is in Christ Jesus in which the Father is well pleased and let the Light of the world guide you in all things that your works may be wrought in God never to be condemned nor you to suffer loss knowing this first That none are justified by him but them that are led and guided by him and to whom he is a Saviour he is also a Teacher and he is given to teach in all the wayes of Truth And now let your fellowship be in the power and life of God and know not one another in words onely and in shews and in outward appearance but witness one another in the spirit and in the truth and have communion there in breaking the bread of life that Christ Jesus may be seen to be the head in you and you Members to serve him and one another all receiving wisdom from the head and vertue and vertue from the Vine Christ Jesus that you may abound in love mercy and peace and all the fruits of righteousness unto the Father and dwell in the fear and counsel of God and be subject to his will not despising the cross which is the power of God which slayes the birth that is born of the flesh which is not heir of the Promise but walk in the Cross dayly that your understanding may be kept open to try and discern all spirits whether they be of God and believe not every spirit for lying spirits may arise among your selves and go forth from the light who is not in the truth but in the feignedness and hypocrisie with false visions and lying imaginations handling the word of God deceitfully and corrupting and perverting the pure way of God having the form but not the power having left the power and gone from the light and such utters the words of truth without the life and is but as the chaff to the wheat and they are to be denyed and resisted and not joyned to least innocency and simplicity be betrayed and your faith made void and so you be destroyed from the life of God and death surprize you and darknesse enter into your dwellings and so unbelief and doubtings and murmurings and lustings after evil arise in you and you be perverted from the Worship of the true God and grieve his righteous spirit by bowing to Idols and following of other Lovers and so the true God which hath brought you out of Egypt and made manifest his power in you be forgotten and the faith of his Son made shipwrack of and your later end be worse then the beginning and the Name of the Lord be dishonoured by you and then wo unto you his wrath shall suddenly break out against you wherefore hear and fear and hearken unto the Word of the Loâ—d he hath caused his Light to shine forth and his voice to be heard he hath proclaimed his Name amongst you and hath caused his marvelous light to approach when you set in darness in the Land of the shadow of death when you were lost he sought you and when you were driven away and scattered he found you and brought you home when you were in your blood and no eye pittyed you he had mercy upon you and bound you up and healed you when you were dead he said unto you Live and it was so when you were led captive by the devil under the power of death he break the chains and set you free and when there was none to help to save his own arm brought deliverance and salvation and the way of life and peace he set before you And now all this hath his own Arm accomplished that you should be a praise unto him for evermore now if you walk in the way which he hath set before you and keep his Covenant which he hath made with you and fulfil his will and walk in righteousness in love and unity in meekness lowliness humbleness and in soberness and watchfulness and in fear of his Name then shall his presence never forsake you nor his outstretched arm cease to defend and preserve you but he shall go before you and be your reward and he shall be your God and you shall he his people and you shall dwell in him and he shall be your hiding-place and he will be to you a Father and you shall be his children and his blessing and peace shall remain in your habitations for ever and ever but if any of you turn aside for a thing of naught after vanity and deny the way of righteousness and forget the Lord and kick against him and follow the way and counsels of your own hearts and worship other Gods and joyne your selves to strangers and commit adultery with other Lovers and make the cross of Christ of non-effect and turn from the Light of Christ within you and fulfil your own wills and the desire of your own minds and go out of the fear of the Lord into the liberty of the flesh which is not the liberty in Christ Jesus and so seek your selves and strive for mastery to be one above another and so surmize evil one against another and the bond of Peace be broken and vain contention and strife appear then shall the Rod of God smite you and his wrath be suddenly kindled against you and you shall not prosper but his countenance shall be hid and the terrors of the Lord and lamentations shall possess you and peace shall flee far from you and such shall be cast out of the Camp of the Lord and shall have no part in the Inheritance but the blessing shall depart and the curse shall enter till utter destruction yea and if any of you deny the Lord unto whom his way is made manifest he will deny you and you shall have no part in him but vengeance in flames of fire will he render upon the disobedient manifold more then if his love and way of peace had not been made manifest to you and the Light of the world is your condemnation for evermore if you turn from it And in the presence of the living God I warn you all Believe not that Spirit neither follow it which brings any other Message then what hath been declared from the beginning believe not him which cryes Lo here or lo there is Christ without you or that draweth from the measure of Christ within you to hearken to or to be taught by any other thing for that Spirit is not of the Father which preacheth any other Christ then he that is the Light of the world and lighteth every man that cometh into the world and which bringeth any other Message then that God is light in himself and hath given his Son a light into the world and this is the true Testimony of the Father and of the Son and he that testifieth any other Message is to be judged and denyed he is not a worshipper of the true God but out of the truth and in the error and a deceiver and being deceived Again Believe not
that spirit neither follow it which Ministers to others that which it hath not learned of the Father but hath the words without the Power and lives not in the Power of what it Ministers forth in words nor is not what it declares but is in the outward shews in the hypocrisie and feignedness and reacheth not the life of God but vails and covers it and that spirit is not of the Father but is to be denyed and judged and not received nor believed Again believe not that spirit neither follow it which is at liberty in the flesh and makes the offence of the cross to cease which is exalted out of the fear of the Lord in the liberty of the earthly which crucifies the life and darkens the eye and that spirit will boast of joy and peace and experience and knowledge and speak high words in the airy mind and that would lead you out of your conditions to glory above the cross till you be past feeling of the life and that spirit begets into feignedness and hypocrisie and into the love of the world which passes away and beware of that spirit for it is not of the Father but to be condemned Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which is hasty and forward and rash for that goeth out of Gods counsel and betrayes the Just and strives to be greatest and to be above the weak and despises him and would be Master and not a servant and would rule and not be ruled in the meek lowly government of Christ and that spirit will judge out of thoughts rashly and unfavourily and condemn another in secret in what it self is guilty of beware of that spirit for it is not of God but to be judged with the life of God Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which seeks it self to have praise of men and to be accounted and would beget into divisions and would have parties to it self and respects persons and glories in gifts and knowledge and parts more then in the Giver and admires men more then he that gives the encrease and feeds of the knowledge in that nature which is to be famished and glories in what hath been done by it as though it had not received power from the Lord and is exalted as though it bare the root not knowing that it is born of the root and that spirit spends its Treasure which it received in the Fathers house amongst Harlots and despises the poor and seeks occasion to glory over the weak that it may be renowned beware of that spirit I charge you all for it is not of the Father nor to be followed but to be condemned and resisted unto death Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which preaches not from the measure of God received and to be manifest to it in you and approved by it only but speaks above the measure and reaches not to the measure of the grace of God that spirit leads after words and outward shews and cryes peace to the rich and judgement to the poor the word of God is not divided aright but heals up falsly and daubs with untempered morter and cryes peace where Gods speaks war and cryes war where God speaks peace and that spirit is a deceiver and a betrayer and feeds but the ear and not the life and darkens the counsel of God by words without knowledge and is not of the Father but of the world to be denyed and condemned Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which is not subject to rule and order and is not meek and diligent and long suffering but heady and high and untoward seeking occasions against the Just and watches for evil that spirit will not bear reproof but is idle sloathful and careless and surmising evil and backbiting and conforms in appearance making a fair shew but is not unto God as appearing unto man and that would go and is not called and will not go when it is called and seeks for the praise of men more then God and that is fruitless ground and brings forth bryars and thorns in secret which choaks the seed of God beware of that spirit it is a lover of this world have no fellowship with it for it is not of the Father but a deceiver and is to be denyed Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which is tossed and unsetled and is given to change and is not established with grace that is an Adulterer and hunts for the precious life and seeks by flattery to beguile the innocent that spirit is zealous for a moment but is soon overcome and is stony ground and brings not forth fruit to perfection but withers and its later end is worse then the beginning That spirit is exalted into presumption and in peace and cast into desparation and trouble and the double mind lodgeth in it and it is unstable in all its wayes is a ground for the seed of Satan and to it there is no peace from God and beware of that spirit for it is not of the Father but to be condemned Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which is more zealous then knowing whose zeal is without true knowledge and stands in that which is corrupted that flourisheth for a moment but cannot endure for ever it hath no root in it self but is furious and passionate and not long-suffering that spirit knows not it self but would devour its adversary with bitterness and not gain'd by long suffering that is not the Spirit of the Father but must be denyed in all Again Believe not that spirit which draws back into the world into its lusts and liberty and fashions which passeth away that spirit forgets God and draws back for his soul hath no pleasure in it but is vexed with it where the cross is made of non-effect and the false Liberty is walked in which murders the life that spirit is of the Devil and is to be condemned And now all friends of God every where who knows him and are known of him whom he hath gathered out of this untoward generation be diligent in your Callings and keep your meetings in faithfulness waiting upon the Lord that you all may receive of his fulness to be filled with it and may be nourished up unto himself as Trees of righteousness the planting of his own right hand to spread forth his name and glory as a people saved by him and to whom there is none like besides And this know and understand that spirit is not of the Father which confesseth not the Son to be come in the flesh who destroys the works of the Devil and takes away sin and that spirit it believe and follow which condemns sin and destroys it and takes it away and so gives peace with God in your own consciences and leads you into all truth and keeps you from all evil you that witness this the Son you know and the Father you know to dwell with
you and in you and this is the first and the last believe in him and follow him and look not for any other and in this the Father of Life and Glory whose Dominion is without beginning and end establish you and preserve you Amen and Amen I a beloved Brother and a Companion unto all the Saints in suffering and in rejoycing who have received this Testimony from the Father doth with it in this Epistle salute the whole Church in the love of the Father as moved of him by his Eternal Spirit who beareth witness to me that we are of God and the whole world lies in wickedness and that all that are of God heareth us And this Testimony I give of the Father and of the Son and of the Truth and of the Salvation of which I am made a witness and against all that ever shall deny it or turn from it And this is thus far the words of my Testimony by the Spirit of the Father not knowing when the time comes it may be finished and the night may come when no man can work EDVVARD BURROUGH To all that suffer for the Testimony of IESVS and for his Names sake THE glorious God of truth hath appeared and made known his way and truth perfectly in this our day and hath chosen unto himself faithful Witnesses to testifie of his Name and of his Truth before Rulers and people and hath brought forth a seed which is not of this world which cannot bow to the Devil but is heir of Gods Inheritance though a sufferer in this world under the powers thereof and many in this generation who are called and faithful and chosen bears witness unto the Name of the Lord in sufferings and tribulations whom he will honor because they honor him who is exalting his Truth and his people through sufferings And now all Friends who are called to suffer for the Testimony of Jesus and for the exercise of a pure conscience which you hold be valiant for the truth upon earth and faint not but finish your Testimony with joy for the Lord and against all your enemies and look not forth at afflictions and sufferings but look beyond them to the recompence of reward neither be offended in Christ though ye are called to suffer for him and for his Names sake but dwell in the peace with God which is a sufficient reward and take heed to your life which is Immortal that it you may feel and enjoy and account that the present sufferings is not worthy to be reckoned with the glory that is to be revealed and of which you have the earnest even present peace with God and look beyond your sufferings and before the rage of man was and feel the life of God in you fresh and lively which is more then all things to carry you above all the world and all its envy which is against the seed of God And take heed of temptations for the power of Satan will work and is near to tempt you in sufferings to gain dominion over you and to touch your life and to cast you down Therefore mind the life of God in you to have dominion which Satan hath nothing in which is not given him to touch and that is more then all yea all that a man hath will he give for his life to enjoy it when he is tryed this I witness you are tryed by sufferings and tribulations and your faith and patience is proved therefore approve your selves faithful unto the Lord by long-sufferings and patience that Satan overcome you not though he may touch you and have power to cast some of you into prison and otherways to win now you and to try you for your life but be faithful unto death and you shall receive the Crown of life eternal and keep the Word of his patience that you may be delivered and Satan may bow under your foot And all you that suffer for well doing who holds fast the Testimony which you have received of God now when your hearts are searched blessed from the Lord you are your reward you shall possess which no man can take away even the life and liberty and treasure which Satan cannot touch nor spoyle you of Ye that suffer because you cannot fulfil wickedness nor the will of man but are of the seed which cannot please man nor bow to the Devil ye suffer for Christ and for righteousness sake who cannot walk contrary to the light of Christ within you but rather chooses to suffer under corrupt men and laws then to transgress Gods righteous Law written in your hearts you are chosen to fulfil the will of God by sufferings and are not of the world and therefore the world hates you And all you that suffer imprisonment of body or spoyling of Goods or travels or any other thing because you cannot pay tythes this is the word of the Lord God unto you You suffer for righteousness sake and for the Name of Christ and unjustly by the oppression of men for well-doing not for evil the Lord will be your exceeding great reward look beyond your outward Liberty and know the liberty in spirit in the Father and in the Son where is everlasting peace and freedom which none can bring into bondage and look beyond all outward Treasure and Riches and see Gods Treasure and possess it which never waxes old which none can spoyle you of as Witnesses for the Lord and for his truth and Covenant you suffer and it is for a Testimony against all your Enemies and against oppression and oppressors for the cry of that oppression the Land groans under and for ages hath done but the Lord is now risen against it for its cry reacheth to Heaven against the unrighteous Exactors whose cruel hands hath heavily oppressed the just and the poor in this particular and herein your suffering is for a testimony against your cruel Adversaries whether Priests or others and against the unjust Judges and Lawyers and their whole train of Oppressors for this end are you called to suffer and to you it shall be made easie if you abide in the counsel of God till vengeance overcome your adversaries therefore lift up your heads and fulfil the will of your Father in patience and in faithfulness till the Lord appear for you who hearkeneth to the cry of the poor and regardeth the unjust sufferer and will recompence the oppressors into their bosoms and will break every yoke and be a terror to all the cruel hearted And all you that suffer who are moved by the power of the Lord to bear witness against the false Worships and against the false Teachers and Idol-Temples of which the Land is full and who are moved to testifie against sin in Rulers Priests or People Whether your suffering be imprisonment or beating and stoning or other abuses or cruelties whatsoever which the Devil hath power to lay upon you you suffer for righteousness sake and for the Name of Christ