all words and actions issuing from thence which were seen to be of its own begetting David witnessed these two States Saith he Thou hast set my sins in order before me Mark He believed God's witnesse without disputings the Lord had set them before him he therefore believed they were sins or that which was against the Lord which his pure eye had a controversy with Now the Lord doth not set a thing that is not before us but that which is Again he saith Oh Lord I am thy Servant I am thy Servant the Son of thy Hand maid thou hast loosed my bonds There he felt God's acquittance and Justification not in giving him a liberty to do what he list without controul but in enlarging his heart to run the waies of his commandments in which he was accepted even in that which enlarged his heart so to do For saith he in another place Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandments Consider also that they were the wicked and ungodly who did say Tush our Tongues are our own we will speak Who shall controul us As if they had asked in derision What is Sin or Evill Not because there was not such thing in reality but onely according to mens apprehension but because the Serpent had got such a head in them that they scarce felt a Controuler when they so spake But if you will be to learn what Sin is Paul and John in the course of their ministry but not in answering such a Question proposed to them by the Saints do experimentally declare The one saith I had not known sin but by the Law Mark the Law written in the heart by the finger of God of which the two Tables of stone were a declaration made Paul to know sin to be Sin Now God's Law in the heart is Light as David long ago witnessed and Christ is the true Light that Lightneth every man Now Christ was he which spake to Moses in the Mount Sinai from whom Moses received the Law to declare it to the People as Stephen when he was full of the Holy Spirit testified So then Christ the Light is the Law-giver whereby Sin comes to be known now if he hath enlightned every man and he be the true Light then he sheweth a truth to every man which is that he hath transgressed his Law or Light by dark motions words and actions arising from a contrary ground and so sin is not a fiction or fained thing in any man whatsoever because sin is known by a Law which Law is Light which Light is in every man which Light is true and discovereth nothing but a reall thing in every one The other saith Sin is the transgression of the Law He knew the Law in his heart or the righteous principle of God which he had been a Transgressour against He doth not say Sin is nothing but an apprehension that there is such a thing but that sin is a reall transgression of a reall Law or Principle of God Again John saith all Unrighteousnesse is sin There is Unrighteousnesse and that of sundry sorts both toward God and man and all this Unrighteousnesse is sin Now saith Peter by the Spirit of truth In every Nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousnesse is accepted of him But saith Paul all they that had pleasure in Unrighteousnesse should be damned Here are contrary works really so and they have contrary effects for the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all Unrighteousnesse with all which Unrighteousnesse the Gentiles were and are filled to wit with fornications wickednesse covetousnesse envy murther Covenant-breakers despisers of those that are good implacable unmerciful c. Who saith Paul knowing the Judgment of God that they which commit such things are worthy of death not onely do the same but have pleasure in them that do them Here he witnesseth and we see and know it so to be that they were filled with all Unrighteousnesse and that the things mentioned were reall Unrighteousnesse to prove which none need go any farther than their own consciences wherein they knew and felt by the true Light the Committers of such things to be worthy of death even eternal death or separation from the life and enjoyment of God even as a Labourer is worthy of his hire which cannot be an imaginary but a real thing But ye will say to me The Patriarchs Prophets and Apostler spake according to the several dispensations or ministrations they were under The Jews before Christ were under a Vail and the Apostles after the renting of the Vail of the Temple though they saw clearer than they yet not so clearly as we see now in this last and highest dispensation The Vail that was over the Jews hearts consisted in this that their Church-Ministry and Ordinances being according to the flesh letter and written in Tables of stone they felt not for the generality of them the Spirit and finger of the living God writing his Law in the fleshy Tables of their hearts according to his new Covenant Their Church were Jews outward their Priests Ministers of the Letter which left their Souls in death who had need both to offer up Sacrifice for their own sins as for the sins of the People and so the Law outward made nothing perfect but it was the Ministration of condemnation to them for want of quickning life from Christ to ease them who is the Minister of the Spirit and of Righteousnesse and Peace at which Corner-stone they stumbled because of the old and long Vail that had been upon their hearts which Vail to this day when Moses is read in their Synagogues abideth on them who when hey shall turn to the Lord the Vail which is a false apprehension of being accepted in their carnal Services Performances and Ordinances from a literal rule without a feeling of the life of Christ in whom all Sacrifices should be offered up shall be taken away and then shall they feel a ministration of Righteousnesse in the Spirit in respect whereof their other ministration had no Glory But what is all this ô ye Libertines to your purpose for they were not nor are vailed in seeing sin which the true Light that lightneth every man reproveth to be sin for that is not from darknesse of Understanding but from light set up there without which they could not see it at all Yea this was that which ministred condemnation unto them all both the righteous and unrighteous so far as sin was standing and they could not nor ought not otherwise to apprehend because else they should as you do have believed against God's witnesse in them which is to make him a Lyar an abominable presumption As for the Apostles and Saints both Jews and Gentiles who had the Vail rent and lived in the dispensation or ministration of the Spirit and of righteousnesse which exceeded in glory that of condemnation which was and is also glorious in its time and
season Ye Libertines know nor nor cannot know while ye are as ye are in what a high and sweet state they lived But ye speak proud and swelling words of vanity of things ye know not nor live in and would be at the top of the Ladder before ye are come to the foot even to know Judgment upon the transgressour in you Ye are not ignorant that the Apostles and Saints believed perfection pressed after it and might obtain it But that it was such a perfection which ye dream of I utterly deny for it was a destroying of all the Devir's works and a plucking up of all the evill Plants which the heavenly Father had not planted by Christ the pure power of God who was manifested in the flesh to that end And know ye Oh ye haughty and conceited ones there is never any other new dispensation different from this to be brought forth in the World but that the Glory of the Church in these last times is to be wrought out by the pure and powerfull appearance of the Lord God in this very way of purifying and refining his People for through Judgment is Zion to be redeemed and her Converts with Righteousnesse for Sin Unrighteousness staines marrs the beauty of any People or Person making them to become drosse an ill savour and a smoak in the nostrils of God and a fire that burneth all the day Wherefore that every thing which offendeth the pure eyes of his Glory may be gathered out of his Kingdom will he purge his people by the Spirit of Judgment and burning and by fire and by Sword plead with all flesh and the slain of the Lord shall be many and those be they who they will or have what high conceits they can of their own security that will not fall upon his Corner stone Christ the true Light that leads to the Life that he may be broken and humbled and melted by him into godly sorrow for sin and a sorsaking thereof in thought word and work this stone shall fall on him with a heavy hand at last and grinde him to powder So when such a one is by the Judge delivered to the Officer and then by him cast into prison he shall never come forth out of those chaines of darknesse and that Dungeon of torment that the Almighty hath prepared for all the wicked till he hath payed the last mite Now Let me ask you Libertines that sore so high in your talk of this last dispensation of God to his People one Question What do you think of the new Jerusalom which is from above the holy City of our God Is she not the Mother of all the Saints Is she not the Bride the Lamb's wife and must she not then be like the Spotlesse Lamb her Husband and doth not John in the Spirit testifie that there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lye but onely they which are written in the Lamb's Book of Life which must needs be none but those that are free from all defilements for saith he The fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and Murtherers and Whoremongers and Sorcerers and Idolaters and all Lyars shall their part in the lake which burneth with fire and Brimstone which is the second death Now what think you Doth the Spirit in John mean as it speaketh or not Or did John mean as he spake Do you think the mind of God in these words were to this purpose that a man might do that which is counted Whoredome or Adultery or Lying or Drunkennesse or Swearing and Cursing or bowing to any Idol or bewitch Peoples Souls or Bodies by Sorceries or murther ones Neighbour Brother or Enemy or do any other such thing which is declared evil in the Scriptures of Truth and yet if he count it pure to him and he see no evil therein he may do it and yet enter the holy City Search with the light if ye are not quite past all honesty tendernesse and feeling and see whether that doth or can give such an interpretation thereof or whether any thing but man's fleshly and corrupted Will and blinded Judgment can do so But Lord how have some so darkned the pure eye that should see things as they are in truth and simplicity by often transgressing against the Light that now they even as desperate do not desire to have the blind eye opened But Father of glory I beseech thee for thy Seed's sake whom thou hast promised to gather from the remotest parts of the Earth to shew thy Almighty Arm in the ransoming of them out of the hands of the spiritual Enemy who hath beguiled these People as he beguiled Eve by drawing them to eat the forbidden Fruit whereby they must needs know evil as well as good whatever they may affirme yet far from being as gods but cast out of Paradise that so thy ransomed ones may come after Judgment known wich songs to Sion praising and magnifying thy holy name as I have done and do for thy infinite goodness and mercy never to be forgotten But ye make other Objections as Where there is no Law there is no Transgression and To the pure all things are pure and It 's Prophesied in Isaiah that the Lord will lead his People by a way that they knew not and He will make Darknesse Light before them and crooked things straight c. Also Solomon hath some expressions tending to confirme our Judgment yea and Christ himself saith If the eye be single the whole body is full of Light but if the eye be dark the whole body is full of darknesse so that all things are but as they are looked upon and so is sin and evil Where there is no Law there is no Transgression that 's certain but where is the man as he is in the Fall throughout the World that hath no Law placed within him since the Law is light and Christ the true light hath enlightned every man So then there is real Transgression in every man whiles in the Fall for there is a Law left in him to shew it now when as a man comes into the Law of the new Creature or of the spirit of Life which is in Christ Jesus so as naturally to refrain from all sin and to do the will of God the Law is no longer his reprover and so where there is no Law there is no Transgression and on the contrary yet such a one is not without Law to God but under the Law to Christ Let him that heareth understand Likewise all things are pure to the pure But that which is impurity it self in the Root as Pride Envy c. and those words and actions which can flow from nothing else but that impurity cannot be pure to the pure in heart because He cannot but hate all such things Now Paul's words are exceedingly abused by unclean spirits for he speaketh of the things of this life as Food
according as ye would have them to be understood whereby Christ the true light and those that were enlightned and enlivened sanctified by him were by some of you accounted even such as your selves who live in divers lusts so far hath the deceit entred into you But ye shall know in the day of the Lord 's righteous Judgment as I have truly known by turning to that which judged aright and made manifest Sin to be exceeding sinfull that Christ and the former Saints and holy men and women were sincere in their thoughts words and deeds haring no mental reservation in what they spake and that they lived according as their words hold forth being wise as Serpents yet not in the Serpent's wisdom and harmlesse as Doves yea fleeing from all sin and wickednesse as from a Serpent And now I will say How are the hidden things of Es au searched out by the light which is the Candle of the Lord even of prophane Esau who for a morsel of meat sold his birth-right And let me in God's wisdom and fear reason with you a little Are not some of you prophane Esaus who for a few momentary pleasures and unsatisfying Lusts have quite parted with and for ever bid Adieu to the sense and feeling of that which ye once counted better then life it self to wit a broken heart and contrite spirit and godly sorrow for sin which things wrought you to some Repentance whereof ye had never just cause to repent As also comfort and peace in your Spirits as your minds were kept in that which was pure open to the Lord and being afraid to offend him Such a step in the truth no doubt some of you have made but now your hearts are as hard as an Adamant so that ye find no more place for Repentance than Esau did nay not going so far as he for he sought the Blessing with tears though he obtained it not being still prophane but ye desire not to returne in any outward shew yea perhaps will laugh and scoff at any that shall exhort you thereunto Had it not been good for such if they had never been born And are you not all prophane ones from the greatest to the least that have left your first love to simplicity and sincerity purity holinesse sobriety temperance and other the good fruits of the Spirit and think your selvs to have attained the higher perfection the more freely ye can act contrary to these without check or controul in your selvs which ye count but the working of the Fancy over which to get victory that it should not at all trouble you ye count your perfection redemption justification sanctification and salvation So ye quench the Light which is God's faithful witnesse within you that in love often pleads with you for a return kill the Just one stop the cry of the innocent trample upon the holy Seed that should bruise the Serpent's head who is head in you call it your perfection redemption would if it were possible set God at variance against himself accounting that to be God's arme and power in you which slayeth his reproving witnesse which is his good Spirit which Spirit know ye shall not alwayes strive with you for good Therefore I charge you by the Lord to bethink your selves ye that are not past feeling of your former estates when ye were conscientious and tender for it was much better then with you than now and commune with your own hearts by turning in to the witnesse of God that calls for purity and holinesse in thought word and deed for sobriety and temperance and chastity and all godlinesse and honesty and that while ye have time lest your consciences be quite seared and the Lord God sware in his wrath Ye shall never enter into his pure and everlasting Rest for this is God's very and true day not an imaginary one which ye have conceited for some years past to your selvs and so no time to dally with the wicked and back slider for Woe saith the Lord God to him that in the land and time of uprightnesse will deal unjustly and will not behold the majesty of the Lord. And if any of you have or shall have stirrings and thoughts raised up in you of waiting upon God's witnesse and any true desires begotten to know by the light within you which makes manifest all things wherein ye have erred and done amisse I charge you flee it not though it begin to bring some terrour and shame upon the carnal part for as ye have made the pure seed to suffer by your sin and deceit so you must expect to suffer by the Seed when he comes to bruise the Serpents head to whom ye have been joyned and accept of the punishment of your iniquity and say It is all far lesse than we have deserved and let your uncircumcised hearts be humbled and wait low and humbly to know the Lord's mind and be willing to forsake all evill and cleave unto and do all good that the Lord by his Light shall lay open before you who will bring Judgment to the line and Equity to the plummet and be willing to come into Unity with the Holy men of God and Christ's words in the Scriptures which testify against all the fruits of the flesh let them be done under never so fair a pretence of liberty and above all things desire sincerity and uprightnesse of heart for so it was with me at my return and this was the word in me His countenance shall behold the upright and then will the Lord have compassion and by degrees heal your land I mean your poor Souls and ye shall see Faith in the truths of God and a good conscience and the pure fear of the Lord grow and spring up together in you for 't is Faith that purifies the heart But if you flee in Winter and will not bear the Judgment till the indignation be over-past or will be ashamed to be ashamed of your evill wayes and so let deceit prevail over the pure and make up a healing to your selvs by quenching the witnesse ye shall receive the fruit of your own doings even to lye down in perpetuall forrow in the end But I hear some of you asking What is Sin and Evill Do ever any of you find any of the Holy men of God from one end of the Scriptures to the other to have asked such a Question Nay For they believed the Lord's witnesse which he had placed in them without their own reasonings and disputings as finding twins in their womb two Seeds opposite each to other which brought forth contrary fruit and by the Holy Seed which is the true Light they saw the good Tree and the corrupt Tree the good fruit and the corrupt fruit for the Light reproved them for evill and corrupt motions and all words and actions proceeding there-from but it justified them and gave them peace in pure and holy motions and
Rayment c. which are pure to one whole conscience is not defiled with sin and they apply them to all thoughts actions and words which Paul himself often declares against in all Tell me also Oh ye Libertines is not willful murder something and Sodomy something and Men with Men something and Women with Women committing filthynesse something and Man to engender with a Beast something and for a Witch out of malice without just cause given to do mischief upon the Bodies of Men or the innocent Beast something or to curse ones Maker something And dare any of you say these things are pure to the pure do any of these bear any face or resemblance of or with purity I believe very few of you would have the face to affirme it Now if there be something in you that riseth up against these things why should it not also against other things which are declared by the Holy Men of God to be the fruits of the flesh and how if but one thing be judged filthy in it self can all things in your sense be pure to the pure That place in Isaiah is a Prophesie of Gospel Times the Jews had been long before those times came led by the Letter of the Law but then the Lord said He would lead them by a way they knew not even by the teachings of His Spirit they had before walked in darknesse but now darknesse should be made light before them not as a great Ranter once said that darknesse and its works should be then accounted by them that were taught of God for light and truly so for that is impossible they being of a direct contrary nature Now darknesse is truly said to be turned into light when the light and its works do expell the darknesse and its works because then these are not at all in being as the darkness of the night and works proper to the night are not in being in the day time so night is turned to day So John came to prepare a People for the Lord even Christ when the crooked perverse pature was destroyed and made a right and good nature and the rough nature destroyed and made a mild nature that all flesh might see the Salvation of God As for Solomon's expressions in some things take heed of stumbling and falling at a wise man's words He was once Captivated by Lust and Idolatry and Pride but consider him in all his Rayment or dresse of Wisdome and Knowledge as he was Solomon a greater than Solomon is here even Christ the true light of men who said If thy eye be single thy whole body is full of light The single eye is when a man looks singly to the Lord in all his thoughts words and actions keeping the watch that his mind run not out after other Lovers so long is the Body full of Light for the Light shineth out of the Darknesse therein but if the eye be dark if he looks or runs after any thing in his thoughts c. besides the Lord alone there is the double-minded man whose heart is to be purified for darknesse fills his Temple that he knoweth not what he doth in so doing So that the single eye is not to look on sin to be no sin for that is to see a lye but to look on the Lord singly that the soul may be preserved out of all sin and evil which is contrary to his pure nature in the ground and root But 't is said Amos 3.6 Is there any evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it Whence ye conclude all evil in thought word and deed which appears in Men or to the view of the World are of the Lords own doing and so good That Scripture is not rightly translated out of the Hebrew tongue for there it is Is there any evil in the City and shall not the Lord do somewhat And in the old translation it is Cometh any Plague in a City without it be the Lords doing So that this makes quite against you For shall any evil or sin be committed and the Lord who is pure and holy and just not do something in punishing or plaguing thereof for he in the second verse of the same Chapter had said to Israel by the Prophet Ye onely have I known of all the Families of the Earth Therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities and he saith in the seventh verse Surely the Lord will do nothing but He revealeth His secret to his Servants the Prophets So that he speaketh here of doing something or scourging the Isralites for their sin which he revealed before hand to his Prophets that they might declare it to the transgressours so that the sin and evil is from the evil nature in man but the punishment thereof is from the righteous God which punishment be it either Spiritual or Corporal is an evil indeed to him that is punished because it plagues him for his iniquity but in God it is good because it is justly inflicted by him upon the unrighteous Doer But had ye Libertines kept your first integrity and out of your own humane thoughts all which are but vain ye would never thus have run to the letter for counsel but would have kept to God's witnesse in your selves which reproveth for all sin and evil which is more to us than a thousand witnesses from without and which brings to a right understanding of the Scriptures But ye raise another great stumbling block from Isaiah 45. where 't is said I forme the Light and create darknesse I make Peace and create Evill I the Lord do all these things Whence ye gather that darknesse and Evill which is the fruit of darknesse is created by the Lord and done by him and therefore ye say That which we count darknesse and the works of darknesse is as good as that which we count Light and the works of Light Consider in the wisdom and fear of God what the Prophet speaketh of and to what end He speaketh of Cyrus whom the Lord would raise up to be an Instrument of delivering his people out of the Captivity of Babylon whom he had sirnamed and girded by his power for that purpose which was a great Work whereby the Nations from East to West who all had the Jewish People in their evil Eye should know that he was the Lord and that there was none besides him that could put it into the heart of such a proud Heathen as Cyrus was to let his People go free So the more to illustrate his own Power He moved his Prophet to utter those words above mentioned concerning the things of the Creation and the management thereof He forms the Light by his natural Sun which He hath created and the Darknesse or Night by the withdrawing of the Sun He maketh peace in the Earth by restrayning the Oppressors cruelty and inclining his heart to pitry towards the Oppressed as in this case of Cyrus towards the poor Jews and createth evil or