to have the rule over the spirituall man but thou fleshly man thy Strength is the Arm of flesh and thy weapons of Warre are carnal and thou canst not prevail against the man born of the Spirit for the Lord of hosts is his strength who is Mighty and Powerfull who will cut downe by the World of his Power the Sword of his Mouth and give him dominion over thee though thou use all thy craft and subtill policy for to bring the spirituall seed under thee yet thou shall know that God hath decreed the contrary for this is the day of the Lords mercy and the innocent seed which hath long been sore oppressed by the unrighteous generation of fleshly men shall now be freed from bondage and thraldome and I know the day draws nigh wherein this shall be fulfilled though the utmost of your wrath and cruelty you will manifest who walk in the flesh yet all your striving plotting and close combining and unrighteous decrees shall stand you in no stead for the elect seed according to the determinate Counsell of the Almighty God shall now be set free as well from out ward bondage as inward and shall reign and govern in righteousness over all the earth for evermore our God according to his promise for his elect sake will hasten his work a short work he will make upon the earth now woe woe to the oppressors of Sion great will be your misery pain and torment of your grief and sorrow there shall be no end but blessed art thou who art hated and despised persecuted and shamefully entreated mocked and scorned and not counted worthy to live upon the earth thy grief and sorrow shall be turned into everlasting joy thou shalt sing and be glad when thy enemies mourn and lament thy time of sorrow is come in remembrance with God and he will plead thy cause against thy oppressions and give thee ease and peace for ever and over the smoke of their torment shalt thou rejoyce and the time draweth night wherein our God will bring this to pass Gods people his Temple and who they are THe Apostle Paul writes unto the Corinthians in plain words concerning the Temple of God 1 Cor. 3.16 which might stop the mouths of all the Carnall professors upon the earth who call a stone-house their Church or Temple if the words were truly weighed and beleeved know ye not saith he that ye are the Temple of God and the spirit of God dwelleth in you if any defile the temple of God him shal God destroy for the temple of God is holy which temple ye are but the whole earth hath been covered with thick darkness in this long time of Apostacy that the understandings of most part of people hath been vailed and blinded that the knowledge of the truth and life of the holy Scriptures hath been sealed from them and are to thousands at this day who make a profession of it and by many thousands of people in this Nation and other Nations the stone houses the Idol Temples made with mens hands are called Churches and Temples and are esteemed to be more holy places then others though the Scripture clearly manifests to the true understanding Reader that the people of God are his Church or Temple 2 Cor. 6.16 ye are saith Paul to the Church of Corinth the Temple of the living God as God hath said I will dwell in them and walk in them take notice the people in whom God dwells and walks are his Temple but if any of Gods people whom he hath chosen to be his rabernacle do now bear restimony of the spirit of life dwelling in them it is by this dark generation of people counted presumption and by some blasphemy because it is beyond the reach of their carnal reason and sensuall wisdome which never shall enter into the true knowledge of this my stery god dwelling in man and man dwelling in God and furthermore Paul saith to to the Church at Corinth 1 Cor. 6.19 what know ye not that your body is the temple of the holy Spirit which is in you is not this a plain thing that the people of God are his temple and dwelling place if you will beleeve the Scriptures you cannot deny the truth of this which is so clearly made manifest And these are Gods people who walk in his light and Counsell who are borne againe of the incorruptible seed who have put off the old man with his deeds and put on the new man Christ Iesus and this is the same body as ever was the temple God dwells in the body purged from sin and corruption and this is the eternall tabernacle of God the new man Christ Jesus the same to day yesterday and for ever but such people as be in the corruptible nature not purged nor cleansed from sin and corruption are not the holy temple of God such as bring forth the fruits of unrighteousness and hath no experience of the in ward work of Gods living power in them but are ignorant of the work of repeneration they be none of the body of Christ the temple of God but the Synagogue of Satan the body of Anti-Christ for it is they and onely they who are borne of the spirit and walk after the spirit to walk after the spirit is to be led and guided by it which brings forth the peaceable fruit of righteousness which knows the operation of the divine power and the work of Regeneration wrought in them which are the true and onely temple of God ye who are Regenerate and born again of the immortall seed ye are the true Christians body of Christ temple of God and Gods dwelling house and tabernacle ye babes of God who through the eternall spirit hath mortified the Just and Concupiscence of the flesh Crucified the old man with his deeds from whom all old things are passed away who are created a new unto good works ye are the Church of the first borne your body is the temple of the eternall God and he will dwell in you and make his abode with you for ever The members of the body of Christ known by their fruits from the Synagogue of Anti-Christ YE who be of the body of Christ from sin and iniquity are purged and cleansed through the Spirit by which ye are baptised into the one body and ye cannot bring forth evill fruits ye are known one of another in the life of innocency though the world know ye not ye are meek loving and full of tender compassion ye cannot render evill for evill to no person ye are patient and long suffering willing freely to forgive them that trespass against you your humillity and moderation is manifest to the light in all consciences ye are not puft up with pride and conceitedness but are low and little in your own eyes ye cannot seek after earthly honour or riches but are contene with what the Lord provides for you and ye seek onely after honour of
A DESCRIPTION OF THE TRUE TEMPLE And Worship of GOD. And Jesus Christ manifested to be the Head of the Church which is his Body and the onely Pastour And also the Members of the Body of Christ known by their fruits from the Synagogue of Antichrist with a few words to the Romane Catholicks Likewise the order of the Church in God the Body of Christ made manifest and the disorder of the Synagogue of Antichrist Given forth in the fear of the Lord in obedience to his pure will for the edification of all people who have any true and simple desires in them after the knowledge of the naked simple truth as it is in Jesus Christ by a lover of the souls of all people who in contempt and scorn by this dark generation am called Quaker known to man by the name of John Harwood London Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Ball and mouth near Alders-gate 1658. A Description of the Temple and Worship of God c. The true Church manifested to be the Body of Christ and not the externall Temples made with hands and Christ exalted who is Supreme head of his Church and the Teacher of the Members of his body and the end of the first Priesthood THE Eternall God that made the world and all things therein Act 17. who gives life to all living creatures Acts 7. dwelleth not in Temples made with hands neither is he worshipped with mens hands as people may imagine but the Almighty dreadfull God is a Spirit and the true worshippers worship him in the Spirit and so he will be worshipped and is and hath been so served and worshipped by the true Christians the faithfull worshippers created anew in Christ ever since Christ came in the flesh the living substance who prophesied of the deftruction of the Temple which Solomon builded for the Service of God in the time of the Law which Temple and Service in its time was agreeable to the will of God being duly and truly observed according to the requirings of the Law and the first Priesthood as they stood faithfull in the Councell of the Lord their service and offerings was accepted but their time was but untill Christ came in the flesh the everlasting unchangeable High Priest in whom the Righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled who is made a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech he puts an end to the first Priesthood Law the carnall Ordinances offerings and outward observations Rites and Ceremonies contained in the Law which were Types figures and shadows all fulfilled in Christ the living Substance the end of the Law and the Prophets for the substance the end of all things the eternall son of the dreadfull God being come the shadows and figures cease and end the first Priesthood which was the changeable Priestood had its time untill the coming of Jesus Christ the eternall unchangeable Priest and then changed and the Law also Heb. 7. And this is he at whom the whole world is offended who makes themselves Priests after the Law of a carnall commandement who is made high Priest for ever over the houshold of God not made by a carnal 〈◊〉 of a commandement as the Priests of the world are who receive their orders Commissions from man so made by the will of man but after the power of an endlesse life and they who have not Christ to be their chief Shepherd and high Priest are none of his sheep nor of the houshold of God whatsoever in words may be professed of him for there are many that draw nigh with their mouths and lips but their heart far from him The Law made nothing perfect as the Scripture of truth affirms but Christ Jesus the substance hath by one offering perfected for ever them that be sanctified the daily sacrificers the Priests themselves Heb. 10. who daily offered sacrifice for themselves and the people in the outward Temple according to the Custome of the Law were not made perfect as pertaining to the conscience for that by the works of the Law no flesh can be justified if there had been perfection in the works of the law under the first Priesthood what need had there been for a change of the law and the Priesthood but not being of force to make the comers thereunto perfect nor the Priests themselves therefore there was a necessity for the change of the law and the Priesthood Heb. 7.11 12. for as saith Paul if there had been perfection by the Leviticall Priesthood for under it the people received the law what further need was there that another Priesthood should arise after the order of Melchisedech and not be called after the order of Aaron for the Priesthood being changed there is made of necessity also a change of the law Wherefore I say all such people as now go to and uphold the outward Temple and Synagogue and observe the ancient customes the Rices and Ceremonies contained in the law follow the example of the Jews and the first Priesthood and their practises and so goes on in the way where perfection cannot be actained nor the light of life received It was the labour and practice of the Apostles the primitive Christians to go into the Temple and Synagognes and to declare against their carnall Ordinances weak and beggarly Elements which had no strength nor power in them to bring people to perfection and to call them forth of these things to follow Jesus Christ the everlasting unchangeable high Priest who by one offering hath perfected for ever them that be sanctified and so many as believed and received Christ which the Saints in light preached left the outward Temple and worship and forsook the types figures and shadows and the rudiments of the world and followed Christ and they recived the light of life the knowledge of God and in Chirst was created anew and so became Christians forsaking the old way and following the new and living way which all be our of Col. 2.20 21 22 23 who uphold the outward Temple and be in the Rudiments of the world the carnall Ordinances and outward observations whose performances stands in their own wills and time take notice they who continued in the outward Temple-worship were not called Christians and though ye Temple worshippers call your selves Christians and go under the name of believers in Christ neverthelesse your practises and fruits manifests the contrary with the eternall eye ye are seen to be in the same nature and life of the Jews and Infidels who were enemies to Christ and the primitive Christians for ye have but the talk or nimes of Christ and the Saints our of the nature and life of the living substance The Temple which King Solomon builded Mat. 24. Jesus Christ the everlasting unchangeable high Priest Mar. 13. foretold the destruction of and told his Disciples Luk. 21. that there should not be left one stone upon another that should not be thrown down and
God ye are no self-lovers but self-denyers no followers of the worlds fashions Customs or traditions but of Iesus Christ whose kingdome is not of the world who alone is your Head King Priest and Propher ye who goe under the name of members of the Church of Christ and call one another Brother and Sister who pretend to have Communion and fellowship with one another search your hearts with the light of Christ and it will not deceive you but let you truly see in what your fellowship hath stood and stands and will clearly manifest unto you whether ye be in the spirit of truth and righteousness yea or no if ye be then the fruits before mentioned ye will bring forth abundantly which are the fruits of the spirit and your Communion and fellowship will stand and as ye abide in the life of truth and righteousness your love and unity will grow and increase and your pure lives and holy conversations will make you manifest to be members of the body of Christ but if you see with the light of Christ self-love pride covetousness rashness self-wildness envy and uncharitableness then know that if these things remaine in you and things of the like nature that your Communion and fellowship is in the flesh and not in the spirit formal and not eternall and ye are none of the living stones which the temple of God is built on none of the members of the body of Christ but of Anti-Christ the body of Christ is washed in his blood which cleanseth from all unrighteousness unrighteousness uncleanness and all sin and iniquity is out of the body of Christ the Church in God in the body of Anti-Christ the enemy of the Church of God All ye formalists who are puft up in pride and arrogancy who have gotten the Saints words to talk on in your airy minds and live at ease in vain pleasures and wantonness your words and policy shall stand you in no stead in this the day of the Lord you shall appear in your own likeness your close hypocrisy and your fained humility shall not cover you nor save you from the judgements of the dreadfull God your hearts shall be made naked and bare and your reward you shall have with the wicked and ungodly your shame and confusion ye shall no longer hide ye shall be known whose servants and Children ye are and of what body ye are members and that Anti-christ is your head and not Christ the body of Christ is purged from all secret deceit treachery and close hypocrisy and is filled with righteousness purity and innocency every particular member of the Church in God this pillar and ground of truth knows the work of sanctification by the powerfull operation of the word of truth are thorowly cleansed and sanctified and by the divine power joyned and united unto Christ the head of his Church which is his body he is no member of the Church of Christ what ever he profess that lives after the flesh and knows not the work of the Eternall Spirit of judgement and burning which mortifies the fleshly desires and lusts and purges and cleanses the heart thorowly from sin and iniquity for it is the work of the spirit to purifie and the body purified without spot is the body of Christ the Church of God no unclean person can be united to the body of Christ though thousands of unclean people may come amongst the members of his body yet no defiled thing can be joyned to it for it is pure without spot and members of the Church in God feels enjoys one another in the life of pure love and their unity and fellowship stands not in outward formallity but in the pure life of truth and innocency where they meet and imbrace one another and are refreshed one in another in the love and life which changeth not which all men and women upon the face of the whole earth are out of which be from the light with which Christ hath enlightned them for the light leads into the life of innocency where the eternall unity stands The Church made of living stones THe living stones of which the Church of God is made are the people who have passed from death to life who are dead to sin and alive unto righteousness such as have passed thorow much sorrow and many tribulations and hath seen the travail of their souls and are satisfied with the birth of the immortall seed which is borne and brought forth in them they in whom the righteous seed is raised and the unrighteous nature destroyed which was dead in sin and transgression and made alive unto God and now lives in the light the life of righteousness are the Church of God the House of God the tabernacle of the most high and in them the Lord of Hosts is sanctified who will be sanctified in all that draw nigh unto him and in ye who are raised up in the life and power of truth and righteousness is the living praises for the living praises God the dead cannot praise him the life which through the operation of the Eternal spirit is raised which purgeth from sin and iniquity glorifies God and praises God and these are the living stones on which the Church of God is builded who are borne of the immortall seed whose delight is to walk in the Counsell of the Lord and to serve and obey him which cannot delight in themselves nor in their own works and truly it is not grievous to the living stones the Babes born of God to follow the Counsell of their Father for it is the nature of the seed of God to doe the will of him who hath through the power of his free love and tender mercy begotten it unto himself ye in whom the babe immortal is born and brought forth can seal to the truth of this though to many it may seem to be a strange doctrine who be ignorant of the work of God and knows not the birth of the seed immortall but truly I know that as Iohn saith that the Commandements of the Lord out God are not grievous unto us his Children Ioh. 5.3 who are begotten and borne of him but rather joy us yea it is our joy to serve the Lord our God and to keep his pure Commandements as it was the delight of his faithfull servant David to walk in his Commandements which he loved Ps 119.47 but who be in the transgression in the disobedience loves not God Ver. 143 neither delighteth in his commands but loves themselves their own ways and rejoyceth in their iniquities and delighteth in the things which are perishing which profiteth not but such are dead in sin though alive in the fleshly body and are none of the living stones which the Church of God is made on Iesus Christ head of his Church and the onely Pastour MAny people there are that in words make a profession of Christ and the Scriptures and will say they beleeve in Christ yet will
know not what as Jesus Christ told the woman of Samaria and said that neither at Jerusalem nor at the Mountain of Samaria God the Father would be worshipped John 4. But the hour is coming and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth Take notice Jerusalem was the City where Solomon built a Temple for the Service and worship of God according to his Command and the Mountain of Samaria was also a place where people worshipped Neverthelesse the Son of God said his Father would not be worshipped there but the true worshippers must worship the Father in Spirit and in truth Wherefore I say all such Teachers as lead people to the externall Temples which they call Churches and to the observation of carnall ordinances and to follow after the Ordinances vain traditions and doctrines of men from the spirituall Worship are deceivers and Antichrists for this same reason because they teach people to uphold follow and observe that which Jesus Christ and his Apostles declared against and was never observed nor practised by the antient Christians recorded in the Scripture of truth for the Primitive Christians that believed in and followed Christ denied and bare testimony against the outward Temple and Synagogues and the customary places upheld by the Jews and Infidels and their traditions and superstitious ceremonies Co. 2. Act. 1.13 Act. 20.8 Gal. 5.5 Mat. 18.20 and met together at one anothers houses in an upper chamber or in an inner room and waited upon the Lord in his light and counsell for the manifestation of his Divine power and according to his promise they enjoyed the powerfull presence of the Lord who saith where two or three meet together in my name there am I in the midst of them and when the Saints in light were assembled together waiting in the pure fear of the Lord as any of them were moved of the Lord they preached and prayed and exhorted one another in the fear and power of the Lord and none were restrained from speaking but all had liberty to speak that had a motion from the Lord as the Scripture of truth makes manifest if any thing were revealed to any one in the Saints Assembly that sate by 1 Cor. 11. the first was to hold his peace that all might speak one by one that all might be edified this was the order and practice of the Saints in light the Church in God the body of Christ in former ages and the same order and practice is in the true Church now at this day in the Assemblies of the children of light who are hated and despised of this unrighteous generation and in contempt and scorn called Quakers but reproaches and unrighteous slanders cast up-upon us by Ishmaels line we esteen as great riches and are not ashamed to suffer for righteousnesse sake but all ye various Forms who push one at another and all against the life of truth ye shall wither as grasse in the heat of of Summer and fade as a flower for the vertue and power of the Almighty ye want amongst you for to support and uphold you and the earth is your Centre and a habitation in God the life or righteousnesse ye have not but in the earth and the woe is coming upon the inhabitants of the earth therefore cease cease from your inventions and airy imaginations and fear and dread the pure name of the living God and worship him serve him and give glory to him that ye perish not in your iniquities with the ungodly for truly the houre of his judgement is come ye shall all be tryed and winnowed and the wheat the good seed that is amongst you shall be gathered into the Lords Garner and the chaste shall be burned with unquenchable fire judgement is alreaready begun at the house of God where will the ungodly and sinners appear now will the terrible Judge of heaven and earth give Sentence against you hypocrites and dissemblers Depart from me ye workers of iniquity I know ye not except ye repent truly and cease from your sins and iniquities and with all your hearts turn unto the Lord God and dread and fear his holy name and walk in his light and counsell and serve and worship him as he will be worshipped in the spirit and in the truth your time prize whilst the doore of mercy is open lest it be shut against you and ye in your gainsayings and Rebellion eternally perish To the Romane Catholicks ANd ye who are called Romane Catholicks are the most dark and ignorant people upon the face of the whole earth that go under the names of Christians your whole worship is made up in the imagination and invention of the wisdome of the flesh none so foolish but the naturall heathen to bow to the works of mens hands in which there is no life as ye do and for many of your Ceremonies and Traditions ye have no other foundation but the naturall Heathen as one of your own professors doth confesse as ye may read in the 587. Page of the Book called the Treasury of the Romane Antiquities where the Authour expresses many of your Customes and practises in your Religion and is not ashamed to say ye borrowed them of the heathen as that they hung their streets with Tapestry and had resting places in divers parts of the Towns when they went in Procession as ye have at this day c. And that they carryed their images and reliques of their gods about as ye do and that they marched two and two together carrying wax candles or Torches in their hands and the same is observed in your Religion and hath been ever since the Procession was instituted And that they went afoot as ye do and when they were encompassed with misery they went bare-foot crying mourning striving to appease the wrath of their gods and ye in the time of your great calamities do practise the same Ceremonies they ordained supplications and Lectures that is publick prayers and service for more or less of dayes and their Temples were full of calves and their altars filled with offerings and all the holy places as the Author terms them were filled with people kneeling and praying to their Idols to their gods and ye have your Orizons of forty hours your pardons and Jubilees and observe the same Ceremonies several other of the Customs and practises of the Heathen this Authour declares of and confesses they follow the same example and practises the same in their Religion which truly are such foolish things that they are not worth the mentioning but of this I would have ye Roman Catholicks to take notice the sure foundation Christ Iesus is none of your example in any of these things nor your foundation nor the Apostles the Primitive Christians for Iesus Christ never