manifest to be out of the truth and true way of God for the truth defends it self and hath done in all ages it needs not the help of the Magistrates sword neither did ever the antient Christians who gave forth the Scripture of truth seek to the Magistrates to defend them their weapons were not carnall they fought with but spirituall the spirit of truth was their defence the Magistrates sword or the outward Law the arme of flesh hath been refuge of Anti-christ in all ages as it is at this day for if any of the servants of the Lord the true worshippers who worship him in spirit and in truth be moved of God to goe into their meeting places which they call Churches and in obedience to the command of God speak to the Priest or a word of exhortation to the people then cryes out both Priest and people haile him away or words to that purpose and calls it disturbance to performe the will of the Lord and goes to the Magistrates for assistance and cryes away with him send him to prison or punish him this is the practise of the carnall professours who uphold the externall Temple and Synagogues therefore view your disorder and be ashamed of such gross and filthy practises for ye Rulers Priests and people in England in these late years have outstript the Heathen in many ages in your cruell persecution which makes the hearts of the righteous sad to see such fruits brought forth in the Nation where so much liberty in words and writings is proclaimed for Religion and honest hearted people by the supream in authority but woe woe from the Almighty unto you who make the hearts of the innocent sad which God hath not made sad a day of torment and misery is coming upon you wherein the righteous shall be glad which ye have made sad and over the smoke of your torment they shal rejoyce Did ever the Primitive Christians recorded in the holy Scripture persecute any prison whip burn with hot Irons or cast into Dungeons any sort of people that came into their Assemblies is not the Heathen your example for these things who persecuted and shamefully entreated and murdered the Christians who could not submit to their unrighteous decrees and unreasonable wills shew one example of cruelty if you can from the practise of Christ or his Disciples if not number your selves amongst the Heathen your example for your cruell persecution is not cruelty and persecution a true marke to know the Synagogue of Satan by from the body of Christ the Church in God who in all ages hath suffered but never persecuted any but prayed for their enemies which persecuted them c. The order of the Church in God in this age THe body of Christ the Church in God meet together as the Saints in light did in former ages upon the first dayes of the week and upon other dayes as the Lord affords opportunity and wait upon the Lord in his fear and Counsell and serve and worship the Lord in the Spirit and in the truth and doth preach the word of truth the everlasting Gospel and pray and exhort one another as they are moved of the Lord and as the holy spirit gives utterance but not in the wisdome of the world which is sensuall but in the pure wisdome and power of God which by the world is counted foolishness And this is the true and onely way of God the true way of worship and order of the body of Christ the Church of God as the Scripture of truth doth make manifest to the understanding Reader and according to the doctrine of Christ the order doctrine and practise of the antient holy Christians which in the Scriptures of truth are recorded Rom. 6. who worshipped God not in the oldness of the letter but newness of spirit which is the new and living way wherein God is and will be served and worshipped I. H. THE END
A DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUE TEMPLE And Worship of GOD. And Jesus Christ manifested to be the Head of the Church which is his Body and the onely Pastour And also the Members of the Body of Christ known by their fruits from the Synagogue of Antichrist with a few words to the Romane Catholicks Likewise the order of the Church in God the Body of Christ made manifest and the disorder of the Synagogue of Antichrist Given forth in the fear of the Lord in obedience to his pure will for the edification of all people who have any true and simple desires in them after the knowledge of the naked simple truth as it is in Jesus Christ by a lover of the souls of all people who in contempt and scorn by this dark generation am called Quaker known to man by the name of John Harwood London Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Ball and mouth near Alders-gate 1658. A Description of the Temple and Worship of God c. The true Church manifested to be the Body of Christ and not the externall Temples made with hands and Christ exalted who is Supreme head of his Church and the Teacher of the Members of his body and the end of the first Priesthood THE Eternall God that made the world and all things therein Act 17. who gives life to all living creatures Acts 7. dwelleth not in Temples made with hands neither is he worshipped with mens hands as people may imagine but the Almighty dreadfull God is a Spirit and the true worshippers worship him in the Spirit and so he will be worshipped and is and hath been so served and worshipped by the true Christians the faithfull worshippers created anew in Christ ever since Christ came in the flesh the living substance who prophesied of the deftruction of the Temple which Solomon builded for the Service of God in the time of the Law which Temple and Service in its time was agreeable to the will of God being duly and truly observed according to the requirings of the Law and the first Priesthood as they stood faithfull in the Councell of the Lord their service and offerings was accepted but their time was but untill Christ came in the flesh the everlasting unchangeable High Priest in whom the Righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled who is made a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech he puts an end to the first Priesthood Law the carnall Ordinances offerings and outward observations Rites and Ceremonies contained in the Law which were Types figures and shadows all fulfilled in Christ the living Substance the end of the Law and the Prophets for the substance the end of all things the eternall son of the dreadfull God being come the shadows and figures cease and end the first Priesthood which was the changeable Priestood had its time untill the coming of Jesus Christ the eternall unchangeable Priest and then changed and the Law also Heb. 7. And this is he at whom the whole world is offended who makes themselves Priests after the Law of a carnall commandement who is made high Priest for ever over the houshold of God not made by a carnal 〈◊〉 of a commandement as the Priests of the world are who receive their orders Commissions from man so made by the will of man but after the power of an endlesse life and they who have not Christ to be their chief Shepherd and high Priest are none of his sheep nor of the houshold of God whatsoever in words may be professed of him for there are many that draw nigh with their mouths and lips but their heart far from him The Law made nothing perfect as the Scripture of truth affirms but Christ Jesus the substance hath by one offering perfected for ever them that be sanctified the daily sacrificers the Priests themselves Heb. 10. who daily offered sacrifice for themselves and the people in the outward Temple according to the Custome of the Law were not made perfect as pertaining to the conscience for that by the works of the Law no flesh can be justified if there had been perfection in the works of the law under the first Priesthood what need had there been for a change of the law and the Priesthood but not being of force to make the comers thereunto perfect nor the Priests themselves therefore there was a necessity for the change of the law and the Priesthood Heb. 7.11 12. for as saith Paul if there had been perfection by the Leviticall Priesthood for under it the people received the law what further need was there that another Priesthood should arise after the order of Melchisedech and not be called after the order of Aaron for the Priesthood being changed there is made of necessity also a change of the law Wherefore I say all such people as now go to and uphold the outward Temple and Synagogue and observe the ancient customes the Rices and Ceremonies contained in the law follow the example of the Jews and the first Priesthood and their practises and so goes on in the way where perfection cannot be actained nor the light of life received It was the labour and practice of the Apostles the primitive Christians to go into the Temple and Synagognes and to declare against their carnall Ordinances weak and beggarly Elements which had no strength nor power in them to bring people to perfection and to call them forth of these things to follow Jesus Christ the everlasting unchangeable high Priest who by one offering hath perfected for ever them that be sanctified and so many as believed and received Christ which the Saints in light preached left the outward Temple and worship and forsook the types figures and shadows and the rudiments of the world and followed Christ and they recived the light of life the knowledge of God and in Chirst was created anew and so became Christians forsaking the old way and following the new and living way which all be our of Col. 2.20 21 22 23 who uphold the outward Temple and be in the Rudiments of the world the carnall Ordinances and outward observations whose performances stands in their own wills and time take notice they who continued in the outward Temple-worship were not called Christians and though ye Temple worshippers call your selves Christians and go under the name of believers in Christ neverthelesse your practises and fruits manifests the contrary with the eternall eye ye are seen to be in the same nature and life of the Jews and Infidels who were enemies to Christ and the primitive Christians for ye have but the talk or nimes of Christ and the Saints our of the nature and life of the living substance The Temple which King Solomon builded Mat. 24. Jesus Christ the everlasting unchangeable high Priest Mar. 13. foretold the destruction of and told his Disciples Luk. 21. that there should not be left one stone upon another that should not be thrown down and
God ye are no self-lovers but self-denyers no followers of the worlds fashions Customs or traditions but of Iesus Christ whose kingdome is not of the world who alone is your Head King Priest and Propher ye who goe under the name of members of the Church of Christ and call one another Brother and Sister who pretend to have Communion and fellowship with one another search your hearts with the light of Christ and it will not deceive you but let you truly see in what your fellowship hath stood and stands and will clearly manifest unto you whether ye be in the spirit of truth and righteousness yea or no if ye be then the fruits before mentioned ye will bring forth abundantly which are the fruits of the spirit and your Communion and fellowship will stand and as ye abide in the life of truth and righteousness your love and unity will grow and increase and your pure lives and holy conversations will make you manifest to be members of the body of Christ but if you see with the light of Christ self-love pride covetousness rashness self-wildness envy and uncharitableness then know that if these things remaine in you and things of the like nature that your Communion and fellowship is in the flesh and not in the spirit formal and not eternall and ye are none of the living stones which the temple of God is built on none of the members of the body of Christ but of Anti-Christ the body of Christ is washed in his blood which cleanseth from all unrighteousness unrighteousness uncleanness and all sin and iniquity is out of the body of Christ the Church in God in the body of Anti-Christ the enemy of the Church of God All ye formalists who are puft up in pride and arrogancy who have gotten the Saints words to talk on in your airy minds and live at ease in vain pleasures and wantonness your words and policy shall stand you in no stead in this the day of the Lord you shall appear in your own likeness your close hypocrisy and your fained humility shall not cover you nor save you from the judgements of the dreadfull God your hearts shall be made naked and bare and your reward you shall have with the wicked and ungodly your shame and confusion ye shall no longer hide ye shall be known whose servants and Children ye are and of what body ye are members and that Anti-christ is your head and not Christ the body of Christ is purged from all secret deceit treachery and close hypocrisy and is filled with righteousness purity and innocency every particular member of the Church in God this pillar and ground of truth knows the work of sanctification by the powerfull operation of the word of truth are thorowly cleansed and sanctified and by the divine power joyned and united unto Christ the head of his Church which is his body he is no member of the Church of Christ what ever he profess that lives after the flesh and knows not the work of the Eternall Spirit of judgement and burning which mortifies the fleshly desires and lusts and purges and cleanses the heart thorowly from sin and iniquity for it is the work of the spirit to purifie and the body purified without spot is the body of Christ the Church of God no unclean person can be united to the body of Christ though thousands of unclean people may come amongst the members of his body yet no defiled thing can be joyned to it for it is pure without spot and members of the Church in God feels enjoys one another in the life of pure love and their unity and fellowship stands not in outward formallity but in the pure life of truth and innocency where they meet and imbrace one another and are refreshed one in another in the love and life which changeth not which all men and women upon the face of the whole earth are out of which be from the light with which Christ hath enlightned them for the light leads into the life of innocency where the eternall unity stands The Church made of living stones THe living stones of which the Church of God is made are the people who have passed from death to life who are dead to sin and alive unto righteousness such as have passed thorow much sorrow and many tribulations and hath seen the travail of their souls and are satisfied with the birth of the immortall seed which is borne and brought forth in them they in whom the righteous seed is raised and the unrighteous nature destroyed which was dead in sin and transgression and made alive unto God and now lives in the light the life of righteousness are the Church of God the House of God the tabernacle of the most high and in them the Lord of Hosts is sanctified who will be sanctified in all that draw nigh unto him and in ye who are raised up in the life and power of truth and righteousness is the living praises for the living praises God the dead cannot praise him the life which through the operation of the Eternal spirit is raised which purgeth from sin and iniquity glorifies God and praises God and these are the living stones on which the Church of God is builded who are borne of the immortall seed whose delight is to walk in the Counsell of the Lord and to serve and obey him which cannot delight in themselves nor in their own works and truly it is not grievous to the living stones the Babes born of God to follow the Counsell of their Father for it is the nature of the seed of God to doe the will of him who hath through the power of his free love and tender mercy begotten it unto himself ye in whom the babe immortal is born and brought forth can seal to the truth of this though to many it may seem to be a strange doctrine who be ignorant of the work of God and knows not the birth of the seed immortall but truly I know that as Iohn saith that the Commandements of the Lord out God are not grievous unto us his Children Ioh. 5.3 who are begotten and borne of him but rather joy us yea it is our joy to serve the Lord our God and to keep his pure Commandements as it was the delight of his faithfull servant David to walk in his Commandements which he loved Ps 119.47 but who be in the transgression in the disobedience loves not God Ver. 143 neither delighteth in his commands but loves themselves their own ways and rejoyceth in their iniquities and delighteth in the things which are perishing which profiteth not but such are dead in sin though alive in the fleshly body and are none of the living stones which the Church of God is made on Iesus Christ head of his Church and the onely Pastour MAny people there are that in words make a profession of Christ and the Scriptures and will say they beleeve in Christ yet will
practised nor commanded any such things to be observed therefore if it had not been confessed by one of your own professors I had known the rice and foundation of these things wherefore I say unto you view your foundation and be ashamed to take the name of Christians and build upon the Heathen and have no other example for your Ceremonies and traditions but the Heathenish Idolaters own your name according to your nature and disposition for the true and Innocent Christian followeth the example of Christ and hath no other foundation but the chief corner stone the true light Christ which hath enlightned every man that is come into the world and who are built on this sure foundation the rock of ages denyes and witnesses against all the Customs Ceremonies and foolish traditions of the Heathenish Idolaters and cannot follow their example in any thing but follow the true light Iesus Christ who gives his followers the light of life so that in love to your souls I desire you to cease from the customs of the Heathen from your vain traditions and foolish Ceremonies in which there is no life and follow Iesus Christ the everlasting unchangeable high Priest for in him is the life he is the substance the way truth and life and in him is the salvation but no salvation in your ceremonies and vain traditions truly my soul pitties you to see how you are blinded and kept in ignorance from the knowledge of the truth by the spirit of error which hath long deceived the Nations and yet are highly conceited of your selves and of your Religion which is made up of foolish and vain imaginations and inventions of the old crooked Serpent who through his subtilty hath deteined and deluded your Fore-fathers in the time of Apostacy and still makes a prey upon you their successours who cryes up the antiquity of your Religion as if the long continuance of it were sufficient to prove it to be the true Religon but then the lews who pretend to be Moses Disciples may plead the antiquity of their Religion who are of a longer standing then ye if antiquity were a sufficient proof and they have Scripture for their Temple-offerings and services in the old Testament but ye who pretend to be the Disciples of Christ have no Scripture in the new Testament for the upholding of your temple daily services ceremonies and traditions but all such things testified against by the holy men which gave the Scripture forth so that the rise and foundation of your Religion is the imagination and invention of the sensuall wisdome from which wisdome the secrets of God and the true Christian Religion is hid the Eternall God of power and infinit wisdome if it be his glorious will open your eyes that ye may see the vanity of externall things which ye feed upon and bring you to serve him in the spirit and to worship him in the truth that you may no longer feed upon carnall imaginations and inventions but upon the bread of life the substance which is the immortall food which refreshes and nourisheth the soul up to life eternall And all ye forms of Religion under what name or title soever who set up teachers amongst you and will not permit any to speak in your Assemblies but such as ye in your own wills set up and appoint ye are the people who heap to your selves teachers having Itching ears ye are out of the order of the Church in God where all the members have liberty to speak one by one in the disorder and cofusion which makes you manifest to be of the body of Anti-christ and not of the body of Christ the true Church the members of the body of Christ abide in his doctrine and follow the example of the true Christians every particular member having a word of exhortation as they are moved of the Lord may have free liberty to speak in the Saints Assembly according to the order of the Primitive Church the Church in God but ye who deny the order of the true Church and follow your own ways and imaginations manifest your disorder and shews that ye are our of the true way of God the true worship of God in the false way and worship ye know not what my wayes saith the Lord is not as the way of man my thoughts as the thoughts of man such as follow their own thoughts and their own imagined wayes goes out of the way of God the true light is the way of God and in it the will and minde of God is revealed and the power manifested which brings the creature into subjection makes subject to the requirings of God and brings to know the true Church the body of Christ and the true and perfect order thereof but this is not a fancy or a naturall light a thought or an imagination but a cross to all such things a living divine holy substantiall principle which manifests thoughts imaginations and inventions and the ground and rise of them which is the earthly sensuall wisdome in which God is not known nor served for God is light and in the light and truth is served and worshipped the children of light served God in the spirit and gloried in Iesus Christ Phil. 3. and put no confidence in the flesh carnall professors the upholders of carnal l Ordinances Rudiments weak and beggerly elements are led by their fleshly imaginations to uphold such shadows without life and be from the spirit the substance in which is the life wherein God is served and worshipped in which the Saints in light served God in the former ages as in this age but the flesh delights in the observation of carnal ordinances because they have their rise and foundation from its imagination and it glories in what it doth invent but all such glorying is vaine he that glorieth let him glory in the truth in the Lord and let no man trust to the arme of flesh nor put confidence in its imagination for all that glory in the flesh their glory will be turned into shame and confusion Take notice the end of fleshly glory is confusion and shame and ye who are highly pust up and exalted in your fleshly knowledge and wisdome God will bring down and abase and confound for no flesh shall glory in the pure presence of God and the poor in spirit the meek and lowly in heart God will raise up and exalt over all the earth in this the day of his power wherein he is bringing great and mervelous things to pass which hath not been seen in many ages his own sheep he will gather into his fold and them preserve by the arme of his eternall power and will scatter and consume the Wolves who have got the Sheeps clothing and all the renting tearing ravening and devouring Beasts which hath rent and torne the Innocent Lambs And ye who be in the flesh in the carnall ordinances fly to the Magistrates sword for refuge which likewise makes you clearly