hath all this while reserved a Seed as it is written And as Esaias said before Rom. 9.29 except the Lord of Sabbath had left us a Seed we had been as Sodoma and been made like unto Gomorrha And in this is the Lord replenishing the Earth and making of it fruitful in vertue in life in praises to his holy name even by the same spirit of Truth that moved in the holy men of God that gave forth those holy Prophesies and blessed Testimonies in the Scriptures of Truth And this is the time and season wherein the Lord is pouring out his spirit even the same spirit as he did pour out upon his Sons and Daughters in the Primitive time And it s by the Operation Revelation and Divine Inspiration of the same spirit of Christ Jesus in and by which the Holy Prophesies and Testimonies in the Scripture comes to be understood And in this spirit the Lord hath and is ordaining Ministers that they may go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit may remain And by the power and efficasie thereof are thousands of living witnesses raised now in these dayes unto whom the goodness mercy and loving kindness of the Lord is revealed even by the Operation Divine Inspiration and blessed effects of the same spirit of Christ Jesus which the holy men of God were witnesses of in the Primitive dayes And in and by this spirit of power and wisdom is the Lord made Righteousness Wisdom Sanctification and Redemption unto his people who are believers this day as he was in the Primitive days unto his people who did believe in him And by the power and effectual works of this spirit of Christ Jesus in these days time and season The Blind receive their Sight Mat. 11.5 6. and the Lame Walk the Lepers are Cleansed and the Deaf Hear the Dead are raised up and the Poor have the Gospel Preached to them And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me This spirit of Christ Jesus was the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles on which the true Believers which were the Church of Christ was built and it s on this Foundation that the true Believers which is the Body of Christ which is his Church is built this day time and season where Christ is Head Leader Law-giver and Commander and by his spirit is the blessed Worship set up now in the Church of Christ the which Christ set up in opposition to all false Worships in the Primitive time as you may read But the hour cometh when the true Worshipers shall Worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth John 4.23 24. 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 Therefore yours is the false Worship now where the Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration of this blessed spirit of Truth is denyed now adays Your Worship is false imaginary and conceited for none can truly call Jesus Lord but by the leading and guiding of the same holy spirit of Truth and all that makes mention of his holy Name let them depart from Iniquity And all you who do not but do continue in the Mistery thereof in subjection to the man of sin your Prayers are the Prayers of the wicked the which is abomination to the Lord And your patcht up Sermons the which you Study and Frame up in your Brain from the works of others They are all alike abomination and how costly these works of abomination are let the Wise in Heart judge And in all where this blessed spirit of Truth is rejected and stoped in its motions and so grieved and quenched and another spirit leads all their labour and travel is vain and your Consultations are vain and whatsoever you form up be it an Instrument never so cunningly and wisely wrought in the deepest of your Skill and Councel in the highest degree of the Worlds Wisdom to oppose the out-goings of this blessed Spirit of Christ Jesus it shall never prosper neither shall the Contrivers ever prosper in their works Look back 20 or 30 years past where great undertakings have been even if it had been possible to have ruined and spoiled all those who gave Testimony to this Spirit of Truth And see what sad effects those works of Opposition have produced what hath your turning of things upside down availed you Alas for you your worth is the product of ruine and misery that which you intend to your peaceable Neighbours will come upon your selves your own works in your singular exalted spirits is the purchaser thereof Oh you Ignorant Fools who are blinded by the God of this Wold and are so high flown that you go about to limit the holy God in the goings out of his holy Spirit you may as well undertake to alter the course of the Sun and stop up the course of the Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea Your sins of Presumption would be much alike and your Folly will end in as great shame Indeed your presumption arises from an Arm of Flesh and long continuance in vain Customs Traditions and Inventions And because you can clap up in Prisons and make Havock and Ruine and Spoile of People and their Goods your spirit that leads you in these works being an envious Malicious Cruel Abominable Wicked spirit therefore proceeds this wrong Judgment from you even that Gods holy Spirit in Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration as moving through holy Men in the Primitive time is now ceased But if it were so as you vainly Imagine then shew where the difference lyes between you who call your selves Christians and the Heathens if the Spirit of Christ Jesus the Spirit which people were brought under in the Primitive time and thereby to be Baptized into one Body the which was to be ruled and governed by that Spirit of Christ Now if the Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration thereof be ceased then tell me by what spirit Christians so called are Baptized into so many Bodyes and Fellowships and what Spirit rules and governs And what difference there is between them called Heathen in their Fellowships and them called Christians in their Fellowships where the Authority Rule and Government of Christs Spirit is denyed Come to plain dealing and don't Shuffl you have been long enough in that work already and the more you persist therein the more you will be confounded and the deeper plunged into the horrible pit and your Feet will be faster stuck in the Mire Therefore be admonished to deal plainly least you be your own Executioners through your high presumptuous mindedness in bringing swift destruction upon you for of a Truth thousands have been bowed before the Lord under a sense of their own insufficiency to perform that which is good and acceptable of themselves and have truly waited upon the Lord in a deep silence of the flesh And indeed Christ hath appeared the second time in his blessed Spirit and
THE True Light Discovered to all who desire to Walk in the Day In several little TREATISES Written by that faithful Member of the true Church of Christ Jesus lately deceased STEPHEN SMITH Then spake Jesus again unto them saying I am the Light of the World he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the Light of Life John 8.12 LONDON Printed in the Year 1679. To the Friends of Truth in the Counties of Surrey Sussex and Hampshire Friends HOw greatly hath the Lord appeared in this day in raising up many Instruments to sound forth his glorious Truth yet many are not sensible of it nor of the great Work he is a doing who is a setting up his Spiritual Kingdom and is establishing Righteousness in the Earth and all those that oppose this Work shall in â—im be ashamed and the Lord will go on with his Work who is come to restore Man into the primitive purity he was first created in Man that hath been drove from him into the Earth by reason of Transgressions and been a Servant to sin and under the power of Satan and been ignorant of the Life of God and of the sweet refreshments of his living presence not knowing the motions and leadings of the Father neither hath his ear been open to hear the voice of God but hath been without any sensible feeling of the Life and Power of God and had no savour of the things of God In this condition is Man that is drove from God in the Fall But now is the Lord come to restore him again by his beloved Son Christ Jesus who redeems Man again from his lost estate and brings him out of the Earth and out of all such things which had separated him from God to delight in the Lord his Maker again and from being a Servant of sin to be a Servant of God and of Righteousness and Holiness and to bring him again into Innocency in which he was first created And this hath been the Work of the second Adam the Lord from Heaven in all that did receive him and it is his Work at this day The Father of Mercy and great Compassion he hath considered Mankind who had corrupted his way and he sent his Messengers to foretell the coming of the acceptable day of the Lord and the day of Salvation of God who invited all the hungry and thirsty to come and drink at the Fountain of Life And this was the free Love of God to help Man out of the Pit wherein there was no Water and to offer him the Wells of Salvation to drink at that so he might be washed from sin and from pollution into which he was fallen and could see no deliverer till the Lord was pleased to open a door of Hope and to set him free by his Son Christ Jesus and to save that which was lost and to bring Peace and Salvation whose power is indeed as able to cleanse from sin as ever the Devils was to defile and corrupt This is true and witnessed by some though many cannot believe that ever any can be free from sin in this life Now he that is in the first birth and sees no further but is overcome with sin daily and his mind is earthly and corrupt and has never known the power of God to work in him the New birth and a change from his sinful Estate he judges he can be no otherwise while he is here and so is like a blind man who though the Sun shines because he cannot see it he will not believe that it shines or that others see it But this must not make the Faith of some void who have known the second Adam to be a quickning Spirit and have found him able to save to the utmost all that come unto God by him and the bloud of Christ is to them of full effect and they witness him to be a perfect Saviour and indeed for this end was Christ given of the Father and for this end came he into the World and was made manifest to destroy the works of the Devil and to save his People from their sins and until Christ hath brought Man out of the Transgression he hath fallen into he hath not finished the Work that the Father hath given him to do for as sin hath reigned unto death so must Righteousness reign unto Life Eternal and as through the power of Lust man hath been defiled throughout in Body Soul and Spirit so by the power of Christ is man to be sanctified throughout in Body Soul and Spirit and being once cleansed by his power to be saved from those sins which formerly have defiled him and by this Man doth witness the Restoration by Christ and the renewing by the Holy Ghost into the Image of God again which he had lost whilst in the Transgression and so Man comes again into unity with God and to know his voice his motions and the leadings of his Holy Spirit which while he was in darkness and served sin he was wholly ignorant of This makes Man fruitful again unto God who before was as a barren Wilderness and whereas he was before filled with Darkness he now comes to be filled with Light and Life and now he hath Visions and Revelations of Heavenly things before he was crying There was no Revelation nor Vision they are ceased whilst night was upon him he saw no Vision and because he saw no Vision nor had no answer from God therefore he thought it was so with all others and that Revelation and Vision was ceased and he measured all men by his dark rule darkness being over him and his eye blinded Whilst he was in the first birth he was Earthly his mind Earthly delighting in Earthly things he could not then believe there was any immediate Teachings of the Father by his Holy Spirit nor any enjoyment of Heavenly things neither was his eye inward but to an outward Teacher and outward Books and Writings but when the inward ear came to be opened and the day of the Lord appeared unto him then he heard the words of God and saw the Visions of the Almighty and then he began to praise the Lord for his goodness and for his mercies which endure for ever And now being come to taste of the loving kindness of the Lord and his heart being filled with Heavenly blessings he ministers forth the same to others and these are the true Ministers indeed who are moved by this blessed power of God to seek the Salvation of Souls And of this number was our dear Brother Stephen Smith now deceased a man who laboured in faithfulness and constancy according to the ability God had given him to beget others to the Truth and was constant in Sufferings in Travels and Labours and had a good esteem in the hearts of many for his faithfulness to the Lord as you well know and therefore I need not write much concerning him especially since some others have written so
Old-England whose spirit is felt but that their Wings are cut so cannot fly at that rate which otherwise they would be at for now their Hands are tyed how wonderfully do their Tongues go by which its plain they have no Bridle but are set on Fire of Hell wondering despising and fretting against the work of the Lord in this the day of his power though thousands are raised by it to declare and publish the same words in life and conversation c. And now you vain and empty Professors and Notion its who are saying in your dark and imaginary conceivings of things that if you had been in the Scribes and Pharisees dayes you would not have done as they did But come be patient a little the works of Truth have a good tendency though they be bitter to the guilty for the present come I say look where you are by the Light you may see you must see by it at last it were better for you if you would let your Eye be opened now and see that offensive Eye pulled out which hath been offended at God's works all this while So do not harden your hearts in this day of God's power being manifest least you be cut off from his rest for ever Come therefore you that are judging others that did wickedly in their Generation by resisting God's holy Spirit so had none of the works of Revelation come see now what Latitude your works are under If you be in the same liberty in the flesh as you were in it s no matter what you say Come now to the Tryal what experience have you of the operation of God's Spirit How much of the mind and will of God hath it revealed to you Can you say Thus saith the Lord by the certain knowledge of the Revelation of God's holy Spirit Or have you only talkt of it as the Jews did who said we have God for our Father when they were doing the Devil's works Come do not stop your Ears Have you heard the voice of God or seen his shape or are you ignorant of it as they were who accused Christ as if he was bearing false witness Nay come further Have you not said That Revelations are ceased and thereby shut up the way of the Kingdom of God and from the knowledge of his Righteousness by your wicked works in going about to establish your own Righteousness and works therein for term of life Come you that have set up the Law and Covenant without above the Law and Covenant within are not these your own works and have not they made you as blind as your Fathers the Scribes and Pharisees that you can neither see nor hear but in your blind zeal are persecuting Christ's near Relations who follow him in their Generation even by the drawings of his Father's Spirit unto Humility and Patience who is the way in whom God's Will was done And did not Christ give Testimony of Relations his Mother his Brothers and Sisters who did his Father's Will And is not this to be done on Earth And is it not the will of God that we should speak the Truth at all times and that we should be led and guided by the Spirit of Truth into all Truth is there any sin in the guide And is not this Christ of God the same Anointing or Teacher as he was in the beginning of the World Was not he before Abraham was And is not he the same yesterday to day and for ever as he was in the beginning who was David's Lord and the Holy mens Lord in all Ages And is not he the Covenant by which all must come unto God Was he not given for a Covenant and a Light to enlighten people and to be their Salvation to lead and command his people And must not his sheep hear his voice And is not he the same that he was in the beginning And is not this the Precious tryed Stone which the Wise Builders building without are confounded and stumble at even the highest Notionists in the fleshly Wisdom in their highest conceivings about the holy mens words Come examine your selves and see whether Christ be not in you except you be Reprobates You unbelievers how hath the God of the World led you about and blinded you that you cannot see the Light of his Glorious Gospel Come see the cause have you not been making Provision for the flesh in the first place and answering the Lusts thereof after the glory of the old World of sin and iniquity Hath not respect of persons been in your Eye and filthy lucre and praise of men and greeting in Market-places Have you not preacht and prayed in your own wills and run for gifts and rewards in your own wills and is not all this Honour to be had below And have you not sought it before the Honour of God's work in your hearts And is not this the cause of your Ignorance of God's Kingdom and his Righteousness Christ and his Relations his Mother Sisters and Brethren who are sanctified and blest through the will of God where it is done in Truth and Righteousness and where that it is done do not such confirm in truth and reality all God's Blessed and holy works without in all generations So do not envy and hate the people called Quakers for maintaing the works of God's holy Spirit within them for there are many of them have been as high Talkers of the works of God in holy men without as you are but found not such Salvation as to venture souls and bodies and estates till we came to cease from our own labours in our own willings and runnings and so our hearts were bowed unto God's holy will in the deep silence of all fleshly reasonings and consultations So by the works of God's holy and blessed Spirit the way of God came to be made manifest in us the which is a pure Holy undefiled way Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever as he was in the beginning without guile without sin no iniquity is in him he that is the hope of Glory the great Mystery made manifest in us Gentiles who in former times when without knowledge of him in the World had Lords many and Masters many and feigned Faiths and Beliefs concerning him many and divers But when we were given up clearly to seek the Kingdom of God without any reserve of making provision for the flesh then the New Jerusalem God's building came down from above the Mother of all the Faithful where no evil can be conceived whose Children in her are made free from the Law of sin and death and this blessed City hath no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God doth lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof This blessed habitation is prepared for God's people who love the Light of his appearance and delight to do his will So away with all false Accusations from all you false Accusers of the people
power and hath quickened and revived many hungry Souls and he hath made known his sufficiency and help in the needful time And all them who have in Truth laid hold of him cannot part with him for it 's by him that we can do all things well pleasing and acceptable in the sight of God and man And all that have begun in this Spirit and are faithful and obedient thereunto have Hope Faith and Confidence to grow up and be made perfect thereby and so attain to the mark and prize that is before us Though many may and do turn aside through unfaithfulness and disobedience and the many and great tryals that may be met withall through the Oppression and Cruelty of the Worlds Spirit yet over all that hath been and may be met withall we have Hope and Faith that in and through the assistance of the Spirit and Power of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus we shall persevere and go on bearing the blessed fruits of his spirit which is in all Goodness Righteousness and Truth Patience Meekness and Innocency to the finishing our Testimony and laying down our heads in Patience and Joy in Life Everlasting And further concerning the out-goings of this blessed spirit I do testifie my Faith therein that the Lord of Heaven and Earth will by the Majesty and power thereof overturn overturn overturn the power of darkness and destroy all the cursed fruits that have sprung from the corrupt root and ground thereof And by the light of the spirit of Christ Jesus a sight is given to many faithful witnesses that the Ax of the Lord is laid to the root thereof And the Lord of Heaven and Earth that hath begun the work will carry it on and perfect it to his own praise honour and glory and to the establishment of his purchased possession where he Tabernacles and Delights to dwell forever And now this root and off-spring of David this bright and moving Star hath taken deep rooting in many hearts and minds from whence fruits spring and grow to the praise and honour of the Lord of the Harvest and to the joy and comfort of all the faithful and true labourers therein whose out-goings being in the movings leadings and guidings of his holy spirit the which having taken deep root downwards now yields fruits upward in some an hundred in some sixty and in some thirty fold As you may read of the Parable of the Sower and the seed that fell into the good ground Mat. 15. And from the Lord of the Vineyard whose is the Vineyard he having planted many Heavenly Branches into the Vine his good Husbandry and Care is seen to be over them And all whom he hath or may ordain to be Instruments and Servants in this blessed work he ever did and doth maintain them never suffering them to lack Food and Rayment things necessary both for this Life and that which is to come But none that keep within the bounds of the leadings and guidings of his blessed spirit did ever covet Silver or Gold or Preach for filthy Lucre-sake And now the Lord of Heaven and Earth having prepared by his Eternal spirit and power such a Ministry again and sent forth into the Nations who have no such thing in their Eye to draw them out of filthy Lucre but purely and clearly do seek the honour and glory of God and the good and well-being of people This makes the corrupt and false Teachers of the Nation who are made so by man in the Worlds spirit and wisdom being drawn out for filthy Lucre sake and in more then ordinary manner coveting after Silver and Gold this makes these Diviners mad The day of Christ being so clearly come and the man of sin their Master so clearly revealed and a Testimony so clearly goes out against them that their Master the man of sin in all his Transformations though he appear in them and they in him as Ministers of righteousness and by all the best arts and cunning in perverting and wresting the holy mens Testimonies by private Interpretations adding to and deminishing from the Prophesies thereof And seemingly by casting mists and fogs before peoples Eyes they turn the very end and tendency of the holy mens Testimonies and Prophesies left upon record to another use then what they were intended and given forth by the moving of Gods holy Spirit for And this they do partly through Ignorance being so wilfully to hide their Corrupt Proud Arrogant Covetous and Idolatrous practices under And let all whose desires are after the knowledge of the Lord and the peace and rest of their Souls in that unspeakable comfort and joy in that life which is everlasting take but a view of the blessed motions of Gods holy Spirit through holy men in old time as is left upon record And compare the Covetous Idolatrous practices of the false Teachers of the Nation and see how unlike the good they are and how just like the wicked they are Gen. 4. Cain who was of that wicked one he offered but unto his Offering the Lord had no respect Abel offered in Faith 1 Joh. 3.12 and the Lord had respect unto Abel and his Offering And Cain was Wrath and envyed him and Murdered him because his own works wereevil and his Brothers righteous See your Father all you Persecutors about Religion and the ground of his wickedness And the Lord said my Spirit shall not always strive with man for that he also is flesh and God shortned his dayes Gen. 6. and said every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually for all flesh had corrupted his way and the Earth is filled with violence through them These were the effects of fleshly motions But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord and read what blessed effects his moving therein had The false Prophets moving in a flattering lying Spirit inticed Ahab to go on to his Destruction Micah the true Prophet moving in the Spirit 2 Chron. 18. of Truth and for speaking the Truth was Imprisoned and Fed with Bread and Water The lying Prophets for lying flattering and dissembling are at Liberty Mordicai being one of the Lords people he could not be moved to bow to Haman nor do him reverence Esther 3. though he was told by the Kings Servants often that he transgressed the Kings command This filled Haman with wrath and in his wicked motion he sought the destruction of Mordicai and all his people but read what became of him and his motion Read what dreadful effects the wicked fleshly motions of the Sodomites had Gen. 19. and the blessed effects of Lot's righteous motions against their wickedness Read what the false Prophets moved for and how the true Prophet was moved to cry against them Isaiah 56.10 11. and said They are all dumb dogs yea they are greedy dogs which can never have enough They all look to their own way every one for his gain from his
quarter And he did not rail in saying so he spoke the Truth Read what wicked motions there was in the flesh and the motion of the true Prophet against them said he They were as fed Horses every one neighed after his neighbours Wife Jer. 5. The Prophets prophesie falsly and the Priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end thereof Read the true Prophets motion in the word of Truth against the false fleshly Prophets motion Who moved for handfuls of Barley and pieces of Bread Ezek. 13. Read how wicked they were The wicked false Teachers in this Age have a larger and richer Trade they move for Thousands of Pounds The true Prophet moving in the Truth cryed out against the horrible wicked fleshly motions of the Priests and said As troops of Robbers wait for a man Hosea 6. so the company of Priests murder in the way by consent for they commit lewdness Observe they were agreed in their motion Read the wicked motions of a wicked spirit in the Presidents Princes Governours Counsellers who moved the King to make an unalteralterable Decree to insnare Daniel Dan. 7. because he was Honest and Just And though Daniel was acquainted therewith and knew the penalty yet he was moved in a good Spirit to open his Windows and pray as before And read what became of the motions of the wicked and also of the blessed motions The good Spirit in the Prophet moved him to testify against the false Spirits motions both in head and tail Said he The heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for Hire Mic. 3.1 and the Prophets thereof Divine for Money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us none evil can come upon us Oh the presumption and confidence of wicked motions and observe how hireling Priests were cryed out against in former dayes as well as in these last dayes Christ in his Doctrine gave people warning To beware of the Scribes which love to go in long Clothing and love Salutations in the Market places Mark 12. and the chief Seats in the Synagogues and the uppermost Rooms at Feasts Which devour Widows houses and for a pretence make long Prayers But they are worse that make Widows and devour Estates examine the Jailers Calenders for near 30 years last past Acts the 20. The Apostle was moved by a good Spirit to declare what should come after him saying For I know this that after my departing shall grievous Wolves enter in among you not sparing the Flock And what a wonderful motion this wicked generation have had for near this 30 years let all them that have heard and seen and are more moderate and wise in heart judge 1 Joh. 2. There you may read that there was then many Antichrists and the evil motions of that wicked Spirit the which was then in the World Chap. 4.3 was to deny Christ's coming in flesh And John being in the Spirit on the Lords day had wonderful things revealed unto him both of the Beasts rising out of the Sea and out of the Earth Revelation and with what swelling Pride he exalted himself over the Saints and Servants of the Lord God And how that Kings agreed to give their strength and power unto the Beast with one mind to make War with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them For he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and they that are with him are blessed and chosen and faithful And he saw the downfall of Babylon and the End of the Beast and false Prophet Read chap. 19. And this is coming to pass and must be fulfilled glory praises and honour be given to the Lord God forever And thus unprejudiced Reader who hath some Breathings after the knowledge of the Lord and canst not take up a rest in a sinful state but desires that true Judgment may go forth Here is plain Truth and also some brief instances therein which is but few to what might be given from Genesis to the Revelations of the wicked Spirits motions and their Effects and of the blessed motions of Gods good Spirit and their Effects by which thou mayest see by the fruits and practices who are of that brood and generation of Cain and his followers and who are of the generation of Abel and his followers And what a wicked proud arrogant Spirit that is which dares presume to limit the moving of Gods holy Spirit in its Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration And by which wicked and presumptuous works that proud ambitious and aspiring Spirit hath turned the very end and tendency of the love and mercy of God in the moving of this holy Spirit through holy Men in giving forth those blessed Testimonies and Prophesies in Scriptures even quite to another use then intended And how the Antichristian Spirit which was in the World in the Apostles dayes wrought in a Mistery of Iniquity and in Confessions and Professions from the true witnesses Testimony that Christ was come into the World and how he was Born and how he Suffered and was Ascended and will come again which is all true But under this fair covering the Merchants of Babylon set up their Trades and fraighted their Vessels with the Whores Trumpery and with fair Speeches and good Words out of the Life out of the Power they have deluded poor Souls making Merchandize of them setting up that which is profitable in the way of righteousness for the way of righteousness and so excluded the second coming of Christ in Spirit to them that look and wait for him without sin unto Salvation This great mistery the which is Christ in us the hope of Glory the way of Truth and Life the way of Righteousness unto the Father out of which none can come unto him this by their Arts they have wholly excluded And thus having set the Scripture for a chief rule and only rule of Life they have excluded the Spirit of Truths guide and leadings the which the Scripture directs unto and so set the Scriptures above the Spirit by the moving of which they were given forth And the Words and Writings of the Scripture they have set up for the word it self And this Spirit having put the Declaration and Writings of Matthew Mark Luke and John for the Gospel here the Gospel the power of God that is excluded and Christ the word of God in the heart and mouth that is excluded And thus having turned the Scripture upside down The man of sin the Son of Perdition 2 Thes 2.3 who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God And now saying in effect that the day of Christ is past as touching his appearance and coming in the flesh he is at a remoteness or distance from his people Now Revelations are ceased say they and the best
outward written Law since they must be judged without any such Law for transgressing of what Law must they be judged it cannot be denyed but that God hath given them a Law to walk by and that it is for the transgression thereof that they come under condemnation and must be judged Before this question be answered in Truth that Gospel must be known that is preached in every creature which is under Heaven Page 37. The Author saith we that have the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles brought down to us in the Scriptures may according to Scripture Dialect be said to have Christ and his Apostles as truly as it was said of the Jews in our Saviours days on Earth that they had Moses and the Prophets for it was by having in the Scriptures what they said and did that they were said to have them and by hearing and believing the Scriptures of the New Testament we may as well be said to hear and believe Christ and his Apostles c. Answer That ever such a stranger to Christianity should be so impudent as to say I will shew you the method and way of God that doth not know himself one step therein as appears by his dark arguing The Jews had the writing of Moses and the Prophets and no question but they did believe them to be so but what did they profit by them when out of that Faith and Spirit through which they are profitable they did testifie of Christ and were a witness to the righteousness of God as saith the Apostle when by them they judged Christ ought to die Christ did send the hard-hearted Jews who went about to kill him to Moses and the Prophets saying Joh. 5.39 40. Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal Life and they are they which testifie of me and ye will not come to me that ye may have life And mind what the Apostle saith Rom. 3.12 But now the righteousness of God without the Law is manifested being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets which righteousness the said Jews did not know though they had heard what Moses and the Prophets said of it But mind the cause of their not hearing so as to understand Neh. 9.20 Thougavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them but the cause of their blindness was even their rebellion against Gods Spirit And Stephen said to the Jews Acts 7.51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do always resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers did so do ye So it 's very clear though the Jews had Moses and the Prophets writings yet by not taking heed to the Instruction of Gods Spirit in them they were without the knowledge of them and thus it is with the generality of those called Christians they have some of the writhings which gives a relation of Gods great love to the World in his heavenly and powerful gift of his holy Spirit manifest in the flesh to bruise the Serpents head and to destroy the Devils works But by disesteeming the blessed appearance of the Light of the Spirit of Christ in man as the Author of that Book doth in calling it a natural Light being thus in unblief their foolish hearts are darkned So though they have the New Testament as it is called by many that do not know the Law and the Testimony though they have some part of what was writ concerning Christ the Way Truth and Life of Christianity Yet by their quenching and grieving the immediate motions of Gods holy Spirit in them they are as clearly void of the knowledge of the end and tendency of Gods great love in and by the motion of his holy Spirit that gave forth those writings with the several blessed Testimonies therein even as the hard-hearted Jews were of the Law and the Prophets when they were in the gainsaying and rebellion against Gods holy Spirit But such kind of smooth teaching as the Author of that Book who is unlearned in the blessed Teaching of the Spirit of Truth is very pleasant to unlearned people in the things of God but the Scripture is fulfilled in many of them Acts 13.41 Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your days a work which you shall in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you So it 's very clear and that in a true sense that people may have the writings and not have Christ nor his Apostles neither be in their Doctrine but in lieu thereof they may have the Spirit of Antichrist and Doctrine of Antichrist and the ravening Woolves nature though they may have the Sheeps clothing First The Scriptures we must needs highly own in that they refer us to and exalt Christ and his immediate teaching of his Divine Light and Spirit within as being subservient thereto where they are received therein But since a great part of the work of the Author of that Book is to maintain the Scriptures being a rule of Faith and Practice and to gainsay the sufficiency of the Spirits teaching without the Scriptures or its immediate teaching now adays without some outward teaching I do ask whether the Authority be in the Spirit that spoke the words or in the words when spoken or written if none can deny but the Authority both was and is in the Spirit And Isaiah by the same Authority of Gods blessed Spirit he can work a saving change in people either with or without what is written therefore it is a high degree of presumption in going about to limit the blessed holy Spirit of God as the Author of that Book doth But what Authority or effect had the true Prophets words in the false Prophets mouths this sad effect they stole away the hearts of people from the living fountain and put them upon a vain labour in making broken Cisterns that could hold no water And what Authority profit or advantage have the true Ministers and Apostles of Christs words now in the false Teachers mouths with their meaning upon them Even this sad and lamentable effect they thereby steal away the hearts of people from the sense of the immediate motion of Gods holy Spirit in them and to gainsay its powerful teachings and the universal love of God in the moving of his universal holy Spirit through all the World in its convincing and reproving the World of sin c. And then to set them upon vain and unprofitable service First having turned their hearts and minds out of the way that the holy Spirit of Truth leads in and then set them upon a vain labour and travail in seeking but never finding till at length they conclude with the Devils Doctrine that there is no way out of a body of sin and death on this side the grave And such flattering and deceitful Teachers are in a high esteem and account among a flattering deceitful people So all may mind that we do not oppose the in ward Teaching of the Spirit of Truth
to what outwardly hath been taught or written from the blessed motions thereof or that may be taught or written by the motion of the same But we do oppose the true Teachings thereof to the false Teaching of all immaginary deceitful Spirits who under a pretence of love to Souls do make Merchandize of them And that being the great hinge on which his work depends in concluding the Scriptures to be the rule of Faith and Practice excluding the immediate Teaching of the Spirit and the all-sufficiency thereof I do ask whether Faith be a fruit of the Spirit or of the Scripture or whether a true Christians practice in living peaceably lovingly justly and holy and mercifully and in a clean life and conversation in long sufference patience goodness brotherly kindness c. be a fruit of the blessed Spirit of God or of the Scripture And since it cannot be denyed but that Faith and practice in a true Christian holy Conversation is a fruit of the blessed Spirit and that the Scriptures say the same Then are not all the gain-sayers of the immediate Teaching Opperation Revelation and Divine Inspiration of Gods holy Spirit of Truth a grand cause that there is so little fruit of the Spirit brought forth in Christendom And whether that be not the cause of so many heaps of Sects Notionists and Opinions among them and of so much Pride Lust Hypocrisie Fraud Deceit Wrath Malice Murders Witchcrafts Sorceries and all other abominations that might be mentioned committed in all the World the Lord gives the humble in heart true Judgment but the proud he doth resist But in Page 42. the Author saith Christ indeed or God Creator as he is described in the beginning of that Chap. Joh. 1.9 Doth enlighten every one that cometh into the World with the faculty of reason and understanding by which he may know that there is a God and that he is to be worshipped and that he is peaceable and the difference between moral good and evil in many things But however this may possibly be a light sufficient to direct the Heathen to as much as God expects from them if they live up to it to whom he affords no other Light yet this Natural Light is not sufficient to direct those that live under the Gospel to believe and do what they are bound to believe and do upon pain of Damnation c. Answer He hath clearly manifested his ignorance of the Gospel and what men are to be brought under that are made true Christians as if the Light of Christ within had not Gospel in it or could not minister Gospel But by hating of the Light how blind are they who have such low thoughts of thy way thereof accounting the Light of Christ natural yet sufficient to direct the Heathen as much as God expects of them Such is the esteem of them whom the God of this world hath blinded their minds taking the Jew outward for the Jew inward and the Christian in shew for the Christian in Truth And the wild Heathenish life and conversation of the Christian in shew for Christianity if they do but only in words own the Scriptures to be their rule of faith and practice And the true Christian that brings forth the fruits of Gods holy Spirit in life and conversation and is not ashamed to confess to the immediate motions of it in its blessed leadings and teaching to love of God above all and their neighbours as themselves and lives in true fear and watchfulness that they may not grieve nor quench the immediate motions of Gods holy Spirit in them but are careful to live up to the reason and understanding that Christ hath illuminated or inspired them with and to eshew the evil and to love the good being shewed it by the Light of Christ and that God ought to be worshiped in Spirit and Truth and is in the performance thereof according to Gods will confessing to the blessed holy Spirit of God to be the rule of Life Faith practice Such a faithful and true Christian as this having such an account to give as is given by Edward Burrough and William Pen of the sufficiency of the pure Spirit of God to be the Judge of all matters of life and conversation Such true Christians are very slightly esteemed by such private immaginary Spirits as the Author of that Book is manifest to be of in all his works of darkness in that Book But I had rather be a Christian and though I am called Heathen then to be a Heathen and yet to be called and accounted a Christian In Page 61. the Author saith Another place misunderstood and misapplyed by you is Joh. 16.13 When the Spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all Truth which is not a promise of sending the Spirit to guide all Christians by its immediate motions But a promise to his Apostles for they only were then present with Christ at his passover c. Ans Indeed the immediate motions of Gods holy Spirit is the great trouble of them who follow the motions of their own Spirit and lives out of the way of the knowledge of the holy Spirit of God which is Light and Life But I ask in case people are not to follow Christ and his Apostles into the true Faith and practice of Christianity by the immediate motions of Gods holy Spirit of Truth by the motions of what Spirit are they to be led and guided since there is such variety of Sects and Opinions in the motions of their private Spirits which of them is to be followed But since the Author hath limited the immediate motions of Gods holy Spirit only unto the Apostles I do ask into what Spirits motions were people Baptized and led into the body of Christianity or are they now to be led into the same and how can Christians have the Crown of Immortal Life as Paul had in finishing his course of life well and he said that was not laid up for him alone but also for all them that love the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ And who can be a follower of him in the way if they do not take heed to the immediate motions of Gods holy Spirit as he did according to the measure and manifestation thereof in every one And again What can set people free from the spirit of bondage or from the spirit of error or corruption and deceit and hypocrisie but the immediate motions of Gods pure holy spirit in them But such is the dark work of the Author of that Book even to gainsay and limit the immediate motions of Gods holy Spirit and to set up the private selfish imaginary Spirit which is not in unity with the Light and Spirit of Truth But if the promise of Christ was only to give that gift of the immediate motion of Gods holy Spirit unto the Apostles then to what end did he counsel the Churches to Pray in the Spirit to Sing in the Spirit and to
Viol c. And are at ease wo to them Amos 6. And concerning comparisons in the sound of Instruments being certain or uncertain this makes not at all for your purpose who extol that Musick by which the Lord is dishonoured and the seed of life grieved and burdened so for shame leave off your lightness and vanity least you be left as them who are filthy to be filthy still and you seek repentance as Esau did with tears and cannot find acceptance And see the effects of wicked Dancing Mat. 14.6 7. But when Herod 's birth-day was kept the Daughter of Herodias danced before them Now read and see what effects her brave Dancing procured weigh these things you that have Children that are Light and Airy and restrain them from that wicked practice least they add sin unto sin and bring woe upon them as you may see Herodias Daughter who added one wickedness unto another Stephen Smith To all Bishops and Priests and all concerned with them in a Book Intituled A form of Common Prayer for Gods blessing upon His Majesty and His Dominions and for the averting Gods Judgments Printed this year 1678. ANswer The Lord God hath signally shewen his great displeasure by Sword by Plague and by Fire against that opposite spirit that hath led into all rebellion against the motions of his holy spirit wherein he is making known his way of blessing and his saving health among the people Yet for his great name sake and in his love mercy and pity he did put a stop to those Judgements and hath given space and time of repentance and through many faithful Servants hath the Lord manifested his good pleasure that all who are erred from the way of blessing in life and peace that they might return unto him and wait upon him who is Lord of Heaven and Earth for his teachings and instructions in his holy Covenant of Life and Peace But how regardless have you been of the many and frequent Testimonies that have been faithfully in the moving of Gods holy spirit of Truth given forth against the swelling and groaning abominations of the times So that instead of hearkning and obeying the motions of Gods holy spirit you have proceeded in vexing and grieving the same in a most high degree you have abused the Servants of the Lord God And through your pride and presumption you have drawn the heavy displeasure of the Lord upon you whose dreadful judgments do hang over you and will not be averted or turned from you by any feigned shew of fasting made up in the will of man contrary to the good will mind and pleasure of God In that which is called the order for Morning Prayer are these words Rent your hearts and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful c. Answer To them that do in Truth and in unfeigned repentance open their hearts unto him with a faithful resignation of heart soul and body unto the pure manifestation of his holy Law of his pure spirit of life unto such he hath shewn himself very gracious and merciful in setting them free from the Law of sin and death But how often do you repeat those words and yet keep your hearts whole in the friendship of the World in the lust of the eye the lust of the flesh and pride of life you have been so far from renting your hearts that you have not so much as rent your garments are not the garments of your own righteousness which is no better then filthy rags whole upon you and in that loathsom garment you appearing before the Lord who seeing your loathsomness and hypocrisie in imputing the righteousness of Christ unto you whilst you are really and truly whole in your loathsome garments of your own righteousness where the righteous judge both of the quick and the dead beholding you as you are in your loathsome garments he will never agree with you in your accounts whilst you account so falsly of your Interest in the righteousness of Christ and yet whole in the garments of sin and iniquity doing the things you should not do and leaving undone the things you should do would you when you reckon with your Servants agree with them in such account and allow of their doing so all their life and leave them to account of your riches and that you are bound to give it them sure its time to be awakened from this misery of ignorance And take notice of your following words Though we have rebelled against him neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in his Laws which he set before us Now mind was ever your hearts rent from this condition do not you persist in your rebellion and so grieve Gods holy spirit in keeping your heart whole in persecuting them who are led by it Are not the Priests whole in their sin of preaching for Hire and for filthy lucre sake they tell lyes in Hypocrisie promising that to people which neither they nor the people have right unto whilst they are Servants to sin Come down from these barren mountains of imaginations and rent off these filthy garments and rent your hearts from these evils and follow the example of them who are really in this work and from the Lords acceptance have found him gracious and merciful and in the righteous government of his holy spirit of Truth the knowledge of his way of Truth is known in this World and in walking therein there is that hope manifest by Christs righteousness in us of having Eternal life with him in that World which is without end And you say Dearly beloved Brethren the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness and that we should not dissemble and cloak them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father but confess them with an humble lowly penitent and obedient heart c. Answer Here you acknowledge yourselves to be fallen from the Primitive Christians guide and moreover in the service and work of the Lord they did speak as they were moved by Gods holy spirit and did declare the pleasure and will of God as that gave utterance and by his holy spirit they were made Ministers not coveting any mans Silver or Gold or Apparel nor they did not move for any filthy lucre sake but how have you erred and strayed from this way being lost as to a true and saving knowledge of the motions of Gods holy spirit And in this lost Estate every private spirit is set a work and imaginations dreams do tell their several conceivings of what was given forth by the moving of Gods holy spirit but having erred from the way of the spirit of God and being strangers thereunto they are also strangers to what was given forth by the Spirit of God thus being in error they don't know the Scriptures nor the power of God And thus being become strangers to the motion
of the true Christian Spirit in the Worlds earthly sensual Spirit they move and say the Scripture moveth and under this cover you can dissemble and cloak your sins cloaking your selves under the failings of the holy men of God as they are recorded in the Scriptures of Truth but are far enough off their sorrow and repentance by which they obtained favour with God again And thus you go on cloaking your sins and opposing the motions of Gods holy Spirit under a pretence of the Scripture moveth us and under this cover you can dissemble your sins in persecuting and spoiling the Goods of them who have truly testified of the motions of Gods holy Spirit in them against all the evil motions of the enemy in all his flattering deceitful works and wayes And to this motion of Gods holy Spirit you must bow if ever you come to know the way of Truth you must come to the moving of the Spirit of Truth in you even that Spirit which reproves the World of sin the which Christ Jesus set up to be a leader and a guide into all Truth In this Spirit the Lord God is to be worshipped it 's this Spirit that convinceth of sin that is the way out of sin that is it which moves in the heart against sin and so to confess and acknowledge sin and so to repent and forsake sin and this is the way to obtain mercy and forgiveness of sin And by its leading and guiding to abstain from the appearance of evil unto this Spirit of Truth you must bow and take it for your leader if ever you come truly to call God Father and he owns you to be his Sons In your Confession you say Almighty and most merciful Father we have erred and strayed from thy wayes like lost sheep we have followed too wuch the devices and desires of our own hearts we have offended against thy holy Laws we have left undone those things which we ought to have done and there is no health in us c. Answer And when do you intend to do otherwise since you have appointed this form of words to be always said Oh turn for shame unto the true Spepherd and Bishop of your Soul and don't come still with this sad unprofitable story before the Lord. Mind if a man offend against the Laws of the Nation if it be but once he is lyable to the punishment that is prescribed by that Law or if a Servant should but once do the thing he should not do and leave undone the things he should do this would incurr his Masters displeasure but if he should continue doing so he would turn him out of his service and account of him as he is an unprofitable Servant How then can you expect to be heard and received of the Lord who are alwayes doing that you should not do and leaving undone that you should do you may well say you have no health in you neither are you like to have so long as you continue in these sad practices And in that you do offend Gods righteous Law how can you expect but to be punished by the righteous Judge Indeed you have done that which you ought not to have done in that you have caused to suffer so many innocent people both by long Imprisonment and spoiling of their Goods in that you have shewn no more mercy to them how can you expect to receive mercy at the hand of God seeing those sufferers have been a people fearing God and hoping for his mercy in whom the Lord takes pleasure and in his pleasure he hath sustained them wherein many have been faithful and true witnesses whereof many have departed this World under their several confinements in peace and many remains living to this day confessing and testifying to the mercies and favour of God in the manifestation of the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus which sets free them who walk up to it from the Law of sin and death And that there is great peace in keeping this holy Law this hath been and is the Testimony of them who are and have been led by the Spirit of Truth witnessing unto the Way Truth and Life the way of peace and happiness And thus in the good will of God in good will to all mankind in patient suffering under your wills who have followed too much the devices and desires of your own hearts and thereby having rejected the councel of the Spirit of Truth you have provoked the Lord as you say in these words We have provoked thine anger thy wrath is waxed hot and thy heavy displeasure is sore kindled against us You have confessed to the Truth and when you come to feel the weight of your many transgressions against Gods holy Law then you will wish you had been serious in what you have said and that you had broken off your sins by a true and unfeigned repentance And for this end hath Gods holy Spirit strove with you many wayes but see by your own confession how evilly you have required this love Your words are We sinful people of this land do acknowledge before thee to thy glory and our own shame and confusion that never any Nation under Heaven had more experience of all the instances of thy goodness and the methods of our amendment nor yet did ever any more shamfully abuse them when thou gavest us great and long prosperities we sed our selves to the full waxed fat and wanton and kicked against thee when thou threwest us into horrid confusions from which we saw then little hope of arising even in the time of that distress did we trespass yet more against thee when by miracles of mercy thou hadst turned our captivities we soon returned to folly to our vomit and to our wallowing in our former or greater filthiness c. Answer This is a very sad miserable condition indeed much to be lamented you had need consider it and be in Truth humbled for it and to forsake that evil Spirit that hath been your leader in those horrid practices and to wait upon the Lord for the leading and guiding of you out of those evils that you may have a better account to give unto the Lord in the day of account as Hezekiah had when the Prophet Isaiah was sent unto him with this Message from the Lord Saying Thus saith the Lord set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto the Lord and said remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before in Truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight and Hezekiah wept sore And the Lord heard his prayers and seeing his tears he was very gratious and merciful unto him as you may read Now compare his confession with your confession and seeing you have no better account to give you may well be ashamed and confounded at the thoughts of what acceptance