been talking of Faith and Hope and Sanctification and Redemption and Adoption and Justification by Christ and by his Righteousnesse while you are in the Unrighteousness and in the Sin and Transgression who would have Christs righteousnesse to be a Cloake and Cover for your sins and would be justified by Christ in your sins who came to save his peopie from sin and to destroy sin and to destroy the Devill who is the Author of it and he came to take away all Cloaks and covers for sin who saith himselfe If I had not come and spokon to you ye had not had sin but now have ye no Cloake for your sin so he it is that hath spoken to you once and againe but ye have not regarded and he doth speak to you and reproves you for sin all of you secretly in your consciences and for your evill deeds by the Light of his Spirit with which he hath enlightened you all who saith Except ye beleeve that I am he ye shall dye in your sins and then there will be no covering for you for your shame and nakedness will be seene though ye may call to the Rocks and Mountaines to fall upon you and cover you But the woe is unto all who are covered with a covering and not of my Spirit saith the Lord and woe will be for ever to all such who want the covering of Gods Spirit at the last day Therefore all people turne in your minds to the Light of Christ Jesuswithin you which doth reprove you for sin and never consents to the doing of any unrighteous thing and beleeve in the Light and be obedient to it for obedience to it is life Then will ye come to put off that and be uncovered of that which ye have been covered with which the woe is too brings the trouble and sorrow and anguish upon your soules and which will bring shame and confusion and woe and torment for ever except it be cast off and separated from And who come to the Light of Christ and beleeve in it and love it which is the Law of the Spirit of life with it they come to be quickened and made alive unto God and made dead unto sin and so come to be covered with the covering which the woe is not too for the Spirit is Life because of Righteousnesse but the body is dead unto sin As the Apostle said How can we who are dead unto sin live any longer therein Mark They who were quickned which Paul writ to who were once dead in sins and trespasses children of wrath as well as others these were made alive unto God but they were first dead unto sin and so could not live any longer therein except they would goe about to build again that which before they had destroyed and so make themselves transgres7s ors 2 Gal. 18. Now this the Saints said and witnessed who were made alive unto God and quickned by his Spirit dwelling in them and made free from the Law of Sin and Death but now this is contrary to all the Apostate Christians the Priests and Professors in this Age who say That they must live in Sin and have the Body of Sin as long as they be here and none can be perfect here nor be made free from sin but they sin in thought word and deed dayly and say they had need to pray for the forgivenesse of the sins of their Prayers and the best of their holy Duties is full of sin and the most righteous doth sin c. and so teach people These I say never yet did know sin destroyed nor never yet come out of the transgression nor our of the fallen Adams state nor we yet re-quickned but are still dead in their sins and trespasses and therefore they are not like to shew people the way out of sin or how to be freed from sin for they themselves are still in the Death the dead not raised yet and therefore hath all their preaching and praying been in vaine both to themselves and others and their faith vain also and they are yet in their sins even as the Apostle said If the dead arise not then is our Preaching vaine and your faith is vain also and ye are still in your sins Now you I say who long have been called Christians and you who have professed your selves to be Ministers of Christ and yet are walking according to the Course of this World not redeemed out of the World nor separated from the World but dead in sins and trespasses unquickned yet unmade alive unto God in the Death yet where all the World lyes who are in the wickednesse your conditions are far unlike to the Saints conditions who spoke sorth the Scriptures ye who are not yet come from among the dark world who sit in the darknesse and in the shadow of Death and love darkness rather than Light because their deeds are evill And will not these Teachers and Professors abide with them in the darknesse And doth it not appear that they are resolved upon it who say they must have sin and cannot be freed from it here but as long as they live here they must carny a body of sin about with them and a body of Death and so they walk in the shadow of it and sit in the shadow of Death and are not yet come to the Light nor will they come to the Light that they might see a way out of it but love their evill deeds rather than the Light so there they are sate down in the darknesse and remaine in the Death untill this day and will not arise and hearken to the Voyce of Christ Jesus whom God hath given for a Covenant for a Light unto the Gentiles to open the blind eyes and to unstop the deafe eares and to bring the Prisoners oat of Prison and them that sit in darknesse out of the Prison house and out of the House of bondage where they are all in Egypt still in the Land of darknesse and it hath been and is still the worke of the hireling Priests to cry peace to the people there and when any of the Servants of the Lord have been sent by him to call people our of the darknesse to come to the Light of Christ which he hath enlightned them withall that by it they might be led out of spirituall Sodome and Egypt where our Lord Jesus Christ hath been and is crucified afresh and put to open shame I say the Priests and Teachers they have stood up to oppose and have been like Jannes and Jambres who withstood Moses and would have hindred the people from going our of Egypt even to keep people in the darknesse and by the flesh-pors of Egypt where they may eat and drink with the drunken and satissie their lusts and yet notwithstanding tell the people that they are the Children of God and Christians and that none can be free from sin and the best have their sailings and
sect or opinion or judgement or Religion soever they be of who deny the Light which Christ Jesus bath Lighted every one withall to be â—ufficient to lead to salvation 〈◊〉 I say they know not that which makes free from sin and death and brings to life no can they beleeve that when it is declared to them but say none can be free from sin on this fide of the grave and account it errour to say that any can be free from sin here or be righteous here without sin and say the most righteous man sins and he that is borne of God sin which is Blasphemy so to say and this is and hath been their doctrine in the world amongst the Priests and profelsors the Antichrists and Anrichristians who are out of the life of Christ and the true Christians that now their nakednesse appeares to thein shame because they have not submitted to the righteousnesse by faith in Christ Jesus that they might be covered with it who is the true Light to beleeve in the Light that by it they might be led unto Christ Jesus from whence it comes who is Gods righteousness and thereby know the righteousness of the Law fulfilled in them and know the kingdome of god within which cometh not with observation as Christ saith and the righreousness in which it stands and the power in which it stands is within and the Law of the Spirit which makes free from the Law of sin and death and the life which is eternall which is the gist of God through Jesus Christ in whom the Law of the Spirit of life is But now all who are pleading for sin and say None be free from sin here they are still under the Law of sin and death which Paul sayd he was made free from Sin is still a Law to them and they are servants to it and so they are free from righteousness as the Apostle said While ye were servants of sin ye were free from righteousness but being made free from sin ye became the servants of righteousness That at sin had reigned unto death so righteousness might reigne unto life through Jesus Christ our Lord And againe His servants ye are whom ye obey whether sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness Therefore come all ye Teachers and Professors of the World what say you Can none be made free from Sin and Death here while he is upon Earth what is there not a living man amongst you all who is quickned Is there none of you come up out of the Grave that can truly say Oh Death where is thy Sting Oh Grave where is thy Victory Thanks be to God who hath given me Victory over Death What are you all as Graves which men go over unawares Have none of you heard the Voyce of the Son of God yet which they that hear shall live Are you all dead in your sins and trespasses unquickned yet in the Fall in the first Adams state in the Disobedience by which Sin entare dinto the World and Death by Sin Are you all there still where Death reigns Is there none come to Life which is through the Obedience to Christ Jesus the second Adam the quickening Spirit the Lord from Heaven Have none of you the Word of God abiding in you which Word is Quick and Powerfull and the enterance of it gives Life Come forth and answer for your selves What are you all shur up in the unbelief untill this day and have not beleeved in him whom God hath sent who is the Resurrection and the Life who saith he that beleeveth in me shall live for ever he shall never dye for he hath Life in himself and he gives Life to every one that beleeveth What are you all searching the Scriptures which testifies of Christ and thinke to have eternall Life in them and you not yet come to Christ that you may have Life him whom the Scriptures testifies of and saith He is the trus Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the World that all might beleeve in the Light and become Children of Light and he who followeth him should not walke in darknesse but he shall have the Light of Life and know Christ Jesus who is the way so the Father the Truth and the Life who saith No man cometh unto the Father but by me I am come a Light into the World c. What doe you not beleeve Christ Or doe you thinke to find another Way to the Father an easier Way then Christ or a broader Way a Way which is not a Crosse to your Wills or a Way where you may walke your selves without a Guids that ye may goe whither you list but that 's not the Way to God as Christ told Peter when he was young he girt himself and went whither he would c. Answer me plainly to these Queries Oh ye Priests and Professors who have been so long talking of the Scriptures but have been out of the Truth and out of the Life of Righteousnesse and out of the Light and out of the Way who have been wandering in the Darknesse not knowing whether you goe and seeking the Living amongst the Dead and are erred from the Truth in your hearts and hold it in the unrighteousnesse professing the true Words but are and have been out of the Truth and so could never be established there for none can ever be established but in the Truth and in the Righteousnesse But ye have been out of the Life and so are dead men still and are yet in the Graves and have not heard his Voyce that should raise you up yet because you have not hearkened diligently that your souls might live though you have been long talking of him and searching for him without in the Observations and have been saying Lot here is Christ and Lot he is there in this Form or in that Forme of Worship and in this or that Ordinande so Death hith heard of the fame of Wisdome and hath been talking of the fame of Wisdome which is justisied of her Children but ye who only have been talking of Wisdome and speaking of it while you were in the Death and did not learne the Way to Life ye are but soolish Children and are not justified for you have all been but as the foolish Virgins the best of you who have had Lamps but wanted Oyle and so ye are in the darke still your Lamps are not burning nor your Lights shining neither hath your Light so shined before men that they may see your good workes and glorifie the Father But you have all professed that which ye did not possesse and so are found in the hypocrisie and your righteousnesse hath been like the Righreousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees whom Christ told should in is wise enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Now all that are but there will be shut out though you have
And this we can declare forth freely unto the Nations round about which we have freely received of him even of his Spirit of truth which was the promise of the Father To lead us into all truth whereby we are come to know the Leadings of the Spirit and know that we are the Children of God and taught of God and led by his Spirit and this is it which doth comfort our hearts and assure us that we are his Children And as many as are the Sons of God the same are led by the Spirit of God as the Children of this world are led by the spirin that is of the world which is of him who is called the God of the world whose work it is to blinde the mindes of people as we were also at well as others while we were in the vaine conversation and walked according to the course of this world even the Prince of the power of the ayre that spirit which now worketh in all the Children of disobedience And they may be easily known for they are full of ayre and talke of that which they possesse not of others conditions and not their own and so have been in travell as it were but have brought forth nothing but wind have a form of godlinesse but want the power and are talking of the Spirit of God but are led by the spirit of this world and are disobedient to the manifestation of the Spirit of God which reproveth them for sin and checks them secretly when they doe evill But all who receives it and are obedient to it they know the movings of the Spirit and the teachings and leadings of the Spitit and what it is to be borne of the Spirir and what it is to live in the Spirit and to walke in the Spirit and to mortifie the deeds of the body by the Spirit and so to be quickned by the Spirit and what it is to be raysed up from the Dead with Christ by his Spirit dwelling in them Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ the same is none of his Therefore how can any of the Priests and Teachers and professors in the world confesse Christ come in the flesh and know not the Spirit which is of God c. Who say they have not the same Spirit that was in Christ the Apostles and Saints and say none have the same Spirit now which they had Therefore I say truly they are not like to know that Spirit who are erred from it nor confesse Christ come in the flesh who are of another spirit which not being the same must needs be the spirit of this world which is the spirit of Antichrist by which they cannot know the things of God for none knowes the things of God saving the Spirit of God neither were they like to discerne them or demonstrate them by the Spirit which they have not but are erred from it nor know the Scriptures which were given forth by the Spirit of God in the Prophets Christ and the Apostles but give their private interpretation of them and meaning which they add to them which is of no private Interpretation for the Spirit of the Lord was but one in all them that spoke them forth and them who are in the same Spirit and Life now reads them and knows them again as they were spoken and knows the Interpretation of them which is not private but publique and plaine and manifest But all who are of another spirit they are erred not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God as Christ sayd and so they neither know that which hath been spoken by the Spirit of God formerly not what the same Spirit speaketh expressely now not what the Scripture meanes where it is spoken plainly and expressely And truly it is no wonder now to see it so for people and their teachers are so farr erred from the Spirit by which the Scriptures were spoken forth that it is become a strange thing which cannot be beleeved even amongst all forts of professors who are called Christians For one to say he is moved by the Spirit of the Lord to speake or to pray or to doe any thing else as the servants of the Lord were in former times and this is become a scorne and derision amongst them which is a shame to them and doth plainly manisest what spirit they are of Now if they were Children of God or Sons of God who are led by the Spirit of God as some of th one professe themselves to be mark this diligently then must they needs know the meaning of the Spirit of God and the leadings of it otherwise it could not lead them and they not know it And they would be in the spirituall feeling and tasting and savouring and discerning of the things of God in themselves and of the fruits of the Spirit in others brought forth and try all Spirits with that and know them and love the good and not mocke and scoffe at them And so I say then it would not be a strange thing unto them if they themselves were come to know a motion or leading by the Spirit of God in themselves which would manifest that they were the Children of God and Sons of God that they were of Christ who have his Spirit and are led by it and so were true Christians and followers of Christ and this would be a true restimony to themselves and to others And then surely they neither any of you would mocke or scoffe or scorne at any who can witnesse the same But now the want of this hath caused your nakednesse appear to your shame and to the shame of all your blinde guides whom ye have so long been following for teaching who have caused you to erre by their lyes otherwise they might have brought you to have known the truth before now and to have raught you better manners then to have scoffed at it and at those who have declared it amongst you and walke in it whom you in scorne call Quakers and utter forth evill words which corrupts the good manners howsoever if it were so that we were not in the truth but in the errour and not moved by the Spirit of the Lord as ye say but erred from it then we were but where ye are Now Friends this I say and testifie in the Lord and know assuredly that my testimony is true and Gods witnesse in all your Consciences shall beare witnesse to it to be true and the Scriptures of truth will beare witnesse to the same That ye cannot say in truth whom any of you doe scoffe or scorne or mocke or reproach any of us or others that ye are moved thereunto by the Spirit of God or led unto it by the Spirit of God or taught by the Spirit of God to doe so or taught by the Scriptures to doe so which the holy men of God spoke forth which ye call your rule Neither can ye say
spirit which confelseth him come in the flesh who walke harmlesly innocently and righteously before all men in meeknesse in patience in humillity in lowlinesse in truth and uprightnesse before the Lord in all their dealing and abide in Christs Doctrine to speake the truth in all their communications their yea to be yea and their nay nay who will not swear nor lye nor cozen nor cheat nor defraud their neighbours who are no fighters nor quarellers who resist not evill but doe good for evill and pray for enemies and blesse them that curse them who are not in the envy and hatred and malice and persecution but are persecuted for righteousnesse sake who covets no mans silver nor gold that are willing to deny themselves and their reputations in the world and forsake the worlds friendships to follow Christ and suffer the losse of all for Christs sake and the Gospell Now are not those grievous Wolvs Antichrists that turn against such and rent such c. I say are not these the grievous Wolves that are entered and the Antichrists that are gone out into the world And is there not now very many of them Antichrists and Wolves in Sheeps cloathing among the Professors and the Apostate Christians or Antichristians Who are out of the life of Christ and the true Christians Such are not with Christ but against him and such gathereth not with him but scattereth and rents and tears his Lambs and Sheep and persecutes Christ and his Church the true Christians who are followers of him and are gathered to him by his Spirit in them And if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Now the Antichrists who are gone out into the World and the Wolves come in Sheeps cloathing who inwardly are ravening Wolves these have not the Spirit of Christ in them nor are his and so do turne against him and his and they are of another spirit which their fruits doe make manifest whereby they may easily be known The true Christians knew them so merly and did bear their testimony against them so we know them now and have and doe beare our testimony against them for their fruits have appeared more plainly in this then in any age since the Arostles dayes Therefore now come all ye Priests Teachers and Professors in the world who are called Christians try your selves and examine your selves and see what spirit ye are of who act these things before mentioned against the true Christians and Sheep of Christ who by you in scorne are called Quakers who hear his voyce and follow him and yet ye confesse Christ in words to be come in the flesh But what spirit is this in you by which ye are led to act these things wherein ye are now found Is this the Spirit of Christ or the spirit of Antichrist gone out into the world which lyes in the wickednesse where there is many Antichrists and the world hears them for they are of its own but who are true Christians and followers of Christ Jesus who is not of this World and are led by his Spirit these the World will not hear nay the Priests and Professors therein but cry against them and speake all manner of evill against them falsely for Christs sake by whose spirit they are gathered out of the world and say hang them away with them they are not fit to live upon the earth and so would murder and kill and destroy By this we know that this spirit is not of God nor doth confess Christ come in the flesh but denyes him who came not to kill but to save mens lives and to destroy the Devill who was a murderer from the beginning and therefore we cannot beleeve that spirit but deny it and declare against it to be that spirit of Antichrist gone out into the World and the same spirit that was in the Scribes and Pharisees and Jewes who would have Jesus crucified Barrabbas released who was a Robber for he was of their own spirit and therefore they chused him before Jesus who was of another Spirit and bore witness against them for their hypocrisie and therefore they hated him And so now they that are of God in the Spirit of truth have tryed this spirit which the Priests are in now and have found it to be the spirit of errour which neither knoweth God nor loveth him For he that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love And so all who are found persecuting for conscience sake and compelling men to sweare and to worship God in their wayes which they have set up and hating and envying of people and reviling and reproaching for matter of Religion and worship c. are found to be of that spirit which is not of God which loves not nor knows not God who is love but is of the Devill who was a Murtherer from the beginning and a Lyar from the beginning and the father of all lyars and murtherers and Persecutors and envious ones who is out of the Truth from whence all lyes and murther and envy and pride and hatred and persecution and strife and emulations and enmity cometh and all the deeds of darknesse And he is the god of the world who hath blinded the minds of all men of the World that beleeve not lest the Light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ who is the Image of God should shine in them So he it is that makes people darke and blind to worke the works of darknesse and to act as blind men where they are walking in the darknesse and love it and put darknesse for light call good evill and evill good and know not whither they go nor know not the truth nor the way of God but persecute it and call it errour and heresie as it was in all ages past even so it is now for Truth was never persecuted under the name of Truth but of erruor and they who did persecute it were alwayes blind will be for they are out of the Truth and therefore they know it not as the Jewes did not know Christ for if they had known him they would not have crucified the Lord of life saith the Apostle So all the worlds Professors now are blind who doe persecute they are all groaping in the dark as the men of Sodom did who wearied themselves to find Lots doore Gen. 19.11 And so it hath been in the World in all their professions that hath beâ— since the dayes of the Apostles they have been fighting and â—â—â—ing and persecuting one another and hating and speaking evill one of another and even wearyed themselves by setting up of this forme and that forme of worship and making Lawes to compell to them which they have called Church Discipline and by running from one way of worship to another and from Mountain to Hill and have been climbing till they are weary and groaping in the dark till they are weary to
the right hand and the left the Sheep and the Goats him that serveth God and him that serveth him not between the righteous and the wicked between him that sweareth and him that feareth an oath So then ye will not put darknesse for Light and Light for darknesse nor call evil good nor good evil nor put bitter for sweet not sweet for bitter nor call that which is corrupt holy nor the proud happy as they did in former times who wereblind and as they do now who deny the Light of Christ and teach people that it is but a natural light c. These are they now who are blind and without discerning and tasting and savouring of the things of God and their hearts are hardned through the deceitfulnesle of sin and they are without feeling Now the Light of Christ wil let you see what is in your hearts and in your minds and in your thoughts and what ye think and what ye speake For a good man saith Christ out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and an evill man out of the treasure of his heart bringeth forth evill things Now whose minds are turned to the Light of Christ within it will let you see what treasure you have in your hearts and what ye do bring forth or whether ye be the good men which brings forth good things good words and good deeds good desires good motions good thoughts and good affections or whether ye be the evil men who out of the evil treasure of your hearts brings forth the evil things as evil thoughts evil words and evil deeds c. This will let ye see whether the good things be there or the evil things be there at all times if ye do minde it and shew ye what ye bring forth and what ye keep in secret which ye would not have seen for that is the evil doer who doth not doe truth that would not have his work seen and so doth not love the Light because the Light will reproove him but the good man who doth truth he loves it and brings his deeds to the Light to be proved And the Light will let ye see if there be any deceit or hypocrisie in your hearts or desperate wickednesse there and it will reprove for that and will search your hearts and try your Rains and let you see what rules there and what Reigns there in your hearts and in your minds and desires and affections and whether ye have any Rains to hold in your desires and affections that they should not run into the lusts and vanityes of the world and of the flesh yea or nay And it will let ye see whether ye have the girdle of truth to girt up the loins of your minds to God or whether they are at liberty and loose and tossed to and fro as the raging Sea yea or nay And it will let ye see whether ye have a Bit and Bridle for your tongue which otherwise will be unruly and thereby you will offend if ye use it as your own I say the Light will discover this unto every one whose minds are turned to it and wait in it and who hearken diligently to it and beleeve in it and obey it they shall come to know their souls to live For obedience to it is life and disobedience to it is death And now whilest men who have been in power to govern the Nations have been making laws without to bind mens consciences and to limit them and compell them to this or that worship and have been talking long of Reformation and Church-Government and have gathered-Churches as they have called them and made Leagues and Covenants and Assemblies of Divines so called to make confessions of Faith Catechismes and set-Forms of worships as Directoryes c. to worship God by and to settle Church-Government and have Laws that all that would not worship God in such a way and such a Form as they had set up to fine them imprison them and whip them and stock them and banish them and hang them or cut oft their ears c. These have been the Reformations in the world in the Apostacy among the Apostate Christians since the dayes of the Apostles ' Among the Protestants and Papists with their Laws and Statutes and Customes and Ordinances without and carnal Weapons and Goales and Whips and Houses of correction and Inquisitions and Fires and Faggots and Courts and Pennance and Stools of Repentance so called now all these things have been and are in order to their Reformation and worshipping of God and to bring people to the Kingdom of God But now mind People what hath all this produced For they have all this while begun at the wrong end of the work and their labour hath been in vain hitherto and will be and little Reformation hath been wrought among people all this while for many himdreds of years past but one Generation hath exceeded another in wickednesse pride and covetousnesse drunkennesse uncleannesse deceit and hypocrisie c. I say what hath it brought sorth but to make people hypocrites not Saints false Christians not true Christians and Wolves in Sheeps cloathing to professe God and Christ in words but in works to deny God And professe the Scriptures to be their Rule and yet they are walking as contrary to that which they call their Rule as if they had no Rule at all nor no Scripture at all nor no Law at all to bind them to this or that form of worship These are but Babels builders whose work the Lord is comingto confound throw down their languages is already confounded and they are all on heaps still After all their bustle and stir which the many builders have made for many hundreds of years about Religion and worship and Reformation and they are as far from the true worship as they were And people do not yet know the Truth nor the true worship of God which is in the Spirit And the Lord is seeking such to worship him as worship him in the Spirit and in the Truth for God is a Spirit But all the world Teachers and the Priests and Professors therein do not know the Spirit of God nor know not the truth yet and so were not like to worship God in it or to find him in their outward worships and carnal Ordinances and Doctrines and Commandements or in the outward Observations and Forms which men have prescribed Nay God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth Now all this while people have been erred from the Spirit of God and the Wolf hath been covered with the Sheeps cloathing and the Wolves nature still retain'd and lived in and not the Sheeps nature They have been all inwardly ravening Wolves and not in the true Christians nature which is the Divine Nature Innocent and harmlesse and separated from sinners Now it hath been contrary
so dawb with untempered Morter and speak peace where the Lord speakes no peace and so lead people about like silly women laden with sins and diverse lusts ever learning but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth For who knowes the truth the truth makes them free and brings them from under the load and from under that which burthens and vexeth the righteous soul as the righteous soul of Lot was vexed from day to day with the uncleane conversation of the wicked Sodomites Now these would keep people in Sodome and Egypt under the heavy burthens and loads in the fleshly lusts and filthinesse by the flesh-pots of Egypt that even peoples hearts and minds have been boyling up with wickednesse and uncleannesse and their eyes full of Adultery who cannot cease from sin and here they have been ever learning but could not know truth while they are there and so by this means they have made people to pay them for reaching of them and to uphold them and give them fire and these are the blind leaders of the blind into the Ditch But who comes to the Light which Christ Jesus hath enlighmed them withall to waite in it and hearken diligently to it they hear the Voyce of Christ and live and arise up from their seats and so come out of Egypt and out of the shadow of Death and the house of bondage and from under Pharaoh and his Taskmasters and they come through the Sea as Israel did and was Baptized unto Moses in the Cloud and in the Sea and through the fire to be Baptized into the name of Christ with the Spirit and with Fire and to be baptised all into one Spirit and to be made like unto Christ in his Death to be made dead unto sin that they may not live any longer therein and to drink of the spirituall drink and to eate of the spirituall meate and to drink of the spirituall Rock which Rock is Christ that is gone before us which Rock is the same which Israel drank of which followed them who were under the Law untill the Seed came which Seed is Christ who redeems from under the Law who was made under the Law that he might redeem them which were under the Law who fulfilled the Law and blotted out the hand writing of Ordinances and nayled them to his Crosse which whosoever are followers of him they must take up this Crosse which crucifies the flesh with the affections and lusts and makes dead unto sin and slayes the Transgressor and so makes peace through the blood of his Crosse I say this Crosse must be taken up dayly by all who will be true Disciples indeed and true Christians the Preaching of which Crosse now to the World and Professors therein is foolishnesse and is despised and cannot be endured as it was formerly to the Jewes a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishnesse but unto them that beleeved therein both Jewes and Greeks it was the Power of God and the Wisdome of God and to them that believe now it is the same but unto the unbeleeving it is foolishness even to all who are not yet turred to the Light of Christ Jesus within which he hath enlightned them withall they are still in the unbeliefe and so never yet knew the Power of God nor the Wisdome of God and so it is foolishnesse to them for they are all spiritually blind and so cannot discern the things of God which are spiritually discerned but are all as foolish and sottish Children without understanding and untaught and unlearned neither are they come to receive the Law from him who is the Law-giver that they might be taught of him who sarth Learne of me I am meeke and lowly im heart and ye shall finde rest for your soules and be made wise unto salvation for in him is hid the treasure of wisdome cand knowledge Now all those who only lookes out at the Scriptures and comes not to the Light of Christ within which the Scriptures declares of the treasure of wisdome and knowledge is still hid from them for it is in Christ Jesus from whence the Light comes which Light leadeth to Christ where the treasure is hid and where the Life is hid from all the world yet who are searching the Scriptures and thinking in them to have eternall life But ye will not come unto me that ye may have life saith Christ I am the Life the Way and the Truth and our Life is hid with Christ in God sayd the Saints Therefore now all people this is an Invitation of love to all your soules to turne in your minds to the Light of Christ within you which is spirituall holy true just and good which will let you all see what your words are your actings are though done in secret and what the thoughts and intents of your hearts are it will try them all and let you all see your minds being truly turned to it what is in your hearts and minds and what your wayes are now and have been and what your lives are and how you have lived Now this I say which lets you see these things and reproves what is contrary to it will let ye see whether ye are come to Christ yea or nay who is the Way unto God the Truth and the Life and the righteousnesse of God from whence the Light cometh and so here every one of you will know Judgement layd to the Lyne and righteousnesse to the Plummet and that which is lyes and deceit and hypocrisie will be Judged and condemned in every particular with the Light which is and will be the condemnation of the world who love their evill deeds evill wayes evill lives evill thoughts and intents of their hearts and evill words rather than the Light which doth reprove them and therefore the way the truth and the life which is Christ is hid from them and they know not him in whom the treasure of wisdome and knowledge is hid Now the Light is that which doth Reveale and make manifest that which is hid and hath been hid from the wise and prudent men of this world and hath been hid from ages and generations past But now is the Truth plainly seen and known and declared as it was in former ages by them whom it was then manifested to by the Spirit of God Even by us whom the world in soorns call Quakers who have beleeved in the Light of Christ and received the manifestation of his Spirit which is Light which is freely given and tendered unto all and hath appeared unto all but is not neither hach been received by all But as many as receiveth him to thom doth he give power to become the Sons of God even to as many as beleeve iâ— his Name who is the true Light and who is true and faithfull and everlasting The same to day yesterday and the same for evermore
false Teachers amongst you saith the Apostle who privily shall bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and many shall follow their pernitious wayes by reason of whom the way of truth should be evil spoken of And that perillous times should come that men should be lovers of themselves covetous boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy without natural affection truce-breakers false accusers incontinent fierce despisers of those that are good traytors heady high-minded lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God 2 Timothy 3. Now all those before mentioned were and are erred from the Spirit of truth which was in the Saints the holy-men of God who spake forth the Scriptures which declares of these things that there was such then and that there should be such Therefore now behold all People and see whether the things which the Apostles prophecyed of concerning the false Teachers which should come be not come to passe abundantly in the Generations since their dayes and also in this our age insomuch as the whole world hath been deceived by them and led after them and they have drawn them into many Religions Sects and Opinions and set them to kill and murther one another about Religion and about the Scriptures and about their worships and Laws to compel men to them being all erred from the Spirit and from the Truth and now know not the Truth nor the Spirit which was in the Apostles and Saints in which Spirit they worshipped God in their dayes and those then that got Christs words and the Prophets words and had not his Spirit but were arred from it and were out of the Life and out of the Truth which they did professe in words These I say the Saints and true Christians who were followers of Christ and had his Spirit with it they tryed the spirits of the other who had it not and found them not to be of God nor to be beleeved nor received but turned from for they were false Spirits and false Prophets which were gone out into the world from Christ and from the Saints that had the Spirit of God in them by which they tryed the other and found them to be of the world and Antichrists in the spirit of this world and by it led which cometh from him who is called The god of this world who had blinded their minds And so they were not true Prophets or Seers or true Ministers of Christ nor true Teachers but false Teachers false Ministers false Prophets and Antichrists and blind guids gone out into the world in the worlds Spirit and so with that spirit they could not confesse Christ come in the flesh though in words they might say he was come in the flesh as all the Priests and Professors who are called Christians do now at this day in words confesse him but not with the Spirit confesse him as their fruits make it manifest Now saith the Apostle hereby know ye the Spirit of God Every Spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God And every Spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ as come in the flesh is not of God and this is the spirit of Antichrist whereof ye have heard that it should come and even now already is in the world Ye are of God little children and have over come them because greater is he that is in you then he that is in the world They are of the world therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them We are of God he that knoweth God heareth us Hereby know me the Spirit of Truth and the spirit of Error John 1.4 1 2 3 4 5 6. verses Now if those had not had Christs words and confessed him in words to be come in the flesh while they were out of his life and of another spirit then the Apostle would not have called them Antichrists and Prophets and Teachers but he would have called them Jews or Gentiles or Heathers but this was it which did differ them from the Jews and unbelieving Gentiles and Heathers then Namely They had the words of Christ and the Saints and the Prophets and did professe them as the Priests and Teachers and Professors do now the Scriptures but are erred from the life of Christ and from the Spirit that was in the Saints who gave forth the Scriptures as they were then whom John speakes of erred from the life and Spirit of Christ and the Saints and so were Antichrists and false Prophets and false Teachers and Deceivers which were gone out into the World from the Saints life and Spirit and so the World heard them as they doe now the Priests and false Teachers and they drew people after them then from the Saints the true Church and so set up false Churches and Religions in the World and false worships in imitation of the true Church and true Religion and true worship of God which is in the Spirit and so by this means deceived people then at the first and scattered them from God and led them into confusion and darknesse and disorder and errour and so they broke out into many Sects and Opinions and Religions and wayes of Worship being once gone from the true Worship which is in the Spirit of God alone in which the unity is where this is wanting there cannot be unity nor gathering unto God nor true worship of God And so after the Apostles decease they being erred from the true Spirit who did professe themselves to be gatherers could not gather unto God but did draw people more and more from God and so the whole world went after the false Prophets and false Teachers And these were the grievous Wolves which entered and scattered the Flock which the Apostle spoke of before which should come and Christs words were fulfilled who said He that is not with me is against me and he that gathereth not with me scattereth So he that is not with Christ but is against him the same is Antichrist he that gathereth not with him but scattereth there is the grievous Wolfe that scattereth the Flock and spoyles the Sheep of the Lords pasture and makes havock of them And such are all they now at this day who are called Ministers and have been accounted gatherers and Divines and are called Orthodox men but are found to be Wolves in Sheeps cloathing who doe scatter the Flock and make havock of the Sheep of Christ and spoyle their goods and cast into Prison and whip and stock and cut off eares and wound and hang and banish c. and cause people to hayle them before Magistrates and stone and beat them knock them downe in streets for dead and haile out of the Synagogues and Steeple-houses and reproach and scoffe and scome and speake all manner of evill falsely against them who are true Christians that not only confesse Christ come in flesh in words but also in works and walke in that