he answered Yea have ye never read Out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings thou hast perfected praise Mat. 21. The same Power which so affected the Hearts of those Little Ones to make them cry Hosanna did affect the Author of this little Book when he was but a Little One in a Spiritual Sense newly delivered out of the Power of Darkness and brought into subjection to the Power of God The feeling of the cleansing Operation whereof in his Heart constrained him to bear his Testimony to it as in this little Treatise may be seen Which is now published that Generations yet unborn may be invited thereby to bow to the same Power and to admire the Excellency and Greatness of it which he did Experience in the Morning of his Day when it was writ And as the Sun of Righteousness did arise higher and higher in his Heart by the Light and comfortable Warmth of the same was he guided and strengthened to go on in the Spiritual Journey from one step to another till his Mouth was opened by the same Power to bear Witness of it in the Assemblies of the Lord's People and to call and invite Others to retire inward that they also might come to Experience the Work of this divine Power in their own Hearts And that such as were come thereunto might watch and wait for the stirring and arising of this mighty Power in its further Strength and Glory which is able to overcome all other Powers both within and without In his Testimony he was Zealous because his Heart was zealously affected therewith And when any who profest to know the Work of this heavenly Power turned from and acted against it his Concern was great for such labouring to bring them to a sense of their Evil if by any means they might be recovered Which to many proved effectual His Service in the Church of Christ especially amongst the Meetings both Monthly and Quarterly to which more particularly he belonged hath a living Remembrance in the Hearts of many Members thereof And the sense of his absence hath deeply affected the Spirits of some of them His Love was to all the Sons and Daughters of Men But especially to the Flock and Family of God the Witnesses of this Power of Jesus their Saviour amongst whom his Heart was open and his Life went freely forth In their Converse was his delight and he would often say The Friendships and Converse of the World was a great Hurt to Friends and drew their Minds too much out Which thing he kept clear of And tho' he had Dealings and Concerns in the World as well as others yet was always watchful against the Spirit of the World which leads from God In the latter part of this good Man's days it was my Lot to come into so near a Relation to him as to be his Wife who was a very kind tender and open-hearted Husband to me By which means I had the Opportunity to have a Relation of the Course of his Life And he hath oft-times exprest how the same Power which in the following Sheets he exalted at the beginning had carried him through all Exercises which were not a few When he had Goods taken from him for his Testimony to the Truth he has said that the inward Joy he felt in that he was counted worthy to Suffer for the Truth he profest was beyond what he could speak And having been a Prisoner with other Friends for the Truth 's sake about the space of Two Years he took delight to speak of that time often mentioning how mightily the Lord was with them and how good a time it was He would say many times If People did but know the Pleasure of Godliness they would not live in the Earth as they did But said he nothing but God's Spirit can mortifie the Flesh And oft would he mention that place Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the Flesh ye shall die But if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the Body ye shall live And he would say He had felt the mortifying Work of it beyond what he could have thought and that over that wherein his greatest Besetment was he had obtained a perfect Conquest For which he offered the Thanksgiving and Praise to God's Everlasting Power who not only begins the Work of Redemption but is able to carry it on and finish it to the perfecting of his own Praise which he accepts out of the Mouths of Babes and Sucklings Little Ones which incourages me thus to appear in the publishing of this little Book that it may go forth for the Incouragement of all the Weary and such as are heavy-laden with the Burden of their Iniquity that they may come to find rest to their Souls as this faithful Witness did Who when he lay on his dying Bed was kept quick and living in his Spiritual Senses and had a sutable Word to every one's State that came to him and would often clap his Hand on his Breast and say All is well here The day before he departed many Friends visiting him he spake sensibly to all and in great Expression of Love took his leave of them And taking his leave of a Child who wept he said Do not Cry I am well my Peace is made with the Lord. If thou Cry Cry that Iniquity may be brought down and Righteousness brought up The Power and Strength of God is with me I am going the Way of all Flesh I am going before and others must follow after So he laid down his Life in the feeling of that Power which at the beginning of his day he bore Witness to Which I here mention for the comfort of those who are kept by it through Faith unto Salvation and for the Inviting Others to come to feel the Work of the same VVhich I felt to be my Stay and Strength in the parting with so near and dear a Relation And as the Children in the Temple cried Hosanna so the Multitude of the Disciples also did Rejoyce when Jesus came riding on the Asses Colt bringing that into Subjection which before had been at Liberty saying Blessed be the King that cometh in the Name of the Lord Peace in Heaven and Glory in the Highest Luke 19.38 For which some of the Pharisees would have had him rebuke his Disciples ver 39. To whom he answered If these should hold their Peace the Stones would immediately Cry out ver 40. Which causes me thus to cast in my Mite to the Praise of him that lives for ever Who told his Followers Because I live ye shall live also John 14.19 Who is the Alpha and Omega the Beginner and Finisher of the Work of Faith by his own Power which this his faithful Servant was a Witness of Concerning whom I was pressed in Spirit to write this short Testimony without which I could not be clear in the sight of the Lord. Mary Baker The 31 st of the 10 th Month 1697. THE Power of God
not a falling into Sin but a falling into Affliction Secondly He perverted that Scripture 1 John 1.8 If we say that we have no Sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us Thirdly He urged that the Apostle Paul said When he would do Good Evil was present with him and how to perform that which was Good he found not Fourthly He alledged that All Men have their Failings and the best of Men their Infirmities as may be read in the Scriptures instancing David and others The Perversions of these Scriptures I may well call Satan's Props for he propped up his Kingdom in me a great while by them and so begat me into the World's belief That there is No Perfection here no Freedom from Sin to be expected on this side the Grave And then I began to make merry over the Witness of God in my self But the Lord did not leave me there but in tender compassion visited me and his holy Witness began to arise again in me and to strike at those Props which the Enemy had set up in me And this holy Witness said that unless I was regenerated and born again I could not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven Then I began to see there was nothing but Purity and Holiness could stand before the Lord For all things are naked and bare before him And then I cried out for a Deliverer one that could redeem me from that which was too great a Burden for me to bear as one once said A wounded Spirit who can bear Prov. 18.14 But I could then see no way of Deliverance but being exceedingly troubled I went from Mountain to Hill from hearing this sort of People to the other But among them all there was none did speak Peace to my weary Soul nor could unless I could have had Peace in my Sins which I could not For all of them cryed out No Freedom from Sin on this side of the Grave But I felt a necessity for it else I could not injoy Peace with the Lord which made me still cry out for a Deliverer In this great distress being turned with my Face Sion-ward and inquiring the way thether I was at length through the abundant Goodness of the Lord who led me inclined to go to a Meeting of the People called Quakers where I did hear a Servant of the Lord declare that That which reproveth and condemneth a Man in himself for Sin and will not let him go on in Sin without reproof is the Light of Christ who is the Light of the World which enlightneth every Man that cometh into the World that all Men through him might believe and so come to be saved from Sin And that this Light which doth convince of Sin Obedience being yielded to it will redeem out of Sin and preserve and keep from Sin And I having a Witness for God in me it did testifie to the Truth of what was declared and I was then by it convinced that That was the Way of God and Those were the People of God But I thought I saw a Lion in the Way and that there was a great Cross to be taken up Yet I found if I could be delivered from that which was so great a Burden to me I could be contented to undergo a great deal From that time forward I still kept to the Meetings of the People of the Lord who are at this time distinguish'd by the Name Quakers as the People of the Lord were in Ages past called Christians Which Name is now given to Drunkards and Swearers and all manner of prophane Persons and by the Sons of Belial one to another so that the Name Christian is become a reproach amongst them that are called Heathens through the Blasphemy of those that have covered themselves with the Name Christian but do not live the Christian Life Now keeping to the Meetings of the Lord's People I did there hear many Declarations testifying to the Power of the Lord what it had wrought for his Servants in this Age and likewise what he do for all those who are faithful and obedient in this day of his Power Yet still Sin remained in me and that was my great Weight and Burden But now knowing where Strength and Power was a Secret Hope wat raised up in me and a Belief that All things are possible with the Lord. So I committed my Self and Cause to the Lord having had Experience that my own Strength was altogether in-sufficient For when the Judgments of the Lord have been upon me I have often made large Promises in my own will that I would resist the Enemy when he came but I could never prevail by my own strength or any thing set up in my own will while that was standing But now having listed my self under an another Commander my old Master was enraged and comes with his usual Boldness and Confidence to demand Entrance and being denied he makes use of his former Weapons but was disappointed and driven back by the Power of the Lord Glory be unto his holy Name for ever For I keeping or rather being kept to that which did make it manifest to me to be Sin it furnished me with this Weapon against him viz. Walk in the Spirit and thou shalt not fulfill the Lust of the Flesh And so the Enemy was chased away by the Spirit of the Lord who had lifted up a Standard in me against him And he being thus put to flight there did arise Joy unutterable in my Soul feeling the work of the Lord begun in me And so continuing faithful and obedient to the Lord he hath by his mighty Power redeemed me from that which once I did believe I could never be redeemed from Praises Praises be given unto the Omnipotent God who reigns for ever For that which formerly was so pleasant and delightful to me and was as my Meat and Drink is now become hateful and abominable in my thoughts Glory be to the Lord for ever whose Mercy is over all his works and is not to be forgotten by those that have tasted of it Yet the Enemy would not leave me so but going up and down like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour he comes and presents his Temptations again though the main Pillar of his Kingdom was broken down in me So now he goes another way to work and sets before me the difficulty and straitness of the Way I was to walk in For my nearest and dearest Relations would be great Enemies to me and would slight and contemn me whereas before I was well beloved and esteemed by and amongst them and they were ready and willing to do me what kindness they could And if I would now turn fool at last and disoblige my Friends and so leave my Wife and Children to the Mercy of the World who would pity me For he that takes not care for his Family is worse than an Infidel And said the Enemy if thou wert of any other Religion but a Quaker thy
our day hath brought mighty things to pass which many will not believe though it hath been often declared It hath wrought the same Works now as it did in the Apostles days in teaching to deny Ungodliness and Worldly Lusts and also to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World Tit. 2.12 And there be many Witnesses that have been raised from the Dead or out of the Spiritual Death who do declare of it who were once dead in Trespasses and Sins But the Goodness of the Lord hath led them to Repentance and raised them to Life Now the Reason why many will not believe is because they love their Evil Deeds Therefore they hate the Light and will not bring their Deeds to it lest by it they should be Reproved For this is the Condemnation That Light is come into the World and Men love Darkness rather than Light and such have ignorantly called the Light Darkness But they that love the Light and know what it is they do bring their Deeds to it that they may be made manifest that they are wrought in God John 3.19 20 21. For the Light makes all things manifest yea the hidden things of Esau are made manifest by the Light My Advice and Counsel to thee is in the Fear of the Lord Bring thy Deeds to the Light if ever thou intendest or desirest to be Everlastingly Happy Let not the Enemy of thy Soul deceive thee any longer For it is better to Suffer Affliction with the People of God than to injoy the Pleasures of Sin which are but for a season though they be never so much applauded by the Sons and Daughters of Men. Such as Men sow they must reap They that sow to the Flesh must of the Flesh reap Corruption and they that sow to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap Life Everlasting Gal. 6.7 8. Consider well those words ye Proud and Haughty Ones and be no longer joyned to the Spirit of this World For the Lord God hath a Controversie against it And he hath determined the Downfal of the Man of Sin which many have witnessed already fulfilled in themselves And the Lord is now fitting and preparing them for himself For it is not the Devil 's right to rule in Man But it is the Lord 's right alone to rule there and he will have no Sharers with him in his Government Let none put the Day of the Lord afar off for this is the Day of the Lord And unless thou knowest him to rule in thee now who alone can destroy the Devil and his Works thy believing he shall rule hereafter if Satan continues to rule in thee here will stand thee in little stead fot that Belief will not purifie thy Heart and it is only the pure in Heart that can see God Mat. 5.8 Heb. 12.14 For Christ Jesus was made manifest for this very End that he might destroy the Works of the Devil 1 John 3.8 And although the Men of this World have set themselves in Opposition against this Truth of the Lord and have pleaded for the Continuance of Sin and therein for the Devil's Power yet we know in whom we have believed and in the Light of the Lord they are seen and their Fruits have made manifest whose Servants they are For his Servants they are to whom they obey whether of Sin unto Death or of Obedience unto Righteousness Rom. 6.16 And tho' many of them have promised or others have promised for them to forsake the Devil and all his Works and to keep God's Holy Will and Commandments all the days of their lives yet they are ready to cry out Blasphemy when they are told Whosoever is born of God doth not commit Sin tho' they are the plain words of Scripture 1 John 3.9 So Zealous are they for their Master's interest Reader if thou art one who hath been taught for Doctrine Mens Precepts as too many now are let me perswade thee to come to the Witness of God in thee and try which is the best Teacher For that Inward Teacher teacheth safe and sure neither can it be removed into a Corner And if thou turn'st to the right hand or to the left thou shalt hear a Word behind thee from this Inward Teacher saying This is the Way walk in it Isa 30.21 This is the plain Man's Path wherein though a Fool in the Worlds esteem he shall not err Isa 35.8 What tho' the Lord leads his People in a way contrary to the Wisdom of the World which makes them the Scorn and Derision of the World Be not discouraged for how can it be otherwise it being the same way which the holy Men of God walked in in Ages past But our Rejoycing is this The Testimony of a good Conscience And we do know as God's faithful Servants did of old The Reproaches for Christ are greater Riches than any there are in Egypt's Land which is a Place of Darkness But we have known the Lord to Redeem us out of that Bondage and deep Captivity and now we can sing Praises and Thanksgivings unto our God who is over all both in Heaven and in Earth blessed for ever and for evermore Friendly Reader I have here out of Love and Good Will to thee and to all Mankind declared unto thee the Goodness of the Lord unto my poor Soul that thou mayst be incouraged to walk in the Light of the Lord which he hath made manifest in this our day For it concerns thee most to know the Lord's Work in thy day that thou mayst have a sense of the Operation of the Power of God on thy Heart before thou goest hence O let not the Enemy of thy Soul prevail with thee to plead for the continuance of Sin term of Life Did Men but know how they do thereby advance the Kingdom of the Enemy of their Souls they never more would open their Mouths on Sins behalf unless they are like those of old who said We have made a Covenant with Death and with Hell are we at an Agreement Isa 28.15 For they who deny Perfection or Freedom from Sin deny the very End and Purpose for which Christ came and was manifested in the Flesh which was to destroy the Works of the Devil 1 John 3.8 which all who profess Christianity do agree is Sin And his Name was therefore called Jesus because He should save his People from their Sins Mat. 1.21 Not In their Sins mark that thou Unbelieving Professor Why should this be thought Impossible seeing All things are possible with God Mat. 19.26 It was the Command of the Lord to Abraham Walk before me and be thou perfect Gen. 17.1 And to incourage him thereunto he brings it in with these words I am the Almighty God The holy Apostle said Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfil the Lusts of the Flesh Gal. 5.16 And I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me Phil. 4.13 And As many as are led by the Spirit of God
Known to be Greater than the Power of Satan c. IT hath been the Design and still is of the Enemy of Man's Salvation to make Men believe they are serving God whilst they are actually serving the Devil And he hath so far prevailed with many that they call Evil Good and Good Evil and put Light for Darkness and Darkness for Light And being thus blinded by the God of this World he hath raised and fitted them to stand up as Advocates for his Power And so bold and confident have some of them been in their Master's Service that they have in Effect said Who is able to make War with him and overcome him As if his Power were the greater and his Dominion over all Now seeing he hath so far prevailed upon many at this Day as to make them plead There is No Perfection here No Freedom from Sin on this side of the Grave And seeing many of his Servants and Ministers do stand up so boldly on behalf of their God I was moved with an Holy Zeal from the Lord to stand up on behalf of my God And I do here proclaim that Greater is my God the God of Truth than the God of the World And his Power is more able to redeem out of Sin and to preserve from Sin than the Enemie's Power is to keep in Sin or to lead into Sin And because I have had Experience in my Measure of the working and operation of both Powers in me I do here give my Testimony that The Power of God is the greatest And Reader for thy further Satisfaction I have freedom to set forth in some measure the working of the Enemy in me until he was cast out While I was a Child I had often secret desires raised in me after the Lord But not knowing from whence they came nor yeilding obedience to that which raised them they soon decayed and died Then the Enemy sought to get room and entertainment in me And the Enemy tempted and ensnared me with the Pleasure of some Evil which the Witness of God in me made manifest unto me and reproved in me for it but by yielding to the Enemy the Witness was quench'd but I joyning with the Enemy in the Temptation and continuing in the Evil disregarded the Witness and caused it to withdraw at that time But soon after it did arise again and condemned me for the Sin I was guilty of and began to take away that Peace and Delight which I formerly had therein and told me There is no Peace to the Wicked Then being troubled in Mind that I had offended the Lord the Enemy step'd in to give me a false ease and perverting the Scriptures he said God is merciful to a Sinner at what time soever he repents And If we confessour Sins he is faithful and just to forgive us But he never brought in the following Words And to cleanse from all Unrighteousness and so he led me into a large Form of Words which I then called Prayer and I could make large Confessions in Words and so got again into a false Rest and Peace and committed Sin with delight But many times after the committing of it the Light of Christ in me did so reprove and condemn me that I have inflicted Punishment upon my Body for the Sin of my Soul Then would I seek to heal my Self with that which I called my Prayers and with making many large Confessions without forsaking But while I was in this State this was brought to my remembrance viz. That I had read of a King of France who used when he had sworn an Oath to Kiss his Crucifix and then Sware again and Kiss it again And my Condition was represented to me to be no better then his which I concluded was had enough For I was convinced Swearing was bad and had always a detestation of it This brake my Peace exceedingly so that I could not go on with that Delight I had done before But the Enemy had still somthing at hand to uphold his Kingdom in me and he brought these carnal Reasonings into my Mind that most People who knew me look'd upon me to be a Sober Man and that this was but a small Sin and was no scandal to me nor was it any occasion or Incouragement to others to Sin for it was known to none but my self And that I must not expect to live without Sin For said he We do not read in the Scriptures of any that ever did Thus he added more Weight to that Burden which my poor Soul was weary of before and all my seemingly Religious performances could not ease my wounded Conscience being closly pursued by the Witness of God in me But not having a true Knowledge of that which did reprove me and so not turning at the Reproof I did daily yield to the Enemy's Temptations and was led Captive by him at his will And so customary and habitual it was become to me that I then thought I could as well have lived without Meat or Drink as without yielding thereunto So with Pleasure and Delight I went on longer in the Devil's Service tho not without Secret Reprovings in me But having heard some of the World's Priests say such Condemnations proceeded from the Devil I was still further ensnared But now I know them to be Lyars that have said so and I testifie there is something of God in all Men which at one time or other doth reprove and condemn them for their Sins in order to recover them out of them For the Lord hath not left himself without a Witness in all Men that thereby they might believe and by believing might come to obtain the Salvation of their Immortal Souls which my Soul desired after And tho' the Enemy had said that none of the Holy Men who writ the holy Scriptures were free from Sin Yet the Witness of God said Walk in the Spirit and thou shalt not fulfill the Lust of the Flesh Gal. 5.16 Then did the Enemy bring more Scriptures to hold me still under his Power and by perverting those Scriptures he raised up his seeming-religious Props in me thereby to support his Kingdom as he doth in many at this day who make a great Profession in Words and talk much of God as I then could do but did not know him any more than they do now For the natural Man understands not the things of God It is truly so tho' Men please themselves with their own vain thoughts First He suggested to my Mind That the Just Man Sins seven times a day which I then took to be Scripture But since I came to read the Scriptures in that Spirit by which they were written I find it is not Scripture but a mis-representing of that Scripture Prov. 24.16 which saith A Just Man falleth seven times and riseth up again but the Wicked shall fall into Mischeif Which falling of a Just Man some of the better sort even of the Priests themselves have interpreted to be
Relations would be contented but that is the most contemptible Religion in the World and laden with Reproaches O see the Deceit of the wicked Enemy and avoid it as I did by keeping to the Measure of the Grace of God in my self And as my mind was turned inward to consider and see what the Lord had done for me this sprang up in me as a Defence against the Enemy If I have not done those mighty works for thee which no other could do believe me not else believe me for my works sake Then did the Enemy vanish at the Brightness of the coming of the Lord who hath preserved me out of the Mouth of the Lion and out of the Paw of the Bear and out of the hand of that uncircumcised Philistine that once had encompassed me about Praises be given unto the Lord for ever O Friend Let me beseech thee let not the Enemy of thy Soul deceive thee under what pretence soever though he should guild his Bait and cover his Temptations over with never so many Scripture-words But keep thou to that true Light in thee which makes all things manifest And by taking heed to that pure Witness of God in thee thou wilt come to see Satan's Devices which they of Old who were led by the Spirit of God were not ignorant of as such now are not And now I have this Testimony to bear for the Lord with many Thousands more That Perfection or Freedom from Sin is to be obtained on this side the Grave through Faith in Christ Jesus And I do Testifie and Declare That in this Life is the time of working out our Salvation For where the Tree falls there it shall lie and in what State Death leaves a Man in that State Judgment will find him For in the Grave there is no Repentance Now true Repentance through a godly Sorrow is a Change from Sin and Iniquity to serve the Living God in the New Life or in the Newness of Life Not in the Oldness of the Letter which too many are found in at this day but in the Newness of the Spirit For it is the Spirit that giveth Life the Flesh profiteth nothing John 6.63 Reader If thou are a stranger to Truth and to the right Way of the Lord and hast been led Captive by the Enemy at his Will as I was while ignorant of the Light of the Lord in me and art now come to a sense of the Burden and Weight of thy Sins and hast a desire to be Redeemed from them To thee and for thy sake chiefly are these Lines written that thou mayst here see the Mysterious Working of the Prince of Darkness and take Warning in time whilst the Spirit of the Lord strives with thee For the Spirit of the Lord will not always strive with Man But be not discouraged at the Greatness or Number of thy Sins For all Power in Heaven and in Earth is given to Christ Jesus Only Faith in him and Faithfulness and Obedience to what he makes manifest is thee is re-required of thee And if thou hast Mountains of Sin thou shalt see them in the Faith to vanish away For it is The Willing and the Obedient shall eat the good of the Land And if thou are one that has known in any measure the Work of the Lord carried on in thy Heart I have this further to say for thy Incouragement from my own Experience That thou hast to do with a Tender-hearted Father who gently leads those that are but young in the Truth and his Lambs he will carry in his Arms and will lead thee no faster than thou art able to follow But be sure whatever he maketh manifest to thee to be Evil Give up to the Lord in Faithfulness and Obedience and the Lord will give thee Power over it For the End wherefore the Lord doth manifest Sin to be Sin is that he may Redeem out of it And as thou are faithful in the small thing thou wilt be made Ruler over more And as thou standest in that Faith which is the Gift of God thou wilt find nothing too hard or difficult for thee but thou wilt be able to say as the Servants of God did in Days past and do now in this Age All things are possible with him with whom we have to do And thou wilt feel the same Power to work and beget the same Faith in thee as it did in them For without Faith it is impossible to please God whatever Men may pretend to in words There are many Pretenders in our day to the Worship and Service of God as there were in Ages past But what avail their Pretences or Performances while they are fain to confess their Worship ends in Imperfection and that their best Duties are Sin or they Sin in performing their best Duties Sin in Praying Sin in Preaching Sin mixt with their most holy Duties That it is so with them I do not deny But my Heart is grieved at their Captivity Bondage and Misery because they believe it never can be otherwise And indeed it never will be otherwise with them so long as they content themselves with large Confessions of their Sins and come not to forsake them Would they content themselves that the time past is sufficient that they have wrought the Will of the Gentiles there would be some ground to hope that they were as willing to forsake their Sins as to confess them and so might come to have Faith in the Gift of God with whom all things are possible which thing many have formally in words acknowledged who in works have denied it But I testifie If they who make such large Confessions of their Sins do not come to that Gift of God in them which can enable them to forsake their Sins their Condition is no better than his who knew his Master's Will and did it not who was to be beaten with many Stripes For the Lord hath made manifest his Unerring Way and he is daily calling and inviting the Sons and Daughters of Men to walk therein and to be reconciled unto him that they may know their Sin blotted out For the Lord hath no delight in the Death of a Sinner of which I am an Instance and a Witness but is willing that all should Repent Return and come to the Knowledge of his Truth and be saved For he hath not Ordained Men to Reprobation so that they cannot be saved Neither hath he so absolutely Elected a certain Number of Persons to Salvation that what Evil soever they do they cannot miss of Salvation as many do falsly believe Which dangerous Doctrines have on the one hand thrown many down to the Bottomless Pit of Despair And on the other hand raised too many up into a Presumptuous Security Reader my desire is that thou wouldst come to the Witness of God in thy self that thou mayst see and learn the Mystery of these things For the Grace of God which hath so manifestly appeared in this
they are the Sons of God Rom. 8.14 Such cannot plead for Sin because they have Fellowship one with another in the Light and the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth them from all Sin 1 John 1.7 From whence then dost thou think the Impossibilities do arise for some have ignorantly said It is Impostble ever to be Perfect or Free from Sin on this side the Grave If thou canst not tell as some Tender-hearted Ones could not I will tell thee It is from the Man of Sin who rules in the Hearts of the Children of Disobedience From him proceeds these Thoughts of Impossibilities and not from the Lord. And now let the Witness of God in thee judge between the Precious and the Vile between those who serve the Lord and them who serve him not For a Separation there must be the Lord will no longer be mocked with an Hypocritical Pretence of Zeal for him while the Devil hath the Heart They that pretend the Scripture is their only Rule why will they not come to it and walk according to it that we might see their Fruits to be agreeable thereunto They have made use of the Scriptures to plead for Sin term of Life and have raked up the Failings of the holy Men of God recorded in them thereby incouraging others to Sin which never was the End they were written for But they were given that Men might come to be Perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works 2 Tim. 3.17 And it was the Labour of the Apostles to present every Man Perfect in Christ Jesus Col. 1.28 The Holy Scriptures were not written for Men to make a Trade of as in Buying and Selling the Words of the Holy Men of God who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost and as the Spirit gave them Utterance No but that Men might come to the same Word in themselves which they testifie of And if thou Reader comest to that thou wilt come to know the Word of God which lives and abides for ever And then the Scriptures will be indeed precious to thee as thou comest to see the fulfilling of them in thy self and so thou wilt have Unity with that Spirit which gave them forth And the right End for which they were written thou wilt see which they are ignorant of who go from the true Light the Holy Witness in themselves The want of keeping to that makes them run into so many Heads and Heaps of Confusion as they are one calling This the Way another saying That is the Way So that Mankind is out of Order by refusing to be led by the Spirit of Christ Jesus which would bring all things into Order again And was it not so in the Apostles days Did not Demetrius and the Multitude make an Uproar though the most part knew not wherefore they came together But they all agreed to cry up Great is Diana of the Ephesians For by this Craft said Demetrius we have our Wealth And is it not the same in effect now tho' they have got more Plausible Words to cover themselves withal that they might not be discovered Do not both Priests and People cry out now Great is the Devil's Power Great is the Strength of Sin So great that it is Impossible to be set free from Sin on this side the Grave And hath not the World admired the Whore because she hath had a golden Cup in her hand by which she hath deceived and doth deceive the Nations O that Men would be so wise for themselves as to come to that which would open an Eye in them to see the Enemy of their Souls and would help them to work against him before the Night comes wherein none can work For it is the Light that makes things manifest and by that Light thou mayst see the Mystery of Iniquity still working under the pretence of Zeal for the Worship and Ordinances of God as Men call them but they will not come to Christ whom God hath Ordained to be a Light to lighten the Gentiles and the Glory of his People Israel Luke 2.32 But as Backsliding Israel made to themselves a Golden Calf in old time So these will needs have something that may appear glorious to their fleshly Eye which many in their Imaginations have made and set up and so are worshipping the Works of their own Inventions as they of old did the Works of their own Hands For whatsoever Man forms and sets up between Christ and his Soul is an Idol and must be broken down before Redemption can be truly witnessed But are there not many now a-days who persuade themselves they are Redeemed by Christ from their Sins whilst they live in their Sins O! what an unheard of Redemption was this in the Apostles days He said When ye were the Servants of Sin ye were free from Righteousness Rom. 6.20 And What Fruit said he had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed ver 21 That was not the Redemption which Christ Jesus came to purchase for his People But to purifie to himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works and to redeem them from all Iniquity Tit. 2.14 That they might serve him in Holiness and Righteousness all the days of their lives Luke 1.75 This was the End or Effect of the Redeeming Power of the Lord in Ages past And I give my Testimony for God it is the same now in this Age and works the same Effect even to redeem from all Sin Let the Enemy and his Instruments be never so much inraged at us for bearing Testimony to the Truth we matter not for we are Witnesses for God against them all and have boldness in the Strength of the Lord to Publish to the World the Greatness of the Power of our God and of his Christ who hath determined that Sin and Iniquity shall have an end and Everlasting Righteousness shall be brought in Dan. 9.24 Which is believed and waited for by the Upright in Heart who have turned their Faces Zion-ward And we know the Lord hath many more whom he will gather from off the barren Mountains into the same Faith with us to declare of his Noble Acts in this his mighty Day wherein he is shaking not only the Earth but the Heavens also that That only which cannot be shaken may remain Heb. 12.26 27. which will stand in stead when time shall be no more And friendly Reader If thou desirest to die the Death of the Righteous and to have thy latter End to be like his which most Men do thou must live the Life of the Righteous For there is not another way that is certain What though Men have cut out Ways to themselves and have made large and plesant Paths to walk in and say Come walk in our Way or be of our Society for it is the Way of the Lord. Before thou venturest into it ask them this Question Have you found out a Way to overcome Sin If they answer No that cannot be expected on
this side the Grave Then I testifie It is not the Way of the Lord neither art thou to walk in it But thou art to walk in the Light of the Lamb which all the Nations of them that are saved shall walk in Rev. 21.24 Light is sown for the Righteous and Gladness for the Upright in Heart Psalm 97.11 And the Lord will keep him in perfect Peace whose Mind is stay'd upon him Which words are often spoken by the Hireling Priests but the thing can never be experimentally Witnessed by thee till thou comest to give up thy self wholly to be led by the Lord Which if thou do then will the Lord take delight in thee to do thee good and hard things shall be made easie to thee And as thou abidest in the Faith thou wilt see over all the Ways of the World and the Foundations whereon they stand and thou wilt see cause for ever to Praise the Lord for that he hath redeemed thee out of those Paths that lead to the Chambers of Death and hath built thee upon the sure Foundation which cannot be shaken the Rock of Ages and of many Generations Jesus Christ the chief Corner-Stone Had I the Tongue of Men and Angels I could not demonstrate unto thee in words the Peace and Happiness that is injoyed in walking in the Way of the Lord For in his Presence there is fulness of Joy and at his right hand are Pleasures for evermore Isa 16.11 O Come away come away for the Lord's sake and thy poor Soul's sake and partake not with the Wicked in their Sins lest thou receive of their Plagues Rev. 18.4 Let not a little momentary Pleasures beguile thee into Eternal Misery The Lord having redeemed me out of the hands of my Soul's Enemy I am moved with the Bowels of Pity and Compassion to beseech thee to come and be reconciled to the Lord For I testifie he is more willing to receive thee than thou art to come Why then wilt thou not come that thou mayst be Everlastingly Happy For the Door of Mercy is set open so that all that will come may come freely without Money or without Price Isa 55.1 Therefore why will ye die O ye foolish People and unwise Seeing the Way is open and the Path so plain that the Wayfaring Man though a Fool cannot err therein Isa 35.8 What could the Lord have done more for Man than he hath done having sent his Only Begotten Son a Light into the World that the World through him might believe and so be saved John 3 For the Light shines in Darkness though the Darkness doth not comprehend it John 1.5 It was that Light that gave Paul and Others the Knowledge of the Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4.6 And it is the same Light that brings to the Knowledge of God now and not Another though the Enemy hath taught Men to give many bad Names to it that Men might not believe in it But they who do believe in it know it to be the true Light which lighteth every Man that cometh into the World John 1.9 And that In him was Life and the Life was the Light of Men ver 4. And that the Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all Sin 1 John 1.7 That he might present his Church a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle or any such thing Eph. 5.27 Which of all those called Churches in the World whether Publick or Private is the Spotless Church Are there not Spots of Pride Envy Malice Dissimulation c. upon them Bow therefore ye tall Cedars and ye sturdy Oaks who have lifted up your selves in your vain Imaginations above the low meek and gentle Witness of the Lord in you And know that for all this God will bring you to Judgment tho' ye have covered your selves with a Profession in drawing nigh to the Lord with your Mouths and with your Lips as some of old did Isa 29.13 when your Hearts have been after your other Lovers and have made a Profession of God in Words when in Works ye have denied him Do ye think Words will stand you instead at the Day of Judgment Though ye could say We have Prayed in thy Name and Preached in thy Name and in thy Name have done many wonderful things Yet hear your Sentence if ye continue to work Iniquity Depart from me ye Workers of Iniquity Mat. 7.23 What we may some perhaps say we who have driven a Trade with the Scriptures and have formed to our selves a Way of Worship and Religious Exercises and have spent much time in the performance thereof Ah! But what will ye answer when it shall be asked of you as it was of some of old Isa 1.12 Who hath required this at your hands It is this the Lord requires of thee O Man To do Justly and to love Mercy and to walk Humbly with thy God Micah 6.8 And if thou answer his requirings therein then shall thy Peace be as a River Isa 48.18 And thou shalt know the flowings of that River the Streams whereof make glad the City of our God Psalm 46.4 Now it is my desire that thou should'st be a Fellow-Citizen with us For in the Father's House are many Mansions if it were not so I would have told you said Christ to his Disciples John 14.2 But said he I go to prepare a place for you that where I am ye may be also verse 3. O that Men would be so wise as to come to the serious Consideration of these things before the Day of their Visitation be over For whoever thou art this know for certain Thou hast a Talent given thee by the Lord and so art left for ever without Excuse Therefore see that thou makest good use of it and that thou improvest it to the Lord's use and to the Good of thy Immortal Soul Then wilt thou answer the End for which the Lord created thee and wilt bring unto the Lord the Glory due unto him Which that thou may'st is the desire of him who is Reader Thy Friend in the Truth of God R. B. Written the 13th Day of the 1st Month 1670. THE END