action before life thereby to attain life and so we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them and this is ordained of God to be the fruit of our life and faith and in these good works we walk to his glory and depends upon him alone for the renewing of our strength to continue in them unto the end Q. But how do you manifest your good works which you say are ordained of God for you to walk in A. By our faith we manifest them and the manifestation doth clearly demonstrate the nature and root to be of God in which they are created and the nature and root in which they are created being of God they must needs be good and so they are good works as being of God and of God ordained that we should walk in them and that of God in every conscience bears witness to the same so that we know all our works to be wrought by him in us and for us and we do walk in them who are born of him and he alone hath the glory though the natural man perceiveth not from whence they are nor whither they goe Q. And is it your faith and love towards God that makes you such a willing people to serve God and to do his will A. Yes it is so for the day of his power hath overcome us and therein he hath begotten us unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and in him our faith and love is encreased and strengthened to run without weariness for in his life we have motion and action whereby we are willingly disposed to serve him and to do his will Q. But how do you know all these things you act and do are the commands of God and according to his will A. By the word of his power in us through which we are made sensible of all his commands unto us for as we are born of him so we know his voice and by his word we are instructed in his commands and thereby put upon motion to act and do them and in our duty he gives us his peace by which we know that all those things which we act and do are his commands unto us and according to his will Q. But are you so constrained through your faith and love towards God as to answer him in all things that he commands you A. Yes for if we should say we love him and do not keep his commands we should be lyars but we do so love him and our faith is so stedfast in him as that we are thereby constrained to keep his commands in all things for it is natural unto his own birth to delight to do his will and to do whatsoever he commandeth and hereby we know that his love is perfected in us and our faith and love is single unto him and as his good will is manifested unto ns even so is our hearts disposed in good will towards all men Q. What good will have you to such as you judge and condemn because they are not like-minded with you A. Much every way for that which we judge and condemn in any is only that spirit which wrongs them by which our good will is manifested unto that which suffers wrong and this is our judgment according to truth and knowing that the judgment of the Lord is according to truth and having felt it so in our selves through the condemnation of sin in the flesh we judg sin in the flesh in whomsoever it reigns that sin in the flesh may be condemned and they in the spirit may be justified and herein we manifest the universal love of God to be shed abroad in our hearts in which our good will extendeth unto all men Q. And is that the love with which you love your enemies A. Yes for as God had pity upon us in the day of our alienation from him and followed us with many tender visitations and also many righteous judgments even so we know that he would not have a sinner to perish and in this love we labour for the good of all people and it is the greatest manifestation of love to an enemy when his destruction is not sought but rather a condescending to recover him out of the state of his enmity into a state of reconciliation and peace and we know that there is none that are enemies unto us but they are enemies unto God and crucifies his life in themselves and therefore our love is in pity towards them though they be enemies unto us knowing that they cannot have peace with God whilst in that state they remain Q. And are you so disposed towards your enemies as that you cannot seek rerevenge when they do you wrong A. Yes that is the disposition of our nature not to seek revenge though we do suffer wrong for the revenging nature is in the fall in which people are enemies unto God and one to another but it is not so with us whom God hath redeemed for though we may have many enemies yet we are not enemies unto any though in the power of God by which we are redeemed we do bear testimony against the evil and the sin and that spirit in us doth not seek after revenge but in all long-suffering and patience we bear the enmity of our enemies and waits to see their conversion out of the enmity whereby our good will is manifested in love to their souls Q. But are you not the cause of the sufferings that comes upon you as being contrary minded unto all other people and so are enemies to your selves A. Nay the cause of our sufferings are not from our selves but from that spirit which cannot bear our testimony which God hath given us which testimony being contrary unto the actings and workings of the spirit of darkness it provokes the minds of such in whom it ruleth to enmity against us and that is the ground why sufferings comes upon us and we are clear for being enemies unto our selves in it as having our faith and love towards God in those things for which we suffer Q. But why can you not be conformable unto those things which other people observe and practice outwardly and yet keep your Faith and love towards God inwardly and so have your Faith to your selves A. Because we dare not deny or own that outwardly which God doth manifest to us inwardly either to be truth or out of the truth for so we should deny our Faith and love towards him every way and it is not possible that any should keep Faith and love to God inwardly and conforme to any practice outwardly which is contrary to their inward principle for as the body without the Spirit is dead so Faith without works is dead also and they that have Faith to themselves in the power of God they also have Faith in him to serve him in works of truth and righteousness and so we shew
we in it and so be put out of all doubts and questions in the reasonings concerning us and receive satisfaction in all things that pertaine unto us in life and godliness in which our Religion is pure holy and undefiled and was before unholiness or unrighteousness was and will remaine in iâ—s purity vvhen years shall pass avvay and be no more and this is the meaning of our doctrin to bring people to the everlasting word of God in themselves that they may come into rest and peace in the pure Religion where God is known in his loves grace and riches of mercy Q. If your Faith give you such assurance of your principle and Religion to be true and right then why cannot you defend it by force and so free your selves from that outward bondage which you suffer for your Religion A. Our Faith doth give us such an assurance but yet we cannot strive with our opposers and oppressours nor any way by force of carnal weapons seek to defend it for we know that it is sufficient to defend it self also to defend us that live in it and our weapons are Spiritual and not carnal we fight the good fight of Faith in the power of the Prince of peace and so we war against sin but followes peace with all men and can be ready in every office of love to doe good to our greatest enemies and herein we have been sufficiently proved to be a peacable people under every power by which we have or doe suffer and we have never resisted nor sought revenge upon any but in all things commits our cause unto God in whose sight we stand approved and he knows that as we are in words or appearance even so we are the same in heart and unto his judgement and tryall we appeale in our innocency and the principle of his life in every one doth bear witness for us and all that hearken unto it will receive a true evidence in themselves concerning our innocent and peaceable life Q. And doe you refer your tryal in all things to your own principle in others which you say is Christ the light and life and witness of God A. Yes We doe so for as we know that all judgement in heaven and earth is committed unto Christ so we know that there is not another that can truly try or judge of us besides him and therefore we have boldness to refer our tryal in all things unto him alone as knowing that his tryal and judgement is according to truth in every man and as our Faith is in him and our love unto him so we know that he will not condemne the works of his own hands but justifie the fruit of his own life power and virtue and his tryal and judgement will clearly evidence for us that we are his and not our own Confession It may now be perceived that you do not hold or maintain the things that you do to be from your selves or in your own wills but from Christ the foundation and principle A. Yes it is plainly so for of our selves we can do nothing but through Christ in whom vve have our strength vve are able to do all things so that our sufficiency is in him alone and by his power in us all our good works are wrought for us and unto him they all return that he in all things may have the preheminence and the glory for ever Resolved It being so there is no good ground why you should be called in question or any way suffer for your Faith and Religion seeing that what you do is from the power of Christ and his works are not to be denyed by any nor you to suffer in any case for the faith you have in him and the love you have to him and seeing that you deny your selves in what you do which many hitherto have thought you did not and that you are willing to be tryed and Judged according to the Judgment of truth in Christ you ought not in any wise to suffer by any other Tryal or Judgment whatsoever and all sober moderate people may be well satisfied with this Demonstration that your principle is of God and that your faith and love is unto God and your good will unto all men and none need not any farther stand in doubt of the truth of it but may be fully perswaded that you have Salvation and Eternal life by Jesus Christ which may overcome all that are yet contrary minded unto you to joyne with your principle that they may be of your Faith and Religion who are a people that loves God so singly and lives amongst men so peaceably which indeed doth clearly manifest your principle and Religion to be of God W. S. THE END A manifestation of Prayer in Formality and Prayer in the Spirit of God IT hath been a common Observation through Ages and Generations to perform something as a duty unto God by way of Prayer this common observation hath descended from one generation to another ever since the Apostacy entred in a customary and formal way still observing the practice in words and continuing the same as a duty unto God in the same manner and form not at all regarding or considering the present want or necessity of the present Age or Generation nor the present states and conditions of particular people but praying in the same Words and in the same Form from time to time and from generation to generation and so it flows as a natural stream in a common and customary practice from one generation to another and hence it is that people continue asking but do not receive because they ask amiss not feeling the Spirit that makes intercession And so the Pharisees made long prayers but received the greater damnation because they prayed not in the Spirit but in the customary formality which by the Spirit was condemned And it is very sad that people should all their life-time be complaining and asking and never come to receive satisfaction And this is the common way of Prayer in this present generation who have many prayers in formed words and with their mouths do often repeat them and in the formality make a practice of them and so at set-times and in set-prayers spend away their dayes but feel not the Lord nor his goodness And this common way of Prayer now used in the common Worship never brings people to obtain but keeps them alwayes asking where in answer to the Commandments they pray no this wise Lord have mercy upon us and encline our hearts to keep this Law and write all these thy Laws in our hearts we beseech thee Now if they would encline their hearts to the Spirit of God in themselves and obey it then the Spirit would encline their hearts to keep God's Law and the Spirit would write his Law in their hearts and put it into their inward parts and it would keep them that they should not depart from it and there they would feel
our Faith by our works for the Spirit of Faith being lived in as the inward principle the body is disposed by its motions and it doth never dispose the body to conform unto any outward thing which is contrary to its own nature so that the body is not to act the spirit but the spirit is to act and govern the body and where it is so both the inward and the outward agrees in one and there is faith inwardly and good works outwardly and we have a good evidence of the spirit in our selves that so it is with us whereby we are preserved upon our foundation inwardly and for joyning with any practice that is contrary to it outwardly and here our bodyes are alive unto God in his spirit and are acted and ordered by the power of it according to his will and vvhere it is not so there is not the sence of the spirit in the body and so a dead body vvhich others may move and order in their own vvay Q. Well but demonstrate in some particulars your Non-conformity as first why you cannot conform to the Discipline of the Church of England as it is now established outwardly A. Because vve do not find that it is established upon our foundation and principle inwardly and therefore vve cannot have faith in it nor love towards it and if vve should conform to it outvvardly contrary to the inward principle of our faith vve should commit sin for that which is not of faith is sin and if vve should do so vve should commit a great evil and our faith and love unto God vvould be lost and therefore it is vvhy vve cannot conform to the vvay and Worship now observed according to that Discipline or order because the spirit of God by which our bodyes are alive to God doth not so order and dispose us and vve dare not order our bodies in our own choice for if we could do so and not sin against God vve should rather chuse to conform then suffer but vve know that if vve should do so vve could not keep our consciences void of offence towards God though we might in so doing please many men but should come under his rebuke and correction for transgression and so in our single faith and love towards God we stand in the will of God and dare not move to observe any thing outwardly but as the motion of his power and life disposes us inwardly in which vve have true peace and satisfaction in our greatest tribulations and hereby it may be understood why vve cannot conform in this particular Q. And why is it that you cannot swear at all A. Because it is contrary to our inward principle and our principle being the truth it self we know that as we are acted and disposed by its motion that all our words promises and engagements are sure and stedfast for they are firmly established in our principle and therefore we dare not swear at all knowing our yea is yea and our nay is nay in a sure and stedfast principle that changes not and our faith and love towards God is in our principle and if we should swear at all we should deny our principle which is Christ the truth vvho commands us not swear at all and our faith standing in him and our love being towards him we are constrained to keep his command because we know that all his commands are according to truth and we believe that if we should swear at all vve should go into transgression and fall under condemnation and then we should loose the answer of a good Conscience and peace with God which is of more value unto us then the highest favours in the world Q. But doth your faith and love which you say is towards God lead you wholly into opposition to the ordinances of men who are to rule and govern Nations and Kingdoms A. Nay our faith and love towards God makes us to be subject to the Ordinances of men for the Lords sake and we do not despise Government outwardly but do believe that actual subjection ought to be given in all things that pertain to the preservation and well-being of such as are under the power of it and for this cause pay we Tribute and Custome and that not only for fear but for Conscience sake whereby our actual Subjection is manifested and our Consciences kept void of offence towards God and men for as we know that our inward principle is just and righteous in it self so vve believe that every power in outward Government that rules in Justice and Righteousnesse between man and man is to be owned and submitted unto and not in any wise to be resisted or denyed and this is something of our faith concerning this particular vvhereby it may appear that vve are not vvholly in opposition to the Ordinances of men as they act in Justice and Righteousness for the well-being one of another which is the main end of all outward Government Q. But do you not believe that you ought in all things to be actually subject according to the institutions of Laws which are in being A. Nay that is not our Faith for vvhere any Law concerns our Consciences and that contrary to our inward principle in that case vve dare not be actually subject for as our principle is the greatest in power and so it is most worthy of our subjection and our faith and love constrains us so to do and vvhere any outward Law lyes against our inward principle as to things pertaining to our Consciences vve in that case are passive and patiently suffers under it and so vve believe and are sure that the exercise of our Consciences in matters of Worship and Religion is to stand single unto God alone and not to be restrained or limited by any Ordinance of men Q. Why can you not give respect and honour unto persons that are in power and Government according to the Customs which are used A. Because it is against our faith to respect persons according to customes for we have not the faith our Lord Jesus Christ in respect of persons and yet we give honour and respect to all men unto vvhom it is due but the Hat and Knee is a beggarly honour and not worthy to be either given or received for honour being far below the honour that comes from above and we being born of the Royal seed of God we cannot give honour to any thing below it and all the customs that are in being and given and received for honour amongst men they are all below the Royall seed and the birth born of the seed can neither give nor receive such honor and this is our faith in this particular That we are to honour God and all men in the Lord but Customs and Observations with the Hat and Knee we believe and are sure that God doth not require us to give respect or honour unto any person after that manner and by our faith we live in our principle
and vve know that there is no honour due unto any man but as he hath some union with the light and power of God in himself which is the principle unto vvhich all honour belongs and unto such we can give honour with our hearts though our Hats remain in their place of service and our bodies stand without moving and this is the honour which we do give unto vvhom it belongs and it is the honour from above and not from below Q. And why is it that you are so contrary minded unto all other people both in your behaviour and language seeing there is none besides you that behaves themselves after such a manner and you being so contrary unto all people in your behaviour and language it makes you rediculous in their eye and to become a reproach in your generation A. The reason why we are contrary minded unto all other people in such things is this we being come unto Christ the light life and truth we are come to a principle which differs from other people and as we are regenerated and born again of incorruptible seed we are not of the same minde as other people are nor as we our selves sometimes have been when we lived in the vanities of our mindes and as our change is wrought by the power of God so is the Spirit of our mindes renewed unto God and our behaviour and language is from that which is pure in it self and as is the root so are the branches and in this lyes the difference between us and other people which is the cause that makes us rediculous in their eye no that our behaviour and language are so in themselves but proceeding from a plain simple honest minde in us according to truth and righteousness the heady and high minded looks upon them as rediculous because contemptible in their eye and so speaks reproachfully and scornfully of us for our behaviour and language is from another principle then other peoples are and if it was not so we should be as much esteemed and respected amongst them as when we were one with them in behaviour and language which now being made to differ in our principle and to appear contrary unto them their reproach and scorn fals upon us as a rediculous people but we know it is better with us now that we endure such reproaches because of our difference then in the time when we lived in the pleasure of sin and had respect and esteem and not reproach and scorn Q. But is there not some which hold an inward principle as you doe and yet doe not behave themselves after your manner but can observe the things that are in custome both in behaviour and language A. There may be some such but they are not upon our foundation and though they may hold an inward principle yet they are not of us for we know that the birth of the flesh hath an inward principle and that will allow the liberty in behaviour and language according to the customes used but we say that such an inward principle that doth allow such an outward practice is not of God but of the flesh which answers the nature and will of the flesh in behaviour and language and we cannot follow such as our examples though they may hold an inward principle but are made to differ from them both in root and branch for we believe and are sure that the Son of God is come unto us and hath given us an understanding to know him that is true and we are in him that is true and being in him that is true we know our behaviour and language is according to truth and so we know that all our works are wrought in God and by Faith in him we stand and unto him alone gives glory for ever Q. But how may people come to be satisfied that it is so with you as you say more then with others who may say as much for themselves in their way as you doe in yours A. There is no other way for any people to be satisfied in this matter but by taking heed to the principle of God in themselves for as we are born of God there is none can know us as to be satisfied concerning us either in principle or practice but as they come to the same principle in which we are for if people will onely reason about things that differ they may weary themselves and yet never be satisfied for we doe not onely say that so it is with us and so press it upon others to believe it barely from our sayings but we press all people to a joyning with the light and power of Christ within them and if they come unto that then we know that we shall be manifest in their consciences and be known where we are and so it is not what we or any others may say in our own case that can give true satisfaction to any enquirer but what the witness of God in the conscience saith for if that doe not seale to what is said there is not any thing that is said which can clearly evidence the matter in question and if vve be not found by the vvitness of God to be as vve say then let us not be believed but if vve be so then people may be satisfied that vve are not only sayers but also doers and if vve cannot be believed by our sayings being others may say as much as vve in their ovvn case yet let us be believed for our vvorks sake vvhich from our principle is manifest to be of God vvhereby vve are distinquished from all faire sayers vvho may have many good words but not in the life and so are fruitless in good works and the witness of God will never answer with a seale unto their sayings though they may speak never so faire but we know that whosoever doth the Fathers will shall perfectly understand our principle doctrin and works by which they may come to be satisfied that we doe not speak of our selves nor act of our selves but in the eternal motion of the power and life of Christ who is our foundation and principle and they that would be satisfied concerning us any way they must finde us and know us in the principle of life where we are and not in their own reason where we are not for it is not possible to finde a man where he is not or to know him untill he be found and beheld in the place where he moveth and so let none reason about us for there they can never know us or come unto us but let all feele to that of God in them and be faithfull to it and then they will not say the Quakers Religion is but young in years or lately come up and we know them not nor what their new doctrin meanes by which people comes to be so altered and changed but they will know and understand that our life is hid with Christ in God and that his life appears in us and