the Lord is at hand upon you ye Hypocrites ye that serve God with your lips and with your mouths profess much love when as your hearts are full of Envie Covetousness and Earthly-mindedness ye are the Apostate Christians that have taken the Form of Godlinesse upon you but want the Power ye preach and pray and hear Sermons and keep Sabbath-dayes and perform Duties but ye are not changed in your hearts but the old nature is alive and the old birth lives in you and ye are unlike unto God in nature and ye walk in the Flesh and not in the Spirit and ye take Christs words and the Apostles words and use your tongues when God never spoke to you O ye Hypocrites ye have a name to live but are dead and ye think ye are Rich when as ye are poor miserable blind and naked and your souls are lean and want the Bread of Life and ye have not put off the body of Sin nor have you overcome your Souls enemies but the burden of Sin lyes upon your Consciences and Temptations overcome you daily and though you say ye have Faith in Christ yet your hearts are not purified but the Old Man with his deeds is yet alive and the New Creature is not brought forth in you nor is Christ living in you and speaking in you the day of the Lord will come upon you you false-hearted men ye Apostate Christians that hold the Profession of Truth and Church and Gospel and Ministry in your unrighteous minds your Sacrifices are not acceptable to God nor your Offerings well-pleasing to him for your hearts are not aright before him and your Hypocrisie will God judge and his Wrath will go out like fire to consume your glory and God will cloath himself with Zeal as with a Cloak and with a Garment of Vengeance and he will slay you with his Sword and wound your Consciences with the Words of his Mouth and your Religion will not save you nor your Garment cover you from the Wrath of the Almighty Wo unto you the Mighty Day of the Lord is at hand upon you ye Earthly Professors who would be heirs of two Kingdoms who would enjoy God and this World too and love its Vanities and Profits and Pleasures and Honours and live in strife and contention one with another about earthly things and about your Religion too and are not of one heart and mind and soul but are strangers to the New Covenant of God though you hear Sermons and say a Form of Prayer and keep Sabbaths and Lecture-dayes and perform Ordinances and Duties and yet your hearts are hard and the body of Sin and Death lyes upon your Consciences and you are not changed into the Divine Nature this Religion will not save you away with it all it 's of Antichrish and his spirit leads you while you walk in the Form of Godliness without the Power the Lord will come upon you suddenly therefore Repent ye of your Hypocrisies and turn to the Spirit of God within you hear its Reproofs and obey it and walk in the Spirit and be ye Changed or else you can never be Saved VVo Wo unto all ye false Teachers and blind Leaders of the People ye Diviners and false Prophets and Day of the Lord is at hand upon-you ye have deceived souls for dishonest gain ye have run and were never sent of God and ye have not profited the people at all and ye have taken the name upon you of Ministers of Christ when he never sent you forth and you have kept a prating and preaching up and down and run for Gifts and Rewards and Hire ye have deceived the World and the Bloud of Souls rests upon you O ye Generation of Serpents poyson hath lodged under your tongues your hearts have been rotten and your tongues feigned and full of flattery and you have been as Canker-worms in the Earth and have corrupted the whole World Whom have not ye deceived by your Lyes and false Divinations Whom have not you cryed Peace unto if they would but give you Gifts Money and Hire What Form of Religion would not you take up for advantage to your selves how often have you turned from one way to another Oh ye false-hearted men the God of Heaven will shew you no mercy ye are the men that have made the Earth drunk with false faith and false doctrines and with contention and distention sometime preaching up one Government sometimes another and sometime being for one way of Worship and sometimes for another Treachery hath lodged in your hearts above all others ye have eaten up the sin of the People and cryed Peace unto the Ungodly Wo unto ye that have gone in Cain's way that have bread Contention Persecution Strife and Emulation amongst People and that have gone in Balaams way for Gifts and Rewards and would do any great man a pleasure and even curse the people for Money ye have been such as all the holy Prophets cryed against your fruits and works declares it ye have sought for your Gain from your Quarter and could never have enough such as Isaiah cryed against Chap. 56. and such as Micha cryed against Micah 3. That preached for Hire and divined for Money and leaned upon the Lord and cryed Peace to them that would give Money and prepared War against them that would not and these things have you done some of ye Teachers and Priests and ye have been blind Watchmen and ye have been idle and lazy Shepherds such as Ezekiel cryed against Chap. 34. that ruled over people with Force and Cruelty and killed them that were fed and did not heal the diseased nor strengthen the weak but pusht with the horn at such as went astray from you and idle and lazy Shepherds have you been who have not sed the Flock with living food but you have caused them to drink of the foul waters and their souls are lean and barren under your Preaching Oh look into your Flocks and see what fruit is brought forth by them and what may be gathered from them Oh the abundance of Pride and Wickedness of Ambition and Vain-glory and Covetousness and the love of this World lying and double-dealing and all the fruits of the flesh How do they abound amongst the flocks of your fold who are in their fruits and by their works not the Sheep of Christs Pasture but are like Goats and VVolves under your Teaching Can ye behold this and consider of it and not be ashamed of the fruit of your wayes VVhat have ye brought forth these many years or what profit have the People received from you who are yet in their sins unturned from them and not converted to God whereby it appears you have run and never were sent because the People are not profited at all and it grieves the heart of the Righteous to look into your Vineyards and to see such bad fruit growing you have been sloathfull Tillers and have not sown the good Seed in
and all flesh must be silent from speaking of the things of Gods Kingdom which they have not seen handled tasted and felt by the working of the Spirit of God in their Consciences and this is to witness the Scriptures fulfilled when you have experience of the same conditions and of the same operations and manifestations which the Servants of the Lord passed through and had experience of and so that you may speak what you have heard and seen and handled and tasted of the Word of Life All that will be saved must come to this and witness it IX Again Whosoever will be saved must believe in Jesus Christ and receive him and they must take up his daily cross and follow him and must know him to mortifie and crucifie them to the world and he must work the same things in you by his Spirit spiritually as he wrought without you in his Person or else you have no part in him nor salvation by him For it is not enough unto eternal life only to believe that there was such a one as a Christ and that he did and spoke such and such things at a distance without you for many may make a belief and a profession of this and yet perish but Him that was of whom you read without you must you receive and witness within you and you must know Him as he was before Abraham was and before the world was and He himself by his Spirit in you must give you the knowledge of Himself what He was before the beginning what he is now and what he shall for ever be X. Again Every one that will be saved must come up out of the Apostacy into which all Christendom hath been fallen and must come into the same Spirit Life and Power as the Apostles were in from which Life spirit and Power all Christendom have been Apostates and they have held the words and practices of the Apostles without the same Life and Power and made Sects Churches and Ministers but out of the same Life and Spirit as the holy men of God were in and all that will be saved must be restored and recovered into the same Spirit and Life in their Churches Ministry and Ordinances as the Apostles of Christ Jesus were in and this is Restoration when People come again into the same Life and Spirit of God which the Apostate Christians have all wanted and been in the Form of Ministry Churches Religion and Godliness without the Power And unto this is the Lord God restoring People his Day is dawned and his everlasting Light is risen and his Name will be known in the Earth And none can be saved with the salvation of God but who believe receive and understand these things A general Objection answered Object 1. And whereas there is a great cry by some people of late That there must be no more Private Meetings but all People must come to Church as they say and that there must be no more Conventicles c. Answ. As for Conventicles I understand you mean Meetings out of Publick Steeple-houses and that there must be no private Meetings for Preaching and Prayer but all People must be forced to come to Publick Places of Worship Now I say if the Authority that is now set up and hath the Power doth exercise it self in this way then the God of Heaven will be provoked against it to overthrow it and confound it if it proceed contrary to the End of just Rule and Authority ordained of God which is for the punishment of them that do evil in things between man and man but not to impose upon mens Consciences in things relating to the Worship and Service of God But the Lord God is wholly Judge in such matters and not any man and if any men should erre in their minds concerning Faith and Doctrine and the Worship of God that belongs to the Lord to punish and not to any Earthly Authority And what must not the People of God come together to worship the Lord in Spirit and Truth Must not People conveen together in this Age as the People of God did in Ages past Did not Christ many times preach in the Desert and sometimes in a ship by the Sea-side and sometimes on a Mountain as you may read in the Scriptures And did not he often preach unto the Pharisees and sometimes to his Disciples out of the publick Synagogues And might not the Iews have called those Meetings Conventicles because they were not in their Publick Synagogues And also did not the Apostles and Saints after the Resurrection of Christ when they returned from Ierusalem meet together privately for they went into an Upper Room and waited upon the Lord and continued with one accord in Prayer and Supplication And again at another time they were about an hundred and twenty in number that were in one place to wait upon the Lord and Peter preached unto them and were these Meetings Conventicles because they were not in a publick Synagogue but in an Upper Chamber and in a private place And thus the Saints of old met together as ye may read Act. 1. and worshipped God in Spirit and in Truth and preached and prayed and must not the People of God now meet together to pray and wait upon the Lord but they must be reproached with the name of Conventiclers and threatned and punished for so doing Oh how blind is this Generation and how contrary to the true Christian Spirit in their practices And did not Philip preach Jesus unto the Eunuch in a Chariot as they went on the way and this was not in a publick Synagogue as in Act. 8. And did not Peter preach to Cornelius with many others in Cornelius his house and this was a Meeting and not in a Synagogue Acts. 10. And did not the Apostles and Saints meet together in an Upper Chamber where Paul preached until midnight amongst the Saints Act. 20. and was this a Conventicle and an unlawfull Meeting Might not the Iews have said this was an Unlawful Assembly being in a Chamber and not in a Publick Synagogue And again Did not Paul preach in his own Hired House for two whole years together and received all that came in unto him Act. 28. And here were Private Meetings out of Publick Synagogues But did the Iews threaten them and inflict sufferings upon them because they met in private houses and would not come to their Synagogues and Publick Worship or did they reproach them with the name of Sectaries and Conventiclers when they met together to wait upon the Lord sometime in praying and sometime in preaching And thus you may see by many Examples that the Saints and true Christian Churches in the dayes of old met together sometime on Mountains and sometime in Deserts and sometime in Upper Chambers and sometime in their own hired houses and not in the publick Synagogues but they were gathered from the Temple and first Priesthood and from the Worship which God had
hard dealing to your Tenants and Servants and have laid heavy Yoaks upon such with whom you have dealt and that have made your selves great and rich in the Earth by such means Wo unto you Misery is coming upon you weep and howl ye earthly greedy covetous Wretches of this World who have sought Riches more than the Lord and gotten Gain by Oppression and Over-reaching your Neighbours your Riches so gotten shall never prosper nor be blessed to you but shall be a Curse to you and your Children and your Covetousness will God plague Ye that have gotten Goods and not by right shall leave them in the midst of your dayes Wo unto you Carnal minds all the treasures of them are corruptible your Lands Gold and Silver are fading treasures the day of the Lords Judgments are at hand upon you and the Rod of his Wrath will smite you and ye shall have Poverty and Want instead of Fulness and Excess and ye shall have Leanness and Barrenness and God will plead with you in the way of have sinned against him The time of your Visitation draws near Wo unto you Merchants Traders Buyers and Sellers that have been double-dealers and double-tongu'd and dealt deceitfully in your Commodities with your Neighbours VVo unto ye that have got Gain by double-dealing and by feigned and flattering speeches have beguiled one another and sought to out-reach in your barganing every man his Brother These things have ye done O ye Covetous men ye have even robbed the Poor by your craft and guileful dealing by your smooth and flattering tongues and if any amongst you could not use fraud and dissemble such have been your prey and scorn and it 's your use to discommend a Commodity when you buy it and to praise it when you sell it and ye make a fair outside to please the eye and ye use multitude of words and fair speeches and deceive the Simple and get Gain by Oppression Craft and Deceit Wo unto you Repent of this your sin Cleanse your hearts ye Sinners and purifie your hearts ye Double-minded I charge you by the Lord give over your double-dealing and deceitfull merchandize cease to lye and defraud cease your flattery and feigned words and speak the truth every one to his Neighbour and come out of your Iniquities use not a bad conscience any longer for it 's a fearfull Abomination against the Lord but minde the Light of Christ in you which will convince you in your Consciences of your naughty and sinful wayes and that Light will exercise your Consciences to do the Truth and speak the Truth to your Neighbour in all things and this is blessed and the Gain that is thereby gotten is not a Curse for ye ought in all your wayes to reverence the Lord and respect him that he should lead you and guide you in your exercise of all earthly things For the Earth is the Lords and the Fulness thereof and it ought to be exercised to his Glory and there is sufficient in this Creation for all People And therefore covet not earthly things one from another neither oppress nor over-reach one another about them neither treasure up earthly things while the Poor want for if ye do ye hide your selves from your own slesh laying field to field till there is no place for the Poor and wo unto such the Day of the Lord will be upon you but learn the Wisdom of God how to be ordered and how to order all things of this Creation and be in unity and good agreement amongst your selves and do not fall out nor strive not contend nor envy one another about earthly things but if ye have much or if ye have little be contented with what you have and do not grind the hearts and consciences one of another to get earthly things for they will fade and perish away and seek not after that which perisheth but after that which is unto eternal life for the Day of the Lord is at hand and his Judgments upon all Oppressors Double-dealers and false hearted Flatterers that are covetous of earthly things Wo unto all ye Drunkards and Swearers Whoremongers and Prophane Persons the Judgments of the Lord are upon you unawares ye that destroy the Creation upon your Lusts that are run into the Excess of Wine and Beer and that cover it excessively and that drink till ye inflame your selves and spend your time in it ye are like the Beasts of the field and like the Swine that wallows in filthiness ye pervert the right use and end of the good Creatures of God and spend them upon your lusts and have not regard unto the living God and one sin even begets another Drunkenness begets Swearing and Prophane words and VVhoredom and beastly Affections and thus you adde sin to sin and heap up one sin upon another contrary to the Light in your own Consciences and thus ye serve the Devil and Satan committing Iniquity with both hands as it were by Drunkenness and Swearing and taking the Name of the Lord in vain and Cursed Speaches and falling out one with another and your minds are erred from the Lord and ye abuse your selves and your own bodies which were made for the Service of God and not for Whoredom and ye slay your own Souls by your own Iniquities and many times provoke the Lord to destroy both soul and body VVo unto you the Plagues of God are your portion and Misery your end here and hereafter Repent of your Iniquities and turn from them lest the Lord find you in your Iniquities when he comes to Judgement for if you continue in them you can never be pardoned but you sin unto death and the Lord will come upon you suddenly for ye that follow Drunkenness and Prophaness you live contrary to the Light in your own Consciences and you sin against your knowledge against that knowledge that God hath given you and this is your greatest sin even because ye do the things which ye know ye should not do and the Light in your Consciences doth shew you that these things are evil before you do them but ye doing the things contrary to the Light in your own Consciences this makes your crime heinous and your sin unpardonable if ye continue in Sin and Prophaness contrary to the reproof of Gods Spirit in your own Consciences VVherefore ye prophane persons cease to do evil lest the Lords Judgments come upon you suddenly to your destruction and the Lord smite you and you never be healed VVo unto all ye hypocritical and deceitful Professors of Religion that hold the Truth in Unrighteousness that have a talk and a shew of Religion and that have the name of Church-members and of Worshippers of God but are dead in sins and trespasses ye that are Christians by name but want the nature who are wolves in sheeps cloathing that have Christs words the the Prophets and Apostles words but want their Spirit and Life VVo unto you the Day of
the hearts of the People but the Seed of Corruption brings forth fruit in them and your Vineyards are like barren and untilled ground that is unplowed and undigged and unplanted with Trees of Righteousness Oh ye have been unprofitable Vineyard-dressers and ye have laboured for your selves and not for the Lord as is manifest and ye have been idle and lazy and the God of Heaven is weary of you and the time is at hand he will pluck you up by the roots and visit you with great destruction and your name shall be a Reproach amongst men for ye have not sought the Lords honour but your own and ye have been changable in your wayes for your own advantages ye have preached for filthy Lucre and through Covetousness made merchandize of People and ye have traded with the Scriptures and made a Trade of Preaching the Gospel and ye have made Traffick of the Souls of men and these things have you done and the Lord hath kept silence and he hath forborn to smite you and therefore have you been hardened the more in your Transgressions as though the Lord took no notice and you have filled your hands with dishonest gain in your unrighteous wayes and your sins are increased every day against the God of Heaven you repent not when you are warned but reject reproof and go on without fear ye are a company of proud men heady and high-minded men ambitious and self-seeking persons even such as the Prophets Christ and the Apostles marked forth for Deceivers and your fruits and works do prove it ye have been covered with the Sheeps cloathing in your unrighteous natures and your Iniquities are almost full and the Lord will bring unresistable destruction upon you in a day when you cry Peace peace then sudden destruction will come Wo unto you because of your Iniquities the Earth is weary of you which ye have corrupted through your false wayes and the Kingdoms groan under your Oppressions and the Earth will spue you out and the People whom you have deceived shall rise up in Judgment against you the dreadful Day of the Lord is at hand upon you ye Apostates from the Life and Faith of Christ Jesus for of that race you are even of them Apostates that went out in the Apostles dayes that went in Balaam's way and Cain's way for ye are of the spirit that kills and persecutes people about Worship and Sacrifices and Religion as Cain did and ye go for Gifts and Rewards even as Balaam did These things are so the Witness of God in your Consciences shall answer and all People shall acknowledge the truth hereof in the day when God pleads with all the wicked All People Return and Repent of your Iniquities the dreadful Day of the Lord is at hand ye Sinners and Transgressors ye hypocritical Professors and prophane Persons the Day of Vengeance is at hand Whither will you fly and where will you leave your glory where will you seek a defence or where can you be hid the Mountains will not cover you nor the Rocks will not fall upon you the wrath of the Lamb you cannot escape even the long-suffering of God will be turned into a flame of anger and patience will be turned into sharp rebuke the wrath of the Lamb will utterly smite you and the Cup of Gods Indignation you must drink all the Earth must tast of it and the Wicked shall drink the dreggs Wherefore all ye Inhabitants of the Earth forsake your Transgressions that the Lord may not cut you off for ever but let God arise to destroy your Iniquities and to save your Souls let him take vengeance upon your Inventions that he may forgive you Oh! why will you dye why will you perish the Lord would have you to return that he might save you And this is the day of your Visitation the door of Mercy is yet open for a little season and the Lord yet calls unto you for a moment but the time is at hand that he who is filthy shall be filthy still and that determination shall be passed Come ye Blessed and Go ye Cursed the doleful sentence shall be pronounced to all workers of Iniquity Into everlasting Burning must they depart prepared for the Devil and his Angels and shall not see the Countenance of the Lord to refresh their souls but in the presence of the Lord and of the Lamb shall the Wicked be tormented Wherefore hear and tremble all ye Transgressors that live and act contrary to your knowledge and against the Witness of God in your own Consciences and this is your great sin for which the wrath of God cometh not because you have acted in Ignorance and without knowledge but because you have acted against the Light in your Consciences and sinned against your knowledge and done the things which you knew were evil before you did them and because hereof you are not to be excused but the burden of your own sins and the guilt of them will fall heavy upon you in the Day of the Lord For this is the Condemnation of the World that Light is come into it but you have loved Darknesse rather than Light and followed evil deeds and loved them and this contrary to the Light that is come into the world and which hath enlightned your own Consciences Certain Propositions of Faith laid down which every one must believe or else they cannot be saved I. NOw none can be saved from the Wrath of the Lord but they who are saved from their Sins for Sin brings the Wrath of God upon the Consciences of men and Anguish upon Soul and Body and who are not saved from Sin cannot be saved from Wrath for Wrath pursues the Guilty and he that doth evil sin lies at his door and continual anguish upon his spirit because of sin and the load and burden of the body of death oppresseth his soul and anger from God kindleth in his breast because he hath sinned and he knows he is guâ—â—â—y of Transgression and the Lord wounds him in his Conscience and no man in that state can speak peace unto him nor can any save him from the Wrath of God because he is not saved from his Sin nor from the guilt of it but his grief and burden is because he hath sinned against the Light in his own Conscience And therefore whosoever will be saved from Wrath must be saved from Sin and Christ must purifie his heart and the Blood of the Lamb must sanctifie him and his Conscience must be cleansed from the guilt of Transgression and Christ must live in him and he must live the life of Faith which gives victory over all Sin or else he cannot be saved with the Salvation of God eternally II. Again Whosoever will be saved with the Salvation of God must own the Light of Christ Jesus in his own Conscience and he must believe in this Light and walk in it even the Light in his Conscience that convinces him and
checks him for his evil deeds and that lets him see what sin he is guilty of you must believe in this Light and follow it and depart from that and forsake that Iniquity which it convinces you of and do that Good which it moves your hearts unto or else you can never be saved for if your continue in evil-doing contrary to the Light of Christ in your own Consciences you are in a condemned condition and you cannot be justified of the Lord while you are accused by the Light within you of such and such sins and that you are guilty of them and forsakes them not for the God of Heaven condemneth and justifieth men according to the Witness of the Light in their own Consciences for it is Gods Evidence to bear witness for God and to accuse or excuse every man in his sight and according to its evidence God justifieth or condemneth all the children of men III. Again Whosoever will be saved must be born again of the Seed of God and must be changed and renewed in mind and heart and spirit and old things must pass away and all things must be made new and a new nature must live in you and the Image of God must be brought forth which is in Righteousness and true Holiness which is like unto God and this is the new Creation which every one must witness to be wrought in them that ever enters into Gods Kingdom For saith Christ Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God for it is not a profession of Religion made with the lips nor the practises of Duties and Ordinances taken on the performed in the old nature and a holding of truth in unrighteousness this is not the way of Salvation but it is the regenerating and making like unto God being his Image of Justice Truth and Righteousness it is this in which men may be saved everlastingly IV. Again Whosoever will be saved must receive the Spirit of God and it must dwell in them even the Spirit of the Father and they must be taught by it and led into all Truth to do the Truth and speak the Truth in all things even the Spirit of Truth must be received to teach and to lead in all the wayes of God it alone must teach and all the Hireling-Teachers of the world must be turned away from by whom peoples souls have been deceived all such as have run and God never sent them that have cryed up Teaching and Ministry and through whom people have not received the Spirit of the Father all such Teachers must he denyed their Church and Ministry and the Spirit of the Father must only teach and lead and you must walk in the Spirit and not after the Flesh for if you walk after the Flesh in the wayes and works of it you are in the state of Condemnation and not of Salvation and the Spirit of God doth not teach you but you are out of the New Covenant of God in which Covenant all are taught of the Lord and in Righteousness are they established the Spirit of God is put within them and the Law of God is written in their hearts and they need no man to teach them but as the Spirit teacheth and this is the New Covenant of Peace with God into which all must come to witness this or else they cannot be saved V. Again All that will be saved must be sanctified cleansed and purified from all unrighteousness by the Spirit and Word of God whereby every heart must be made clean and every conscience sprinkled with the Blood of the Lamb and the body of Sin and Death must be put off and the bondage of Corruption must be broken and Iniquity must be forsaken and turned from and Sin must be judged in the flesh and Purity Holiness and Righteousness must live and reign in all that will be saved and Sin and Transgression and the guilt of it must be removed and you must shew forth the Image of God in Holiness and Righteousness and must be pure as he is pure in kind and quality and you must walk in Holiness and Righteousness being freed from Corruption and from the wayes of Sin and Death being sanctified in Body Mind and Spirit by the Word of the Lord and Sin must be blotted out and Transgression must be covered and Iniquity must be remembred no more and in all things you must cease to do evil and learn to do well if ever you will be saved VI Again Whosoever will be saved must witness Christ revealed in you and He must live in you and you must be followers of him whithersoever he goes and your Bodies must be the Temples of the living God and God must walk in you and dwell in you according to his promise and he must be your King your Judge and Law-giver and Teacher Father and Master and he must be all in all unto you even God the Father who is blessed for ever you must know him near you and feel his presence in you to be your joy life and peace and you must have fellowship with him in Spirit and must worship him in Spirit and by the Spirit without respect of Dayes Times or Places Every one that will be saved must come into this and witness it for this is the way of the Salvation of God VII Again Whosoever will be saved must live in the power of Godliness and must deny all Forms of Religion without the Power all Profession of Scriptures Ordinances Church-member-ship Praying and Preaching which is not in the Power of God and by his Spirit must be denyed and that part that holds it that holds the Form of Godliness without the Power must be crucified and every one must come into the Power of the Spirit of God and must witness that to work in them to will and to do and no more professing of the things of God but as they are witnessed by the work of his Spirit in their hearts you must not hold Truth any longer in unrighteousness nor make a profession of it in your unrighteous minds no more talking of Justification and Redemption nor of any of the matters of Gods Kingdom but according as they are witnessed by the working of the Spirit of God in the heart and every one must feel in himself the evidence and testimony of the Spirit of God to witness the Truth in his heart or conscience of what he professeth with his mouth VIII Again Whosoever will be saved must witness the Scriptures of Truth fulfilled in themselves the things that they have read of without them must be wrought within them wrought in their hearts by the same Spirit as gave forth the Scriptures they must passe through the same conditions as the holy men of God did and the same truth that the Scriptures declare of must be revealed in the heart by the same Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures and none must profess more than they do enjoy from God
now call them Lay-persons and say they are not fitting to preach for they are not Learned nor Ordained say you and calling them Mechannicks and private Preachers and say they must not now be admitted to preach the Gospel and in this you deny the Scriptures and the Example of the Saints in former Ages and so neither know the Scriptures nor the Spirit that gave them forth though you say you own the Scriptures yet if the same things come to passe which they declare of you deny them in this Age and cry against such as Hereticks who witness the fulfilling of them which shews you are of Antichrist and that you quench the Spirit in Sons and Daughters which God hath promised in the New Covenant that he would give and pour forth upon Sons and Daughters and they shall prophesie And are not we to look for these things now VVhat must not God's Promises be fulfilled must not an Herds-man now preach if the Word of the Lord come unto him and must not Plow-men now speak of the things of God if they have experience of them and must not Fisher-men and Tent-makers bear witness to the Name of Christ if they have received of his Spirit And will you deny the Scriptures which saith As every one hath received the Spirit and the Gift so let him administer the same one to another 1 Pet. 4. or do you say None must have the Gift of the Spirit but such as are brought up at Schools and Colledges or will you limit the Holy One to such and such men and wayes Oh you are blind and ignorant who would quench the Spirit of God that it should not speak in these dayes and thus you are denyers of the Scriptures but God hath given of his Spirit and spoken in our hearts and we must prophesie and speak as the Spirit of God giveth utterance as the Saints of old did Act. 2. 4. Now for your way of making Ministers at Schools and Colledges and so quallifying them with Knowledge in the seven Sciences as it is said and ordaining them in that manner and way as among Papists and Protestants hath been practised for Ages this way of making Ministers and sending of them forth was never known among the Apostles for they were not thus made and ordained and sent to preach nor was this way of making and sending forth Ministers till the Spirit and Power of God was lost and forsaken by the Apostate Christians and the Scriptures make no mention of such wayes nor give no Example for such things and we cannot own any Religion nor any practice thereof but what we have Example for from the Saints of old before us and we believe that it is generally of Antichrist to invent and introduce such and such Practices for Religion towards God and for the worship of him for which there is no Example in all the Christian Churches in the Apostles dayes and we believe that way of making Ministers and sending of them forth which is not approvable by the Scriptures nor according to them is of Antichrist and not of God neither can we own such Ministers nor their Ministry who are not ordained of God and according to the Scriptures nor can we deny private Preachers nor their Ministry as you call them if they have received the Spirit of Christ though they be not so learned outwardly nor ordained according to what some may call the right way but who are Ministers made and sent of God and have the Authority of his Spirit such we own and cannot deny and such the Lord will bless with his Presence to the confounding of all their Enemies Concerning Settlement in a happy Government Object There hath been great Divisions and Distractions in these Nations for divers years and in the midst of them the great cry hath been by many for Settlement and Peace and for a quiet and happy Government Answ. These things hath the Lord suffered to come to pass in the world even great Contentions Divisions and Distractions and much Changes of Government in these Kingdoms And the appearing cause of these things hath been from the lust that hath warred in the Members for from thence doth Wars and Strife arise and many have been Ambitions Vain-glorious Self-seeking and Covetous of the Honours and Pleasures of this VVorld the lust and desire of these things hath possessed the minds of men and induced them to envy and wrath one against another and hath filled them with heart-burnings and cruelty of mind to the killing and destroying of one another by Wars and Bloodsheds and by Plots and Contrivances have sought how to extinguish one another from the Earth that themselves might be exalted and thus from the desires that have warred in mens minds have Wars arisen against the persons of men and among them and this is the appearing cause of the Wars and Distractions that have been in these Nations though the hidden cause which hath not so appeared hath been in God and because of the wickedness of men both high and low and because of their Oppressions and Abominations which have been many and great in the World Therefore hath the God of Heaven been provoked in just Judgement towards Rulers and People to suffer men to destroy one another and to execute Bloudsheds and Destructions one upon another and he hath brought it to pass in giving up men to the fulfilling of their cruel intents which hath been hatched in their evil minds every man against his Neighbour and even because they have been departed out of his Counsel and followed their own wicked wayes and Justice and Mercy and Truth have been wanting amongst men in these Nations so that this is the principal cause wherefore the Lord God hath brought about and suffered these Wars Distractions Confusions and Discords in these latter dayes and out of the justness of Gods Judgments because of the wickedness of men have these things been And now these Distractions and Confusions and Discords amongst men can never wholly and truly cease to be till Iniquity and Transgression be repented of and turned from which is the very cause wherefore God hath done and suffered these things as I have said and so men must cease from Oppression from Cruelty and from all Unrighteousness and must turn to the Lord and become cleansed from their sins ere ever the Judgements of the Lord be removed and these Distractions Wars and Confusions cease to be in these Lands and till men become meek and humble and till they cease to seek Revenge one of another and till they cease all Oppression and Covetousness Injustice and Unmercifulness and till they forsake their worldly Honour and high Titles which puffs them up in Arrogancy and Ambition and even till every man forsake his particular Iniquity till all these things be Distractions will not cease nor shall Settlement and Peace and happy Government ever be This is certainly so for except the Cause be removed the Effect can never
cease and there appears to be at this day as great if not far more Dissatisfactions in the minds of some People than hath been heretofore and it appears to be as far from Settlement and true Peace in an happy Union in Government as for many years though it hath been expected by many that we should have Peace and Settlement in Government yet behold it cannot be for there are Discontents and Murmurings in the minds of men and Unsettlement in their spirits and the Foundation of a happy Government is not yet discovered unto many nor do the people walk in the way of Peace but Iniquity is abounding Oppression and Cruelty yet lives Hard-heartedness and Envy Pride and Ambition are not yet cut down neither in all the Governours nor in the Governed and this is not the way of Peace and true Settlement but it is the way of Troubles and Distractions and the very Foundation of greater Distractions and Wars rather than of Settlement and happy Government These things are so and therefore true Peace and Settlement in good Agreement who can expect because the ground of Distractions and Unsettlement is continued and increased rather than abated and removed amongst many and the true Foundation of Peace and Settlement in happy Government is not yet raised up amongst men but because Injustice and Oppression are continued therefore will God be provoked to bring Distractions Wars and Tribulations upon the Kingdoms of all the World and God will confound and dash in pieces Powers Authorities Rulers Nations and Peoples and He will break one Potsherd against another and overthrow one Mountain against another and the hands of cruel men will God suffer to devour one another and ambitious and malicious hearts shall be suffered to finish one anothers end because of their own wickedness and therefore be not deceived Blessedness in the Kingdoms of this World can never be except Iniquity and Transgression be departed from except Oppression and Hard-heartedness dye and except the Foundation of War and Strife be removed and the Foundation of Peace and happy Government be raised up amongst men Again True Peace and Settlement in good Government can never be except the Lord alone be owned as Judge and Law-giver and his righteous Laws to be executed in the Earth that Justice and true Judgment may flow down and all the contrary may be stopped and limitted by the just Laws of God and all unjust and unequal Laws made and established in the Ignorance of men which have not been justly according to the Law of God nor depended thereupon such Laws must also be made void judged and cast out and the Law of God must enter This must be accomplished if ever true Settlement in a happy Peace be amongst us the Laws must be changed the unjust and unequal cast out and just and equal Laws brought in for because hereof while unjust and unequal Laws have been executed in Judgment therefore have we wanted Settlement and Peace in a happy Government and the contrary hath been and will continue till all unjust unequal and oppressive Love be discontinued Again If ever true Peace and Settlement in a happy Government be amongst men Governours Rulers and Executors of the Law must be Iust persons and Righteous men Men that fear God and hate Covetousness and that depart from every evil way and all ambitious self-seeking and unjust men must be cast out even all they that have sought themselves and not the Lord in their places of Trust such as have perverted Justice and true Judgment for their own corrupted ends and such as have been cruel and hard-hearted Oppressors all such as these must be cast out and the Law must not be committed to such to execute neither must such sit in Judgement over the People for because hereof and while such men have ruled and governed and executed the Laws no true Settlement in a Just Government but the contrary hath been even Distractions and Tribulations and while such men do continue to rule and judge and execute the Laws in any part of the world we shall never have a happy Government nor Settlement in it in this world nor till Just men that have the Spirit of God and sound Judgment that are humble and meek patient and merciful and such as fear the Lord and walk in his wayes be called to rule and judge and execute the Laws and the Laws must be just and holy and the Executors of them equal and upright men Till these things be accomplished a happy Settlement in this Worlds Kingdoms can never be but God will dash one Mountain against another and throw one Hill upon another and he will give no Peace among the Kings of the Earth but stain the Glory of all the Worlds Governments till Truth and Righteousness come to reign and till Just Laws be executed by Just men and till Mercy and Justice Truth and Equity flow forth abundantly Therefore all Nations you have been deceived while you have turned up and down from one way and manner and kind of Government to another and from one sort of Governours to others sometimes you have been for a Parliament sometime for a Protector and sometime for neither from each of these to others you have changed thinking to have Peace and Settlement in a happy Government but it could not be for there are continual Distractions until this day in the minds of men and they are yet unsetled in their spirits and there are Heart-burnings and Envyings and seeking of Revenge and while these things are nothing but Distractions and Tribulations not Peace but Troubles even till these things be removed And till we have just and equal Laws according to the Law of God established over us and Just and Holy and Righteous men to execute them in Judgement upon us and till we have Truth and Righteousness sit on the Throne until this be no true Settlement in a happy Government but Distractions and Contentions and woful Tribulations in the Kingdoms of the World and amongst men and this is certain and according unto the Will of the Lord and in the justness of his Judgements these things come to passe for it is Injustice and Oppressions and want of Mercy and Truth which is the Foundation of Contentions and Distractions and it is Justice and Equity Truth and Righteousness that is the only Foundation of Peace and Settlement and a happy Government for a perpetual continuance To all False Christiaâ—â— THere are many false wayes in the world and many false kinds of Religions and people are in much disagreement about their Church Worship and Ministry Papists are opposing the Protestents and the Protestants the Papists and there is a great contention in the World But the Papists are in a wrong way and so are the Protestants too and their Religions are both false in many things for whilst they profess Christ and Christianity and make a shew of Righteousness in outward appearance yet many of them live in sinful wayes and bring forth the fruits of Iniquity against the living God and Pride Cheating and Double-dealing Covetousness and Envy Drunkenness and Whoredom and all Wickedness is abounding and brought forth both by the Apostate Christians though they cry up the Name of Christ and the Profession of Godliness yet are they wicked in the sight of God and they are not changed in heart and mind nor do they know the New Birth and all such are out of the right way in the way of Errour if they have the Form of Godliness but want the Power though they may have Masse or say Common-prayer once a week or oftner yet all this is but Abomination and Deceit whilst they practise Iniquity Hatred Back biting Lying Drunkenness and the like they that act these things the Plagues of God will be their portion and Misery their end and their Profession in Religion will not save them The Day of the Lord is at hand ye Hypocrites ye false Christians ye that profess God with your lips and your hearts are far away Therefore repent ye and tremble before the Lord lest he smite you with Vengeance and forsake your false Religions both your Masse and your Forms of Prayer and be not Idolaters in professing love in your mouthes and honour with your lips whilst your hearts are departed from the living God and now come to learn the true Religion Depart from all Iniquity and do not lye nor swear nor be drunk nor steal nor murder nor envy but love the Lord with all your hearts and your Neighbour as your selves And this is the true Religion in which man may be saved and live in Soberness Meekness and Honesty and speak every man Truth to his Neighbour and live in love one with another and be kind and gentle and bring forth the fruits of the Spirit of God Cease to do evil and learn to do well and depart from all Iniquity and follow after Righteousness This is true Religion and in it you may be saved this is the right way all that walk in it shall have Peace and Blessing from God and all that walk contrary Damnation is their portion Therefore you Papists and Protestants so called turn from your Hypocrisie and learn this way and cease from your false worships that are after the Forms and Traditions of men and not after the Spirit of God and learn to worship God in the Spirit that you may be saved You have a Light from Christ in your consciences which lets you see what sins ye are guilty of and it reproves you for your sin If you belieâ—e in the Light and walk in it that is the right way then you will deny what is evil and follow what is good in your Coversations but if you follow what is evil and act contrary to the Light in your Consciences and repent nor Vengeance in flames of fire will be your portion This is the day of your Visitation the Army of the Lamb is gone forth and the Sword of the Spirit is drawn amongst them that will wound your Consciences and God will smite you with the words of his mouth ye Rocks and Hils and Bryars and Thorns and fruitless Trees the God of Heaven will hew you to pieces and pluck you up and oast you into the fire to be consumed Repons for the Day of the Lord is at hand THE END