that is immortal of the enjoyment of the Creator who is the desire of the Immortal Soul and so through a form and likenesse and appearance of a thing is the Soul Immortal deceived and beguiled with that which hath appearances in it but no life nor substance And though the Mystery of Iniquity be but one in it self yet it manifests it self divers wayes sometimes in open prophanesse and wickedness and sometime in seeming righteousness and holiness and in a form of Religion without power But the Lord is arisen to confound the Mystery of the Devil and Iniquity and will discover it and destroy it for it is the Mystery of Iniquity that worketh in the Children of Disobedience that are strangers to God and through the operation of this Mystery are people kept at a distance from the Lord and out of Unity and Covenant with Him and this Mystery of Iniquity worketh hiddenly not known but in the Eternal Eye which sees through the spirit of Creatures and comprehendeth and fathometh over the nature of things and can judge beyond the appearance even in the ground before action appeareth for while people are professing and acting Holiness and Righteousness visibly and yet not changed by the Power of the Lord nor renewed in nature mind and spirit from the first Adam to the second the Righteousness and Holiness brought forth in that state is but the acting of the Mystery of Iniquity and the Wolf putting on the Sheeps cloathing And this God will judge and all appearances without life and all shews without substance All this will the Lord judge and confound and bring to nought for it is but the working of the Mystery of the Devil who is out of the Truth And this Mystery hath more abounded since the dayes of the Apostles than in Ages since the beginning in as much as this Mystery hath operated and displayed it self forth in a higher appearance and fairer shew than ever it did before for this Mystery hath sat in the Temple of God and shewed it self to be God and been worshipped above all that is called God This Mystery of Iniquity the Man of Sin which hath put on the Sheeps cloathing and shews it self as the Sheep of Christ and as Christians and Churches all which hath been for many Ages the manifestation of this Mystery while that the Mystery of the Devil hath not been destroyed but now is the Lord arisen who will discover and destroy this Mystery and save the Creature and in the destruction of this Mystery is the other Mystery revealed to wit The Mystery of God and of Christ and that is the Mystery of Christ that destroyes the Mysterie of Antichrist and of the Devil And now the Sons and Daughters of the Lord Almighty are coming into this Mystery of God Eternal who is blessed for ever and all that is coming to be overthrown which doth oppose it and gainsay it and there is nothing that can destroy or discover this Mystery but the appearance of Christ the Son of God for it is he that doth discover and destroy the Mystery of Iniquity by the Spirit of his Mouth and by the Brightness of his Coming and this are people coming to The Man of Sin is to be thrown down and the Man of Righteousness the Man of God is revealed and Sons and Daughters shall shew him forth in the World and the Mystery of God shall shew it self forth over the World and in Nations and blessed are all they that come to the opening of this Mystery of God which is the Mystery of Life and Eternal Salvation CHAP. III. A Testimony concerning true Liberty of Conscience what it is in it self and how it is obtained and what the true Guide and Rule is of the Exercise of Conscience THis is my Testimony as I have received from the Lord True Liberty of Conscience is Liberty and Freedom of the Conscience from the bondage of Sin and all Transgression past and present and from whatsoever hath been or is a Burden or Oppression upon the Conscience whether inward or outward the Conscience I say is at liberty when it is freed from the burden of the guilt of Sin past and from the present temptation unto Sin And till this is witnessed there is no true Liberty of Conscience For every thing whatsoever which is Sin and Transgression against God in works or words brought forth by the Creature is bondage and a burden and oppresseth the pure Conscience and therefore perfect freedom from all Sin and Transgression is where the body of Sin and Death is put off and where the Evil is crucified and the guilt of it taken away and where the Conscience is truly exercised by the Spirit of Christ which leadeth into all Truth and preserveth from all Evill Then is the Conscience at liberty and this is true Liberty of Conscience when this is brought forth in the Creature For where Sin is brought forth and Transgression lived in there the Conscience is bound and the Cord of Iniquity imbondageth the Conscience and it hath not its liberty in the Service of God nor from the service of the Devil because the Spirit of God doth not exercise it but the spirit of unrighteousness leadeth the mind into the lusts of this world into Lying Swearing Pride Drunkenness Hypocrisie and Idolatry and the guilt of these things burdeneth and presseth down and is a bondage upon the Conscience and where the Conscience is bound by unrighteousness within and by the spirit of the world which leadeth contrary to the Lord there is no power of man without can set that Conscience free or give liberty to it because the Cord of Iniquity hath bound it within and the burden of guilt is upon it and Conscience lies under bondage unexercised with the Spirit of God which is free and setteth free the Conscience in the practice of all Good and from the power and captivity of all Evil. Therefore before true Liberty of Conscience be witnessed or any have true Liberty in Conscience Iniquity must be purged out and Sin crucified and the body of Death put off and Guilt washed away and the Anointing received that leadeth into all Truth and the Blood of Christ the Seed felt that sprinkleth the Conscience from all sin and works of the flesh and washeth away all that which stains and defileth the Conscience and then the pure Conscience hath its true liberty from the bondage of all Evil and from the guilt thereof and in the exercise of all Good and this is true Liberty of Conscience and thus it is attained and by no other way nor means than by the sword of the Spirit of God which cutteth down the contrary and where Conscience is thus freed within by the Power of the Lord and delivered from the bondage of Evil and from the burden of all guilt and exercised in all good by the Spirit of God Then nothing without nor any Power of Man which may work against such
by Persecution and act in opposition to such whose Consciences are thus freed can imbondage the Conscience to God-wards or bring it under a burden to Godwards I say for it is not altogether bondage of Conscience or the burden or oppression upon his Conscience that is set free as aforesaid though he is outwardly persecuted by Men for that doth but hinder the exercise of his Conscience to manwards but not to Godwards for there his Conscience is free in Joy and Peace though by reason of Persecution he cannot have the exercise of it to men I say though such be put in Prison banished or whatsoever suffering be laid upon them by any men or Laws without yet their pure Conscience is free and at liberty in it self to Godwards through all this and over it all for he Lord hath set them free from all that bondage and guilt of Iniquity which hath been a bondage upon their Consciences within and whether they do suffer or have freedom or captivity in their persons from men yet is their pure Conscience at liberty to Godward and in perfect freedom in it self and to themselves though for the Name of Christ and his Truth they be persecuted and all evil done against them by evil men and the exercise of their pure Consciences prevented as to manwards For that which defiles the Conscience doth bring it under bondage but that which keeps it pure and free from pollution that keeps it in liberty and in perfect freedom to God over all Persecution and evil men and unjust Laws which would exercise dominion in and over the Conscience of the Saints and bring them into captivity as sometimes their persons are by evil Laws and Persecutors But who standeth in the Power of the Lord and in the exercise of the Spirit of God which freeth the Conscience in their own particulars as I have said doth not come into bondage in Conscience to Godwards by Laws or Men but enjoyeth freedom and liberty therein as much in Sufferings and in Persecutions under all the Cruelty of men as in doing and practices when they are not persecuted for in Sufferings the Conscience is exercised and hath its liberty in patience and forbearance And at liberty of persons in practice it is exercised and hath its Liberty in doing and performing whatsoever the Spirit of the Father moveth and leadeth unto And thus where God hath freed the Conscience and it is free and at liberty in Him and to Him nothing without can bring it into bondage or captivity but in all conditions and in all exercises whether doing or suffering the pure Conscience is in liberty in it self and in perfect freedom in God through all over all and beyond all But now there hath been a great Cry among many that have professed Righteousness and Religion for Freedom of Conscience and begging and craving from the Powers of the Earth to tolerate Liberty of Conscience and that they might have the Liberty of their Conscience in Religion and thus some have been looking too much without for Liberty of Conscience from Men and from Powers without them before their Consciences were set free by the Lord within and the bond of Iniquity broken and that burden of Iniquity and Guilt done away which hath been a burden and bondage upon the Conscience For as I said no Man nor Powers of the Earth can truly free or give liberty to the Conscience which is bound by the Cord of Iniquity within But 't is evident the cry for Liberty hath not been so much for the Exercise of Conscience truly so as for the Freedom each one of their Sect and for the Liberty in practice of their own Worship and Conformity and thereupon have divers men of divers Sects sought to the Powers of Men and of the Earth to grant them Liberty of their Consciences when as it hath been rather for the freedom to and defence of their Sect and of their practices in their Worship than for Liberty of Conscience truly so for while they have cryed for Liberty from without yet Sin and Iniquity and Transgression have lain upon their Conscience within and they have sought from Men for the Liberty of their Sect to practise their own Worship which they have called Liberty of Conscience And to this intent by some hath been the Cry for Liberty of Conscience that their Sect and their own Wayes of Worship might be defended from the violence of others who have opposed their Practices and Worships for people of divers ways of Worship and of divers Sects have all been at strife one with another and divided one against another and yet all professed good Conscience and cryed for Liberty thereof from the Powers of the Earth not but that the Powers of the Earth ought to grant free Liberty of Conscience in the exercise of every Sect of Religion and to suffer all to profess and practise their Religion while they walk justly and peaceably in a Land But here hath lodged the deceit and deceivableness of the spirit of Satan in the hearts of men from the least to the greatest of all those divers false Sects and Worshippers they have therein zealously gone on and pleaded for their Sects and Worship though never so grosse or dark and contrary to Truth under the denomination of Freedom and Liberty of good Conscience and the very Title and Name hath been the Colour and deceived many while a false Worship and false Practices of false Sects have gone under the name of Liberty of good Conscience and thousands have been deceived and blindly led into such a false Sect and into such a Profession to act and perform with great Zeal false Practices in a false Worship falsly supposing it to be out of a good Conscience and that they have acted in the liberty thereof yea and many may suffer great and grievous things and some the losse of their Lives for the very practice of false things and false Worships in a false Sect and yet under the name of good Conscience and for Liberty of Conscience as they may profess and believe But this may seem strange to be spoken to some who may enquire how it comes to passe and how this may be that many may suffer great and grievous Cruelties and some the losse of their Lives for the practice of false things and the exercise of false Worships which they may suppose to be out of a good Conscience and for good Conscience sake whereas it is not truly so nor rightly so But how happeneth this may some say I answer This cometh to passe after this manner Because Conscience is made of that and of the things and performances which God requires not and so there is a great zeal in the doing and performing of such a Practice and such a Worship when as the Lord hath not required these things at their hands and this is because the Mind and Heart and Conscience is dark and not truly informed nor guided with the
Spirit of Truth and of the Father but a false Spirit ruleth and leadeth the Conscience and it is not exercised with the Spirit of the Father that leadeth into all Truth So I do acknowledge that Conscience may be mis-led and mis-guided and mis-informed and Conscience may be made of doing such and such things which the Lord doth not require and there may be a fear not taught of the Lord not received by the sence of his Presence but only received into the heart by the Precepts of men Example of others Custom of times or the like and here the Conscience being not truly informed nor guided by the Spirit of the Lord there is a false fear and zealousness in the performing of such things which the Lord doth not require nor his Spirit lead into the practice of but only the Tradition and Precepts of men hath placed a false Law and Commandment which requires a false obedience which many whose understandings are blinded and being without true knowledge they zealously perform and practise as the Worship of God thinking themselves bound in Conscience to practise such things and not to leave them undone when as the Lord and his righteous Spirit leadeth not to them nor yet his just Law doth require the doing thereof but only a false Law and Commandment is received by Precepts and Traditions of men or from looking upon the Practice of others By such means as this there is a false fear in a blind mis-guided Conscience and a zeal without true knowledge And thus it was amongst the Iews in the Prophets dayes they sacrificed their Children and cut themselves and caused their Children to passe through the fire and did many things zealously when as saith the Lord Who hath required these things at your hands for they come not into my heart And Paul witnesseth the same of the Iews in his dayes and bore them record that they had a Zeal but it was not according to True Knowledge And thus the Iews were zealously performing that as their Duty and as out of a good Conscience which the Lord required not at their hands and so they made Conscience to do that which the Lord required not and their Consciences were mis-led and not rightly informed and as it was amongst the Iews in this case in the dayes of old so now is it amongst the Christians in the Apostacy their Conscience being mis-guided by a false spirit they are doing and performing the things in great Zeal and for the exercise of their Consciences which the Lord doth not require of them Thus do the Papists they do and practise the things in great Zeal and through a false Fear in their blind Consciences which things are in themselves Idolatry and not commanded nor required 〈◊〉 the Lord as in many particulars I might shew even in many parts of their Worship and Religion which out of a Fear and blind Zeal and mis-guided Conscience they practise which is in it self but Idolatry and not required nor accepted of the Lord. And many things in relation to the Protestants Worship and amongst all the several false Sects upon Earth which are done and practised in great Zeal and out of a false Fear and as in pretence of a good Conscience and yet are things in themselves Idolatrous as done and practised by them And this comes to passe as I have said because the Conscience is mis-informed and a false spirit guides and rules in the exercise of Conscience and the understanding of the People is blinded and they know not but they do well though their minds are captivated and their minds and judgments in error and though there be a sincerity to Godwards and a desire of Him in the bottom among some People of all Forms and Sects and some of all are zealous towards God in their practices in their Religion and Worships yet among all People and the Churches that have been for many Generations there hath been great Error in Iudgment and much blindness in mind and the Conscience falsly exercised towards God and the Superscription hath been To the Unknown God and He hath been ignorantly worshipped and the Spirit of the Lord hath not truly exercised Peoples Consciences nor guided their Zeal nor been Ruler in the Judgment And by this means the sincerity and humility towards God hath been eaten out and alwayes quenched and the bare practice of things and profession of Religion in the outward appearance hath been more lookt at than the Presence of God felt in the Practices and the Zeal hath been more for the performance of such things than for God purely enjoyed through them And thus it hath been through Christâ—â—â—â— in the Apostacy since the dayes of the Apostles and true Churches Many have erred in their Judgments and the Zeal for God 〈◊〉 proceeded our of the error of Judgments and out of misinformation of Conscience and some other thing man only the Spirit of God hath ruled in the Iudgment and been the exercise of peoples Consciences And this is 〈◊〉 of things about true Liberty of Conscience and about the Error in Iudgment and the blind Zeal in captivated sincerity Now it may be objected What is the only absolute Rule of the right Exercise of Conscience and when are Mens Consciences truly guided To this I answer The only chief and perfect Rule of the right Exercise of Conscience both to God and all men is The SPIRIT of CHRIST for it is only that which can truly guide the Conscience in Faith Doctrine and Worship and in all things towards God even the Spirit of CHRIST which is the gift of the Father it only leadeth into all Truth as it is written and all whose Consciences are guided and exercised by it are in Unity and Peace in their Worship Doctrine and Religion for the Spirit of CHRIST is but one in it self and guideth the Conscience into the exercise of one Truth and Faith and in this same Spirit is the true Union and Communion of Saints in Religion and Worship and this is manifest through the Scriptures for the Apostle exhorted to walk in the Spirit and by it and as many as walked by the Rule of the Spirit peace was upon them and it is the Spirit of CHRIST the Everlasting Comforter that teacheth all Truth and the Holy Anointing of the Spirit that dwelt in the Saints taught them all things and they needed no man to teach them but as the Anointing that dwelt in them And then are Mens Consciences truly guided in all the wayes of Righteousness when the Spirit of God guideth the Conscience and is the Rule of all Faith Doctrine and Practices So that Traditions of Men Prescriptions of Councils Antiquity of Time Commandments of Men nor Example of others without the Spirit of Christ cannot be the onely true Rule of the Exercise of Conscience for all these things are changeable alterable and subject to variations and therefore cannot infallibly guide the Conscience in the Duty towards