down in thy Book of Common-Prayer and with mouths and lips so often repeated be thou silent and make no mention of it for thou hast nothing to do with it and though thou hast the words to speak yet thou dost not perform the duty of Prayer being from the Spirit that maketh Intercession with groans that cannot be uttered For Prayer stands not in words but in power and the breathings go forth in secret and the Father that seeth in secret he rewardeth openly and the Babe receives a supply of what it stands in need of and this is performed in the Spirit that knows the need and makes requests with sighs and groans unexpressible and also moves unto words and expressions and here is the unlimited Power which worketh according to the good pleasure of its own Will which thou hast limited in thy set Forms and made Prayers having given forth thy Directions what must be said and how much at a time and people must say no more nor go no further and sometimes thy Minister must say and sometimes the People must say and sometimes the Clerk must say Is not this thy practice in thy Common-Prayer-Book-Worship hast thou not made Epistles and Gospels and Collects and appointed them for their dayes and times and hast thou not made a Letany for thy Priest to say a part and the People to say a part and hast thou not given directions how People must be Married and hast set a Form and made Prayers for the performance of that Service and also how People must be Buried and what is to be said and done in that Service and what the Priest is to say and what the Clerk is to say And hast thou not set a Form and made many Prayers when Bread and Wine is to be received which thou callest a Sacrament and hast thou not set a Form of words for the Priest to say unto the People when he gives it and how it must be received and what words the Priest must speak kneeling and what standing and when he must turn his face to the People and speak with a loud voice and when he must turn his face another way And hast thou not set a Form and made Prayers for Women to be Churched and what the Priest must say and how he must pray in that Service And hast thou not set a Form and made Prayers for Children when they are sprinkled with Water which thou callest Baptizing and hast thou not ordered that there shall be some people provided to undertake for them and hast not thou given them the names of Godfathers and Godmothers and hast thou not ordered that for a Male-Child there must be two Men and one Woman and for a Female two Women and one Man and hast thou not set a Form in words what the Priest must say unto them and what they must say unto the Priest And hast not thou ordered that after all these things performed which thou hast invented then the Priest to pronounce the Peace of God and the Blessing of God upon all the Congregation and then the Service is concluded And is not this thy Common-Prayer-Book-Worship in which thou art limiting the Holy One through thy Tradition and teaching people to ask and pray when the Spirit is not felt to help them And have not people been long asking in thy formed words but have not received neither are they satisfied Oh thou adulterous Tradition what monstrous births hast thou brought forth and what names hast thou given them and how like are thy names unto that which is true Thou hast given thy formed words the name of Prayer and canst say Come let us pray when thou neither feelest the movings of God's Spirit nor his Power but in thy own words which thou hast made and formed canst speak in thy own will and in thy own time and give it the name of Prayer and with thy names hast thou deceived the Nations who have not understood the nature and thy named Church and Preaching and Praying hast thou vailed over with coverings of thy own making which are now rending off from thee and thou canst not hide thy self any longer under the Names for now is the Nature seen in the pure Light of Christ which makes all things manifest and thy Common-Prayer-Book is seen to be conceived in thy adulterous womb and to branch forth from the Pope thy Eldest son and thou art made manifest to be out of the Truth and thy Service and Worship contrary to the Scriptures of Truth and to the Saints Practice who prayed with the Spirit and with the Understanding Trad. But what if my Common-Prayer-Book do not fully agree with the Scriptures and the Saints Practice yet there are many good things in it and many Scripture-sentences which may edifie and comfort Truth That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that is against the Spirit and can neither edifie nor comfort though good words and Scripture-sentences may be spoken for it is not speaking the words of others that doth make a true Prayer or a living Sacrifice but the receiving a measure of the same Spirit of Prayer and Supplication and to feel it poured forth by which Intercession is made and a living Sacrifice performed holy and acceptable which is not in thy Common-Prayer-Book to be found therefore it is made of none effect because thy bowels bring it forth and the Pope gives life and breath unto it and from his loyns it draws its strength and not from the Power of God Trad. I see it is a very hard matter to be owned and received in this day for I could not have been believed that I should have ever been opposed or my Church Preaching or Praying denied but my Singing which is another part of my Worship that is so plainly manifested to be the Saints Practice that certainly there is none can deny that Truth Singing is owned where it is rightly used and practised and who are raised out of the day of mourning by the Power of God and have a Psalm given them in the Spirit they may sing and make melody in their hearts unto the Lord and this is a Spiritual Song which is put into the mouths of the Babes who sing with the Spirit and with the Understanding but David's words being rimed and then tuned and the mouths of Hypocrites filled with them is such a practice as the Saints never used so that the mouths of all thy Singers must be stopped who have never mourned nor have not learned to sing with the Spirit and with the Understanding Trad. But there may be some that are joyful in the Lord and though all cannot witness that state yet they may sing whose right it is Truth None in the Fall have any right to sing but the Ransomed return with Songs and these Songs are not David's words put into meeter and then tuned and sung with a vain mind but the living Praises of the Lord sounded forth of the Babes
far thou art degenerated from the Life and Truth which the Saints enjoyed and possessed and upon which the Church of God hath ever been builded and stood So be cool and hear what Truth saith for now thy Church comes to tryal Thou hast perverted the right way of the Lord by thy Tradition and hast been setting up thy visible things in the stead of that which is spiritual and hast given them a name out of the nature by which thou hast deceived the Nations and thy things that do appear are not the things of God though thou hast made them very beautiful to behold yet a sandy foundation they stand upon and will not abide the day of tryal for the Foundation of thy Church is of thy own laying and the Building is thy own handy-work and thy Church hath been set up in the midnight of Apostasie since the true Church hath been driven into the Wilderness and the Consecration of it hath been performed by men of polluted lips and thy Eldest son hath been the promoter of it who himself hath lost the key of knowledge and so promotes and sets up what thou generates in thy bowels and this is come to pass since the dayes of the Apostles the Spirit of Truth being lost and ravined from darkness hath overspred and gross darkness hath covered and peoples minds have been blinded that thy Witchcraft and Sorceries hath not been perceived and so hast thou formed a false likeness and given it a true name by which thou hast deceived in drawing the minds of people to believe that thy work is that which it is not But the Foundation of God is more sure and the true Church is built upon it and receives its name from the nature and not from any false conception for the Church is in God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and this is the pillar and ground of Truth and is laid upon Christ the living stone in whom the building is fitly framed and groweth up unto an holy Temple in the Lord and it is presented without spot or wrinkle or any such thing and there is the Consecration of it received in the Holiness of his life and he becomes the Head of it and it is truly his own Body which he takes to himself in everlasting Righteousness and espouseth it in his Life for ever and ever and this doth not decay nor wax old but is the same without any variableness throughout all Generations So is thy Church truly tryed and the Foundation of it is found false and the true Church nature it hath not therefore is the name to be blotted out that from henceforth none may be deceived with it Trad. This is strange that my Church should be questioned which through so many Ages hath been much esteemed and promoted and if it be not right then what is become of those that are gone before and did not know it otherwise Truth In thick darkness things seem to be that which they are not but the day makes them manifest as they are and the Light of Christ truly discovers in the ground and being found amiss they must be questioned and also denied And what other Generations have observed and how they walked is not now the question for they knowing no more and being faithful to what they did know they have their reward And this proves nothing for thy false Church and Worship which thou upholdest by thy Tradition and not from the present manifestation of God's Spirit in this Age and Generation Trad. I shall further consider of this but for my Preaching which is a chief thing in my Worship I know that is sound and there can be nothing against it Truth That Preaching which stands in the demonstration of Gods Spirit and in Power is sound Preaching and pierces through the darkness unto that which lies in bondage and revives and raises it in Power But that Preaching which stands in the enticing words of man's wisdom that is not sound and this is the ground of thy Preaching which is so chiefly esteemed by thee in thy Worship and by which thou deceivest many people having got good words and in thy wisdom speakest them forth and labourest in the strength of that wisdom to entice and draw disciples after thee and so dost thou teach for Doctrine thy own Tradition and other mens lines and labours are the strength of thy Preaching and what Ambrose Austine Luther Calvin Gregory and others have said and what Expositions they have made of the Scriptures thou canst say they have well observed And this is the ground of thy Preaching O thou deceiving Tradition And now is thy Preaching found to be out of Truths power and contrary to the Preaching of those that were made able Ministers not of the Letter but of the Spirit Trad. But cannot I have sound Preaching in my Worship though something from the Fathers may be quoted and observed for they have spoken good things and have expounded the Scriptures plainly and given true meanings of them which is a great help in Preaching Truth Sound Preaching is in the Power of God and not from any Exposition or meaning that from others is given upon the Scriptures for who run thither and speak from that they stretch themselves beyond their own measure which the true Preachers dare not do but keep to the gift of God and as it moves in the measure so it is preached and so believed For true Preaching is a declaration of the Truth of God as it doth arise and make it self manifest to the understanding and so there comes to be a true witnessing of it in the Experience through the operation of the Power of God from which it is preached as it is known and this is not found among old Authors and Expositors nor in thy Rhetorick and Logick or in thy made Doctrines Uses Reasons Helps Motives Arguments and Applications but in the Spirit 's Demonstration and in Power Trad. What is it I can say that will be received and not opposed Those things that I have long observed and Ages past have looked at them to be very good now are denyed but for my Praying in my Worship that I know is right and without exception for it is mentioned in the Scriptures and was practised very much by the Saints and I have the Lord's Prayer and have made many other good Prayers and have set them forth which be very useful and comfortable for all conditions and upon all occasions and I have put them together in a Book which I call the Book of Common-Prayer and make use of it in my Devotion and Worship Truth Prayer in the Spirit the Saints practised and their Service was accepted but from this thou art degenerated and in thy Tradition hast made and formed such Prayers as the Lord hath not required neither doth he open his ear to hear them though thou makest many of them and that which thou callest the Lord's Prayer which is so often set
its lawfulness and perform it as a matter of Conscience would you think it reasonable to be compelled from that unto another thing and have another thing imposed upon your Consciences by any outward power which you do not feel a perswasion in your minds unto And if this seem hard unto you if it should be so done Then is it not the same unto another And will you not do unto others as you would have others do unto you And why cannot you be contented in your own perswasion and your own liberty in it without imposing it upon the Consciences of others who are otherwise perswaded And this is not reasonable in the sight of moderate men therefore leave off exercising Lordship that all people may stand in their Liberty and walk as they are perswaded in their own Conscience and impose not your Observations and your Traditions upon any who are not in themselves perswaded of their lawfulness for that makes many Hypocrites but can never make one Christian So there must be first a perswasion wrought in the Conscience and a belief in the Truth and Lawfulness of what is to be observed or the heart can never stand right unto it though it be in great strictness imposed And this brings people but into an appearance and to make a shew of the thing outwardly when the heart is not after the thing which is imposed upon them and when a Conformity is not yeelded as by your Law is required then to proceed in your Cruelty to imprison and persecute the tender-hearted who cannot for Conscience-sake bow to your Traditions This is not reasonable before moderate men nor approved in the sight of the living God Therefore hear and consider ye Bishops Deans Prebends Doctors Vicars and Curates with all Preâ—â—ticals and let your moderation appear for the Lord is at hand and in his Eternal Power your way he is trying and you must come up to the Bar of his Judgment-Seat and give an account and think it not strange to be catechised for you have need to be taught what the first principle of the pure Religion is and if you will but soberly peruse this Catechism you may know and learn that which your Universities could never give you the knowledge of nor all your Learning and Wisdom could ever teach you And in love to the Simple hath Truth opened it self plainly and simply that you might come to know that which in the darkness hath from your eyes been hid and that you might no longer oppose it and persecute those that walk in it but leave Truth to its operation which brings forth true and perfect Freedom and if you did but know the Truth and the Freedom that is begotten in it you would not be so envious against it and set up your Tradition in opposition to it But this is done that the Scripture might be fulfilled they hated me without a cause And this is your honour and worldly glory which lifts you up in pride which God is staining And now do you believe that your Foundation is right and your Building safe I tell you Nay for God will destroy both it and you if you do not speedily cease from it and repent of it and do not busie and throng your selves so much to promote it and to finish it for God hath determined to overthrow it for ever Oh ye deceived men who have no strength but in your Tradition nor no comfort but from the milk of her breast you have been long drawing and sucking and yet are dry and lean and your immortal Souls receive no refreshing nor satisfaction Why are ye so blinded and so much deceived and cannot otherwise be perswaded but that Tradition is the right way and from that Conclusion endeavour an Imposition upon every Conscience when their Faith stands not in the same thing nor are not so perswaded of it as you are and what have you to do to impose Tradition upon the Consciences of others more than others to impose their Opinions and Judgments upon your Consciences And would you judge it reasonable that any should so do unto you And if it belong unto you to do it on your parts more than others to do it on their parts then make it manifest how and from whom you have received that power For moderate men are now satisfied that Schools and Colledges cannot give it you and they are also satisfied that Christ doth not give it you and also that there is no Scripture to warrant you therefore Truth enquires moderately of you from whence and from whom this Imposing Power upon the Consciences of others you receive seeing it is made manifest that you walk by Tradition and not after Christ For Imposition and Persecution are an evident Testimony against you and fully open and make you manifest to be of a contrary spirit unto the Apostles who were hated and persecuted yet they loved and blessed and here they manifested their love unto Him who commanded that they should love their Enemies and do good to those that hated them and they were his Disciples and kept his Commandments And all that truly follow him in this day he begets in them the same mind and they keep his Commandments with joy and dare not persecute any people upon the Earth for their Opinion and Judgment in matters of Religion nor dare they impose any thing upon the Consciences of others by any outward Law but leave it to Him that judgeth righteously who hath the Ruling Power over the Conscience and as he is believed in he works a perswasion in the Conscience unto the Truth as he makes it manifest and then the Truth is joyned unto from a true Perswasion and not from an outward Imposition and you are not to judge in these things for in so doing you take his Right from Him and set up that which is not his and when you have done it then you labour to impose it upon every Conscience And this is a quite contrary thing to the Saints practice who durst not set up any thing that did not stand in the Power of God and when the Power had brought any thing forth they did not impose it upon the Conscience of any by an outward Law that they thereby might compel a Conformity to it but they preached it in the Power and so commended themselves unto every man's Conscience in the sight of God Therefore behold your degeneration and what hath happened unto you in this apostatizing night of darkness in which you have erred from the right way and gone astray from the leadings of God and from the Power of his living Spirit and so have brought forth your own dead works and are serving the living God in them And what you have sought out in your Tradition that you have set up for Doctrine and Worship and would bring all people to bow unto it but now the day declares you and in the Land of Tradition the Light hath found you and the habitation of your dwelling-places is seen under the Groves and green Trees of your own planting and moderate people cannot come unto you nor inhabite with you for your Rest is polluted and sudden destruction is coming upon it Now all Bishops Deans Prebends Doctors Vicars Curates and all Prelaticals turn to the Truth and lay hold upon it and let Tradition go for Truth was before Tradition and the Truth will bring Tradition to an end So your Foundation is not safe nor your Building steadfast but stands in the unstable waters of your own humane Inventions and not upon Christ the Rock of Ages And now Truth hath moderately enquired after you and having found you out of the Life of the Prophets Christ and the Apostles it warns you all to Repentance that the Judgment may be diverted and the hand of Severity stayed which certainly is hastening down upon you without speedy Repentance So escape for your lives that the stroak may not fall upon you and smite you down into the Death for ever Now all you High and Mighty Wise and Learned Ones give ear and hear Truth 's Testimony and see if you can reade the Parable and learn what it means Truth I was a stranger in a far Country and amongst a strange people and under the Government of a strange King I was in great Captivity and a great distance from the Land of my Nativity and I had many heavie Yokes laid upon me and the strange people did evil entreat me and the strange King did sorely oppress me and laid heavie Burdens upon me and when I had any desires towards the Land of my Nativity then did the strange King rise up against me and sorely afflicted me and was cruel towards me I sought how I might get forth of his Country that I might be freed from his Cruelty I sought but I could not find I travelled in sore pain but could not find a man to give me ease Then my sorrow did much encrease and my anguish was sore upon me so that I was near unto fainting and despairing yet a secret hope sometimes rose in me that I should be delivered and set free Then I came into a stillneâ—â— and in quietness stayed and in patience waited though I was desolate and sore afflicted and being brought to stand still add in patience to wait a Deliverer I found near at hand and from the Land of my Nativity a pure Light did shine and in it I see the way opened which passed through the Land and I presently joyned to the Light and it went forward towards the place from whence it came and I followed it diligently Then did the King and People rise to pursue me to have taken and to have kept me but the Light took my part and smote the King with his People and discomfited them and brake the Yoke and removed the Burdens from me it was my guide and led me by the hand and from the wicked King and People it me redeemed Then wâ—s my sorrow turned into joy and my mourning into songs of praises for Deliverance came by an out-stretched Arm and my Freedom was wrought by an invisible living Power unto which my Testimony stands for ever TRVTH In outward Bands at Worcester but inwardly free in the Life of my Well-beloved THE END