rewards they judg not the fatherless neither doth the cause of the widow come before them therefore saith the Lord I will ease me of mine adversaties and avenge me of mine enemies And I would desire you to reade judiciously over most part of the second Chapter of Isaiah there you shall finde the minde of God against self-seeking and pride c. But that my counsel may appear more fully I shall desire you to give me leave to instruct you with much love and single-heartedness in these two things First that you will carefully in the fear of the Lord see to your selves and your ways that these people may not charge you justly with any coverousness pride vain-glory self-seeking oppression or injustice or profane and loose walking and in so doing you will in a most victorious manner disarm them of their offensive weapons Secondly that you would with all possible diligence seek for the armour of Christ Jesus and have your selves strengthned with that faith and knowledg which comes from him and these will be your defensive weapons and then by that time you shall have disarmed them and armed your selves in this kinde I know you will prove so able to deal with them your selves that you will never need to cry for your Sergeants and Officers to imprison them This I apprehend to be the most Gospel-like and most honourable way for Magistrates Ministers and People to take against the Quakers I have now through the good hand of the Lord attained unto the end of my thoughts and mediatations about this mysterious work and workers and have no more behinde but a few single words and then I have done Let not any wonder while I am speaking some particular words in a particular manner that I have not a word for the Quakers seeing they have been the whole object of my discourse my reason is because I finde the strongest of them to be beyond all hopes of returning or being convinced by such means for I have had some trial by reasonings with them and writings unto them and I finde it bringeth forth nothing in them but more obdurateness of heart and some railing unchristian-like expressions in their Letters so that I chuse rather to leave them to the wisdom and power of God in this thing and shall onely give these Cautions to such younglings of them who never were yet in any powerfull working of the Truth and Light of Christ and are but as it were entring into that deceitfull condition 1. With speed forsake their society wholly both in publick and private manner for although they may not prevail upon a knowing Christian yet they may easily carry away your hearts 2. Adjoyn your selves unto the societies of such people especially who walk according to the most plain and sure Rules of the Gospel and they are the Baptists so called 3. If there be any power or faculty to pray left in you I would have you use it to the utmost desiring the Lord in sincerity and with diligence from time to time to teach and shew you the ways that you shall chuse and then to establish and keep you in the same and undoubtedly if the Lord through his mercy will be pleased to help you to observe these three things it may be much for his glory and your comfort First a word to the Seekers so called You are that progeny of mankinde or parentage of people that have born forth unto the world that uncomfortable fraternity of Quakers and Ranters These brethren in iniquity are now in a state of desperate apostacy who were once a people of most blessed principles and great attainments for which things sake I was in my affections and judgment engaged to maintain fellowship and society with them in a special manner above and beyond all other people professing the ways of the Lord for the space of six years compleat For the worth of those principles sake which did so much affect me I shall make bold to mention three above the rest in this place 1. Was their readiness and willingness to own and receive any farther manifestations or appearances of God in power and truth that he should be pleased to shew unto them and this was no small mercy or attainment when I consider how many other poor creatures are possessed with a selfish rigid principle crying out against any farther manifestations or operations of God than what they have received as Heresie Error and the like 2. Was their chearfull owning and embracing all the workings of the grace of God in truth that did appear in the hearts of any poor creatures with much love and tender-heartedness towards them This was much compared with the frame of spirit that possesseth most professors 3. Was a greater careand seeking after a power life and spirit from the Lord to perform their worship and duty withall then standing upon the form or outward appearance of such worship or duty Which 3. Principles as I did so I do own them and judg them to be very heavenly and spiritual onely by these poor creatures sad example I hope I shall be more carefull to try well what I receive under either of them As you see these to be very high and spiritual so they ly very open to temptation and deceit And I will shew all people how Satan hath insinuated himself into the hearts of these people under every one of these principles and that with a very fair and unknowne guile First whereas they were ever ready and willing to receive all further discoveries and manifestations from the Lord he transforming himself into an Angel of Light that so he might seemingly act the part of God hath presented some new things or ways and operations un o them more seemingly spiritual than any they had before such as you have seen throughout this book and so easily engageth their hearts to receive what their principles led them unto Secondly they being very tenderly affected to all such whom they judged to be sincere although under the lowest discovery of truth Here Satan deceiving of them maketh them to become very much affected with the carnal creatures of the world and to disown such as they formerly owned and tendered under small attainments as though they were in a worse estate than meer carnal and atheistical persons Thirdly in as much as they did more look after the power of godliness than the form and more after spiritual enablings of the soule to duties than its going forth in its own strength Here the Deceiver beguileth them and carrieth them first away from that form they did use and secondly under waiting for spiritual endowments he suggesteth by fits much power of speaking and praying likewise for he can enable men to pray as well as to speak rumable words I know this to be true for when some of them have been under the greatest delusion that might be in speaking they have been carried out to pray in as ample manner and as good
10 11. They desite to become fools and to be made weak and I know not what And they had one expression which did stumble me a great while and it was this That the best things that ever we received from God mentioning knowledg and faith and high enjoyments as I well remember yet their words must be burnt up and destroyed this I thought to be a very strange kinde of language and indeed so it is when it is compared with that of the Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8.9 where the Holy Ghost commandeth the servants of the Lord to be carefull to seek after the increasings of grace in their hearts and telleth them that while such things shall increase it will make them be fruitfull but if they shall lack these things it will cause them to be blinde that they shall not be able to see far off and truly so are these people that are thus misled for they are so far from being able to see things a far off that they cannot see the present horrible and devilish delusions under which they live and this is the just recompence of reward for such creatures who will negligently use those gifts and graces they have once received It is no marvel they say they have lost all their former experiences and enjoyments and the like for CHRIST taught so much in the Parable of the Talents where we may learn that idle sluggish people who will not improve their Talents shall have them taken away from them The understanding of this moved the Apostle Paul to give such a strict charge unto his Scholar Timothy 1 Tim. 4.13 14 15 16. Till I come give attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine not neglecting the gift that is in thee c. and meditate upon these things and give thy self wholly unto them that thy profiting may appear unto all and further saith he Take heed unto thy self and unto thy Dectrine continuing in them for in so doing thou shalt both save thy self and them that hear thee Here we finde the Holy Ghost judgeth it meet and convenient that all care and diligence should be used both in reading exhorting one another and in the exercising of those graces where with the Lord had â—â—dowed the soul that so they might be kept alive but these beguiled wretches pretend they must not reade or speak a good word to one another or do any thing of this nature unless they can finde as they pretend themselves moved thereunto of the Spirit as it were by some extraordinary and immediate revelation or inspiration but the Spirit of the Lord teacheth his servants to know that it is always the minde of the Lord that those measures and proportions of grace which he hath bestowed should beused to the utter most of their extentâ— and it is the nature of the grace of God manifessed in CHRIST to enable and quicken the soul for a constant course of obedience and holy exercitations A description of spiritual prayer and therefore the Spirit of CHRIST is called a quickning Spirit and hence the Apostle biddeth the people to pray always with all manner of prayer and supplication in the Spirit Ephes 6.18 that is with that life power and strength which remains in the heart from that measure and operation of divine grace or love already received and saith he in this place Watch thereunto with all perseverance And again 1 Thess 5.17 Pray without ceasing 19. Quench not the Spirit These teachings you see of the Spirit of God are altogether contrary unto this negligence in them and a vain deceitfull waiting for a power as they call it if it be so they have no power the greater and more miserable is their loss I said before that when I lay under these kinde of Temptations my self that I did not finde my power gone but me thoughts I could have prayed and have spoken at some other times yet me thinks my will and desire was very cold thereunto and I found something disswading of me from the using of my gifts c. And as they are thus deprived of all abilities as they say themselves for reading and praying and the like so they say they have no freedom to speak admonish or discourse about any thing that they may glorifie the Lord or do good unto others but rather say that they must cease from their own words and wait till they have some immediate stirring or working of the Spirit as they fancy it for that purpose also How contrary this is unto the minde of the Lord you shall see 2 Tim. 4.2 Be instant in season and out of season to preach reprove rebuke exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine and as Paul saith 2 Tim. 1.13 Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me And v 6 7. Stir up the gift of God which is in thee for God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound minde Here is you may easily finde such a vasâ— difference between both these sorts of Teaching and Language that without all dispute there can be but one of them the Language and Teaching of Christ the other must needs be the Teaching and mysterious deceits of Antichrist I will now end this and proceed to a third Demonstration Demonst. 3. Which I gather from those strange and unheard of Passions and Agonies those great burthens and exercitations of body in so much that they are sometimes in Trances or Sounings and if they are not brought unto such a state of deadness as it were yet they suffer most extreme Tortures of body that hath been visible to me and several others many times nay so much extremity that it maketh them roar out for very bitterness and I do clearly judg that if the Lord did not limit the Devil in their behalf as he did for Job saying Thou shalt not touch his life it would be impossible for their concaves to hold their in wards in those violent motions for they are made under those Agonies to tremble and quake as though their flesh must part from their bones and ligatures like unto men in the strongest fits of an Ague that ever you saw as though they had seen Belshazzars Vision Dan. 10. that made his knees smite one against another in these strange Passions they are exercised with so much heat I know not of what sort that it maketh them cry out for Drink and maketh them sweat like men in most violent Feavers now they call these Agonies the fiery Trial and they fay it is the power of the Holy Ghost burning up and destroying their corruptions and purifying them like Gold that is tried seven times in the fire and that which is very strange when they are thus in the midst of these extreme Shakings Quakings Trials Roarings and Perplexities that one would think there could not be more Torment upon the damned spirits than is upon them at the present yet many times
about their increasings and if it shall stumble any one to see a few drawn in by them while they act but as Ministers of Righteousness hardly come up to that perfection of deceit to be either Apostles or false Christs then when they are come to this it may be a stumbling unto many and they may draw whole multitudes of unstable wretches for ought I know into their damnable ways But you have a fair warning therefore take heed I am now come to the last thing in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whose end shall be according to their works The very thoughts of this already do begin to sadden my spirits but according to my former method I will proceed The Doctrine from the whole is thus Such as Satan shall beguile by transforming himself into an Angel of Light unto them untill they transform themselves as Ministers of Righteousness and then as false Apostles shall come to an end suitable to their works now let us examine their works and then we shall know their end 1. Their works are deceitfull so their end will be for whereas they themselves have sometimes thought whatsoever they do now I know not and others likewise concerning them that they might have ended this their earthly being with a great deal of comfort peace and joy to themselves and others I am afraid they and others will be deceivers 2. Their works are railing and disowning the power and Spirit of Truth so I am afraid their end will be a railing and speaking against the pure and holy being of God 3. Their works are cruel torturings and perplexities both of body and minde so it is to be doubted their consciences will be in their dissolution However if any of them shall escape this that the word of the Apostle may be true and receive no prejudice by any private interpretation their end at the best must be according to their works for as their works are odious and shamefull unto all that know of what nature they are because they are brought forth through the power of Antichrist so their end must be if they are brought from under that power for it will be a great deal of shame and trouble to them to see how they are beguiled by their Enemy as it is unto my self when I consider thereof although there was no more in me but an approbation thereof and a desire after it and the like the power thereof was through the Lords goodness to my soul kept from me Yet my former thoughts and expressions upon their end have a strong confirmation from that place of Paul Heb. 6.4 5 6. It is impossible for those who who were first enlightned and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come if they shall fall away to renew them again unto repentance seeing they crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh and put him to open shame Now these people as far as I am or ever was able to discern them were endued and that in a large measure with those things the Apostle mentioneth I mean many of them that I know whom I took in my former intimacy and communion with them to have received much of the power of Truth through Christ and to have much communion with God and large experiments of his love but as for many others of them they were never judged by me or the rest to be any more than a willing people to inquire after the ways of the Lord and as for such this Scripture doth not touch him But yet let us examine this Scripture a little farther for I know it is a very mysterious one and hath much puzled the thoughts of many good men and in my apprehension there are two wrong judgments given upon it by most men The one is they generally take this Scripture to speak forth nothing but eternal death and damnation to all such who shall sin and fail as the Apostle doth there speak whereas the Apostle saith not any such thing but onely it is impossible to renew them unto repentance and although it be true of men in general without repentance there can be no salvation yet Paul doth not here speak of men that never had received CHRIST but of men that had fallen away from and lost what they had received and therefore I hold good in the speaking upon this Scripture to look distinctly upon the two conditions of inegeneration and apostacy A second wrong judgment given upon this Scripture as I conceive is that this sin here spoken is the sin against the Holy Ghost which I do not so apprehend and me thinks it will appear not to be so from the last words in that place for the utmost the Apostle reckons it unto is but the crucifying the Son of God afresh that is the crucifying of a Christ without or as he is in the heart of another not his own that doth it and we know that Christ himself saith All manner of blasphemy and sin against the Son of man shall be forgiven Matth. 12.31 32. Here CHRIST himself doth not make any sin against himself that is as he is not living and dwelling in the soul to make a man without all conditions utterly uncapable of salvation for ever for then all the world were uncapable of life because they sin against that CHRIST which liveth and dwelleth in the hearts of his servants But he maketh onely the sin against the Holy Ghost that is as I apprehend Discovery of the sin against the Holy Ghost a wilful sinning against the present operation and power of Christ or his Spirit against a living Christ within not a Christ without to render a man beyond and without all conditions whatsoever utterly uncapable of salvation and this is the sin which the Apostle John saith is unto death and therefore ought not to be prayed for 1 John 5.16 So that I cannot finde that the Apostle doth in these words point out any thing but such a desperate and dangerous Kinde of apostacy as that he who shall be so qualified as there he speaketh and yet fall away cannot possibly be brought to repentance or out of that condition of apostacy while he continueth this being and under this kinde of apostacy I finde many of these poor deluded creatures as for those that never received the grace of God in power and truth they cannot be said to fall from that they never had and so their condition is not the same but for the rest of them I am afraid they will never be brought from under that delusion while they live in their earthly tabernacles for I see the presence and Spirit of CHRIST is wholly with drawn from them and Satan he hath afterwards stollen away out of their hearts all those blessed operations of his presence as faith knowledg sobriety and enjoyments and the like and hath given them
made thus to write abundantly unto men charging and accusing of them without knowledg or truth they are not able to justifie and make good their wrongfull accusations but when any man is moved of the Lord to write unto a man or people telling them in love and according to truth of their transgressions or failings he is able to justifie what he hath writ and to declare the truth of things more fully and that with so much power and majesty that it doth beget an acknowledgment commonly or filence in the heart of the transgressor but when they write especially unto people of sound judgment and well grounded and established in the faith of Christ it is so far from begetting any silence or convictions upon them that it doth rather discover it self to be what it is indeed delusion and good for nothing but to be returned back and strongly resisted in the Name and power of the Lord 2. This kinde of writing I know what I speak by experience is with such a kinde of lording and vain-glorying over the estate of such unto whom it is written as though they were not worthy to be writ unto I can hardly tell how to express this deceit in words it is with so much undervaluing and vilifying of men that in cannot match it self with the teachings of God in this kinde but when the soul is moved hereunto from that power as it cometh purely from God it is mixed with so much love and tenderness it remembers it self and remembers anothers condition it doth make anothers condition its own and its own anothers and so it was wont to work in the hearts of the servants of Christ as we may find by Pauls words when he saith Gal. 6.1 2. Brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering thy self lest thou also be tempted And as for that fulness of knowledg and words and the like which is a most strong and prevailing delusion and carrieth more the heart of a creature away than any other thing I know as yet manifested whither it be the heart of him in whom it is already conceived or of another that shall once clearly know it to be so for to see one as it were yesterday not able to write or say any thing although to a mean capacity to be able this day to write in such a large manner as I my self know some it begetteth abundance of admiration and silence for a time in the beholders especially such who are of small knowledg and understanding in mysterious things But let not this blinde any man you shall finde it nothing but delusion in considering these Particulars 1. It is like a lightning from the Sky come and gone in a little time for at another time as they confess themselves they cannot do so much if it were to gain the world and yet at that very instant of time while this deceitfull power worketh them thereunto they must do so nay if it be to rise of their beds and if they be not very observative hereunto they shall be made to suffer most unheard of troubles agonies and passions as they have often told me untill they do yield obedience unto that wicked spirit and then they apprehend themselves at very much peace for a time untill Satan have a desire to make use of them again Now that fulness of knowledg and words which are wrought in the soul from the power of truth is more lasting and durable it is the owners to day and to morrow the Lord doth not use to steal away his truth and his knowledg from his servants in this manner but if they see good and just ground of writing or speaking once they can do so twice or thrice or oftner and I have this thing to bless the Lord for in a special manner I cannot say that I do remember the time since I was in any noted and considerable measure endowed with the gifts of God through his beloved Son that ever I did want matter or expressions either to write or speak in publick or private to many or to few but have always found my self abundantly furnished with some kinde of experimental knowledg in order to one particular truth or other whereof I was to deliver my self that I needed not to go and create things by long digested serious meditations readings writings and the like for in my apprehensions it is very easie for a man to divulge that which he is truly and soundly taught of God as the Apostle saith 1 John 1.2 3. That Life and Light which we have seen and heard declare we unto you But I must confess that I do very well know it to be a difficult thing for such who are untaught in that thing they are to communicate unto others while they must be digging for it out of earthly mines 2. Me thinks if these creatures were moved and necessitated in this nature from the power and Spirit of God to write and speak such sharp things in such a terrible and threatning manner unto particular souls or people that their writing and speaking would be of great power and prevalency with them that they should be convinced by it and should not be able to defie it as delusion and madness When Nathan was sent in such a particular manner from the Lord unto David it presently convinced him and when Jonah was sent to Nineveh with that sad news from God they were presently convinced by it but I see no conviction or subjection or fear or love or any such thing wrought by it it being like the chirping of Birds in the air for matter of weight and worth which maketh me judg and so may any man else that hath his judgment rectified by divine Light that all this fulness of words and expressions as I have mentioned are meerly suggested and inspired into their hearts by Antichrist disguised This shall suffice for the Examination and Trial of the first Demonstration and I will now proceed to a second The second Demonstration of this deceit is thus to be considered It must needs be the power of Antichrist working through deceit that robbeth and depriveth the soul of all those former ways and means wherein the Lord did work faith Domonstr 2. is a robbing the soul of its former knowledg c. knowledg and enjoyments in the hearts of his children nay and which robbeth them of all those former excellent things which were brought forth in them by the power of Truth and as it stealeth away all those ways wherein God hath manifested his love and grace to them so it hath deprived them of the use of those ways of walking wherein they have manifested any love or obedience to God so that they are people bereaved of all things of this nature and they reckon it their happiness and their perfection so to be and I have heard them complain exceedingly that they were not wholly taken