the Apostle James James 2. 5. Verse 1 2 3 4. Commands the Saints not to have the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory with Respect of Persons And saith such are Partial in themselves and become Judges of Evil Thoughts And Rom. 13. 1 5. saith Paul Let every Soul be Subject to the Higher Powers For saith he there is no Power but of God The Powers that be are ordained of God not of Man and that whosoever Resisteth the Power Resisteth the Ordinance of God And saith We must needs be Subject for Conscience sake And therefore though the Prophets and Saints were often sent by the Lord to Pronounce Judgment against Unjust Men who had the Power committed to them and did not Judge for God but for Self-ends yet they never attempted to raise any Violence against them but used all means to Persuade them to do Justly Love Mercy and Mic. 6. 8 walk humbly with God that they might be Established and the Wrath of God turned away from them For those that be of God cannot Rejoyce in the Destruction of any but would 1 Pet. 1. 12. Eph. 4. 11. 12. have all to turn to God and find Mercy 7. Concerning the Ministry The true Ministers of Jesus Christ have always been and are still such as came not by the Will of Man but by the Will of God neither are they fitted for that Work by any thing of Man but by God alone for the true Ministry is the Gift of Jesus Christ given for the Perfecting of the Saints and needs no addition of Humane Helps and 1 Cor. 12. 7. Learning but as the work is Spiritual and of the Lord so they are Spiritually fitted only by the Lord. And therefore he chose Pet. 4. 10. 11. Gal. 11. 11 12 16. Herds-Men Fisher-men and Plough-Men and such-like and as he gave them an Immediate Call without the Leave of Man so he fitted them Immediately without the Help of Man And as they received the Gift Freely so they were to give Freely And when ever they found any of the false Ministers who Taught for Hire they Cryed out against them and Pronounced Woes against them and shewed them that they lay in Iniquity because they thought that the Gift of God could be Bought and Sold for Money And Christ calls them Hirelings Mat. 10. 8. Acts 8. 20. John 10. 13. Micah 3. 10. Jer. 5. 30. and 6. 13. Isai 56. 10 11. 2 Pet. 2. 14 15. 2 Cor. 11. 15. Jude 11. and saith they care not for the Sheep And Micah cryes out against the Priests that Taught for Hire and saith They Build up Sion with Blood and Jerusalem with Iniquity And Jeremiah cried out against the Priests in his Days that bare Rule by their means and calls it an Horrible thing and saith That from the least of them to the greatest they are all given to Covetousness And Isaiah cryed out of such in his Days and calls them Greedy Dogs that can never have enough and saith he they all look for their Gain from their Quarter And Peter saith of such in his Days as should come that they through Covetousness should make Merchandize of the People and saith They have Hearts exercised with Covetous Practises who have forsaken the right Way and have followed the Way of Balaam who loved the Wages of Unrighteousness And Jude cryes Woe unto them for they go on in the Way of Cain and run greedily after the Error of Balaam for Rewards But those that were sent out by Christ counted it their Reward to make the Gospel without Charge neither ever had they any set 1 Cor. 9. 16 17 18. 1 Cor. 4. 11. Gal. 4. 19. means but went about having no certain Dwelling Place neither were Masters but Servants to all for Christs sake Nor ever went to Law for Tythes or any other Earthly thing but Suffered Persecution and as always he that was after the Flesh Persecuted him that was after the Spirit even so it is now Now all People Try your Priests by the Scriptures whether they are of God or of the World and never think to hear the Word of the Lord from their Mouths who walk contrary to the Scriptures for such were never sent of God for had they been sent of God they would abide in his Doctrine And John 1 John 2. 3 4 5 6. Joh. 9. 10. 2 John 9. 10 11. saith such hath not God but he that abides in the Doctrine of Christ hath both the Father and the Son And if there come any to you and bring not this Doctrine you are forbidden to receive them into your Houses or bid them God Speed for if you do you are partakers of their Evil Deeds And unto the Wicked saith God What hast thou to do to Declare my Statutes or that thou shouldest Psal 50. 16 17. take my Covenant into thy Mouth seeing thou hatest Instruction and castest my Words behind thy Back and art a partaker with the Thief the Adulterer Evil-Speaking Slandering and Deceit and such as Psal 50. 21. do these things think God to be like themselves But I will Reprove thee and set them in order before thine Eyes J. N. 1653. The Condition and Portion of the People of England who have long Flattered themselves with the Church-Ministry and Ordinances but upon Tryal are found to be the Synagogues of Satan Persecutors of the Truth and Enemies of the Gospel of Christ The Lyon hath Roared Tremble all you Beasts of the Field The Trumpet hath sounded let the Beast prepare himself to Battle for the great Day of Sions Recompence is at hand and Woe to all her Enemies I Have heard a Voice of Woe and Terror to come upon all the Inhabitants of the Earth Repent all you Inhabitants of the Earth the Sword of the Lord is Furbished against you to make a grievous Slaughter Howl Woe and Misery all sorts of People who have preferred your own Wills Lust and Pleasures before the pure Law of God Howl you Sodomites and Belly-Gods of the Earth who have given up your selves to Fulness of Gluttony and all Excess of Riot Feeding without the Fear of God Sporting in the Day Time Living like fed Horses spending the Creatures upon your Lusts which were never made for that end Woe unto you you Fat Swine the Sins of Sodom are found among you and the Plagues of Sodom are nigh at hand Woe unto you for now is the Lord come to Require his Corn and his Wine which he gave to Feed the Poor and Hungry which your Lusts have Devoured the Wants of all Poor in the Nation cry out against you you have exceeded all that ever went before you and you shall exceed in Misery Woe unto you Proud Lustful and Lofty ones that are lifted up in your own Eyes and have set your selves above the Fear of God which Teacheth Humility you plainly appear to be Children of the Devil who is the
Practises and so still serve that Evil Spirit that hath all along betrayed you of your Obedience to God but wait to feel that Spirit which calls you to mourn a part every one for the Evils of his own Heart against his God and let that be minded which leads to Repentance towards God first that if by any means you may find a place for Repentance which will be hard for many of you to do you have so long Dissembled with God and betrayed his Witness in you through Deceit for this is the Truth to you all If you find that from the Lord in Spirit that will let you see the Evils of Provocation and give you Power to put it off whatever it be you will find favour with God therein for your Souls but if you find not that Spirit you will find small Peace with God and then that which Men can do for you will be little available for it is for want of Hearing and Obedience towards God that all this Evil is come upon you which must be turned to e'er it can be taken Everlastingly off for if you had harkned to his Light in your Consciences and his Word had had a Place in your Hearts to Obedience when you was yet tender then would it have kept you in his Fear so that you durst not have coveted that Cursed thing with which you hid and covered that Just Principle in you and blinded your Eyes with the Riches and Spoil of your Enemies nor durst you have set up what you had cast down and got into their Estates and so into their Pride by unrighteous Gain whom God had cast out Then had you not provoked God by these things to your utter Ruining Or if after this was entred upon you you had hearkned to his Reproof and put this off your selves with his Spirit then had he not brought this Terrible Besom to sweep it away from off you and from within you who hath left you no Place to hide your Glory or your Riches where his Hand shall not reach and his Eye find them out And there is now no hope for Agreement with God in yâ—â—r selves nor that he will cease his Anger against you till you return to that from which you departed that the same Spirit may be confessed and Glory given thereto by putting off in his Counsel and Motion that which was put on in your Counsels against that Spirit and his Light in your own Consciences and also in many others whose Souls were troubled and grieved for you in that Day and this the Lord God looks for that Glory be given to the just in his sight and in the sight of all before whom his name hath been Blasphemed And this is now the Work of this your Day while you have a little time and for this he waits and forbears that he may be Gracious to your Souls for his Names's sake And it is not a time for you to sleep and sit at ease nor spend your time in Vanity nor seek to hide that which God is resolved to declare openly nor with fleshly Counsel seek to save that which God will destroy It 's time now at last to see what that selfish Spirit and its Counsel hath done for you and Repent of it by following whereof all this Evil is come upon you for your Authority hath vomited you out your Glory hath left you naked and your Riches cannot profit you in this Day of Wrath from the Almighty This was I moved of the Lord to write to you J. N. Oh! KING GOD hath in these Nations a People gathered by himself into his Light who are known to himself better than to Men and therefore have we suffered by Men under all the Powers that have risen in this Nation ever since God called us towards himself by his Eternal Light and Spirit and though we receive not our Laws from Man yet are we not without Law as to our God but have one Law-giver even Christ Jesus our Lord our Life and our Head blessed over all And from his Laws we may not depart and by his Law in our Conscience and the Power of his Spirit in our Hearts are we ordered and guided to walk Holily towards our God and Harmlessly towards Men as the Saints of Old witnessed in Scripture however they be minded towards us and by the Virtue of the Lamb and not of Flesh and Blood are we made to give our Goods to the Spoil and our Bodies to the Tortures of Cruel Men rather than defile our Consciences or Sin against any one of the least of the Commands of our Lord and Law-giver Christ Jesus who by the Light of his Eternal Spirit doth dayly lead us out of the Evils and Vanity of this present World and having begotten us into his own Guiding he doth not suffer us to subject our selves to any thing whatsoever is not set up by himself nor to Worship the god of this World nor obey him in Commands or Customs but the Exercise of our Consciences he hath redeemed wholly to himself and by his Precious Blood hath sprinkled them and made them tender and pure so that we may not Worship false gods nor the true God in a false manner nor may we Worship Men nor the true God in a false manner nor may we Worship Men nor follow the Customs of Nations Kindreds or People or Languages but the Spirit of Truth it self we must follow Nor may we break Christ's Commands in Swearing when Men Command us but must obey him who faith Swear not at all Nor may we join to or uphold any Worship whatsoever but what the Spirit of Truth it self leads us into though many have sought to force us thereto Nor may we leave the Ministry of Christ and that Maintenance which the Gospel allows of to Maintain a Priesthood with Tithes and so go back from Christ to the Law that the Apostle saith is disannulled Heb. 7. And for such things as these concerning a tender Conscience and the Law of our God have we suffered Grievous Persecution and not for any Unrighteousness done by us against any Man's Person or Estate nor have we suffered by any just Law of the Nation but by the Wills of Cruel Men and as a Prey to every Man's Lust hath been our Liberties Lives and Estates and the Rulers that have been to this Day have not sought our Deliverance but have dealt Treacherously with us and the Lord whom we serve hath seen it and reproved it and yet we are not set free but at this Day we live in the Account of the rude and envious People as a People appointed to Death and Desolation and the whole Body of Ungodliness and Rage of Wickedness is upon us daily and with Cruelty falls upon us in our Persons and Estates and our Peaceable Meetings to Worship the living God And as to all these things we are laid as the Mire in the Street for every rude Boy to run
SEVERAL PAPERS OF CONFESSIONS PRAYER and PRAISE By James Naylor Concerning His Fall and Restoration A Just Man falleth seven times and riseth up again but the Wicked shall fall into Mischief Prov. xxiv 16. LONDON Printed in the Year 1659. To those who were in AUTHORITY whom the LORD is now Judging that they may Repent and find Mercy from God By James Naylor With His Letter to King CHARLES II. OH Men of England whose Day is over and whose Time is passed away from you and you are now left as Men in Desolation and Darkness You had a large Day and Time to have done good and to have answered God's Requirings of you and your Engagements to him and so to have laid up Treasure with God against the Evil Day which is come from far upon you and you had a large time and a great Power in your Day to have made you Friends of the Unrighteous Mammon by doing Justly and shewing Mercy therein that so you might have had a Habitation in the Day of Adversity And in your Day the Heavens were fair and the Son gave you his Light shining upon you through many Clouds that seemed to arise over which he sent you Light that in his Light you might have walked and seen Light and his Visitations and Risings towards you was often and his Appearance was lovely towards you even as a calm Sun-shine after a stormy Tempest and as warm Clearness after Rain to the softning of the Earth and to make it Fruitful that he might have received of his Tillage a good Savour from the Fruit of his Labours and have blessed you But Oh People You would not hear nor regard in that Day when his Work was good towards you every Morning and his Mercies upon you all the Day long but you grew high and lofty in your selves and Proud in your Minds and Self-conceited and Self-ended and hardned your Hearts against his tender Witness in your Conscience and walked Rebelliously against his good Spirit in your own Hearts and he could not cause you to hear but you grew past feeling of any thing that is called God in you Then you dayly waxed Fat and Fulness encreased and Pride gendred into your Hearts and you grew wanton and kicked against him that bore you and made light of his Bricks in your Consciences Thus was your Ear stop'd towards God and you wholly lost from all that he might speak unto you in Spirit or Counsel or Fear and from the Way of his Teaching and Reproof you was utterly gone and had removed your Hearts far away from hearing his Voice for you had filled them with Pride and vain Glory and your unjust Gain had made many of them even as the nether Mill-Stone so you became unmoveable in your Way Then did the Lord raise him up Servants that would hear and gave them his Light to see what you were doing against the Lord your God who had redeemed you out of all Adversity and had raised you up out of a low Estate and had done for you exceedingly even to win you as a People to himself And also what God was a-doing against you because of this your contrary walking towards him and that he would certainly bring you down before your Enemies if you did not return and humble your selves before him And these he sent amongst you with his Word rising early and sending them to speak his Mind expresly what he minded to do and it could no longer slumber But you would nâ—t hear neither would you believe but the same which had stop'd your Ear and hardned your Hearts in your own selves from feeling that had wrought too such Hardness Dullness and Unbelief till God's Word could have no Entrance into you nor his Servants Liberty to walk among you to publish it But you begun to Question in your unbelief whether it was the Word and in your Pride to scorn it And in the Hardness of your Hearts then you begun to persecute the Messengers of the Lord which he sent with it to you for your Good and many Hundreds suffered in all Parts of the Nation upon this Account till there was no hope of your hearing or obeying the Voice of your Return Then did the Lord raise up Signs and Wonders among you if by any means he might appear as one to be feared or observed by you And he stript his Children naked and sent them among you and some he cloathed in Sack Cloath as mouring over you And some with Ashes upon their heads he sent into your Assemblies of Worships and your Assemblies in your Feasts and of your Fasts which was all Abominable to him while you walked in your own Ways and would not hear his Voice but these you used worse than formerly and your Rage encreased in Stocking Beating Whipping and Imprisoning until the Cry of Oppression was so great that there was no Remedy and then the Lord arose and shaked you in Pieces as a Mighty One in his Anger and broke you with such a Breach so as you could not be healed nor be a Power any longer and so hath brought the Wheel over you and from far without help hath he caused the Rod to Blossom And the Just Lord is now seen in the midst of you and which of you is able to stand before Him in Judgement or to Condemn Him in the thing he hath done and Captivity is taken Captive before Him and you that did Imprison are imprisoned and you that sought to make your selves dreadful by Oppression now knows not where to hide your selves from the mighty Day that 's coming upon you from the God of the whole Earth And now this is the Word of the Lord to you all you Sturdy Oaks and Tall Fruitless Trees whom the Wind of the Fierce Wrath of the Almighty hath thus shaken Hear the Rod and who hath appointed it and how before the Terrible Iudge of all flesh and seek not to save your selves with your former Consultations with that Spirit in which you have always Rebelled against God till this Day and in whose Counsel you have wrought this great Evil to provoke the Lord and in which you have ever rejected his Word in your selves and others neither trust to your Friends to make Flesh your Arm yet farther to provoke the Lord to your utter Confusion neither trust in your Prayers or Performances or ought you can do while you are in that Rebellious Spirit of Disobedience to God's Witness in your own Consciences for verily God will not hear you while you are unwilling to hear him And now for this he is come near you at last to Judgement and he hath brought near his Righteousness that you might see it and lay hold on it and make Peace therewith now at last for your Souls that you may be saved and your Return must be first to that Spirit against whom you have Sinned there to make Peace And now spend not your time in vain Talks and vain
over and we have not found help from Man as to all the Powers that have been till this Day since we were a People nor do we speak this because we look for help from Man nor indeed can we expect that from Men until Men own the same Principle of God to Rule in them to which we are subject which is the Son of Righteousness and leads all into Righteousness Truth and Peace that his Light doth follow who is known to us to be King of Kings and Judge of the Judges though Flesh and Blood sees not his Kingdom And now O King as we have been moved of the Lord in Bowels of Love and with much Plainness of Speech after the Spirit of Truth and not with vain Complements to lay these things before all the several Powers that have risen hitherto with several other Evils which our God hath sent us to testifie against both in Rulers Teachers and People so we have done and for that we have suffered also for a Witness against them as it is at this Day So the same God hath now after a while put into our Hearts to lay these things before thee O King that thou mayst not be Ignorant to what we are called and for what we suffer And in this we rejoice That we feel love to thy Soul even while we are thus doing and if many should be moved hereto of God take heed of being wearied therewith nor count it Clamour or Trouble as they that was before thee did and so let up Prejudice and Evil Thoughts in their own Hearts against the Innocent for this we say unto thee and affirm in the Name of our God that the more any are truly moved by the Eternal Spirit to warn thee of these Things or any other Evils that may any way grieve his Holy Spirit so much doth the Lord of thy Life and true and Everlasting Peace double his Love unto thee and shew his Willingness to stay thee from that which hath removed Kings and broken Kingdoms And this we know to be in God and by him in us towards thy Soul and Eternal Welfare And though we cannot Swear and Unswear Covenant and Uncovenant with every Change that comes as Men do that know not the Everlasting Covenant and Decree of God yet this hath God fealed in our Hearts To seek the Good of all Men Plot against none but study to live quietly and Exercise our Conscience faithfully towards whatever Government our God shall set up desiring that all Men in their Day may so use their Power as they may give Account to God with Joy and not leave their Names for a Curse and Reproach among Men for this we know That God is now at Hand to give a speedy Reward to every Man as shall be the Work of his Day Wherefore O King seek the Fear of the Lord and not Pleasure do Justice and Judgment in this thy Day Relieve the Helpless Oppressed and break the Yoak of Bondage that lies upon the Poor and bring Judgment into the Gates and let not Justice be sold least the Meek of the Earth Cry to God against thee Verily God is nearer this Nation to avenge than many can believe though the hath done Wonders in this Generation that many Generations have not seen and he is trying all Sorts of People with the Testimony of his Appearance Blessed are they whose Eye is open to discern the Signs of the Times for a Work is God working in the Earth and he will cut it short in Righteousness for his Elect sake which Daily hath waited upon Him that is Blessed for ever O King spend not thy time in Fleshly Pleasures neither strive after that Glory which will fade away but apply thy Heart to God and wait to feel his Spirit in thee giving thee Light and Understanding to guide thy ways before him for only Blessed is he who Rules by his power and who is taught of God shall be Established in Righteousness and be far from Oppression and only such shall be called the Blessed of God to all Generations read and remember the Righteous and the Wicked From one of those whom the World calls Quakers JAMES NAYLOR Written the 3d Day of the 4th Month 1660. FINIS LONDON Printed in the Year 1660. To all the Dearly Beloved PEOPLE of GOD Mercy and Peace THere is nothing dear and percious to me in this World but God's Truth and his Life of Righteousness for which I have forsaken all the World and whatever was dear to me therein I have hated and counted it as an Enemy that I might obtain Christ the Fountain and Spring of that Eternal Life of Truth the Beauty whereof I cannot express as I see it and feel it The Loveliness thereof to my Soul hath so dearly united my Spirit to all that bear the Image and Life of it that there can be no Separation but my Life suffers thereby and I can truly say that there is no other thing whatsoever that can unite me as one with any Creature living but this Image and Life where I see it born up or breathing to Life but in whomsoever it be without respect of Persons that I see the least appearance of this Seed of Life is I can by that Power of Love the Father hath begotten in me lay down my Life to serve for the Seed's sake And wherein I have come short of this formerly and have respected the High more than stood only in this Seed I have been judged of the Lord and my evil Thoughts therein condemned yea and I do condemn them before all the World to be of that which favours Self and not the Things of Christ And the lower God doth bring me and the nearer to himself the more doth this Love and Tenderness spring and spread towards the poor simple and despifed ones who are poor in Spirit meek and lowly Suffering Lambs and with those I choose to suffer and do suffer where-ever they are found and I bear my Testimony against that Spirit by which they suffer where-ever it is found and this lies upon me from the Lord Hearing and feeling a Spirit of Enmity having got head by what the Lord hath done with me and now doth exercise its Power against the Peaceable Meetings of the Lord's People the Burthen whereof lies heavy upon me and I suffer under it and have long waited with Prayers and Tears of Sorrow Night and Day to receive Counsel from the Lord what to do in it in that Condition I am now in at present God knows I Lye not for there is nothing of all my Hardships that hath lain and doth lie upon me like this that any of the Flock of God should be offended or suffer through me therefore I have not ceased to warn as God hath opened to me such as I could speak to to live in Peace and Love to suffer but not to act Strife and Violence and have denied that Spirit not to be of the Lamb but
precious profers of the Love of God be tendred in vain while you have an Ear open to the World you cannot hear the Voice of God so that you have been made to groan under it How long have you been deceived by it all your time promising Peace Fulness and Satisfaction but have been brought to cry out of Oppression and Deceit and your Cries are come before the Lord of Sabbaths who is your Rest and he is now appeared to Deliver you and set you free from Bondage that you may serve him alone And now take heed of consulting with your Old Master hath the Lord been so Merciful unto you as that he hath set your Faces out of Sodom and Egypt towards the promised Land Oh take heed of looking back lest you be taken Captive and led back again and so you come short of Redemption and your Faith fail you and so you come short of the Promise for Unbelief cannot enter into the Rest but you Dear Friends put on Resolution put on Strength be Valiant for your Freedom cast off every Weight follow your Captain the Lord Jesus Christ who for the joy set before him endured the Cross despised the Shame and so enter'd into Rest and Glory Take heed of halting between God and the World what agreement can there be or what Peace while you are Married to the World Your thoughts turn in thither and you are Adulterated from God who gives you all good things as so many tokens of his Love hereby is the broken Language brought forth and you cannot speak the pure Language of the Land of Rest And while you give way to that in you which leads you to look back to what is behind you you keep your selves in the Wilderness and Darkness and lose your way and know not where you are Grieving the Holy Spirit of the Lord which hath appeared unto you to Guide you But Oh Friends mind your Guide and follow him Arise Shine your Light is come and the Glory of the Lord is risen upon you the Night is far spent the Day is at hand even the Day of Sion's Deliverance Arise come away all you that love her come off from the World and Worldly things come into the Life lie no longer in Death and Dead things Awake thou that Sleepest and stand up from the Dead that Christ may give thee Light Come forth come forth of all Created things witness your Redemption from the World that you are Redeemed from the Earth up to God out of all Kindreds Tongues People and Nations to Reign as Kings and Priests for Ever above the World Sin and Death Triumphing and Treading upon all that would take you Captive This is the Day of your Deliverance own it with the Loss of all Fading Pleasures make it appear to all the World this is the Day you waited for even the Day of your Joy but of the Worlds Sorrow A Day of Blackness and Gloominess a Day of Fear and Trouble to them that Oppress you a Day wherein the Kingdom of Jesus Christ shall be Exalted and all the Kingdoms and Powers of the Earth Shaken a Day wherein the Lord will Avenge the Power of him that is too strong for you Rejoice Rejoice ye Meek of the Earth Shout for Joy ye poor Despised ones whom your Brethren have troden upon and have cast you out and you have been made their Mocking-stock for the Truths sake Sing and Rejoice the Voice of a King is amongst you and he will Marry you to himself in Righteousness Purity and Holiness and will Rejoice over you as a Bridegroom over the Bride and you shall be for a Crown of Glory in the hand of the Lord and a Royal Diadem in the hand of your God O my dear Hearts my desire to God for you all is that you might come to see what unspeakable Riches is laid up for you in Jesus Christ which is hid from all Flesh neither can they see it who live after the Flesh and while they continue their Love to the World and Worldly things they keep out the Manifestation of the Father's Love for their Hearts cannot receive both Now shew your selves Wise Men choose that which is Eternal here is Light and Life tendred you in Jesus Christ freely out of the Father's Love freely receive Life and Love and shew forth Life and Love to God again by giving up to him all you have and all you are for Christ's sake that so you may come to receive all again with Christ who is the fulness of the Father's Love and in him are all good things needful for this Life and that which is to come even the earnest of your Inheritance which none can take from you which being received you shall never hunger more having a Well-spring within even the Witness of Eternal Life and Love and as Christ Appears who is our Life and Love so shall Life and Love Appear Spring Blossom and bring forth Fruit towards God and Man that so being raised with him from Death and Dead Works you may henceforth Live unto God and being brought into Oneness with him and Purity and Holiness you may be one amongst your selves of one Heart and one Mind speaking one and the self same thing and having the same care one for another as for your selves And take heed that there be not in any of you a Principle of Self-love which will lead to Separation and Division casting a stumbling block in the way of the Simple and so they that are Weak may be Defiled and turned back into the World And I beseech you Brethren that you mark them that once set their Faces towards Sion but not being willing to deny the World and take up the Cross have consulted with Flesh and Blood and turned back into Egypt again of such take heed knowing that the same Spirit that hath wrought in them Deceitfully will not cease to work by them to Deceive others to maintain its own Kingdom but you standing fast in the pure Light of Christ shall see whither those Return and the cause of their Returnings and that the end of such is worse than the beginning but there will be such that they who are approved may be made manifest But you my Brethren be ye so far from following such that their falling away may cause you to watch and search by what Power you stand and so a pure fear may be preserved in you by which you may be kept in the way that leads to the Crown which is Immortal For it is he that overcomes that must wear the Crown wherefore faint not nor think any thing hard the Lord calls you unto nothing must Suffer but that which is to Die that your Souls may Live Oh your light Affliction worketh for you a far more exceeding weight of Glory while you keep your Eye to that which is Invisible wherefore give up your selves to his will in all things Stand in the will of God in your present
Condition you are my joy in the Lord let my bowels be refreshed to hear of your Stedfastness and Growth in the Truth Take heed of propounding ends to your selves in any thing for that leads out of the way of God and gives way to your own Wisdom and so you seek to preserve that Alive which is appointed for Death and so you maintain War against God and know it not and in this condition you can have no Peace while the Enemies are in Arms against your Peace Oh! dear Friends you are in my Heart my Prayer to God for you is that you may be kept blameless to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ blessed for Ever My fellow Prisoner and dear Companion in the Lord Salutes you F. H. all Cease not to Pray for us that we may be kept to his Praise who hath counted us worthy to Suffer for his Name we are well and in great Peace kept in our Father's Love above all we are often brought to stand and wonder how we are kept in the midst of the Fire and not Consumed and the more that the Enemy Rages the more are we kept in Peace within Here are strange Devices used to insnare us to get ought against us true or false but all is ordered by a power the World knows not God is our Strength Rejoice with us all dear Friends and Praise his Name for Evermore for he is worthy for his Mercy endures for Ever JAMES NAYLOR A Prisoner at Appleby in Westmoreland for the Truths sake 1653. To all Dear BRETHREN and FRIENDS in Holderness and in the East Parts of Yorkshire DEAR Friends I Rejoice in you as you are entred into the Love of the Truth and have owned the Voice that calls out of the Darkness that is over all the Earth to set your Faces towards Sion the City of Everlasting Light And now mind your Way and the Light that is given to Guide you in the Way to keep your Eye to the Light that it may lead you through all the Visible things of the World and as you pass through you may stand single in the Mind unto God not turning to the right or left Hand where lies the Temptation nor looking back which lays you open to be Assaulted afresh by those Evils you had once escaped from but keeping the Eye towards the Mark pass on leaving and forgetting what is behind and Treading and Trampling under your Feet what the Enemy shall lay as stumbling blocks in your way which your Carnal Eyes or Ears or Hearts would be closing with for the Temptation lies in the Carnal things and there is the Bondage of the Creature to things that are Corrupt from which Bondage from Sin and Corruption the Lord is now Appeared that in the Light he may Redeem and lead out of it all that will own and follow him and this Light and Redemption is in his Son whom he is about to Exalt in which Exaltation a strange and mighty Work is to be brought to pass whereat all that stand not in his Counsel and Fear and to whom he shall not Reveal his Secrets shall be offended for all that is exalted shall be laid low and debased the Wisdom of the Wise shall come to nought and the Understanding of the Prudent ones shall be hid Riches and Honours shall fall to Dust from whence they came and the Worship of the World shall become Filthiness the Gods of the Heathens shall be Famished with looking for Worship but shall get none and the strongest of them shall not be able to deliver himself for the Lord will bring down all Heights and Mountains into the Valleys for in the Valley of Jehosaphat he will plead with all Flesh which hath scattered the Seed of the Covenant And now dear Friends here is your Peace and Blessedness that you Silence all Flesh and cease from your own Wisdom and give over your Imaginations about the things of God come out of the Love of the World and arise out of all Visible things and prepare to meet the Lord cast off all your Idols that have had your Hearts and put off the stumbling blocks of your Iniquities from before your Faces and give up all that will not that he should Reign over them that his Enemies may be your Enemies for in Judgment and Righteousness is he come out to be Avenged upon the Unrighteous Seed and now stand in the Light that a seperation may be made in you the Precious from the Vile that a true savour may arise that you may know your Calling and Election what is called and what you are to come out of lest you stay in any of that to which the Plagues is for this is the cause of your Suffering not discerning in the pure Wisdom what that Antichrist or exalted Spirit is that is got into the Seat of God and shews himself to be as God whose Kingdom stands in the Wisdom Glory and Riches of the World whereat all that knows not the true God in Spirit ask Counsel therefore dear Friends look not out into the Visible things for there he is ready to present to you false Voices and Visions Lying-wonders to lead out the vain Mind into the Liberty and Boasting of high things in Words without Power but while such speak of Liberty they are in Bondage in Mind to Corrupt and Fading things and while these are Head in the Creature there is not Redemption For the Bonds of Iniquity are unloosed and the pure seed is oppressed and the Plagues must pass upon that Nature therefore sink down into the Sufferings and Death that you may find the Door whereat to Enter for there is a Vale of Tears to pass thorow you shall find your Well-springs in him where you shall drink of the Water of Life and find Refreshment and grow from Strength to Strength till you come up to Sion Stand fast take heed of Words without Life spoken from the Comprehensions for that Feeds not the pure Seed but Feeds the Wisdom which is above and the Itching Ears and so the pure is covered with Earth and the Fowls of the Air is fed and no Fruit is brought forth to Perfection and take heed of that Nature that would know more than God is willing to Reveal for you shall find that unwilling to obey what it knows and take heed of that which desires to appear before Men to be commended for that seldom deserves Praise of God and let a Godly Conversation declare what is within and know one another in Spirit and not in Word and meet often together and wait upon God for his Teaching alone in a Cross to your own Wills for therein is the Secrets of God Revealed Let Love abound in you one towards another without being Partial and I beseech you by the Love of God that you halt not between God and the World but as you Profess that you are not of the World so let your Conversation be out of its Fashions Customs and Traditions and Covetous Practises that it may appear you are marked out for the Lord's and that you are not ashamed to own that which differs and so walk as not to cast an offence on the Gospel that you become not a scorn to Fools but let Wisdom be justified of her Children and take heed of that which would be exalted above others Teaching and Talking of things without Life and you that would be counted somebody let such first learn to wash the Feet of them they would be above and he that would be Greatest let him be Servant to all for it is the Humble and not the High Spirits that are Taught of God and such so walk as their Lives and Practises Teach and Judge all Vain Light and Heighty Spirits and mind how you grow out of the Earth and out of that which is in the Enmity and until you be brought out of the Love of all Visible things and wholly infolded into the Love of God you cannot witness Redemption nor receive the true Joy that ariseth in the Manifestation of the Love for it is only he that is brought up out of the Death to Reign over it whose Heart is come out of the Unrighteous Mammon who is entred into the Kingdom of Righteousness Joy and Peace and as you arise out of the Earthly Bondage you shall witness the glorious Liberty and so come to know your own Measures every one in particular to improve it and not to boast above it in another Man's Line and so you will come to see by what Power you stand in your Warfare how far you are Conquerors and who is your Enemy at present and so be able to give an Account in your selves of your Faith and how you grow from Faith to Faith And dear Friends watch over one another Exâ—ort Reprieve Admonish in pure Love and Meekness of Spirit least you also be Tempted and all know that you are set as a City on a Hill as Signs to this Generation therefore lift up your Light to all the World that all Mouths may be Stopped and Hearts Convinced so that all that see you may see you to be Children of Light and being Judged by you may be ashamed of their deeds of Darkness for great is the work of the Lord and Blessed are they that are found Faithful in it in what is committed to them Farewel dear Hearts and the Lord God Almighty Bless Prosper and Preserve you Pure and Clear unto his Kingdom Amen My Love in the Lord Salutes you all and if my Father please I shall be glad to see your Faces in the Flesh but his Will is my Peace who is Blessed for Evermore Written from Nuby the last Day of the Seventh Month 1653. A Lover of your Souls JAMES NAYLOR The Work of the Lord is great in those Parts and he carries it on with a High Hand having got himself the Victory Praise the Lord with us all that know him who is worthy even him alone for Ever FINIS Printed in the YEAR 1654.