rest false and fained hope and faith and of his own ragged garment and let goe his selfe-righteousnesse and his dead works and come to Christ the life of men again that man hath run from that so he might have life and peace Ob. But some would say that thou wouldst have all upside down unchristian the Nations and unchurch Churches and throw down all our worship and then what should we doe all would be as heathens and turne into Athisme I say a time of fanning and â—ifting and trying is come when nothing shall stand but that hath the image stamp and character of the living God upon it and all that which hath been brought up and raised up since man hath been in the transgression must be turned down into the pit again and all that have got a name of Christian and wants his life to live among them and in them shall be scattered as clouds with the East wind and all imitated worships and will worshippers and the fained faith and the fained hope shall be confounded and all will worships and worshippers will be overturned who are not come yet to the true light that lightens every man that comes into the World and till man comes to the light and tries his deeds and works by it he never sees what he is doing nor what he is working nor what he works and so all that man doth here in the unbeliefe it is but sin or selfe-righteousnesse which is brought forth by him who abode not in the truth in the unbelief and so who be come to the power which was in the beginning before sin entred and death by sin hath and doth measure all deeds and all works man that is in the losse in the fall sees that a dead man cannot act a living work nor bring forth living fruits unto God nor living works of righteousnesse being in the unrighteousnesse neither the fruits of faith being in the unbeliefe neither the works of the day being in the night neither the works of charity being in the emnity in a word without Christ the power the light the life which was glorified with the Father before the world began I say he said it himself who is the beginning of the creation of God the first born of every creature he said and his testimony will be found true without me ye can do nothing nothing that is wel-pleasing to the Lord nothing that ever shall be acceptable and here is the true state of all the Earth discovered and all mankind drove out from God miserable naked hopelesse helplesse faithlesse and so can doe nothing as to the glorifying of God his maker or to the ordering of any thing in the creation to his glory having lost his dominion and Gods wisdome and this being considered seriously by all and brought to the light in all and their deeds tryed by it would make the lofty bow and the stout hearted fear and the conceited sit down in solitarinesse that they should so long deceive their own souls with a conceit of righteousnesse and redemption when as death yet reignes in them and over them and not life eternall So the Devil is a distinct being from God and his works are distinst and his deeds from the works of God and neither he nor his works shall ever be numbred among the works of God but he and they that obey him and follow him who is out of the truth they their works of what sort soever they may seem unto men to be whose eyes the devil hath blinded so I say all is to be condemned and shut out from Gods presence for ever and to be destroyed by him who is a consuming fire and all the righteousnesse of man burned as combustable stuff in unquenchable fire Pr. And by what hath been said the principle of that ranting crew who are become vaine in their imaginations and foolish their understandings being darkned are seen and their principle overthrown As that light and darknesse is one good evil one and sin and righteousnesse one and truth and a lye one and that God is all and doth all and what ever is done is of God and that there is no evil but to him that thinks it so and it is onely a false apprehention of things and that there is no such thing as sin that sin is nothing Unto all these things I might speak but the understanding Reader may by what is before written see each of these plainly declared and the true ground of things laid down as the spirit gave utterance and this shall at present suffice in this matter Ob. But some may object further and say will not reading the scriptures and conforming to the practise of the saints in the use of his ordinances will not this make us accepted and bring us out of the fall and make us good christians Answ. No while death hath dominion in man and over man and the vaile over the heart man doth not understand the mystery of Gods kingdome neither understands the scripture which was spoken from the spirit of truth or any thing of truth as it is in Christ for none understands the things of God but by the spirit of God so that every man that comes to have a good understanding must come to know the pure spirit of God in him to direct him informe him which spirit was the original of the scripture for the holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the holy Ghost and without the Holy Ghost in some measure be known â—nd that which is infallible the sayings the writings the scriptures cannot be understood because of the want of this all the Earth is run into heads sects opinions large treatises and volumes expositions have been written yet differing one from another and all from the spirit and in all these particular sects persecuting one another envying one another and hating one another and would compell others to believe what they believe in what they say if they had but power and for proof of this it is most evident in the scripture of truth and in latter ages since the Apostles it hath been and it is evidently seen both among the Papists and Protestants and among all them that are called the reformed Churches but all this is in the fall and in the transgression and in the Apostacy and is an evident token that they are all under the power of the beast who makes War against the Lamb so all compellation and they that do compell are not worshippers of the Lamb but of the beast which is to be destroyed and cast into the lake For the Jews under the first Covenant had the Scriptures the good and wholsome words of God and the Prophets and read the Law and the Prophets on the Sabbath dayes and yet the vail was over their hearts and and though they did perform many things commanded yet they being erred from the spirit did not understand
joy gladnesse peace of conscience assurance of Gods Love sealed in their hearts by the pure Spirit of the Lord the streams of life flowing forth continually from the great deep which refreshes and keeps cool in the greatest extremity and heat of temptation and this is enjoyed by them that have waited and doe waite for it even in the body they bear witnesse of him and of his coming the disciples what was their witnesse The Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding Of what of God of his day of his appearance of his power of his wisdome of his Kingdome of hope of faith of assurance of peace of joy of comfort and consolation what in this Life yea a cloud of witnesses I might bring in former ages and a cloud of witnesses I might bring in this age blessed be the Lord But my witnesse is nearer me that giveth me assurance and is surer to me then all their witnesses although they be all true Abraham the Father of the faithful and of the righteous who believed God and was accepted he saw Christs day and was glad Say literal professors that 's by faith yea what else He and all that ever saw Christ and his day or the Father they saw him by faith By faith they saw him who was invisible Isa. 12. 2. Behold God is my salvation he also is become my salvation what dost thou enjoy it already yea he is become And Simon who waited for the consolation of Israel Luke 2. 30 Now let thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation And this he said who knew Gods comfort and consolation as our sufferings for Christ doth abound even our consolation in Christ doth much more abound and they were made partakers of his Divine nature and sat together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus For heaven is his throne and they that are in him and injoyeth him who is the power of God and the wisdome of God knowes peace and rest and salvation both from guilt and act of sin And the Apostle wrote to the Hebrews After he had purged away our sins speaking of the atonement the everlasting high Priest he sate down on the right hand on the Majesty on high He saw beyond sin even him who had purged away sin and this comes to be made manifest unto them and in them that believe by the Spirit of Jesus who is Christ the Lord the arm that brings salvation and is the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that believe who begins it in his day and perfecteth it in his day for he works in the day as he himself said Hitherto my father worketh and I work but the night cometh when none can work So that he destroys the work of the Devil which is his work in man which they that are come to his day feels and sees the handy-work of God in themselves and his own works praise him for they onely can and they that are not come to the day knows not Gods work in themselves and they who have not yet heeded that in themselves which manifesteth all things reproveable neither that which doth reprove they are not come to know the appearance or the glimmering of light or of the day yet in themselves which the Saints witness in them even all they that are sanctified Where the day of the Lord doth appearâ— and how it cometh and how it is to be looked for declared THey that gaze abroad whose eyes are abroad cannot see his appearance nor his day which appears He that knoweth not wherein it consists knows not how to look for it no more then the Jews who were Scripture Professors and learned men knew wherein the kingdom of God did consist Even no more do the litteral professors whose faith is founded on the Letter and upon that which is visible know what I say First all must know wherein it doth consist It is eternal brightnes shed abroad through all things which pierceth through and searcheth the secretest place even that which is invisible and maketh manifest all things and the nature of every thing by the day of the Lord comes to be seen and it appears in the heart they were to wait for the day to dawn and to break forth in their hearts and to wait for its appearance there and that 's it which is to be waited for and upon that which maketh evil manifest and brings it to light and declares against that which is contrary to its nature and so the day cometh to dawn Christ the covenant of light Gods gift who is sent and annointed of God to Preach and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord also the day of vengeance he proclaims in the heart for he comes not to bring peace on earth but a sword and his sword is the sword of the Spirit it 's that which divides and discerns the intent of the heart and his day discovers the desperate wickedness of the heart And where he finds no faith in the heart he kindles a fire in the earthly heart and executeth his vengeance And his day unto such is a day of great perplexity their spirits comes to be wounded the heart comes to be made faint and sorrow comes to fill their hearts and trouble to be felt and in this state are all in who are unconverted he findes no faith no hope in the heart therefore he comes and takes away peace Many hath talked of the day of the Lord but when it comes to draw neer them they will not abide it Whatsoever makes manifest is light Now the day makes all things in every one manifest and when deceit is seen and wickedness brought to light then they that have done evil cannot abide but would run to any thing rather then abide the day or to see the Lord of life appear in his day to execute vengeance upon his enemies and to destroy his adversaries and to kindle an unquenchable fire to consume all his enemies And who hath not seen this yet in themselves never hath seen the day of salvation nor of gladness and this made the Prophet cry out Who may abide the day of his coming And many have been eye-witnesses of the dreadful day of the Lord which hath appeared wherein all peace hath been hid from their eyes and all that ever came to see the day of joy and gladness first did know the terrour and terrible day of the Lord in themselves Therefore said the Apostle We knowing the terrour of the Lord do perswade men Now it cometh not with outward observation lo here or there So the Pharisees looked the Kingdom should come when Christ told them it was within them So say I if ever any do behold the bright shining forth of eternal life they must wait in that which isâ— pure of God through which he will manifest his day and his power in his day in them is thou keepest in thy minde to that which manifests unto
tempted the man and the temptation entered into a ground which was blessed before and good in the motion of the life of the Power but she having transgressed contrary to the command the man received it contrary to the command without the motion of the Power or the life which all was to move in he also going out of the power received it in and seed upon knowledge without the life without the power out of the truth he became one with the woman one with the Serpent who went out of truth and abode not in it and they all were disjoynted and cut off from the Life and the power and hear was the beginning of the father of lies and of him who spoke of himself out of the power out of the truth and his beginning is without foundation now he that is wise in heart read his generation or who made him now appeared the Angel of the bottomless pit and not before and made war against the power against the Lamb and so the heart of man was turned away from obeying and feeding upon the power to obey and feed upon knowledge without the Life or power and here was the first transgression out of the power and the motion of the light which made all things good and so as this knowledge was fed upon and grew man died unto the Life unto the power and wisdom and dominion that he had over all that God had made he lost and so died unto the power and lived upon knowledge without the power and now became afraid of the power because he was in the transgression of it And thus the Serpent who was most subtle went out of the truth and acted in sin and led into transgression and so there became fear where was none and shame where there was none and nakedness where there was no nakedness before the power was died unto which was their clothing in righteousness and there was a hiding place sought by him who before iniquity needed no hiding place and this is the foundation and beginning of that seed in the transgression which shall call to the mountains to cover them and to hide them from the wrath of the Lamb. Oh how is man degenerated now and grown quite out of the pure quality and kind and nature in which he was made now afraid of the power that made him which before he had union with was his Life and gave him dominion and this fulfilled upon man he was planted a noble vine a holy right seed now become a degenerate plant of a strange vine now when the Lord appeared and examined him and man knew his fault that he had acted against the power yet that which acted in transgression would excuse here is the fruit of the Devils work transgresse and then hide and excuse it and so the woman put it off to the Serpent he was the beginner of it but if she had stood in the power he would have had no place nor his counsel but they all went out of the light and Life into the knowledge without the Power and Life and so the curse came upon all Now the man cursed and the ground for his sake and the woman cursed in sorrow to bring forth and the Serpent cursed the beginner of iniquity cursed above all the beasts of the field to go upon his belly and dust to be his meat for ever and an enmity put between the seed of the woman and his seed for ever and an eternal decree passed against him for ever and he made war against the seed of the woman which the Lord promised to bruise his head now came the miserable estate in that which led him into transgression grew and he in it and to be at unity with it then came hard ness of heart and then came the world to be founded in his heart and he grew in the devouring beastly nature to follow the earthly imaginations of his heart and became earthly and fed upon that which the beasts of the field fed upon And now the Lamb came to be slain since the foundation of the world now was man driven out from the tree of Life and out of the garden and could no way come there again he had no right to it the Lamb being slain and he was cut off to wit man from him which before gave him peace and from the Power in which he was made he was driven out from and the sword set that go what way he could he could not come into the Life again the image of God lost then the joyful day was lost and rejoycing in the Lord at an end then the day of peace was finished and perpetual misery and wo come in then unity with the Lord of glory gone and now shame and contempt came and woful misery Now Hell was formed and the botomlesse Pit sprang up and the Angel thereof ruled and advanced and the Lamb slain and now the Lake was prepared and Tophet ordained now came the day of angnish of pain of wo sorrow and misery blackness and darkness terror horror fear on every side and the day of great perplexity Dominion lost power lost Authority lost peace lost joy lost health lost unity lost with God and unity lost with every creature and endless misery brought in Alas alas what is become of him who was the Son of God now become as the beasts that perish now a vessel of wrath a dishonourable vessel Oh unspeakable losse forfeited all Life and all gone into plunged into the deep pit of endlesse misery driven from the presence of the Lord from blessednesse happinesse into cursednesse and misery never to come to Life again but through the losse of Life man in honour in dominion partaker of eternal riches and the durable riches now turned out of all and become vile in the sight of the Lord and hath forfeited Life and all eternal life and he who was in perfect freedome become a bondman a slave to the Devil and to noysome lusts he who was Lord over all now become a servant to all and every creature he who was in dominion in the power of God now become base and vile He who was the Image of God now become the image of the Devil he who was heir of life and felicity now become inheritor of death and endlesse misery he was partakers of the unchangeable love now partaker of wrath he that was in the covenant of life in which he had union with God and all the Angles and all the holy host of God now hath union with unclean spirits which are cursed from the presence of the Lord for ever he that had union with all Gods creatures hath lost the union with all being gone out of the power in which all was created and moreover now in enmity to it and joyned to him who hath the power of death which is the Devil and now drawes iniquity as with a Cart-rope and vanity as with a cord and he who was joyned
I refer the Reader to intituled the principles of the Priests of Scotland their Reformation and discipline is nearly related to the Spanish Inqnisition for their Doctrine they say grace is not free and faith is not without sin and the Letter is the word of God and that they are cursed that say there is a light within which will lead up to God and as one said although it meant Christ and if any will not submit to their words and conform to their practice and traditions then they call a counsel together as their forefathers at Trent and pronounces him a heretick and within this few years banished them or else took their whole substance outward from them and if any out of conscience could not submit unto their invented tradition then if he ever came to have any converse with them again be must have a penance before he could get an indulgence from them like the Pope and furthermore if any deny them because they are out of the doctrine of Christ and are contrary to the Scripture then as I said they excommunicate them and charges all people neither to buy nor sell nor eat nor drink with them nor work for them and so the beasts power is exercised compelling to come to their Mass-houses and as for the denying the Bishops then you have denyed your fathers that begat you and ordained you then you have no Ordination but may be you have cryâ—d so for setling your Gospel you have got a Commitee to ordain you or one company to lay hands on another but when receive ye the holy Ghost Oh that is an error in your Church but are you not got into the old Cathedrals so called and into the Steeple-houses and the old Masse-houses and where you had may be 20 pounds or fourty in the year now you have gotten a hundred it may be two here 's reformation indeed well we must needs remember you of your race and stock the apostates since the Apostle dayes and the former practices which is found among the old Protestants and Papists is among you and you are still drunk with the whores cup and are crying for Cains weapons to guard you well I say you art part of the dragons tail that draws to the earth and to the pit which will be the end of all idolaters and Apostates except they come to repent And as for the Independants Churches so called you are a branch of the same root you have declared against the Bishops and court Prelates and said they were in error and many of you declared against them for pluralists because they had too great benefits and declared against Tythes as to be Antichristian and whoso received Tithes denyed Christ come in the flesh who are wheeled about and now takes them your selves and creeps into the old Mass-houses and hath taken that up which you condemned in others and so have made your former testimony void and all sober people sees your hypocrisie and deceit who have gathered a company together which you call select people or members of your Church and you exclude the rest who have as good right to your Ordinance as you for they professe Christ in words as you do And yet you will receive their means whom you judge not capable of your Ordinance and your Church will no more maintain you then it would maintain them that you have denied in words if you had not the beasts power to compel your vineyard would starve you your Gospel and your Preaching is one with the former and the people is the same in nature they were before you have got Bishops Lands agmentations and Stypends more large then your forefathers had for the most part and sue men at the Law and hales them before Judgement seats and takes away their goods whom you look upon to be in error yet this stands as good with you as any Article of your faith to force to compell to sue to hale into prison to take away their goods and get a Scripture for your cover and say he that Preacheth the Gospel must live of the Gospel and them that neither hear you nor receives you neither believes your Gospel yet you conclude its lawful to take their goods and if you cannot get them hale the party into prison are not you drinking still the whores cup and do not you follow the Beast and do not you own that Law to be just that compels people to pay mony to you who denyes your Ministry and are none of your sheep and are not your Ordinances and worship imitated things from the Scripture the Saints words and yet out of their life and practice are not you in the Apostacy have you not your profession and confession of faith to make year after year as the Magistrate changes doth not this evidence that you are unstable and are yet in the waters upon which the whore sits and scituated in Babylon the Mother of Harlots who yet makes you drunk and that makes all the filth and vomit appear in the earth that stains the earth and your idols corrupts the earth and all seperates under what name soever who have not denyed the ground of apostacy but are in the apostacy for all sects since the apostles days have taken up some part and left another since the life hath been lost and the power lost all hath been in idolatry and the Protestants who have denied the Papists yet they have not denyed them in the ground of their worship but hath retained some part and hath kept some part of their worship and all Sects sprung out of the Protestants in them all there is some part remaining for they have not denyed the ground of the worship set up in the apostacy the whores cup iâ— drunk of and the Dragon hath power which sought to destroy the man-childe and made war with the remnant of the seed of the woman who was clothed with the Sun you all stick yet in Babylon and the best of you all are but yet in the suburbs thereof For since the Apostles dayes their foundation hath been either traditions Imitations inventions of their own or borrowed things from the Jewes in the first covenant or at the best the letter hath been the ground of their faith and their foundation which they have twined and translated this way and that according to the wit and reason of every particular sect and opinion and according to the understanding of their private spirits now all these buildings and towers that men have builded up in the Apostacy they would fasten upon the writings of the holy men of God and so hath raised an imagination of their own and so would have the scripture prove what they say and the writings of the Apostles they all cal the Gospel the word of faith the light of the Gospel the foundation the tryer of spirits the touchstone and say its the foundation of their faith and Religion and so are all in the
quenched but as there is a submission unto its pure operation it burnes up and destroyes that which hinders the growth of the seed it purgeth the heart of them that have confidence in it from all filthinesse both of flesh and spirit and worketh up the creature into its own frame and nature and fashions and makes and moulds all that are in the Faith into the Image of the Father and so the Fathers love comes to be shed abroad in the heart and as the wrath was revealed through the spirit and condemnation so now the peace of God comes to be enjoyed and his consolation shed abroad largly in which there is pure rejoicing for ever Vnto whom the Spirit of the Father bears witness and seals assurance of the Fathers love and of justification with God declared NOne hath the witness of Gods Spirit bearing witness to them nor in them who have not believed in the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world by whom alone life is begotten by the powerful operation of Christ in them that believe in him who is eternal light it self whose word is spirit and life by which the new Creature is framed formed in them that believe unto whom he maketh manifest his power for unto him who is the life of men is all power committed both in heaven and earth for nothing was made or created but by him neither is any turned from sin but by him and by his mighty power without him is death in him is life and the life is the light of men So that none but they that are born of the light and are begotten by him who is light can have the spirit of Christ who is light to bear witness unto them neither the assurance of the Fathers love for onely they that are born of the spirit and walk after the spirit are justified by the spirit of the Lord for the assurance of his love is not made manifest to his enemies but unto them that are born brought forth in his own image in his own likeness and nature which is pure and incorruptible without stain or defilement the holy seed which is heir of the promise who knows the living hope which purifies the heart and bringeth the answer of a good conscience unto them that feel and witness the washing of regeneration and have known in themselves the clean water poured forth upon them which hath taken away the stains and spots and blemishes and the defilements for where these are no washed out the heart cleansed from them that believed in wherein Gods all-sufficiency is felt and his power made manifest there cannot be assurance of the Fathers love in the heart nor in the soul neither doth the spirit of the Father bear witness unto such nor assure their justification but on the contrary where sin remains unsubdued and taken away the spirit of the Father condemneth the sin and the creature now is joyned to it and is become one with it for no sin is brought forth but there is a consent and an assenting to the instigation of the Devil although when a temptation ariseth either within or without there may be a resisting and a striving against it for a little but the heart not being kept close to the spirit the enemy often enters and so captivates the understanding then there is an agreement and a joyning to the adversary and so the spirit pronounceth the sentence of condemnation upon him who is joyned to the harlot and becomes one flesh and joyned unto strange flesh which is not the flesh of Christ the seed and that which hath joyned and consented to drink of the cup of fornication must drink of the cup of indignation and terrour and bear the stroke of Divine Justice and lie in patience under it till that be cut down which hath joyned to deceit before there can be the remission of the transgression or the Creature justified in the fight of God For sin is not blotted out of the book of Gods remembrance till it be turned from and repented of neither doth the creature stand clear in the sight of God when God judges in righteous judgement which the light in every ones conscience shall answer Now he that is born of God sins not for the seed of God remains in him which is life And as the creature joyns to that seed which is heir of the Kingdom and of the Crown immortal he comes to be made partaker of its vertue and operation which seed is Christ and by his power by which he limiteth the seed of the Serpent and weakens his strength in the creature as man cometh to believe in his strength unto whom all power is committed the covenant with Death is broken and that agreement that the creature hath made with death comes to be disannulled by the arm and power of the Lord and so the creature comes to be delivered from the bondage of corruption and the new man comes to live or the new creature which is born of God which sins not comes to be framed and fashioned in the image of the Father and the Fathers love is manifest unto him and in him and he hath the assurance in himself The Babe that is born from above of the Spirit which is from above of which he is born and brought forth of the just by the just he is justified by the just God and the just witness of the spirit sealeth this in him And he hath the record of his justification For there is three that bear record in the earth the water the blood and the spirit and he that is born of that which is pure in it self hath the witness of all these three in himself for they agree in one That which one beareth wit-witness to and for the other doth the same and the record and testimony and witness of all these three hath he that is born from above Moreover there are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the spirit and these three are one So he that is born of the Father and begotten of the Father in Christ the seed through the Spirit he and he alone comes to feel the Fathers love made manifest in him and is justified in the sight of the Father and hath the record of all these witnesses before mentioned in himself so that he hath his assurance and evidence near him and in him the seal of the Father the seal of the Spirit And so when the adversary comes to tempt and to assault and would raise up doubts in the mind the evidence is near which puts him out of all doubt that he is in the love of God blessed for ever and happy are all they who have waited for these things have felt these things and are witnesses of these things for flesh and blood hath not revealed these things Now let every man who reads this prove himself and try himself whether he be in the faith or