the Fruits of Death whereon he feeds and is in some sort satisfied for he dares not approach unto the Tree of Life because the Angel of the Lord's Presence standeth with the flaming sword ready lifted up even the righteous Law which still layes hold on him when at any time he approaches near unto the Tree of Life this cuts him down so that he at all Times remains in Death and feeds upon the Fruits thereof this is the true State and Condition of the first Adam who hath lost himself and is fallen from God his Maker But now the second Adam whom the Lord is creating and whom he hath created even after his own Image in Righteousness and true Holiness who was and is the first born among many Brethren even Christ the Son of the living God who puts an End to Transgression and destroyes Sin and sayes O Death I will be thy Death and fulfills the Royal Law in all things and passeth through the flaming sword for the Fire cannot touch him but he has free Access to the Tree of Life and feeds plentifully upon the Fruit thereof and so lives forever and nothing will satisfie him but the very Life it self And this is the true Condition of the second Adam who is the true Heir of all things Now he that comes to have this Babe begotten in him that which hath begot him will bring him forth for shall I bring to the Birth and not bring forth saith the Lord now he that comes to be born of this Birth and to have his Life to stand in this he shall with this come to eat of the Tree of Life for this is he that shall enter in at the streight Gate into the City whose Builder is God Therefore if thou feelest any thing in thee which stirs and moves in thee against sin and against the very Appearance of Evil there lies the seed out of which this Babe is formed and therefore as it is as yet but weak as in Appearance to thee thou oughtest to be tender over it even more tender then the Mother that is newly conceived is over the tender Fruit of her Womb and beware of bruising of it and of smothering of it for a small thing will offend it and choak it but as thou art tender over it and with Carefulness dost cherish it and come to take Delight in it thou wilt find it to grow daily and encrease in thee from strength to strength but thou must beware that thou dost not at any time lay any Burden upon it whereby it may be offended for if thou dost thou wilt come into Condemnation for the same and thou wilt come to suffer Loss in thy self which Loss will not easily be regained for thou wilt find Deadness and Barrenness to arise up in thee and the Dread and Terror of the Lord will take hold daily upon thee until the Lord hath executed his Vengeance upon that which hath oppressed his seed for thou must assuredly come to know a day of Vengeance in thee to light upon the Head of the Transgressor and a Night of sâ—rrow before thou canst know the day of Joy and Gladness Therefore if thou wilt give up freely to let the Seed of God go free to serve the Lord its God in Truth and Righteousness and wait in Patience to see the Oppressor judged and condemned in thee and to see the Vengeance of the Lord to be laid upon the Head of the Transgressor and so to become one with that which judgeth and executes the fierce Wrath and Indignation of the Lord upon that which oppresseth the righteous Seed in thee Now if thou become one with the Lord in this and give up thy self willingly in Obedience to him then a short Work will the Lord make in the Earth and thou shalt come to see him whom thy Soul loveth who now doth but spring up in thee as a Lilly among Thorns but when he comes to be brought forth he will be the fairest amongst ten thousand and this is Christ in thee the Hope of Glory and thou wilt come to live in him and he in thee and so thou wilt come to live in the Life that was before Sin was and before Transgression was and shall be when Sin and Transgression is destroyed and shall be no more and then thou wilt come to witness old things to be done away and all things to become new a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness and thou wilt come to witness God's Will to be done in thy Body of Earth as it is in Heaven and his Kingdom in thee to be come and established and his Power made known in thee to the destroying of the Power of Sin and Satan and his Glory to be made known in thee to the setting forth of his eternal Praise in the midst of all his Enemies and this is declared by many who are faithful Witnesses of it according to the Measure which the Lord hath freely been pleased to give and bestow upon them and this do they witness to be an eternal Truth according as the Spirit of the Lord God of Truth hath revealed it unto them for they never received from Man neither by Man but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ who leads into the Path of Light and Life all that are willing and obedient to follow him now these things are deep and hidden Mysteries to them that yet remain in Darkness but if thou canst but read the Scriptures singly without adding thereunto thy own or any other Mans Imaginations they testifie of him that hath the Life in him and they declare how the two Births have been brought forth in all Ages which Births came from the two Seeds even the Seed of the Promise and the Seed of the Serpent and between these two Seeds there is an everlasting Enmity placed so that they can never be reconciled one to the other but still arise one to destroy the other but at last the Seed of the Woman must and will get the Victory for that must come to bruise the Seed of the Serpent's head although the other bruise his Heel for a short Space now see the Seed of the Serpent brought forth by the first Birth in Cain how the Enmity comes to work in him so that he came as it were to murder Abel the second Birth which was brought forth of the Seed of the Promise and wherefore was it but because the Sacrifice that was offered up by the promised Seed was accepted and his the Seed of the Serpent was not therefore Cain the first Birth who as in Reference to his outward Birth after the Flesh was therein his Brother but yet he being ruled by the contray Seed to Abel the Enmity caused him to rise up and to murder innocent Abel and then he became a Fugitive and a Vagabond upon Earth all his Dayes not having an Habitation in God although he builded a City and call'd it by his Son's Name so here
it whilest they remain in this earthly Tabernacle and then if the Lord raise up any to witness that he hath redeemed them from under the Power of Sin and so by his Power in them which is a Cross to the carnal will of man freed them from the Power of sin and Death then cry out those that live in all manner of sin and polutions these are Deluders take heed of being deceived when alas there is nothing reigning in them that they can be deceived of but sin and wickedness and so they cannot bear the hearing that they should be free from sin until the Lord cut off them and their sins together but they never consider that as the Tree falleth so it lieth and as Death leaves them so assuredly shall Judgment find them for in the Grave there is no Repentance neither can any unclean thing enter into God's Kingdom which consists of Purity Holiness and Righteousness Now the scriptures they declare that God is Light and if we walk in the Light and aâ—ide in the Light as he is in the Light then we have Fellowship one with another and the Blood of Chrâ—st cleanseth us from all Sin Now if thou comest into this LIGHT this will let thee see that there is something in thee that doth check reprove and cross thy own natural will and this is the Power of God in thee and would be unto Salvation if thou wouldst but obey it for it will crucifie thy old Nature and stand a Cross over thy own will and so keep it down that it might not rule in thee and so thy Soul will come to stand in the Power which is above the Power of sin and so come to be saved out of sin and out of Death which is the sting thereof And so as thou comest into the Light and therein standest with an Upright Heart the Light will make sin and the Power thereof manifest unto thee in all its Motions and will crucifie all that is of the first Nature and all that which ariseth from thy self and will judge out that Power daily which hath moved in thee and hath carried thee forth at all times to act contrary to the Mind and Will of God and hath caused thee to oppress the Seed which God hath placed in thee and so SION with the pure Seed of God in thee cometh to be redeemed through Judgment and her Converts come to bring forth a righteous Life and Conversation Now thou that readest understand The Life is more then Meat and the Body is more then Rayment and the pure Life is more then Knowledge for old Adam or the first Nature may eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and so by thâ—t may come to talk much of the Truth and what the Saints enjoyed in former Ages but cannot come into the Life thereof for he is driven out from the tree of Life into the earthly Imaginations without him and the ANGEL of the Lord with his flaming Sword even the Righteous Law is placed to keep the Way of the Tree of Life lest he put forth his Hand and take of the Fruit there of and eat and so live forever Now the first Nature is not to live forever but for an appointed time for that is the first Adam and his Life which standeth in sin and he hath transgressed the Righteous Law of God and so hath sinned and that Soul that sinneth must dye the Death and so death cometh to reign over all Mankind from Adam till Moses from the first Nature till the Seed of God in the creature moveth under the burden of Iniquity whereby it hath been pressed down as a Cart is pressed with sheaves and comes to stir up the Creature and draws him into some Consideration and brings him to understand his Condition that he is even a Captive under sin in the Land of Darkness even in spiritual Egypt and under many Lusts which are as so many hard Task-masters to him and that he is but a stranger and a sojourner there and that the Lord hath promised him a land of rest and freedom but he knows not how to find it out until the Lord God shall raise up the great Prophet like unto Moses to lead him out of this Land of Darkness through the red Sea by his LIGHT or PILLAR of Fire which Light is Darkness unto the Egyptians even in their Day which Pillar of Fire is to guide the Creature through the long desert Wilderness into the land of rest and Moses is till the Prophets and the Prophets they declare that there shall a REDEEMER come out of Zion or the Seed of God within who shall reign in Peace and Righteousness over his own House which shall be raised up for he will make them a willing People and he will turn unto them the pure Language and they shall all call upon the Name of the Lord with one Consent and he will bring back again their Captivity and settle them in perfect Peace so that they may every man sit under his own Vine and under his own Fig-Tree and none shall make them afraid And the Prophets they are till John who is as the Voice of one crying in the Wilderness now the VOICE said Cry the Prophet answered what shall I cry That all Flesh is Grass and the Clory of man as the Flowers of the Field therefore prepare the Way of the Lord and make streight the crooked Paths and let the high lofty Mountains of Man's proud Will be laid low and let every Valley and low despised Place be raised that so the ransomed of the Lord may pass and John he baptizeth to Repentance and bringeth the Creature into a Sorrow and a Trouble because it cannot bring forth Fruit worthy of Repentance and he declares that he is not the Messias that is to come after him which is to be preferred before him whose Shoe-latchet he was not worthy to unloose but that he is sent to bear his Testimony of him and John he is till Christ and when he comes which is the true Messias and the true Redeemer of the promised Seed of Israel after the Spirit who is the second Adam and the true Prophet like unto Moses whom the Lord hath promised since the Dayes of old even this is he that shall come out of Sion and shall bring Deliverance unto that Seed in all the Sons and Daughters of Men that hath long groaned and that which Sion hath long travailed with and been in Pain to be delivered from under the Burden of Oppression and he will crucifie the old Nature even the first Adam who hath been the Oppressor and nail him to the Cross and so by the Cross to him â—nd to his corrupt Will will mortifie or kill his Deeds even by the Power of the Spirit which Power standeth in that which crosses the old Nature now the first Adam's Life that standeth in Sin and in Transgression and in Deceit and Guile which are all
evil-spoken of through covetousnes they should with Feigned Words make Merchandize of the People And they likewise declared That in the Latter Times there should come Scoffers walking after their own Lusts saying Where is the Promise of the Lord 's Coming for since the Fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the Creation And these were they who had forsaken the right way and gone astray following the Way of Balaam the Son of Boser who loved the Wages of Unrighteousness these are Wells without Water even broken Cisterns that can hold no Water Clouds that are carried with a Tempest to whom the Mist of Darkness is reserved forever for while they promise Liberty to others they themselves are Servants to Corruption Now many Years were not to be expired before these should come who were the Antichrists and the False Christs for the Apostle John declared that the Latter Times were then even in his dayes in these words saying Little Children it is the Last Time and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come even now are there many Antichrists whereby we know that it is the Last Time they went out from us but they were not of us for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us but these went out that they might be made manifest that they were not of us Now these Antichrists were they who had been amongst the Apostles and in Fellowship with them as to Outward Appearance so that thereby they came to get the Form of Godliness but had not the Life nor the Power Now do but behold how subtilly the seed of the Serpent came to work in them against the Seed of the Woman even secretly as in a Mystery whereby it could not so easily be discovered as it had formerly been for now it had as it were a Covering to hide it self under even the Form of Godliness and a Likeness of Truth for those False Apostles went forth from the True Apostles into the World and the World received them and went after them so that in process of time the Form of Godliness came to be followed and to be cryed up in all the Earth and the Life and Power thereof to be lost and forgotten Now the Seed of the Serpent lodged under the Form or Likeness of Truth but could not lodge in the Truth it self for therein lodgeth the Seed of the Woman which is to bruise his Head so that under the Form and Likeness of Truth he has made War with the Truth it self and where-ever the Seed of God hath appeared in any they have been destroyed by them in whom the seed of the Serpent ruled John in his Revelations saw it all in a Vision he saw that which had whored from God to make War against the True Spouse and to drink the Blood of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus Christ and to cause all to worship her both great and small rich and Poor high and low bond and free and to receive her Mark and those that refused it came to be slain amongst them where Satan's Seat is and now the Glorious Sun was set and the Night was come whereof Christ had fore-warned his Disciples and Truth was as it were banished from the Earth so that in length of Time that seed that had whored from the Life and Power of Godliness came likewise to depart from the very Form of Godliness also for the seed of the Serpent hath not any Love to the Form of Godliness but only because it could not so well come as it were to eat out the Life and the Power any other wayes but now it even departed from the Form likewise and came to set up Invented Traditions which is to worship Saints and Images and the like which is not any part of the Form of Godliness but of the old Heathenish Worship under which the seed of the Serpent formerly lodged which was to worship the Sun Moon and Stars and such like vain things And now when at any time the Lord raised up his Seed in any to bear their Testimony against the Heathenish Wayes and Customs of Men and to make manifest the Way of Truth according as the Lord hath revealed it unto them then the Seed of the Serpent ariseth in them in whom it rules and causes them even to Murder Destroy or Banish them according as the Lord permits and thus hath the Prince of Darkness ruled in all this long Night of Apostacy since the Dayes of the Apostles and caus'd Millions of Thousands to be Murdered for satisfying of Lusts Now this was a Murderer from the Beginning therefore all that cross his Kingdom will he Murder and Destroy for by him the Lamb of God was slain who was Dead and is alive and liveth forever Now thou that readest do but look into these latter Times even within these few Years and thou shalt see how the seed of the Serpent hath made a Prey of those in whom the Seed of God hath been raised see in Queen Mary's dayes what Burning what Imprisoning what Torturing was there exercised upon them who had the seed of God raised up in them could not Worship the Beast in vvhich the seed of the Serpent lodged nor receive his Mark they rather chused to bear all that could be inflicted upon them so that by their Means the seed of the Serpent came again to be discovered so that he was feign in some measure to creep under the Form of Godliness again whereby to Shelter himself and to save his Head from bruising Now behold the Weapons of these two Seeds for as their Naturâ—s are Contrary one to the other so likewise are their Weapons for the seed of the Serpent's Weapons are Carnal and therefore he hath exercised his Tyranny upon the outward fleshly or carnal Bodies of them in whom the Seed of God hath been raised And the Saints in whom the Seed of the Promise hath been raised their Weapons are Spiritual and Mighty through God to the throwing down of the strong Holds of Sin and they War not with Flesh and Blood neither do they any harm to mens Persons but they war with Principalities and Powers and spiritual Wickedness in high Places so that when the seed of the Serpent has exercised his Cruelty at any time upon their carnal or fleshly Bodies they have not at any time resisted in the least but have born and suffered all in Patience knowing that therein they were to possess their Souls so that by their Patience the Serpent's head hath many times been bruised whereby they have as it were obtained victory over their Enemies Now look but back since the Beginning of Charles late King of England his reign and there thou mayest see how the seed of the Serpent hath been by the seed of God chased out of one Form into another and how he hath shifted to and fro to save his Head from bruising See in Charles's time how
the seed of the Serpent lodged in the Bishops and Prelates and how it was drawing out of the Form of Godliness again into the heathenish Way of Worship but see how the Lord hath then raised up a People in whom his seed was manifest who bore their Testimony against those Bishops and Prelates in whom the contrary seed lodged who came to be hated and in scorn and derision called Puritants and were rendered by them as Separates Deceivers Deluders in whom the seed of the Serpent ruled for therein lies the subtilty of the Serpent to charge the Truth with that which he himself is guilty of so that at all times the seed of God and his eternal Truth hath been persecuted by the Serpent and his seed under the Name of Error Heresie and Blasphemy So those People came to be imprisoned fined and many of them banished but yet see how the Judgments of the Lord came both upon King Bishops Prelates and Priests and how the Serpent came to have his Head bruised in them who raised up a War in the Nation whereby they came to be cut off from the Face of the Earth and all stood in a tottering Condition so that the seed of the Serpent was fain to endeavour to shelter himself under a more smoother Form of Godliness then he had done in many years before even under the Presbyterian Form but then the Lord raised up his seed in a People who could not be satisfied under that Form for the Light even Christ shined in them and let them see many gross Errors in it and caused them to with-draw from having Fellowship with them and these in scorn came to be called by the rude Multitude Independants but they also came soon after into a Form so that there was a ground in them wherein the seed of the Serpent might lodge therefore it soon entered into that Form and likewise corrupted it but then the Lord raised up his seed again in some of them and caused them to depart from them out of that Form and to give their Testimony against the Errors thereof which arose from the seed of the Serpent and these came by the rude Multitude to be called Anabaptists but these soon departed from the pure Life that arose in them from the seed of God in them and came into Imitation of what the Saints of God had done in former Ages and so came into a Form of Godliness and the Life and Simplicity which first moved in them came to be lost and there came a ground wherein the seed of the Serpent could lodge therefore he soon entred into that Form and likewise corrupted it yet the Lord still followed him with his Light which shined in these dark Forms and caused many of them to see that there is nothing but Emptiness and Barrenness in that Form and that their Souls therein could not be satisfied and then they came into a more purer Way and Likeliness of the Truth then any of the former and they bore their Testimony against all the Forms through which they had come for they saw by the Light of Christ the Deceit that lodged in them and so they came to a Way of seeking and waiting on the Lord but yet they likewise came again into a Form and there was a kind of a ground amongst them wherein the seed of the Serpent could remain for the Serpent can turn himself into the likeness of any thing even into the very likeness of the Way the Life the Truth but though he can transform himself into the Form of an Angel of Light and into the Likeness of Truth yet he cannot come into the Way nor into the Life it self nor into the Truth therefore now is the Lord raising up a People after all this who shall worship him in Spirit in Truth out of all Forms Likenesses so that in them the Lord will destroy and judge out all that ground wherein the seed of the Serpent can lodge so that the Serpent's Head is come to be bruised in many Thousands in their particulars and as it is begun in the particulars so likewise it shall at length be bruised in the general the seed that hath long groaned unto God shall be delivered from under the Burden of Oppression for now after all this long dark night of Apostacy which hath been for this 1600. odd years wherein the Lord has been as it were a stranger unto the Sons Daughters of Men and they have lived as it were without God in the World taking pleasure and delight in the vanities thereof their foolish Hearts have caused them to err but now is the Day sprung from on high even the mighty Day of the Lord therfore the night must vanish away for the Darkness cannot stand before the Brightness of his Coming nor before the Gloriousness of his Appearance therefore it is time for the Prince of Darkness to arise to gather together the uttermost of his Strength for now is his Kingdom invaded on every Side even by the Lamb and his Followers who is risen to make War in Righteousness and by patient suffering shall overcome his Kingdom and bruise the Serpent's Head Now thou that readest hast thou not heard of a People who dare not swear nor dare not tell a Lye who cannot stoop nor bow their Knees nor put off their Hats in Honour to any man's Person in the World and which cannot give any vain flattering Titles to man neither can have any Fellowship with workers of Iniquity neither can they enter into any excess of Riot with them neither dare they speak any other Language then that which the Saints in former Ages spoke and stand as Witnesses against all vain Talks and foolish Jesting and cannot respect the Person of any man because therein they should commit Sin who dare not to do unto any man but as they would be done unto in the like Condition who bears their Testimony against all the vain Worships of the World and all deceitful Professors who profess God in Words but deny him in their Lives and Conversations and hast thou not at sometimes heard their very Enemies say that they believed that many of them were honest People and that their dealing towards them hath been honest and just and hast thou not heard that some of them have wished that they could live as those People do and hast thou not heard the People of the World report of what undaunted Spirits those People are who fear not the Frowns nor the lofty looks of the greatest Potent upon the Face of the Earth and on the other side hast thou not heard the rude People of the World even Drunkards Swearers Lyars and Covetous Persons and such as live in all manner of Excess of Riot cry out that these are Deceivers Deluders and Blasphemers and that they are not worthy to live upon the face of the Earth and hast thou not heard what petitioning to the Powers
of the Earth there hath been against them and what stocking stoning knocking down in their publick Assemblies haling before Magistrates whipping and sending to the Bridewels and what long Imprisonments have been suffered by many and by some even to the Death who have thereunto been committed by the power of the Earth and hast thou not heard of what those People have suffered in New-England by the great red Dragon who is risen in those People who once fled out of Old-England even for Fear of that which they now exercise in a far greater measure upon those whom the Lord hath sent amongst them to declare the Appearance of his mighty Day unto them who in their time in Old-England should have born their Testimony against the Bishops Prelates and Priests and have stood in the Cross to that in their own Walls which caused them to flee from the Sufferings and so from the Cross which should have crucified that Nature which they carried with them out of Old-England even that which is now risen in them which causes them to exercise such grievous Tortures upon the Bodies of those whom the Lord hath sent amongst them even imprisoning and whipping casting into Dungeons and nasty Holes beating with Ropes until their Flesh became as Gelly whereby they are given to such a hardness of Heart that they have exceeded all Nations under the Sun in Tyranny the very Turks themselves have stood more in the Fear and Dread of the Lord then they for they continually thirst after Blood who after they have cut off the Ears of the Lord's People which no Nation under the Heavens except themselves did dare to do yet they not thinking that sufficient have since drunk two more larger Draughts then then ever yet was drunk by any in this our Age of innocent Blood whose Righteous Lives will stand as a Brand of Infamy upon them and their Generation to all Eternity and when the Lord makes Inquisition for Blood that will not be forgotten Now hast thou heard that at any time these People ever plotted or contrived any way or means whereby to defend themselves by the Arm of flesh or that they have risen or were defended by the Powers of the Earth at any time but at all times the Powers of the Earth stood against them and opposed them and yet dost thou not see that these People have dayly encreased and how many are dayly gathered unto them and how they dayly learn to bear the Reproaches of Moab and the Revilings of the Children of Ammon and are contented to bear and suffer all with Patience so that in their suffering they may glorifie God and therein become more then Conquerers by the Power of Christ who is risen in them and is become the Captain of their Salvation Now whoever thou art that readest consider seriously in thy own Heart for here thou seest the Division that is made between them that fear the Lord them that fear him not if thou canst with a single Eye behold it but if thou standst in doubt as yet concerning this thing come but into a true Examination in thy own Heart and Conscience for assuredly there is something in the Matter therefore what thinkest thou dost thou think that it is for nought that these People forsake their Goods and Lands their Wives and Children and become as it were strangers even unto their Country and to their Father's House and to travail from Country to Country through Persecutions and Sufferings through Mockings and Reproaches through Hunger and Cold and so come to be counted as Vagabonds and Wanderers having no Habitation in the Earth that they might have a Habitation in God for Cain he was a Vagabond although he builded a City and called it by his Son's Name yet he had no Habitation in God therefore was he a Vagabond but these who have a Habitation in God they are no Vagabonds but have sought have found the City whose Builder is God and they are willing and contented to part with all so that they may have a Habitation in that City But now herein stands the clear Truth of the Difference the appointed time is now come and drawing near even at the very Door wherein the Lord God is risen and arising to fulfil his Promise which he promised unto Adam in the Garden of Eden after his Fall that is That the Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpent's Head and he should bruise his Heel And now is he come and coming who will cut Rahab and wound the Dragon and bruise to powder the very Head of the Deceit and the Iniquity which have long lodged in the Hearts of the Sons and Daughters of Men. And now is the Stone even the Stone which is elect and precious which is to be laid in Sion which is the chief Corner-Stone that the Builders have long refused which Stone hath long lain buried in the Mountain of Sin and Transgression but now is the Stone cutting it self out of the Mountain which shall smite at the Feet of the Image even at the very Ground and Foundation of Iniquity and this Stone will become a Mountain which shall cover the whole Earth which the Mountain of the House of the Lord which is to be established atop of all Mountains and above the Hills and the Nations shall flow untâ— it Therefore seeing the Treader upon the Serpent's Head is come and hath made himself manifest in many therefore hath Pangs taken hold on many of them in whom the seed of the Serpent bears rule so that that Seed strives and struggles in them even as a Dying Man on whom the Pangs of Death had taken hold and this is the Cause that them in whom the seed of the Serpent still rules in power are so bitter and invitered against the Seed of the Woman in whom it s raised but yet though they raise up the uttermost of their Forces and gather together Gog and Magog and come up even the whole breadth of the Earth to encompass the Camp of the Saints about yet they shall not prosper for this John saw in his Revelation and he likewise saw a Fire come out of Heaven and devoured them therefore do I in tender Love to thee advise thee to consider of these things and lay them to Heart for this is the Day of thy Visitation therefore trifle it not away for meer Vanity things of nought for it passes away from thee faster then thou art aware of for this is the Time which the Lord hath given thee to make thy Calling and Election sure Therefore be not like foolish Esau sell not thy Birth-right for a Mess of Pottage for if thou dost thou wilt hereafter come to seek it perhaps with Tears when thou mayest not attain it therefore while the Lord is yet so tender towards thee who standeth with his Arm of Mercy spread open ready to receive thee therefore tarry not but arise and come away for the Winter is near
Wilderness even by a mighty hand and by his Arm of Strength which he now has stretcht forth unto you which Arm he is making bare even in the Sight of the Nations therefore go on and be valiant for Truth and lift up the weak Hands and strengthen the feeble Knees for now is he making himself known who will assemble her that halted and gather her that was scattered and bring back again that which was driven away even he that binds up the broken-hearted is come and coming who will satisfie the Thirsty Soul and speak comfortably unto all them that truly breath after the Eternal Peace and Welfare of Zion and the Redemption of the oppressed Seed which hath long breathed after Liberty therefore wait in the Patience in the Stilness and in the Coolness of your Spirits that you may come to feel that to arise daily in you which will dash down all Incumbrances who rebukes the Winds and stills the raging Seas at his Command who is the only begotten of the Father who begets all his Children into Love for God is Love and that which is begot of him in all Hearts is Love and Tenderness unto all men but especially one towards another Therefore dear Friends beware of that Spirit which would arise in you to cause evil Surmisings one of another or that would open an evil Eye to look forth at one anothers Weakness and of that Spirit that would cause any secret Rejoycing thereat though it be never so hidden but beware and bring it to the Bar of Judgment before it gets any Head or Strength in you that so it may be condemned before it go any further And beware of that Spirit that shall arise to cause a Deadness or a Barrenness in you as to the things of God would carry you back to feed upon that which you have formerly enjoyed and that would cause you to give way to a secret Envy which will be Ready to arise in you against them who in honest Simplicity walk in the true Obedience to the Measure of God made manifest in them because when they feed in the Banqueting House of their Father you may perhaps find Barrenness and Emptiness for the present I say beware of that Spirit for it is he that causeth the Barrenness and the want therefore wait in that which discovers him and makes him known and come unto true Obedience thereunto and you shall see him and all that would arise to oppose it self against the pure seed of God in you cast into utter darkness from whence it arises for the Prince of Darkness with all his Legions is not able to stand in the Presence of God of his Christ who is the Light of the World and hath enlightned you with a measure of himself which if you faithfully obey and follow you will feel a living Zeal to arise in your Hearts for the Lord and for his Truth and likewise an utter Enmity against all the Deeds of Darkness both in your selves and likewise in all others and you will feel that to arise in you which truly breaths after the Good and Welfare of all the Sons Daughters of men and you will come to suffer with the Seed of God which is oppressed both in your selves and aâ—l the Sons and Daughters of Adam and blessed are all they that come to witness this in Truth and in Reallity and that are fâ—ithful to that little thing that makes this known unto them for verely they shall be made Rulers over much Therefore dear Friends you that are newly begotten into the eternal Truth of God for your Sakes is this declared by him who hath by the good Hand of God been carried through these things and hath seen much of the Strength and Subtilty of the Enemy who like a roaring Lyon goes about seeking whom he may devour therefore stand in the Light and in the Cross even that which crosseth the carnal Mind and in that there is Power against all his Assaults and wait in Stilness at all times that so you may come to hear the Voice of the Lord and to obey and follow it for Obedience is better then Sacrifice and that is it which the Lord requires of you and without that you shall not eat of the good of the land even the promised land of Rest and Peace which the Lord is now bringing his People into where they shall feed in fat Pastures even by the Springs of living Water under the Shadow of the Tree of Life whose Fruit is pleasant to the Taste and whose Leaves are for the Healing of the Nations in which Land is Peace and Pleasantness and Joy and Gladness of Heart where the redeemed of the Lord walk and lie down in Rest and perfect Peace where no vultrous Eye can come and where the Devourer cannot enter where the Abominations which make desolate cannot stand The Gates of which land have long been the gates of the Enemy but now is the time appointed come the true spiritual Seed of Abraham is risen in many and doth possess the Gates of their Enemies and many are they that are entred in through the Gates to this Land of Rest and Redemption Praises to the Lord God forever and for evermore Aâ—d mâ—ny are they that are yet entring and to enter therefore be couragious and faint not for the Promise is unto all in whom tho Seed is in any measure made manifest which Seed shall possess the gates of his Enemies and though the Enemy hath long stood in the Gate and stopped the passage and though it may yet stop in many the passage through which the Seed should come forth out of Bondage Oppression yet mind not the Enemy but mind him who has promised will perform even that the Seed of Abraham shall possess the Gates of its Enemies which Seed is Christ in the Male and in the Female I say mind not that which brings in the Incumbrances but mind that which lets you see them and stills and quiets all again For Friends the Battail which is to be fought in every one of you is hard and the Enemy is strong and mighty therefore come forth even forth of the Polutions to the Help of the Lord against the mighty for Cursed is he that comes not forth to the Help of the Lord against the mighty therefore stand forth with your loyns girded about with Truth and put on the Breast plate of Faith and the Helmet of Salvation for a mighty work hath the Lord God to do in the Earth Instruments in whose Hand many of you may be if you are willing and obedient and can with content take up the Cross dayly which crosseth the carnal and despise the Shame then shall you be partakers of the Joy which is set before you which Joy dashes all the Glory of the World and makes it appear as a thing of nought for the Sake of which Joy many dear hearts have despised the Shame and Contempt of
the World and have willingly undergone many grievous Afflictions and have undauntedly triumphed over Death and Hell even to the Amazement of all their Enemies therefore blessed and happy are all you that are called forth to suffer for the Name of the Lord and of his Truth in which Truth is Freedom and the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower to which you may fly in time of Distress and you are safe from the Enemy and from all his Strength Oppositions and though he may exercise his Tyranny upon your outward man yet that is a thing of small value for that must to its Dust again from whence it came yet that it cannot touch without the Permision of him who is the Keeper of Israel who never slumbers nor sleeps But you have a Life which is hid with God in Christ which will remain when all mortal things shall turn to the Dust its Mother which Life cannot be touched nor injured by no invitred Heart nor cruel Hand therefore fear not man nor the Sons of men nay I know you that are come into the true Fear of the Lord you cannot fear man for Fearfulness that shall surprize the Hypocrite and Astonishment the double-hearted when they that fear the Lord shall be as bold as Lyons Therefore if Sufferings present unto thee my dear Friend whoever thou art that readest they will be as precious Jewels unto thee and thou wilt come to be as Gold which is purified in the Fire and as thy Sufferings do abound upon thy outward Body so likewise shall Peace and Tranquility flow in upon thee as Rivers of Living Water whereby thy Soul will come to be refreshed abundantly yea thou knowest that Pen cannot express nor Tongue declare the Endless Joy and Felicity which at all times accompanies those â—hat are faithful Words are too short â—o declare it yet nevertheless for the Sake of them that languish and hunger after the living Bread wherewith all that are faithful are satisfied and fed abundantly I say for the Sake of him that is hungry not yet â—ully satisfied is this written that he may go on and not faint in his Travail for blessed art thou that hungers â—nd thirsts after Righteousness for â—f thou wilt wait and abide in the Paâ—ience thou shalt be satisfied for in our Father's House is Bread enough where all his Children are fed at his Table in the Banqueting-House of Peace therefore wait and be still and commune with thy Heart and go not forth to look that abroad which cannot be found any where but at home in thy own Heart and though at present thou mayst see a Day of Distress and a Night of Sorrow wherein Judgment may come to be laid to the Line and Righteousness to the Plummet yet stand still wait on the Lord and in the Way of his Judgments so shalt thou witness Zion even the Seed of God within thee to come to be redeemed through it and Baâ—ylon with all her Brats come to be thrown down and dashed in pieces by it for now he that dasheth in Pieces is come upon our Walls and entred into our Borders even the Lord who is now risen to enter into Judgment with all Flesh and to purifie and to clense the Sons and Daughters of Men from all their Polutions and to let them see the Filth of the Fornication of Babylon's Whore which hath long reigned in the Hearts of the Children of Men and hath caused all the Creation to groan under her Oppression now is the Lord risen to rent her Covering and to lay open her shame and Nakedness that all that are not wilfully blind may see the Filth of her Polutions and come out from her lest they be Partakers of her Plagues which shall suddenly come upon her that so the Lord may clense them and purifie them and make them fit Temples for himself to dwell in for that is the Work which the Lord is going to perform and his mighty Arm shall bring it to pass for he will work and who shall hinder it and he will dash all the Pot-sherds to pieces that oppose themselves against him for who art thou that settest Bryars and Thorns in Battle against me saith the Lord Shall not I pass through and burn them up Yea verely Friend this have our Eyes seen and our Ears have heard how the Lord hath torn the Powers of the Earth in pieces and hath brought all their Contrivances to nought who have sought after their own Glory and not the Glory of Him who have sate at rest and ease and have not partaken of the Day of Jacob's Trouble but have sought their own Interest and not the Interest of the Lord nor the Liberty of his People but have suffered the Innocent to lie under the Hands of grievous Oppressors even the greedy Hirelings and the dumb Idol Shepherds who have long made Prey upon the Lord's Heritage and have scattered the Lord's Flock in the dark and cloudy Day and caused them to wander upon the Barren Mountains who have long fed themselves with the Fat and clothed themselves with the Wool and have sate at Rest and Ease and have cryed peace whilst men could put into their Mouthes but now them that cannot feed them any longer they even prepare War against them whereby they become a Prey unto them so that the whole Land groans under that Oppression more then any other and the Righteous suffer and no man layeth it to Heart and for this Cause hath the Lord rebuked strong Nations and he will still rebuke all them that shall set themselves against him and against his People Therefore dear Friends wait still on the Lord who is the Strength of Sion and the Redeemer of the Seed of Jacob who hath already for your sakes even for his Seed's sake which he hath raised in you overthrown all that have exalted themselves against him and against his Anointed even Kings Princes Protectors and Parliaments I say the Lord hath overthrown and dashed them in pieces as Potters Vessels because they relieved not the Oppressed nor pleaded the Cause of the Innocent therefore hath swift Destruction overtaken them as an Armed Man and there was none to deliver And for your sakes O ye Sons and Daughters of Sion hath the Lord brought these things to pass that the Nations may know that his Dread and Presence is with you and at all times is amongst you for by you will he make himself known unto this crooked and perverse Generation and they shall confess that God of a truth is in you and amongst you And though his Appearance unto Proud Flesh is without Form or Comliness yet you know him to be as a Lilly among Thorns who is the Beloved of your Souls and the fairest among Ten Thousand who is declaring his strange Acts his wonderful Works in you that which hath been hidden from Ages and Generations past he is now making known even in and through you
whom he hath ordained to sound forth his Mighty Day in the Ears of all Flesh that so all may awake out of the Dust and come to Judgment for now is he risen and arising in all Hearts who sits upon the Throne from before whose Face both the Heavens and the Earth shall flee away and their place shall be no more found And this is he that has long been waited for by many a tender Heart and longing Soul but now is he come and coming and behold his Reward is with him therefore blessed are they that patiently wait for the Day of his Appearance who will wipe away tears from all Faces and Sorrow and Sighing shall be no more then shall all Tyranny and Oppression be destroyed and then shall Peace be establisht in the Earth and Love and Unity among Men even thus shall it be when Sion's King shall come to Reign in Glory for then the Beast and the False Prophet which have long ruled the Nations and deceived those that have dwelt in the Earth and compelled people to worship and bow down to their Abominations and to receive the Mark of the Beast in their Right Hands or in thâ—ir Foreheads even the Mark of Sin and Transgression that Monstrous Beast whose Mark hath long been upon the Nations without which Mark no man hath bought or sold for these many Generations and they that would not receive that Mark came to be slain But now Praises be unto the Lord he hath brought forth many who cannot worship Man's Proud Will that Monstrous Beast neither can they receive his Mark any longer for their Father's Name is written in their Foreheads and they are come forth of great Tribulation and their Garments are washed white in the Blood of the Lamb and these follow the Lamb of God who is now come to take away the Sins of the World whither soever he goeth even Christ Jesus who is the Light of the World who hath enlightned every one that is come into the World with a measure of his true Light Therefore dear Friends you that are obedient to the Light and own it to be your Rule and Guide you are they whom the Lord hath chosen to place his Name in for whose sakes the Lord is now risen to plead with Egypt's King and all his Host and though they now harden their Hearts as an Adamant and bend their Brows as Brass stiffen their Necks as an Iron Sinnew yet will the Lord God bring them low even unto the Dust in this his great Day wherein his Jealousie is broken forth against all Flesh because they have corrupted their Wayes and have not turned at his Reproof but have cast his Judgments behind their Backs and turned his Grace that hath appeared unto thâ—m into Wantonness and trampled the Blood of the Covenant under their Feet but as it was in the dayes of old so will it be now in this latter Generation when Iniquity was at the height and Oppression did most abound in Egypt upon the Hebrews who was the Fleshly Seed of Abraham then did the Lord arise to plead their Cause who brought Judgments and Plagues upon the Land of Egypt and destroyed Pharaoh Egypt's King with all the First-born and all his Mighty Host so likewise Sodom when Iniquities were at the very height and their Sins did greatly abound then did the Lord's Wrath suddenly break forth upon them as soon as Just Lot was put forth from amongst them even in Flames of Fire from Heaven and devoured them so likewise dear Friends you that sigh and cry for the Abominations that are done in the midst of the Earth let not your Hearts faint for behold he that is clothed in Linnen fine and white which is the Righteousness of him that sanctifieth and of them that are sanctified for he that sanctifieth and them that are sanctified are all one He is gone forth to seal and to set a Mark on all your Foreheads that sigh and that cry at the Abominations which are committed by him that makes desolate that sitteth where he ought not and after he hath sealed you all even unto Redemption then shall them that have the charge over the Earth draw near every one with his Slaughter Weapon in his Hand and shall follow after him that has sealed you shall smite and shall not spare neither shall their Eye take pity but they shall utterly slay Old Young both Maid little Children and Women but you upon whom the Mark is they shall not come near him that readeth let him understand for the Lord is risen and he will smite the Earth with a great Slaughter and all Flesh shall know that he is the Lord and that he ruleth over the Kingdoms of men and he will utterly destroy that Nature that hath oppressed his pure Seed in you and in all the Sons and Daughters of Men and his own Seed shall come forth to serve him in Righteousness and true Holiness and though the Whore the Beast and the False Prophet have long born rule over the Heritage of the Lord yet now is the time drawing near when they shall be taken and bound and cast into the Lake which is prepared for them even for that Nature which would not have the Lord nor his Christ to reign over them under that may all the Enemies of the Lord be justly included and that is it which ruleth in the rebellious Sons and Daughters of Men which carrieth them forth into Pride Envy and High-mindedness one towards another and into Disobedience to the Lord and his pure Commands and this is it which the Lord is risen to destroy and not the Creatures for Christ came not to destroy Men's Lives but to save them therefore where-ever thou readest any thing of Destruction it is not meant the Destruction of the Creature or of his Natural Life but the Destruction of that Life in the Creature which rebelleth against the Lord which Life may truly be called Death for if that be followed by the Creature it will be the Death of the Immortal Soul and this is him which the Lord is risen to destroy and not the Creatures therefore saith Christ Jesus O Death I will be thy Death O Grave I will be thy Destruction So Friends this is the Enemy that you are to wait with Patience to see it destroyed in your own Particulars first and then aftewards that you may see it destroyed in others in the general and blessed happy are all you who have witnessed the Dead raised which hath long lain in the Grave under the Chains of Death and can now truly witness your Part in the first Resurrection and that you are truly risen with Christ the Seed for over you the second Death shall have no Power And you Friends that are as yet brought but in part to the Knowledge of these things be still and quiet in your Minds and beware of feeding upon Knowledge which is out of the Life for Knowledge will puff up but it is Grace that edifies therefore wait in the pure Patience that you may feel the Life to stir in you for that is the True Bread that comes down from Heaven which Bread is the Soul's Food for the Soul cannot be satisfied with Knowledge for to Know the Truth and the Things of God and not to live in them therein standeth the Condemnation Therefore dear Friends to whose Hands this may come wait that you may feel the Life which will bring forth the Travails of your Souls and then Knowledge will be encreased and Truth will abound and Eternal Peace and Happiness will attend you wheresoever you go and the Dread and Authority of the Lord will be with you at all Times Seasons as it has been a Dread and a Terror to that Nature in you which rebelled against the Lord whilst you were in the Polutions so likewise if you are faithful the Lord will make you a Dread and a Terror to all Evil-doers wheresoever you come they will be afraid of your Faces and afraid to trasngress against the Lord in your hearing and these things I know that many Thousands can witness to be Truth and all that are faithful shall witness the same and see it accomplished in the Lord 's due time unto whom be Eternal Praises and Dominion given by all that fear him for that he has brought this his wonderful Work to pass and hath revealed his Secrets even to Babes and to such as fear his Name Given forth by one which hath long mourned in Sion and is a Sufferer with the Seed who waiteth for the Redemption of all Creatures from under the Band of Corruption that they may all be brought unto the Glorious Liberty of the Sons of God known to many by the Name of Richard Moore THE END
Way then should that wicked one be revealed whom the Lord would consume with the Spirit of his Mouth and destroy with the Brightness of his Coming And the Apostles declared That Perilous times were at hand and should come wherein men should be Lovers of themselves more then Lovers of God and that they should be Proud Heady High minded men and should have a Form of Godliness but should deny the Power they should be such who seek after filthy Lucre and through Covetousness should make Merchandize of Souls for dishonest Gain and they should be Fierce Despisers of them that are good and should speak Evil of Things they know not but what they know is naturally as Bruit Beasts and in those Things they corrupt themselves these are Murmurers and Complainers walking after their own Lusts and their Mouthes speaking great swelling Words having mens Persons in Admiration because of Advantage these are as raging Waves of the Sea foaming out their own Shame Wandering Stars to whom is reserved the Blackness of Darkness forever therefore the Wo is unto them for they have gone in the Way of Cain and run greedily after the Error of Balaam even for Gifts and Rewards And Enoch the Seventh from Adam prophesied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh in Ten Thousand of his Saints to execute Judgments upon all and to convince all that are Ungodly amongst them of all their Ungodly Deeds which they have ungodlily committed and of all their Hard Speeches which Ungodly Sinners have spoke against him Now these were the Ministers of Darkness therefore they have wrought in the dark their Deeds have been the Deeds of Darkness and these are they that have kept People in Blindness and Ignorance some Thirty some Forty and some an Hundred Years even all their Life time ever learning but they never came to the Knowledge of the Truth by them and these are they which have taught for Doctrine the Precepts of Men and their Precepts are contrary to the Scriptures and are as followeth First They tell People That the Scriptures are the Word of God when there is no such thing mentioned in the Scriptures but they declare that Christ was the Word which was in the beginning with God and was God 2dly They tell People of a Sacrament and some of them of several Sacraments and of Three Persons in the Trinity when the Scripture declares no such thing yet the Father Son and holy Ghost we own which is but one 3dly They Sprinkle Infants with Water and tell the People They are adopted into Christ and are thereby become Members of his Body when there is neither Command nor Example in all the Scriptures for any such thing 4thly They tell People That the First Day of the Week is the Sabbath Day and ought to be kept more holy then any other Day when there was no such thing commanded by Christ nor any of the Apostles 5thly They have told the People That the House made of Lime and Stone is the Church and the Temple of God wherein the Lord dwels when the Scripture declares no such thing but the Contrary that is that God dwelleth not in Temples made with Hands 6thly They taught the People to observe Dayes and Set Times as Christ mas day and Children mas-day and Lammâ—s-dâ—y and Candle-mas-day and Michael's-mas-day with Easter and their Good Fryday and their Whitsuntide and Shrovetide and many other Saints Dayes which are tedious here to mention whereof the Scripture makes no mention And they have told the People That Tythes and Offerings are due to them and Easter-Reckonings and Midsummer-Dues and Smoke-Pennys and Reek-Pennys and Money for Eggs and Gardens with their great fair House and Glebe-Lands whereby they their Wives and Families may live even in the Sins of Sodom which were Pride abundance of Idleness and Fulness of Bread Now this which they call their Dues is the very Pillar and Ground upon which their Gospel and Ministry stands for let this be but taken away and down fall they with their Gospel and Ministry which some of them have not been ashamed to declare in publick Now the Scripture declares not any such thing neither is there any mention made of such Maintenance to be Compelled from the People to maintain them that are the True Ministers who are Called and Chosen and sent abroad from Country to Country and from City to City to declare the Glorious Gospel that the Sound thereof might reach even to the Ends of the Earth and as they received freely so they were to give freely and into what City soever they came they were to enquire who was worthy and there to remain eating such things as were set before them for the Labourer is worthy of his Meat Now thou that readest consider in thy own Heart thinkest thou that the Lord God of Life hath intrusted his Glorious Gospel in the Hands of such Hirelings as before-mentioned who would not declare it to the Poor and Needy whereunto it is the Glad-Tidings of Salvation because they have not wherewithal to satisfie them for it Nay verely nay the Lord never intended any such thing but he sent his Prophets to cry out to every one that thirsts that they might come unto the Waters and take Wine and Milk without Money and without Price And John witnesses that the Spirit saith Come and the Bride saith Come and whosoever is athirst may come and take of the Water of Life freely And Paul affirms That he did not eat any Man's Bread for nought but wrought with Labour and Travail Night and Day that he might not be Chargeable to any but he commanded that if any would not Work neither should he eat Therefore their Maintenance was not so large neither did they sit down in one Place to preach the Gospel some Ten some Twenty and more years and so sit at Ease in Pride and Idleness compelling their Maintenance from the People and making Friends to the Rulers Magistrates having their Persons in Admiration that they may have the Advantage of the Law against the People that they may have their Goods by Violence and cast their Bodies into Prison if they Refuse to put into their Mouthes to satisfie their Lusts as those which have ruled in this long Night of Apostacy have done But the True Apostles who laboured with their own Hands and travailed up and down in Hunger and in Cold who were counted as Vagabonds and not worthy to live upon the Earth by them in whom the seed of the Serpent ruled they fore-told the People that such Ravening Wolves should come who should make a Prey upon the Sheep and as there had been False Prophets in all ages before them even so there should arise False Teachers amongst them who privily should bring in Damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bringing upon themselves swift Destruction and many should follow their pernicious Ways by reason of whom the Way of Truth should be