Government and Rule and Laws and Decrees shall be overthrown and confounded all their worship shall be broken for great Babylon is come into remembrance before the Lord to render her according to her works the Lamb is now risen and advanced with his Bow and his Sword and he is going forth Conquering and to Conquer the Beast and all that have worshipped him and they that are with the Lamb are called and chosen and faithful they love not their lives unto death and they shall overcome him by the Blood of the Lamb and by the Word of his Testimony the Dominion of the Lamb is setting up and his Power is made manifest and the Stone cut out of the Mountain without hand is a dashing at the feet of the Image and against the Beast and his Power and against all his Laws and Decrees is he risen and he will change Times and Laws and Powers and the Kingdoms of this World shall become the Kingdom of the Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign for ever and ever for now the Spirit of Life from God is entred into the Witnesses which have been slain and they begin to stand upon their feet and great fear falls upon the great men of the World and the Devil is cast out into the Earth who hath sitten in Heaven in the Temple of God and deceived the whole World and his wrath is great against the Saints and against the Lamb because he knoweth his time is but short and the Man-child shall grow and shall rule the Nations with a Rod of Iron if any man hath an ear to hear let him hear he that leadeth into Captivity shall go into Captivity he that killeth with the Sword must be killed with the Sword the Purpose of the Lord shall stand who is now gathering and bringing back such as have been driven away and deceived by the Generation of false Prophets who have deceived the whole World and all that dwell therein and the Lord will take vengeance upon them upon the Beast and upon the false Prophet and great Babylon shall be thrown down and shall be no more at all but shall be made desolate and the voice of Harpers and Musitians shall no more be heard at all in her but her Glory shall wither and fade away in a moment for he that hath a true Weight and Measure is appeared to divide and to give due weight and measure unto every one and all the wicked who will not come from under the worship of the Beast shall have their part in the Lake that burnes with Fire and he that is unjust let him be unjust still and he that is righteous let him be righteous still here is the dividing of all things as they were in the beginning the Glory of the Lord is risen whose name is called the Word of God and out of his mouth goeth a sharp Sword and with it be smiteth the Nations and he shall rule them with an Iron Rod for his Name is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and he is gathering his Saints together to the Supper of the Great God to eat the flesh of Kings the flesh of Captains and the flesh of Horses and them that sat thereon the Purpose of the Lord shall not be disannulled though the Beast and the Kings of the Earth gather together their Armies to make war against him that sits upon the Horse who is already gone out to conquer and the numberless number of the Saints are gathering together before the Throne of the Lamb and they have no guile found in their mouthes And the day is now dawned and the night is far spent Wo unto the World and to all the Inhabiters of the Earth who have worshipped the Beast the Lord is coming to plead with you and ye that have partaken of the sins of the great Whore shall partake of her Plagues and she shall be rewarded double according to her works for her sins have reached unto Heaven The Day of great tribulation is at hand of Anguish and Destruction men shall seek death and shall not find it but it shall flee from them when the Lord ariseth and the Lamb standeth upon Mount Sion and his Saints with him who shall tread down the Heathen and cast them out even as they have trodden down the holy City and the Worship thereof and the Kingdom of the Beast and his Seat and his great Authority which he hath received from the Dragon shall all be thrown down and the Kingdom of the Son of God with his Government Scepter and Rule shall be established in all the Earth and the utmosts part thereof shall be given him to possess this is the Promise and this shall come to pass and through the whole World Laws and Decrees Ministry and Orders shall be changed and renewed the Law and Decree of the Most High shall rule over all and the
give in the World unto the World Fear God and give Glory to him for the hour of his Judgements is come and this is the everlasting Gospel of Salvation he that can receive it let him CHAP. XIII Concerning the Word of God and concerning the Scriptures this testimony I give unto all the World THE Word of God was in the beginning before any Creatures were made and by it all things stand and remain unto this day and the Word endures for ever and by it all things in Heaven and in Earth are brought to pass which God doth and it is from everlasting to everlasting without beginning and without end and the Word is powerful dividing and discerning all things even the secret thoughts of every mans heart it is as a two edged sword and as a fire and like a hammer to cut up to burn and to beat down the Word of the Lord reconciles man again to him and this Word is in the mouth and in the heart and the Servants of the Lord handled tasted saw and felt the Word of Life and from it spoke forth the Scriptures as they were moved by the holy Ghost through the eternal Spirit and it is an Declaration of the Word of Life which was in the beginning and endures for ever and it declares what the Saints received believed and enjoyed and none can understand it without the same Spirit that gave it forth and to such who have the same Spirit the Scripture is profitable the Word of God which was in the beginning and which endures for ever is not the Scripture which was not in the beginning neither can it endure for ever but the Scripture testifies of that Word that Word witnesses to the Scripture and they are not contrary one to the other but gives witness each of other but many hath the Scripture that hath not the Word neither knows it but they that have the Word cannot but own the Scriptures and this is the Truth as it is in Jesus Testified to all the World by us who doth deny them that hereof gives any other testimony CHAP. XIV Concerning the Devil and Damnation this Testimony I give to all People THere is a Devil which is out of the Truth who abode not in the Truth but is a Lyar from the beginning and the father of all evil doing and the author of all unrighteousness and whatsoever is contrary to God in thought word and action he is the enmity against God and against all good and by his power subverts creatures and things to another end than wherefore they were created even to the dishonour of the Creator he is the god of this World the prince of darkness and he rules King in all the childern of the first Adâ—â— who are in evil he was the cause of the first transgression and is the cause of disobedience to God to this day in all people who are led by him moving aâ—â— them to Envy Wrath Pride Whoredom Drunkenness Theft and Murther and all the works of darkness sin and death he is the Fountain and Root of 〈◊〉 these and the Leader and Ruler in the exercise of them and of every evil woâ—â— and work whatsoever which are contrary to God he abode not in the Trâ—â—â— and he hath led all mankind out of Truth into all deceit and unrighteousness and into every evil way and he dwells in darkness inhabits in thick darkness and is out of the Light and is separate from the Presence of God for ever boâ—â—â— in chains of darkness and ignorance and unbelief and he hath power in the earthly part of man and a law in the members and he possesses him that is born of the flesh his covenant is with him who is not born of the Seed of God who cannot sin such are in covenant with God renewed into his Image but such as are not hath the Divil power in to captivate and lead their minds into vanity and their affections and desires into all that which is evil by which the Spirit of God the Creator of all things is grieved and his soul vexed and all murther and deceitful works of the World and all whatsoever is contrary to God iâ— words thoughts or actions is of the Devil that wicked one and from him and all that follow his movings and worketh evil thereby they serve him aâ—â— obey him he is their god and their King and they are his people and hiâ— subjects he is their father and they are his children he is their root and they are his off-spring and brings forth fruit unto him and serves 〈◊〉 worships him and not the true God that made all things and all such 〈◊〉 be cast into utter darkness with him and shall have their portion with him in 〈◊〉 bottomless pit of darkness for ever and ever where there is no end of woe anâ— sorrow and misery for in the anger of God there the worm diâ—â— not 〈◊〉 the fire is not quenched and out of that there is on redemption for the â—â—clean and all such who are led of him who is out of the Truth and in evil are judged and condemned and damned by him who is the Truth who judgeth righteously and as he hath not ceased to work evil and to draw the children of men into evil for he continually tempteth to lead from God into Rebellion against him And they that are led by him are destroyed and he shall not cease sorrow wo and misery for ever as he hath not ceased to work evil he liveth and moveth in the anger of God his beginning was in it and all his works are in it and it shall be the reward of him and all that obey him in the separation from Gods everlasting Presence for ever and ever CHAP. XV. Concerning all creatures that God made this Testimony I give unto all the World ALL creatures that God made in their creation and beginning was very good in his sight that made them and unto man that was to use them and no Creature was evil or defiled in its Creation but mankind transgressing against his Maker he become evil and did evil in the sight of the Lord and he being possessed with evil and corrupted he makes all Creatures evil in his exercise of them corrups them and perverts them to another end than wherefore they were created and by the Creatures dishonours the Creator â—…o should have honoured him by them and they are become a curse unto man and not a blessing though in themselves are neither cursed nor evil nor defiled but is become so unto man because of his transgression and disobedience for he being in the curse and defiled all things are so unto him and in his exercise of them he is wicked abusing them upon the lust to satisfie his devillish mind and ruling over them in oppression and cruelty and hard heartedness and not in the Wisdom of God as he ought and he subverts them out from their pure vertue
Treasure and we have this Treasure in Earthen Vessels even the knowledge of those things which are Eternal which is not our own but the Lords to give forth according to his movings and of those things have we Handled Tasted and Felt. CHAP. XVIII Concerning what VVorks are accepted of God and what VVorks are not accepted brought forth by the Creature WHatsoever work man is moved and led unto by the Spirit of God and guided and ruled in the practice of to speak or act whatsoever by the same Spirit which moveth and leadeth into all the works of righteousness and not into any evil this is acceptable in the sight of the Lord and these works are well pleasing to him where the Lord goes before and is the leader in all things and this man and his works who is led with the Spirit of the Father is justified and accepted of God and not for the Creatures sake who respects not the person of any but for his own Name sake because they are wrought in him through faith and is moved unto and guided in by his own Spirit and they arise from Gods Righteousness revealed in the Creature and not from the righteousness of the Creature for man being changed and replanted into the Living Vine and the Root being good every work which springeth forth from it is good also and accepted of God because the Root is so But whatsoever works are brought forth by any Creature though the same in appearance which are accepted of God from another yet not being moved unto nor guided in by the Spirit of the Father but brought forth in the will and wisdom of the Creature which is from below and acted in imitation from the Saints words these works are not accepted and well pleasing unto God but is offence unto him and sin against him even the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination unto him and if a man come before the Lord with thousands of Rams and ten thousand of Rivers of Oyl and if he give the fruit of his Body for the sin of the Soul and cover the Alter with tears and is not led with a measure of Gods Spirit none of all these works are accepted nor his Preaching Praying Baptism nor Breaking of Bread nor any other Observances towards God whatsoever are not good in his sight but evil and to be contemned and the Root from whence they spring because man is in the Enmity against him and not changed out of the old Root nor in that state is not led with the holy Spirit of the Father and the Root being Bad the Branches are evil and none are accepted of God in any thing which they perform towards him but such as are in Christ Jesus the second Adam and such are new Creatures so that it is not for the Creatures sake that any work is accepted of or offence against God but only for his Name sake and because of being guided or not of being guided with the Measure of Gods Pure Spirit Therefore is man and his works good and accepted or evil and not regarded but condemned of God CHAP. XIX Concerning mans state in the first Adam before Conversion and his state after Conversion and what Conversion is MAns state in the first Adam in transgression is a state of perfect enmity against God and Death rigns in every man and he is possessed with Blindness and Ignorance and unbelief and is wholly imperfect to receive the things of Gods Kingdom or to act any thing for God acceptable to him man in that state is wholly Dead to God and insensible of the Presence and Power and Life of his Creator for he is drove from God and is not led by him he hath no power to perform any good in the sight of God but is possessed with evil and led into all evil continually he is free from righteousness and free to all evil being the servant of the Devil and subject to him and overcome of him every moment and is led by him to transgress against the Lord his heart is unclean and out of it proceeds continually uncleanness in all manner of words thoughts and actions which flow out of the corrupt Fountain which grieve and vex the Lord and his Spirit who is dishonoured daily by man through his abuse of Gods Creatures who is a Devourer and Destroyer of them and not a Preserver as he ought to be who abuseth them upon his Lust and not to the Glory of the Lord he loves the Creature and worships the Creature and is gone a whoring after the Creature and hath forgotten God that made him and all things and hath lost his own dominion wherein he was set in his Creation and his state in his Transgression is cursed of God and without the Peace of God it being in the enmity against him and in all things he is wholly unprofitable to his Maker and onely profitable to himself and to the Devil and this in short is the state of every man in Transgression before Conversion but his state after Conversion is a State more blessed for man is changed and renewed and translated by the Power of the Lord through the working of the eternal Spirit Through Conversion his Mind is changed and his heart is renewed the old is done away and a new Heart is given and all things are become new even every Word and Works and every Intent and Purpose of his Mind is converted into another end and guided by another Spirit than before his Conversion and man is again returned to God into the Sense and Feeling of his Maker and into Covenant with him where he is blessed and all things to him for the Reconciliation is made with God and the evil is judged and condemened and Sin is taken away and blotted out and not remembred For man is become Servant unto God and onely serves him in all things and not himself or any other Creature in any thing for he hath received Power to become Son to God and hath received Power over the Devil and his Temptations and Death is destroyed and the effects of it are ceased and the Sting of it is taken away and Life and Immortallity is brought to Light and man is made capable to act in all things for the Glory of his Maker and God hath made Christ Wisdom to him to rule him and guide him in all things and Righteousness to cover him Justification to him to clear him in his Sight and the new Man is brought forth and the creating in Christ Jesus unto good Works is known and the Birth which is Heir of Gods Kingdom is witnessed and unto this man is the Lord become an everlasting Light and a sure hiding Place for he is not the Servant of Sin but of Righteousness nor an offence to God in any of his Works but for his Names sake is well pleased with him he is his Teacher in all the ways of Peace he is his Helmet and his Shield and his
hope of Salvation and his Shepheard to feed him and perserve him at all times though he may be tempted yet he is not overcome for God is his strength though he may be tryed yet he is not forsaken of the Lord though he may be cast into the Fire it is not to consume him for the Lord is with him all things he receives as from the Hand of God and all Creatures he enjoyes in the Covenant with God and Peace is in all his ways for it is the Lord that works in him both to will and to do of his own Good Pleasure and this is the state of the new man brought forth in Conversion which is a turning of the Creature from the power of Satan which rules in every man before Conversion to the Power of God which is the Ruler of every man that is truly converted and this is the Truth as it is in Jesus which I have received from God he that can receive it let him and if any have an Ear let him Hear what the Spirit saith this Conversion of the Creature is wrought by the Spirit of God through the Ministry sent of him and even for this cause have we received the Ministry of God through the Holy Ghost that we might publish these things abroad that all people may come to the knowledge of them and may taste and handle and feel of the same Word of Life in themselves which will reveal the Knowledge of these things to them that they may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son And now be it known to all the World and to all people in it that the Lord hath raised up a People and brought forth a Seed to bear witness of his Name and of his Dominion and Power in all the Earth and of these Truths with many more which are but one in Christ Jesus hath God given us the perfect Knowledge of even wrought them in us and revealed them to us by the eternal Spirit and as that same Spirit doth and shall move in us do we and shall we bear witness of these Truths unto all People upon Earth whatsoever both by Doctrine and Conversation holding forth the Testimony unto others which we have received of God that Christ may be exalted and his Kingdom set up in the World And in comparison of this that we may serve God in our Generation by bearing witness of these things which we have heard and seen nothing of this World our Liberty our Life not any other thing whatsoever is dear unto us yea even for this cause that the Name of the Lord may be testified of do we give up our selves continually to suffer all manner of evil in words or works and we love not our lives unto death that Truth and Righteousness may be exalted and this is the cause wherefore we pass through many Dangers on every hand and are in perils often and we are not nor cannot be afraid of the face of any man even that the Lord alone may be exalted whose name and Honour and Truth is more dear unto us than any other thing and for it have we forsaken all and counted it as nothing in comparison of the Knowledge of Christ and his Truth herein declared and witnessed to the whole World to whom it shall come and the Light of Christ in every one shall give testimony to it unto which I do onely commend my self and these truths to be witnessed And know ye assuredly that God who is just and righteous in all his Ways it is he that setteth the Way of Life and the way of Death before every man and he hath appeared in this Generation and he hath caused his voyce to be heard in the Earth and he hath set the way of Death and the Way of Life before you and all that perish it is through unbelief and because they do despise the Way which God hath prepared who hath prepared a Way for life and Salvation unto 〈◊〉 People that all may come to Life and Salvation and may not perish and he hath not shut out any Creature before he was brought forth into the World but giveth to every one that cometh into the World a Day of Visitation and a time 〈◊〉 Repentance and Returning that healing may be received from the Lord wâ—â— is the Restorer of lost man and there is not another so that if man perish 〈◊〉 is of himself and not of God who hath so loved Mankind that he hath giveâ— his Son his own Wisdom and his Power into the World that all that doth receive him Christ Jesus may have everlasting Life and they that receive him not they perish because of unbelief whereby they are hardened for destruction and unto such our Gospel the Gospel of God is hid whose Eye iâ— blinded by the God of this World that they cannot see the things which be eternal nor believe in him from whence Life comes and such are stumbling at Chriâ—â— the Foundation and therefore shall be broken and must not inherit the Kingdom of God and unto such though they be wise in the Kingdom 〈◊〉 this World are we become Fools for Christs sake and our Testimony cannot be received by them nor approved of them even them that seek after a Sigâ— and them that seek after Wisdom to such we are not known nor can our Testimony be acceptable to them which is not with enticing words of mans wisdom 〈◊〉 in the demonstration of Gods Spirit and in simplicity of Truth which is of grâ—â—â— Price with the Lord even above knowledg and all wisdom which is of this Worâ—â— which comes to nothing but the Lord will confound that and bring it to nothing for the World by its wisdom doth not know God neither can it receiâ—â— the things of God but is Foolishness in the Sight of God and the wisdom of tâ—â— World Must be offended in him and in the Testimony which is given of him 〈◊〉 the Princes of this World and the Wise men must stumble and fall the poweâ— of the Earth must be offended at him that they may be confounded and brougâ—â— to nought all the Heathen shall rage and the People shall imagine a vain thing But what of all this the Testimony of the Lord is true which he hath given us 〈◊〉 bear of his Name of it we are not ashamed before the face of the whole World and we are armed to suffer for it and not onely to subscribe to the truth of 〈◊〉 with our hand or to declare of it with our Tongue and Pen but also if we 〈◊〉 called to it may seal it with our blood Wherefore this is sent among you all Rulers Teachers and People in all the World this is sent among you as to giâ—â— you the certain knowledge of what we hold and bear witness to which is received of us from God and born witness of to you by his Spirit even those thingâ— with many
others which we have not received from man but from God are 〈◊〉 purposed in the Lord to declare abroad and he hath put it into our hearts to 〈◊〉 his Will herein for he hath spoken who can but prophesie and he hath given 〈◊〉 word and many are they that publish it in faithfulness against the kingdom 〈◊〉 the Man of Sin which hath long been exalted in the Earth over the Seed of 〈◊〉 which the Lord is now a gathering and establishing his Covenant with and Ierusalem that hath long lain waste shall be made the praise of the whole Earth 〈◊〉 the Gentiles which hath polluted her shall be cast out and the Saints shall Rejoyâ—â— over all their Enemies And know you assuredly from us who know the Lord that God is doing greâ—â—â— things in the Earth he is begun to work and his arm shall bring it to pass he will overturn and overturn till he come to reign whose right it is who will change times and things even that which cannot be believed though a man declare it unto you is the Lord bringing to pass the Eye shall bless that sees it and the Heart shall praise that can understand and behold the Lord comes quickly and they are blessed that wait for him whose Reward is with him and his glorious Work is before him to be wrought by his own hand without the help of any other who needs not the help of man and he that doth oppose him shall be overthrown confounded and destroyed And again All ye Kings Princes Rulers and People whatsoever know ye assuredly that we are not Enemies against but Friends unto all Civil Government and to all just and righteous Orders and Decrees and wholsome Laws and Customs of any Common-wealth and no way are we destructive to or Destroyers of the Peace and Welfare and wholsome Laws which is according to God of any Nation whatsoever But are Preservers of the Peace of all people and wait in patience for the establishment of Justice and true Judgement and that Righteousness may spring forth and the Government of all Nations may be according to the Law of God Neither are we such who makes void the just Government of any Nation or City Neither are we such who through evil purposes plot or conspire or contrive Evil in our Hearts against any Governours or Government whatsoever but wish Peace and Truth and the Fear of the Lord unto all men and Nations and desire not the overthrow or evil to any people or their Government but are subject to just Government everywhere by obedience to it and subject to evil Government by suffering in patience under it so that righteousness alone we wait to see set up through the World and for that cause suffer patiently under our Enemies not seeking revenge against them nor envying the persons of any but pity our enemies and desire their Repentance rather than their Destruction Yet this we give all to know that the Lord will be avenged on all them who hate the Way of Righteousness and all that oppose the Lord and his Way and despise his Truth which he hath revealed they shall be confounded and broken to pieces and shall confess to the Lord and his Way and his Truth in the day of their Destruction Again let all the Earth know that against all unrighteousness injustice oppression whoredom murder and drunkenness and all sin whatsoever we do declare and acknowledge our selves to be Enemies against all sin and they that commit it and we cannot hide Sin and Iniquity in any but give our testimony against it and against all that live in it whatsoever without Respect to men or places and cannot flatter any man in his Transgressions but say that Lying Swearing Drunkenness Covetousness Jniustice Dissimulation Hypocrisie Murder and Envy Lust of the Flesh Pride and Wantonness and all the works of the Flesh whatsoever are contrary to God and of the Devil and they that lives in them and brings them forth are the Servants of the Devil and must not inherit the Kingdom of God who brings forth those works which grieves the Spirit of God and vexes his righteous Soul and this is that Government onely which is the Government of Sin and Death which we declare our selves Enemies to which is of the Devil and not of God and this is that Government which we testifie against and war against by the Sword of the Spirit of God and by his Power and not by the carnal weapons or subtil conspiracies or violent Insurrections for this way and by this means shall not the Government of Satan be overthrown or the Kingdom of Christ ever exalted Again let all the World know that we are not such as disanul or makes void the Covenant and bond of Relations or teach any so to do or give any example by our practice to any subjects to be rebellious to their Governors or children to be disobedient to their Parents or that servants be undutiful to their Masters But on the contrary do say and affirm it that it is the duty of Subjects to be obedient and subject in the Lord to their Rulers and Governours whether Kings Dukes or others who have rule over them and also that Children should be obedient to their Parents and Servants to be dutiful and subject to their Master in the Lord in all things and that Husbands and Wives live in all unity and peace in the Lord Provided onely where Rulers Parents or Masters or Husbands require of their Subjects Children or Servants or any other whatsoever requiring of their Relations that which is unjust and contrary to God and his righteous Law in such a case we say that Subjects Children Servants and all other whatsoever are free and we say where man requires any thing contrary to God and God requires another thing contrary to man the obedience to God is rather to be chosen and the obedience to all mâ—… is to be denyed and this is our judgement which is acording to truth and iâ— the mind of God concerning subjection and obedience and the duty of Relations one to another And lastly Know ye assuredly that we do not hold and maintain any thing by conversation or doctrine but the very same Truth in word and practice 〈◊〉 all our fore-Fathers did but bears witness of the same Salvation by the same Christ as they did and are not setters forth of strange gods for no other God is worshipped by us than he which Abraham Isaac and Iacob and all the rest of the servants of the Lord in every generation worshipped served and obeyed neither are we such as do maintain Heresie Error or Idolatry or the worship of any strange god though hereof we are accused falsely yet against us cannot it be proved truly and this we give the whole world to know that no other end or purpose or design is in our hearts but onely to fulfil the will of God in all things as it is to us made manifest Even
People to save them or his Enemies that he should not recompence them but know ye assuredly that the Lord is the same and all those things are written in a Book and remembred by him and he will judge justly and righteously in his dreadful day Ah let it enter into your hearts serve not your selves altogether in the pleasures of this World but serve the Lord and this he requires of you let the oppressed go free and break every bond whereby the Innocent do suffer and this the Lord requires at your hands Oh but I feel great hardness of heart and rather a strengthening of cruel bonds than a breaking of them and you appear rather to be given up to work wickedness and to fullfill the largest measure of them that went before you than otherwise unrighteous Decrees are rather established than disannulled Oh what will be the end of these things and what will be your judgment when the Lord awakens himself as out of sleep who hath left you to follow your own spirits to try you that it might be known unto all what is in your hearts and behold perverseness lodges in them and while the Lord hath looked for justice amongst you even the cry of oppression hath been heard even a grieveous cry of unjust persecution and violence against the Seed of God and once you would have been ashamed of those things which now you act without shame so that which is in your hearts is poured forth in the sight of the World Oh ye Rulers of England the Rulers of the Heathen shall rise up is judgment against you even they that never professed so much as you have done they shall be rather justified than you whose wayes have been more equal than yours and less cruelty brought forth by them than by you unto their subjects and this makes your sin more great in that many of yoâ— were raised from low estate and you have exalted your selves more than is meet and have caused your very equals to groan under you by the heavy yoak which you have prepared for them well but the Lord hath listned and heard and a Book of remembrance is written and he will repay into your bosoms the time is not long when the Lord may scatter you and give you unto the will of your Enemies therefore be awakened and warned the day of your visitation is upon you all OH England that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace Oh that thy Rulers and people had known how that the Lord hath called unto them Oh that they had considered-how that his hand hath been stretched forth all the day long and he would have gathered them as a Shepherd doth his flock but they have nâ—… known neither have they considered and therefore that which belongs to their peace will the Lord hide from their eyes the day of their visitation is spending apace and the night will come and no man shall be able to work and because the Lord hath called and you have not heard therefore shall you cry and the Lord will give no answer Oh Nation thou art filled with oppression and griveous iniquities and from the Head to the Foot thou bearest marks of great abominations in thee is found lamentable oppression of the Poor and great and grieveous Idolatries and Gods Rightous Soul is vexed in thee day by day the Just groans and mourns under the heavy hand of oppressors many of thy Goales do witness it where many Innocent and Upright People have suffered unjustly the loss of their Freedom without any ground or charge of evil laid upon them Oh what have thy Rulers done Judgment and Justice have they turned backward the cry of the Poor hath not been regarded and equity hath not found a place to enter Who would have thought that you who have been so high in Profession of the Scriptures should thus have dealt with them who are in the Life of the Scriptures this agravates your sin in that none hath been like you in profession of Religion and in pretences of Righteousness and yet you have exceeded others in persecuting and suffering of it the servants of the Lord but it is now made Manifest what lodgeth in your hearts under your fair covers of promises words and shews what deep Hypocrisie is this that you should profess Liberty of Conscience and yet have persecuted hundreds for the exercise of their pure Consciences Is not this to be taken notice of that you should profess that which you do not perform and will not the Lord plead with you because of it in his dreadful day which is hastening upon you as a thief in the night and the wicked shall not escape do you not think that he whom you persecute in his Members and his Members shall surely reign over you do not you know that he is sufficient to avenge himself of all his Enemies and do not you believe that he could command thousands of thousands to fight for him and to revenge his Cause Hath the consideration of these things no room in your hearts or are your hearts wholy shut up from all compassion towards the Lords people Surely to Vengeance will the Lord be awakened and he will tread you down as mire in the streets and as you have done and suffered to be done to the Lords people even so shall it be done unto you THere are only two Seeds in the World and there are but two and no more to wit the Seed of God and the Seed of the Serpent and these two are contrary one to the other in their bringing forth in their time and in their ends they differ in their Nature in their fruits and works and in their reward and these two are at continual enmity one against another and never was is or shall be reconciled the life of one is the death of the other and where the one doth live the other doth dye and where the one rejoyceth the other is made sorrowful and where the one is in Freedom the other is in Bondage and where the one is Ruler the other is a Slave and in Captivity and thus are they contrary where the one brings forth fruit the other is barren and the one is rewarded with the overthrow of the other and the one of these is ruling in every creature man and woman and growing and bringing forth fruit from it self through the Creature and the fruits of the one is blessed for ever and the fruits of the other are cursed for ever and betwixt these two there is no concurrence or agreement in any thing whatsoever but they differ in likeness and their fruits differ in appearance the fruit of the one is love and peace and unity the fruit of the other is hatred and envy and trouble and enmity the fruit of the Seed of God in the creature is truth and righteousness and faith and patience long-suffering and temperance and joy and peace in the Lord with all
have I not spoken the truth and have I not said well herein for you are joyned with all the wicked in the Nation and as Lyars and Swearers and Drunkards persecutes with violence and as the proud and wanton are filled with scorning and singing wicked rimes in the streets even so also are you come in Print and all of you against them called Quakers the Drunkards and Swearers they beat them and abuse them and cast them as for dead into Ditches with stoning in the high wayes and in the streets beating down with Staves and the wanton they sing there rimes in scorn in Ale-houses and Taverns against them and thou and thy Fellowes and Generation appears in open Print slandering and reviling them yet in pretence of zeal for God and all this you do against us who have the witness that we are of God and that the whole World Lyes in wickedness and now are not you all joyned as an Army and do you not shew your selves in the defence of the Draggon what wrong I have done you let the upright in heart judge whether I have given false testimony against you or no and though you have noted it for a Lye in the Margent yet the Lye is thy own who hath gain-said the Truth herein and called it a Lye and I have dealt justly with thee in the sight of God and all that know him and when the Book of thy Conscience is opened thou shalt also confess to this thing when thou standest condemned with them with whom thou art now joyned against us who have the testimony that we are of God and worshippers of the Father in the Spirit and Truth and my words were spoken by the Spirit of the Lord and that in thy Conscience shall witness them in the day of the Lord though now thou opprobriously sayst they are flung into the wind And whereas thou seemest to be greatly offended that I should say part of the first Book is a Corrupted grain of Babylons treasure c. But have not I spoken the Truth herein also when I say I have numbered 〈◊〉 part of your work and this is the sum thereof that part which I have numbered viz. your Lyes and false Reproaches against the Quakers is a corrupted grain yea and of Babylons treasure too I am not ashamed of my words though thou wouldst defend your work by saying Your discourse was of the Birth Righteousness Death Blood c. And of the second coming of the Son of Mary c. To which I say these things and the knowledge of them by the Spirit of God is not counted by me Corrupted nor of Babylon though now I answer as in my last the words I own but thy voice I deny and knows it to be the voice of the stranger and for this saying have I not nor never shall have any burthen upon my Conscience though thou wouldst say it but 't is cleared in the sight of God even though I say all that thou speakest I deny or thy speaking of any thing of the Kingdom of God with thy lying spirit And whereas thou art offended that I should say you are described to be the Flock of Ishmael and of the seed of Cain whose line reacheth to the murdering Priests c. And thou sayst I am very sensorious and utterest many word without knowledge c. Reply Yea your words doth describe your nature for by your voice I know you to be none of Christs sheep and accordingly I judge in just judgement and in true knowledge and doth not falsly sensure nor utter words voi◠of knowledge and my words shall be witnessed by you in the day of the Lord Envy is of Cains nature and seed and in that you are and Lyars are of Ishmaels stock and you are guilty of that let the sober Reader try and you are among the murdering Priests party and close joyned to them in Doctrine and practise especially in writing against us Now no wrong have I done you that thou needest to be troubled and seek to cover your selves by thy fair words in thy answer as if you were righteous but all will not hide you your works make you manifest to be no less then what I have said of you Then farther thou art hot against me in that I say you are found Enemies to Christ revealed in his Saints and this thou hast noted it in the Margent for false but thou dost not well to be angry it is true what I have spoken thy own words do prove it in saying there was nothing in thee to be taken notice of this was a denying of Christ within and such as deny him are found Enemies to him within So the Lye is thy own who hast denyed Truth let the wise Reader judge and thy many words in a pretending Answer will not cover you from the guilt of what I have charged upon you and not falsly and what I have said hitherto is true and not false though thou feigningly say Thou marvels I should be so overseen as to utter so many false things in so little a space nay my understanding was open when I wrot forth that Book at which thou art so tormented that it hath caused thee some Moneths travel in anguish to clear thy self and yet cannot be at rest and thou art over-seen who resists the reproof of thy Wickedness Then thou goest about to justifie thy Brother Burtons words who wickedly laid it down as thou impudently goest to justifie it who joyned in his Accusation and slanders Quakers with Ranters and this wouldst thou justifie we are one against my just Answer which denied them in the fourth page of my first where I said Between Quakers and Ranters there is no more union c. then betwixt Light and Darkness Good and Evil and that Answer stands untouched by thee and is true and in justifying Iohn Burtons wicked Slander thou art more wicked in comparing the Principles and sayst it will appear they agree in one c. Viz. That the Quakers deny Christ to be a real Man Secondly that they fancy him to be God manifest in their flesh Thirdly that they make his humane nature with the fulness of the Godhead to be but a type of God these thing were charged upon us But what a wicked course hast thou taken to clear him by adding thy own wickedness let all consider that reads for doe not I desire in plainness in my first in these words if thou darest lay the Charge only upon the Quakers write in plainness and bring testimony of thy Accusation and thou mayst receive a farther answer but not a word in plain answer to this is returned though soberly desired neither time nor place nor witnesses evidenced to clear your selves of your first Slanders which had been more honest then to have slandered afresh passing over your first but it seems you cannot clear your selves in honesty and so fulfill your wickedness by adding to your Lyes and Slanders as
all are not to be condemned that cannot swear or take an Oath for many of the Servants of the Lord who are Followers of Christ cannot swear for Conscience sake because Christ hath commanded Not to Swear at all though such do deny the Pope and all his Authority and Doctrines and whatsoever else is signified in that Oath who cannot justly be suspected to be any way adherent to the Pope in Doctrines or Practices except through wicked Envy you seek occasion against them thereby and you abuse your Power and subvert the Law if you judge such to be Popish Recusants because they will not Swear because they cannot for Conscience sake but walk in Christ's Doctrine who commanded not to Swear and follow the Apostle's Example who said Above all things my Brethren Swear not at all And such cannot justly be suspected or judged for Popish Recusants who are Followers of Christ and keep his Commands Therefore you must be considerate and search deep into those things that are thus weighty lest you cause the Guiltless to suffer and thereby vex the Lord against your selves And you must make a special difference betwixt such as will not Swear because they are guilty and such as cannot Swear for Conscience sake though they are not guilty but clear and free in the sight of the Lord of such things as may be falsly suspected and charged against them by envious men which may watch for Evil and give Information against the People of God unto you But let your Eye be single in all these things that you may save your selves from Wrath and Condemnation which will be a Reward of all such who subvert good Laws to a wrong End and seek to cover themselves in their Persecution of the Innocent by making the Law a Cloak but such Coverings will not hide in the Day of the Lord. And my Friends In the Execution of these and other Laws let the Fear of God guide you and true Judgment and sound Discerning that you may try into the Nature and Ground of every thing and may not judge only by outward Appearance but judge Righteous Judgment And this is a great Transgression in the Sight of the LORD at this Day even the false Execution of Good LAWS and the subversion of them to wrong Ends and Uses by some wicked men who are in Authority to whom the Law is committed And this we know by Experience Be the Law never so just and good yet if the Executioners of the Law be unjust and unrighteous true Justice and Judgment is turn'd backward and for want thereof the Harmless and Innocent daily suffer which kindleth and encreaseth the fierce Anger of the Lord against these Nations And likewise All you that are in Power and Authority you ought not to command any thing of any man which the Law gives you no power to Command for doing so you make your selves Transgressors as for instance You have no Power by any Law to command men to put off their Hats when they come before you neither by any Law can you justly punish them if they do it not neither can you justly punish such by any Law who deny to Swear because for Conscience sake they cannot But what hath been inflicted upon some in such cases hath been by Will and Malice and not by any Law and the Lord doth account such things against the Wicked who cause such Sufferings And of these things I have given you Warning and it is in perfect Love unto you all as to inform you truly lest you cause the Innocent to suffer I am a real Friend to the Common-wealth and a Lover of Iustice and true Iudgment and fully affected towards Iust Government and wish well to Magistrates E. B. The 9th Moneth 1657. AN EPISTLE To go abroad Among Friends IN WESTMORLAND and CUMBERLAND And elswhere among the Flock of God FRiends my love and life which is not of this World but which is in the living God doth reach unto and salute all you that are in the Light of Life and in the Truth it self which changeth not which endureth for ever which we receive of God the everlasting Father through the Gospel which came unto us in the demonstration of the Spirit and of Power to the changing of us from Death which reigned over us to Life in which we have power over Death and to the turning of us from the power of Satan wherein we were held unto the power of the living God wherein we became fruitful and a good savour unto him through Nations Dearly Beloved in the same Truth be faithful unto death in that which cannot sin nor be overcome of the Tempter which Satan hath nothing in wherein only our fellowship and union standeth one with another as we abide in the living Vine Christ Jesus the Light of the World in which you have believed unto Eternal Life and have entered into the Rest which is prepared as you continue therein you cannot be moved or shaken but are as Mount-Sion established in the Power and Life and Wisdom of the Everlasting God which condemns Darkness and all its works and gives dominion and rule over all the powers of Death and Hell which worketh in the Children of Disobedience who know not God nor receive the Truth much more in them who turns from the Light and Knowledge of the Truth into the Liberty of the Flesh to serve sin having made shipwrack of Fear and of Faith and a good Conscience who shall bear their own shame and condemnation in the Sight of God man and shall have no part with us in the Inheritance of Peace and Righteousness but the later end of such is worse then the beginning Wherefore you that are in the Covenant of Peace where sin is not remembred nor committed nor the unclean thing touched dwell and abide in the Life of God and in his Strength which reigns over all the World with its temptations and over all false Brethren and over all deceitful Workers whose Eye becometh darkned and heart hardned through the deceitfulness of sin turning the Grace of God into wantonness and giving liberty to the unclean thing which is accursed and joyned to the Harlot and become one Flesh but in the Counsel of the Lord God walk before him and keep your selves pure and undefiled and partake not of the deeds of the Wicked neither give place to the Devil to be perverted by him from the Truth of the living God which is Truth in it self for ever though the Backsliders despise the Way of it and every one abide in your own and know a measure of the Strength of Christ Jesus in you to defend you from the Enemy who seeks to beguile and to devour and to divert from the perfect Way of Life and Peace and dwell in your own measure of the Grace of God which is perfect which is sufficient to teach and lead and preserve in all the Wayes of God which the Unclean cannot walk
thereof and in this same Spirit is the Father alone worshipped and by it God is known and his Promise is fulfilled it witnessing in all things unto the Father and is the Earnest of the Inheritance which fadeth not away and by it know we the deep things of God which the World by wisdom knoweth not and thereby are we seal'd and bound up in Covenant with the Father This is known to you that are Children of the Light and hereof you have the Witness in your selves and of God you are approved and not of men And all ye my Brethren who are call'd into the Work and Ministry of the Gospel unto whom the Word of the Lord is come and the Gospel of Christ to you committed Dwell in the Life of God and feel his Power and Authority and live in the same Life of which you minister to others that you may bring People to God and may effectually turn them from the dominion of sin unto the Dominion of Christ Jesus People may be guided out of Darkness in the marvellous Light Cry aloud spare not proclaim the Mighty Day of the Lord in all the Earth and fear ye not neither be ye dismay'd at the Face of any man but be bold and valiant for the Truth upon Earth and give your Testimony as you have receiv'd from God and preach Christ Jesus the Light of the World unto all People that they may receive him and be converted and live For Blindness and Darkness hath cover'd the whole Earth and all have gone astray from the Lord as Sheep without a Shepherd Therefore awake ye them that sleep and cause the Deaf to hear and the Dead to rise that such as have been stray'd may be gather'd for this is the fulness of time he is now seeking his Sheep that have been lost and bringing them Home that have been stray'd and you as Instruments in the Lord's Hand hath he chosen into this Work Therefore get on the Strength of the Lord and preach the Gospel of Peace even the Power of God that Sinners may be converted and the Wounded healed and the Weak may be strengthned and they that are ready to dye may be restored to Life and Salvation This is the Work of the Lord whereunto you are called therefore all who unto it are called be faithful unto the end and not only by word but by Life and Conversation also hold forth the Way of Life For you must feel that in your selves of which you minister to others and you must hold forth the Life the same which you minister in words and thereby shall you be made manifest to that of God in all People and God's Testimony shall answer for you And see that in all things you divide God's Word aright not crying Peace to the Wicked nor healing up the Wound falsly but that true Judgment in all things may be brought forth by you to all people Judgment to the Fat and Bread to the Hungry they that are Naked must be clothed and they that are falsly covered must be made bare Improve the Gift which God hath given you to him only and not unto your selves Be not hasty to utter words before the Lord but wait for Power from on High that the Way of God unto Salvation may be faithfully and truly held forth by you unto all people And faint not though your Burdens and Tryals be many but bare all things patiently love not your lives unto death that the good Work of the Lord may be accomplished which he hath begun by us and made prosperous and powerful in our hands unto this very day you have the Witness of this Our Cause is good we seek Truth and Righteousness that it may be established in the Earth and people may be brought unto God unto this God hath called us and hath owned us in it and will never forsake us for the Work is his and the Power is his and whatsoever he will he bringeth to pass and therefore why should we doubt or be weary For we shall see the Travel of our Souls the Scattered shall be gathered and a Remnant of the Seed shall be brought in which is scatter'd in every Nation as dry Bones unable to live How shall we hide that Treasure which God hath given us from them that perish for want thereof Or How shall we rest satisfied till the scatter'd Sheep be brought Home to the Fold Our Hearts are troubled to see so many Thousands walking in thick Darkness and to see the Seed of Israel devoured by the Destroyer Therefore my Brethren let us put on strength the Lord is with us let us make War in Righteousness for the Lord against all the Powers of Darkness let us continually be armed to do and to suffer all things for the Name of the Lord that People may be instructed in the right Way we know no man can have power over us but what is given them from above and all that which comes to pass against us is not worthy to be compared with the Crown of Glory and that Inheritance of which we have already received the earnest and sealed with the spirit of Promise and the Fathers Name is written upon us therefore in all things unto which he hath called you be faithful and obedient that his Work may be accomplished And all ye Children and Babes in Christ that are begotten of God and are thirsting and seeking after him in Truth and Righteousness he whom ye seek is coming to raign amongst you and his Dominion shall be set up and enlarged and the desire of your Hearts shall be fulfilled Righteousness and Truth shall meet in one and Judgment and Mercy shall be exalted Wait upon the Lord and feel his Power and his Presence continually that you may grow as Plants of Righteousness and may partake of the Heir-ship with Christ being crucified to the World and become dead to all its Wayes and no more you to live but Christ to live in you through the Light which he hath lightned you withall hath he given you an entrance into the Inheritance of the Father And as you walk in the Light you grow into Fellowship with the Father and with the Son Abiding in the Son you cannot sin for he keeps you from the wicked One and he hath no power over you that abide in Christ who is the Power of God which is the Salvation of all that believe and a Condemnation of all that believe not therefore all you that are convinced everywhere hearken to the Voice of the Lord that your Souls may live and mind the Power of God and the workings thereof in your Hearts which conquereth Hell and Death and subdueth all the Powers and Wayes thereof and every one be obedient to the Lord as Children of one Father that of his fulness you may receive and be filled therewith and meet together in every Place and as the Day approacheth exhort one another that you may grow up in Unity as
leading into all Truth and preserving out of all Transgression Wherefore I beseech you all let this be your whole desire and the full practice in your life and then shall the Countenance of the Lord shine upon you and his Face shall make you glad if in all things you look unto him for Counsel and wait upon the teaching of his Spirit which dwelleth in you which the Father hath given unto you because you are his Children and this he requireth from you that his own Spirit in you which hath begotten you may be the root and moving cause of all your works and words and herein will you receive acceptance with him and Peace from him and righteousness in him and everlasting joy by him continually and and this is the Inheritance unto which you were begotten Heirs to possess for ever wherefore let your love unity and felloship be in the Spirit and let your Knowledge Judgment Meeting and Waiting be in the Spirit and let your ministring and receiving be in the Power of God and in the Spirit and so shall you never suffer loss nor condemnation but all your works shall abide the Fire and shall not be consumed when the tryal of all things come and the Foundation of every work is discovered And I say again if the Spirit of Life even the Spirit which quickens to God the second Adam who is the quicking Spirit be your Guide your Leader and Teacher in all things then you shall have perfect Peace with God and your Fellowship will be encreased and his Presence shall go before you and his Righteousness shall be your Justification and Desence and his Covenant of Life and Peace shall be confirm'd unto you and there shall be no more going forth but the Tabernacle of God shall remain with you alwayes and his Habitation shall be in you forever and the Promise of the Father shall be sealed unto you and his Mark and express Image written in your Fore-heads and that quickning shall live in you and not you unto your selves and hereby shall all know that he is your God who liveth in you in Power and Dominion and that you are his People who liveth unto him in Truth and Righteousness and this is the Covenant and the Promise to be waited for by you all that you may be married to the Lord in Righteousness and Loving-kindness and your Maker may be your Husband and you subjected under his Power to rule over you and to govern you in the Way of Peace And now dearly Beloved mind that Word of God which hath begotten you from Death to Life and to be Heirs of his Inheritance of Life and feel the Word which is quick and powerfull dwell in your hearts alwayes dividing in you betwixt the precious and the vile and as a Hammer and a Fire alwayes beating down and burning up that ground and fruit which is in the disobedience from which the cause of Condemnation doth spring and so shall you be saved from every appearance of evil shall not be overcome thereby nor led captive at the will of the Enemy but shall be saved from Sin and the Wages thereof and no condemnation shall be unto you if your hearts be kept clean and undefiled by the Word of God which is pure and sanctifieth and is but one in all his Children and it begetteth unto one Life and to be of one Mind and Soul and by it only dwelling in the Heart is the encrease of God received though by the ministring of it one may Plant and another may Water yet it is my Father that gives the encrease who is greater then all unto whom the Ends of the Earth must look for Salvation and unto him must you all look for to pertake of encrease of his hidden Treasure daily that you may be refreshed as the Heritage which he hath chosen and may grow therein as Plants planted by his own right Hand growing from strength to strength in him and renewing your strength in him and may not fain nor be weary And forasmuch as mighty hath been the Power and Presence of the Lord amongst you and his Love great unto you and caused his voice to be heard when you were Dead to raise you unto Life and many of you have had the taste and feeling thereof who have seen the Way of Life before your face that you should walk therein and live I do warn you all in the Name and by the Spirit of the Lord therein to continue unto the end having your Faith established in the Power of God and your building standing on that true Foundation which can never be moved nor shaken but that perfect victory over Death and the Grave and the powers of Darkness may be trodden down through the obedience of the Cross whereby victory is obtained over all the World and the Affections and Lusts thereof condemned but such as goeth from the Cross perceiveth not the Power of God neither can overcome but are overcome of the Enemy and shipwrack is made of Faith Truth and a good Conscience and the latter end of such is worse then their beginning for the Lord is dishonoured and their condemnation will be great Wherefore my Friends be watchfull and be armed with the strength of Christ Jesus and feel his strength in you to resist the wicked One that he may not touch you to betray you of your Life and Peace and bring you into condemnation for I am not ignorant of the many temptations which are near unto you in that place Wherefore I say again feel the Strength and Arm of God reaching to you by which you may do all things and dwell in his Life and Power and that ye may overcome by the Word of God and by the Testimony of Jesus and then will your Peace be encreased and your Fellowship with God and Angels shall minister unto you as you overcome the Enemy which would subvert your minds from the obedience to the Truth and then your rest in God will be sweet unto you as you dwell where nothing can make afraid Sin and Transgression being removed far from you not having a place in you but the Life reigning which Satan hath nothing in and this is the freedom of the Sons of God who are redeemed unto him to live in him who being dead to sin cannot live any longer therein but are washed and separated from all the works of Death Death having lost his sting it cannot hurt nor wound you and the Grave having lost its victory it cannot overcome you who do witness this for Transgression is hid and Iniquity is put under and Life it self reigns through Righteousness over all and here the Seed is brought forth in which there is no Iniquity seen nor Transgression charged against it for it sins not but rules over the Sinner and fulfils the righteous Law of God and doth his Will in all things and for this you must all wait to feel God's Promise perfectly fulfill'd in
bare confession and profession of the Name of Christ in words and professing of a bare belief in the Scriptures by this way and means were you made and received you the name of Christians without any real change from darkness to Light and from Satan to God as I have said Now here appears to be a woful degeneration in the very entrance of the thing and this is not agreeable but rather contrary unto that way of Christianity wherein the Christians in their beginning were so made and called for then none were Christians or so called but who through the preaching of the Gospel were first converted changed and renewed as I have said but now in these Nations all are called Christians that are spinkled upon their faces with Water by a Teacher when they are Infants or that do but profess Christ in words though they are not guided particularly by his Spirit neither have received Christ to dwell in them and to be King over them and here again appears a wofull Apostacy for none in the beginning of Christianity in the World were made Christians or so called but who received Christ and in whom he dwelt and was in them as you may read 2 Corinth 13. 5. and who were Followers of him and had his Spirit in them the Comforter to teach them and to lead them into all Truth but now thousands upon thousands who have the name of Christians have not received Christ to dwell in them nor to rule them neither is he manifest in them by his Spirit to teach them and they are not led into all truth but live in deceit and unrighteousness and are not Followers of Christ but follows their own hearts desirâ— and their own hearts Lusts and are condemned in their own Consciences and have not received the Comforter the Holy Spirit to be their Guide and Leader out of all Unrighteousness and here appears a woful Degeneration And that you Christians through all the World are revolted and gone backward from Christianity as it was in its Original a Lamentation may be taken up because of this woful Fall into which you Christians are fallen Consider of your own state and return and repent Again The Christians were begotten of God and born of him 1 Joh. 5. 18. And they were born of the Word of God and of the incorruptible Seed 1 Pet. 1. 23. And they were created in Christ Iesus unto good Works Eph. 2. 10. And they were New Creatures and old things were done away 2 Cor. 5. 17. They had put off the Body of Sin and Death Col. 1. 18. And were the Servants of Righteousness and free from Sin Rom. 6. 22. as you may read But now also Woful are you Christians degenerated from this for Thousands upon Thousands of you are not born nor begotten of God though you have the Name of Christians neither are you born of the Word of God which lives forever nor of the incorruptible Seed neither are created again nor become new Creatures nor have put off the Body of Sin and Death neither are the Servants of Righteousness nor free from sin But on the contrary Are the Servants of Sin and free from Righteousness and are in the corruptible state and are old Creatures and are not washed nor purified as the Saints were as you may read 1 Cor. 6. 11. and here is a woful Degeneration of the Christians now from what the Christians were in the beginning The Christians then were New Creature and put off the Body of sin and were washed and sanctified But the Christians now are not so but the contrary to wit Unwashed and Unsanctified remaining in the Pollutions of the World and are of the birth which is born of the Flesh and are in the old nature serving sin and the lusts of their own Hearts and thus are you fallen from that which the true Christians possessed for being compar'd to them you are not agreeable but rather contrary to them in all these things and the Lord is now come to search you and to try you and to all People shall you be discover'd for the Lord is now risen to bring all to Tryal and to Judgment And again Herein will the Apostacy of the Christians appear in respect of Unity and Fellowship for the Christians in their Beginning while yet the Life of God was not darkened amongst them They were of one Heart and one Mind and one Soul as you may read Acts 4. 32. And the Lord promised That he would give unto his People one Heart and one Way And Ezek. 11. 19. the Lord promised To give his People one Heart and a new Spirit Which Promise the Christians received and they that believed were of one Heart and there was no lack amongst them but some sold their Possessions and distributed to them that had need and they were Members of Christ and he was Head amongst them and over them And they were Flesh of his Flesh and Bone of his Bones Eph. 5. 23 30. And all the Christians were of one Faith Eph. 4. 5. and had Unity and Fellowship in the Life which was made manifest in them for they had tasted and handled and seen and heard the Word of Life and they had Fellowship with the Father and with his Son Iesus Christ. But all ye Chirstians upon Earth how are you degenerated and how great is your Fall in this For you are not of one Heart and Mind nor in Unity and Fellowship one with another but are of divers Sorts and Sects and are run into many Opinions and Divisions and are of many Wayes and Minds and Hearts Divers sorts there are of Papists and divers sorts of Protestants so called which are all divided in Opinions and striving and contending about Faith and Religion and the Worship of God and are opposing one another and putting one another to Death because of a difference in those things How great is the difference through many Nations amongst Christians about those things which sheweth that the Christians are wofully fallen in respect of Unity and it is manifest such Christians have not received the Promise of God as the Apostles had for now the Christians can suffer one another to lack and to perish and die and starve for hunger and want Behold in all this all ye Christians generally how you are fallen then in the beginning of Christianity no lack nor want was amongst them they that had much sold it and gave to them that had none but now thousands are oppressed through Want while others have too much some are feeding and clothing excessively with their multitude of Dishes and changes of Raiment while others have scarce whereon to seed or to cover their Nakedness and this manifesteth that you are not Members of the Body of Christ neither is he Head in you nor amongst you but you are Members of an Harlot and joyn'd to a Harlot and one with a Harlot for you profess many Faiths some say They believe Christ is
The Qâ—â—kers-Rounds c. 〈◊〉 〈…〉 Answer called Something of Truth Made Manifest in Opposition to a False 〈◊〉 c and then his second Book called Some Principles of Eâ—w Burrâ—… 〈◊〉 and then this my last let them be all read in order and soâ—…ly by 〈…〉 not satisfied about the matter and I doubt not but thereby you may 〈◊〉 who is in the Truth and who is in the Error and they may fee that 〈…〉 he hath not faithfully answered but pass'd by many material particulâ—rs 〈…〉 something hath no way seem'd to clear himself of what I have truly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on him but he remains under the guilt of my Charge and to the Ligh◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in every mans Coâ—science and to all whose Judgments are thereby 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 refer my self to 〈◊〉 judged and what I have written I leave to be judgâ—â— And divers other things there are held forth by Philip Tâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have said little to but they are recorded as his Principles among a â—… ber of the Priests and Professors in a Book answered to go abroad called 〈◊〉 Priests and Prossâ—â—s Principles 〈◊〉 the Quaker ' s Answer to them wâ—… 〈…〉 desire further to he satisfied may in reading many hundred of particular 〈…〉 and affirmations of Doctrine held forth by Preaching and Print by the 〈…〉 which are ansâ—…d 〈◊〉 the Error of them shown to which I refer 〈◊〉 〈…〉 to know more if what I have here written be not enough For the â—… tion of Truth is my Crown and Life over all the World London the 20th of the 7th Moneth 1658. Edward Burrâ—… A TESTIMONY Against a Great Idolatry COMMITTED And a True Mourning Of the Lord's Servant 〈◊〉 the many Considerations of his Heart upon that Occasion of the great stir about an Image made and carried from 〈…〉 Place to another happening the 23th day of the 9th Moneth IT came to pass and happened that being at Kingston upon Thames the the 22th day of the ninth Moneth it was ordered the next Morning that I came from thence to London and as I entred in at Charing-Cross I beâ—â—ld a very great Multitude of People gathering together and thronging and pressing exceedingly and the whole Streets were filled from one side to the other upwards and downwards so far as I could see with abundance gazing forth at every Window and upon the Belconies and House-tops and the Glass was â—…d down for people to look out into the Streets and an exceeding number of people there was all the Streets so thronged that I thought it could not be possible that any more could throng in or pass by and there were Guards of Souldiers both of Horse and Foot and they stayed me and stopped my Horse and said I might not pass that way neither indeed could I well by reason of the throng of people and I stay'd a very little but presently passed back another way in a kind of wondering at this great stir I found in my way and I beheld all spirits of people were up in a Wonderment and Admiration and gazing they were and hurrying as if some marvellous and great thing had happened to them or were to be seen by them and I felt the spirits of Men Women and Children were all on Fire and they were in an admiring frame and in a condition not usual And as I passed along I turned in my Mind to see of the Lord what this thing might be and what might be the End of it and why was this gathering and running and thronging of Multitudes in this manner and in this frame and presently upon consideration I perceived that a dead Image and invented Picture would be carry'd that way and that all this pressing and stir and the gathering of this great Multitude was only to see and behold a dead Image without life or breath and then my spirit was grieved and my soul was vexed within me and it run through me Vanity Vanity Folly and Madness What is all this setting of Guards gathering of people in such thronging Multitudes and pulling down the Glass and gazing of Men Women and Children high and low rich and poor people of all sorts that were come together Is all this wondering of people and inflaming of spirits in this admiring mood Is all this said I but to see a dead invented Image of Wood or Wax arrayed and decked with some foolish Inventions Said my spirit Oh Abominable Oh Idolatry Oh Folly and Vanity and my life was grieved What is all this preparation of people in this wondering frame but to behold an Image carried and to see simple foolish people following after it in their Idolatrous Robâ—â— and Gestures such who had invented it and been at cost with it And then my spirit was burdened and the very smell of Idolatry and Abomination entred upon me and the weight of all this Iniquity came into me and vexed the Righteous and the very sence of this Abomination seized upon my Life and I felt the burden of their so great Wickedness the making the Image I felt a burden and all the foolish Circumstances about it for many dayes and the peoples Folly and Madness that so gathered and pressed to behold it and so wondred after it was a burden to me and they that carry'd it in their foolish gestâ—â—â— All this is Iniquity and Abomination said my spirit and I was loaden therewith and said Certainly the Judgments of God will meet with this Work and the Lord will be avenged because of it and their Souls should once feel the burden of it with Terror as mine at this present And it came into me It might be some would be wounded or pressed to Death or some Wickedness would come out of this Wickedness that the Anger of the Lord might break forth and smite such as were the Foundation of this sinful Abomination and my spirit had a deep sence of the greatness and sinfulness of this high and mighty Idolatry and it wounded me and made me sad But immediately from that temper on a very sudden my spirit was changed and I was filled with the Indignation of the Lord God against this Image and this stir about it his Plagues and Fury and Fire run through me to cry Plagues Plagues and Vengeance against them because of this Abomination And I found my spirit set on fire with the very Power of God rising in me against this Idolatry that if I had been moved to it and it had been possible to have done it I could have ridden through the Guards and over the Multitude to have sounded the Judgments of God and his Woes amongst them and through them and I could then have engaged the loss of my life that the Lord might have been revenged upon this Image and Image-Makers and Image-Followers and Image-Wonderers after that my Soul might be freed from its present burden through this grleâ—… Wickedness Said I What silly foolish blind ignorant people are these What a power hath the Devil over
these things that you should have bin awakened to true Iustice and Iudgâ—â—â—â— and this the Lord requires of you though the guiltless Sufferers have born all these things without complaining yet ought you to have judged justly according to their deeds such as caused such Cruelty and unjust Sufferings that for time to come the like might not have been brought forth but the free Subjects might live in Peace and Rejoyce under the Government and all Perverâ—ers of Iudgment and Iustice might stand in awe and be afraid so should you be a Praâ—se to Ages after you And likewise many who are at this present remaining in Prisons in divers parts of this Land some upon one false Accusation and evil Surmising and some upon another for a good Conscience sake the Cause of whom hath often been laid before you which seemed for the present to have some entrance upon you yet little is brought forth by you as ought to be in that cause for though none of any such do complain unto you who have and do unjustly suffer yet the Lord doth require you to set the Oppressed and Falsly-Imprisoned at Liberty and to bring true Judgment forth upon their Persecutors Also There is another Suffering great and grievous growing upon many if it be not prevented Many faithful and approved Men are dispossessed of their Freedom which truly belongeth to them by the Law of God and man in divers Cities and Corporations because for Conscience sake they cannot Swear by kissing the Book and laying the hand upon it according to the vain Tradition in such Causes formerly used though to deal justly towards God and man in their Craft and Science they are bound by the Law of God yet because they will not Swear and so break Christ's Commands are they threatned and their Windows shut up and dispriviledged of their Trading whereby they should maintain themselves and Families in the Creation and this one thing tendeth to the Destruction of many as in this World and no little hurt will thereby grow to the whole Nation in a Generation of time and it is required of you by the Lord to prevent these Sufferings though many can fore-go their own Freedom in this World and their Lives also rather then break the least Command of Christ and thus are many faithful People made a very Prey to their Enemies and in divers manners it is brought forth upon them For many also suffer deeply in the House of Correction for reproving Sin and others are grievously spoiled in their Estates because for Conscience sake they cannot pay to maintain a professed Minister or uphold a Steeple-house for it is a common thing for a Priest to take or have it done Four or Five times so much by Distress as any way he can prove a pretended Due And many other Sufferings there are which are only for Conscience sake as because some cannot put off a Hat to a Magistrate or the like which give an ill savour to the Government in which they are acted without Reproof Ah my Friends Be awakened to Justice and true Judgment to relieve such unjust Sufferers and to throw down all such hainous Oppressions and Oppressors that the Lord may yet make you and your Government blessed after his Long-suffering to you which hath been great for Justice and true Judgment in a Government is the Happiness thereof and the Foundation for a long continuance and on the contrary Cruelty and Injustice and Oppression being brought forth the more is the Government unhappy and accursed and the sooner will the Lord overthrow it and bring it to a desolate End And therefore my Friends let this great Enemy to your Persons Government and whole Nation to wit Persecution for Conscience sake be speedily removed lest the Anger of the Lord break forth against you and repentance be too late for this know In all Ages the Lord stretched forth his Hand and in his time he quickly avenged himself for his People's sake after their Innocent Sufferings born by them for a season and he is the same and changeth not and the same will he bring to pass Therefore I say again Be awakened and let that deadly Enemy be removed out of the Land as you tender your own Safety and Honour and the Glory of the Name of the Lord and his People's Peace even this very Enemy to wit Persecution for Conscience sake for it doth and will obstruct all your good Purposes at Home and Abroad it eats away the Affections of all good People from you and it eats out your Strength and Valour and it consumes the Weakness of all your Enemies verily it is an Enemy that will work your Destruction speedily both in this World and in the World to come that of God in you all shall witness me in the Day of the Lord. I am your Friend and these things do I write as a Friend unto you as to warn you of that secret enemy so much reigning and rebelling in this Nation which indeed may work a greater Destruction upon you then any forreign Invader and this in time you may witness to your Grief and Sorrow If something by you be not done to suppress it all health and peace I wish unto you in the Lord and thus far am I clear from the blood of you and all men come life or death E B. The several Coppies of this were delivered to Oliver and his Counsel in the 12th Moneth in the year 1657. To the Protector Friend THe Salutation of my life wisheth well unto thee in the Lord and most especially that thy precious Soul may be redeemed out of death to God and live that thou mayst have a Rest and Habitation in him when this World is no more Now whereas it is a general out-cry among the Teachers and People of this Nation and also is doubted and hath been sometimes objected by thy self That the People called Quakers are Deluded and Deceived and in Error and such like And now if it be possible that thy self and others may be resolved concernus put therefore all thy Objections and Doubting into plain Positions or let the wisest of thy Teachers do it for thee and whatsoever thy self or any for thee can object against us or what thou doubtest of or stumblest at either in respect of our Doctrines or Practice let the matter be stated in plain words in Positions or Queries and if God permit a sufficient answer thou mayst receive to remove all conscientious Scruples and to confound all subtil Alledgments and Evasions whereby hereafter forever thou mayst be altogether inexcusable of all doubting or speaking against us or suffering evil to be done or spoken against us upon that account And this am I moved to give forth and send to thee that thou mayst be satisfied and all things tried and made manifest in the sight of all men and that all rash judgment and false supposition which lodgeth in the hearts of many may be confounded and brought to
not doubting but he is sufficient to say something in the Case only may mind him with many others of his Principles and Familiarity how they have cryed out Phanaticks against such as have differed from them and this not long since and now themselves are under the same Reproach by others as they have reproached others and now he and they are reckoned the Modern Phanaticks and no better 3. What can possibly be the Author's Intent in his proceedings First in relating of the burning destroying and martyring of the Martyrs whom he wickedly calleth Aâ—â—ions Phanaticks And then Secondly in intimating the Protestants now living to be Phanaticks by this Paralel the purpose and end of the man must needs be That he would have Fire and Faggots up again Burning and Martyring up again in England and all that shall differ from that Man's Way whom we find by Calculation to be chiefly a Papist should be burnt martyred and destroyed now again as in the dayes of Queen Mary this effect would follow and this Semper Iidem is but a little Item or Intimation before-hand cryed up and down London to prepare its own spirit where it shall meet with it into Fary and Rage even to the destroying of all the Protestants And as this 〈◊〉 â—â—dem may possibly work such an effect among the People of that spirit 〈◊〉 love to murder and burn for difference in Religion It may also and ought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an effect in the other Party to be considerate and diligent and to reâ—…d the signs of the Times even the sign of Semper Iidem which seems to be â—…tle Black-stur predicting a bad Effect if the course of Heaven alter it not again And Semper Iidem is indeed to be taken notice of in London because the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 for above an hundred Years nor any one ever durst to appear 〈◊〉 such a publication of villifying the Protestant Martyrs with Reproaches and 〈◊〉 of Rebels Seditious men and Phanaticks as this Nameless Author 〈◊〉 done which gives us cause to say The Times are changed and may yet 〈◊〉 further if the Effects of Semper Iidem be not diverted for the Effects of his work is to bring all to the Fire Faggot and Martyrdom that shall differ from the Church of Rome of whom the Author is a Member as by all signs â—â—d tokens doth appear Thirdly I shall now shew how this spirit in the Papists that burnt the Martyrs which is the same spirit that endited Semper Iidem that is again moving its Countenance now adayes I shall shew how that spirit was not nor is of Christ but of Antichrist and the Devil 1. IT was not the way of Christ and his Apostles neither did they give Command or President for it to kill burn or destroy their Enemiec and such 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hereticks as the false Christians 〈◊〉 and as the Papists did in Queen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who burned and destroyed many hundreds of the Protestants who 〈◊〉 them in their Profession and Practices of Religion and this was not 〈◊〉 way for he commanded To love Enemies and not to kill them and it was 〈◊〉 He did Good for them them did Evil 〈◊〉 him and so did his Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was no such thing in the Churches of Christ in the Apostles dayes as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 burning of Hereticks and putting them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Crâ—â—â— Torments 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and his Apostles did convince 〈◊〉 sâ—…rs by Love and 〈◊〉 Doctrine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 walk peaceably towards all their Enemies and did not sâ—â—k their 〈◊〉 not to be revenged 〈◊〉 their Persecutors but the Papists and 〈◊〉 contrary to Christ's Doctrine and Example do burn and kill and destroy their Enemies such whom they judge to be in Error though yet their Iudgment be utterly false and their killing and burning grounded upon such Iudgment and this hath been the Papists way of proceeding as is related in Semper Iidem wherein is mentioned the burning and destroying of a great number of such as they then called Hereticks whom Semper Iidem now calls Antient Phanaticks and he hath justified their Martyrdom to be Right and condemned the Martyred as Phanaticks and this is published in London 2. All Persecution about Religion and killing and burning for difference in matters of spiritual things hath been and is of the Devil and Antichrist both in the Papists and other false Christians though it hath long been practised in the World for to destroy the Workmanship of God the Persons and Creatures by Fires and Cruel Torments This is not of God but of the Devil especially when it is done upon such an unjust occasion as to destroy mens Persons by cruel tortures for the Error of their Minds This is of the Beast and Dragon spoken of in the Revelations For the Beast killed all that would not worship him Revel 13. for it was the Dragon that persecuted the Woman the true Church and made War with the Rèmnant of her Seed and cast floods out of his Mouth after the Woman had brought forth the Man-Child and he persued her into the Wilderness and then he gave power to the Beast his Seat and his great Authority as you may read and then that Beast to whom the Dragon gave Authority forced all to worship him and killed all that would not worship him and made War against them and overcame them And so it is manifest that this Practice which the Papists and false Christians have used of burning and killing all such as will not worship after their manner is of the Devil the Dragon and Antichrist and hath no foundation in God but is of the wicked One to all Intents and Purposes And thus I have shewed the Papists Practices in Queen Maries dayes and at all times before and since of burning and destroying of such as differ from them in religious Matters are of the Devil and Antichrist though the Author of Semper Iidem seems to justifie the Death of the Martyrs and hath reproachfully villified them about an hundred years after they are dead by the scornful Name of Phanaticks Fourthly I shall now shew something concerning the Cause of the Publication of Semper Iidem which the Author saith is from the late Insurrection in London and comparing them with their Predecessors he thought fit to publish the same as in his Epistle NOw in answer to this As for the Insurrection in London I shall not justifie it nor speak a word in vindication of the said Persons Proceedings but shall leave them without giving my Judgment upon them further than this That it was an Evil Occasion administred against such as were no way guilty thereof who are deeply suffering this day Imprisonment and Persecution and their Peaceable Meetings broken up and they violently dealt withal in many particulars and onely upon the occasion of that Insurrection aforesaid And how Unjust it is let all the World judge that any should suffer for the Faults of others And how Unequal it is that many should be Imprisoned
such as refused to take any Oath walked in the Doctrine of Christ and such walked contrary to his Doctrine as did condemn them And thus it is manifest that Papists and false Christians are fallen from the Doctrine of Christ and are calling Good Evil and Evil Good and putting Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light for they account such as will take Oaths and Swear good Christians who are Breakers of the Commands of Christ and such as abide in the Doctrine of Christ and cannot take any Oath but keep the Commands of the Gospel they are accounted Erronious and Hereticks and such like And whereas the Author of Semper Iidem hath censured judged and condemned in his work Iohn Wickliff and Iohn Lambert Thomas Evison and Iohn Waddow William White Cornelius Bunge Iohn Maundrel Iohn Trankerfield George Eagles Hugh Latimer Bishop Granmer and Bishop Ridley Thomas Hawkes Richard Woodman all of whom were Martyred and put to Death because they dissented from and denyed the Papists Religion these by name with a great many more this nameless Author with whom I am now dealing hath condemned for Hereticks and Erronious Persons and made void as much as in him lies their Blood and justified the Papists in putting of them to Death Now every particular Case of these particular Men that he hath named and accused as Phanaticks and Hereticks I shall not seek to shew or demonstrate so as to justifie every man's particular Case against this nameless Author of Semper Iidem but this is evident That these men are reputed by Fox in his Monuments as MARTYRS of JESUS and they have been reputed in England for many years as such and have been held of great Estimation and have been accounted as the Fathers of the Protestant-Church and my Judgment of them is this That their Death generally was for the Testimony of Jesus and because of their Faithfulness in denying the Church of Rome for I do believe That God did awaken these men with many more and stir up their Hearts in their Day against the Idolatries and Superstitions of the Times they lived in and many of them were sincere men according to their Light and Knowledge in their Day though I shall not justifie every particular man in every particular Part and Act of his Faith and Conversation but shall leave that at this time reserved in mine own Heart And still I say for the most part they suffered Innocently on their part and without Cause and Cruelly Inhumanely and Unjustly on their Enemies part and they Martyred them and put them to Death by Fires and Tortures unrighteously and as cruel Murderers on their part that Executed them And in asmuch as their Sufferings were only and because of denying the Church of Rome dissenting from her and denying of her and wherein only and alone their Sufferings were in this Cause and for this End they suffered as Servants of God though as I have said I shall not justifie every particular man of them in his whole Faith and Conversation And for a further Relation of these Persons who were put to Death mentioned by my Nameless Author whom he accuseth for Phanaticks and Hereticks and such like I leave it to be read in Fox's Acts and Monuments where it may be read concerning the Martyrdom of every one of these particular men with their Examinations Tryals and Executions as they are reported by Fox who hath alwayes been reputed A Faithful Chronologer of the Protestants Cause till this Semper Iidem seems to accuse him for a Lyar and false Reporter and such like And whether the People of England have not better cause to believe his Relation of these Persons than they have to believe they know not whom viz. the Author of Semper Iidem a Nameless Author who hath reviled the Protestants Cause and accounted the Martyrs and faithful Witnesses thereof Phanaticks and Hereticks let themselves be Judges But I shall leave this only with desire that these men whom he hath named their particular Cases may be read in Fox's Acts and Monuments which if you look in the Table at the end of the second Volumn â—ou shall find the mens names with the Pages disciphered where their Cases 〈◊〉 be read and when you have read them then judge whether Semper Iidem hath not falsified their Cases and wickedly reviled them by the name of Ancient Phanaticks thereby seeking to supplant the whole Protestant Religion and all that dissent from the Church of Rome And thus much in brief concerning the Martyrs whom in the 14th Page Semper Iidem saith That a notable part of the Sufferers whom Fox makes relation of were Phanaticks and Sectaries and Mad Saints and such like naughty words by which he accuses a notable part these be his words which is the chiefest part of the Martyrs related of by Fox and accuseth Fox himself of double Injuries in his Relation in that he hath Canonized Phanaticks and Sectaries and Mad Saints for Saints and Martyrs and in that he Reviled and Accused Queen Mary and the Papists in those dayes of greater Persecutions than they were guilty of and saith They did no more than Henry the Eighth and Edward the Sixth and Queen Elizabeth did to the Papists Thus it is manifest That that well reputed of and credited Historian Fox is reputed a Lyar false Reporter so the Book of Martyrs made worth nothing and Queen Mary the Papists justified in what they did in martyring and putting to Death the Protestants in their days and also Queen Elizabeth is secretly condemn'd in what she did against the Papists Oh that these dayes should ever appear in England which once were not thought of These things are published and suffered in this Old Government newly revived Let the Protestants of England take notice of it and see how the Records of their Martyrs are made null and of none effect and the Martyrs themselves slandered as Phanaticks and the Martyrers justified as Righteous in what they did and these things published and proclaimed up and down London These things I cannot but observe as full occasion is given me by Semper Iidem How that the Papists Cause seems to revive and to lift up its Head again in England in vilifying and reproaching the Cause of all the Protestants of all sorts who seemingly begin to be crow'd over again and the Death of their Martyrs made of none Effects as aforesaid And this is only in Love towards the People of England to make them consider what attends them and what Invasion is coming upon them if it be not prevented not that I wholy justifie the Protestants Cause against the Papists though Semper Iidem pleads That Queen Mary did no more to the Protestants than Henry the Eighth Edward the Sixth and Queen Elizabeth did to the Papists as the one Persecuted Burned and Martyred the Protestants so the other did Persecute and Destroy the Papists by which he would reason a justification of Queen Mary
who are not and therefore may easily proceed in that way to punish such as Hereticks that are not truly so and except ye could affirm and Prove your possession of the infallible spirit ye can no way proceed justly reasonably to deny Liberty of Conscience in the exercise of Religion nor punish and persecute any in that case but if ye do ye do it in ignorance and know not what ye do and may as soon destroy true Christians and Saints as Hereticks for want of infallible judgment to discern who are and who are not and this is a danger ye ought to avoid by allowing the free exercise of Conscience as the Lord perswades every mans heart 15. And lastly also consider what a reproach you are under If such whom ye call Heretick and yet doth not infallibly know that they are such be punished and persecuted and destroyed for their Religion sake who are just and upright men in their Conversing between man and man and unreprovable in their dealings among men whether they err in judgment in spiritual knowledge or not err and such as are Drunkards prophaâ—e persons go at liberty in their stage-playing and gaming and the like even tolerated and unpunished and not prohibited whom all do know and can distinguish who such are when they appear this will render your Government to evil reputation both in this present time and in ages to come and therefore consider it if Drunkards Gamesters and prophane persons have more toleration and liberty in their wayes of open vanity then sober temperate persons in the exercise of their Consciences in Religion which if any such do err in principle which is not infallibly known to you it is only to their own hurt in the sight of God and he onely and not you ought to punish them in that case but prophane persons as a fore-mentioned are easily judged by all to be such and their error inpractise is hurtful to the whole Kingdoms and pertains to you to punish as Dr. Taylor now a Bishop in Ireland hath said his words in this â—ase are worth observing why are we so zealous saith he against those we call Hereticks and yet great friends with Dâ—unkards and Swearers and Fornicators and intemperate and idle persons I am certain a Drunkard is as contrâ—oy to God and lives as contrary to the Laws of Christianity as a Heretick and I am also sure that I Know what Drunkennesse is but I am not sure that such an opinion is heresie c. And these things I do in all meeknesse and due respect both to your places and persons present to your serious considerations that ye may prevent these evil effects that are so destructive unto you and these Kingdoms which absolutely must follow upon not allowing free Liberty of Conscience in the Exercise of Religion if any shall object That to tolerate and allow Liberty of Conscience in Religion is inconsistent with the safety and peace of the King and these Kingdoms I shall be desirous to hear from wise men what such objections are stated by them and wherein they say it is not Congruous with the Happiness and Peace of these Nations to grant and allow the Premises And on such Occasion I should make clearly to appeaâ— the contrary and that it is only consistant with the Peace and Prosperity of these Kingdoms considering them in their present Estate To grant and allow Free Liberty of Conscience as aforesaid in the Exercise of Religion unto all Christian People O! Remember ye Mighty Men of the Kingdom That the Great and Mighty GOD takes notice of all your Doings and accordingly will he reward you in his Dreadful Day which is near to come upon all the World and Wo unto the Wicked in that Day O! Remember that ye your selves not long since were a Suffering People and now you are raised up again and therefore be not too zealous to afflict others especially for the Cases of their Consciences in reference to their Faith and Perswasions about Religion but be Gentle Meek and Long-suffering towards all for that is the way to make Peace and preserve it with all men that will gain the Affections of the Contrary-minded but Force and Rigour will exasperate the more and never truly reconcile differences among men And make no Laws contrary or different to the pure Law of God but let pure Consciences go free without Force or Restraint in the Exercises of Religion and let God have his Prerogative and Lordship in the Exercise of Conscience but let your Authority be extended over the outward man in the matters between man and man to preserve Peace and Right in all outward relation And be Wise and Learned ye Rulers of the Earth and kiss the Son lest he be Angry and ye perish and if his Wrath be kindled but a little blessed are they that trust in him This is your Time and Day happy are ye if it be given to you to do the Work that God requires of you only The 26th of the third Moneth 1661. By a Lover of Truth and Just Government E. B. A DISCOVERY OF Divine Mysteries VVherein is Unfolded Secret THINGS of the KINGDOM of GOD Being a TESTIMONY 1. Concerning Life and Death with their several Fruits and â—…cts Distinguished 2. Concerning the Mystery of God and Godliness and concerning the Mystery of the Devil and Iniquity 3. Concerning True Liberty of Conscience what it is in it self and how obtained And what the True Guide and Rule is of the Exercise of Conscience 4. Concerning the Diversity of Judgments in Religion the Cause and Effect thereof and the Means to bring to Unity All which are Published for the Edification of such as desire to know the TRUTH The PREFACE THE Light of the Day of GOD Almighty is arisen upon us in our Day and the Shinings-forth thereof is with great Clearness and Force even as the Sun at Noon-day and many are come to the Glorious Appearance thereof and to walk in its Light with much Ioyfulness for as the Wise-Man said The Light is Sweet and a Pleasant Thing it is for the Eye to behold the Son And so fully is our Morning-Son now appeared that the Upright in Heart may Walk and not stumble and the Poor in Spirit may Run in the Path of Life and not fall For indeed we may say The NIGHT is spent and the DAY is come therefore let us Walk in the Day and put on the Armour of Light as many as are made the Children thereof And where the Light of this Son is arisen and in whose Hearts it shineth it cannot but give some Testimony through such an one of its own Glory Vertues and Excellency to them that sit yet in Darkness and in the 〈◊〉 of Corruption that they also may 〈◊〉 the same Light and Glory arise on their Tabernacles For 't is the Property of this Spiritual Heavenly Light to shine forth out of Darkness and to give Light to such as have
long sate in Darkness that their Souls may live and be refreshed with the Light of the Living And for this Cause do we Labour and Spend and â—re Spent accounting nothing too dear for us that the Light of Truth may shine abroad and guide the Upright in the perfect Way till the Elect be gathered into the Pasture of Eternal Life and the Son so elivated on the Firmament of Joy and Praises never to go down but the Saying fulfilled There shall be no Night but the Light of the Son shall be as the Light of seven dayes These following Testimonies were written at divers Times as the Lord drew forth my Spirit through the Motions of his Life in me some of them some years since and being cast by among Bundles of Manuscripts and now lately coming to my sight and looking them over I have thought good to send them abroad as being of service to many And this is the Occasion and End of my present publishing these things And to the Iudgment of the Spirit of God in all the Saints do I commend my Labours and myself to be approved Westmoreland the 25th of the 7th Moneth 1661. Who am a Friend to all Men E. B. A DISCOVERY of DIVINE MYSTERIES c. CHAP. I. A Testimony concerning Life and Death and their several Fruits and Effects Distinguished THere is only Life and Death and there is but only Life and Death in the whole Creation that Ruleth and Raigneth in and among and over all the Children of Men and all the Children of Men upon the Face of the Earth are under the Government and Dominion of LIFE or of DEATH in whatsoever they are and in whatsoever they do and Life or Death hath the Rule and Government in every Creature in every Exercise whether of Works or Words and all people upon the Earth are subject to the Government of one or the other and bring forth the Fruits and Works in obedience to Life or to Death and shews them forth in visible appearance Now these two to wit Life and Death are contrary one to the other in Beeing in Nature in Works and Fruits and each of these are known and distinguished the one from the other in Beeing in Nature in Fruits and Effects which diversly they bring forth in this World and each of them hath a Kingdom and Government in himself distinct from and contrary each to other and each of them have their several Subjects which also are contrary in Birth and Generation in quality and kind over which they Rule and Govern and to whom they give distinct Portions and Heirships in this World and hereafter and where Life Rules and reigns Death is held in Captivity and Bondage and where Death lives the Life dies and where one of these brings forth Fruit the other is Barren for they agree not in one but are in all things contrary and the Subjects of the one are alwayes opposing and striving against the Subjects of the other And between Life and Death there is continual War and Strife among the Creatures who are the Subject of the one of them in whatsoever man is and in what he doth First Concerning Life I will speak Life was in the Beginning with God and is without descent and God is Life in himself without beginning or ending of Time Place or Matter and Life put forth it self out of its invisible Beeing into Work and Action in the beginning of the World and appeared in visible Operations and Works and brought forth all Creatures and all things into visible Appearances and Life was the Author of all the Beginning and Foundation of all and Life was and is that Beeing and Vertue of all things that are and it was the Ioy and Delight of all things that it self brought forth for all Things and Creatures subsisted through it and it gave Breath and Life to all Creatures and Life blessed them all and in it were all Creatures at Unity being framed and brought into Visibility and for the Pleasure of Life which was all in all in the Beginning and there was a sweet Concurrance and Harmony in the whole Creation through the Power and Beeing of Life in the midst of all Creatures through which the whole Creation was made and framed by the Eternal Word of Life and through which they stood and did remain 〈◊〉 â—â—â—â—sedness and Life ruled and raigned in every Creature that was brought forth and was the Glory and Substance thereof For Life was and is that only begotten of the Father the Son and Heir of the Everlasting Father his express Image and Brightness being one with the Father not separated or divided from him And as for Death it was not yet known nor had it any place in the Creation it had yet received no Power nor Kingdom nor Government neither was it in beeing But Life was all over all through all and in all in the Beginning before Disobedience and Transgression entred to war against Life But Life was Prince Ruler and Governour in and over all the Works of the Creator And Life in its beeing is God and God is Life and in its Government and Fruits and Effects is Purity Righteousness Truth Holiness Meekness and all the Works that are Just and Equal according to God and like him and which shews him forth in the Creation and this was and it was thus in the Beginning before Death entred into the World or had a kingdom But it is written The Devil abode not in the Truth but went out of the Truth and he is the King of Death and hath the Power of it he went out of the Power of God and out of the Life by which all things was made and created and abode not in the Truth nor in the Life to live and act and speak in that but desired to be and became to be something of himself without God and he spoke of himself and acted of himself without the Power and Life and also contrary to the Power and Life of the Creator being separated from it and become a distinct Beeing of himself and then having lost his State and first Condition thus became an Enemy to Life and Truth and became the King of Death and he was the first of Death's Race and he holds the Power of it unto this Day he being gone out of the Truth and out of the Power and Life of God and become a distinct Beeing of himself having a kingdom of his own to promote in Opposition to the Kingdom of God Then he drew Mankind out of the Power and Truth and Life and beguiled Eve and Adam as you may read in the Scriptures and they lost the Life and Power even all Feeling of it and Comfort in it by which they were Created and made and they also transgressed and acted contrary to the Life and Power and acted of themselves and spake of themselves without the Power and Life of their Creator being separated from it and were and did something
of themselves without God the Creator and then the Power and Life cast them out of all Peace Joy and Happiness into the Earth and into Death and Death became the King and Prince over Mankind and they had no more possession of Life nor Blessedness by it in their separated Estate neither did it any longer raign in them but they having transgressed against the Life and acted of themselves and spoken of themselves without the Leadings and Movings of the Life this was their Transgression They went out of the Power and Life in all Motions and Actions and then Life drove them forth of its good Pleasure into the Earth separate from its Vertues and Peace and into Death which is contrary to it self to live in Anguish and Sorrow And so when the Devil was gone out of the Truth and had led Mankind out of the Truth and out of Life and thereby they were all separated from Life and drove out from God out of his Pleasure into his Wrath Then became Death to have a Beeing in Mankind and great Authority and not before and then Death began his Kingdom in the World and over it and he set up his Rule and Government in and among and over all the Children of Men. And so from Transgression came Death that was its Beginning Man having Transgressed against the Life that brought him forth and being separated from Life then Death took place and its kingdom was established over the World and in all the Children of Men in opposition to Life and its Government and Kingdom and Death reigns from Adam so saith the Scripture and the Life was transgressed against and so provoked into an absence and to withdraw it self into invisibility from the enjoyment of Mankind that it should not be felt nor perceived of Him to comfort him and then the whole body of Death came upon Man to load his Conscience and vex his Soul and Death and only Death hath a preheminence over all in Transgression and is established into a Kingdom over sinful Subjects who are under its Command and hath its Rule and Goverment and brings forth its Works and Fruits in Mankind contrary to Life and in opposition to it and to its Kingdom and Power and opposeth the Kingdom and Power of Life the Creature and in its Nature and all its Fruits and Works it is contrary and opposite to Life and its Works and Fruits and through Death is the whole Creation in its exercise by man perverted from the right use and end ordained of God and out of Death proceedeth all evil as Lying Swearing Drunkenness and Whoredom Pride Strife and every evil work and word These things are the Fruits and Works of Death and Death governs the Children of men in the practice of all these things and in transgression Death lives and acts and speaks through Men and Women and Death rules in them and hath perverted them in all their wayes for they have given their Power to it and it wholly Captivates them and is established over them and hath the dominion in them and Life is swallowed up of it And this Kingdom of Death opposeth God and the Kingdom of Life and exalts it self against Life and hath its operation in the Creature in all manner of unrighteousness bringing forth daily such words works fruits and effects as doth oppress and is a burden unto the Life and unto the God of Life and Death and its Kingdom doth continually war and strive against Life and its Kingdom and the one opposeth the other through all Generation since the beginning for the Devil is the King of Death and hath the Power of iâ— and he is King in its Goverment and Ruler in its Dominion and this is the state of all the Children of men in Transgression Death rules and the Kingdom of Death reigns in them and it brings forth cursed fruits through them and they are subjects thereof and in obedience thereunto in all things And through Death which hath Power over them are they separated from Life and have no part nor portion therein because of Death that hath separated them and vailed and clouded them and loads their Consciences But now the Promise of the God of Life is to restore Mankind out of Death and Darkness and that Life shall reign again and subdue Death and destroy it and its Kingdom and swallow it up and this is the Promise of the Father For in Transgression Death hath subdued Life and overcome it in Mankind But in the Restoration Life shall swallow up Death and subdue it and overcome it and this comes to pass through the rising again of Life from under Death which hath held it in bondage and Life that made the World in the beginning and gave to all things Life and substance as I have said which Life in its measure in Mankind hath been overcome and swallowed up in Transgression That Life shall appear though in another manner of appearance than it did in the beginning for then it appeared freely of it self without opposition and brought forth the first Creation But now it doth appear through great opposition and through all that doth oppose it in this second Creation when Life comes again to reign over Death and swallow up and overcome and subdue it and who comes to witness this the new Creation they know Life appearing through opposition and through the destroying of Death and all its works and fruits for CHRIST is the Life and he is the Seed of the Wâ—… which bruiseth the Serpents head who hath the Power of Death Life bruiseth his Head breaketh his Government and destroyes his Works as it appeareth and riseth in the Creature and Death and its Works opposeth Life and its manifestation and appearance and gainsayes it and often quencheth it iâ— its appâ—… Now the first Appearance of Life in the Creature it convinceth and reproveth the works of Death and the words that proceed from Death which are unrighteous words and unrighteous works and Life when it rises it reproves them and condemns them and though Death doth oppose and gainsay the Operation of Life yet Life works through and overcometh subdueth and swalloweth up Death and destroys all its works in the second Creation and Life again comes to take possession of the Creature which it made in the beginning and Life comes to reign again whose Right it is to raign for by it the Creature Mankind and all Creatures were in the beginning formed and brought forth and therefore it is its Right to reign and to have the dominion over the works of its own hands whom since the beginning in Transgression the Devil and Death and his seat of Government has had the possession of and CHRIST the Power of God and the Life hath been as it were dispossessed and thus the first Creation hath been defaced and lost its Glory and it hath been corrupted and degenerated quite from the perfect state as it was created in and Mankind hath
been servant to another Power and led captive by another Power than the Power that made him and another Government hath been established over him and another Law hath exercised him than the Government and Law of the Creator to wit the Power and Government and Law of Death have had the Rule Government and Exercise of Man and of the old Creation and hereby all things have been diverted from their proper and perfect place and service to which they were ordained in the beginning by reason of Transgression and the reigning of Death and Man hath been held in Captivity and in sore bondage and subject to all misery and distress deprived of unity with his Maker and deprived of the comfortable use and benefit of the Creation so that of all Creatures he hath been the most miserable being held in Bondage and Captivity under the power of Death which hath ruled and reigned over him and in him being always subject to Death and subject to the Curse and Anger of the LORD and subject to doubtings and fears and subject to continual misery and sorrow and all this is because Death hath reigned and had dominion even that which at first in the beginning of Transgression betrayed him of the Life and Fellowship with God that got possession it self to reign and to have the Power which ever since hath reigned and alwayes doth till the appearance of the Life again which doth appear in the Creature for this end to overcome and subdue Death and destroy his works that it self may reign and free the Creation from its degeneration and corruption and free Mankind from his bondage and captivity and from his misery and all his trouble which is come upon him by reason of Death And this came to pass in the New Creation when Life is born again to rule and reign again and to swallow up Death and to subdue it wholly and its Kingdom and Government And then Man again is become a Son of GOD an Heir of Salvation and no more Death reigns in him nor hath Power over him when he is restored out of Transgression then as Death hath reigned and had power in Transgression Life shall so reign in and over the Creature in the New Creation when that is brought forth as Death hath reigned in the Old Creation in Transgression and Disobedience And Life will arise to reign and rule over all and in all though it be through great opposition the Body of Death shall be put off and the Government of Death shall be subdued and all the Works Fruits and Effects of Death shall be destroyed and done away and its place shall no more be found so as to bring forth Fruit for its sting shall be taken away and shall no more wound nor pierce nor hurt the Creature For the sting of Death is Sin and that hath wounded and hurt the Creature and when this comes to pass then there is glory and rejoycing over all for Life hath swallowed up Death and overcome it and the cause of Sorrow is removed and taken away and the Kingdom of Life is established in the Creature and is set upon the top of Death's Kingdom and keeps it under and if there be but a Motion of Death that would spring up or appear in the Creature Life judgeth it down and condemns it And this Kingdâ—â— is Righteousness Ioy and Peace full of Iustice Righteousness and Equity and there is nothing in it that doth defile or destroy or bring Sorrow or Misery but Life rules over all that and subdues the Cause thereof and removes every thing that would imbondage or captivate the Creature in Evil. And this Kingdom is not of this World but from Heaven and Heavenly and the Birth Immortal is Heir thereof which receives the Crown and the Kingdom of Eternal Life Now the Kingdom of Death is of this World which is defiled and degenerated Gain was a Subject of this kingdom and Esau that was a Reprobate and Iudas that betrayed the Life and all the Ungodly and Generation of the Wicked since the beginning they were all of the kingdom of Death and the kingdom of Death ruled in them and brought forth its works through them and its exercise in their hearts and in their lives and through its power they opposed and gainsay'd the Life and they fought against the Kingdom of Life and Righteousness and such were the Pharisees who put Christ to death who is the Life Death raigned over all these and they were of the stock of Death and they were of this World and had their Conversation below in the earthly things and knew not the Life nor its Government but were Strangers to it and Enemies to it as all are at this day who are Transgressors against the Life and all such are subject to the Curse to Sorrow and Misery and the Anger of the Lord but who come to feel the Life and the Obedience to it again Death is destroyed through Death for through the death of Death Death comes to be destroyed and no other way which the Life works and the Life works through Death and overcomes it and swallows it up and this is the second Creation and the new Creation where Life raigns over all and doth possess the Creature as it did before transgression The Life is the Light and the Life is the Law and Life lives moves and acts the Creature and Christ who is the Life becomes all in all and Blessed are they who wait for this and do witness it to such am I known in these things where the kingdom of Death is overcome and swallowed up of Life CHAP. II. A Testimony concerning the Mystery of God and Godliness and concerning the Mystery of the Devil and Iniquity THere are two great Mysteries in their invisible Beeing and in manifestation to us in the world that is to say The Mystery of God and Godliness and The Mystery of the Devil and Iniquity These are two great Mysteries which do discover and act themselves forth in and among and through the Children of men in this Creation and these two Mysteries are contrary one to the other in Beeing in Nature in Works in Fruits and effects and they are in strife one against the other the one continually opposing the other and striving for the Creature Mankind to be the Instrument to display themselves through in visible Appearance for the Creature Man and Woman is a Vessel wherein these Mysteries are contained and whereby these Mysteries do shew themselves forth in the world and all the Sons of Adam upon the Face of the Earth are possessed with and of one of these that is to say The Mystory of God or the Mystery of the Devil do manifest themselves forth through every Man and Woman and through all the Sons of Adam upon the Face of the Earth the Works Fruits and Effects of one of these are brought forth And as for the Mystery of God it is Infinite and Eternal in Beeing and
it self forth in a higher appearance and fairer shew than ever it did before for this Mystery hath sate in the Temple of God and shewed it self to be God and been worshipped above all that is called God this Mystery of Iniquity the Man of Sin which hath put on the Sheep's-Clothing and shews it self as the Sheep of Christ and as Christians and Churches all which hath been for many Ages the Manifestation of this Mystery while that the Mystery of the Devil hath not been destroyed but now is the Lord arisen who will discover and destroy this Mystery and save the Creature and in the destruction of this Mystery is the other Mystery revealed to wit The Mystery of God and of Christ and that is the Mystery of Christ that destroyes the Mystery of Antichrist and of the Devil And now the Sons and Daughters of the Lord Almighty are coming into this Mystery of God Eternal who is blessed for ever and all that is coming to be overthrown which doth oppose it and gainsay it and there is nothing that can destroy or discover this Mystery but the appearance of Christ the Son of God for it is he that doth discover and destroy the Mystery of Iniquity by the Spirit of his Mouth and by the Brightness of his Coming and this are people coming to The Man of Sin is to be thrown down and the Man of Righteousness the Manof God is revealed and Sons and Daughters shall shew him forth in the World and the Mystery of God shall shew it self forth over the World and in Nations and blessed are all they that come to the opening of this Mystery of God which is the Mystery of Life and Eternal Salvation CHAP. III. A Testimony Concerning true Liberty of Conscience what it is in itself and how it is obtained and what the true Guide and Rule is of the Exercise of Conscience THis is my Testimony as I have received from the Lord true Liberty of Conscience is Liberty and Freedom of the Conscience from the Bondage of Sin and all Transgression past and present and from whatsoever hath been or is a Burden or Oppression upon the Conscience whether inward or outward the Conscience I say is at Liberty when it is freed from the Burden of the Guilt of Sin past and from the present Temptation unto Sin And till this is witnessed there is no true Liberty of Conscience for every thing whatsoever which is Sin and Transgression against God in Works or Words brought forth by the Creature is Bondage and a Burden and oppresseth the pure Conscience and therefore perfect Freedom from all Sin and Transgression is Where the Body of Sin and Death is put off and where the Evil is crucified and the guilt of it taken away and where the Conscience is truly exercised by the Spirit of Christ which leadeth into all Truth and preserveth from all Evil then is the Conscience at Liberty and this is true Liberty of Conscience when this is brought forth in the Creature For where Sin is brought forth and Transgression lived in there the Conscience is bound and the Cord of Iniquity imbondageth the Conscience and it hath not its Liberty in the Service of God nor from the Service of the Devil because the Spirit of God doth not exercise it but the spirit of Unrighteousness leadeth the Mind into the Lusts of this World into Lying Swearing Pride Drunkenness Hypocrisie and Idolatry and the guilt of these things burdeneth and presseth down and is a Bondage upon the Conscience And where the Conscience is bound by Unrighteousness within and by the spirit of the World which leadeth contrary to the Lord there is no Power of Man without can set that Conscience free or give Liberty to it because the Cord of Iniquity hath bound it within and the Burden of guilt is upon it and Conscience lies under Bondage unexercised with the Spirit of God which is free and setteth free the Conscience in the practice of all Good and from the Power and Captivity of all Evil. Therefore before true Liberty of Conscience be witnessed or any have true Liberty in Conscience Iniquity must be purged out and Sin crucified and the Body of Death put off and guilt washed away and the Annointing received that leadeth into all Truth and the Blood of Christ the Seed felt that sprinkleeth the Conscience from all Sin and Works of the Flesh and washeth away all that which staineth and defileth the Conscience and then the pure Conscience hath its true Liberty from the Bondage of all Evil and from the guilt thereof and in the Exercise of all good and this is true Liberty of Conscience and thus it is attained and by no other Way nor Means than by the Sword of the Spirit of God which cutteth down the contrary And where Conscience is thus freed within by the Power of the Lord and delivered from the bondage of Evil and from the burden of all guilt and exercised in all good by the Spirit of God Then nothing without nor any Power of Man which may work against such by Persecution and act in opposition to such whose Consciences are thus freed can imbondage the Conscience to God-wards or bring it under a burden to God-wards I say for it is not altogether Bondage of Conscience or the Burden or Oppression upon his Conscience that is set free as aforesaid though he is outwardly persecuted by men for that doth but hinder the Exercise of his Conscience to Manwards but not to God-wards for there his Conscience is free in Joy and Peace though by reason of Persecution he cannot have the Exercise of it to men I say Though such be put in Prison Banished or whatsoever Suffering be laid upon them by any Men or Laws without yet their pure Conscience is Free and at Liberty in it self to God-wards through all this and over it all for the Lord hath set them free from all that Bondage and Guilt of Iniquity which hath been a Bondage upon their Consciences within And whether they do Suffer or have Freedom or Captivity in their Persons from men yet is their pure Conscience at Liberty to God-wards and in perfect freedom in it self and to themselves though for the Name of Christ and his Truth they be persecuted and all Evil done against them by evil men and the exercise of their pure Consciences prevented as to Man-wards For that which defiles the Conscience doth bring it under Bondage but that which keeps it pure and free from pollution that keeps it in Liberty and in perfect freedom to God over all Persecution and Evil Men and Unjust Laws which would exercise dominion in and over the Consciences of the Saints and bring them into Captivity as sometimes their Persons are by Evil Laws and Persecutors But who stand in the Power of the Lord and in the exercise of the Spirit of God which freeth the Conscience in their own particulars as I have said doth not come
your Power if that I say ye oppose his Work and will seek to bind and limit his Spirit in his People and will yet force and impose upon Conscience by outward Violence and Kill and Persecute unto Death and Banishment for matter of Conscience and because of difference in Iudgement in Spiritual Things then thus it shall be done unto you Ye shall Fall and Perish and be Troubled and Blessings and Prosperity shall not be unto you If it be not thus the Lord hath not spoken by me Well Friends even all ye that have Authority and Power in the Government of this World are nearly concerned to take special notice of these things presented unto you seeing the Effects of these two Causes are both very weighty and infallibly certain even to you-wards particularly Very weighty because Peace Prosperity and Happiness or Misery Distractions and Downfall to you is depending upon the Effects of the Causes infallibly certain because the Iustice of God Almighty is such that he must bring Reward upon all according to their Deeds and his Iustice cannot be diverted But if ye permit Free Liberty of Conscience in the Exercise of Godliness in Faith and Worship unto all People under your Power then shall Peace and Prosperity be unto you according to the Purpose of God But if ye impose upon Conscience in any wise by Force in Religious Matters and will not be instructed and advised to the contrary Then shall Misery and Destruction certainly be unto you according to the Justice of God's Vengeance These things are so as a Servant of God I present them to you and not upon Fiction or Fancy but as I have received them from the Lord God by his Spirit which signifies the Verity and Certainty of those Things in my Soul Friends Doubt not of these things for verily the Time is at hand and it must surely come to pass my Spirit shall see it and rejoyce therein if in this Body I may not behold it That imposing and forcing of Conscience by Laws and Ordinances of Men upon Penalties on Mens Persons and Estates in Religious Matters shall be expunged subdued and abandoned in these Nations and Kingdoms of the World and it shall be no more But Liberty Liberty shall be Re-planted Embraced and Renowned amongst Men and Truth and Righteousness Mercy and Peace True Liberty and Freedom Justice and True Judgment with all the Causes and Effects thereof shall flourish and grow and prosper on the Earth and the contrary shall fall and rise no more This Day is dawning nigh it s at the Door Blessed are they that are prepared for it Wherefore let all Flesh Hear and Fear Bow and Tremble and let the Hearts of the Righteous rejoyce and be exceeding glad let all the Upright in Heart put on the Garment of Praises and Deliverance For the Day is at hand that Antichrist with all his Strength and Power Force and Policy shall be a Hissing and Reproach and Shame Contempt unto the Saints of the Most High and amongst whom the Lord God Omnipotent doth and must Raign and Rule in Dominion and Glory and Power over all forever and evermore E. B. London this 12th Moneth 1661. Antichrist's Government Justly Detected c. CHAP. 1. Concerning Imposing Religion the Case stated and the Unrighteousness thereof shewed with the Danger thereof also made appear by manifest Proofs Presented unto the Rulers and People of our Age throughout the World TO Impose any Kind of Religion any Way of Worship or Form of Faith and outward Conformity in any Practices of Duty to God-wards by an External Authority of men through force of Laws commanding and requiring such Conformity in Faith and Worship upon Pains Penalties and Forfeitures on mens Persons and Estates as hath been practiced in the World since the dayes of the Apostles amongst the Nations professing Christianity This thing is not of the Lord nor according to Commands of Christ and Example of the Apostles and Primitive Christians declared of in the Scriptures but is of Antichrist and Unrighteous Unequal and Dangerous to the Destruction of the Souls and Bodies of both the Imposers and the Imposed 1. Such kind of Forcing and compelling by force of outward Laws into such outward Conformity of Religion Faith and Worship Church-Government and Ministry was never in beeing nor ever practiced in the true Christian Churches amongst the Apostles in their dayes nor ever was such a thing known among the Primitive Christians There was no such kind of Laws made nor executed amongst them nor such Force exercised on mens Persons and Estates in such Cases there was no outward Violence used in the Primitive Times to compel any to Conformity to Christian Faith Worship and Practice of Christian Religion None of the first Christians were made truly Religious and converted from the Way of Error to the Way of true Christianity by such means of outward Force and Commandments of Men put upon them They were not I say converted themselves to the Christian-Faith and Religion nor made Conformable Worshippers of God in his Spirit by that Way and Means nor did they seek to convert others into Conformity to Church-Government and Christian-Worship by force of outward Laws upon Pains and Forfeitures These things were not in the true Church of Christ in the Apostles dayes amongst the Primitive Christians 2. But the true Way of Conversion among them to the Christian-Faith and Worship and true Church-Government whereby people were made rightly conformable to the true Christian Religion as it was amongst the Apostles was by and through the Doctrine of the Gospel of Christ Jesus preached amongst them in the Power and Demonstration of the Spirit of God of such as were truly called and sent of him which did turn People to the Spirit of God and that Ministry wrought in them to receive it by which their Consciences were convinced and their Hearts perswaded in the Love of christ to believe in him and receive him and follow him and thus were they drawn and begotten and converted into the Faith and Worship and Practice of the true Christiâ—…-Religion and made conformable to the Government and Order of the true Church of Christ in all things by this Means and Way only and not at all by any outward Force and Compulsion exercised upon them they were converted to the true Christian-Religion and to the true Worship of God and by the same Way did they convert and turn others to the same and this only is the Perfect Way of Christian-Conformity to the true Christian-Worship and Church-Gâ—…ment it ever was since the beginning of Christianity in the World and iâ—â—nto this day even to perswade the Heart and to convince the Conscience inwardly by the sound Doctrine of the Gospel through the Operation of the Spirit of Christ and by Love and Meekness and Patience and all the Fruits of Righteousness held forth in Doctrine and Conversation which may answer the Testimony of God in all mens Consciences
appears in the World then he transforms into the Likeness and formal appearance of the Way of the Lord and his Truth and when the Devil cannot kill Christ so but that Christ will rise again appear and live for ever contrary to all the malice and enmity of the Devil then rather then he will submit to be no more he will transform himself and take upon him the Name of Christ of his Honour and Glory and profess him in words and seem a Friend to Christ and his Kingdom And this he doth that he may live still in the World and by deceiveableness beguile the sons of men into perpetual destruction 9. And the very work of Antichrist this day in the World is to deceive beguile seduce and betray the World and all mankind 't is his only work and calling as I may say to deceive 't is his nature and property to work deceitfully and thus it ever was with him it hath been his Property and his Work in all Ages and in every Age since the beginning of the World to deceive and beguile to lead men from God and to lead them into Perdition this I say hath ever been his work in the World and by the means aforesaid to wit by transforming and changing himself into the likeness of Righteousness and Verity and putting the pretence of Goodness Vertue and Holiness upon his Actions and Doings though never so evil and unrighteous he hath always I say by this means and in this way deceived the World by appearing as a Saint as a Well-doer as an Angel of Light pretending Wisdom Righteousness and Vertue and colouring his Deeds thereby as is proved in the Case of the first deceiving of Eve What said Satan to the Woman Not that I am such a one and do intend to deceive thee with Falsity but Thou shalt be as God Thou shalt be wise of thy self and know and be and do as God Here was a fair pretence by which he deceived the Woman And the false Prophets and false Apostles in the dayes of old did not deceive the World into an absolute denial of God and Christ and Truth but did deceive them into the false Profession of the same holding out the Form of Godliness without the Power and by feigned words and good Speeches did deceive the hearts of the Simple and by false Doctrine and Ordinances and Form of Religion did the Antichrist deceive the World in dayes past as he doth at this day For if he did appear to be as he is in his own nature and property a Devil Deceiver and wicked one a Leader to Perdition and Destruction and should vindicate himself as such and entice and tempt People as such then none would believe him nor follow his Wayes for none would willingly be destroyed But he appears not as such in the World but alwayes transforms himself into the Likeness of God and Goodness still pretending the same And by this means is he more capable to deceive mankind for he cannot so readily deceive and lead men to Perdition in his own proper Nature if he appear as he is such but therefore he appears contrary to what his own nature is and transforms himself And thus doth Antichrist deceive the Christian World so called at this day even by his false Wayes of Religion false Worship false Doctrine false Humility false Faith and false Church pretending Zeal and Sanctity and such like Herein and hereby generally doth Antichrist that Man of Sin deceive and beguile the World unto Perdition and Destruction Oh! how many thousands of Peoples of Nations and Countries are at this day deceived on this wise thinking they are in the Truth and true Way of Religion Faith and Worship professing and performing these things with much Zeal as if they were indeed the wayes and Ordinances of Christ when as they are but false feigned formal and of Antichrist and deceivable to the souls of men even Shews without Substance Forms without Life and Power of Antichrist and not of the true Christ. And thus and after this manner with the very likeness of Righteousness and appearance of Godliness and profession of Faith and duty to God hath Antichrist deceived the World and doth at this day delude Nations to the perdition of thousands And Antichrist doth not generally deceive men in his works and appearance as he is in his own Proper Nature but in his appearance and works transformed and changed into another likeness even into the likeness of Truth and Righteousness By this means and way Satan Antichrist and that Man of Sin doth delude and deceive the Nations of the World 10. What the Works of Antichrist are by what is said doth partly appear His Works are all deceivableness to deceive and delude the World to lead mankind captive in the wayes of sin and death unto the destruction of their souls and to be cruel and hard-hearted envious malicious and perverse a hater and persecutor of goodness and good men and to murder and work wickedness to do all evil and to oppose gain-say and deny all good This in general is the work of Antichrist though as to particulars I now intend not to mention saving as I have before shewed to impose upon Conscience in Religious matters by outward force and violence is a main principle work of Antichrist and to kill and destroy Persons on the account of Heresie and Error and to use violence and cruel impositions in Spiritual Cases contrary to the Spirit of Christ Jesus These are works and wayes of Antichrist which he brings forth in the World as also the promoting of all the false and Idolatrous Worships and false Church-Governments in the World and in short every evil work and word brought forth amongst the sons of men are the Works of the Devil and Antichrist which he seduceth the World into the working and doing of and to consider the state of the World as it is at this day and how it is deceived in many grievous and abominable wayes of Error Superstitions Idolatries and Wickedness it makes the hearts of the Righteous sad and mournful because of the deceivableness of the working of the Mystery of Iniquity of Antichrist that Man of Sin in the World who deceiveth Mankind with the appearance and shew of godliness and leads the Children of Men in the wayes of Ignorance Death Blindness and Error yet holds them under a false pwerswasion of safety and security as if they were in the right way and walked in the pathes of Happiness when indeed and in Truth they are beguiled and deceived and nigh unto the pathes of perdition Oh! how hath Antichrist prevailed in these latter Dayes since the dayes of the Apostles and deceived the World with the very Formal Profession and practice of such Doctrines and Things as the Apostles held and Practised in the Power of God in their dayes But now Antichrist he holds the Form in his False Spirit and hath the appearance and likeness of