their apprehension of our transgression of the Law take occasion against us and persecute and spoil us whilst they themselves are the transgressors and that by their own Law which saith The Law of God is the Law of the Land And the Law of God saith Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self but he that will Imprison him and spoil his goods and persecute him doth not love him so is a transgressor but we are free and the Law of God doth not charge guilt upon us nor condemn us in the things we practise and therefore it must needs be that such as act against us are the transgressors and whatsoever stands for Law this day which doth condemn our practice and punish us for the using of it the same doth differ from the Law of God and so degenerates from that Conclusion which the Law it self makes and in plain words expresseth That the Law of God is the Law of the Land And through the miscarriages of men towards us whose wills have wrested the Law in divers cases we have through such things deeply suffered and yet the yoak is continued upon us and our Innocency is made a prey upon for we being a quiet People and disposed in the principle of Love towards all men and cannot seek revenge upon any therefore are our afflictions increased whether with Law or without Law or against Law it is not by many much regarded as in divers cases might be truly instanced which is at present waved And seeing that the Law it self doth make such a Conclusion of its own standing that it is the Law of God then to examine a little some particulars and places in it if in all things it have perfect agreement with the Law of God for the Law of God is pure holy just and good and as it hath been shewed that the practise in divers cases doth degenerate from the Law of the Land so it may come to pass that the Law of the Land may degenerate from the Law of God for the Law of God speaketh on this wise 1. Thou shalt not bow to any graven Image nor the likeness of any thing And whatsoever is set up and not by the Spirit of the Lord is graven out of an imagination and is an Image and to bow unto that thing is to bow unto a graven Image and if the Law of the Land do restrain from such a practice then it standeth right but if it do allow such things or rather compel people to practise such things then doth it degenerate from the Law of God 2. The Law of God saith Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain And to Swear by his Name is to take his Name in vain and if the Law of the Land do restrain people from all manner of Oathes then it standeth right but if it do allow such things or rather in some cases compel into such things then doth it degenerate from the Law of God 3. Christ Jesus the Lawgiver saith Thou shalt love the Lord thy God and thy Neighbour as thy self and to love God is to keep his Commandments and to love a Neighbour as to love a mans self is to do him good and not to harm him Now if the Law of the Land do encourage such things then it standeth right but if it do allow the breaking of God's Commands and teach men so or if it do allow one Neighbour to spoil the goods of another or in some cases rather compell such things to be done then it doth degenerate from the Law of God and from the Doctrine of Christ Jesus 4. Christ Jesus the Lawgiver saith God is a Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth Now if the Law of the Land do allow such a worship and protect it then it standeth right but if it do prohibit it or rather compel from it then it doth degenerate from the Law of God and from the Doctrine of Christ Jesus and in this case two things are very considerable to be minded and not to be practised 1. Not to bind Peoples Consciences into any Practice or into any Worship which in their own Conscience they are not perswaded into nor to compel a Conformity unto any Practice or Worship which standeth not in the Spirit and in the Truth for to use Force and Compelling-Laws in such Cases is but to force People to bow unto an Image or to the likeness of a thing which the Law of God doth expresly forbid 2. Not to prohibite or forbid People for meeting together in any place or at any time above such a number for this is to limit God if it were possible and to restrain tender Consciences from their holy Exercise in God's Spirit and to keep them from the pure Worship which standeth in the Spirit and in the Truth only and to stop them from that practice which the Father seeks them to perform for Christ saith the Father seeketh such to worship him and no Law of the Land ought to take place to diminish that Liberty which any People have in the Spirit nor to prohibit that Worship that is performed to God in the Spirit though in the practice there may be contrary minds amongst them for the Spirit of the Lord God is free and without limitation and all that are born of the Spirit they are a free-born People and their Worship stands singly to God in the Spirit and in the Truth and though there may be a difference in Worships outwardly and amongst the Worshippers in point of practice yet none ought by any outward Law either to compel or prohibit each other for that is peculiar to God alone and no man is to stand up in Judgment concerning it or to bind the Conscience of another by an outward Law either to observe the one or to deny the other for whoever hath outward Power to rule and would set that Power to judge in matters of Conscience Worship and Religion and from their own Judgment in such cases make Laws to compel to one thing and to restrain from another thing such Laws do degenerate from the Law of God and from the Doctrine of Christ Jesus and from his Life and Wisdom And therefore these things considered and weighed it will be found of great necessity to search well into the Laws and where any are found to oppose the righteous Law of God and yet stand in force in any such case to repeal them that so the Law of the Land may be reduced into the truth of its own saying and stand in Justice Equity and Mercy as doth the Law of God then Persecution would cease about Religion and there would be a stream of perfect Liberty to all tender Consciences and no Restraint would be upon any in case of Worship or Religion otherwayes living peaceably in the Nation so would hearts and minds of men come into Love into Peace and into Settlement and good Order and it would allay all the heat and heart-burnings amongst men and cool them and quiet them and then there would not need Swords and Spears to preserve Order for People coming to that of God in themselves and worshipping and serving God in the Spirit and in the Truth and every one standing in the Spirit 's Liberty then People would settle and be quiet and love one another and be at Peace one amongst another and there would be good Order through the Nation but this being wanting and Compelling-Laws ruling it makes Broils in the Nation and causeth Distractions amongst People which would be prevented if Liberty in matter of Worship and Religion was granted and tolerated And what harm would this do to any man or what prejudice could come to any man by so doing Surely none at all but rather happiness both to such as rule and such as are ruled and the comfort of it would be found to be very great unto all that truly fear the Lord And this is the Liberty which the King's Prerogative is to defend according to the Maxime of Charles the first But however it hath been or yet is with us in these cases outwardly our trust is in the Lord God and in him we do rejoyce and we desire that all people were like-minded with us and were as we are except our Bonds and Afflictions for the Presence of the Lord God is with us and by his Arm we are supported and through all these things the Truth standeth and that is the Word of the Lord to all people Truth standeth And if any yet think with themselves that with their strength they can prevail against the Truth then let them try their strength but let them also mind what will be the end of it for this I know in the Truth that whosoever rises against the Truth will toil themselves in vain and spend their strength for nought and in the end will lie down in sorrow for Truth standeth And how many have come up and have appeared in full strength and have been permitted to have a blow at Truth but how are they wasted and how are they passed away and perished yet Truth standeth Therefore all people fear the living God and in time be warned for no weapon formed against the Truth shall prosper for Truth standeth over all and Christ Jesus reigneth his Power and Glory and Dignity is set on high and in his Love all Wrath is swallowed up and here is the beginning known and here is the ending set for the Love of God was first and the Love of God is last and here is the finishing of the Work and the closing up in perfect Peace and with this Love all contrary Beings are comprehended and in its own Being it remains unchangeable and it is Truth and no lye and Truth standeth Glory to the Most High for ever and ever Amen W. S. Here is the Wisdom and Patience of the Saints Who have ears to hear let them hear THE END
in order and he is a Christian and not an Infidel for all Infidels are unfaithful to the Light and so neglect their own houses and take no care for their own family and their house is out of order and their family is not provided for and there is no peace in that house for when man's eye opens into the world he lets his enemies into his house and they sit and rejoyce over him there the lust of the Eye goeth forth and the pride of Life exalteth and ruleth and in that part all envy and malice and evil-will is begotten and nourished and there the seed of the evil-doet hath his authority and from his power proceeds all unrighteousness all the bad thoughts words and deeds it is the very Womb of cruelty and the Breast that nourisheth the persecuting Birth and whilest this is entertained that peace of the house is disturbed and all the family is out of order and such a man is worse than an Infidel who takes not care of his own family but le ts in enemies and entertains them and so harbours that which disquieteth his family and destroyes it and then his own house being filled with enemies and they sitting in authority over him he becomes actually disposed by them and in their nature he appears against others and so envy and malice and evil-will and cruelty and persecution is brought forth and from the strength of darkness within it comes to be executed upon the innocent without and this is the wicked state unto which there is no peace but the righteous rejoyce in God and in his Love their peace is sealed Now the Light being loved the house comes to be cleansed and all the old rubbish of envy and malice purged out for the Power comes to have an operation in all that believe and by its working it kills the lust of the eye and cuts down the pride of Life and slayes the perverse Nature in every part and roots out the man of Sin and brings down the Throne of Antichrist and so the Seed of God riseth and the water of cleansing is felt and the little leaven is known that worketh all into a new lump so that the heart and mind becomes clean and the inward parts are washed and here Christ is known in his power and his fan is felt to go in man and the fire is felt that burns the chaffe and for this end is Christ made manifest and thus doth he come to man in the fall his judgement is with him yea it goes before him to cut down the seed of the evil-doer but they who abide the day of his coming or who stand before him when he thus appeareth who love his refining hand and turn not their back upon him or who abide the furnace until the work be perfected by him Oh his appearance is dreadful whilst the wicked standeth but his mercy is sweet when the wicked is removed And thus to be regenerated is a work beyond man 's own reason and thus to be renewed and changed is a state not to be comprehended and who comes to the putting off their old things they are ready to receive new and so passes from death to life in the translation and then they are born again of incorruptible Seed in which Seed the Gospel is known and Gospel-Peace possessed and there is Christ in his power over all he rules in the family and all the house is in good order and plentifully provided for and he fills that house with his peace and all the family have fulness of joy in his presence Here a man is in Christ and is a Christian and then he is no more his own but in the Life he is disposed and all his fruits appear for God Love is become his Garment and Meekness the Girdle of his Loins and this is the Birth born of God and to do his will it doth delight to love enemies is its nature and it can feed them when they hunger and give them drink when they thrist it cannot revile when it is reviled it cannot seek revenge when it is persecuted for it is born of Love and in love is naturally disposed and this is the man that is after God who is regenerated by the power of God and is born of the Seed of God which Seed is holy pure and perfect which Seed is Christ the Wisdom and Righteousness of God and as he is in himself so he is made the same to all that are born of him then man with his virtues becomes cloathed and is holy as he is holy in which holinesse God is seen and in this pure holy life of Christ the pure Religion is known a Religion undefiled mark Christ undefiled the Religion undefiled and that Religion that is not so is none of his for the pure Religion standeth in him and all his fresh springs open in it the heavenly water of Life is felt and known and his Streames run and cease not the Lord God doth open his Fountain the strength of his love goes forth the River cleanseth the Valleys and the sweetness of its virtue is felt from sea to sea the strength of it is very great and the banks with its fulness is ready to break this Religion flourisheth in the Life and in the Life it stands firm for ever and of its heavenly virtue there is no end And here is the standing Truth in which Truth Christ is fed upon and the meat that endures to everlasting life is known This is the Bread that comes down from heaven which if a man eat he shall never die and except man eat of this he hath no Life in Christ and in this all changable things have their end he puts that part down out of which the many Religions arise and so they decay and wax old but he endures the same for ever and brings in a standing Religion in his own nature and in this Religion there is no strife nor envy nor persecution for that is Cain's mark but love and peace and good will to all men the love that overcomes Cain's nature and races out his mark and proclaims Peace on earth and Good-will amongst men Here is Christ manifested in the Fathers Love and he would not the death of a sinner this is his mind and a sinner is conttary to his pure Nature in which there is no sin Then they have not the Mind of Christ that will Kill and Persecute about Religion and Oppress those that are contrary minded that is the work of Antichrist where ever it is and such are not redeemed out of the World but lives in it and with that part slays the Lamb and crucifies the holy One and that is spiritual Sodom and Egypt where the Just suffers for man not being redeemed hath a part standing that doth not regard the Innocency but rules over it and there man is wise in his own eyes and with that part he is lifted up and under that part doth the Innocent
suffer and that is the part which defiles a man and tosses his mind with the waves of its sea for man can never come to true settlement whilst that part liveth in him that would be wise in knowledge out of the Life and whilst man is there seeking to know and to be satisfied with knowledge that very part comes over him with a vail and blinds his mind from that which he is seeking to know and this part will wrest things according to its own apprehension and from its own apprehension will draw conclusions and that doth thicken the vail upon man's heart but never removes it and man being thus scituate in his own Wisdom and Reason and with that part comprehending he stands at the greatest distance from that through which the things of God are revealed and his mind is not simple to receive the simple Truth but in the subtile wisdom of the flesh and the reason in that part he is striving to comprehend and here many seek but find not ask but receive not they are amiss in themselves and would receive things into that part which God doth never answer and many lye here unsatisfied and many also that satisfie themselves with that which they have comprehended into which their belief is entered though from God that part was never answered and so they build their nests on high and in their wisdom sit puffed up and there the fowls of the aire please themselves with notions with which the just are oppressed Oh how many entertain their enemy in their house how do they harbour him and lodge him and every way seek to please him as the most worthy guest but the best friend may stand and knock and not a door open to let him in Oh that people did but consider their present states how is man filled with that which the enemy brings home and how doth he receive it as the most lovely thing if the old wisdom doth but hunt and the old reason bring it home with what joy is that entertained and how choicely is that treasured up and what pride and glory doth man take in such riches it needs not be answered in words for he that with the Light of Christ will search his own house may find it to be so and receive an answer from the Witness of God in his own Conscience and therefore it is high time for all people of all sorts and sects to awake for time is swift and being past none can make it their own again Oh search with that of God in you that which bears the burden of uncleanness and of all your own righteousness Oh down into the deeps where you never yet have been that you may come to clearness in the bottom and learn the wonders of the Lord in that place and if you love the Light you may see your guests and how with strangers every room of your house is filled and how the Son of Peace and Love is excluded and shut out he is too low for your Wisdom and too mean for your Reason and when he would come in by his Light and beget your love unto him your eye cannot behold any comliness in him and so you exclude him as not worthy of acceptation and he being thus rejected that is holy and meek and just and good what can your houses be filled withal but passion and deceit and envy and malice yea rottenness and hypocrisie is lodged in your rooms and with such guests your houses are filled and there is an unclean house and an unclean heart and mind which God's beesom of judgement must pass thorow before the Son of Peace come into that house to govern So in the universal Love of God here is the Truth laid down as it is in Jesus that all who seek after the Lord God may be informed into the right way and let them mind well what here breefly followeth The Light comes from God and shines in darkness and with the Light darkness is discovered for the Light is not of darkness though it shines in darkness but with its manifestation it sheweth and reproveth darkness with its deeds and that is the first Principle of the pure Religion and the first Step into the way of Peace for to obey the Light is to obey Christ the Power of God and through obedience when the Light reproveth the Power is felt to take away that which is reproved and Judgement is executed upon that Nature which hath transgressed for the Power being minded it begets man into a self-denial and leads him in the daily cross to all that which it doth reprove in him and then the Power crucifies that part down which hath disquieted and troubled man in himself and through the Power man comes to his Peace for the way of the Cross is the way of Peace and the Cross is the Power of God and the Power stands in the way which leads unto Life and self must bow and be humbled unto it and the Cross must be daily taken up to that part which would save its Life and there must not be a turning aside to flie the Cross for that which draweth to do so is darkness and not Light and there is a part in man that is very hardly brought to the Cross and if it be brought unto it it is a very hard thing to keep it there the Life is sweet and would save it self and so the darkness standeth to wrest aside from the Cross and that which wresteth from the Cross doth wrest the Scriptures also unto which it draws the mind and raises up a defence for its Liberty here darkness wresteth and then catcheth and enshareth and the old Wisdom and Reason doth here betray the Innocency and such never come clearly thorow though they may have seen some openings for the Cross being denied and the judgement fled man never comes to be changed but abides in the old nature and what he hath seen afar off he gathers it into the old part and with that unrighteous part he holds the Truth and that is the part which loveth not the Cross but to die is the greatest gain Who have ears to hear let them hear When a man can stand still and eye the Power and the work of the Power in himself then he sees from whence his Salvation cometh and then Christ is known in his Power and received in his Power and there is no reasoning against him which Power is the Cross to every part of the old nature and humbles it down to the death and crucifies the world unto man and man unto the world and there he loses his own Life with all his Wealth and all his old garments are stripped from him and the willing and running ceaseth in him and all his own Wisdom and Reason comes into silence and there he lies before the Power a naked Child and in that state waits for an entrance into a new Life which through the Cross is attained and there is the