A New Catechism Wherein many Truths are plainly opened by way of Question and Answer which may be a help and furtherance unto all tender hearted people who are breathing after the Lord and waits for Redemption and Salvation by Jesus Christ. ALSO Something concerning the Foundation and Principle of the poor afflicted people of God called Quakers and of their Faith and Love towards God and their good VVill unto Men being also plainly demonstrated by way of Question and Answer Given forth in the labour of Love and put to View for the Service of this present Generation and also Generations to come William Smith Printed in the Year 1665. There is also Re-printed a PRIMMER Wherein is demonstrated The New and Living Way Held forth by way of Question and Answer as from a Child's Enquiry after Truth to be informed by the Father Here being divers particulars Answer'd and plainly opened that may be profitable both in this present Age and Ages to come Published for the benefit of all sorts of people and-may be very serviceable for every Family and of great use for young Children to learn in so soon as they can understand their Language that they in the fear of God may be instructed and remember their Creator in the dayes of their Youth Other Foundations can no man lay than that which is laid which is Jesus Christ Behold I write unto you both Old and Young that you may know the Truth and that the Truth may make you free For which I Travel enduring Affliction for the Truths sake WILLIAM SMITH The Primer or Catechism may be had either Bound together or a part An Epistle to the Reader Reader THou art to understand that the natural man can neither see nor receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are Spiritually discerned and it is the Spiritual minde that is onely in a capacity to receive and understand those things which by the Spirit is declared and made manifest for the Spirit is the key by which Divine truths are opened and by the intelligence of it they also come to be understood and the testimony which hath been published and held forth unto the precious truth of God in these latter dayes hath been abundantly spread abroad by the Spirits Power and demonstration through the faithfull and chosen witnessess of the New birth unto whom the Lord God everlasting hath revealed his secrets and open the mysteries of glorious kingdome and hath given unto them the tongue of the learned and the power and wisdome of his heavenly life whereby they are able to divide the word aright and to dispence the Gospel of everlasting peace and they have faithfully served the Lord in their generation and have not been negligent to run the way of his commandements but early and late have laboured in their holy calling whereunto the Lord hath called them in the work of the Gospel and their testimony doth stand for God this day and is become a sweet Savour in the hearts of many and that glorious truth which so plentifully hath been poured forth by the holy Spirit of God and so wonderfully is spread abroad through the testimony of his faithfull Servants it doth stand and remaine as a sure record which cannot be raced out though it might be sufficient to clear the Lords faithfull servants on their own behalf as also to leave all people without excuse who hitherto have shut their hearts against it yet such is Gods tender love that he continues his favours and goodness and in the openings of himselfe in the riches of his mercy he fills his children and servants with an overflowing cup of his precious virtue which yet doth constraine them to make known the true and perfect way of peace and to proclaime the word of eternal life unto the Sons and Daughters of men and though many have walked unworthily and have requited the Lord unkindly yet doth his compassion move to his own begotten that sits in desolate and sollitary places as a babe without comfort and in the vertue of his own life he keeps his testimony fresh upon the hearts of his messengers and they run in his power and are not weary and walkes in his love and are not faint but continues in their race of well doing though many faces have ever been set against them therefore whosoever thou art that reads in this booke consider the end of its manifestation for it is not published to be onely seen and read but to manifest the truth as it is in Jesus which thou art to weigh and ponder in the fear of God for the matter in this booke doth lye out of sight to the carnal eye and the matter cannot be understood by reading the words onely but by taking heed to the measure of Gods Spirit in thee for if thou doe not read with the Spirit of God in thee thou cannot understand the matter in the words though thou may read them over and over for whosoever would come to the true knowledge of God they must come to the measure of his Spirit themselves or otherwise they may read but reap no profit and so the Scriptures have been read and heard but the Spirit not being minded in those that read and hear there is not an understanding of the matter of which the words testifie and so the the book is sealed though the words be read and heard marke that for there is not another way to come to the true knowledge of God but through death to that part which would comprehend him and though a faithfull testimony may be published by words and writings yet cannot any thereby come to the knowledg of God for God is not so to be comprehended therefore it concernes every one that comes into the world to minde the light of Christ with which they are enlightened to wait in it for the Revelation of God for there is none knowes the Father but the Son and he to whom the Son reveales him and whosoever would compass the knowledge of God in any other way or by any other thing they can never come to a true knowledge of him for where the will and desire is let at liberty to the comprehending of God and Christ there the minde overruns the true light in which the secrets of God are opened and revealed and though words and writings may in themselves be true yet none can profit by them but as they joyn to that of God in themselves for the secrets of God cannot be any otherwise known or attained but as there is a patient waiting in that which openeth by it to be gathered into the nature of that which is opened and whosoever increass knowledg by any other way it is the vaile which spreads over their hearts and blinds their mindes for beholding the appearance of God in his light and life and though such as so gather knowledge may seem wise in what they knâ—w and in their knowledge satisfie themselves and esteeme
as a babe in youngness and that it doth not know what to pray for as it ought but stands sighing and groaning and mourning in the sence ofburdens weights and loads that lye upon it yet the Spirit in that state helpeth its infirmities and makes requests for it according to the will of God for the Spirit knows what the Babe wants and with what it is burdened and so makes intercession unto God for it and in the Spitit the Babe hath access to God and though it be but young yet it cryes Abba Father and so it breathes in the Spirit and cryes in the Spirt and prayes to the Father in the Spirit and the sighs and groans do rise from a true sence of its own weakness and the want of Gods Mercies for it understands in the Spirit what it wants and is sensible what burdens lyes upon it and in the Spirit it draws nigh to God and submits its selfe to the Throne of his Grace and there finds Grace to help it in its need for the Spirit brings reliefe from the bosome of the Father and supplies the Babe in all its wants and every breathing is ministred unto by the Spirit and here the Babe prays aright and asketh according to the will of God and he hears its complainings and in his compassion he answereth its petitions and so it comes to receive from his own hand and he gives unto it daily bread and nourishes it with his own virtue after which it breatheth and stands by it to help it in the hour of temptation and so the Babe begotten by the Spirit prays in the Spirit and receives from the Spirit and is strengthened with the virtue of the Spirit and this is true prayer though never a word be spoken through utterance for the Babe breaths in the Spirit and cryes in the Spirit and prayes in the Spirit and as it so breaths and cries and prayes in secret even so the Father which seeth in secret doth reward it openly and by his power removes the burdens from it and with his own hand lifteth up its head in his own time he delivereth it out of all troubles and from its quickning and first breathing it goes on from strength to strength and from virtue to virtue even as by the Spirit of the Lord and having received strength in the Spirit then by the Spirit it hath utterance given and can utter words by the help of the Spirit and so prayes in the Spirit and prayes with an understanding and that which it expresseth in words by the help of the Spirit and by the strength of the Spirit that is a comfort to every babe that is breathing in the same Spirit and so the babes begotten by the Spirit pray in the unity of the spirit and their prayers return into their bosome and are answered with a seal of the same spirit for they ask in the Name of Christ and in his Name they receive their satisfaction and so here is a time of sighing groaning mourning complaining a time of breathing crying praying a time of receiving rejoycing wherein the babes of life do come to inherit that w th they have breathed after so come to the living praises unto God who hath answered their prairs in the riches of his Grace and Mercy So all must come to the spirit of God by the spirit to be ordered and cease from their own words from their own time and learn to be silent until the spirit give them utterance for the Lord is weary of all formality hypocrisie he hath no pleasure in any such performances for his Controversie is against the Son of Perdition but he will exalt the Son of his Love blessed are they that are born of his life for whatsoever they ask in his Name their Petitions are answered their Requests granted the prayrs of such are only accepted and not the prayrs of those that think to be heard for their much babling who have many words but not in the life W. S. THE END
the first Adam is put to death and so the quickning spirit of the second Adam goes over the sinful flesh of the first Adam and there is the resurrection of the seed and the translation of man into its nature where he receives a new body and a new life in which body and life he bears the image of the heavenly and then he is blameless in Body Soul and Spirit Q. And is that the way by which man must come to inherit life eternal A. Yes for life eternal is only in the Son and man in his own life is alienated from it and therefore he must dye to his own life before he can inherit eternal life in the Son Q. And is there none that pleases God but who are thus regenerated and born again A. None in the flesh can please God and therefore man is to wait in the power for a new birth which is not after the flesh but after the spirit which birth of the spirit is the Fathers beloved Son in whom he is well pleased Q. How doth the power dispose man in the death A. It disposes him in stilness keeping all fleshly motions in silence so as a little child he lyes nakedly and innocently before God and hath no will nor wisdom nor reason left in him but all baptized down into the sufferings of Christ where they are dissolved into nothingness and there the power kils him and gives him life again and so man layes down his own life and takes up life in Christ in which life he comes to be raised in the resurrection of Christ and here is the passing from death to life where man puts on Christ and is made a new creature and in a new life he then serves God and pleaseth God for his thoughts words and works are all changed and with a new tongue he then sings the new songs and gives glory and honour and praise and thanks unto him that sits upon the throne who lives for ever and ever and this is in substance the whole matter Q. But doth not the birth of the seed meet with much opposition in its resurrection A. Yes whilest it is in the travaile it is strongly opposed by a contrary nature and many dangers that lyes near on every hand untill death have passed upon all as is said before but when the power hath crucified the first Adam throughout and that the seed be raised into the glorious liberty of its own life then the seed reigneth and hath dominion and government over all oppositions triumphing in victory Q. But how is oppositions removed and dangers escaped in the travaile A. By Faith in the power and watching to be kept close to the leadings of it and so the power will remove oppositions and defend from dangers for the watch being kept to it and the Faith standing stedfast in it the enemy hath no power to prevaile though he may tempt for the living power is as a wall on the right hand and on the left to preserve from dangers and it goes before as a conquerour to remove oppositions and comes behinde as a safe guard to keep off the Enemy for smiting the hind most part of the Campe and thus Christ by his power is all in all every way to the travailing Babe that cannot rest in any place below the freedome of his own life and therefore let none enter into unbeliefe as if oppositions could never be removed nor dangers clearly escaped for he that quickeneth and giveth life to breath after him he is mighty in his power and he doth assuredly save to the utmost the birth of his own begetting which abides in the simple tender breathings to possess more of his life Q. But may there not be captivity after the power be received and that something be quickened by the power to breath after God A. That present state is captivity for that which by the power is quickened to breath after God it is then in captivity and breathes in the power to be delivered out of captivity and as the power is received and Faith kept in it the power works in order to deliverance Q. But may there not be captivity after there be deliverance in some measure wrought by the power A. Yes there may be so for if the minde erre from the power and unbeliefe enter there may be captivity again in those very places out of which the power hath wrought deliverance and so many may come to taste of the good word of God and the powers of the world to come and yet may goe back again and here captivity comes upon many who have had a long travaile out of Egypt and have seen great and wonderfull things wrought by the power Q. But is not the power sufficient to preserve from going a stray and returning again into such a state as to come into captivity after it have wrought deliverance A. The power is as sufficient to preserve as to deliver and is not at al weaker in the one then in the other but where such a state comes to pass there is not Faithfulness to the power but temptations enters and prevailes and so the minde goes from the power into the temptations whereby there is away opened for the darkness to rise again which in the day of tenderness and faithfulness to the power was kept in subjection under the yoak Q. And doth the power follow after such again after they erre from it and doe not abide faithfull in it to recover them and deliver them out of their captivity A. Yes for the Lord waites to be gracious and though there may be a backsliding yet he doth not shut up his compassion but condiscends in bowels of tenderness to follow the wandering sheep which is gone a stray and by the word of his power he calls to return and if there be a yeilding to the word of power and a joyning to it again the Lord heales the backslidings and loves as freely as ever he did and so he brings the erring sheep again into the Fold and gives it pasture amongst his Flock and here he shews his goodness in the Riches of his mercy Q. And doth the power preserve and keep all safe in their travaile that abide in it Faithfully A. Yes for they that abide in the power and are guided by the power they doe not erre but by the power are kept through faith unto Salvation and all the babes that live in the power they receive strength in the power and doe not faint Q. What are the dangers that may befall whilest the seed is in travaile A. There be very many which the light discovers distinctly yet I shall name a few of them 1. To glory in the flesh with that which is manifest from God in the day of tenderness 2. To gather the manifestation of truth into the wisdome below and to enrich the false birth 3. To center in the forme or practice of truth as it stands in appearance onely 4.