in the Valley of Judgment and he will Overturn Overturn Overturn till he comes to reign whose Right it is for long hath the Powers of Darkness reigned in all Mankind whose Right it was not but now Christ Jesus making himself known who is the true Light of the World and he is arising to reign whose Right it is Therefore come into the Moderation and seriously consider in thy own Heart how thy Condition standeth before the Lord thy God if thou were immediately called to an Account before him for thy Deeds done in the Body whether good or evil and come but with an honest Heart to the Light of Christ Jesus in thy own Conscience and that will let thee and all the Sons and Daughters of men see how your Condition standeth in the Presence of your God for be thou assured that if the VVitness of God in thy own Conscience condemns thee for thy evil Words and Actions God from whence the Witness came is greater and will not any wayes justifie thee therein but if thou give up to be guided by his Light in the Singleness of thy Heart then thou wilt come into the Beginning of the Creation of God and see his Work dayly manifested in thee and thou wilt come to see the Sword of the Lord God of Jacob to cut down to destroy the Transgressor at all times in thee and thou wilt come to see that nature in thee that would stand up to take the Sword to kill or destroy thy Fellow-creatures or oppress or defraud any by the Unrighteous Power thou wilt come to see that Nature to perish by the Sword of the Lord in thee which Sword is the Word of the Lord which is a Discerner of the Thoughts of the Heart and divides between the precious Thoughts and the vile therefore as thou tenders thy own Soul come to that Sword and bring all thy Thoughts unto it and in the Light thou wilt come to see a nature in thee that hath a long time led thy Soul captive under the Captivity of Sin and Satan and thou wilt come to see that nature carried away captive by the power of Christ Jesus even into the Land of Forgetfulness for he is now risen in this his Day to lead Captivity captive and to set free from all Oppression and now is the Day of his plenteous Redemption come and his Salvation will he make known unto the Ends of the Earth and will redeem all them that come to walk in his Light and that obey and follow it in all his motions and that contentedly come to take up the Cross daily to their own wills and so in Singleness follow Christ the Light them will he redeem from under the Power of Sin and the Devil who is the Author thereof and from the World and all its inticing Lusts and as they give up wholely to be guided by the Light and to take up their Cross daily which crosseth the carnal will and so come to deny themselves and to follow Christ who saith I am the Light of the World whosoever followeth me shall not abide in Darkness but shall have the Light of Life and he that comes into this comes into the true Faith which purifies the Heart and they come to receive Christ and to as many as receive him to them Power is given to be the Sons of God and so such come to know what the Seed in them is and what it is to have the tender Babe of Grace formed in them and what it is to be born of God and so such do not commit Sin for they have the Seed of God remaining in them for that which is born of God cannot commit Sin for the Prince of this VVorld hath no part in this new Creature who is created in Righteousness and true Holiness Now thou that art born after the Flesh and art in the first Nature thou art a Stranger to this new Birth which is born of God and thou art ready with Nicodemus to cry out Can a man ente rnto his Mother's Womb again when he is old or shall there any thing be brought forth by God whilst man liveth upon Earth to be made manifest to be without Sin So thou art altogether ignorant of the wonderful works of the Lord for the God of the world having blinded the Eyes and darkned the Minds of all that live in the old nature so that they therein cannot please the Lord their God but their delight is in the works of Darkness whereof the Devil is the Prince and they love the world and the Glory thereof and so the Love of the Father is not in them but now if thou dost but come to believe in the Light and into true Obedience to it in tender Simplicity thou wilt come into the spiritual warfare and to march under the Banner of CHRIST who is the eternal CAPTAIN of our Salvation and thou wilt come to see the Battle fought in Heaven between the Lamb and the Dragon even in God's Kingdom which comes not by observations to say lo here it is or lo there it is for his Kingdom is within thee and there the Battle of the great God is to be fought between Christ the Prince of Peace and the old Dragon the Prince of darkness Now as Christ the Lamb of God comes to take away the Sins of the World and to lead his Souldiers forth he arms them with the whole Armour of Light in Patience Meekness Humility Chastity Soberness and Gentleness Love and Tenderness contented in the Will of God tosuffer all things with Cheerfulness so it may tend to his Glory Now these are they which are to make War in Righteousness against the Principalities and Powers of Darkness in high Places at whose Appearance all flesh shall tremble and all Hearts shall be astonished for Fearfulness shall surprise the Hypocrites Now as Christ appears prepar'd to battle and hath armed his Souldiers with those Weapons afore-mentioned so likewise the Dragon he arms his Souldiers with his Armour which is the whole Armour of Darkness which consists in Hatred and Malice Envy and Persecution Pride Hastiness and High-mindedness Oppression and Tyranny Covetousness and Drunkenness Lying and Swearing Defrauding and Deceit Wantonness and Whoredoms and many other wicked Weapons which the Light will make manifest to them that abide faithful in it Now let every one in particular come to a honest search in your own Hearts and examine your selves without Deceit and see whose Banner you are marching under and whose Armour you wear for it is but vain for any man to deceive himself any longer for look whose Armour thou bearest his Souldier thou art and his Wages thou must look to receive for if thou livest in Sin and Wickedness thou art a Servant to Sin and the Wages of Sin thou must expect to receive and the Wages of Sin is Death therefore it were good for thee to ponder the thing wisely lest thou bring thy Destruction upon thy self
the Fruits of Death whereon he feeds and is in some sort satisfied for he dares not approach unto the Tree of Life because the Angel of the Lord's Presence standeth with the flaming sword ready lifted up even the righteous Law which still layes hold on him when at any time he approaches near unto the Tree of Life this cuts him down so that he at all Times remains in Death and feeds upon the Fruits thereof this is the true State and Condition of the first Adam who hath lost himself and is fallen from God his Maker But now the second Adam whom the Lord is creating and whom he hath created even after his own Image in Righteousness and true Holiness who was and is the first born among many Brethren even Christ the Son of the living God who puts an End to Transgression and destroyes Sin and sayes O Death I will be thy Death and fulfills the Royal Law in all things and passeth through the flaming sword for the Fire cannot touch him but he has free Access to the Tree of Life and feeds plentifully upon the Fruit thereof and so lives forever and nothing will satisfie him but the very Life it self And this is the true Condition of the second Adam who is the true Heir of all things Now he that comes to have this Babe begotten in him that which hath begot him will bring him forth for shall I bring to the Birth and not bring forth saith the Lord now he that comes to be born of this Birth and to have his Life to stand in this he shall with this come to eat of the Tree of Life for this is he that shall enter in at the streight Gate into the City whose Builder is God Therefore if thou feelest any thing in thee which stirs and moves in thee against sin and against the very Appearance of Evil there lies the seed out of which this Babe is formed and therefore as it is as yet but weak as in Appearance to thee thou oughtest to be tender over it even more tender then the Mother that is newly conceived is over the tender Fruit of her Womb and beware of bruising of it and of smothering of it for a small thing will offend it and choak it but as thou art tender over it and with Carefulness dost cherish it and come to take Delight in it thou wilt find it to grow daily and encrease in thee from strength to strength but thou must beware that thou dost not at any time lay any Burden upon it whereby it may be offended for if thou dost thou wilt come into Condemnation for the same and thou wilt come to suffer Loss in thy self which Loss will not easily be regained for thou wilt find Deadness and Barrenness to arise up in thee and the Dread and Terror of the Lord will take hold daily upon thee until the Lord hath executed his Vengeance upon that which hath oppressed his seed for thou must assuredly come to know a day of Vengeance in thee to light upon the Head of the Transgressor and a Night of sâ—rrow before thou canst know the day of Joy and Gladness Therefore if thou wilt give up freely to let the Seed of God go free to serve the Lord its God in Truth and Righteousness and wait in Patience to see the Oppressor judged and condemned in thee and to see the Vengeance of the Lord to be laid upon the Head of the Transgressor and so to become one with that which judgeth and executes the fierce Wrath and Indignation of the Lord upon that which oppresseth the righteous Seed in thee Now if thou become one with the Lord in this and give up thy self willingly in Obedience to him then a short Work will the Lord make in the Earth and thou shalt come to see him whom thy Soul loveth who now doth but spring up in thee as a Lilly among Thorns but when he comes to be brought forth he will be the fairest amongst ten thousand and this is Christ in thee the Hope of Glory and thou wilt come to live in him and he in thee and so thou wilt come to live in the Life that was before Sin was and before Transgression was and shall be when Sin and Transgression is destroyed and shall be no more and then thou wilt come to witness old things to be done away and all things to become new a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness and thou wilt come to witness God's Will to be done in thy Body of Earth as it is in Heaven and his Kingdom in thee to be come and established and his Power made known in thee to the destroying of the Power of Sin and Satan and his Glory to be made known in thee to the setting forth of his eternal Praise in the midst of all his Enemies and this is declared by many who are faithful Witnesses of it according to the Measure which the Lord hath freely been pleased to give and bestow upon them and this do they witness to be an eternal Truth according as the Spirit of the Lord God of Truth hath revealed it unto them for they never received from Man neither by Man but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ who leads into the Path of Light and Life all that are willing and obedient to follow him now these things are deep and hidden Mysteries to them that yet remain in Darkness but if thou canst but read the Scriptures singly without adding thereunto thy own or any other Mans Imaginations they testifie of him that hath the Life in him and they declare how the two Births have been brought forth in all Ages which Births came from the two Seeds even the Seed of the Promise and the Seed of the Serpent and between these two Seeds there is an everlasting Enmity placed so that they can never be reconciled one to the other but still arise one to destroy the other but at last the Seed of the Woman must and will get the Victory for that must come to bruise the Seed of the Serpent's head although the other bruise his Heel for a short Space now see the Seed of the Serpent brought forth by the first Birth in Cain how the Enmity comes to work in him so that he came as it were to murder Abel the second Birth which was brought forth of the Seed of the Promise and wherefore was it but because the Sacrifice that was offered up by the promised Seed was accepted and his the Seed of the Serpent was not therefore Cain the first Birth who as in Reference to his outward Birth after the Flesh was therein his Brother but yet he being ruled by the contray Seed to Abel the Enmity caused him to rise up and to murder innocent Abel and then he became a Fugitive and a Vagabond upon Earth all his Dayes not having an Habitation in God although he builded a City and call'd it by his Son's Name so here
come upon them if they still went on in their Rebellion against the Lord And as the Lord had set the House of Israel whilest they stood in his Statutes as a Sign and as a wonder unto the Nations round about them so now likewise he hath set his Prophets in whom his Seed is raised as Signs and Wonders to the House of Israel because they were become a rebellious People but many of the Prophets they murdered wherein the same Seed of the Serpent that was in Cain appeared and some they cast into Prison others they Banished so that they provoked the Holy One of Israel to Wrath so that he let loose the Heathens against them and suffered them to destroy their Land and to lay waste their fenced Cities and to carry them away Captives into strange Lands till he had humbled them and brought them low then when they were in Distress they called upon him cry'd unto him in the time of their Trouble and his Ears were open to them and then he many times by his Prophets came to reason with them and to lay open before them the many Deliverances which he at sundry times had wrought for them of the Largeness of his Love towards them yet how they had all along rebelled against him and turned his Righteous Law behind their Backs and not regarded his Reproofs but yet when he by Afflictions had brought down the Seed of the Serpent so that they came low in Heart and in Mind to be humbled towards him and to let the oppressed Seed in them to arise whose Sighs and Groans were to the Lord for whose Sake the Lord brought back again their Captivity and caused them to rest in their own Land in Peace and Safety and when he had ruled them many Years by Judges then they desired to have a KING even as all the Nations round about them had who were Strangers to God and in this they provoked the Holy One of Israel but yet for his own Seed's Sake he suffered all this and much more And gave them a King in his Wrath even Saul the Son of Kish and anoynted him with his own Spirit that he might have Understanding and Wisdom to rule and govern them that they might walk humbly in the Statutes of the Lord but he himself soon disobeyed the Voice of the Lord when he was sent to destroy the Amalekites that he should not spare old nor young but slay both Man and Woman Infant and Suckling Ox and Sheep Camel and Ass but see how the Seed of the Serpent arose in Saul and the Children of Israel and caus'd him to disobey the Commands of God by sparing Agag the King of the Amalekites alive and the best of the Sheep and of the Oxen and of the Fatlings and of the â—ambs and all that was Good and would not utterly destroy them but every thing that was vile and refuse that they destroyed utterly and so provoked the Spirit of the Lord which anoynted him King and the Lord repented that he had set up Saul King over Israel and he rent the Kingdom from him because his pure Seed came to be oppressed in him and so as he gave those People a King in his Wrath he took him from them in his Sore Displeasure But then he sent his Servant Samuel whom he anoynted to be a Prophet unto the House of Israel and sent him unto Saul to acquaint him that the Lord had rent the Kingdom from him and the Spirit of the Lord departed from him and with it his Honour but yet behold the Subtilty of the Serpent in him who would have tempted the Prophettohave honoured him before the People when that in him to which the Honour did duely belong was departed from him but herein the Serpent's Head in some Measure came to be bruised Then the Lord sent his Prophet to anoynt David King over Israel who was the Son of Jesse for said the Lord Behold I have found a man after my own Heart to reign over Israel to whom the Lord promised that out of his Loyns after the Flesh should come the MESSIAS that should rule over the spiritual Seed of Abraham and that there should not want one to sit upon the Throne of David henceforth even forever and that his Kingdom should be an Everlasting Kingdom and of his Dominion there should be no End and the Government should be upon his Shoulders this is the great Prophet that Moses foretold of to the Children of Israel that should come saying A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up from among your Brethren like unto me him shall you hear in all things and it shall come to pass that he that will not obey the Voice of this Prophet shall be cut off from amongst the People Now consider what this Moses was who declareth this unto Israel he was one whom the Lord preserved in the Court of Pharaoh in Egypt which was of the stock of Israel and by his Hand the Lord brought many Plagues upon the Land of Egypt and by him delivered the Seed of Israel out of their Captivity So likewise this Prophet that the Lord hath promised to raise up like unto him from amongst their Brethren even from within the midst of every man which shall bring JUDGMENTS and PLAGUES upon spiritual Egypt even the Land of Darkness bring Deliverance unto the spiritual Seed of Israel which now groans under the Burden of Oppression This Messiah even CHRIST all the Prophets pointed at him and prophesied of his Coming even in the one Body of Flesh for they prophesied That a Virgin should conceive and bear a Son and they should call his Name EMANUEL which by Interpretation is GOD WITH US and he promised To give him for a COVENANT unto the People and for a LIGHT unto the Gentiles that he might be his Salvation unto the End of the Earth and that he should put an End unto all Types and Ceremonies which then the Children of Israel observed were commanded so to do even by the Lord their God and had their Priests their Levites their Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifice their Heave-Offerings their Peace-Offerings their Shew-Bread their Passeovers their New-Moons their Sabbaths their Solemn-Assemblies their Temple and Altar with the Ark of the Testament but yet all These were but Shadows of things which were to come for the Substance was and is CHRIST for the Seed of God was yet for all this oppressed in them for they smote with the Fist of Wickedness and many times provoked the Lord to Wrath so that he destroyed many of them and they caused him to say that though the number of the Children of Israel were in number as the Sands on the Sea Shore yet should there be but a Remnant of them saved which Remnant was them in whom the pure Seed of God came to be raised up to bear Rule and so they came faithfully to believe in the Promises of God and so by Faith they
nâ—t but go unto my Brethren and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God your God and Mary Magdalen came and told the Disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things unto her and now the Seed of the Woman was raised up mightily to bruise the Serpent's Head He afterwards appâ—ared unto his Disciples at sundry times and Places bidding them to go and preach the Gospel to all Nations he told them that he would be with them to the End of the World and commanded them to go to Jerusalem and there to wait till they should receive Power from on high even the Holy Ghost the Comforter which he had promised to them before and he told them that after the Holy Ghost was come upon them They should be Witnesses unto him both in Jerusalem and in Judea and in Samaria and unto the uttermost Parts of the Earth which accordingly came to pass when they were met together with one accord on the Day of Pentecost for there suddenly came a Sound from Heaven as of a rushing mighty Wind and it filled all the House where they were sitting and there appeared upon them cloven Tongues as of Fire and sate upon each of them and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other Tongues as the Spirit gave them Utterance and there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews devout men out of every Nation under Heaven and now when this was noised abroad the Multitude came together and were confounded because that every man heard them speak in his own Language and they were all amazed and marvailed saying one to another Behold are not all these that speak Galileans and how hear we every man in our own Tongue wherein we were born we do hear them speak in our own Tongues the Wonderful Works of God and they were all amazed and in doubt saying one to another what meaneth this Now the Seed of the Woman was raised up in many of these devout men and the Serpent's Head came to be bruised but yet there were others in whom the Seed of the Serpent ruled which caused them to mock and to say These men are full of New Wine but Peter was raised up amongst them by the Power of the Almighty to declare unto them the Eternal Truth of God whereby the Serpent's Head came to be bruised in many and the Seed of God to be raised up even in three thousand whose Souls were then converted and the Seed of the Woman still prevailed more and more and the Apostles went on in the Dread and in the Authority of the Lord declaring unto the Nations what tho Lord had made manifest in them even by the Operation of his Powerful Spirit they turned People from Darkness to Light and from the Power of the Serpent even Satan to the Power of God which was Christ in them the Hope of Glory and they told People that Christ was in them except they were Reprobates yet they met with strong Oppositions even within them and without them which arose from the Seed of the Serpent but yet they witnessed the Cross of Christ to be the Power of God to Salvation Now do but behold how suddenly the Seed of the Serpent came to be destroyed in Paul even by the Seed of the Woman who bruised his Head who being a violent Persecuter came suddenly to be convinced even by the Voice of Christ Jesus the Light of the World which Light shined round about him and he became Blind to what he had formerly seen and that Eye which formerly was blinded came to be opened and that Eye which formerly had been opened came to be shut and the Scales fell from off them and that Tongue that had formerly been drunk came to sound forth the Praises of the Lord in the Declaration of his glorious Gospel and not only Paul but whole Nations came to be converted unto God to be turned from Darkness unto the Light of the glorious Gospel and the Sound of God's mighty Day went through all the Earth this was a good Day wherein Christ warn'd his Disciples that they should work but yet this Day was to be darkned for Christ told them That the Night should come wherein no man could work for he saw that the Seed of the Serpent yet lodged in many of them who then professed him therefore he gave his Disciples Warning of them and told them by what Signs they should know them which were That they should come in Sheeps Clothing a fair outward Shew but inwardly ravened from the Nature of the Sheep and the Wolfish Nature should lodge in them which would make a Prey of the Sheep and continually seek to devour them and this Nature did arise from the Seed of the Serpent which lodged in the Hearts of many and came afterwards to work in a Mystery even in the Mystery of Iniquity and this was the man of Sin which sate in the Temple of God as God and exercised himself above all that is called God which was then vailed and not known except unto a few to whom the Man of Sin came to be revealed and the Everlasting Day of the Lord came to be known and they came to give forth their Testimony from the Seed of God which was raised up in them that the Ends of the World were come upon them and that the latter times were come whereof Christ had fore-warned them wherein Antichrist should come and that he was then in their Dayes come and that there were many Antichrists then gone forth into the world which Antichrists made up the one great Antichrist in Process of time and they declared that the Mystery of Iniquity did then in their Dayes begin to work and that the Form of Godliness should come to be followed and the Power of Godliness to be denyed And the Apostle exhorted the Thessalonians Not to be troubled neither by Word nor by Spirit nor by Letter as from us that the Day of Christ is at Hand So he declared that there should be a Night for else he had not spoken of a Day to be at hand which Night was then drawing on therefore he advised the afore-said Thessalonians Not to let any man deceive them by any Means as concerning the Day of the Lord for that Day should not come except there came a Night or a Falling away first that the Man of Sin might be revealed the Son of Perdition which Man was conceived from the Seed of the Serpent who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God even the God of the world who blindeth the eye of the mind of many And the Apostle declared unto the fore-mentioned People that the Mystery of Iniquity did already work only he who now letteth would let until he were taken out of the
Wilderness even by a mighty hand and by his Arm of Strength which he now has stretcht forth unto you which Arm he is making bare even in the Sight of the Nations therefore go on and be valiant for Truth and lift up the weak Hands and strengthen the feeble Knees for now is he making himself known who will assemble her that halted and gather her that was scattered and bring back again that which was driven away even he that binds up the broken-hearted is come and coming who will satisfie the Thirsty Soul and speak comfortably unto all them that truly breath after the Eternal Peace and Welfare of Zion and the Redemption of the oppressed Seed which hath long breathed after Liberty therefore wait in the Patience in the Stilness and in the Coolness of your Spirits that you may come to feel that to arise daily in you which will dash down all Incumbrances who rebukes the Winds and stills the raging Seas at his Command who is the only begotten of the Father who begets all his Children into Love for God is Love and that which is begot of him in all Hearts is Love and Tenderness unto all men but especially one towards another Therefore dear Friends beware of that Spirit which would arise in you to cause evil Surmisings one of another or that would open an evil Eye to look forth at one anothers Weakness and of that Spirit that would cause any secret Rejoycing thereat though it be never so hidden but beware and bring it to the Bar of Judgment before it gets any Head or Strength in you that so it may be condemned before it go any further And beware of that Spirit that shall arise to cause a Deadness or a Barrenness in you as to the things of God would carry you back to feed upon that which you have formerly enjoyed and that would cause you to give way to a secret Envy which will be Ready to arise in you against them who in honest Simplicity walk in the true Obedience to the Measure of God made manifest in them because when they feed in the Banqueting House of their Father you may perhaps find Barrenness and Emptiness for the present I say beware of that Spirit for it is he that causeth the Barrenness and the want therefore wait in that which discovers him and makes him known and come unto true Obedience thereunto and you shall see him and all that would arise to oppose it self against the pure seed of God in you cast into utter darkness from whence it arises for the Prince of Darkness with all his Legions is not able to stand in the Presence of God of his Christ who is the Light of the World and hath enlightned you with a measure of himself which if you faithfully obey and follow you will feel a living Zeal to arise in your Hearts for the Lord and for his Truth and likewise an utter Enmity against all the Deeds of Darkness both in your selves and likewise in all others and you will feel that to arise in you which truly breaths after the Good and Welfare of all the Sons Daughters of men and you will come to suffer with the Seed of God which is oppressed both in your selves and aâ—l the Sons and Daughters of Adam and blessed are all they that come to witness this in Truth and in Reallity and that are fâ—ithful to that little thing that makes this known unto them for verely they shall be made Rulers over much Therefore dear Friends you that are newly begotten into the eternal Truth of God for your Sakes is this declared by him who hath by the good Hand of God been carried through these things and hath seen much of the Strength and Subtilty of the Enemy who like a roaring Lyon goes about seeking whom he may devour therefore stand in the Light and in the Cross even that which crosseth the carnal Mind and in that there is Power against all his Assaults and wait in Stilness at all times that so you may come to hear the Voice of the Lord and to obey and follow it for Obedience is better then Sacrifice and that is it which the Lord requires of you and without that you shall not eat of the good of the land even the promised land of Rest and Peace which the Lord is now bringing his People into where they shall feed in fat Pastures even by the Springs of living Water under the Shadow of the Tree of Life whose Fruit is pleasant to the Taste and whose Leaves are for the Healing of the Nations in which Land is Peace and Pleasantness and Joy and Gladness of Heart where the redeemed of the Lord walk and lie down in Rest and perfect Peace where no vultrous Eye can come and where the Devourer cannot enter where the Abominations which make desolate cannot stand The Gates of which land have long been the gates of the Enemy but now is the time appointed come the true spiritual Seed of Abraham is risen in many and doth possess the Gates of their Enemies and many are they that are entred in through the Gates to this Land of Rest and Redemption Praises to the Lord God forever and for evermore Aâ—d mâ—ny are they that are yet entring and to enter therefore be couragious and faint not for the Promise is unto all in whom tho Seed is in any measure made manifest which Seed shall possess the gates of his Enemies and though the Enemy hath long stood in the Gate and stopped the passage and though it may yet stop in many the passage through which the Seed should come forth out of Bondage Oppression yet mind not the Enemy but mind him who has promised will perform even that the Seed of Abraham shall possess the Gates of its Enemies which Seed is Christ in the Male and in the Female I say mind not that which brings in the Incumbrances but mind that which lets you see them and stills and quiets all again For Friends the Battail which is to be fought in every one of you is hard and the Enemy is strong and mighty therefore come forth even forth of the Polutions to the Help of the Lord against the mighty for Cursed is he that comes not forth to the Help of the Lord against the mighty therefore stand forth with your loyns girded about with Truth and put on the Breast plate of Faith and the Helmet of Salvation for a mighty work hath the Lord God to do in the Earth Instruments in whose Hand many of you may be if you are willing and obedient and can with content take up the Cross dayly which crosseth the carnal and despise the Shame then shall you be partakers of the Joy which is set before you which Joy dashes all the Glory of the World and makes it appear as a thing of nought for the Sake of which Joy many dear hearts have despised the Shame and Contempt of
the World and have willingly undergone many grievous Afflictions and have undauntedly triumphed over Death and Hell even to the Amazement of all their Enemies therefore blessed and happy are all you that are called forth to suffer for the Name of the Lord and of his Truth in which Truth is Freedom and the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower to which you may fly in time of Distress and you are safe from the Enemy and from all his Strength Oppositions and though he may exercise his Tyranny upon your outward man yet that is a thing of small value for that must to its Dust again from whence it came yet that it cannot touch without the Permision of him who is the Keeper of Israel who never slumbers nor sleeps But you have a Life which is hid with God in Christ which will remain when all mortal things shall turn to the Dust its Mother which Life cannot be touched nor injured by no invitred Heart nor cruel Hand therefore fear not man nor the Sons of men nay I know you that are come into the true Fear of the Lord you cannot fear man for Fearfulness that shall surprize the Hypocrite and Astonishment the double-hearted when they that fear the Lord shall be as bold as Lyons Therefore if Sufferings present unto thee my dear Friend whoever thou art that readest they will be as precious Jewels unto thee and thou wilt come to be as Gold which is purified in the Fire and as thy Sufferings do abound upon thy outward Body so likewise shall Peace and Tranquility flow in upon thee as Rivers of Living Water whereby thy Soul will come to be refreshed abundantly yea thou knowest that Pen cannot express nor Tongue declare the Endless Joy and Felicity which at all times accompanies those â—hat are faithful Words are too short â—o declare it yet nevertheless for the Sake of them that languish and hunger after the living Bread wherewith all that are faithful are satisfied and fed abundantly I say for the Sake of him that is hungry not yet â—ully satisfied is this written that he may go on and not faint in his Travail for blessed art thou that hungers â—nd thirsts after Righteousness for â—f thou wilt wait and abide in the Paâ—ience thou shalt be satisfied for in our Father's House is Bread enough where all his Children are fed at his Table in the Banqueting-House of Peace therefore wait and be still and commune with thy Heart and go not forth to look that abroad which cannot be found any where but at home in thy own Heart and though at present thou mayst see a Day of Distress and a Night of Sorrow wherein Judgment may come to be laid to the Line and Righteousness to the Plummet yet stand still wait on the Lord and in the Way of his Judgments so shalt thou witness Zion even the Seed of God within thee to come to be redeemed through it and Baâ—ylon with all her Brats come to be thrown down and dashed in pieces by it for now he that dasheth in Pieces is come upon our Walls and entred into our Borders even the Lord who is now risen to enter into Judgment with all Flesh and to purifie and to clense the Sons and Daughters of Men from all their Polutions and to let them see the Filth of the Fornication of Babylon's Whore which hath long reigned in the Hearts of the Children of Men and hath caused all the Creation to groan under her Oppression now is the Lord risen to rent her Covering and to lay open her shame and Nakedness that all that are not wilfully blind may see the Filth of her Polutions and come out from her lest they be Partakers of her Plagues which shall suddenly come upon her that so the Lord may clense them and purifie them and make them fit Temples for himself to dwell in for that is the Work which the Lord is going to perform and his mighty Arm shall bring it to pass for he will work and who shall hinder it and he will dash all the Pot-sherds to pieces that oppose themselves against him for who art thou that settest Bryars and Thorns in Battle against me saith the Lord Shall not I pass through and burn them up Yea verely Friend this have our Eyes seen and our Ears have heard how the Lord hath torn the Powers of the Earth in pieces and hath brought all their Contrivances to nought who have sought after their own Glory and not the Glory of Him who have sate at rest and ease and have not partaken of the Day of Jacob's Trouble but have sought their own Interest and not the Interest of the Lord nor the Liberty of his People but have suffered the Innocent to lie under the Hands of grievous Oppressors even the greedy Hirelings and the dumb Idol Shepherds who have long made Prey upon the Lord's Heritage and have scattered the Lord's Flock in the dark and cloudy Day and caused them to wander upon the Barren Mountains who have long fed themselves with the Fat and clothed themselves with the Wool and have sate at Rest and Ease and have cryed peace whilst men could put into their Mouthes but now them that cannot feed them any longer they even prepare War against them whereby they become a Prey unto them so that the whole Land groans under that Oppression more then any other and the Righteous suffer and no man layeth it to Heart and for this Cause hath the Lord rebuked strong Nations and he will still rebuke all them that shall set themselves against him and against his People Therefore dear Friends wait still on the Lord who is the Strength of Sion and the Redeemer of the Seed of Jacob who hath already for your sakes even for his Seed's sake which he hath raised in you overthrown all that have exalted themselves against him and against his Anointed even Kings Princes Protectors and Parliaments I say the Lord hath overthrown and dashed them in pieces as Potters Vessels because they relieved not the Oppressed nor pleaded the Cause of the Innocent therefore hath swift Destruction overtaken them as an Armed Man and there was none to deliver And for your sakes O ye Sons and Daughters of Sion hath the Lord brought these things to pass that the Nations may know that his Dread and Presence is with you and at all times is amongst you for by you will he make himself known unto this crooked and perverse Generation and they shall confess that God of a truth is in you and amongst you And though his Appearance unto Proud Flesh is without Form or Comliness yet you know him to be as a Lilly among Thorns who is the Beloved of your Souls and the fairest among Ten Thousand who is declaring his strange Acts his wonderful Works in you that which hath been hidden from Ages and Generations past he is now making known even in and through you
Way then should that wicked one be revealed whom the Lord would consume with the Spirit of his Mouth and destroy with the Brightness of his Coming And the Apostles declared That Perilous times were at hand and should come wherein men should be Lovers of themselves more then Lovers of God and that they should be Proud Heady High minded men and should have a Form of Godliness but should deny the Power they should be such who seek after filthy Lucre and through Covetousness should make Merchandize of Souls for dishonest Gain and they should be Fierce Despisers of them that are good and should speak Evil of Things they know not but what they know is naturally as Bruit Beasts and in those Things they corrupt themselves these are Murmurers and Complainers walking after their own Lusts and their Mouthes speaking great swelling Words having mens Persons in Admiration because of Advantage these are as raging Waves of the Sea foaming out their own Shame Wandering Stars to whom is reserved the Blackness of Darkness forever therefore the Wo is unto them for they have gone in the Way of Cain and run greedily after the Error of Balaam even for Gifts and Rewards And Enoch the Seventh from Adam prophesied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh in Ten Thousand of his Saints to execute Judgments upon all and to convince all that are Ungodly amongst them of all their Ungodly Deeds which they have ungodlily committed and of all their Hard Speeches which Ungodly Sinners have spoke against him Now these were the Ministers of Darkness therefore they have wrought in the dark their Deeds have been the Deeds of Darkness and these are they that have kept People in Blindness and Ignorance some Thirty some Forty and some an Hundred Years even all their Life time ever learning but they never came to the Knowledge of the Truth by them and these are they which have taught for Doctrine the Precepts of Men and their Precepts are contrary to the Scriptures and are as followeth First They tell People That the Scriptures are the Word of God when there is no such thing mentioned in the Scriptures but they declare that Christ was the Word which was in the beginning with God and was God 2dly They tell People of a Sacrament and some of them of several Sacraments and of Three Persons in the Trinity when the Scripture declares no such thing yet the Father Son and holy Ghost we own which is but one 3dly They Sprinkle Infants with Water and tell the People They are adopted into Christ and are thereby become Members of his Body when there is neither Command nor Example in all the Scriptures for any such thing 4thly They tell People That the First Day of the Week is the Sabbath Day and ought to be kept more holy then any other Day when there was no such thing commanded by Christ nor any of the Apostles 5thly They have told the People That the House made of Lime and Stone is the Church and the Temple of God wherein the Lord dwels when the Scripture declares no such thing but the Contrary that is that God dwelleth not in Temples made with Hands 6thly They taught the People to observe Dayes and Set Times as Christ mas day and Children mas-day and Lammâ—s-dâ—y and Candle-mas-day and Michael's-mas-day with Easter and their Good Fryday and their Whitsuntide and Shrovetide and many other Saints Dayes which are tedious here to mention whereof the Scripture makes no mention And they have told the People That Tythes and Offerings are due to them and Easter-Reckonings and Midsummer-Dues and Smoke-Pennys and Reek-Pennys and Money for Eggs and Gardens with their great fair House and Glebe-Lands whereby they their Wives and Families may live even in the Sins of Sodom which were Pride abundance of Idleness and Fulness of Bread Now this which they call their Dues is the very Pillar and Ground upon which their Gospel and Ministry stands for let this be but taken away and down fall they with their Gospel and Ministry which some of them have not been ashamed to declare in publick Now the Scripture declares not any such thing neither is there any mention made of such Maintenance to be Compelled from the People to maintain them that are the True Ministers who are Called and Chosen and sent abroad from Country to Country and from City to City to declare the Glorious Gospel that the Sound thereof might reach even to the Ends of the Earth and as they received freely so they were to give freely and into what City soever they came they were to enquire who was worthy and there to remain eating such things as were set before them for the Labourer is worthy of his Meat Now thou that readest consider in thy own Heart thinkest thou that the Lord God of Life hath intrusted his Glorious Gospel in the Hands of such Hirelings as before-mentioned who would not declare it to the Poor and Needy whereunto it is the Glad-Tidings of Salvation because they have not wherewithal to satisfie them for it Nay verely nay the Lord never intended any such thing but he sent his Prophets to cry out to every one that thirsts that they might come unto the Waters and take Wine and Milk without Money and without Price And John witnesses that the Spirit saith Come and the Bride saith Come and whosoever is athirst may come and take of the Water of Life freely And Paul affirms That he did not eat any Man's Bread for nought but wrought with Labour and Travail Night and Day that he might not be Chargeable to any but he commanded that if any would not Work neither should he eat Therefore their Maintenance was not so large neither did they sit down in one Place to preach the Gospel some Ten some Twenty and more years and so sit at Ease in Pride and Idleness compelling their Maintenance from the People and making Friends to the Rulers Magistrates having their Persons in Admiration that they may have the Advantage of the Law against the People that they may have their Goods by Violence and cast their Bodies into Prison if they Refuse to put into their Mouthes to satisfie their Lusts as those which have ruled in this long Night of Apostacy have done But the True Apostles who laboured with their own Hands and travailed up and down in Hunger and in Cold who were counted as Vagabonds and not worthy to live upon the Earth by them in whom the seed of the Serpent ruled they fore-told the People that such Ravening Wolves should come who should make a Prey upon the Sheep and as there had been False Prophets in all ages before them even so there should arise False Teachers amongst them who privily should bring in Damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bringing upon themselves swift Destruction and many should follow their pernicious Ways by reason of whom the Way of Truth should be