that is come and coming in the Ten Thousands of his Saints to judge the World and all the fallen â—ngels X. Such who are gathered by the Spirit of the Lord out of all Gatherings in the Fall that stand in the Will and Wisdom of Man and these follow Christ the Shepherd and Bishop of their Souls and abide in his Doctrine and Spiritual Worship and cannot hearken to a Stranger who is made a Minister or a Bishop in the Will of Man and not made by the Holy Ghost an Overseer of the Soul but are climbed up another Way and not come in through Christ the Door by the Gift of his Spirit but in the Wisdom of Man and of the Birth of the Flesh that persecutes the Sheep for the Fleece therefore the Sheep cannot hear them for he that gives the Soul Eternal Life the Soul ought to hear and be subject to and to all that come in his Name that is his Power who feeds the Sheep Lambs with the Bread of Life that is Meat indeed and Drink indeed where the Word of Life ministers through the Vessel the Sheep that are gathered by the Spirit do know the Voice of the Spirit which is the Voice of Christ that the Stranger knows not but the Sheep and their Souls are greatly refreshed by that Ministry of Life and so is the Body of Christ edified but where the Gift of Life is not received nothing but Death can preach and that burdens and hurts and defiles the Soul if it be touched or fed upon therefore in a Figure he that touched the Dead was to be unclean by the Jews Law so by the Law of the Spirit of Life dead Works that are Works of Darkness the Living are to have no Fellowship with but rather reprove them So this is the Infallible Truth that the Children of Truth and Sheep of Christ will hear and obey none but the Voice of the Spirit of Christ the Truth the Light and the Life which every Member of his Body hath a Measure of in himself which is the Anointing that leads guides and teacheth all his to profit in the Movings and Requirings of which all may prophesie one by one that all may be edified and the whole Body built up together in Love a Habitation for the Lord to dwell in to walk in work in and speak in and these have received Eternal Life dwelling in it shall never perish XI Such who have put off the Old Man with his vain Conversation and have in their Measure Crucified the Flesh with its Affections and Lusts who walk not after the Flesh but after the Spirit which is become their Leader as ever it was their Fathers Children in which they find Power to do the Will of God in Earth as in Heaven Being created again after the New Man in Righteousness and True Holiness and being become New Creatures are in Covenant with God Old Things are past and passing away and becoming and become New a clean Heart and a right Spirit possesseth the Body which loves the Lord wholy and his Neighbour and Brother as himself true Judgment and Justice sits in his Gate and Goodness Mercy and Love within his House his Law is come forth of Sion and the Word of his God from Jerusalem in the Doctrine of which he abides and Statutes and Ordinances keeps who swears not at all nor lyes for that is against the Truth and under Condemnation who is come to the End of Wars and Fightings and doth to all as he would be done unto that ends Swearing Lying Fighting and Lusting after Evil Things loves Enemies serves Friends respects not Persons but gives to all their Due To Caesar the Things that are his and to God the things that are his labours in Love for the Good of all and doth Good to all denyes to hold up the Types and Shadows under the changeable Priesthood which are fulfilled in the unchangeable that pointed at Christ and his good Things who ends the Old Things the Old Priesthood and the Law that upheld it and Christ the Everlasting Priest being come the Substance of them all cannot deny him before Men by holding up the Old Things that he hath abolished by his Coming which if now upheld were to deny Christ come in the Flesh the High-Priest of our Profession Heb. 3.1 Now if we profess him to be our High Priest and hold up another Priesthood by paying of Tythes and other Things abrogated and denyed by the Holy Brethren of the Heavenly Calling in the Apostles Dayes I say then though we do profess him in Words to be come yet we should deny him in Works and so do all that hold up the Ceremonies now the Substance is come who is a merciful and faithful High Priest in Things appertaining to God to make Reconciliation for the Sins of the People Heb. 2.17 And those that hold up or establish another Righteousness fall short of the Righteousness of Christ Seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God let us hold fast our Profession Heb. 4.14 Which Profession stands in Christ the better Hope by the which we draw nigh to God whose Kingdom is not of this VVorld therefore saith the King Put up the Sword and know that Nature that could kill with the Sword Outward to be slain with the Sword Inward for saith Christ My Kingdom is not of this World if my Kingdom were of this World then would my Servants fight John 18.36 Then all you that fight consider whose Servants you are seeing Christ's Servants cannot so all these Things forbidden are not to be used by the Children of God's Kingdom and Inheritors of the New Covenant in which the New Man enjoyes all the Promises of God that are Yea and Amen to him forever XII As to the Ministry they are such that the Lord of the Harvest fitteth by his Spirit and sends into the Harvest being called and chosen to be faithful Labourers in God's Harvest and are content with his Wages and refuse Anti christ's having freely received do freely give according to their Master's Command who warch for the Souls Good and not for the Fleece having Food and Raiment are contented and are to be ready to do the Masters Will in all Things and go whither the Spirit requires them and to preach the Word of Truth he gives them not consulting with Flesh and Blood but with Christ revealed in them who teacheth them to profit the People and to divide the Word aright with Boldness not fearing Man nor the Power of Darkness but to shew the People their Sin that they that are yet in it may come to repent and amend their Lives by turning from Darkness to the Light and from the Power of Satan unto God by receiving the Troth in which is found Power to do it and then they do the Things they ought ought to do and leave undone the Things they ought not to do
from the Spirit of Truth who are all false from the rising of the Sun to the going down of the same for being out of the Spirit out of the Truth for the Spirit is Truth X. Such whose Principle and Belief is That the Ministerial Offices in the Church of Christ are intailed to a Succession of Persons chosen in the Will of Man as if Man were to send forth Labourers into the Lord's Vineyard and the Lord engaged to accept their Choice of such saith the Lord I have not sent these Prophets yet they ran Jer. 23.21 It is the Lord of the Harvest as I have said that is to send forth Labourers into his Harvest and Man to accept the Lord's Choice because they come in his Name and the Apostles prayed and said Thou Lord which knowest the Hearts of all Men shew whether of these two thou hast chosen So the Chosen of God will receive none but the Lord's Choice XI Such who have a Form of Godliness but denying the Power thereof ever learning of the Hireling that will ever be paid for Teaching but never able to bring them to the Knowledge of the Truth because he himself is astray from that which gives the Infallible Knowledge of it XII Such who persecute and destroy Mens Lives for their Religion thus did Cain who was of that Wicked One and all that do so are of him still for he that doth not Righteousness but hateth his Brother is manifest to be a Child of the Devil 1 John 3.10 And it was ever from the Beginning the Unrighteous persecuted the Righteous and to be persecuted for Righteousness sake was ever an Infallible Mark of God's Children and to persecute for Righteousness sake was ever an Infallible Mark of the Children of the Wicked One Let none mistake me I do not say that all that are persecuted are the Children of God for Men have suffered and may be persecuted and not for the Righteousness sake of God's Kingdom but for their own Righteousness sake who in their blind Zeal and Self-Will are labouring to set up their Idol or false Way in Opposition to others and others in the same opposing them and here is one in the Beastly Nature and Will pushing at another in the same and they that can get most Power and Strength in the Earth they tear and devour the others And if a Man give his Body to be burnt and all his Goods to the Poor and yet may not be accepted of God for the Life of all true Religion is Love for God is Love and where that is wanting Though a Man may speak with the Tongue of Men and Angels 't is all but as sounding Brass or a tinckling Cymbal for indeed pure Religion springs from the Nature Vertue and Operation of the pure Spirit of God brought forth in that Man that hath received it and denyes his own Will that the Will of the Divine Nature may be done which is come to be done in Earth as it is in Heaven and that is the Kingdom that all Men are required to seek which whosoever receives not as a little Child can by no Means enter into it And blessed are all those that having received it do suffer for its Righteousness sake And it was ever and still is the greatest Blindness and Ignorance among the Sons of Men to believe or think that pure Religion is to be forced into by Persecution for this I declare They that are of that Judgment never knew what pure Religion was but those that will have People to come to pure Religion must let the Light and Glory of their Religion shine forth before Men that God's Works in them may be seen to others that is to do Good before all and to all even as the Son of God did upon Earth in his own Body and now doth the same by his Spirit in the Bodies of those that receive him He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked 1 Joh. 2.6 For all such that think they ought to compel People to their Religion because they think it is true must also judge that their Spirit is Infallible for if it may fail then it ought not to be a Rule to the Souls of ohers nor a Judge of another Man's Faith or Religion nor of the Things of God but the Truth is where any Force or Compulsion is put upon the Consciences of Men that is an Infallible Sign of a Fallible and Anti-christian Spirit for the Infallible Spirit of God in the Holy Men left no such Rule nor Example but commanded the contrary saying Let every Man be fully perswaded or fully assured in his own Mind Rom. 14.5 Again saith So then every one of us shall give an Account of himself to God Ver. 12. For in this Case saith Paul Hast thou Faith have it to thy self Then what hath any Man to do to Lord it over another Man's Faith seeing he that doubteth is damned that is condemned in himself because not done in Faith it is Sin And now you blind Hypocrites that would compel all to fall down to your Idol or Image of Heavenly Things can you give Men Faith to believe your Image hath Life if not do not you compel Men to sin against their Consciences seeing what is not of Faith is Sin Rom. 14.23 And the Devil is the Author of all Sin and all Persecutors for Righteousness sake are his Subjects in whom the Man of Sin is unrevealed who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he as God mark that 's he that would rule over Men's Consciences sitteth in tqe Temple of God shewing himself that he is God that is by taking that Power to himself that God never gave to any Man that is to force or compel People to any Worship that is not of Faith that is Sin and God that made Heaven and Earth is not the Author of Sin but it is the Man of Sin whom the Lord of Life is Consuming with the Spirit of his Mouth and destroying with the Brightness of his Coming 2 Thes 2.3 8. Objection But some may say Did not Christ in the Parable say Compel them to come in Answer Blessed be the Lord many do witness that Compulsion which is not Outward Force that are come into his House and that is by the Power of his Love wherein he invites the Poor who receive the Gospel that hath constrained us to deny our selves and take up his Daily Cross and follow him for the Truth is to be received in the Love of it and then it overcomes the Enmity of the Fleshly Will and covers with the Spirit and Life the Wedding-Garment that the Heavenly Guests at God's Feast have put on that no Persecutor ever knew on himself nor can be put it upon another So they that compel and they that are thus compelled are both without a Wedding-Garment and not meet for the Marriage Feast And
THE MARKS OF THE True Church THE Virgin Spouse of Christ that brings forth by a Holy Seed the Birth that pleaseth GOD. And the MARKS of the False Church or Whore that brings forth by an Evil Seed the Cursed Birth that never could please God Signified by a Voice from the Word of Life or a Certain Sound of the Trumpet that hath awakened Thousands that were asleep in the Night of thick Darkness and Apostacy who are come to the Judgment of the Truth that redeems out of BABYLON and brings to SION By which all are Summoned that are yet afar off to appear before and stand to the Judgment of the Ingrafted Word in their Hearts that by it they may know What they are joyned to By Morgan Watkins What know ye not that he which is joyned to an Harlot is one Body for two saith he shall be one Flesh But he that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6.16 17. Printed in the Year 1675. The MARKS of the TRVE CHVRCH the Virgin and Spouse of Christ that brings forth by a Holy Seed the Birth that pleaseth God I. THey are such who are turned from Darkness unto Christ the true Light that shines in their Hearts who believe and walk in it and are turned from the Power of Satan unto the Power of God that they receive in Christ the Light to become his Sons having Redemption through his Blood the Forgiveness of Sin and Sanctification in and by that Life that is the Light of Men and made Partakers of the Inheritance of the Saints in Light II. Such who have received the Word in a Measure that spake in the Prophets by which they prophesied and was their Foundation which the Apostles were Ministers and Preachers of and was their Foundation which they turned the People to and they that believed it was their Foundation and they that believe and have received the Truth now it is their Foundation and the Rock in all Ages For other Foundation can no Man lay then that is laid which is Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 3.11 God's Foundation that he hath laid for the Salvation of every Man which is the Word grafted in them that is able to save the Souls of all that receive it Jam. 1.21 But they that reject it perish and are but the Chaff that the Wind blows to and fro III. Such who are in the Unity of the Spirit of Truth and the Righteousness which is of Faith that saith The Word is nigh thee in thy Mouth and in thy Heart that is the Word of Faith that Faith comes by the Hearing of and the Word which the Apostles preached Rom. 10.6 8. IV. Unfeigned Love to God and to the Brethren By this shall all Men know saith Christ that ye are my Disciples if ye have Love one to another John 13 35. V. Such who are born again of Incorruptible Seed by the Word of God which liveth and abideth forever 1 Pet. 1.23 And are renewed in the Spirit of their Minds being by one Spirit all baptized into one Body and have been all made to drink into one Spirit by which they are quickned into one Life which is the Flesh and Blood of Christ that comes down from Heaven the Children's Bread as Christ saith He that eateth me even he shall live by me John 6.57 And this is the Life that brings forth Fruit of Righteousness and Birth of God that overcomes the World and is made manifest to that of God in every Man's Conscience VI. Such who make a good Confession by giving up themselves to suffer for the Righteousness sake of the Kingdom of God and do not deny him before Men by a subjecting to their Wills against the Requirings of the Spirit of God but are made willing to drink of the Cup and be baptized with the Baptism their Lord and Master was baptized with patiently taking up his Cross contentedly bearing his Reproach and continuing faithful to the Death VII Humility and self Denyal hating Covetousness Pricle and the Pomp vain Glory and Honour of this World having the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ without Respect of Persons Not having Mens Persons in Admiration because of Advantage but doing Good unto all especially to the Houshould of Faith Visiting the Sick and Imprisoned for Righteousness sake the Fatherless and Widdows in their Affliction keeping themselves unsported from the World Jam. 1.27 VIII Such who are Witnesses of the Spirit 's Confession that Christ is come in the Flesh and hath condemned Sin in it in the Hour of his Judgment that the Body of Sin might be destroyed by him that is come and received To take away the Sin and bring in the perfect Righteousness that being crucified with him and so suffering with him in the Flesh dying with him that is by the Strength of his Power that overcomes Sin and Death we come to be raised up with him by the Power that raised him up and so come to live to God by him and in him and no more to the Lusts of the Flesh but to the Obedience of the Spirit and Power that gives us Victory over Death and raiseth the Soul to Life by the quickning Spirit that gives us a Will Desire Hunger Power and Strength to live to the Good Will and Pleasure of our unutterable good and gracious God of whose Mercy and Goodness some feel more then Tongue of Man can declare and God is Witness such would that all Men might feel the same and God is hastening his Work that Thousands of Thousands may feel it and sing of it in the Glory of his Presence for evermore Amen IX Such who in their Measures witness the Reign of Sin and Death put down in them with all its great Power and Authority by which it reigned from Adam until Moses and doth still in all that have not received the free Gift of Righteousness in which is God's Power revealed and such are pleading for the Reign and Law of Sin and for the Body of Sin to live in them till they dye because they are under its Reign But as I have said The Members of the True Church witness him come whose Right it is to reign in them who having received him the Gift of God hath and is putting down all Authority and all Rule that is not of God nor ought to reign and rule in Man so casts out the Strong Man and spoils all his Goods And these know him in them mark that greater then he that is in the World who hath cast out the Prince of the World and reigns over Death and Hell And these are not looking for the Kingdom of Heaven to come with Outward Observations as the Hypocrites did of old and still do who look for the Reign of a Person without them and know not that Hell and Death reigns in them which some of late did know to their Sorrow that others might be warned who see not him that is invisible to the Carnal Eye
again the false Church that persecutes is gone from the sound Doctrine of the Apostles and cannot endure it Now the Spirit of Truth that ministred in the Apostles hath opened the Mouthes of many to minister as they have freely received the Gift and sound Doctrine of Truth and the Teachers that were heaped up by them that were gone from the Word after their own Lusts cannot endure the Doctrine of the Light that manifests their Deeds of Darkness and that which the Apostles turned the People to the Teachers heaped up in Mens Wills turn the People from and so turn Peoples Ears from the Truth to give Ear unto Fables the Imaginations of the Heart that are gone after the Lusts and this Paul did prophesie should come to pass as hath been and is fulfilled saying For the Time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine but after their own Lusts shall they heap to themselves Teachers having Itching Ears and they shall turn away their Ears from the Truth and shall be turned to Fables 2 Tim. 4.3 4. Here was an Apostacy prophesied of that in the Light is seen to be fulfilled in its Time And now by the Brightness of the Rising of the Son of Righteousness that is the Day-spring from on high that hath visited us and hath given Light to us that sate in Darkness and in the Shadow of Death and hath guided our Feet into the Way of Peace and the Light sown for the Righteous Thou ands witness Glory be to God on high for evermore And the Unrighteous Works of Darkness are denyed and reproved which the Children of Light can have no Fellowship with but are come out from them in Obedience to the Heavenly Vision the Voice from Heaven that is the Trumpet that hath awakened Thousands which saith Come out of her my People come out of her and partake not of her Sin lest ye partake of her Plagues And now the Lord hath according to his Promise in the latter Dayes brought us a Way we did not know out of her and led us in Pathes we had not walked in and this we can say that walk in the Light if it were the last Words that we should speak upon the Earth that the Way we are brought to walk in and in which the Faithful do walk is the Way that the God of Heaven hath brought us into let all the Earth speak what they will against it God that lives forever will make it prosper to the Ends of the Earth and the saved in this Nation shall and do walk in it and so shall the saved in all Nations that is in Christ the Light of the New Jerusalem as it is written And the Lord God and the Lamb is the Light thereof And all the rotten-Principle'd Men in all Nations shall not be able to stand before nor abide the sound Doctrine of the Word of Life that is Juick and powerful and a Discerner of the Thoughts and Intentions of the Heart except they come to the Hour of his Judgment and be judged as Men in the Flesh that they may be quickned by the second Adam and live to God in the Spirit And now being led out from among them that are in the Filthiness of the Flesh by the Spirit of the Lord and touching no unclean Thing the Lord hath received us and is a blessed Father unto his Sons and Daughters that he hath begotten unto himself by an Immortal Seed the Word of Life that liveth and abideth sorever And now those pretended Fathers in God who are called Lords Spiritual which Title the Bishops made by the Holy Ghost Overseers of the Flock of God never received not owned nor ever will and had you been our Fathers indeed who had begotten us in God we should have been your most dear and dutiful Children in all the Commands of Christ through you but you know by whom you were made but not by whom we are begotten for if you did we believe you would not labour to destroy us as some of you have done and still do but for such we desire that the Lord would forgive you and shew you what you do but not to convince us by sound Doctrine but by the Instruments of foolish Shepherds do you war against us sâ—â—h as they use whom you your selves account Anti christian as well as we for such that think the Way to save Souls is to afflict punish and kill the Body have not received the Truth as it is in Jesus nor the sound Wisdom from above Which is first pure then peaceable gentle and easie to be entreated full of Mercy and good Fruits for the Fruit of Righteousness is sown in Peace mark that but the Fruit of Unrighteousness is sown in Fightings Beatings Stockings Stonings Banishings Imprisonings Finings Robbing and Spoiling of Goods destroying of Families by making many Widdows and Fatherless-Children Is this the Way to bring People to the Kingdom of God then the Apostles were much mistaken for they never made Use of this Way but the contrary for these Things were uâ—ed against them by those that knew not God but those that have received the Spirit of Christ are Christ's and know the Apostles were not mistaken but it is you that are mistaken in suffering the Spirit of the World to bear Rule in you and that take to it the Honours and Preferments of the World that are but Temporal and so in the World are Lords many but in the Church of Christ one God and one Lord the great Shepherd and Bishop of his Soul who gives many Bishops or Overseers but no Lords as the Apostle saith But to us there is but one God the Father of whom are all things and we in him and one Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all Things and we by him 1 Cor. 8.6 And those who are by him now gathered out of the World that lyeth in VVickedness and have received the Spirit of Truth cannot but stand Witnesses against those that are of the World who receive and give Honour one to another and would be accounted sent of God to rule in his House which is the Church of the Living God 1 Tim. 3.15 But such manifest themselves by taking the World that lyeth in Wickedness to be the Church the House of God and so make all the Nation to be of their Church except such they have cast out which for the most Part are such that are gathered of Christ out of the World So that all the Thieves Murderers VVhoremongers Adulterers Whores Drunkards Swearers Cursers Lyars and all People of all Sorts that will heaâ— and pay you both Papists and all Sects and Sorts you account are of your Church except such you cast out as I have said so that Babylon and Egypt and Sodom and all is here by you taken to be the Church of Christ the House of God what a House have you provided for the living God to dwel in the midst of What a Church is here Is