to the fear of the Lord placed in their hearts that thereby they might be preserved out of evil and doing always that that is just and right and to be sure to be courteous and kind to all loving the good in all and bearing their Testimony against the evil in all wheresoever it doth appear And whensoever said he you go about that which is weighty take counsel of good and sound Friends so that all things may be done to the honour and glory of the Lord and his blessed Truth in which your blessings are all yea and Amen And advised them not to run into the Cumbers of the World but to wait upon the Lord and he will find out a way for them in his time For the Lord said he is a calling and taking me out and from all Troubles and Cumbers from the evil that is a coming upon this wicked World in a good time wherein I am assured of that sound and perfect peaee wherein my Soul resteth with the Lord for evermore so that I have no more to do now but desire the Lord to make my passage easie to his Heavenly Rest William Lickfold He was born the 19th of the 7th Month 1623. He departed this Life the 22d day of the 7th Month 1678. A TESTIMONY FOR THE TRUTH And against DECEIT DECEIVERS WITH A Reproof unto those who are not Faithful to the Truth which they are convinced of By Stephen Smith Isaiah 26.11 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed for their Envy at the People Verse 12. Lord thou wilt ordain Peace for us for thou host wrought all our works in us Printed in the Year 1679. A Testimony for the TRUTH and against Deceit and Deceivers with a Reproof unto those who are not faithful to the Truth which they are Convinced of FOr as much as it hath pleased the Lord in his great love and tender mercy to visit many who have been long covered with Darkness and drawn by the Subtilty of the Serpent working in a Mystery within and without in his Instruments from enjoying that Love and great Riches which is declared of in the Scriptures of Truth which should be revealed in the latter dayes in his Everlasting and Unchangeable Covenant which Promise of the Lord many who had true breathing after him and could not be satisfied with feeding with Swine upon Husks but truly breathed after Living Refreshment and after that Bread which nourisheth that Birth which is Eternal and have delighted in the righteous Judgments of the Lord over the Enemy and Oppressor of mans Soul through which Judgments the Love of God hath greatly been manifest having thereby brought to the knowledge of his Everlasting and Unchangable Truth to the exceeding great refreshment and satisfaction of the Souls of many thousands who have earnestly desired the same before the World and all its glory and having received the same in the Love of it and known Freedom by it in the Injoyment of the same do meet together as the manner and practice was of those who lived in the Fear and Dread of the Lord in the Primitive times so now in the pure Fear and Obedience to the just and equal requirings of this Creator whose Wayes are Equal Right and Just meets together to wait on him to the end they may be refreshed and fed with the same Bread of Life that so the Plant which the Lord hath planted may grow that so they may be changed from glory to glory till at length they may come to bear the Image of the Heavenly whereas formerly they have born the Image of the Earthly and those who so meet the Spirit of Truth can truely say they never waited on the Lord in vain but do witness true refreshment from the God of Love whether a word be spoken in their Meetings or no so that they can truly sing in their Spirits of Mercy with Judgments and hath not executed Judgment without Mercy in which hath greatly appeared his wonderful Love to lost Mankind of which great and unspeakable Love there are to this day to the Glory and Praise of his great Name even from his own Works thousands of Living Witnesses and hundreds have laid down their Lives in Nasty Holes and Stinking Prisons and many have been Banished and many have suffered cruel Mockings and many thousands the Spoiling of their Goods whose Righteous Testimony through the Eternal Spirit of Love and Truth they have gladly born in this Day of Gods Power to the exceeding Comfort and Refreshment of all that are faithful Followers of the Lamb but is and shall be to the astonishment of all who persist in their Disobedience against the Spirit of Truth and continue in their Rebellion against it and this righteous Testimony through all who are true Worshippers in the Spirit and Truth who are led and guided in all their ways by the Spirit of Truth being Sons and Daughters of the Living God so greatly beloved by him so those that touch them in a wrongful manner do touch the Apple of his Eye who created all things for his Glory and though his Mercy is great in not executing Judgment speedily but gives space and time of Repentance yet if they mind it not but let the Day of Gods Love pass over their heads that Terrible Voice they shall hear My Spirit shall strive no more let Flesh know that it 's but Grass and when the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it it shall fade as a Flower and that in a moment when his Anger is kindled which may be when the Worker of Iniquity is in the height of his vain glory and greatest boasting so as that righteous Testimony through all who are in the true Innocent Seed unto which all the Blessings and the Promises of the Lord are doth stand as a true Witness of the Lords great Love in this day wherein he is making known his great Power against all Workers of Iniquity and unrighteous Actions and deceitful Workers who can feign and flatter with all sorts of debauched Persons and all dissembling Hypocrites Persons of unstable minds joyning with the cunning twisting twining Serpent in all its appearances in their earthly sensual and devillish wisdom being in the Adultrous whorish spirit degenerated from the Spirit of Truth holding a Profession of the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of Persons receiving honour and giving honour according to the Customs and vain Traditions of the World by which means they have no knowledge of that Honour which is from Above Yet notwithstanding these great Abominations which they commit in the sight of the Lord and all them which live in their faithful Testimony against them yet they lean upon the Lord and think there shall come no evil upon them but except such do speedily repent and turn from their Abominations and bow to the righteous Testimony of God in them which shews them the deceitfulness of
with precious Stones will these no longer hide our sins and iniquities Must all our works herein wherein we thought to have established our own righteousness must they now all be put off as dung and dross Alas alas though we have lived so far from the knowledge of the operation and works of God's Spirit as utterly to deny its Revelations now adayes and so have been dark and void of the knowledge of God's righteous chastisments and rebukes therein yet we have presumed that by custom of Confessions and Professions of God's good works done in and through holy men without us would have given us a right to his holiness thou the lust of the eye the lust of the flesh the pride of life and friendship of the World had never been wholly subdued in us but in such a part as might be consistent with our gain and profit in the World But alas alas our coverings be too narrow they will no longer hide us God's righteous works are abroad in the Earth who is inspiring his people with true Light of understanding and Mordicai sits in the Gate and will not bow to wickedness Haman Alas alas we have twined and twisted about through many Crafts and Inventions some of our best Arts-men having called the Light a Devil some others a Natural Light and others a Bewildering Light and likewise many false Accusations have we raised with Evil Reports Scornings and Reproachings of the people called Quakers for Confessing to the Works of the Light of God's holy Spirit yet all our shifts do not at all help us but those works prosper and they are generally a faithful people to their Testimony Alas alas who would have thought our Mother would have been such a Harlot What delicate Inchantments and Sorceries hath she used and trained us up in that we have been thus deceived and thereby have been Instruments of deceiving the whole Nations Alas alas we can fly into no Corner nor Hole but we are found out and pursued Alas alas can't all the Wisdom of the World and Arts therein help to hide our sins and Iniquities from the Light of the Lamb Is every Creature so manifest in his sight that made all things good in the beginning And is he now at work again And must all yield to his works or be accounted his enemies and be cast out of his presence who is Lord of all whose is the Earth and fulness thereof Alas alas words of repentance of sin will not serve now there must be a true repentance and forsaking sin and evil or else we perish forever Even so must it be done to you workers of iniquity who have been and are as props and pillars strengthening the Old World of Transgression in sin and iniquity the Devil's works and therein withstood the sufficiency of God's love manifested to the World in his Son to destroy the Devil's works which works of Transgression the old subtile Serpent the deceiver of the Nations in and through his Instrument is striving and labouring to maintain under several and very large and specious pretences of crying out Lord Lord But come workers of iniquity these good words will not give you admittance into the Kingdom of God it s not they that say Lord Lord shall enter therein but they that do the Will of God And was not his Will manifested to the World in his Son that they that believed and followed him in doing his Father's Will might not perish but have everlasting Life And do not many of you confess to this in words who say in your Prayers That we may follow the example of Christ's Humiliation and Patience that we may attain to his Resurrection c. What brave words have you workers of iniquity got in your Old Bottle that can hold none of the New Wine And so in your corrupt wills what will the using good words do you good but thereby add to your Condemnation who by good words and corrupt and bad actions are withstanding and have withstood the good will pleasure and love of God in his Son to the World So your works of Darkness and falshood are clearly manifested and you can't hide them from the Light But the Light of the effectual and powers works of God's holy Spirit wherein his Will is manifest is rising more and more to a more perfect day of his will being done upon Earth to the praise and honour of his blessed and holy Name whose works are Pure Holy Just and Perfect in every degree thereof and tend to the true Reformation Peace Prosperity and Establishment of all mankind in God's love and mercy therein forever So worshipped be God that made Heaven and Earth and the Fountains of Waters and all things therein who fills the hearts of the upright with joy and gladness through the shinings forth of the light of his Countenance who sits upon his Throne and saith Behold I make all things New Amen ANd now unto such who are in doubt Whether God's holy Spirit doth so effectually work now adayes as in the Primitive times Unto you I say what flesh could ever have indured such grievous and continued Punishments in Tryals of divers sorts by Imprisonments and Banishments and Hangings and Killings as in New-England and Imprisonments to Death and spoiling of Goods in Old-England and Cruel Mockings and Scoffings and bloodshed by unmerciful men Indeed some in a voluntary humility have somewhat appeared in Sufferings but being in their own willings and runnings and works therein how have they been overcome their strength being an Arm of Flesh as well as others and so fleshly works have been overcome by fleshly works But it is not so with them who are in scorn and derision called Quakers because they have bowed to God's way the which is quite different to man's wayes was that name given but in God's way hath his Arm been revealed and its strength made manifest in our weakness So that to the praise of him that lives forever the operation of his blessed Spirit is felt as in the primitive dayes and the glory and comfort of it hath ministred strength and refreshment in the time of tryals though this way of proceeding hath been hid from the vulterous evil Eye So to the praise and glory of God is Confession made through the operation of his holy Spirit through which thousands have been preserved and kept from bowing to the seed of Cain Haman and the Beast which hath made the World as a Wilderness where wild Fruits and wild Actions spring So we can truly say to the praise of God let not the wise men in the wisdom of this World glory in their wisdom nor the strong men in their strength nor the mighty men in their might but let all wait in that pure measure of the Light of God's Spirit in their Consciences that by it they may draw near unto God that they know his blessed works of mercy and love and judgment in the Earth wherein that true glory and
is born of flesh is flesh so that which is born of the spirit is spirit and these two births are contrary for the birth of the flesh though it may speak great swelling words and tell of the victory of Christ and triumph in swelling words of his fame as in that Paper yet it being a worker of iniquity it must have that Sentence depart from me it can in no wise inherit the Kingdom of God though it may glory and say I have preached and done many things yet its product is but spiritual wickedness got in a high place which the indignation of the Lord is against so it must be cast out he that can receive it let him And thus much might be said as to the words in that Paper but to all Impartial readers this is sufficient to convince them that that Paper is none of the Gospels glory nor none of the Covenant of grace neither is the Covenant of grace at all there unfolded But it is a meer parcel of conceivings from the same imaginary spirit that uses to be Imployed about making of Ballads And so in true love to all unto whom this may come I counsel you to mind the fear of offending God that you may be made sensible of the blessed appearance of the grace of Gods holy Spirit that you may be received into the blessed Covenant thereof and therein be witness of its sufficiency in teaching what to deny and what to do this being the means ordained of God for the good of all and all that becomes sensible of the infallible teachings of the grace of God such will not wonder at Silent Meetings as many do who are out of the sense of Gods love therein many such grow despisers and wonder and cannot believe the effectual works of the grace of Gods holy Spirit though in the demonstration and power thereof they be declared and published from time to time And I wish all to take heed of being exalted through vain glory in fleshly works the which are attended with sorrow and misery and will bring all them that rest there to the end but in the Lord is everlasting glory And mind the saying of the Apostle to the Ephesians But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath he quickned us together with Christ by grace yea are saved So mind the blessed teachings of the grace of God which is pure holy and perfect in every degree and this the mark which all should set before them as they expect to run well in their Heavenly race and obtain the blessed peace of God to their Souls which is the will of God and in the knowledge thereof I give this Testimony who am what I am by Cods Grace and therein a well wisher to all who are truly seeking after the knowledge of Cod in which love I rest Stephen Smith The 11th day of the 11th Month 1674. A Testimony to the way of Truth and Life with seasonable Exhortations thereunto THat which hath been of low degree and little esteem with mankind now is the Lord God exalting and will exalt and set over all the blessed Way Truth and Life Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever the blessed way of the Lord opened unto the wise in heat but ever was and is a mistery shut and hid from the wicked the Vultures eye hath not seen it nor the unclean cannot enter into it but a Fountain is opened praise to the Lord for ever to wash and to cleanse from sin and iniquity and so to sift and prepare for the way of Truth and Life Blessed are they who trust in the Lord and keep their minds stayed upon the blessed manifestation of his light and love and mercy unto them therein with their eye single unto the Lord whose blessed springs of life and true refreshment will in the Lords time and season rise in the hearts of such to the great consolation and peace and rest of their Souls whom the Spirit of the Lord will guide unto the knowledge and understanding the pure and unchangable Religion which comes from above where the true Worship which Christ did and doth set up in the Spirit and Truth will be witnessed And this being possessed and enjoyed all the false Religions and Worships which are out of the way of Truth and Life will be discovered and keeping low in the silence of the earthly and sensual wisdom wisdom which is pure from above will be manifest and herein the works of the blessed day of the Lord will be seen who is working a reformation in the Earth in restoring the blessed language of Truth and setting up Truth and Righteousness and Mercy and Peace and bringing a people to a pure language to speak the Truth from the guidings and leadings of the Spirit of Truth which was Prophesied of That the Lord would power out of his Spirit upon all flesh Sons and Daughters And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together Blessed are they who believe and trust in the Lord and patiently wait for the fulfilling of his promise for the Lord will assuredly stain the glorying of all the fleshly births and create and bring forth a spiritual birth unto which all his blessed promises are And the Kingdoms of this World shall become the Lords and his Christs and he shall reign for ever and he will exalt his everlasting Kingdom and of the increase of his Government there shall be no end This peaceable Kingdom of the Son of his love is in righteousness peace and joy in his holy Spirit whose Tabernacle is with men and the Ark and the Testimony and the Mercy Seat over all his works where he doth commune with them he takes pleasure in and makes known his good will and pleasure unto mankind who receiving freely communicates freely the good will and pleasure of the Lord here is the Wine and Milk without Money or Price And the Spirit saith come and the Bride saith come and he that heareth saith come and he that will come let him come and take of the water of life freely for a fountain is open where life manifests it self freely and the streams of Babylon are drying up where the Whore with her guilded Cup of Sorceries and Witchcraft hath sat a Cup of Wormwood and Gaul is filling to her and a Bed of Torment will be the portion of her Merchants and all that receive her mark and wear it on their forehead or in the hand So blessed are they who do escape out of Babylon and set their faces towards Zion the holy City where the substance is injoyed and that which was figured and typified in the Law and Covenant given forth in Mount Sinai in the Gospel in Mount Sion is possessed the blessed Law and Covenant in the Mind and in the Heart Christ in us the hope of Glory the Substance and herein that which