Chron. 34. And Josiah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in all the wayes of David his father and declined neither to the right hand nor to the left Ezra 7. 10. For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord and to do it Vers 25 26. And thou Ezra after the wisdom of thy God that is in thy hand set Magistrates and Judges which may judge all the people all such as know the Laws of thy God beyond the river and teach ye them that know them not and whosoever will not do the Law of thy God and the law of the king let judgement be executed speedily upon him whether it be unto death or to banishment or to confiscation of goods or to imprisonment Neh. 1. 5. O Lord God of heaven the great and terrible God that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love him keep his commandments Neh. 10. 29 They came to their Brethren their Nobles and entered into a curse and into an oath to walk in Gods Law which was given by Moses the servant of the Lord and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our God and his judgements and his statutes Job 1. 1. There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job and that man was perfect and upright and one that feared God and eschewed evil Isa 2. 3. Let us go up to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his pathes for out of Sion shall go forth the Law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem Sanctifie the Lord of hosts himself and let him be your fear and your dread Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee Trust ye in the Lord for ever for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength The wayes of the just is uprightness Thou most Upright dost weigh the pathes of the just yea in the ways of thy judgements O Lord have we waited for thee the desire of our soul is to thy Name and to the remembrance of thee Thus saith the Lord of hosts the God of Israel Amend your wayes and your doings Trust not in lying words saying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord for if you throughly amend your wayes and your doings if you throughly execute judgement between a man and his neighbour if ye oppress not the stranger the fatherless and the widow and shed not innocent blood in this place neither walk after other gods to your hurt then will I cause you to dwell in this place in the land that I gave to your fathers for ever and for ever Behold ye trust in lying words that cannot profit will ye steal murder and commit adultery and swear falsly and burn incense to Baal and walk after other gods whom ye know not and come and stand before me in this house which is called by my Name and say We are delivered to do all these abominations But this thing commanded I them saying Obey my voice and I will be your God and you shall be my people and walk ye in all the wayes that I have commanded you that it may be well unto you Behold the dayes come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch and a king shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgement and justice on the earth in his days Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is his Name whereby he shall be called The Lord our Righteousness Nevertheless if thou warn the righteous man that the righteous sin not and he doth not sin he shall surely live the soul that sinneth shall die but if a man be just and do that which is lawful and right and hath not eaten upon the mountains neither hath lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel neither hath defiled his neighbours wife neither hath come neer to menstruous women and hath not oppressed any but hath restored to the debtor his pledge hath spoiled none by violence hath given his bread to the hungry and hath covered the naked with a garment he that hath not given forth upon usury neither hath taken any increase that hath with-drawn his hand from iniquity hath executed true judgement between man and man hath walked in my statutes and kept my judgements to deal truly he is just he shall surely live saith the Lord God And they that be wise shall shine as the stars in the firmament for ever and ever and they that turn many to righteousness as the brightness of the firmament And in that day will I make a Covenant for them with the beasts of the field with the fowls of heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bow and the sword and the battel out of the earth and will make them dwell safely and I will betroth thee unto my self in righteousness for ever yea I will betroth thee unto my self in righteousness and in judgement and in loving kindness and in mercy I will betroth thee unto my self in faithfulness and thou shalt know the Lord. The Lord also shall roar out of Sion and utter his voice from Jerusalem and the heavens and the earth shall shake but the Lord will be the hope of his people the strength of the children of Israel Then shall Jerusalem be holy and there shall no stranger pass through her any more For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel Seek ye me and ye shall live But upon mount Sion shall be deliverance and there shall be holiness and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy But I will sacrifice to thee with the voice of thanksgiving I will pay that that I have vowed salvation is of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err that bite with their teeth and cry peace and he that putteth not into their mouths they ever prepare war against him But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord and of judgement and of might to declare unto Jacob his transgressions and to Israel his sin Hear this ye heads of the house of Jacob and princes of the house of Israel that abhor all judgement and pervert all equity they build up Sion with blood and Jerusalem with iniquity the heads thereof judge for reward and the priests thereof teach for hire and the prophets thereof divine for money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord amongst us no evil can come upon us Therefore shall Zion for your sakes be plowed as a Field and Jerusalem shall become heaps and the Mountains of the house as the high places of the Forests The Lord is of purer eyes then to behold evil and cannot behold
word and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him And Rom. 8. 9. Now if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his for as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are Sons of God vers 14. Ephes 1. 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. Paul speaking to them concerning their faith in the Lord Jesus as he had heard and their love unto all Saints he ceased not to give thanks for them making mention of them in his prayers that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto them the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him the eyes of their understandings being enlightned that they may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places far above all principalities and power and might and dominion and every name that is named not onely in this world but also in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church which is his Body the fulness of him that filleth all in all Which Mystery was made known to Paul by Revelation and he expresly saith That this Mystery in Christ was not made known unto the sons of men in other ages as it is now revealed unto his Apostles and Prophets which is made known by the Spirit and that is that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs and of the same Body and partakers of his promise in Christ and to this end he prayeth for them that they may be strengthened in the inner man by the riches of his glory with might by his Spirit that Christ may dwell in their hearts by Faith that they may be filled with all the fulness of God and may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ Jesus in them the hope of glory which cleanseth all his from all filthiness that they may perfect holiness in his fear for they that have learned Christ and been taught by him as the Truth is in Jesus they put off all uncleanness and lasciviousness they put off the old man with his deeds which is lying deceipt lust evil speaking they must not be angry neither give place to the devil nor his Temptations against which they must keep a continual watch that they may not fall they must let no rotten nor corrupt communication proceed out of their mouths but that which is good to the use of edifying that it may minister grace to the hearers and all bitterness wrath anger and evil speaking and clamour must be put away with all malice drunkenness and fornication filthiness and foolish jesting And that which maketh manifest sin is the light in every one for all things are reproved and made manifest by the light for whatsoever doth make manifest is light and therefore awake thou that sleepest and stand up from the dead and Christ shall give thee light and wait on the Lord to be filled with his Spirit for we are members of his Body of his flesh and of his bones that you may be strong in the Lord and the power of his might that puting on the whole Armour of God they may be able to stand against the wises of Sathan for they are not onely to wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers against the Rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickednesses in high places and therefore they must have their loins girt about with truth and having on the brest-plate of Righteousness the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God that enlightneth every one that cometh into the world Christ in you the hope of glory for they that are Christs crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts and he maketh his walk as he hath walked to be holy as he is holy and pure as he is pure to count all things but loss and dung that they may win Christ for whom they suffer the loss of all things that they may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death that they may attain unto the Resurrection of the dead forgetting those things that are behinde and reaching after those things that are before that they may attain unto perfection having their conversations in heaven from whence they look for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ who shall change their vile bodies that they may be fashioned according to his glorious body according to that working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself and therefore they are careful for nothing but in every thing by prayer and thanksgiving and supplication their Requests are made known unto God and those things that are true just pure and of good report peaceable and lovely bowels of compassion kindness humbleness of minde meekness long-suffering charity that whatsoever they do in word or deed they may and ought to do all in the name of Jesus Christ giving thanks to God the Father by him this is the fruits the Saints are clothed with which doth demonstrate their new birth which gift is from above from the Father of spirits from whom they receive power to become the sons of God by believing in his Name Behold the days come saith the Lord that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch and a King shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth In his dayes Judah shall be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is his Name whereby he shall be called THE LORD OVR RIGHTEOVSNESS For he is that mighty King that shall be established upon the holy Hill of Sion that is he shall be the onely King unto whom every man and woman must be subject for He shall Reign for ever and ever But here may an Objection arise We see the power of darkness reigns in most men and women and they are guided by the god of this world who ruleth in the hearts of the children of disobedience for the Mystery of Iniquity doth work in them with all deceivableness in unrighteousness in them that perish to whom the Lord sendeth strong delusions that they should believe lies that they all might be damned that would not receive the truth in the love of it but took pleasure mark this in unrighteousness so it is sin is the cause of all misery I answer That all men by nature are children of wrath but God who is rich in mercie giveth unto all a tender of grace for he stands at the door and knocketh if any man open he will come in and
the inventions of their own hands who are deceived by her Witchcrafts her Gog and Magog who are in number like the sand of the sea But what will be their end they must be destroyed by fire and therefore follow not a multitude to do evil And the devil that deceived them shall be cast into the lake of fire where the Beast and false Prophets are who shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever O stand amazed all Deceivers of his people for the time will come that he will require the blood of his people at your hands and what will become of you when the dreadful and terrible GOD appears in Judgement you will then desire the hills to fall upon you to hide you from his presence then those that have Christ in them who hath filled them with everlasting rest and glory shall lift up their heads for their Redemption draweth neer and he that shall be your Judge is become their Saviour for the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all Judgement unto the Son And they that live in the Son have the Light of Life abiding in them And so in him they walk from strength to strength until they appear before GOD in Sion The fourth Epistle To all the Hypocrites in Sion desiring them that they would return that the Lord may heal their Back-slidings For the Wrath of the living God is revealed from heaven against all Vnrighteousness And Woes will be upon them even Woes eternal that take upon them the Profession of Religion in any Form to be a Cloak to their Sin and Vnrighteousness THere is no man saith Christ that putteth his hand to the Plough and looketh back that is apt for the kingdom of God Now doth not most Professors look back do they do the works God or are they not doing the works of the devil is not wrath anger backbiting whispering deceiving over-reaching in their bargains killing is not these fruits to be found amongst all Professors and therefore it is high time for them to repent that they may do their first works for the time once was that they had Zeal and Love and Gentleness and Temperance and were in the Moderation a little kept but now they are come into the persecuting nature into the destroying nature the devouring nature the dogs nature and are out of the Lambs nature for the fruits of Faith are Love Goodness Gentleness Meekness Temperance Brotherly kindness Charity Bowels of compassion Holiness and Righteousness Against such saith Paul there is no Law For they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts And now amongst those tender Lambs of Christ those Babes that are born again those Plants of the Lords right Hand Trees of his own planting that are full of sap the Cedars of Lebanon I mean those that are by the wicked of the earth the men of this world in scorn called Quakers amongst these is crept in wicked Deceivers ungodly men and ungodly Women even as Judas crept in amongst the Apostles such who think that gain is godliness such who follow Christ for the Loaves such as think they can serve two Masters God and Mammon Christ and Riches Christ and Lusts Christ and the World Christ and Antichrist such who teach that Doctrine of Devils that Paul speaketh of denying to marry and to abstain from meats such who turn the Grace of God in them into wantonness Truce breakers Breakers of Covenants pretending they were married in their carnal estate and they were never moved of the Lord and therefore they may leave their husbands and leave their wives and that spirit these are guided by is of Satan and so will lead them to take others as their blind Ignis fatuus leads them for by nothing but Imagination Lust and Fancie are such led And such leads away silly women that are captivated by Satan laden with divers lusts and pleasures that are alwayes learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth Others are led to neglect their Families and Relations to neglect their Children contrary to that Doctrine of Paul that saith A man is worse then an Infidel that doth not provide for his Family meaning his outward Family For let every man wait on his calling and God hath appointed that the creation shall be managed that man may be Lord of all the creatures and Christ saith It is a more happier thing to give then to receive and the Apostle commandeth to lay up that there may be a distribution amongst the Saints and how can he lay up that is idle and runs to and fro wasting his time in idleness and consuming his pretious time whilst his wife and children wants at home and so this spirit rents and tears the affections of men from their wives and women from their husbands and children from their parents and this that brings into a dis-uniting is not the Spirit of the Lord for the Spirit of the Lord brings into Union for it shall convince the whole world at last that they shall be all of one heart and of one spirit and the one alone spirit of Righteousness shall fill all in all And this cannot be that spirit that rents and makes divisions but this spirit of Righteousness teacheth the man to know his own wife and love her as Christ did the Church and it teacheth the woman to know and love her own husband and the man and woman so taught live like Turtle Doves And so the unbelieving woman cometh to be sanctified by the believing man the unbelieving man by the believing woman and here the good vertuous Wife cometh to be found that Solomon speaketh of whose price is above pearls and she doth him good and not evil all his days and is not as the wicked woman that is termed by him a whorish woman that is rottenness to her husbands bones And Others there are that are very loose in their carriage and deny the Resurrection of the Body contrary to the Doctrine of the Apostle saying The Resurrection is past already and such was in his time that had overthrown the faith of some now these people are in distraction and the Spirit of the Lord leades into Unity Love and Peace and out of all disturbance and the Lord is the portion of his people for ever and they that stay themselves upon God are kept in perfect peace and the Spirit of God is infallible they that are guided by that cannot erre and these do erre not knowing the Scriptures and so are led into the distraction which causeth disturbance and this is by the cunningness of Satan who lieth in wait to deceive and this simple people are led captive by him to do his will at his pleasure And therefore dear Friends take heed how you hear and whom you hear and be not blinded by those that lie cunningly in wait to deceive you for all that is to be known of God is made manifest in man and