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
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
come to the truth nor be led by the Spirit of Truth for the Children of God are all guided by the infallible spirit so long as they be faithful followers of it and they live in the spirit and walk in the spirit and talk in the spirit and act in the spirit all which is a Riddle to thee and impossible for any to open unless he have the gift of Faith to believe in the mighty Power of God which is the Son of God Friend whosoever thou art that art of this perswasion I must declare unto thee from the Lord Thy Faith is but Faney thou art still in Aegypt and like to perish in the Wilderness O be perswaded to search the Scriptures and to believe in Jesus who is the Author and Finisher of the Faith of his Disciples of Whom thou art none as thou now stands forbear thou to make mention of the holy and infallible Spirit of Truth which in their several measures all possess who are taught of God until thou are freed from the spirit of Error and come out from the fleshly apprehensions of the Divine Truth to see the infallible things of God by the eye of living Faith and if you come to know the Lord his truth your rotten foundations must be removed and your Faith built upon the Rock of Ages Dost thon think that because thy heart is filled with unbelief of the mighty Power of God and because thou knowest not the secrets of the Lord revealed unto thee in regard thou art not come into his fear that therefore the Lord doth not reveal his secret to any No no thou are miserably deluded and bereft of the right use of thy understanding by Satan and his Minister for know thou the Lord is as merciful now as ever as good now as ever and as free to reveal himself and his secrets unto those that fear him now as ever he was Canst thou be ignorant of this That the Lord reveals his secrets to them that fear him Or that the secrets of the Lord are with them that fear him Psal. 25.14 Or Prov. 3.32 That his secret is with the Righteous And Amos 3.7 That the Lord will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants Friend There is no way to come to the knowledge of God but by the Revelation of the Son of God in us witnessing with our spirits whose children we are And all that I shall say further to thee herein is this My soul shall weep in secret for thee and and thy Teachers who have caused thee to err they themselves not knowing the truth by saying Revelation is ceased when there is no other way to know God by A Word of Counsel to him that feels himself loaden with his sins and groans for deliverance but complains that he wants power ART thou laden with the burthen of thy sins And dost thou mourn in secret praying to God for case and pardon Or Art thou black with lying in the mire and filthy pollutions of this World so that thou art ready to say From the crown of my head to the sole of my foot I am full of wounds and putrified sores and would fain be made clean Art thon possest with the spirit of error and ignorant of the truth of God And wouldst thou be acquainted with the Spirit of God to guide thee into all truth and lead thee into the path of holiness Wouldst thou be freed from the spirit of pride self-love passion and emulation towards thy Neighbour Art thou covetous of gain and earthly-minded and dost not do to another as thou wouldst be done unto wanting the Royal Law of Love to be thy Rule Art thou possest not onely with one evil spirit but Legions and seest no power to resist the least assault of the Enemy Then be thou counselled by one who hath felt the weight and burchen of most of these evils and seen deliverance in a measure to own the light in thy conscience and that will open unto thee a door of hope and shew thee a Fountain where Judah and Jerusalem Jew and Gentile Christian and Heatheu Profane and Professor high and low rich and poor may wash in and be made clean yea and from all their filthiness may they be cleansed And if thou do so viz. own the Light in thy conscience and obey it it will lead thee to holiness And thou that complainest for want of power against sin I tell thee and do affirm unto thee whoever thou art Thou hast power unless with the unjust Steward thou hast buryed it in thy corrupt heart and made no improvement of it and the Lord for thy unsaithfulness hath taken it from thee and given it to him who hath been a better husband of his gift then thou hast been For this I say That the Lord hath given a Talent or measure of himself to every one to profit withal which is his light in every conscience the which whosoever doth not improve shall have it taken from him and he be cast into utter darkness for there is a day vvhen the Candle of the Wicked shall be put out and he shall have no light to vvalk by though he seek it and that vvith tears Remember Iudas and be vvarned by him to be faithful to thy Master and to obey him even whilst the Light shines upon thee and would guide thee least thy repentance be too late as his was and thou be with him called a Son of Perdition but if thou obey the Light in thy conscience which convinceth thee of sin I declare unto thee as a Word from experience of the mighty Power of God and of its powerful working there That it will not only give thee power against gross corruptions but against vain thoughts and idle words and though thy sins be red like crimson they shall be as Wool and as red as scarlet they shall be as white as snow Be willing therefore and obedient and thou shalt eat the good of the Land but if thou refuse and rebel thou shalt be devoured with the Sword The mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Some Hope left for the persecuting Magistrate of England if his Day of Grace be not past already PEradventure thou mayest say unto me I have been a Civil Magistrate and a great Persecutor of the Saints 〈◊〉 the Most High God who have few or none on earth to plead their cause how shall I find mercy from the Lord for I am the greatest of sinners That when the Servants and Messengers of the Lord have come into our Cities Towns Villages or Market-places to preach repentance and declare against sin and to bring the glad tydings of the Gospel into our quarters where it was never preached before I have not been so sober unto them as the Gadarenes were to Christ who when he came to cast out unclean spirits and to do them good they entreated him to depart out of their coasts but I instead of entreating have compelled
which should give an entrance thereinto which is the Light of Christ in every conscience and which is the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world Know ye not that the whole Creation groaneth to be delivered from under the power of the Beast and false Prophet to wit the corrupt Magistrates and the persecuting and Antichristian Ministers of the Nations Do ye not know that these have had Dominion over the Saints of the most high God for many hundred years past doing and executing their own pleasures upon the bodies and estates of the children of God as well in our dayes by cruel tortures untill death as in Queen Maries dayes upon the Martyrs that suffered burning then who ye notwithstanding could not worship the Beast nor his image nor give their power to the Dragon which all the world have wondred after Do ye not know that the Man-child hath been caught up to God the woâ—an fled into the Wildernesse and the Devil had the power over all Nations If not then know the time is now hasting that the Man-child is coming to rule the Nations with a rod of iron and to some he is already come and all must bow to his righteous Scepter for he will rule in righteousness and all the sturdy Oaks must be hewn down the proud and lofty looks of man must fall and his tyrannicall and unjust power be taken from him The Lilly of the Valley must be exalted and the Beast and false Prophet cast alive into the Lake where they shall be tormented for ever and ever Let none of you now for my love to lost man be so scandalous as to say I disown Magistracy and Ministry for if you do I here again in the presence of the Lord and before all the world pronounce you to be Lyers and false Prophets for I so far own both the true Magistracy and Ministry which is of God that I well know and am assured the Nations cannot be happy till both are establisht in righteousnesse and true Judgement in the fear of the Lord I say till truth and righteousnesse be set up false Doctrine error and heresie disowned by those men in power and the false Prophet and the Beast cast alive into the Lake The truth Will be suppressed and the Ministers of the Gospel persecuted yea though Christ Jesus himself should come again in the flesh the Professors of this age would call him deceiver and be as ready to whip scourge and imprison him to death as they have done his members But blessed for ever be the holy name of our God the false Prophet is known by his life and Doctrine and the beastly nature in all persecuting Magistrates is seen and discovered so that let their Profession be what it will be they are made manifest and cannot hide themselves from the eye of the Lord nor from the discerning Spirits of his Saints who do his will and who worship him in Spirit and in truth Friends the dreadfull day of Gods fiery indignation hangs over your heads and will inevitably fall upon you without speedy Repentance and this the servants of the Lord see and forwarn you of in love to your souls but you like blind Balaam see not the sword drawn against you and ready to cut you off You are blinder then the dumb Asse who saw the sword hang over his Masters head when he himself did not Oh read your portion in the 11. Zech. 17. and take it to ye for unlesse you spedily repent and turn to the Lord you will surely have it where the Prophet of the Lord pronounceth a Woe to the Idol-shepherd saying The sword shall be upon his arm and upon his right eye his arm shall be clean dryed up and his right eye shall be utterly darkned Friends every mans work must be tryed by fire of what sort soever it be therefore let none of you think to escape the fiery tryall for our God is righteous and will reward every man according to his work THE END
head with Notions and comprehending of Mysteries which were very pleasant and delightful unto me Thus I wandred up and down from one tree of knowledge to another and in many a by-path I trod seeking for rest but found none and though the Spirit of innocency often cryed in me Return return and come into the narrow-way which leads to life yet I flattered my self that I had been there already and that I was now come to the Borders of Canaan one while conceiving my self there and set down with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom but by and by a branch from the old Root would arise in me and break forth into passion rash and hasty words and overturn all my Confidence again and give me to understand I was not in that Kingdom for that there was nothing of Pride or Passion self-conceit or vain laughter or foolish and idle talking and jeasting but giving of thanks and rejoycing in the Lord continually and that they who were in that kingdom were led by the Spirit lived in the Spirit and walked in the Spirit and were at rest in the Lord injoying the fellow ship and society of just mens Spirits Now that I was not here I was clearly convinced often and instead of enjoying this state I had the other set before me as my Condition and the Lord let me see how my poor Soul was be-wildred And then after 14 years wandring up and down I began to see and find my way out and not till then Then I saw my self at a loss and in the dark and was made to confess That if I had perished in the Wilderness yet the Lord was righteous in my destruction because that when he would have led me by the gentle motions of his Spirit and Light in me yet I Refused it and went forth to men chusing the tree of Knowledge and neglecting the tree of Life for my â—ood But blessed be the God of Israel who is not a barren wilderness to those that seek him in truth and singleness of heart He shewed unto me the way that I should walk in to wit The strait and narrow â—ath which leads to Canaan and that by a foolish people in the Worlds esteem was I directed the way to eternal life But after I was perswaded of the way to life and convinced of the truth as it is in Jesus and after the seed of the Kingdom began to stir in my earthly tabernacle and to take root to my heart then the Enemy came in the form of an Angel and set me on a suddain upon the Pinacle of the Temple where I was made to beleeve I saw over all the Children of truth and was ready to sit down there also But after the Lord in his rich Mercy had let me see my danger and how I had been misled by the Angel of false Light He directed me to the low valley there to abide and assured me that if I would be a true Disciple of Christ indeed I must take up the Cross daily and follow him and be obedient to his Light in my Conscience which convinceth of the most secret sin And now that I may bring in my Testimony to the truth which was once delivered to the Saints and which now is again made known to the Children of the most High and That I may set to my Seal to the Doctrine of the Cross I here Declare to all the Sects up on earth and to all people high and low Professor or Prophane That the despised people whom the scorners of this age call QVAKERS are the true Disciples of Christ Jesus viz. Such amongst them as are faithful followers of the Lamb and obedient Children of the Light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world By them is the Everlasting Gospel preached again to the Sons and Daughters of men and blessed are all those that hear and obey the sound thereof The glad tydings of Salvation I say is preached by them and whosoever he be that shall bring any other Gospel is disowned by all the true Disciples of Jesus and Sons of the Light They are the Sheep of Christ and amongst them is the true Shepherd of Israel known and he goes in and out before them To them and in them hath the Light of the world appeared and the life of men communicated himself and I must say I sate in darkness till I heard them These are they who having past through all forms are come into the power and are knit together into one body whereof Christ Jesus is head These are they who take up their daily Cross and follow him These are they who pass through great tribulation and through many and fiery tryals These are they who are the true Worshippers who worship the Father in spirit and in truth and love not their lives unto death These are they who are Redeemed from the Earth though upon it These are they that are come to Mount Sion and to the City of the living God and to the innumera 〈…〉 of Angels and to the Spirits of just and 〈…〉 and to the General Assembly of the fir 〈…〉 se Names are written in Heaven These are 〈…〉 who are Sons of God and are led by the infallible spirit into all truth These are they who are joint-Heirs with Christ whose fellowship is with the Father and the Son in the Spirit and they shall Reign with him for ever and ever Glory be to his Name for evermore Friend by these I say was I directed to obey the light in my Conscience which convinceth of sin when nothing else can and to which they direct all men who are in the dark to follow In so doing was I brought out of darkness into his marvelous Light Glory be to the Light and to the Laâ—â— for evermore Thus I have given thee a short account of my journey so far and now can boldly say with David My hearts is fixed my heart is fixed and I have nought to do now but to give thanks and to follow the Lamb of God whithersoever he goes And now Friend let me ask thee Is the Lord the desire of thy soul And dost thou pant and breath after him as the Hart doth after the Water-brooks Is truth in the inward parts the thing thou would have And art thou indeed and in truth a true seeker of the Kingdom and restless till thou findst it Then let me advise thee Seeke the Lord where he may be found to wit in thy own heart for that it his Temple and there will he dwell if thou be upright I say the tabernacle of the Lord is with men and there only will he be found Scourge then out those Buyers and Sellers that dwell there suffer not the House of God to be a den for Thieves and Robbers to reside in for whilest thou givest entertainment unto them the Lord will not make his abode with thee Put therefore the evil thing out of thy Camp that so thou mayest receive
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
bore the ears as I may say of the hearers or bring to the Readers remembrance your multitude of Errors Heresies and false Doctrines nor trouble him with a view of all your ungodly practices at once I shall be sparing as hoping you may return from whence you are fallen and repent but shall hereafter if God will propound a few queries unto you whereby you may see your selves in some few particulars of your Doctrine and practice Friends Is preaching for hire and persecution of your Neighbour for conscience-sake to be miantained by Scripture Is throwing men into Gaols and stealing of their Goods to be maintained by the Scriptures Is your taking up the carnal Weapons to defend your Gospel with when your spirituall Weapons will not do to be maintained by Scripture Did Christs Ministers ever rebel against the Civil Magistrate and teach men so to do as many of you have done of late instead of being subject to the higher Powers For my own part I wonder not hereat as knowing that that spirit which at present guides you teacheth rebellion and disobedience as well to God as to man Furthermore You say you are Ministers of the Gospel and yet have perswaded people to believe that the Commandments of God cannot be kept Reader to thee who art of this perswasion with them be but moderate and let me ask thee this question For what end thinkest thou were the Commandments given by God Were they to be read onely or to be painted upon the Steeple-house Walls Will that please the Lord Or were they not given to be kept by his servants who enter into life Hath not the Lord said He will write them upon his peoples hearts never to be blotted out Or can any man be blessed that doth not keep them Tell me Doth any man require that of another which he knows he cannot perform and do And wilt thou make the Lord so hard a Master as to require obedience of man if it were not in his power to give it or that the Lord had not impowered him Friend even as the Serpent beguiled Eve so art thou by blind Guides He drew our first Parents into disobedience by going out to hearken to his subtilty and so left their innocency and thou being now in disobedience he would keep thee there by his evil instruments O take heed of the Serpents brood who say The Commandments of God cannot be kept for they are false prophets that so teach but assure thy self That if ever thou enter into life thou must keep the Commandments David could keep them under the Law and said That the Commandments of the Lord were not grievous My soul saith he hath kept thy Testimonies and I love them exceedingly And again saith he I have done thy Commandments And again he saith I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies Read Psal. 119 166 167 168. Now Friend consider the promise of the Lord concerning his people by the the mouth of his Prophet Zechariah That in the day of the Lord He that is feeble amongst them shall be as David and the house of David shall be as God Zech. 12.8 And as the keeping of the Commandments is the entrance into life so are they pronounced blessed that keep them Rev. 22.14 psal. 119.2 Prov. 8.32 And saith St. John Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his commandments 1 Joh. 2.3 But he that saith I know him and keepeth not his commandments is a lyar and the truth is not in him Ver. 4. And again Whatsoever we ask saith he we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things which are pleasing in his sight 1 John 4.22 and he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him and he in him Ver. 24. Such then as say that the commandments of God cannot be kept are hereby proved to be Lyars false prophets and deceivers Come out therefore from among them and be thou separate from such unclean men for the lyar shall not enter into the Kingdom nor any unclean or imperfect thing Friends I even tremble to think on your condition who break the Commandments of God and teach men so to do you are so far from the Way the Truth and the Life that unless you speedily repent and turn to the Lord you will have your portion with hypocrites where is weeping wailing and gnashing of teeth for evermore My direction then to you also before it be too late is To own the Light in your consciences and submit to its checks when you are reproved by it and know this That whilst it reproves you for your fins the day of Grace is not yet past nor hath the Lord given over striving with you but when you feel no checks of conscience when you do evil in thought word or deed then be assured your day is past and you are sealed up for destruction I say unto you therefore again Own the Light within you while you have it and take it for your Guide for you are gone a whoring from God and the Spirit of Truth and Holiness you know not O do not any longer abuse this Light this Lamb of God for you will one day find him to be the Lyon of the Tribe of Judah who when his Wrath shall be kindled against you you must be consumed for ever And now to you who say We are the Learned Ministers of England We have the Tongues We have the Originals and we have the many Languages and therefore we are best able to interpret the Scriptures To you I say this That the holy Scriptures are a sealed Book to all that are not taught of God by the Revelation of his spirit which you falsly and ignorantly say is ceased therefore it is that the unlearned Doctors and others the University-men of this age wrest them to their own destruction therefore it is that there are so many Errors Heresies Opinions Sects and divided Judgements amongst you and those who are called Christians Friends if you be ignorant of the true Original of all things to wit the infallible and unerring Spirit of God by which the holy Scriptures were wrote you want the key of true knowledge which should open them unto you and you with all your learning must stay without when the simple whom God teacheth and whom you despise can give you the true meaning and mind of God's Spirit shall enter in Oh! remember that the Jews had the Original Tongues before you and spoke them naturally and more then that they had amongst them the true Original himself even Christ Jesus the Alpha and Omega the first and the last and yet they crucified him and chose a Thief and a Robber before him I wish from my very soul it were not so with you chusing Hebrew Greek Latine and other Tongues before the naked and simple truth of God I say Christ Jesus was to the Jews a stumbling block and to the wise Greeks foolishness So is he this day to
you whilst you are crying up Learning and humane Wisdom and despise the still and low voice of Christ in you which speaks not in the Words of mans Wisdom Oh ye men of Learning in all the Wisdom of this World When will you cease to tumble over your many and dusty Volumes of corrupted Authors to find out that Truth which lyes buryed within you Oh cease a while from searching into them and try whether you can find your Names written in the Câ—mbs Book of life if not mourn and â—â—â—â—â—nt for your condition of all others is most to be pittyed in regard of the great loss that is to come upon you you having much to lose Now that I may not leave you without hope as those who perish in their sins my advice to you is To turn to the light in your consciences and be obedient unto it for unless ou so do you can never come to the Key of David which opens and no man shuts and shuts and no man opens Wait at Wisdoms Posts which is the true fear of the Lord from which you are all departed who are gone from the light within and are seeking Salvation in outward things for the least Babe of Light sees thorough you and can discover your darkness A Direction for all such as wait for the coming of their Saviour in spirit and how they may know him when he appears CHrist's first appearance to the World was in flesh and the fleshly eye saw him but his second appearance is in spirit which no fleshly eye can behold and live for as the Lightning cometh from one part of Heaven to lighten another part under Heaven so shall the coming of the Son of man be and blessed are all they who wait for his second coming to wit without sin unto salvation for his second coming is to put an end to sin to finish transgression and to bring in everlasting righteousness He that hath an ear to hear let him hear Now if thou wouldst plainly know the signs of his coming unto thee in particular then know this That when he comes 't is to convince thee of sin and to make a separation between thee and thy former Lovers be they who or what they will be there is not a darling or dalilah to be spared though never so dear or near unto thee but all must be crucified yea and thy own life must be lost too if ever thou wilt find it in God Friend the life of a Christian is hid with Christ in God and there is no finding of it but by going out of self for know this That before Christ Jesus proclaims peace to the soul he sets the man at variance with himself and makes him war against the Enemies of his peace within him not without him To thee then who art at ease in the flesh hugging the spirit of self-love and of this World which lyes in wickedness and art courting the great men thereof for private respects as honor and preferment or the like know thou thou art not yet come to the spiritual Warfare nor dost thou know the coming of Christ to thee as a Saviour which every man must witness before he can be a true Souldier in the Army of the Lamb or witness redemption from the Spirit of Bondage My direction then unto thee is To watch for the coming of Christ who cometh as a Thief in the night that when he comes thou mayest not be found sleeping in sin nor snorting in the vain delights and pleasures of this life which are but for a moment Christ stands at thy door and knocks O give him entrance and suffer not his Locks to be wet with the dew of the morning Suffer not I say the evil one to make such a noise in thy soul as to drown the low voice of Christ in thee who saith I am meek and lowly of heart learn of me Let it not be said of thee He came unto his own and his own received him not 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 VVHosoever thou art that art come out of Aegypt the land of darkness where the blind lead the blind and hast a purpose and good will to travel to the holy Land thou must gird up the loins of thy mind and with a holy Resolution be content to pass through all the fiery tryals thou maist meet with and never sit down until thou shale arrive at perfect rest in God And that thou maist not loosethy Way be thou advised to follow thy Guide and go not before him for no longer then thou art a follower of the Lamb canst thou go aright or walk in safety Many there are who be come out of Aegypt and have made some progress towards Canaan but because the Guide to rest makes no haste he being meek and lowly and is a gentle Leader of his Lambs and those that are with young therefore it is that many times the followers go before their Leader and through haste lose their Way Be thou warned therefore who art but a young Traveller and follower of the lamb that thou leave not thy true Guide nor wander from him lest thou come into Aegypt again as some have done and so peradventure never find thy Guide more Friend if ever thou thinkest to be victorious thou must follow the Lamb for assure thy self the Enemy will assult thee on every side and endeavour thy destruction for know thou That 't is through sufferings and often conflicts with the Enemy that thou must pass yea and become a Conqueror too befoer thou must come to reign The daily death thou must witness and the daily Crosse must be born before the Crown of Victory can be obtained I say Thou must follow thy Leader and Captain of Salvation through all difficulties if thou wilt be victorious And for thy encouragement be assured of this He will never leave thee nor forsake thee In the light of the Lord then and as faithful followers of the Lamb let us jurney towards our Land of Rest with unwearied minds for assuredly The Land is good and will abundantly reward the Traveller upon his arrival there above what he could ask or think Many there are whom I believe are gone forth with an honest intent to travel ehither and finding the Way strait and the journey long and the Difficulties many have sate down by the way but let such know there is no truerest on this side Canaan Others there are who have gone forth to view the holy Land and as the false spyes of the Land of Canaan did so have these even brought up an evil report upon the good Land and have told people There is no attaining of it in this life for that the Cities are walled the Enemies are mighty and numerous and too strong to be overcome These have told people the holy life is unattainable
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