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spirit_n	flesh_n	reap_v	sow_v	14,782	5	11.5940	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
B10044	A testimony concerning the life and death of William Sixmith, being sent with the following matter to London, in order to be made publick.	Sixmith, William, 1655 or 6-1677.; Sixmith, Bryan, d. 1679.	1678 (1678)	Wing S3923B; ESTC R184261	13,685	28

all that love the Truth and walk in it Bruen Sixmith Warington the 20th of the 1st Moneth 1678. On Man HOW weak and poor a thing is feeble Man How Nothing is he in the best he can How hard a Matter it s for him to find A truly solid and a serious Mind To feel it centred down in the true Rest Where nothing in the same can him Molest To feel it fixt and knit so close to Him That neven can be Overcome by Sin Where th' Enemy no Entrance can Find O! there it is that I would have my Mind To feel it alwayes on a daily Watch Where then the Enemy can make no Breach This is a blessed State thrice happy They That have attain'd unto this Blessed Day William Sixmith On these Times O Most unhappy Time that we live In Not only living but pleading for Sin For term of Life saying That none is Free On this side th' Grave nor never like to Be Setting so much their Minds on Fading Things And Earthly Toyes and Vanities which Brings Them into such a very Careless State They seek to purchase them at any Rate Their Precious Time they lose a Thing most Sad And to their own Destruction they are Led Satan Blindsolding them they cannot See The Snare that 's said O most gross Vanity To see that almost all men should be Guiided By th' subtil Serpent and yet be Derided And laught at as it were when they are Brought Into his Snare and they be surely Caught Ah! when the Blessed Spirit doth cease Striving There is no Hope at th' Heavenly Rest Arriving For there 's a Time when th' Spirit strives with Men Oh! happy will they be that answer Then To all that it requires forth with Obeying And not consult with Flesh and Blood in Saying O Lord what thou commandst I cannot Do The Thing is hard to Reap and not to Sow Oh foolish Man who dost at randum Talk Charging him falsly for thou dost not Walk According to thy Knowledge but dost Run In thy own Way and wilt not hear his Son Which doth in secret Check Reprove Chastize And sweeps away the Refuge of all Lyes For he not only shews thee what is Good But cl nses thee from Evil with his Blood O Man consider then what thou art Doing Consider with thy self where thou art Going For as in this vain World thou now dost Live Thou in the World to come Account must Give Of Actions that are done in th' Body Here As they be Good or Bad they must Appear According unto them thou doom must Have Repent therefore before thou go to th' Grave For as the Tree doth fall so it doth Lie Examine well thy self therefore and Try How it doth stand betwixt thee and thy God And dread his Name lest that thou feel his Rod Here on the Earth and in the other World Into Everlasting Burnings thou be Hurl'd Whenas thou hast receiv'd that Sentence Past Of Go thou Cursed into Hell thou must Where there is Weeping and Gnashing of Teeth And out of it to thee there 's no Relief But if that thou dost walk as thee Becomes Thou shalt be numbered amongst the Sons Of great Jehovah when that thou dost Dye And things that are Coelestial shalt Enjoy And sit in Heavenly Places where there Rings Sweet Halelujah's to the King of Kings W. S. Octob. 16. 1674. HOW difficult a Task it is to Find A solid serious and a stayed Mind The Enemy of Man doth go About With such cunning Device to draw it Out Either presenting Objects to the Eye And by the same seeks for to Destroy Their very Life so causing it to Run So far therein that they are quite Undone Or else in drawing them into the Earth Perswading them unto a little Mirth Saying They ought not alwayes be so Sad For it doth stupifie and maketh Mad. O! these and such like Snares the Devil Layes Whereby the Panting Soul he oft Betrayes W. S. VVHO shall they call on to assist their Quill One of the Muses No let them be still And meditate that do desire to Sing Praises and Halelujahs to their King The Righteous King Redeemer and Creator The only God the Lord and blessed Maker But as they contemplate methinks they Hear Something in secret that saith Lend an Ear To me and hear the words that I do Say And that which I command do thou Obey And except they attend unto this Word There 's none can sing true Praises to the Lord It s those that are redeem'd by Sion's King They they alone can living Praises Sing Those that in his Cause would their Life lay Down And seek his Glory and not seek their Own Those that are taught and guided by his Spirit It s those can sing It s those that do Inherit A glorious Crown to those he doth Perform His blessed Promises It s those Adorn The Gospel of the Lord and it is Those That fight God's Battels with them that Oppose Those give unto the Hungry Meat Of that which God gave them to Eat Spiritual Bread to feed the inward Man To nourish in there 's nothing else that Can. So th' Wicked cannot sing no let them Mourn And weep and wail let them themselves Adorn With Sack-cloth and with Ashes let them ly Groveling on th' Earth and know the Misery That doth attend on all in that Estate Let them not sleep nor slumber let them Wait To know a true Repentance in them Wrought And know that of themselves they can do nought And when they 'r Sensible of their Condition And on their Hearts there comes a true Contrition With Sighs and Groans unto the Lord That He Would ease them out of their Calamitie O! then the Lord in his great Mercy Pleaseth To shew them Comfort and their Minds he Easeth In giving them the Knowledge of his Son Or else their Sin-sick Souls had been Undon Shewing its he alone that works Within And no one else there is can cleanse from Sin And though that it seem little give an Ean To it and it will shew what 's sin most Clear It will not only shew thee what is Evil But as kept to may overcome the Devil It s they who keep to it that truly Sings Everlasting Praises to the King of Kings W. S. Opinions O How is Man degenerated Now Not only lost the Power but Form Too In which the primitive Fathers were Found The Words of whom they call their Rule and Ground On which they build yet they do walk contrary And all their Structures much from theirs do Vary There 's some make Christ the Chief and Corner Stone And preach None knows the Father but the Son And he to whom the Son doth him Reveal What Knowledge else they have doth nought Avail So they instruct all men to come to Him VVho purifies and purgeth ev'ry Sin But others teach that Revelation's Ceast VVhich doth conclude that Knowing God 's Decreast And call the Scriptures Rule

A Testimony concerning the Life and Death of William Sixmith being sent with the following Matter to London in order to be made Publick William Gibson MY very dear and well-beloved Friend the dear Salutation of my Life salutes thee in the most pure and dearest Love with which at this present my Heart is filled and the Remembrance of thee in the Immortal Life in and through which I have often been refreshed by thee and at this time have sweet Vnity with thee and my very Soul is affected with thee in that spiritual Relation in which I am perswaded that neither Heights nor Depths Principalities nor Powers things present nor things to come shall be able to separate us from that Love of God in Christ Jesus And so having a Sense upon my Spirit at this time how the Lord God hath made thee an Instrument in his Hand by his Mighty Power for the turning many from Darkness to Light and from the Power of Satan unto God amongst whom my Son William Sixmith was one who was touched and made sensible of the Lord 's heavenly and blessed Power which in thy Ministry did reach unto him and it was effectual as thou may'st understand by these his Writings which I have sent to thee for to peruse we found them scattered amongst several other Papers in his Trunk several We●ks after his Death and had I seen any convenient Oppertunity would have sent them to thee long since for through thy Ministry was a Door of Hope opened in him and the Love of God was shed abread in his Heart in which he desired the Prosperity and Welfare of all People and being I find freedom in my Spirit shall a little acquaint thee how it was with him before this powerful and heavenly Visitation From his Childhood he was inclined to that which was good and never that I know of did he seek to cover any thing that he did amiss by any excuse but would readily confess the Truth though against himself And I can truly say I never knew him tell a Lye either directly or indirectly to the day of his Death neither was he given unto those Youthful Vanities that most young People are Naturally inclined unto and though at this time the Lords secret Arm of Power did preserve him out of many Temptations yet still the Vail was over his understanding and he was very ignorant of Gods Heavenly Power that converts the Soul untill by the Testimony of the Spirit of Truth through thee he was awakened which gave such a certain sound that it did penetrate his very Heart and his Soul was affected with the Virtue of Gods Heavenly Power which did out ●●ke a Rasor and thy Words were to the Seed that was raised as sweet as the Honey-Comb and although his love was very dear unto all the Houshold of Faith yet did his love more abound and flow forth unto thee then to many others And in the time of his Sickness thou wast often in his remembrance and the Night before he departed this Life he was refresht in the remembrance of thee and spoke of thee and of thy being with him which in a Spiritual ense might be the Apostle saith Col. 2.5 For though I be absent in the Flesh yet am I with you in the Sp●●● ●●j●ying and beholding your Order and the stedfastness of ●our Faith in Christ In the beginning of his sickness he did most cheerfully and willingly resign up himself both Soul Body and Spirit into the Hands of the Lord God and would not have any thing to do with any Physician nor any Physick at all but only a little Water for his Mouth and Throat which were very Sore which did him good he sometimes saying that He was satisfied with the Lords love and that he knew his Redeemer lived which was able to restore him to his Health if he pleased and if not he was contented And in the time of his weakness we did perceive that the Spirit of Supplication was in his Heart and often was his Mouth filled with the living Praises of the God of Heaven whom his Soul loved and he was very patient and quiet all the time of his Sickness not in the least shewing any discontent but most-what of a very cheerful Countenance and his Words were even as in the Time of his Health till such time as great Weakness came upon him and the Pangs of Death seized on him And a little before he departed I being in another Room he desired I might be called and when I came unto him he set his Eyes upon me and with a very Innocent Look gave me his Right Hand and desired I would not be Troubled with other words which I did not understand he speaking so weakly the Pangs of Death being upon him and in a short time after he laid down his Head in Peace upon the Twenty Fourth Day of the Seventh-Moneth 1677. He was Twenty One Years and about Seven Moneths Old And in the time of his Health he was a Patern of Piety and a good Example to my Family and to those that were inwardly acquainted with him he was lowly for indeed the Truth was precious to him and the Company of those that truly feared God was his Delight for his Heart was affected with them and indeed many such did truly love him And I know it was a Trouble to him if at any time Business should so fall out to hinder him from any Meeting where friends came together to Worship God in the Spirit in 〈◊〉 Truth for I know it was his very Heart's Delight to be in such M●●●ings and I have good cause to believe that he never thought the Time either Long or Tedious that he was in such Exercise And I do certainly know that nothing did bring so much Grief and Trouble upon his Spirit as those that did make a Profession of the Truth yet walkt Disorderly and some such he did often Reprove very sharply some by Word of Mouth and others by Letter which few knew of but those it did concern for indeed he was a very lowly and meek-spirited Young Man and very Dutiful to his Parents and would not neglect any Opportunity wherein he might be serviceable to the Truth and a very Tender and Affectionate Carriage to his Brother and Sisters and his Eye was continually over them for Good and his Counsel and Advice to them at all times was to stir them up to Live in the Fear of God And the last Paper that he writ upon the Truth 's Account was to John Dunbabin of Sauky who had lent him a Book that John Cheney had written against the Truth so when he had read the Book he did return the Book back again to John Dunbabin with the Letter which I have also sent thee which thou mayst read over at thy leisure and conclude with the Remembrance of my dearest Love which is in Deed and in Truth to thee thy Wife and Children and to

Honour and Renown To have it stay'd and fi●t in the true Joy It s after this my panting Soul doth Cry To have it gather'd out of Earthly Things And have it plac'd in that where true Contentment Springs My Eye beholds the place where I would Be I would enjoy the same as well as See But I this Scripture do witness Fulfilling The Flesh is Weak but ah the Spirit 's Willing Which makes me breath unto the Lord that I May conquer that which doth me so Annoy That I might with the Apostle Paul thus Say Not I that live but Christ that lives in Me. Here is the perfect holy Christian's State In which the Lord did Adam first Create For he created was to live to Him Not to the Flesh but to live without Sin O! if that he had kept that holy Station In which the Lord plac'd him in the Creation He had partook of that great Mystery In which consisteth true Felicity W. S. A Letter of William Sixmith to J. D. John Dunbabin I Do acknowledge thy Kindness in lending me John Cheyney's Book for when I heard of it I had a desire of reading it but they were kept so close that I could not procure one of Ten Days after they came down and when I got one it was but for two or three Hours and that on the Market day but ● now have perused most of it especially the Praemonition to the Reader and the Inspection c. as he calls them It hath been my Desire to try all things and hold fast that which is good So the Truth in his Book I assent to but by his Writings I perceive a Spirit of Persecution to lodge in his Heart incensing the Civil Magistrate against us Grudging our Prosperity even striving to Besmeer us which manifests him to be no Minister of Christ neither ruled nor guided by his Spirit and from an Envious Lying Spirit do his Works proceed and he beholds us with an Evil Prejudicial Eye which always looks asquint As for his Praemonition it s stuffed with seven Notorious Falshoods which he can never prove more properly belonging to himself than to the Quakers from which I believe he cannot easily clear himself His other Work being chiefly to speak Evil of the Light of Christ Jesus even the Illumination of God's holy Spirit calling it Dagon an Idol a Blind and Deceitful Guide making it guilty of all sins of Omission and Commission comparing it to a Drunken Coach-man saying There is never a Soul in Hell but may blame the Light within with a great deal more Wicked Ungodly Speeches though in Contradiction of the same he saith in his Book called Two Sermons of Hypocrisie c. page 233. where thou mayst read him praising the Light calling it The Excellency of the Man saying The vilest man by reason of this is of more price than all the World which makes the Soul of man Superlatively pretious by this it is capable to live Everlastingly in Heaven or in Hell To speak against this Light simply as such is to speak against God the Author of it and to undermine all Religion Now let any moderate Person seriously consider whether he hath not Indicted himself and is found guilty of Blasphemy for Blasphemy signifies to Reproach Revile or speak Evil of And is it not before apparent that he hath Reproached Reviled and spoken Evil of the Light and so is condemned out of his own Mouth to have spoken against God the Author of it and to undermine all Religion In page 100. of the same Book he gives a very large Testimony for us saying There is that in your Bosoms more than Ten Thousand Witnesses Now by the Mouth of two or three Witnesses every thing is confirmed but this he confesseth more than Ten Thousand Surely this then may be believed and approved In these same two pages before quoted he hath said that which Overthrows all his Works And in this pag. 100. beareth a very large Testimony to the Quakers Doctrine which for bevity I transcribe not but desire thee seriously to peruse it In his Advice to the Quakers pag. 218. he entreats them To be earnest in Prayer and not to tarry till the Spirit move to Prayer but when we have time and place convenient to provoke themselves to Prayer c. So he would have them take his Advice contrary to the Apostle's Exhortation Praying always with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit Ephes 6.18 Also it s absolutely contrary to that positive Assertion of the holy Man in Rom. 8.26 We know not what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh Intercession for us So it s not in him that wills nor in him that runs for the Lord heareth his own Spirit and another Spirit he will not hear Not that I thus write that I disown Prayer for the Prayers of the Faithful avail much and they know the Lord preparing the Evening and Morning Sacrifice and so in his own time offer it up unto him which he doth hear and answer and these Prayers are amongst us both in publick and in private though he wickedly says contrary And though he insinuates in pag. 241. That this Light was never intended to be sufficient of it self to Salvation yet the Scripture saith that which was given for a Light was given for Salvation to the Ends of the Earth Isa 49.6 Mat. 13.47 As for his asserting The Light goes down with the Soul into Hell and being turned into a Self-tormenting Light he can bring no Scripture to prove it for we read that the Talent the sloathful Servant had given him was commanded to be taken from him before that dismal Sentence Cast him into utter Darkness was pronounced against him Mat. 25.8 He owns this Light within should be man's Guide and is charged to watch over the Soul but doth not see his Book Skirmish pag. 13 c. Now where in Scripture doth any read that God gives any other Guide any other Leader to Mankind universally but Christ Jesus Oh that he would consider what he hath belched forth against the Son of God! For this I am certain of that the Quakers preach no other Light then Christ Jesus the Light of the World John 8 1● no other Spirit then the Spirit of God a Measure or Manifestation of which is given to every one to profit withal 1 Cor. 12.7 no other Grace then that which is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 2.1 and hath appeared to all men Tit. 2.11 He hath not brought one Scripture that will favour these gross ●ssertions of his before cited he thinks Mat. 6.22 23. makes something to his purpose which I shall transcribe The Light of the Body is the Eye if therefore thy Eye be single thy whole Body shall be full of Light but if thine Eye be Evil thy whole Body shall be full of Darkness if therefore the Light that is in thee be Darkness how great is that Darkness From this Scripture he cannot make the Illumination of God's Spirit Darkness for Christ here speaketh of the Single Eye and the Evil Eye for as it is written in Eccless 2.14 The Wise Man's Eyes are in his Head c. but the Fool 's are in the Ends of the Earth Prov. 17.24 There is a Single Eye the Wise Man's Eye which is in Christ the Head and the Evil Eye the Fool 's Eye which is Darkness and is in the Ends of the Earth So there is a Distinction to be made betwixt the Eye and that which opens or illuminates the Eye which is the Spirit of God and that which darkens and blinds the Eye which is the Spirit of this World But J C. is in Confusion and call Evil Good and Good Evil Light Darkness and Darknes Light and plainly appears to be one of Babel's Builders who know not Scripture-Expressions or else quarrels with them because the Quakers use them witness his Cavil at the word Measure saying God cannot be cut into Measures Shreds or Pieces when it s a word the Apostle Paul much useth look Ephes 4.7 13. But unto us is given Grace according to the Measure of the Gif● of Christ Till we all come in the Vn●ty of the Faith and of the Knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect Man unto the Measure of the Stature of the Fulness of Christ Also John the Baptist speaking of Christ saith God giveth not the Spirit by Measure unto him John 3 3● plainly implying that to others be giveth his Spirit by Measure 2 Cor. 10.13 14 15. Ephes 4.16 And J. C. must either confess that he hath not the Spirit of God or that he hath it by Measure or else in Fulness which we read of none but Christ that had which if he affirm he makes himself equal with Christ if he hath not the Spirit he is none of his if ●e owns it by Measure ●e owns the Quakers Doctrine So under some of these censures he must needs fall Read Rom. 13.3 with the other Scriptures which I forbear writing at large J. C. i●to be pitied if what he hath written be through ignorance and blind zeal and I wish that he hath not gone contrary to Knowledge and that the Lord may open his Understanding and of all that are simply led astray by him for it is my Belief that what he hath written against the Light will be more heavy than a Milstone in the Day the Lord calls him to an Account O! that he could Repent and consider For it s the Life of God which is the Light of men which shines in Darkness and the Darkness comprehends it not John 1.4 5. This is the Stone which J. C. rejects which is become the Head of our Corner This is the Stone of Stumbling and Rock of Offence to J. C. which is become to us Elect and Pretious and the very Rock of Salvation Is he not in the Saints the Hope of Glory a Comforter a Saviour And in the Wicked a Judge a Condemner I cannot but Admire that he should withstand such Sound Doctrine which the holy Scriptures do so fully declare But no We●pon that is formed can prosper against them that have on the Armour of Light William Sixmith Warrington the 23d of the 1st Moneth 1677. THE END Swarthmore Hall FRIENDS HISTORICAL LIBRARY SWARTHMORE COLLEGE PENNSYLVANIA