them not with mild perswasions but with cruel and merciless stripes upon their naked bodies with stockings stonings beatings long and tedious imprisonmets and other bitter usage which for shame I cannot mention And as if this had been too little I have caused some of them to be scourged twice or thrice for not bowing to my corrupt Will and worshipping me with their Hats off or for speaking to our blind Guide who calls himself a Minister And all this I have done contrary to the Law of the Land too and when I have so done I have with Passes sent them away as Vagabonds and Wanderers not suffering them though sufficient men and of good Estates near us to have a place in our quarters to dress their sore stripes deep wounds which my bloody Executioners have made upon their innocent and harmless bodyes nor yet a place wherein to rest their aking heads except in stocks dungeons close holes of little ease or filthy and stinking Goals amongst thieves and murtherers where many of them have finished their testimonies by death Now saith the guilty Magistrate This is the truth of my condition and thus have I served the Embassadors of Christ Jesus whom the malicious World cannot accuse of evil and my case is lamenable and the worse because what I have done was through the instigation of our Gospel-Minister as he called himself â—nd to please him who otherwise would not suffer me to be at rest crying out against them that they will undo us and our generation after us and render our Gospel to be Antichristian and our selves false Prophets as indeed we are and will make our nakedness and ignorance appear to all sober men if they be tollerated But that which is more considerable then all this I am afraid I have sinn'd the sin against the Holy Ghost which can never be forgiven and how shall I escape the damnation of Hell Friend Is this thy case indeed And art thou guilty so deeply as this in truth makes thee 'T is sad indeed Yet consider and for thy comfort I have this to say unto thee St. Paul was as great a Persecutor of the Saints as thou possibly hast been and as mad against them as the most of you have been or can be yet when the Light appeared to him and struck him from his horse or beastly nature of persecution he presently fell to the earth and with trembling and astonishing said Lord what wilt thou have me to do He did not as the blind Guides of this age say That the Light of Christ was natural and insufficient to guide him out of his darkness but he became obedient to the Light immediately though he saw no body consulting neither with flesh nor blood nor yet running to Gamaliel a great Doctor under whom he had been brought up for counsel but forthwith ceased from the sprit of persecution and obtained mercy So he being obedient to the Light became a true Disciple of Jesus and Preacher of the everlasting Gospel Acts 9. And now oh Magistrate know this That though thou hast been the greatest persecutor of the Saints amongst thy numerous Brethren and hast persecuted them until death as many in England have been for conscience-sake within these few years under a pretence of maintaining the Popish and Antichristian Law for Tythes and suppressing of Hereticks yet there is some hopes of mercy for thee also if thou canst in truth say That what thou didst then hast done ignorantly But if this be not thy case but hast wilfully transgressed and rebelled against the Light in thy conscience then O then â—hy condition is sad indeed and thou with the blind Guides art of all men most to be pittyed Examine therefore â—y own heart in secret and if thou findest that thou hast been a wilful Persecutor of Gods Servants cry mightily unto the Lord that the iniquity of thy heart may be forgiven thee and possibly thou mayest find hopes upon thy unfeigned confession and resolution to turn to the Lord and obey the Light within thee to obtain Mercy Cease I say from that Spirit of Persecution and become obedient for the future if peradventure thy fins may be blotted out A view of false Doctrines Or A Word of Reproof to false Teachers who boast that that they have the Original and yet are ignorant of the word of life FRiends to you all I speak who disown the Light of Christ within and count it a low thing a wo is pronounced unto you for your light is turned into darkness and your sweet into bitter and for the present see not your way before you the whole World lyes in wickedness and darkness is upon the faces of all who are led by you who preach for hire and divine for money contrary to the prophets phets and true Ministers of Christ you preach false Doctrine and practice persecution and therefore are you none of the children of Light nor Ministers of the everlasting Gospel You say That the best of Gods servants cannot be free from sin in this life whereas the holy Scriptures say Without holynesse no man shall see the Lord Christ himself hath preached perfection and hath commanded his Disciples to be perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect but you say No perfection is not to be attained here You say many of you That the Light of Christ in the conscience is natural not considering that he himself is spiritual and that his Light must of necessity be so too You say Revelation is ceased not considering this That no man knows the Father but the Son and him to whom the Son will reveal him You say No man hath the infallible Spirit now not considering That he that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his For where-ever the Spirit of Christ is it must needs be infallible and you that have not the infallible Spirit you are none of Christs and if so then consider with your selves whose childrern you are and what spirit guides you and whither for it cannot lead you into all truth nor any part thereof Some of you have been heard to say That the Devil is the Power of God and that the Gospel is not the Power of God no more then a Rose Cake and further That the Light of Christ Jesus is carnal and darkness Friends I hope better things of many of you but assuredly this Doctrine is damnable and pernicious to the souls of men And therefore I warn you to forbear preachihg in the Name of the Lord whilst you are of this Faith which I affirm is of the Devils and not of the Saints whose faith overcomes the World and who believe they must be holy as God is holy and perfect as their heavenly Father is perfect in their several measures They know that the Son of God is the Light of the World and life of men and is not darkness carnal natural or insufficient to lead them to purity as you declare And because I wil not
then who are looking for the Resurrection of your Saviour with the eye of the first Adam which is natural and to come without you know you that your eyes will fail you and your expectations be in vain for him whom you look for is a spirit and invisible to all but to the Spiritual man And While you are looking for his coming to be hereafter the spiritual man can tell You he is already come and converseth with him daily and this is the reason that the Saints and Servants of Christ who do his Will can endure stocking stoning mocking cruel whipping and tedious imprisonment Why Because they have seen conversed with Jesus who by his power enables them to suffer what man can do unto them He that hath an ear to hear let him hear But thou maist say unto me Is there no other Resurrection of Christ then what is in man And are we not to look for the coming of Christ and the Resurrection of our Bodies also at the last day For an answer to this Friend consider that the resurrection of Christ without was there where he had been entombed or buried and there was he to rise again that so a testimony thereof might be given to the unbeliever and as encouragement and strengthening to the Faith of those that did believe therein Now Friend so it is Christ is risen in his Saints and hath appeared unto them there even as he rose from the Grave and appeared to his Disciples and others without and though thou wouldst give large money to us to make false Reports of his Resurrection yet we cannot but must tell you all Christ is risen from the grave of our souls where he was once buryed with earthly-mindedness and the cares of this World but the Grave being able to hold him no longer he is come forth and is manifest to thousands in this age who at first when he appeared to them without to wit in carnal Ordinances they knew him not but he being now come in spirit according to his promise we cannot but declare it unto you being the things which our ears have heard our eyes seen and our hands handled of the Word of Life that so ye might have fellowship with us And thou who lookest for the resurrection of thy carnal body I shall not contradict thee in thy faith nor do I deny the resurrection of the body nor shall I say to thee any other thing then what Paul said to to the Corinth THOU FOOL That which thou sowest is not quickned except it dye and that which thou sowest thou sowest not that body that shall be but bare grain perchance of wheat or some other corn but God giveth it a body as it pleaseth him First come to the life of Jesus in thy self and when thou canst say Now I live yet nor I but Christ liveth in me thou shalt better understand the Resurrection of the Body For the natural man discerns not the things of God because they are spiritual Then and not till then thou shalt know the first and second Resurrection A Friendly Call to all Notionists Separatists and high Professors of Religion in what form soever or out of form to come down from their Pinacles of imagination lest they fall and rise no more Friends Come all down from your seats you sit in slippery places and are in great danger and peril of your lives who though you have had many Allarums to call you away you are still asleep in spiritual pride or airy notions without life What do you mean Will you suffer the Angel of false light to be your guide whilst the glorious light of Christ and glad tydings of the everlasting Gospel declared almost every where in the Nation to pass by you and take no notice of it I cannot but pitty your souls seeing the great delusion you are in Poor hearts you are got too high to sit in safety for the God of Heaven and Earth will dwell with none who are not poor in spirit and tremble not at his Word I say if you would have the Lord to dwell with you you must all become Tremblers O remember that self-exaltation was the fall of Lucifer that Angel of false Light and so will be the fall of all who are not meek and lowly in heart and abide not there It 's the Devil's Work to elevate the mind of man above his measure and that he may accomplish it he perswades the man he can shew him all things in a Mystery and set him where he may see beyond the reach of others on a sudden deluding him with this old bait That he shall be as God knowing good and evil Thus he deluded Eve and so he will do every simple heart who keeps not in the pure fear of the Lord but goes forth to hear the voice of the stranger For had Eve kept to her measure and been contented therewith the Devil could not have beguiled her but she going forth was by a temptation mislead and so lost her innocent state and her true Guide within her And now the Serpent being the subtillest of all the Beasts of the Field and perceiving that man is eager of knowledge and desirous to comprehend all things in himself in a mysterie it being too low a thing for so noble a creature to go out for knowledge he sets himself in the seat of God and exalteth himself in man lifting him up also above the pure Seed of God which lyes buryed in man and sets at naught poverty of spirit perswading him he is beyond the first Principles of Religion and above the Doctrine of the Cross and that he is now at rest in God when indeed and in truth poverty of spirit the man hath peradventure never yet known nor the true fear of the Lord neither or if he hath he is made to believe that there are higher things to be known then the mystery of the Cross and so suffers the Devil to delude and blind him Poor heart Thy delusion is strong indeed and thy condition most to be lamented Where dost thou find that the fear of the Lord is a low dispensation whenas man is to abide therein all the day long I say though it be day with man yea noon-day where the Flock of Christ are at rest yet the fear of the Lord is never to be left it being part of the Everlasting Gospel which the Angel preached saying FEAR GOD Rev. 14.6.7 What 's the reason Friends that you stand so far off and keep at such a distance from those that dwell in the Valley where the cross is dayly to be born so long as you have a vain thought to be subjected or a high look to be brought down Is it not because you think your selves higher and taller by the head and shoulders then your Brethren and that they are but dwarfs in knowledge in comparison to you Is it not because you look on the Cross to be a low attainment and that you
came to be about 16. yeers of age I then began to Pray out of my usual Form as finding nought but deadness in my Form of Prayers which I had got so that by little and little I Prayed by rote and I encreased in yeers I applyed my self to Reading Sermon-Books and often to Hear and Write Sermons after the choicest of the Presbyterian-Way whom I conceived then were most Orthodox Early did I rise to Read and Meditate of God whom I then look'd on at a distance from me as most men do but he was in this place and I knew if not the Lord was with me in all my crooked-wayes and preserved me but I saw him not nor what it was that breathed in me after God I did not know it was the seed of God which was in bondage and groaned to be delivered into the glorious Liberty of the Sons of God Often did I with Tears beg for pardon of my sins and assurance of my Salvation which I prized above all the world and did often say within my self That if I could but gain Assurance of that I could be content to be miserable in this World as long as I should live in it Company was many-times a burthen unto me and to be retired and much alone was my great delight that so I might freely breath forth my Soul to God for the assurance of his Love and to be freed from everlasting burnings The consideration of Eternity was often in my mind and many-times would this voice sound in me Arise ye dead and come to judgement But alas What hope of Assurance could I have of my Salvation whilest I gave Faith to such Teachers as affirmed That the best of Gods Saints cannot be free from sin in this life and in the same breath also said That the least sin deserved the torments of Hell fire for ever May not a poor Soul who presseth after holiness truly say They are miserable Comforters Oh! who can be assured of his Salvation or gain Assurance thereof that beleeves false Doctrine to be true and instead of living the Holy life believes it is not attainable Can any man be assured of his Salvation whilest he is a sinner surely no and if no Assurance then surely no Salvation for the Soul that sinneth must die and without holiness no man shall see the Lord By this and such like Doctrine was my life made very uncomfortable and though I knew little by my self to deserve the torments of Hell being alwayes of a sober life and free from the gross pollutions of this world Yet the fear of Hell was a contimsa 〈…〉 torment unto my mind insomuch that I often wish'd I had never been born or that there had been no God to punish me Yet I can truly say Religion was my chief businss and my great delight was in hearing Sermons receiving the Sacrament as they call it to be often conversant in Fastings and frequent in outward Worships and carnal Ordinances all which perish with the using so that I never could have enough of them Tears was my delight and mourning in secret was a refreshing to my Soul and when I could not weep I prayed and when I could not pray I wept and sometimes I prayed and wept till I had wept my self to silence before the Lord and when I neither could weep nor pray then trouble and perplexity seized on my Spirit and I should begin to fear the danger of a hard heart and that the Spirit of Prayer was taken from me Blasphemeus thoughts would sometimes surprize me and the terrors of Hell get hold upon me and how to escape I knew not No comfort could I receive from any of my Teachers for when by the best of their marks and signs I judged my self in a safe condition yet the witness of God would rise through all that false peace which they had spoke to me and accuse me of being a sinner And this was my case for many yeers and my condition was very unsafe as all theirs is who are yet in Egypt leaning upon men and forsaking the Lord But the Lord God after long seeking to him in secret seeing my integrity and that the desire of my Soul was after him and to be holy as well as happy He mercifully brought me out of Egypt and delivered me from those cruel Taskmasters Builders of Confusion and set me at liberty to travel towards the Holy Land for in all the Land of Egypt I found no outward Guide to lead me out of my Egiptian darkness though something within me would often groan and say Return unto thy rest O my Soul thus I say the Lord pitying my soul pardoning my sins winking at my ignorance and bottling up my tears set me free from bondage That being delivered out of Egypt and journying towards Canaan I met with divers sorts of Travellers with whom I had converse acquaintance As first with those of the Independent-way but finding after a short time that there was little difference between them and the others and that the path they went in was too broad and would not bring me to rest I forsook them and travelled forward towards those men of the Baptized-way who for some season I heard and observed but finding that the main stress of their Argument that their Way was right was because they submitted to the Ordinance of Baptism pleading difficulty if not impossibility for any to come to Canaan unless they were re-baptized I search'd into the Doctrine of Baptisms also wherein I found That Water-Baptism or Johns Baptism was but onto Repentance which was effected in me already and that it could not wash away my inwardâ—ilth and therefore must decrease And I considering that the Apostle saith There is now but one Baptism to wit that of the Spirit and that that is the only Baptism for every Christian to be Bapized with if he will be cleansed and purged from sin And considering that Iesus himself Baptized none and that Paul saith he came not to Baptize but to Preach the Gospel And that this Ordinance was only Apostolical and not relating to Christians now I left them and their Water and travelled towards those called Notionists with whom after I had travelled a while I began to conclude them to be the men that I must walk with and so followed them as seeing more of truth to wit in the Notion of it then in any I had met with before and was much enlightned but after I had been with them a while I found I could not Pray as I was wont to do and so began to fear I was now further from the right way then ever I was before and being now come to the red Sat I had a lingring and secret longing to the Garlick and Onions of Egypt again yet the Lord kept me from going back into Egypt where was no light at all but I walked in the Wilderness to and again for many yeers together filling my
a blessing enjoy the good and live for evermore Thine for the Truths sake THO. FORSTER THE CONTENTS 1. THat God is now known by his Name Light as heretofore by his Names Jehovah Elohim I am c. And that God's First dayes work in the dark Soul of Man is the creating of Light 2. That man true Guide is within him Or the Light of Christ in Man is the true guide of the Soul 3. A word of Reproof to all that say The Light of Christ in man is natural carnal or an insufficient Guide 4. A word to all that say Revelation is ceased and that the Saints must not expect such glorious manifestations now as were in the primitive times With a few Queries for the enlightning the blind Eyes of such as say That No man hath the infallible Spirit now 5. Counsel to him that feels the wright of sin and groans for deliverance but yet complains for mans of power 6. A word of Hope for the Persecuting Magistrate if his day of Grace be not already past also some it is 7. A view of false Doctrine and a Reproof to false Teachers who beast that they have the Original and yet are ignorant of the Word of Life and quickning Spirit within 8. Direction for all those that wait for the coming of their Saviour and how they may know him when he appears 9. Encouragement to the weary Traveller whose journey is towards Canaan To follow the Light and Lamb of God to the Holy Land of Rest But not to go before it 10. A Word touching the Resurrection and who they are that are risen with Christ and shall reign with him And by whom 〈◊〉 is seen in his spiritual appearance and where A GUIDE TO THE BLIND Pointed to That God is now known by his Name LIGHT as heretofore by his Names Jehovah Elohim I am c. And that Gods first dayes work in the dark Soul or little world of Man is creating of Light THE Message which the beloved Disciple of Christ hath declared to the Saints is this That God is â—â—ght and that in him is no darknesse 1 Joh. 1.5 This also is my Message unto thee God is Light and whatsoever is to be known of him is manifest in man Rom. 1.19 To thee then who art still in the dark and knowest not this truth or if thou knowest it obeyest it not to wit the Light within Thou I say art not yet come to the first dayes work of God in the dark Chaos of thy own heart for the same way doth the Lord proceed with his creature Man in the creation of him to good works as he did with the whole Universe to wit First bring him out of darkness into his marvelous light God when he made the World created the Heaven and the Earth and the Earth was without form and darkness was upon the face of the deep And in this state is man in his first Creation through the fall without form and darkness is upon him But when the Spirit of God moved upon the Waters and said Let there be Light there was light and the Light he called Day and the Darkness he called Night and the Evening and the Morning were the first Day Now consider Friends all you who disown the Light calling it natural carnal darkness and insufficient to guide you What do you judge of your present state and condition Are you not like the Chaos And is not your little World without form and void And is not darkness upon the face of your deep imaginations until the spirit of God move upon your Waters of instability and his Light spring forth in your understandings from his holy Spirit Oh that you who reject the Light would consider this that you are so far from rest that you are not yet come to the first dayes work of God in your own hearts How can you say as the Disciples and followers of Christ do That it is God that worketh all his works in you and for you How can you number your selves amongst the children of Light when you refuse the Light to work in you and rebel against it Have you not read in the holy Scriptures That Christ did not work many miracles in his own Countrey because of the peoples unbelief there I do not say he could not work them but this I affirm The Lord compels none to serve him in the dark but when he hath enlightened man with his own Light with which he enlighteneth every man that cometh into the World man is at his choice whether he will follow and obey the light yea or no I say the Lord doth not force the Will of man to obedience but woes him and beseecheth him to be reconciled knowing the great misery which will justly and inevitably follow the rebellious and disobedient soul Oh! that I could perswade all men to obedience that so they may eat of the Tree of Life which by transgression man is falne from and which he cannot touch lest he dye And now let none say that he is not enlightened or that he wants power upon the penalty of condemnation for ever for the Lord requires nothing of man but what he hath given him full power to do all power in heaven and in earth being in the Son and this Son of power is freely offered to every man that will receive him For God so loved the world that he gave his own Son to dye for lost man that he might live I say he is freely given a light to the Gentiles and a Guide to them as well as a Glory to his people Israel and none are excluded who are willing to come unto him And thou that deniest the Light Whose workmanship art thou And whose Works are wrought in thee Are they not Works of darkness and thou the son of perdition Oh! suffer not the Devil any longer to delude thee by his evil Instruments and to work his works in thee but endeavour thou to be made light in the Lord for thou wert not made to serve the Devil but to be a Temple for Gods holy Spirit to dwell in Mans true Guide is within him Or The Light of Christ in Man is the true Guide of the Soul PAUL that eminent Apostle of Christ and Son of the Light hath declared That whatsoever is to be known of God is manifest in man as is said already Rom. 1.19 Let none then say Lo here or lo there but if they should hear what our Saviour Christ faith Go not after them nor follow them for the kingdom of God is within you Luke 17.21 Now if the Kingdom be within then of necessity must mans guide be there also That Christ is the Light and Guide of man see Joh. 1.9 Joh. 14.6 and that he is in his Saints read Col. 1.27 And in Rom. 8.10 the Apostle saith If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin and again If the spirit of him that raised up Iesus from
the dead dwell in you be that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodyes by his spirit that dwelleth in you Ver. 11. and Ver. 9. If any man hath not the spirit of Christ he is none of his And again If Christ be not in you then are you reprobates 2 Cor. 13.5 By all which places it is most evident That Christ is the light of man and that he lighteth every man that cometh into the World of what Countrey or Nation soever and none can deny this unless he will unman himself and say he is not of the race and generation of manking So then it is clearly demonstrated to him that can read the Scriptures That Christ is the Saints Guide and that he is their hope of glory in them And thou that deniest Christ in man to be his Guide thou art either a reprobate or no man For Friend this is my Testimony for the Lord and it is the Testimony of thousands at this day blessed for ever be his Name That Christ within is man's true Guide and also man's true Light to walk by and that in him is life and the life is the light of men and that this light shineth in darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it read 1 Ioh. 4.5 Yet now if any shall say he is in the light and hateth his Brother he is in darkness and knoweth not whether he goeth To thee then who art a hater of thy Brother assure thy self that thou art none of the Children of Light not have I any thing to say to thee but this Thou art condemned already as well by the Light within thee as by the children of Light without thee For God is love and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him 1 Joh. 4.16 But to the poor soul who is ignorant of his true Guide and is willing to follow him if he knew where to find him my counsel to him is this Look at home for thy Saviour is near unto thee and blessed art thou if thou canst believe it and obey him To thee I say that art seeking thy Saviour with all thy heart and art restless till thou find him Know for thy comfort that he is near to thee and to every one that is of an upright heart and is even in thy heart and in thy mouth Rom. 10.8 Seek him not then at a distance from thee or in any outward thing for he that justifies thee is near unto thee and if ever thou find him in truth thou wilt say as Iacob did That he was in this place and thou knewest is not Wouldst thou have thy Saviour and thy Guide to lead thee by his un-erring and infallible spirit Then cease from man whose breath is in his Nostrils and turn to the living God with whom onely the Well-springs of life are to be found Salvation is not to be had from the Hills nor from the Mountains neither from this divided judgement or that but from Jesus alone who is in his Saints the hope of glory and is the Saviour of all men but especially of them that believe I say The Tabernacle of God is with men and though he be the High and Holy one that inhabiteth Eternity yet is his dwelling also with him that is of a lowly heart and trembleth at his Word The spirit of Christ in man is the true Guide all others are false ones his Light in man is the true light al others are false ones Oh be not so willingly blind as not to see it nor so wilfully ignorant as not to know it He it is that condemneth sin in the flesh and reproves man for a vain thought or wanton look when nothing without him can Turn in the eye of thy mind than and hearken to his checks and daily reproofs in thee Knowest thou not that the state of reprobation belongs to him that hath not Christ in him Friend thy Saviour is within thee and if ever thou know him aright it must be there for there O there it is that thee and I have crucified him that is Lord of life and this is that Jesus whom the Jews crucified at Jerusalem but is now crucified by the false Christians within them and by them put again to an open shame as their Streets Market-places Cities Towns and Villages do declare by stocking mocking stoning cruel whipping long imprisoning and persecuting unto death his Members But now is come and is coming a day of tryal upon all prosessions whatsoever and all professors must now be tryed whether their faith be true or feigned none must escape the siery tryal but the judgement of the Lord will pass upon all high and low great and small poor or rich airy notions as well as carnal Ordinances which all perish with the using and now seen thorough in this day of light for the Sun which hath long sate in a Cloud is arisen to discover the inward subtilty and hypocrisie as well as the outward superstition and idolatry of all hearts Bring thy Works then to the light of Christ Jesus in thy own conscience that so they may be manifest whether they are wrought in God or nou for he that hideth his sin shall not prosper And thou who art a sinner and believest that thou canst not be freed from them because the blind guides have told thee so there is little ground for thee to hope for mercy for the sinner cannot stand before the Lord nor the wicked in the Congregation of the righteous nor can any unclean thing enter into Heaven Know thou that it is sin that crucifies thy Saviour who though he bear with patience the sinners burthen for a time being pressed therewith as a Cart with sheaves yet thou wilt one day find he will cast off the heavy burthen upon the sinners own back which when the Lord hath done striving with him will be too unsupportable for him to bear Oh that no poor soul would suffer himself to be mislead and deceived by blind Guides in a matter of so great concernment as the everlasting salvation or damnation of their immortal souls for the Light of Christ Jesus hath appeared unto thousands and discovered their Egyptian darkness and false Doctrine and can prove them to be such builders as reject the Corner-stone and declare lyes in the Name of the Lord And for which appearance of Christ in his Saints glory be given to the Father to the Son through the blessed Spirit for evermore Christ Jesus is to be known within by all who will approve themselves no reprobates and so to be within them as to live his life of meekness of patience of long-sufferance of mercy and compassion of goodnese of gentleness of wisdom and godly fear of self-denial of perseverance of faith of hope of love and whatsoever else are the fruits of his spirit and presence in us Friends 'T is not a Christ without that will save you but the same Christ which dyed
at Jerusalem must live in us and we in him and so must we know him even to lead and guide us out of all error sin and vanity into all truth righteousness and stability if we ever know him to salvation I know your minds have been abroad and peradventure yet are as mine was but I never knew my Saviour whom I sought without until I turned my mind inward and found him there No more can ye If them art still abroad wandring upon the barren Mountains O come down for I am well assured there is no food there for thy hungry soul The day I say is far spent and the night at hand wander no longer in the coasts of Egypt and Land of darkness where no Light is nor true Guide to lead thee but hasten into the low Valley search deep into the bottom of thy heart come to Meekness Patience and humility of spirit and there O there wilt thou meet with thy true Guide and that Light which alone can lead out of darkness all the faithful followers of it Reproof to him that faith the Light within is natural and that the Light of Christ was carnal and darkness as some have affirmed THou knowest not what thou sayest O man that sayest the Light is natural carnal or insufficient nor whereof thou affirmest Hast thou been a Teacher or Hearer in England for many years and a professor of Religion and yet knowest not Jesus Take this for thy portion thou who despisest the riches and goodness of the Lord in his Son Christ The Light or Talent which thou now hast shall be taken from thee and thou the unprofitable servant cast out into outward darkness vvhere shall be nothing but weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth because thou hast rejected the Light within which is Gods Witness in every man and hast judged and denied it Know this That thou by it shalt be condemned for ever I say the day of Grace and long-suffering of the Lord which would now lead thee to repentance will not alwayes last the Light or Candle of the Lord in thee will not alwayes shine but the night of darkness in which thou shalt ever remain will overtake thee where thou shalt be shut up in Chains for evermore then oh then it vvill be too late to vvish thou hadst not slighted the light in thy conscience and called it carnal darkness and insufficient for it now is and then will be more then a thousand Witnesses against thee The Light of Christ I say is not carnal is not darkness is not insufficient to lead blind man out of darkness into the marvelous light of the Lord for by it and it alone have I been lead from the one into the other and can set to my seal of a truth That God is light and Christ is light and that his light is in every man and it is and will be the condemnation That Light is come into the World but men love darkness rather then light because their deeds are evil and ful of darkness Friend This I am bold to declare as in the Light of the Lord That there is no other way to be saved from eternal darkness but by coming unto Christ the light of the World and walking in his light if so thou do as he is in the light then and not till then shalt thou have fellowship with the children of Light and the blood of Jesus will cleanse thee from all sin Some Queries to them that say Revelation is ceased and that the Saints must not now expect such glorious manifestations as were in the primitive times and that say no man hath the infallible Spirit now MAny there are who in this state of darkness do believe and say That Revelation is ceased and that the infallible Spirit is not now known amongst the Saints and that they are not to expect such glorious manifestations now as were in the primitive times The ignorance and gross darkness of such I cannot but bewail and for the opening of their understandings shall propound unto them some Queries As first Whether is not Christ the same to day yesterday and for ever and the holy Spirit the same and as operative quick and powerful now as ever Or hath it lost its powerful operation now Is the Lords love to his Saints less now then before Or is his hand shortned that he cannot save to the uttermost as well now as ever Where is it said which ye so boldly affirm That Revelation is ceased or shall ever cease from the Saints or Spouse of Christ Hath not the Lord promised that in the later dayes he will pour out his Spirit upon all flesh and his sons and his daughters shall prophesie And hath not John said That the light of that day shall be as seven dayes and that there shall be no need of a Candle nor light of the Sun for the Lord God shall be the light thereof What is it that in the night of darkness when thou art lying upon thy bed of Adultery and carnal pleasure sporting thy unsatiable soul in the lusts of the flesh discovers and reveals the wickedness of thy heart unto thee What is it that in the day time checks thee for thy wanton eye and pride of life when none without perhaps dares accuse thee What is it that discovers unto thee in thy Chamber of Imagery the secret Adultery of thy heart when no outward eye sees thee What is it that brings to thy remembrance things past as if they were but yesterday and sets thy secret sins in order before thee What is it that tells thee thou hast committed the sin against the Holy Ghost and for which thou canst never receive pardon when committed Oh! how is it that thou shouldst suffer the instruments of Satan to work such a belief in thee and so far to put out the eye of thy Faith and of thy reasonable soul also as not to see thy self in a delusion when the Scriptures do positively say That no man knows the Father but the Son and him to whom the Son wil reveal him Matth. 12.27 Tell me poor soul whether thou canst be so ignorant of the Scriptures as not to know this That he that worships the Father must worship him in spirit Dost thou not know that the holy spirit is a spirit of Revelation wheresoever it is Dost thou not know that that is its work in man and that if thou hast not this Spirit of Christ thou art none of his Friend it 's an infallibly sign thou deniest the spirit that sayest Revelation is ceased it being its proper Work And thou that sayest No man hath the infallible Spirit now Let me ask thee also Hath the Lord no people in this Age to bear testimony to his Truth Do none know the Lord novv And are none in the Way of Truth Is this thy Faith Then knovv thou for certain thou art led by a spirit of delusion and whilest thou thus believest thou canst never
instigated the corrupt Magistrate by the Rage Envy and Malice of this persecutiâ—g spirit in you both to stock beat mock and most cruelly whip and imprison until death the free-born people of the Naâ—â—on because they could not for conscience sake sat is fie your Lusts and greedy appetites with that Popish Maintenance by Tythes or otherwise because they have spoken to you as they were moved of the Lord in your places of idolatry and false Worship 7 Whether are you not the greatest Opposers of Authority and Disturbers of the publike peace that are in the Nation obstructing the setling of the Common-wealth and Reeping it from being a free Nation when as you take up Arms and carnal Weapons to fight against the civil Magistrate whom in all just things you ought to obey and preach subjection unto 8. Whether is it not the height of ingratitude pride and rebellion in you to kick against your Governors and Feeders and set them at naught who are your supporters in your Trades for filthy lucre Oh ye seed of Evil-doers when will you you see your wickedness against the Lord your true Husband from whom you have gone a whoring and entertained strange Lovers and return to him by true repentance for your many great and crying sins 9. Whether is your Gospel free and without charge as the true Ministers of Christs was and still is or do you no buy it and your abilities to preach at Schools Colledges Universities of Arts Sciences and humane Learning 10. Whether is the incorruptible seed of God in all men yea or nay And 11. Whether is that seed of God in Man sufficient to guide man to his true rest Or is there any thing besides that which can lead man into the path of life and enable him to walk therein 12 With what did the Lord say he would search Jerusalem and where was it 13. Whether is not the Spirit of God in man the Candle of the Lord with which he Will search all men and whether if once it he put out or removed the soul be not left in eternall darknesse 14. Whether if man obey not the Light or Candle of the Lord in him which shews him the evil of his way and judgeth him for a vain thought when nothing else can it will not be his condemnation for ever 15. Whether do you know the word of life in the heart and quickning Spirit within from the dead letter without 16. Whether of these two viz. the writings of the holy men of God and their experiences of God declared unto others or the Spirit it self by which those writings were penned is mans true Guide and infallible Rule to walk by 17. Whether is the quickning and powerful Spirit of God in man by which he became a living soul subjected to a dead letter Or is that which was from Eternity of lesse esteem because it is in man then the thing which hath proceeded from it and in comparison thereof is but as yesterday Oh blush and be ashamed ye Builders of Babel c. that you have refused the Corner stone and Well of life and hewn unto your selves empty cisterns that will hold no water I mean your University-Learning and have prefe red a dead letter before the living word of God 18. Whether do you in deed and in truth own the holy Scriptures If so how comes it to passe that you preach so contrary thereto saying Revelation is ceased And that the Saints cannot be free from sin here That perfection is not attainable in this life And that the Commandments of God cannot be kept And that no man now hath the infallible spirit Can any one of these be proved by Scripture if so make it appear if not stop your mouths and forbear to take the holy name of God into your polluted lips till you have learned the truth as it is in Jesus 19. Whether can man by all his Learning open the holy Scriptures yea or no or can he by all his study pains or humane industry get the true knowledge of God in Jesus Christ 20. Whether is the Knowledge of the whole body of your Divinity sufficient to empower man to conquer the least sin or subdue the smallest corruption in him 21. Whether is the learning of the two Universities of Oxford and Cambridge on whose legs you yet stand necessary for the begetting encreasing or perfecting in the truth the true Disciples of Iesus Christ if not whether are they now employed to a right use 22. What have you to say why the said Universities and all the Colledges therein should not be converted to pious and charitable uses as Hospitals Alms-houses and places to set the poor at work in when as instead of being Universities of Piety they have been places of contention pride idleness ignorance and idolatry 23. Whether are not the two Universities Cages of unclean Birds and of foul and hatefull Spirits when as those who proceed from thence are so infections as to hold forth a necessity of living in pollution whilest they live saying it cannot be otherwise 24. Whether instead of seeking the Kingdome of heaven within you and teaching men so to do Yot do not seek and teach it to be sought without And whether you be not searching into the fallible sayings of old authors and sweeping your University-Libraries and Temples made with hands to find the lost groat which lies hid in your own houses or earthly Tabernacles 25. Whether are not false Teachers the Cause of so many Errors Heresies Sects and divided judgements as are in the Nation and whether it is like to be otherwise whilest false Doctrine is so frequently preached and the Fomenters thereof upheld by a Law 26. Whether do you not take upon you to be Heads of Colledges Churches Congregations and Assemblies and so make many heads and many Masters when as Christ Iesus saith his Spouse or Church is but one and he is the Head thereof 27. Whether do you not as much as in you lies divide the body of Christ by your many Sects and select Societies when as the Saints though many Members are but one body united in Christ 28. Whether in truth and singlenesse of heart can any of you say That the fruits you are known by are love joy peace meekness long sufferance gentlenesse self-denial faith patience temperance moderation and the like or are not your fruits contrary to all these and the root of the first Adam still growing in you 29. Whether have you been born again of the incorruptible seed and are you entred into the Kingdome of heaven where none comes but such as are dead to this world and the friendship thereof or are you not still shut out as unbelievers c 30. Whether are you not those that shut up the Kingdome of heaven against men and neither go in your selves nor suffer others And whether insted of preaching the Gospel and glad tidings of salvation you deny it not and preach down that