God And now after all the spoil that hath been made on the Goods and Persons of an innocent people many of whose bloods have been shed in your Streets witness Horsly-down meeting After all this the matter of Fact which the Innocent people called Quakers have been accused of it hath not at all been prov'd against them neither hath there been any cause of a ground given to suspect their Meetings to be any wayes tending to Sedition c. They have been alwayes peaceable on their parts and therein the peace and well-being of all hath been sought When you are awakered and the Book opened wherein your wickedness is recorded then will the Meetings of the People called Quakers appear unto you as aforesaid And so all you who are wondering at a peoples standing still in Silence to wait upon the Living God to receive Counsel of him that by the same they may be guided in the way and path of Life would it not be good if all would do the same And not run forward in Satans Counsels in envy hatred and malice till you come to be bitten and devoured one of and by another What is it the near to have the names of Christians when there is none of Christs Spirit or Nature in you Be not deceived the Living God will not be mocked though in his tender mercy he hath yet spared many Vials of wrath and hath not poured them forth but instead thereof he hath caused many to go out in dread and fear to testifie of his good will upon repentance and amendment of life but that love having been slighted the contrary will come heavy at last and then your courage and valour which you have exercised against an innocent people that will fail you and fear and trembling and amzement that will seize upon you Brambles and Thornes whose nature is to Tear and Rend cannot stand against a consuming Fire Come hearken all that have a Finger in this Dish have you not betrayed your Master are you not called Christians and should not Christians have all one Master Did not the name of Christian come by him who is Master of all and hath all power in Heaven and Earth and was it not given to them who came out of the Heathenish nature who came under the power which was manifest to destroy the works of the Devil and the nature of the Devil's power which is to Rend Tear and Devour coming in Troops as he did upon Jobs Goods in Troops of Caldeans and Bands and Troops of Sabeans So have not you who are in the same works now as the Sabeans and Caldeans were then in spoiling the Goods of Innocent men who love that which is Evil have you not betrayed your Lord and Master having given your selves up to serve a wicked Ruler he that is Prince of the power of darkness who hath his rule in his Servants who are departed from their obedience to him who is Lord and Master of all and ought to be served and feared by all since there is no blessing nor any thing that is good but what is of him and from him who created all and upholds all who is Lord of all blessed for ever Come be awakened and hearken where do you find by the example or Doctrine of Christ Jesus who is Lord of all and hath all power in Heaven and Earth or do you read of any such works afore-mentioned done by him or his Followers No no you have betrayed him who call him Lord and yet live in such works of malice and revenge he taught and teaches quite contrary even to learn of him who is meek and lowly in heart admonishing all to love one another and to do good for evil and to love enemies who dwell with them that are of a contrite and humble spirit who teaches the humble and meek and who washeth and cleanseth his Followers from their filth as in dayes past so to day and for ever Oh you betrayers of him who have rendred him a hard Master in that you deny him for he is righteous just and true and gives power to them that receive him and obey him patiently to bear the reproaches of the wicked and to undergo their cruel mockings and scoffings and spoilings till his pleasure is to plead the cause of the Innocent who have no Arm of Flesh nor Carnal weapon but their trust is in him who is Lord of all unto whom all Tongues must confess and every Knee must bow though for a while the wicked with their Ruler the Devil may be loose he must be chained at last and cast into the Lake of Fire where their part and portion will be who continue serving him a sad Bargain So all you betrayers of the just holy principle of Light and Life in your hearts be awakened come see what a Dream you have been in and what Dreamers you have followed who are out of the way of the Lord and yet for lucre sake by art and policy keep people confessing they are out of the way of the Lord perswading it s not to be found or as if there were no such thing Oh be awakened and see what a Dream you are in and what silly Dreamers these are who have put from them Christ the way of Truth and the Life by which all that ever come to God it must be by him whom many have found so cannot but confess him before men there being no other way out of Evil and which brings and leads to peace this is a perfect way and tryed way into which no unclean person nor envious person can come into he must forsake his Envy and uncleanness and all the Devils works if ever he comes there Come don't stop your Ears and shut your Eyes it will be all in vain for he that is Lord Master and Creator of all sees and beholds all you can hide nothing from him and he will call you to an account then what can the betrayers say Oh you whose dayes are not quite over consider what you are a doing and what you are a treasuring up malice envy and hatred are from a rupt root and ground which is cursing Come be awakened cease to do evil then learn to do well if happily you may obtain mercy restore the pledge and repent Keep nothing back that hath been taken by violence Be awakened and see how filthy your hands are through Malice and Cruelty which hath brought a filthy smell and curse upon your Estates a sad portion for your Children for their Fathers to die with their Estates entailed in the Curse the which can never be removed from Father or Child till the cause of the Curse be repented of and done away and so the hands wasted in innocency until which time every one shall bear his own iniquity because of the accursed thing that is in their hands So out of love to Truth and good will to all is this written whatever construction you may make thereof into whose hands
quarter And he did not rail in saying so he spoke the Truth Read what wicked motions there was in the flesh and the motion of the true Prophet against them said he They were as fed Horses every one neighed after his neighbours Wife Jer. 5. The Prophets prophesie falsly and the Priests bear rule by their means and my people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end thereof Read the true Prophets motion in the word of Truth against the false fleshly Prophets motion Who moved for handfuls of Barley and pieces of Bread Ezek. 13. Read how wicked they were The wicked false Teachers in this Age have a larger and richer Trade they move for Thousands of Pounds The true Prophet moving in the Truth cryed out against the horrible wicked fleshly motions of the Priests and said As troops of Robbers wait for a man Hosea 6. so the company of Priests murder in the way by consent for they commit lewdness Observe they were agreed in their motion Read the wicked motions of a wicked spirit in the Presidents Princes Governours Counsellers who moved the King to make an unalteralterable Decree to insnare Daniel Dan. 7. because he was Honest and Just And though Daniel was acquainted therewith and knew the penalty yet he was moved in a good Spirit to open his Windows and pray as before And read what became of the motions of the wicked and also of the blessed motions The good Spirit in the Prophet moved him to testify against the false Spirits motions both in head and tail Said he The heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for Hire Mic. 3.1 and the Prophets thereof Divine for Money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us none evil can come upon us Oh the presumption and confidence of wicked motions and observe how hireling Priests were cryed out against in former dayes as well as in these last dayes Christ in his Doctrine gave people warning To beware of the Scribes which love to go in long Clothing and love Salutations in the Market places Mark 12. and the chief Seats in the Synagogues and the uppermost Rooms at Feasts Which devour Widows houses and for a pretence make long Prayers But they are worse that make Widows and devour Estates examine the Jailers Calenders for near 30 years last past Acts the 20. The Apostle was moved by a good Spirit to declare what should come after him saying For I know this that after my departing shall grievous Wolves enter in among you not sparing the Flock And what a wonderful motion this wicked generation have had for near this 30 years let all them that have heard and seen and are more moderate and wise in heart judge 1 Joh. 2. There you may read that there was then many Antichrists and the evil motions of that wicked Spirit the which was then in the World Chap. 4.3 was to deny Christ's coming in flesh And John being in the Spirit on the Lords day had wonderful things revealed unto him both of the Beasts rising out of the Sea and out of the Earth Revelation and with what swelling Pride he exalted himself over the Saints and Servants of the Lord God And how that Kings agreed to give their strength and power unto the Beast with one mind to make War with the Lamb and the Lamb shall overcome them For he is Lord of Lords and King of Kings and they that are with him are blessed and chosen and faithful And he saw the downfall of Babylon and the End of the Beast and false Prophet Read chap. 19. And this is coming to pass and must be fulfilled glory praises and honour be given to the Lord God forever And thus unprejudiced Reader who hath some Breathings after the knowledge of the Lord and canst not take up a rest in a sinful state but desires that true Judgment may go forth Here is plain Truth and also some brief instances therein which is but few to what might be given from Genesis to the Revelations of the wicked Spirits motions and their Effects and of the blessed motions of Gods good Spirit and their Effects by which thou mayest see by the fruits and practices who are of that brood and generation of Cain and his followers and who are of the generation of Abel and his followers And what a wicked proud arrogant Spirit that is which dares presume to limit the moving of Gods holy Spirit in its Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration And by which wicked and presumptuous works that proud ambitious and aspiring Spirit hath turned the very end and tendency of the love and mercy of God in the moving of this holy Spirit through holy Men in giving forth those blessed Testimonies and Prophesies in Scriptures even quite to another use then intended And how the Antichristian Spirit which was in the World in the Apostles dayes wrought in a Mistery of Iniquity and in Confessions and Professions from the true witnesses Testimony that Christ was come into the World and how he was Born and how he Suffered and was Ascended and will come again which is all true But under this fair covering the Merchants of Babylon set up their Trades and fraighted their Vessels with the Whores Trumpery and with fair Speeches and good Words out of the Life out of the Power they have deluded poor Souls making Merchandize of them setting up that which is profitable in the way of righteousness for the way of righteousness and so excluded the second coming of Christ in Spirit to them that look and wait for him without sin unto Salvation This great mistery the which is Christ in us the hope of Glory the way of Truth and Life the way of Righteousness unto the Father out of which none can come unto him this by their Arts they have wholly excluded And thus having set the Scripture for a chief rule and only rule of Life they have excluded the Spirit of Truths guide and leadings the which the Scripture directs unto and so set the Scriptures above the Spirit by the moving of which they were given forth And the Words and Writings of the Scripture they have set up for the word it self And this Spirit having put the Declaration and Writings of Matthew Mark Luke and John for the Gospel here the Gospel the power of God that is excluded and Christ the word of God in the heart and mouth that is excluded And thus having turned the Scripture upside down The man of sin the Son of Perdition 2 Thes 2.3 who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God And now saying in effect that the day of Christ is past as touching his appearance and coming in the flesh he is at a remoteness or distance from his people Now Revelations are ceased say they and the best
the Lord hath ordained for peace is witnessed and in and by this great Ordinance are all Ordinances necessary to Salvation clearly understood So blessed are they who cease from their own vain labour and works and believe and wait upon the Lord to partake of his glorious works to expel the clouds of darkness and to command his Light to shine out of it in the heart to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ here 's the pure powerful foundation which God hath laid for all mankind to believe in and build upon and all that labour in darkness to comprehend what the Light is it s all vain labour though Light doth shine in darkness yet darkness cannot comprehend it and Christ knew what he said when he said I am the Light of the World though the World through malice envy and prejudice are so corrupted and darkened that he is become unto them a stumbling stone and a rock of offence yet he is the Light of the World and doth light the Candle of the wicked but when the wicked are lighted and their wickedness manifest they often hate Light that makes manifest their wickedness and puts out the Candle and so adds sin to sin in getting covers to hide their transgression And to such the hands of the Lord is stretched out in the love and mercy to them but all gain-sayers of it do turn into vanity calling good evil and evil good light darkness and darkness they call light and herein they reject love and mercy and imbrace hatred and lay other foundations which the Lord hath not laid and so labour in vain and build in vain which are all for the fire and must be destroyed the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Oh that people would consider and be wise and not go on to provoke the Lord to shut them out into utter darkness for out of darkness people are invited to turn to the Light and from Satans power unto God that they may have a sense and knowledge of his love and mercy who gives remission of sins to them who truly and unfeignedly repent of them and forsake them approving themselves before him in so doing and imbraceth that love and mercy and good will therein and so watching and walking in his light there will be more light and understanding given of his way truth and life the which he is making known in the Earth and his Salvation among his people Therefore be admonished not to provoke him and harden your hearts against his reproofs for in so doing you will be more and more confounded and your bonds of corruption in darkness will be made stronger and when his good Spirit hath done striving and the light and councel thereof be taken from you then will you be left in utter darkness where is weeping and gnashing of Teeth For of a Truth the Lord is risen in great power to break down all the pleasant pictures and likenesses which mankind in their corrupt wills and affection have made of Religions and Worships and through their dark immaginary works therein they have opposed the Lords making known the true Religion and the true Worship which Christ did and doth set up in his Spirit of Truth and is standing and remains firm and unchangeable And therefore in the bowels of love I admonish all you who are not come to a true sense and experience of the Lords good will and pleasure in making known his way Truth and Life but are in some tenderness in panting after the Lord for the knowledge of his good will and pleasure therein I desire you to be perswaded to consider whether you have believed in the Light that comes from him and leads to him and if you were true believers in God and in his Christ then you cannot deny the manifestation of love and light that comes from him for what is known of God is manifest in us he shews it unto Oh it s a good thing to wait upon the Lord in Truth with a single eye unto him who sits with light and understanding of his blessed way Truth and Life Christ that was before Abraham and was in the body which was prepared for him to do the will of his Father in which he suffered without the Gates of Jerusalem by wicked hands and rose again and shewed himself unto many hundreds of witnesses and hath many thousand witnesses this day of his sufferings and resurrection who is the same yesterday to day and forever a mistery which is hid from the worldly wise and prudent who live in an exaltation above the pure holy manifestation of the Light of Gods holy Spirit and so neglecting the one thing necessary do live in the many things where offence to the just is given dayly and the movings of Gods good Spirit is grieved and quenched and then comparing themselves with themselves and measuring themselves by themselves they are not wise in heart and therefore are they shut out from the knowledge of the way of Truth and Life Therefore I do perswade all to wait low at wisdoms gate for the opening thereof that your hearts may be seasoned with grace and then that which hath been of low degree as to the esteem mankind hath had of it by the savour of Gods grace it will be beloved and esteemed and exalted and those dark immaginary works which hath been lets and hindrances of the knowledge of the Truth Way and Life they will be hated and disesteemed And things will be put in order by the true wisdom to the praise and honour of God and to the great peace and comfort of all the truly humble in heart And thus in a few plain words is this Testimony of Truth given forth for the Information of the truly breathing and thirsting Souls after the Way Truth and Life and the righteousness therein The which the Lord God Almighty exalt more and more unto the breaking forth of the day of his perfect love unto all them that seek him in Truth and with an upright heart Stephen Smith The 27th day of the 9th Month 1675. The LIFE OF CHRIST Which is the LIGHT of MEN Exalted above the WORKS of DARKNESS Being an Answer to a BOOK Intituled The Fundamental Error of the Quakers Detected By an Author who hath concealed his Name Herein is proved That men may not become Christians by following the Light within Rom. 1.18 19. For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the Truth in unrighteousness Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them for God hath shewed it unto them Printed in the Year 1678. An Answer to a Book Intituled The Foundamental Error of the Quakers detected Or That men do not become Christians by following the Light within without Outward Teaching c. THese are the works of the power of Darkness to render the Light of Christ Jesus of it self insufficient
the true Spouse and so running and hunting after others blessed works and experiences have set up Trades in their Arts of telling and boasting of others Lives and Works where that adulterated Spirit hath covered them who are corrupted with her Sorceries and Witchcraft under various fashions of Confessions and Professions of God and his Christ But underneath these coverings are the same wicked hands by which the Just hath suffered and been rejected and set at nought in all Ages And through the blessed works of the Light of God's holy Spirit these corrupt workers and works of darkness being discovered and a Righteous Testimony in Thousands that stand against them what a sad work do these blind Leaders make to hide themselves from the wrath of the Lamb that is coming upon them looking back to the several Traditions Customs and Commands of men from whence they drive several establishments upon fleshly rotten Foundations as Covenant and Directory of man's none of God's Foundation Christ God's Foundation is a pure holy unspotted Foundation where God's Wisdom and Counsel directs in and through the works of his holy Spirit the which are perfect and good in every degree thereof by which people are built up a Spiritual house to the honour and praise in and through God's blessed works forever So to God's Covenant and Works must all mankind be brought under that are redeemed and made alive to God therefore we deny the Presbyterians Covenant and Directory as being but a meer Parcel of Conceivings and Imaginations which tends to hide the holy Covenant and Foundation of the Righteous people in Generations past and now present in being who were and are built upon the sure Foundation which God hath laid and thereon in Covenant with his righteous holy works And concerning your Foundation who are built upon a Church-Faith made up by an Assembly of Diviners out of their own Brain in the fleshly Comprehensions its man's work full of blemishes and spots and not God's God's Foundations and Works thereon are pure and holy without spot wrinkles or blemish And forasmuch as your made up Faith and Works tend to the making void the pretious Faith of God's Elect which is the gift of God the which purifies the heart and works by love and giveth victory over the old World of Transgression and sin without which there is no pleasing God And so to this one Faith one Baptism and one Lord Testimony is given and against all feigned Faiths the works of men's hands the which are in wickedness by which the Just was slain And concerning that head of the Beast which is branched out into several Horns in feigned Humility and Will-worship intruding into things which they are not led into by the Light of God's holy Spirit and therefore their Foundation being not from a certain knowledge of the immediate works of God's holy and blessed Spirit in them But are in their own willings and running into Imaginations and Conceivings about the Practices of the holy men of God but being out of their Spirit and Works therein what dark works of plungings and dippings in outward Water and imaginary fellowships in outward Elements but being out of a true sense of the works of God's Spirit and its inspiration to enlighten them and give them an understanding of the Times and Seasons of the Dispensations and Works of the mighty God what strangers are they to the New Birth and the one Baptism of Christ with Fire and the holy Spirit to burn and consume Lusts and so to bring down every high Thought and vain Imagination under his Feet who is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the World And so by that one pure holy Spirit of God are many baptized into one Body where God's will is done on Earth by him that abides forever So not by the works of man is any saved but by the merciful works of God in his Son by the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the holy Spirit So into this pure holy Name must all be baptized dipped plunged the which tends to the bringing out of all false Fellowships into that one and only Pure Fellowship to walk in the Light of the Lord where the Blood of Christ cleanses from all sin A pure Baptism indeed a pure Washing in a pure Fountain where filthiness that is within man comes to be washed away and thereby way is made for the comfortable fresh springs that rise from the Fountain of Love and Mercies the Substance of which many outward things are shadows but the good thing it self is come glory to God on high Heb. 9.9 10. So to this blessed work who must increase his Testimony is given and against all the works of men's hands the which tend to the making void thereof So the Fountain of God stands sure and must do forever and all false foundations whereon people have built must be swept away for evermore THe blessed and unspotted Foundation the mighty God of Heaven and Earth hath laid which is Christ or Vnction from the holy God by the Light and Teaching of which mankind comes to be inspired with an understanding concerning things that disser even that which is precious and wholsome so good for Food for every Soul and that which is vile and filthy which tends to the defiling and bringing Souls into bondage And so John in his 1 Epist 2.20 saith unto the then Believers who had received this Heavenly Gift But ye have an Vnction from the holy One and ye know all things Herein was and is God's Love in his Son manifested to the World to destroy his works who hath led mankind into Darkness and so through man's obedience in following and believing in these blessed and unspotted works of God in his Son the enmity comes to be slain that separates mankind from God and so the blessed works of God in his Son reconciling and bringing back them who have been lost by wandering and roving in their own willings and runnings in this cloudy and dark night they come to be seen felt and enjoyed by them who were and are partakers thereof even of God's works in his Son by which the eye of the understanding comes to be opened and so the offensive eye that is offended at God's works comes to be put out And thus the Light and Understanding of that pure Life comes to be known the which hath been as a Lamb slain from the Foundation of the world of wickedness by the subtilty of the Serpent in mans heart And now to the praise and honour of God Almighty who hath drawn thousands by the strivings of the grace of his holy Spirit to the knowledge of his way Christ the Truth Way and Life the which is without spot and blemish the same pure holy and unchangeable Way and Foundation on which the holy men of God were built in Ages and Generations past Ephes 2.20 and are built upon the Foundation of Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being
power of God The goodness and mercies of God both in the holy Testimonies as recorded in the Scriptures of Truth and otherwayes manifested should lead unto true repentance of every evil way and work whereby God's righteous Spirit is grieved and quenched Assuredly the more God's holy and righteous Spirit doth strive many wayes with a people or Nation and they go on not regarding the operation of the hand of the Lord therein but do continue to grieve and quench the blessed motions thereof it will be more tolerable in the day of Judgment unto that People or Nation which profess less but do more So it 's not a bare Profession and Confession what people do that is acceptable but it 's in doing the Will of God through the movings of his holy Spirit in every Nation they that fear God and work righteousness are accepted and for that end that people might fear God and work righteousness his universal Love in his universal Spirit and power doth inlighten all mankind whereby they may see the evil and the good and to them that receive him in his tenders of love he gives them power to eschew the evil and to love the good of what Nation Language or Country they be of In the time I lived among the Turks it appeared to me that they had more Charity and true Love one unto another then may be found amongst many who are called Christians who live in Error out of God's way Surely such Christians are driven farther from true Love one to another and Mercy and Patience and Self-denyal then the very Turks They may be ashamed when they look back into those malicious works manifested upon an Innocent People in this Nation I suppose they are not to be parallel'd amongst the very Turks And for Christendom so called in general who are apostatized from the Truth how many Religions and high Professions there are made of God and Christ but how little of the blessed example and humiliation of Christ is followed Let the wise in heart take but a view of the greatest part of Christendom so called this day and see what works of Envy Malice and Hatred Evil Fruit is shewn forth where they seek the ruin and destruction one of another such wilde Fruit doth not proceed from Christ the Vine no no such Fruit proceeds from a corrupt root which Ax of the Lord must be laid to and it must be cut down the word of the Lord must come over it which must be felt a Hammer to beat down corruption and a Fire to consume it this Cross that Christians must take up if they arrive at that blessed Haven of rest which the Lord of Heaven and Earth has appointed for them that love him thus Christians bowing under the Cross the power of God and Crucifying their corrupt Wills and Affections and Lusts with that exalted proud arrogant spirit that carryes people above the Fear of God and the blessed example and humiliation of Christ Christians so called coming under this Cross then will you be a good example to all Turks and Infidels in the World and your good Conversations and true Love one unto another will convince the Turk that the Lord is with you of a Truth there being no other way to true happiness and peace with the Living God but by Christ the Way the Truth the Life which people being converted to and living in therein shewing forth the great Love of God to the World in his Son this will preach forth the righteousness of God unto them who are strangers thereunto and the people thus gathered to the Lord the Lord will be with them and plead their Cause whilst you observe that great and chief Commandment in loving God above all and your Neighbours as your selves in doing this you will please God and reach to the witness in them that do not know God But if you continue meer Talkers and high Professors of what you should do and leave that undone which should be done therein you will be a bad example and an ill savour to other Nations and a stink which the Lord of Heaven and Earth will never be pleased with though you may cry Lord Lord in your deep Distress he will not hear if you regard Iniquity the Prayers of the wicked are abomination to the Lord I speak the Truth in the love of God unto you in dealing plainly according to his blessed Will You that say you are Christians examine your selves will the name Christian avail you if you be out of the Christian-Life and Nature What will it avail you to retain a Name of being Christ's Followers and if you be found in the way of the Scribes and Pharisees by whom he was Crucified What will it avail you to talk of the Truth in the inward parts that which is lovely in the sight of the Lord if you be found in a Spirit of Deceit and Falshood in the Friendship of the World resisting the Just and he doth you no harm What will it avail you to cry Lord Lord and not wait to know his Will and do it What is it the near for you to talk of God's great Love to the World in the Son of his Love who invited all to him who was and is meek and lowly where the Rest and Peace is in the joy of the Lord to Immortal Souls if you be found in froward peevish exalted imaginary proud ambitious spirits What will it avail you to read and talk of the holy mens Lives and blessed Practices if you be found in the Life and Practice of Cain Nabal and Hamman The Followers of Christ Jesus the Heavenly man they were and are to deny themselves and take up a dayly Cross to Cain 's Nature to Nabal 's Nature to Haman 's Nature The blessed and effectual Cross that slayes the Enmity and makes a reconciliation by the blessed Cross the Power of the Lord and Saviour Christians being plung'd dipped baptized and brought under Christ the power and wisdom of God And in the blessed Gospel-order established and therein shining forth to the Praise and Honour of God this will preach and reach to the Turks and Infidels in the World and overcome them and make them confess That Christ Jesus is a blessed Leader and all that follow him are blessed and happy forever and that there is no other way to true Peace and Happiness but by following Christ's blessed example and great humiliation by all that ever come to attain to his Resurrection he must lead them in the way So away with all your Wooden Brazen Iron Golden Crosses with all your Trumpery thereunto belonging The very Turk sees over it with all Images and Religions which are turned into Trades and Merchandize whereby spiritual wickedness and the Mystery of Iniquity is upholden away with it all it stinks Now the great Mystery Christ in us the Hope of Glory is opened a blessed Fountain to wash in which makes clean the inside and fits and
What will it avail you to have read what blessed and holy Lives the Saints and Servants of the most High God led and possessed if you be found in an unsavoury Life and in an unholy Conversation in an unclean Possession If so will you not be found denyers of the scope and tendency of Scriptures where it is written to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace and all that possess this are in a clean and holy possession The Scriptures saith to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace So to the blessed motions of Gods holy Spirit you must turn your minds and eye its leadings and guidings this is the way the Saints and Servants of the most high God were directed to and guided in by the true Preachers of the everlasting Gospel And therefore unto that of God which he manifests and shews you must bring your hearts and minds before you can know the law of the Spirit of Life to set you free from the law of sin and death Oh consider will a talk of freedom avail one in Captivity whilst he sees no way but that he must remain so all his Life time Awake awake out of your Dream unto righteouâ—ness and sin not that you may â—now â—he Lord and his way the which is above mans ways as the Heaven is above the Earth The Lord of Heaven and Earth hath ordained a means and way to everlasting Peace and Happinâ—ss and the Scriptures testifie the same Even of Christs spiritual appearance who is the Way Truth and Life so to that of God which is holy must every one come that is made holy unto that which is righteous must every one come that is truly made righteous and meet for the Kingdom of God the which the unrighteous cannot inherit Oh hat people would consider their wayes wherein they walk and not go on in evil wayes and satisfie themselves with a â—alk what they have heard of the righteous way and live out of it for the great love of God in his Heavenly gift to the World was and is that people should be led by it to that repentance never to be repented of even to forsake that which is manifest to be wrong false and evil by the faithful and true witness the Spirit of Truth in every one As it is written Behold I have given him for a witness to the people Isaiah 55.4 a Leader and Commander to the people And it is also written 1 Joh. 5.10 He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself Blessed are they who are in the way of the knowledge of reconciliation unto this faithful and true witness and live up unto it This will be to their joy and comfort in that life and peace which is everlasting And to them that do not believe he is a witness of their unbelief and hard heartedness to their shame and confusion as you may read And I will come near to you to Judgment Malachi 3.5 and I will be a swift witness against Sorcerers and against the Adulterers and against false Swearers and against those that oppress the Hireling in his Wages the Widow and the Fatherless and that turn away the stranger from his right and fear not me saith the Lord of Hosts read Rom 8.16 Joh. 1.5 By this you may see how plentifully the Scriptures testifie of the Spirit of Truth witness And now try in your selves come to the examination if any be unclean in Thought or Action is there not that within that shews it and witnesseth against it If any be unmerciful this witness will witness against it if any back-bite or defraud or murmur or lye or steal or bear false witness or contemn the counsel of the Lord and proud and high minded in contemning his holy Law and Commandment this faithful and true witness will ever be a witness against all such and against all that is bad and hath a tendency of defiling and corrupting any And therefore all they that deny this are real denyers of the love and mercy of God testified unto through the Scriptures And further concerning this faithful and true wirness Christ the word of God observe what the Scripture saith Bom. 10.6 7. Say not in thy heart who shall ascend into Feaven that is to bring Christ down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart that is the word of faith which we preach Now mind are not you opposers of the love and mercy of God in the moving of his holy Spirit in those holy men which gave forth the Scripture whilst you remain gain-sayers of that more sure word so nigh the heart and mouth and in your exaltedness of Spirit in a fleshly worldly wisdom being puft up above what is written what a vain travail and labour they live in In imagining and creating to your selves a contrary way to what the Lord hath ordained to salvation Come to the witness in you and by that if you conrinue your subjection thereunto you will be sensible that it is the love of God unto you and in this love be admonisht to give private Interpretations of the Prophesies in the Scripture least thereby you provoke the Lord till swift destruction comes upon you And for your further Information observe what the Sripture saith 1 Joh. That was the true light which lighteth every man that comes into the World as many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God The Scripture doth not say as many as profess him he gives power but it saith as many as receive him who lighteth every man that comes into the World to them he gives power c. Indeed he is to be received in his spiritual appearance and for that end he stâ—nds at the door and knocks in gentle reproofs and convincement whereby the hard heart must be broken and set open unto him and receive him before the remission from evil be witnessed and the great horrible clouds of darkness be expelled and the vail over the heart rent and power received to overcome the wicked one as it is written Behold I stand at the door and knock If any man hear my voice Revel 3.20 and open the door I will come into him and will Sup with him and he with me This is a great tender of love and mercy be they not very hard hearted that saith unto him depart from us we desire not the knowledge of thy ways these are they that oppose the Scriptures Testimony and shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men Mat. 23.13 for ye neither go in your selves neither suffer ye them that are entring to go in This was the sad and deplorable condition of those high professors of the Law and the Prophets whom Christ pronounced dreadful wo against And all that are refisting the Spirits Testimony in themselves
term they can give the Light in man is to call it a Natural Light So Natural and Brutish is mankind become through the works of the enemy and in this Natural State reading the Scriptures having put the moving of Gods Spirit a far off from them by which alone the things of Cod therein are understood They in that Natural Estate doth not understand what they read neither can they receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto them Oh people be admonished to come down to the Light of Christ in you that makes manifest the deeds of Darkness and as the man of sin comes to be revealed in you by the Light of Christs Spirit you thereby will come to the knowledge of Christs day and coming in righteousness to make War against all unrighteousness and to put an end to transgression and finish sin and bring in everlasting righteousness So away with all private Interpretations and vain Imaginations and come to the universal love of God that Spirit or Light the which makes manifest that which is reproveable and turn at his reproof and he will pour out his Spirit upon you And thus by the coming of the day of Christ the day of the wicked will be seen and the Bed of Torment they must lye down in who go on in wickedness opposing the Spiritual appearance of Christ Jesus Oh sad will their day be who persist in their presumption of mocking and scoffing at the moving of Gods holy Spirit now adayes that is a proud arrogant Spirit which will lead all that follow it to the end to misery contempt and shame and at length to everlasting destruction Blessed are they that are not defiled with it And therefore be admonished to put your whole trust in God and wait for the appearance of his grace that you may have Salt and Savour in your selves or else notwithstanding you may talk high things of what you read in Scriptures yet if you be not regenerated and born of the Spirit you cannot enter into the Kingdom of God And thus in the Leading Guiding Operation Revelation and Divine Inspiration of the Blessed Spirit of Truth am I moved to give Testimony to the Truth and way of Life and Peace in true love to all the Creation of God for the undeceiving of deceived and deluded Souls that their understandings may be cleared of Darkness and Error and that they may know the Truth as it is in Jesus and be saved Stephen Smith The 11th Month 1676. A Tender Greeting to the Flock of Christ in Bedfordshire and Huntingtonshire Dear Friends IN the everlasting Seed Power and Life keep the substance of all signified in Ages past under many Types Figures and Shadows now known and dwelt in by them who have believed the good report of the holy men of God which is left upon record who was redeemed from the Earthly part even that they might be Gods witnesses of his Heavenly gift wherein is all the Treasures of wisdom and knowledge hid which Treasure hath been freely opened unto us who through faithfulness and diligent waiting have expected the same as a sure reward of the bounty and goodness of our Creator for ever So that all the obedient and upright hearted can truly say for ever be the day had in remembrance when we were awakned out of Carnal Security we had in vain Customs and Traditions of men in the Fall who have sought out many Inventions through which comes blindness hardness of heart and unbelief from whence proceeds envying hatred malice uncleanness and all other evils whatsoever He who is Prince of Darkness having his Power and Authority there in blindness and darkness carries the Creature into bondage at his will he being ruler in the Children of disobedience But glory and praises be to the Lord our God who is the great God and besides him there is none It 's he alone that opens the understandings of them that fear him who hath discovered unto us the Mistery of the workings of Satan and the bredth and length of his rule and dominion and the end thereof for ever is he who thus opens unto them that fear him greatly to be admired by all his Sons and Daughters who are redeemed by his great power out of Adam in the Fall up into him that never fell through whom we have access into his presence the which sweetens all to us and carries all that truly trust in him through all Tempests and Storms whatsoever Even by his Arm and Power who will and can appease and lay all Tempests and Storms when they have accomplished that for which they were suffered to be raised he being seen and known who walkes upon a troubled Sea as in dayes past so yesterday and to day and for ever So Dear Friends keep out his appearance who would work questionings and reasonings concerning the Rod of the wicked with which the Righteous are threatned It 's for the Fire It 's for the Fire that 's Gods Word So all to abide faithful in his power by whom all appearances of the wicked one may be resisted in his many wills who is a Murderer and a Thief who walkes about in the Earthly mind compassing there and betraying there and draws back into the Earth there And then when tryals come the Earth is in the way and then the false ballance is set up in the heart and the precious Jewel being weighed therein the Earth that appears heaviest and so carries the sway in the mind and so comes to be set up in the heart So thereby many come to lose the everlasting reward of peace and joy and comfort which is in that Life which lives and abides for ever So Dear Friends have an Eye to the reward of well doing even that Pearl of great Price and let it have dominion in the heart and the Earth set under all that so we may continue to the end in all well-doing and patient and meek running in that race which is set before us unto whom belongs the Crown of Immortal Life When the Lord pleases to shew me a clear way unto you I shall be willing to see your Faces to the end that we may be refresht together even from that everlasting Fountain from whence comes all our fresh springs which glads the Souls of the upright for ever But at present I find my Testimony required where I have had the greatest time of my Conversation in the everlasting Covenant of Truth Light and Life That wicked ruler who rules in the Children of disobedience hath many Agents here abouts as well as in other places who have been at work amongst us They took from me six Cows for a Fine of 20 l. for speaking the things of God according to his will but they had great trouble with them From my Brother John nine Cowes for a Silent Meeting at his house and from another all his Beds Cloaths two Geldings Pewter Brass Leather and abundance of other
is born of flesh is flesh so that which is born of the spirit is spirit and these two births are contrary for the birth of the flesh though it may speak great swelling words and tell of the victory of Christ and triumph in swelling words of his fame as in that Paper yet it being a worker of iniquity it must have that Sentence depart from me it can in no wise inherit the Kingdom of God though it may glory and say I have preached and done many things yet its product is but spiritual wickedness got in a high place which the indignation of the Lord is against so it must be cast out he that can receive it let him And thus much might be said as to the words in that Paper but to all Impartial readers this is sufficient to convince them that that Paper is none of the Gospels glory nor none of the Covenant of grace neither is the Covenant of grace at all there unfolded But it is a meer parcel of conceivings from the same imaginary spirit that uses to be Imployed about making of Ballads And so in true love to all unto whom this may come I counsel you to mind the fear of offending God that you may be made sensible of the blessed appearance of the grace of Gods holy Spirit that you may be received into the blessed Covenant thereof and therein be witness of its sufficiency in teaching what to deny and what to do this being the means ordained of God for the good of all and all that becomes sensible of the infallible teachings of the grace of God such will not wonder at Silent Meetings as many do who are out of the sense of Gods love therein many such grow despisers and wonder and cannot believe the effectual works of the grace of Gods holy Spirit though in the demonstration and power thereof they be declared and published from time to time And I wish all to take heed of being exalted through vain glory in fleshly works the which are attended with sorrow and misery and will bring all them that rest there to the end but in the Lord is everlasting glory And mind the saying of the Apostle to the Ephesians But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath he quickned us together with Christ by grace yea are saved So mind the blessed teachings of the grace of God which is pure holy and perfect in every degree and this the mark which all should set before them as they expect to run well in their Heavenly race and obtain the blessed peace of God to their Souls which is the will of God and in the knowledge thereof I give this Testimony who am what I am by Cods Grace and therein a well wisher to all who are truly seeking after the knowledge of Cod in which love I rest Stephen Smith The 11th day of the 11th Month 1674. A Testimony to the way of Truth and Life with seasonable Exhortations thereunto THat which hath been of low degree and little esteem with mankind now is the Lord God exalting and will exalt and set over all the blessed Way Truth and Life Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever the blessed way of the Lord opened unto the wise in heat but ever was and is a mistery shut and hid from the wicked the Vultures eye hath not seen it nor the unclean cannot enter into it but a Fountain is opened praise to the Lord for ever to wash and to cleanse from sin and iniquity and so to sift and prepare for the way of Truth and Life Blessed are they who trust in the Lord and keep their minds stayed upon the blessed manifestation of his light and love and mercy unto them therein with their eye single unto the Lord whose blessed springs of life and true refreshment will in the Lords time and season rise in the hearts of such to the great consolation and peace and rest of their Souls whom the Spirit of the Lord will guide unto the knowledge and understanding the pure and unchangable Religion which comes from above where the true Worship which Christ did and doth set up in the Spirit and Truth will be witnessed And this being possessed and enjoyed all the false Religions and Worships which are out of the way of Truth and Life will be discovered and keeping low in the silence of the earthly and sensual wisdom wisdom which is pure from above will be manifest and herein the works of the blessed day of the Lord will be seen who is working a reformation in the Earth in restoring the blessed language of Truth and setting up Truth and Righteousness and Mercy and Peace and bringing a people to a pure language to speak the Truth from the guidings and leadings of the Spirit of Truth which was Prophesied of That the Lord would power out of his Spirit upon all flesh Sons and Daughters And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together Blessed are they who believe and trust in the Lord and patiently wait for the fulfilling of his promise for the Lord will assuredly stain the glorying of all the fleshly births and create and bring forth a spiritual birth unto which all his blessed promises are And the Kingdoms of this World shall become the Lords and his Christs and he shall reign for ever and he will exalt his everlasting Kingdom and of the increase of his Government there shall be no end This peaceable Kingdom of the Son of his love is in righteousness peace and joy in his holy Spirit whose Tabernacle is with men and the Ark and the Testimony and the Mercy Seat over all his works where he doth commune with them he takes pleasure in and makes known his good will and pleasure unto mankind who receiving freely communicates freely the good will and pleasure of the Lord here is the Wine and Milk without Money or Price And the Spirit saith come and the Bride saith come and he that heareth saith come and he that will come let him come and take of the water of life freely for a fountain is open where life manifests it self freely and the streams of Babylon are drying up where the Whore with her guilded Cup of Sorceries and Witchcraft hath sat a Cup of Wormwood and Gaul is filling to her and a Bed of Torment will be the portion of her Merchants and all that receive her mark and wear it on their forehead or in the hand So blessed are they who do escape out of Babylon and set their faces towards Zion the holy City where the substance is injoyed and that which was figured and typified in the Law and Covenant given forth in Mount Sinai in the Gospel in Mount Sion is possessed the blessed Law and Covenant in the Mind and in the Heart Christ in us the hope of Glory the Substance and herein that which
by you there are these sayings In page 252 thus His pure Spirit is put into the inward parts to be the rule and guide of life in all things And again Only by the teaching of the eternal Spirit is the living God known in the Creature Again page 408. It is promised saith he that the Spirit shall lead into all Truth and such do own the Scriptures but not as their Teacher for the anointing dwells in them and they need no man to teach them but as that anointing teacheth all things for all the Children of God are taught of God and need not any other Teacher nor need to say one to another know the Lord and all such own the Scriptures to be the Testimony of that which they believe and have received And again in page 834. The only perfect rule of Conscience in the exercise to God is the Spirit of Christ and not any other thing And because something besides the Spirit of God exercises the Conscience therefore it is that there are so many wayes and Sects of Religion and kinds of Worship in Christendom and among Christians while the Spirit of Christ only is not the rule of Judgment and exercise of Conscience to God and man Again page 861. The judgment in that matter Heresie must be just equal holy and only by the Spirit of Christ which is infallible and gives infallibility of Judgement and discerning into all cases and things Mr. Pen spends the fourth Chapter of his late Book Intituled Reason against Railing to prove that the Light within and not the Scriptures is the rule of Faith and practice In page 47. he saith We dare boldly affirm in the name of the Lord that the great reason of our belief concerning them the Scriptures is not any outward thing but inward Testimony recorded and Heavenly Amen that we have received from the holy Light within us to the Truth and faithfulness of those sayings Again p. 48. Wherefore the Scriptures are so far from being the great rule of faith and practice that the Light of Christ within us is both our warrant and rule for faith and obedience to them Again page 114. Let it be remembred saith he that Christ promised to send the spirit of Truth to lead into all Truth as much as to say none are led into the Truth nor in the Truth but by the holy Spirit of Truth or that their practice is a lye or they are led into a lye who are not led by the Spirit of Truth that alone leads into all the ways of Truth where by Truth is not meant the meer Letter of the Scripture which notwithstanding is true But the living powerful Truth Christ the Way the Truth and the Life of which the Scripture is but a record or declaration And page 115. Many may run into the practice of several outward things mentioned in the Scriptures to have been the practice of Saints in former Ages and yet not be led into the Truth for all that is but Will-worship imitation and unwarrantable Now let all the wise in heart who do retain so much of sense of the Spirit of Truths leading and operation thereof in them as that thereby they are in some degree in a capacity to judge of spiritual matters and that have a desire that God may not take away his holy Spirit from them I say let all such in the coole of the day when all self Interest is laid aside judge whether these men Edward Burroughs and William Pen and all them who are of the same Faith and Judgment with them do deserve such strange contradicton as the Author of that Book hath raised and made against them To be sure their method as he calls it is clearly agreeing with Christ and his Apostles Christ Jesus the Light of the World the Way Truth and Life did direct his followers to take heed to the Spirit of Truth that reproveth the World of sin c. and he counselled them to take that for their guide into all Truth And ought not all Christians to be followers of Christ their Lord and Master and how is it possible that any should follow Christ except they be led by the Spirit of Truth in themselves And he that steals away their minds from that guide he is a Thief and as Christ said The Thief comes to steal to Murder and to destroy but I am come that you may have Life and that you may have it more abundantly And the Apostle Paul is very open and plain in his Testimony concerning this matter in these words The things of God knows no man but the Spirit of God by this the deep things of God are searched out And are there not many deep things of God contained in Scriptures The which is not possible to be understood and searcht out by any other Spirit but only and alone by the Spirit of Truth therefore this must needs be a sufficient teacher of mankind without the Scripture as it was to Abel Enoch and to Abraham and the holy men of God long before there was any of the old or new Testament written And it was the great love of God in the moving of his holy Spirit in those faithful Servants by whom those weighty things as are recorded in the Scriptures of Truth were given forth And it is the great love of God in the moving of his holy Spirit in its leadings and teaching of his people through which the many Types Figures Prophesies and many hard sayings comes to be understood and a clear distinguishing comes to be known between the Jew outward and the Jew inward between the Law outward and the Law of the Spirit of Truth inward and between the shadow of good things and the good things themselves and also between the Spirit and the Letter the Power and the Form c. And for want of fearing God and taking heed to the motions of his blessed Spirit of Truth that is the cause there are so many heaps of Opinions about the Scripture therefore it is that all learned men in the Spirit of Truth do so highly esteem the teachings thereof as absolutely necessary to life and peace And all whose minds are converted by the Spirit of Truth and are spiritually exercised therein and feeling the life and peace that flows from it unto their Souls this confirms them settles them and makes them unmoveable and unchangeable in their Faith in the power of the Lord who hath been thus merciful in opening this fountain of life and love where a washing and cleansing comes to be witnessed and entrance ministered into the kingdom of God and of this day that is breaking forth and shining clearer and clearer Edward Burroughs that man of God was a faithful Instrument in the hand of the Lord and his works do demonstrate the same to thrash and cut down hypocrisie and gainsayers of the Truth and faithfulness of God unto mankind And in the succession of this blessed work and service in
Viol c. And are at ease wo to them Amos 6. And concerning comparisons in the sound of Instruments being certain or uncertain this makes not at all for your purpose who extol that Musick by which the Lord is dishonoured and the seed of life grieved and burdened so for shame leave off your lightness and vanity least you be left as them who are filthy to be filthy still and you seek repentance as Esau did with tears and cannot find acceptance And see the effects of wicked Dancing Mat. 14.6 7. But when Herod 's birth-day was kept the Daughter of Herodias danced before them Now read and see what effects her brave Dancing procured weigh these things you that have Children that are Light and Airy and restrain them from that wicked practice least they add sin unto sin and bring woe upon them as you may see Herodias Daughter who added one wickedness unto another Stephen Smith To all Bishops and Priests and all concerned with them in a Book Intituled A form of Common Prayer for Gods blessing upon His Majesty and His Dominions and for the averting Gods Judgments Printed this year 1678. ANswer The Lord God hath signally shewen his great displeasure by Sword by Plague and by Fire against that opposite spirit that hath led into all rebellion against the motions of his holy spirit wherein he is making known his way of blessing and his saving health among the people Yet for his great name sake and in his love mercy and pity he did put a stop to those Judgements and hath given space and time of repentance and through many faithful Servants hath the Lord manifested his good pleasure that all who are erred from the way of blessing in life and peace that they might return unto him and wait upon him who is Lord of Heaven and Earth for his teachings and instructions in his holy Covenant of Life and Peace But how regardless have you been of the many and frequent Testimonies that have been faithfully in the moving of Gods holy spirit of Truth given forth against the swelling and groaning abominations of the times So that instead of hearkning and obeying the motions of Gods holy spirit you have proceeded in vexing and grieving the same in a most high degree you have abused the Servants of the Lord God And through your pride and presumption you have drawn the heavy displeasure of the Lord upon you whose dreadful judgments do hang over you and will not be averted or turned from you by any feigned shew of fasting made up in the will of man contrary to the good will mind and pleasure of God In that which is called the order for Morning Prayer are these words Rent your hearts and not your garments and turn unto the Lord your God for he is gracious and merciful c. Answer To them that do in Truth and in unfeigned repentance open their hearts unto him with a faithful resignation of heart soul and body unto the pure manifestation of his holy Law of his pure spirit of life unto such he hath shewn himself very gracious and merciful in setting them free from the Law of sin and death But how often do you repeat those words and yet keep your hearts whole in the friendship of the World in the lust of the eye the lust of the flesh and pride of life you have been so far from renting your hearts that you have not so much as rent your garments are not the garments of your own righteousness which is no better then filthy rags whole upon you and in that loathsom garment you appearing before the Lord who seeing your loathsomness and hypocrisie in imputing the righteousness of Christ unto you whilst you are really and truly whole in your loathsome garments of your own righteousness where the righteous judge both of the quick and the dead beholding you as you are in your loathsome garments he will never agree with you in your accounts whilst you account so falsly of your Interest in the righteousness of Christ and yet whole in the garments of sin and iniquity doing the things you should not do and leaving undone the things you should do would you when you reckon with your Servants agree with them in such account and allow of their doing so all their life and leave them to account of your riches and that you are bound to give it them sure its time to be awakened from this misery of ignorance And take notice of your following words Though we have rebelled against him neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God to walk in his Laws which he set before us Now mind was ever your hearts rent from this condition do not you persist in your rebellion and so grieve Gods holy spirit in keeping your heart whole in persecuting them who are led by it Are not the Priests whole in their sin of preaching for Hire and for filthy lucre sake they tell lyes in Hypocrisie promising that to people which neither they nor the people have right unto whilst they are Servants to sin Come down from these barren mountains of imaginations and rent off these filthy garments and rent your hearts from these evils and follow the example of them who are really in this work and from the Lords acceptance have found him gracious and merciful and in the righteous government of his holy spirit of Truth the knowledge of his way of Truth is known in this World and in walking therein there is that hope manifest by Christs righteousness in us of having Eternal life with him in that World which is without end And you say Dearly beloved Brethren the Scripture moveth us in sundry places to acknowledge and confess our manifold sins and wickedness and that we should not dissemble and cloak them before the face of Almighty God our heavenly Father but confess them with an humble lowly penitent and obedient heart c. Answer Here you acknowledge yourselves to be fallen from the Primitive Christians guide and moreover in the service and work of the Lord they did speak as they were moved by Gods holy spirit and did declare the pleasure and will of God as that gave utterance and by his holy spirit they were made Ministers not coveting any mans Silver or Gold or Apparel nor they did not move for any filthy lucre sake but how have you erred and strayed from this way being lost as to a true and saving knowledge of the motions of Gods holy spirit And in this lost Estate every private spirit is set a work and imaginations dreams do tell their several conceivings of what was given forth by the moving of Gods holy spirit but having erred from the way of the spirit of God and being strangers thereunto they are also strangers to what was given forth by the Spirit of God thus being in error they don't know the Scriptures nor the power of God And thus being become strangers to the motion
of the true Christian Spirit in the Worlds earthly sensual Spirit they move and say the Scripture moveth and under this cover you can dissemble and cloak your sins cloaking your selves under the failings of the holy men of God as they are recorded in the Scriptures of Truth but are far enough off their sorrow and repentance by which they obtained favour with God again And thus you go on cloaking your sins and opposing the motions of Gods holy Spirit under a pretence of the Scripture moveth us and under this cover you can dissemble your sins in persecuting and spoiling the Goods of them who have truly testified of the motions of Gods holy Spirit in them against all the evil motions of the enemy in all his flattering deceitful works and wayes And to this motion of Gods holy Spirit you must bow if ever you come to know the way of Truth you must come to the moving of the Spirit of Truth in you even that Spirit which reproves the World of sin the which Christ Jesus set up to be a leader and a guide into all Truth In this Spirit the Lord God is to be worshipped it 's this Spirit that convinceth of sin that is the way out of sin that is it which moves in the heart against sin and so to confess and acknowledge sin and so to repent and forsake sin and this is the way to obtain mercy and forgiveness of sin And by its leading and guiding to abstain from the appearance of evil unto this Spirit of Truth you must bow and take it for your leader if ever you come truly to call God Father and he owns you to be his Sons In your Confession you say Almighty and most merciful Father we have erred and strayed from thy wayes like lost sheep we have followed too wuch the devices and desires of our own hearts we have offended against thy holy Laws we have left undone those things which we ought to have done and there is no health in us c. Answer And when do you intend to do otherwise since you have appointed this form of words to be always said Oh turn for shame unto the true Spepherd and Bishop of your Soul and don't come still with this sad unprofitable story before the Lord. Mind if a man offend against the Laws of the Nation if it be but once he is lyable to the punishment that is prescribed by that Law or if a Servant should but once do the thing he should not do and leave undone the things he should do this would incurr his Masters displeasure but if he should continue doing so he would turn him out of his service and account of him as he is an unprofitable Servant How then can you expect to be heard and received of the Lord who are alwayes doing that you should not do and leaving undone that you should do you may well say you have no health in you neither are you like to have so long as you continue in these sad practices And in that you do offend Gods righteous Law how can you expect but to be punished by the righteous Judge Indeed you have done that which you ought not to have done in that you have caused to suffer so many innocent people both by long Imprisonment and spoiling of their Goods in that you have shewn no more mercy to them how can you expect to receive mercy at the hand of God seeing those sufferers have been a people fearing God and hoping for his mercy in whom the Lord takes pleasure and in his pleasure he hath sustained them wherein many have been faithful and true witnesses whereof many have departed this World under their several confinements in peace and many remains living to this day confessing and testifying to the mercies and favour of God in the manifestation of the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus which sets free them who walk up to it from the Law of sin and death And that there is great peace in keeping this holy Law this hath been and is the Testimony of them who are and have been led by the Spirit of Truth witnessing unto the Way Truth and Life the way of peace and happiness And thus in the good will of God in good will to all mankind in patient suffering under your wills who have followed too much the devices and desires of your own hearts and thereby having rejected the councel of the Spirit of Truth you have provoked the Lord as you say in these words We have provoked thine anger thy wrath is waxed hot and thy heavy displeasure is sore kindled against us You have confessed to the Truth and when you come to feel the weight of your many transgressions against Gods holy Law then you will wish you had been serious in what you have said and that you had broken off your sins by a true and unfeigned repentance And for this end hath Gods holy Spirit strove with you many wayes but see by your own confession how evilly you have required this love Your words are We sinful people of this land do acknowledge before thee to thy glory and our own shame and confusion that never any Nation under Heaven had more experience of all the instances of thy goodness and the methods of our amendment nor yet did ever any more shamfully abuse them when thou gavest us great and long prosperities we sed our selves to the full waxed fat and wanton and kicked against thee when thou threwest us into horrid confusions from which we saw then little hope of arising even in the time of that distress did we trespass yet more against thee when by miracles of mercy thou hadst turned our captivities we soon returned to folly to our vomit and to our wallowing in our former or greater filthiness c. Answer This is a very sad miserable condition indeed much to be lamented you had need consider it and be in Truth humbled for it and to forsake that evil Spirit that hath been your leader in those horrid practices and to wait upon the Lord for the leading and guiding of you out of those evils that you may have a better account to give unto the Lord in the day of account as Hezekiah had when the Prophet Isaiah was sent unto him with this Message from the Lord Saying Thus saith the Lord set thine house in order for thou shalt die and not live then Hezekiah turned his face toward the wall and prayed unto the Lord and said remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before in Truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight and Hezekiah wept sore And the Lord heard his prayers and seeing his tears he was very gratious and merciful unto him as you may read Now compare his confession with your confession and seeing you have no better account to give you may well be ashamed and confounded at the thoughts of what acceptance
to the fear of the Lord placed in their hearts that thereby they might be preserved out of evil and doing always that that is just and right and to be sure to be courteous and kind to all loving the good in all and bearing their Testimony against the evil in all wheresoever it doth appear And whensoever said he you go about that which is weighty take counsel of good and sound Friends so that all things may be done to the honour and glory of the Lord and his blessed Truth in which your blessings are all yea and Amen And advised them not to run into the Cumbers of the World but to wait upon the Lord and he will find out a way for them in his time For the Lord said he is a calling and taking me out and from all Troubles and Cumbers from the evil that is a coming upon this wicked World in a good time wherein I am assured of that sound and perfect peaee wherein my Soul resteth with the Lord for evermore so that I have no more to do now but desire the Lord to make my passage easie to his Heavenly Rest William Lickfold He was born the 19th of the 7th Month 1623. He departed this Life the 22d day of the 7th Month 1678. A TESTIMONY FOR THE TRUTH And against DECEIT DECEIVERS WITH A Reproof unto those who are not Faithful to the Truth which they are convinced of By Stephen Smith Isaiah 26.11 Lord when thy hand is lifted up they will not see but they shall see and be ashamed for their Envy at the People Verse 12. Lord thou wilt ordain Peace for us for thou host wrought all our works in us Printed in the Year 1679. A Testimony for the TRUTH and against Deceit and Deceivers with a Reproof unto those who are not faithful to the Truth which they are Convinced of FOr as much as it hath pleased the Lord in his great love and tender mercy to visit many who have been long covered with Darkness and drawn by the Subtilty of the Serpent working in a Mystery within and without in his Instruments from enjoying that Love and great Riches which is declared of in the Scriptures of Truth which should be revealed in the latter dayes in his Everlasting and Unchangeable Covenant which Promise of the Lord many who had true breathing after him and could not be satisfied with feeding with Swine upon Husks but truly breathed after Living Refreshment and after that Bread which nourisheth that Birth which is Eternal and have delighted in the righteous Judgments of the Lord over the Enemy and Oppressor of mans Soul through which Judgments the Love of God hath greatly been manifest having thereby brought to the knowledge of his Everlasting and Unchangable Truth to the exceeding great refreshment and satisfaction of the Souls of many thousands who have earnestly desired the same before the World and all its glory and having received the same in the Love of it and known Freedom by it in the Injoyment of the same do meet together as the manner and practice was of those who lived in the Fear and Dread of the Lord in the Primitive times so now in the pure Fear and Obedience to the just and equal requirings of this Creator whose Wayes are Equal Right and Just meets together to wait on him to the end they may be refreshed and fed with the same Bread of Life that so the Plant which the Lord hath planted may grow that so they may be changed from glory to glory till at length they may come to bear the Image of the Heavenly whereas formerly they have born the Image of the Earthly and those who so meet the Spirit of Truth can truely say they never waited on the Lord in vain but do witness true refreshment from the God of Love whether a word be spoken in their Meetings or no so that they can truly sing in their Spirits of Mercy with Judgments and hath not executed Judgment without Mercy in which hath greatly appeared his wonderful Love to lost Mankind of which great and unspeakable Love there are to this day to the Glory and Praise of his great Name even from his own Works thousands of Living Witnesses and hundreds have laid down their Lives in Nasty Holes and Stinking Prisons and many have been Banished and many have suffered cruel Mockings and many thousands the Spoiling of their Goods whose Righteous Testimony through the Eternal Spirit of Love and Truth they have gladly born in this Day of Gods Power to the exceeding Comfort and Refreshment of all that are faithful Followers of the Lamb but is and shall be to the astonishment of all who persist in their Disobedience against the Spirit of Truth and continue in their Rebellion against it and this righteous Testimony through all who are true Worshippers in the Spirit and Truth who are led and guided in all their ways by the Spirit of Truth being Sons and Daughters of the Living God so greatly beloved by him so those that touch them in a wrongful manner do touch the Apple of his Eye who created all things for his Glory and though his Mercy is great in not executing Judgment speedily but gives space and time of Repentance yet if they mind it not but let the Day of Gods Love pass over their heads that Terrible Voice they shall hear My Spirit shall strive no more let Flesh know that it 's but Grass and when the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it it shall fade as a Flower and that in a moment when his Anger is kindled which may be when the Worker of Iniquity is in the height of his vain glory and greatest boasting so as that righteous Testimony through all who are in the true Innocent Seed unto which all the Blessings and the Promises of the Lord are doth stand as a true Witness of the Lords great Love in this day wherein he is making known his great Power against all Workers of Iniquity and unrighteous Actions and deceitful Workers who can feign and flatter with all sorts of debauched Persons and all dissembling Hypocrites Persons of unstable minds joyning with the cunning twisting twining Serpent in all its appearances in their earthly sensual and devillish wisdom being in the Adultrous whorish spirit degenerated from the Spirit of Truth holding a Profession of the Faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of Persons receiving honour and giving honour according to the Customs and vain Traditions of the World by which means they have no knowledge of that Honour which is from Above Yet notwithstanding these great Abominations which they commit in the sight of the Lord and all them which live in their faithful Testimony against them yet they lean upon the Lord and think there shall come no evil upon them but except such do speedily repent and turn from their Abominations and bow to the righteous Testimony of God in them which shews them the deceitfulness of
their hearts to the end they may above and before all desire a clean heart and a right Spirit that so they may be single hearted toward their Creator and all men which except that be known the Lord will send a day upon them wherein shall be weeping and howling and bitter Lamentation and their Torment shall be so great that in the Morning they shall wish it were Night and at Night they shall wish for Morning and many shall desire Death rather then Life So I greatly desire that all People would mind in coolness how it stands between them and their Creator and deal impartially with themselves for of a certain Cod will not be mocked but such as they sow such they must reap So all mind the Fear of the Lord is to depart from Evil that so the Curse of the Lord may be done away and his Blessing known and received And those that come amongst the Possessors of the Truth who have heard the sound of it and so a belief is raised in their hearts that God is found by them that diligently seek him in the Way of Truth many there be that are thus perswaded and so frequent Meetings together with them that are in the work of Truth in a bare Profession of Truth never throughly given up to the end that Truth may be their Guide in all their wayes but come and sits down with some reserve in their Hearts which they covet to keep as Achan did the goodly Babylonish Garment which was appointed for the Fire but for so doing the Curse of the Lord followed him though his covetousness was a trouble to the Children of Israel for a time yet at length God made it manifest and so will the Lord do those who comes amongst Friends with a reserve in their hearts that which is appointed for the Fire they that covet to keep notwithstanding the many Precious Meetings they come to and hear their conditions plainly laid open to them yet still consulting with Flesh and Blood which will never yield that true obedience should be given to the Lord so cannot amend but continue in the same course of Life for not taking heed to the Councel of the Lord nor giving wholly up to be guided by the Spirit of Truth such are not in the the Way of Truth but sit down as Branches by those of the Vine but their Fruit doth manifest them for those that deals so deceitfully with their own Hearts how can it be expected they should be true to others so such becomes an ill savour to Truth as long as they continue so and a burthen and a trouble to them that are in the way of growing in the Truth but let them know who harden their hearts against Reproof and though they do come amongst them that live in the Fear and Dread of the Lord and so meet together that they may receive a continual supply of the Bread of Life and enjoy the presence of the Lord yet their so coming with a reserve in their heart they cannot profit by it So at length seeing they cannot bring the Way of the Lord to their way they begin to grow cold in meeting and so by degrees the Enemy draws out the mind and then gets room for his consultations and so perswades them to wait no longer but that all Places are alike and so at length some get into the Mass-House with other silly People laden with sins ever learning and never able to come to the Truth and begin to perswade themselves or the Enemy of their Souls perswades them that there is a little difrence in the Declaration of the Ministers of Christ and Antichrist their words say they are all good and so begin to build Babel again having rejected that Love which did appear for their Everlasting good having chosen to please themselves in some small thing which they could not part with though no better then a Mess of Pottage for which many have sold an Eternal Inheritance so with Cain they are in the Curse wandering up and down in that which is cursed of the Lord and not beloved of good men so the Lord hath dealt justly in making them manifest They went out from us because they were not of us but their reward will follow them And many others there be that come to Meetings and hear Truth declared often and confesseth its the Truth but when they see if they come to obey they must take up a Cross to Flesh either in denying to fear man or else hazard of losing Goods and some their Companions and Acquaintance though it may be in iniquity and such like Baits the Enemy of mans Soul hath ready for that mind which is willing ro catch at them to save that alive which is in the Curse so sometimes they come and sometimes they stay away and then come again and the Enemy of their Souls gets a wound now and then but for want of giving up at length the Enemy begins to be whole again and so the Spirit of the Lord is grieved and quenched by degrees and the Enemy grows stronger and stronger and at length he gets these Reasons in the Creature because the Enemy knows many will not be satisfied without some plausible Reason so he tells many why thou art but a poor Creature or you are but poor Creatures and what can you do without power so here the willing mind readily catches at this bait and then when they are asked why they give not up O say they we want power O that I had but power to do so and so how joyful should I be and such like stuff the Enemy furnisheth them withall who are willing to receive it and in the mean time slight the appearance of Christ the Light in whom Power is received by grieving and quenching his Holy Spirit of Truth in which is the greatest manifestation of Love that God could bestow on lost Mankind in making manifest his Son in their hearts for the redeeming them up unto himself out of their lost condition in the nature of Adam in the fall up into the Nature of the Second Adam which never fell but how is this Love of God slighted by those who thus wilfully yield to the Enemy of their Souls and rejecting the Lord who searcheth the Heart and tryeth the Reins and then say they want power and its true when people have given themselves up to the power of the Enemy whose nature is to do all the hurt he can they may well say then they want power to do good that being disesteemed and accounted of as a thing of nought having cast behind them the great Love of God in his Son and embraced something which the Enemy hath set before them as some glory in the World and the like but as he was alwayes a Lyar the Devil so will he be found in this for instead of giving them the glory of the World he is fitting them for Gods Wrath and Indignation that so
when he is cast out of those more upright hearts and more thankful that he may possess those Swinish natures and so throw them headlong into a Sea of Destruction whith others of the like bad natures of whom I shall say something Those are they which have heard and seen something of Truth by reading Books or speaking with some in the Truth whose words being accompanied with power proceeding from the Spirit of Truth they not having been able to resist but standing over them questionings and reasoning have been raised in them concerning their buildings whether or no they be upon the right Foundation but that being catch'd too which shews them their conditions so plain that they have no assurance of their well-being but in doubting and reasonings and fears through which secretly torment doth arise but their minds being from him that shews them their conditions which though it be the greatest Love that God could bestow on lost Mankind yet in that it brings a Cross to flesh seeing plainly that if they hearken to it they must forsake all their vain Customs and Traditions of the World with all its Lusts and Vanities these things not agreeing with Flesh and Blood which they are consulting the mind being drawn from the Witness for God in their hearts by their wilful yielding to the Enemy of their Souls who is alwayes ready with his Baits to betray them who desire ease in the Flesh and whose minds are out in studying Arguments to keep them in the same the subtle Serpent being here at work to the end that the Creature may partake of his Table for he knows that then they cannot partake of Gods Table as the Scriptures of Truth declares so at his Table he hands out curious words in Prayers and hanging down the head like a Bullrush and with feigning and flattering words to all sorts of Deceitful Workers and doth help to turn and wind all sorts of Worship which the Beastly Nature sets up and so tells them there is Flesh as well as Spirit to be satisfied and that they must live in sin as long as they have a being here and to others whose natures be inclined to Lust he provides plentiful Dishes for them and others who are disposed to Drunkenness he directs them to Companions and opportunity and at his Table are variety of Dishes for the Covetous man or Proud High Heady Boaster Curser Ranter for all sorts that will come to his Table he hath curious Dishes in a plenteous manner and in all these he promises content and satisfaction but as he ever was so he is and ever will be a Lyar for let those speak who hath fed most plentiful at his Table if ever they were satisfied but that the more they fed the more hungry they were let all these forementioned and Gamsters speak for themselves and Thieves and Murtherers and the like But in some he works more in a Mystery and furnisheth his Table with curious words and so feeds them and decks them but alwayes at his Table he hath this Dish for all sorts of Professors and Prophane that they must live in Sin in this Life this is as it were a Chain by which he holds all that will believe so fast to his Table and then let them be as rich as they will in comprehending and getting into the Brain-knowledge the Scriptures and outward Learning so though the work grows so high in the Mystery of Iniquity that the Enemy of the Soul hath exalted himself above all that is called God and so makes a shew in fine words and in long Prayers and in curious Arts yet whilst he can keep them in his Chain to his Table if they cannot have ease in professing in one Sect he will give them leave to profess in another Sect and if that will not serve he will give them leave to go into the profession of Truth it self and further to meet together with them in the Truth any thing but hearing the Voice of the Son of God and obeying which brings to the Table of God and so overthrows his Table to any thing but this his Chain will reach Now as to what is before those that have seen something of Truth and some trouble hath by reason thereof risen in them but for love of a little ease to the flesh such their minds being out willingly goes into the Devils Chain and so feeds at his Table where they are furnished with Arguments against the Spirit of Truth manifested to lead and to guide into all truth and so out of Sin which is the Devils Chain but being thus furnished according to their hearts lust being in the Adulterous Spirit takes all occasion to speak evil of Truth and them that are in it who are true Worshippers of the Lord according to his Will in Spirit and Truth so the god of the World having blinded their minds an evil eye gets out and this watches for the halting of them who are in Truth and when the just hand of God is gone out in making manifest some who have been in the profession of Truth who have hardned their hearts against reproof till at length their hypocrisie and guile is made manifest on which they hereby take occasion to speak evil of the Way of the Lord and them that are in it the Enemy of their Souls giving them thereby some ease for the present but it lasts not long but the Fame of Truth is sounded in their ears again by the Witness of God within or else from those in whom it dwells without them then the Lamb riseth and gives torment again and their Coverings be too narrow and will not serve them neither shall they Wo to the Rebellious Children saith the Lord that take Counsel but not of me and that cover with a covering but not with my Spirit So all unrighteous Coverings which people of unstable minds are under the Wo of the Lord is against so what will become of them that are under them O that men would in coolness consider whose day of Gods Visitation in Love is not past least by their often provocations he visits in his great displeasure and says My Spirit is weary with striving it shall strive no more now for the sakes of many who have yet true Breathings after Living Refreshment and are willing to take up Christs Yoke and Burthen and to follow him that is meek and lowly in heart that so they may rest for their Souls for their sakes I shall give a brief Relation of the Ministers of Christ and of the Ministers of Antichrist First The Ministers of Christ must know Christ and see him and believe on him Joh. 6.40 But some will say Who is there that knows not Christ Doth not all that can read see what is writ of him in the Scriptures of Truth And is not the Christ which you mean who suffered without the Gates of Jerusalem and the like Yes we do own the same Christ and that which the
Scriptures do declare of him is true and we do expect no other but to know him no further then the report of him though that be true this is but a poor knowledge which the Workers of Iniquity have of all sorts that lives visibly in gross and manifest Sins and notwithstanding that knowledge yet live and abound in the same so that knowledge only though that as I have said be true is not sufficient to fit a man to be a Minister of Christ But saith the diligent Enquirer What knowledge then is necessary for a Minister of Christ To know him as he is the Mystery hid from Ages and Generations but now is made manifest to his Saints to know what is the Riches of the Glory of this Mystery among the Gentiles which is Christ in you the Hope of Glory Collos 1.26 27. To know him as he is a Covenant given to the People and a Light to enlighten them manifested within them to give the knowledge of God and to know that he is the Light of the World and how he hath enlightned every man that comes into the World to know him to be the Word in the Heart and Mouth to know him to be the Reconciler unto God to know him to be the Anointing which is true and teacheth all things to know him to be the Spirit of Truth which is manifest to lead and to guide into all Truth to know Christs Flesh and what it is to eat it to know Christs Blood and what it is to drink it but some will say all this may be read in the Scriptures But by the way though the words may be read in the Scriptures of Truth yet the knowledge of the Mystery which is declared of in those words is not attainable by reading them But because some are willingly ignorant and so desires to be rather then to have true wisdom in Gods way and so stumbles at all I shall say a little concerning seeing the Son which is necessary for a Minister of Christ First To see him to be the great Love of God manifested to convince of Sin to see him to be the wonderful Power of God and how that he died to the end that whether we sleep or wake we should live together with him to see him as he was manifest to destroy the Works of the Devil to see him to be the great Mystery of Godliness God manifest in the Flesh and much more might be said of the knowledge and sight which a true Minister of Christ hath but what hath been said is enough to satisfie the truly hungring and thirsting Soul but the full loath the Hony-Comb But is this all the upright-hearted say Nay they that thus have obtained mercy to have the knowledge of what is above declared must receive it in the love of it and this Love of God thus manifested in them they must give up to obey being his Everlasting and Unchangeable Covenant which is the Key of knowledge manifested to rend the Vail and to break the Chain of Darkness and to open the Mysteries of the Scriptures of Truth and to give the knowledge of God whom to know is Eternal Life so Iniquity being taken away and Sin being purged through the knowledge of Christ who is the Power of God and God known to walk and to dwell in them through the Son of his Love who is Gods Righteousness as God hath said I will dwell in you and walk in you The Eye of the Understanding being thus opened and the Revelation of Christ being dayly witnessed to sit and to furnish them with Wisdom from above to speak a word in season unto all conditions being thus filled with the Love of God and his Glorious Appearance a constraint lying upon them through the Power of God that dwells in them and from the great Love of God in the same such cannot be silent nor eat their Morsel alone but the Love of God doth constrain them who have Wives and Children and Estates and several others that have no Wives and Children to leave their Callings and several Imployments and go abroad as Sheep among Wolves to declare this great and unspeakable Love to the end That People may be turned from Darkness to Light and from Satans power to the Power of God that others may partake of the same Love of God in his Son Christ Jesus with them But for this their love how Barbarously and Cruelly they have been used many having finished their Testimony in Nasty Holes and Prisons and other great Cruelties which would be too long to relate so these thus furnished with the Love and Power of God and being obedient to the same being Learned men in the Book of Life these are not to take with them Scrip nor Purse so as to be careful of Earthly things but as they have received freely do Minister freely but into what house they come where this great Love is answered in the same Love of God in measure what things such set before them for necessity they eat and drink and the like seeing it comes from their Fathers Love but when they come into a place and cannot see in the Counsel of the Lord that that Love is answered in which they come there they cannot receive though in never so much necessity True say some these are fit Qualifications for a Minister of Jesus Christ but be there any such now adays How dost thou know them Yes I do testifie as thousands beside my self are ready to give the same testimony that such Ministers qualified as before-mentioned there be many in this Day of Gods Power But how do you know may some say I answer By turning us to the great and unspeakable Love of God manifested in our hearts which shews us our conditions how it stood between us and our Creator as it had done long before but we knew not that that was the appearance of the Son of Love till those who had tasted handled seen and felt the powerful working thereof told us but told us also the first step must be through Judgment so a belief thereof being raised and a clean and a perfect obedience yielded to it we in time found its power in us opening the Eye of our Understandings and revealed the man of Sin and so came the knowledge of the Spirit of Truth to be revealed in us and by it we had a sight of the unfruitful Works of Darkness without in his Instruments and the sight of the Spirit of Truth and those that were Ministers of it But notwithstanding this Testimony if some should be hard to believe let such deal so ingeniously with their own Souls as to go and hear and try with a single heart and hold fast that which is good and this is desired to the end that others may be partakers of the same Love of God and of their assurance of their being reconciled unto him through his Son to whom be glory for ever Now there being a necessity that
the Ministers of Christ should be qualified as is before mentioned the Ministers of Antichrist may be easily known but for the sakes of such afore-mentioned I shall lay down some marks of them First They are such who never knew the Son of God in the Everlasting and Unchangable Covenant manifested in them so not learned men in the Book of Life but are alienated from the Life of God through the ignorance that is in them knowing him manifested in them who is Infallible but in their fallible wisdom by the Art of Tongues gets the Prophets Christs and the Apostles words and something out of Heathen Authors and so in their vain imaginations patches up anothers Discourse and so for the love they have for their god which is their Belly they sell their Art at as dear a price as they can for several hundreds by the year some for more and some for less but all as dear as possible as I heard a Priest say once if it were not for Tythes who as would should preach for him but this being so well known to all that its alone for their god which is their Belly that their Mouths is opened there is little need to speak of that these being Sayers but not Doers so not accepted of God these are they which run and are not sent which speaks a divination of their own Brain so not like to profit the people you may read of them at large Ezekiel the thirteenth read the Chapter from such Priests and Prophets as these is Profaneness gone forth in all the Land read Jeremiah the twenty third so they are sufficiently markt out in the Scriptures of Truth But some say we know all the Priests now adays are bad enough and the smoothest of them preach for filthy lucre sake but they speak good words so we may do as they say and as they do O foolish people is it not because you love such easie Prophets who speak peace to you in your Sins that you thus speak have you not heard what the Scriptures of Truth sayes Do men gather Grapes of thorns or Figs of Thistles By their Fruits you may know them Should we not count him a very Fool that should go look for Figs on Thistles or sweet water out of a bitter Fountain What if they should say the Lord lives that is a true saying to them which know it in themselves but it s a Lye to them who say it and know the contrary in them but these Priests which Preach for Hire cry peace to men whilst they put into their Mouths to the end their god may be supplyed which causes and constrains their Mouths to be open but in case you deny to put into their Mouths then Demetrius like prepares War crying out we have a Law and if you won't pay we will make you pay But by the way what compulsive Law of men doth Christs Ministers use or were they to use prove any such thing in the Scriptures of Truth that they were to compel any man to give to them Now if God hath appointed no such Maintenance by his Righteous Covenant and Law Is it not stealth in his sight to compel and take that by mans Law which God hath not appointed in his Law Look about you Priests for the Righteous Judge will sit in Judgment and to the Lambs Bar to give an account you must come and then the twisting Serpent will stand you in no stead but all things will be laid bare before you what esteem you have of your god which is your Belly for the serving of which how have you yielded unto the lying Spirit and so like Ahabs Prophets perswaded and instigated many to go on in the Persecution though to their destruction Have you not told the Magistrates that the Quakers are Ring-Leaders of Faction though you never come to their Meetings nor never examined the cause why they dissented from you nor never heard that they went about to disturb or molest any of their outward enjoyments but barely because they bore a faithful Testimony against the twisting twining Serpent the great Enemy of mans Soul which Spirit of Error your god cannot be served without so a great stir and ado you make in being Instruments of casting into Prison haling and tearing away the Goods and the like from those who lives in the Fear and Dread of the God Almighty and in peace with men though in enmity with the Serpent the Enemy of mans Soul so in the Innocent Blood which hath been shed in Nasty Holes and Stinkiug Prisons cries aloud unto the Righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth who is Lord of all who created all at his pleasure and can destroy all in the same those that be innocent out of the revengeful spirit have committed themselves and so cannot use any compulsive way with Weapons that are Carnal but in plain Demonstration and Power of the Spirit of Truth and their innocent Cause to the Judge of all they have committed to be cleared in his will and time who will assuredly do it But further to clear that you are the Ministers of Antichrist if notwithstanding what is declared any yet be in doubt Hearken what Christ saith to the Wicked I was an hungry and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink I was a stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye cloathed me not sick and in prison and visited me not Then shall they also answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred or thirsty or a stranger or sick or in prison and did not minister unto thee Then shall he answer them saying Verily I say unto you inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me and these shall go away into everlasting punishment Matth. 25. In the same Chapter he shews the Righteous mans love and his reward and how did they express their love to Christ Did they do it in speaking great words of his Name No as you may read they visited his Brethren in their necessities so mark by the way there were Righteous men and now are though the Ministers of Antichrist for the gods sake would have all erre and stray again from the Lords way but the Pearl for which they have sold all and bought is of more value then so but since Christ hath Brethren are not they them which are led by the Spirit of Truth and if people be given up to obey it will it not lead them out of the Spirit of Error If so then must they not depart from your wayes who are in the Revengeful Spirit Well then since those that are led by the Spirit are Sons of God as the Scriptures of Truth declare Rom. 8. and Heirs with Christ for he that sanctifieth and them that are sanctified are all of one wherefore he is not ashamed to call them Brethren now since there is such an unity between Christ and his Followers Shall it
avail them any thing who call upon Christ yet persecute so near Relations as his Brethren And since those that visited them not in their necessities received such condemnation what will become of you And you Generation of wicked Doers who have been the cause of the Imprisoning so many of Christs Relations where several hundreds have laid down their lives for their faithful Testimony against you because of your Adultery from the Lord and his Worship which is to be performed in Spirit and Truth and have set up worships according to your own hearts Lust and because of the Lords Patience and Long-suffering and great Mercy how do you harden your hearts against Reproofs and for good return evil and so go on scoffing and mocking well though the Lord hath exercised a great deal of patience it 's my belief it will not last long but he will execute Righteous Judgment and plead the cause of the Innocent who hath committed all to him with Praises and Glory from his own works for ever Stephen Smith The 21th day of the 11th Month 1667. A PROCLAMATION By way of EXHORTATION Unto all the Inhabitants of England Concerning Fasting and Prayer And that they may come to a certain Discerning and Knowledge of the Will of God therein who is King of the whole EARTH First by way of Preparation unto a True FAST COme all you who expect to be Heard and Accepted of the Living God Fasting and Prayer in the Spirit of Holiness is required as Necessary thereunto but the want of a certain Knowledge Discerning how and in what manner the same ought to be Performed therefore it is that people are rejected being all Vain Service and Lost Labour where no Reward is received or when they ask amiss what answer shall such have judge ye And therefore be Admonished I beseech you to mind that which gives you a Discerning and certain Knowledge in this weighty Work You may read what the Lord said by his Servant Isaiah chap. 8. concerning Fasting and what Christ Jesus said Mat. 6. but how long may people read these Sayings as well as others and yet have no certain knowledge of the Will of God therein I speak of such who are out of the way of a True Understanding which all are who are in a bare Confession with their Mouths that God ought to be feared but the Heart that not being right in his sight Infidelity that taking place there from whence a Conclusion is drawn That Sin which is Evil can't be parted with this is a great Evil indeed set up in the Heart by the spirit of Antichrist where a Form of Words and large Confessions concerning God and Christ are made but the Blessed and Effectual Workings of God's Spirit in Flesh for the Destroying of Sin that being denyed the Enemy's works which is Sin and Evil they continue in the Heart contrary to the Blessed Will of God by which means the Nobility of Man's Understanding that is Clouded and Darken'd through Error and Falshood by which means the Minds of Mankind are exercised in a Brutish Understanding concerning Spiritual Matters imagining a Performing of Service to God by confessing That he ought to be feared and yet live out of what they confess in a Talk that all good Success and Blessing comes from him c. So then let such be judged by their own words who confess he ought to be feared and yet live in Sin and Evil under a strange Delusion That those Works can never be so destroyed as to know Dominion and Freedom from them on this side the laying down the Body or at least till about that time of separation from all outward visible things So here Sin the Continuance of that hath been pleaded for by them who would be called Christians and would be accounted such who fear God and that they are in his Service though never expect to be free from sin What Service is that in Evil And what Reward shall Evil Works have Is not sin an Evil work of the Evil One And must not the Works of the Evil One if continued in have a Bad Reward Oh that people would Fear God in Deed and in Truth for they that fear him will do no Evil So the way of a Right Understanding that leads quite contrary to Sin and Evil So its strong Delusion indeed to expect a Right Understanding in an Evil Way and Presumption indeed it is to hope for Good out of Evil. Oh be Awakened to Righteousness in which there 's no sin and then will the Eye of the Understanding be opened to see the Man of sin who hath exalted himself above that of God in Man under Confessions and Professions of the Name of God and Christ whilst that signified by the Name which is Power manifested in Flesh for the revealing the Man of sin and destroying his works that hath been denyed by the Exaltation of the Man of sin in man by whom Mankind hath been exalted above the Pure Principle of God in man even above the Light of that Blessed and Unerring Spirit of Christ by which that which is reproveable is made manifest But through Unbelief of God's Love therein Mankind in a great part being held under strong Delusions of Satan their minds being exercised in a Brutish Understanding some have called that Blessed Principle of God in man a Devilish Light and others a Bewildering Light or a Natural Light so that all that is of God in man that hath been denyed whose Work do you think this is But if it were so as the Wicked One in the wicked hath concluded may it not be said now as it was in the dayes of old after God had created Mankind upon the Earth and they had corrupted their Wayes which displeased God who in his Displeasure said My Spirit shall not alwayes strive c. Then was not Destruction nigh but in that there was a time in which God's Holy Spirit did strive with flesh it plainly appears the good will of God was therein to have had it otherwise but Mankind resisting his Way of bringing it to pass the Way of Salvation that was removed and a Way of Destruction let in so the Way of Salvation then that was by the moving and working of God's Good Spirit the which had place in Noah who was a perfect man in his day who being moved in a True Fear of God had a Right Understanding in which he was a Preacher according to the Will of God So that Blessed Spirit of God by which Noah had regard and was acted by though it was rejected by Mankind in their corrupt Wayes yet it was not Devilish nor Natural as Mankind in their Brutish Understanding in great measure have concluded but the least measure of that pure Principle of God in Mankind of his Blessed Spirit is Unerring the which in measure in all Ages in God's Time and Season did strive in Mankind and for the good of Mankind that through it they might
climbing up another way cryes down that fashion and sets up another singular way of pretended righteousness then Stand further off my way of Confession is best of all till another rises from the same imaginary ground and so being blind in that eye which should see and in that wretched condition having put evil for good and good for evil and light for darkness and darkness for light and so in the darkness and evil what labour and pains have the heaps of Parties taken to make darkness light striving by all the Arts and means imaginable to Eclipse and Darken the Light of the Son and for the effecting their designs what Curious Workmen in Flourishing and Painting and Daubing and Smoothing have the many Parties set up being herein agreed as plainly appears That darkness must be light and whosoever speaks to the contrary they all wonder at that work For say the several Parties in effect Though indeed we do much differ in our fashions in Confessions and Professions and therein do many times quarrel and fall out to the shedding of much Blood as by experience is known yet in this we do much agree in spurning against the light which lighteth all mankind And though Christ said I am the light of the World and though God be called light and though it be said In him is life and the life is the light of men and That God who is light searcheth the heart c. And though those who Ministred from Christ did by their Declarations and Writings endeavour to turn people to the Light to God who is Light and though he be the Father of Lights and all that are begotten by him are begotten by his light and brought forth into the light which shining in the heart clears the understanding of darkness and error and though what is reprovable be made manifest by the Light Immanuel God who is light with his people Notwithstanding all this and much more that is upon record how ignorant are the many Sects and Parties of this way by reason of the esteem they have of darkness wherein they being ignorant of God's Righteousness how in their blind zeal do they go about to establish their own wayes and righteousness and though no better then filthy Rags So darkness that being over people and in the dark corrupt ways being set up from whence sin is let into the heart and so the soul is in bondage to corruption the Religions being in the head how giddy are these Sects and Parties turning and wheeling about cringing and bowing at every turn the sting of the Venomous Beast that being nourished in the heart by the unbeliever concluding where he takes place That it is a dangerous principle to hold forth such a way that is out of sin or to tell of perfection which darkness and blindness of theirs under many fair shews of Professions what strange effects have been brought forth through these many Sects and Parties in their ways by which they are blinded and can't see God's Way which is Truth in which there is no Error therefore perfect but for want of the knowledge of this I say what strange effects have been brought forth by the many Sects and Parties whose strength hath been an Arm of Flesh the which whilst one Party hath been strongest in how have they shown it in suppressing and keeping down the others but giddiness being through the Religions being in the head a time of turning round again coming how hath another Party exercised the same power and so one after another A corrupt fountain of Imaginations and Inventions being opened amongst Apostates from the Truth How in this night of darkness hath Envy Malice and Hatred run currently and drove Meekness Holiness and Truth quite out of doors so the way of Truth that having been out the Commandment that was given forth in the way of God To love him above all and one another that hath been out the Sects and Parties having been blinded through sin in that blind Sodomites estate how have they who have had the Names of Christians been groping and feeling for the door which lets into Peace but let them bring forth their experiences after twenty fourty sixty years Tryal some more someless and don 't think to cover your selves any longer with telling what you read of others experiences whilst you are resisting the just pure gift of God for a day of search is come and coming So Wo to them that cover but not with God's Spirit So all you Blind Guides who are leading the blind you must needs fall into the pit of destruction together if you do not repent of your evil in refisting the just principle of God in you So do not think by your twining and twisting in your wise definitions or distinctions about evil whilst you put good for evil that you shall mend the matter thereby for good is good and that 's of God from whence all good comes and evil is evil and that 's of the Devil from whence all bad comes So plain-dealing is a Jewel which many Honest hearts have sought for and have waited on God to be seasoned therewith which makes savoury in his sight who is Creator of all a Mighty power over all whom all the Ministers of Christ turned People to that they might not continue in darkness nor under Satan's power but that they might know his Light who hath all Power in Heaven and Earth and so to live subject under this higher Power by which Power the true eye comes to be opened and by a true understanding is witnessed God's love to the World in his Son Christ Jesus and what manner of love that was in that Blessed Act in Suffering without the Gates of Jerusalem so in the same Will which was the Sanctifier of Believers Believers now are sanctified and cleansed from evil to make mention of the Name of the Lord in Truth and Righteousness in which there 's no Evil. So let him that names his Holy Name depart out of evil least the good Spirit of God leave striving with him and so the soul be sealed down in evil where Tribulation and Anguish will never have an end Come therefore be awaken'd I beseech you unto Righteousness and repent with that repentance never to be repented of in ceasing to do evil And let the example of Nineveh be before you Jonah 3.8 9 10. Cry mightily unto God yea let them turn every one from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands who can tell if God will turn and repent c. And God saw their Works that they turned from their evil way and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them and he did it not So this by the way Fast as long as you will Pray as long as you will Cry as loud as you will if evil be not turned from all will be vain So evil that is within man and God's love hath been to
Old-England whose spirit is felt but that their Wings are cut so cannot fly at that rate which otherwise they would be at for now their Hands are tyed how wonderfully do their Tongues go by which its plain they have no Bridle but are set on Fire of Hell wondering despising and fretting against the work of the Lord in this the day of his power though thousands are raised by it to declare and publish the same words in life and conversation c. And now you vain and empty Professors and Notion its who are saying in your dark and imaginary conceivings of things that if you had been in the Scribes and Pharisees dayes you would not have done as they did But come be patient a little the works of Truth have a good tendency though they be bitter to the guilty for the present come I say look where you are by the Light you may see you must see by it at last it were better for you if you would let your Eye be opened now and see that offensive Eye pulled out which hath been offended at God's works all this while So do not harden your hearts in this day of God's power being manifest least you be cut off from his rest for ever Come therefore you that are judging others that did wickedly in their Generation by resisting God's holy Spirit so had none of the works of Revelation come see now what Latitude your works are under If you be in the same liberty in the flesh as you were in it s no matter what you say Come now to the Tryal what experience have you of the operation of God's Spirit How much of the mind and will of God hath it revealed to you Can you say Thus saith the Lord by the certain knowledge of the Revelation of God's holy Spirit Or have you only talkt of it as the Jews did who said we have God for our Father when they were doing the Devil's works Come do not stop your Ears Have you heard the voice of God or seen his shape or are you ignorant of it as they were who accused Christ as if he was bearing false witness Nay come further Have you not said That Revelations are ceased and thereby shut up the way of the Kingdom of God and from the knowledge of his Righteousness by your wicked works in going about to establish your own Righteousness and works therein for term of life Come you that have set up the Law and Covenant without above the Law and Covenant within are not these your own works and have not they made you as blind as your Fathers the Scribes and Pharisees that you can neither see nor hear but in your blind zeal are persecuting Christ's near Relations who follow him in their Generation even by the drawings of his Father's Spirit unto Humility and Patience who is the way in whom God's Will was done And did not Christ give Testimony of Relations his Mother his Brothers and Sisters who did his Father's Will And is not this to be done on Earth And is it not the will of God that we should speak the Truth at all times and that we should be led and guided by the Spirit of Truth into all Truth is there any sin in the guide And is not this Christ of God the same Anointing or Teacher as he was in the beginning of the World Was not he before Abraham was And is not he the same yesterday to day and for ever as he was in the beginning who was David's Lord and the Holy mens Lord in all Ages And is not he the Covenant by which all must come unto God Was he not given for a Covenant and a Light to enlighten people and to be their Salvation to lead and command his people And must not his sheep hear his voice And is not he the same that he was in the beginning And is not this the Precious tryed Stone which the Wise Builders building without are confounded and stumble at even the highest Notionists in the fleshly Wisdom in their highest conceivings about the holy mens words Come examine your selves and see whether Christ be not in you except you be Reprobates You unbelievers how hath the God of the World led you about and blinded you that you cannot see the Light of his Glorious Gospel Come see the cause have you not been making Provision for the flesh in the first place and answering the Lusts thereof after the glory of the old World of sin and iniquity Hath not respect of persons been in your Eye and filthy lucre and praise of men and greeting in Market-places Have you not preacht and prayed in your own wills and run for gifts and rewards in your own wills and is not all this Honour to be had below And have you not sought it before the Honour of God's work in your hearts And is not this the cause of your Ignorance of God's Kingdom and his Righteousness Christ and his Relations his Mother Sisters and Brethren who are sanctified and blest through the will of God where it is done in Truth and Righteousness and where that it is done do not such confirm in truth and reality all God's Blessed and holy works without in all generations So do not envy and hate the people called Quakers for maintaing the works of God's holy Spirit within them for there are many of them have been as high Talkers of the works of God in holy men without as you are but found not such Salvation as to venture souls and bodies and estates till we came to cease from our own labours in our own willings and runnings and so our hearts were bowed unto God's holy will in the deep silence of all fleshly reasonings and consultations So by the works of God's holy and blessed Spirit the way of God came to be made manifest in us the which is a pure Holy undefiled way Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever as he was in the beginning without guile without sin no iniquity is in him he that is the hope of Glory the great Mystery made manifest in us Gentiles who in former times when without knowledge of him in the World had Lords many and Masters many and feigned Faiths and Beliefs concerning him many and divers But when we were given up clearly to seek the Kingdom of God without any reserve of making provision for the flesh then the New Jerusalem God's building came down from above the Mother of all the Faithful where no evil can be conceived whose Children in her are made free from the Law of sin and death and this blessed City hath no need of the Sun neither of the Moon to shine in it for the Glory of God doth lighten it and the Lamb is the Light thereof This blessed habitation is prepared for God's people who love the Light of his appearance and delight to do his will So away with all false Accusations from all you false Accusers of the people
cover with a covering but not of my Spirit that they may add sin to sin And as Peter said of the salse Teachers Having eyes full of Adultery and that cannot cease from sin 2 Pet. 2.14 beguiling unstable Souls an heart they have exercised with covetous Practices cursed Children And as Jude in his Epistle said of them who was then departed from the Faith and blessed works of the holy Spirit so it may be as truly said of these These be they who seperate themselves sensual having not the Spirit But these speak evil of those things which they know not but what they know naturally as bruit beasts And being thus corrupted and exalted live above the pure fear of the Lord they in this exaltedness pervert and wrest the Scriptures to bend them to their corrupt wills and imaginations They do in the dark works of the man of sin give their private Interpretations of the Prophesies in Scripture and in a mystery of iniquity they speak evil of the motions of Gods holy spirit in which blessed motions those blessed Prophesies were given forth and cannot be understood but by the blessed operation and moving of the same blessed spirit but the moving of this blessed spirit being mocked at by Hagar's brood that Birth after the flesh which gendereth to bondage this brood in their several Sects do exalt the mystery of iniquity and spiritual wickedness in high places and under this mystery conclusions are made that Christ who suffered by wicked hands hath done all for them and that their sins are forgiven in what he did and suffered without them and their Confessions and Professions to this purpose they look upon to be sound and good Religion though sin and iniquity they live in and plead for it for term of Life But let all the wise in heart who have not so far betrayed their reason and understanding in the things of God but that some little glimmering and descerning they have thereof Consider and judge whether the man of sin be not the Author of that Religion and whether such dark works have not a tendancy of overthrowing the true purpose and intent of all the holy mens Testimonies given forth by the moving of Gods holy spirit as recorded in the Scriptures Much might be written concerning these workers in the works of darkness but I give but some brief hints thereof and leave the wise in heart to Judge And I do ask this question whether in case the Motions Operations Revelations and Inspirations of Gods holy spirit of Truth have not the leading and guiding of peoples hearts and minds in their conversations and all their ways and works where this is denyed Whether then doth not a spirit of error and falshood deceit and hypocrisie lead instead thereof Indeed misery and miserable will be the end of all those who do persist and go on under the cover of the Antichristian spirit to oppose the great love of God in the manifestation of the Son of his love who both was and is manifest to destroy the Devils works And in this glorious manifestation of Gods spirit of grace light power and wisdom is the Lord of Heaven and Earth at work this time and season to create again and redeem mankind out of the fall death and curse and is pouring out of his blessed spirit upon all flesh as was Prophesied of through the moving of Gods holy spirit in old time by the Prophet Joel 2.28 And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh and your Sons and your Daughters shall Prophesie your old men shall dream dreams your young men shall see Visions and also upon the Servants and upon the Handmaids in those dayes will I pour out my Spirit Now Hagars brood do object and say that this was fulfilled in the primitive Christians days but now it is ceased c. Answer That the spirit of the Lord was poured out upon the primitive Christians who believed and waited in the manifestation thereof that is evident to all who read what blessed Lives they lived and boly examples they were in their day and generation And they were built upon the foundation of the holy Prophets and Apostles and this was the spirit of Christ as you may read 1 Pet. 1.10 11. The Spirit of Christ which was in them did signifie when it testified before-hand the suffering of Christ and the glory that should follow It was by the moving of the spirit of Christ in the Prophets who prophesied of the grace that should come This spirit of Christ in them was their foundation on which they built and from whence they had those blessed Revelations and Visions of that great salvation the which through the pouring out of the same blessed spirit of Christ upon all flesh should come And those who denyed themselves and took up the Cross and followed Christs blessed example even in his great humiliation and patience they were witnesses of the fulfilling of those blessed Prophesies And the Apostle in his Epistle to the Romans saith plainly Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8. Let all take notice that it is alone by the spirit of Christ that any can be truly said to be followers of Christ and so true Christians as being baptized by this one spirit into one body out of the many Sects And all them who were possessers and injoyers of Christs Spirit In them was fulfilled the Prophesy so far as they were partakers of the spirit thereof But unto what a degree of gross darkness are people plunged into through a great night of Apostasie where conclusions are made that the Operation Revelation and Inspiration of this Spirit of Christ is ceased now adays They may as well say Christ hath now adays no followers therefore none are true Christians the many Sects and Opinions have gotten varieties of Baptisms but all out of the Spirit of Christ That is ceast they say now adays the operation and work thereof was fulfill'd in the primitive dayes Now every one to his private Interpretations and build some Babel the Nations are now become as waters and the Whore with her Golden Cup of Sorceries rids over all and the Nations have drunk of her Cup of Fornications and are made so drunk therewith that they see no need of the Revelation of Christ's Spirit now adays Their Mother Mystery Babylon the Mother of Harlots she instructs her brood of Children to kindle fires of Confession and Profession without true Faith and Obedience of what blessed Testimonies are left upon record and to warm themselves by the sparks of their fire and to cover themselves with the Harlots Attire even their own self-righteousness in seigned Faiths and feigned Humilities in feigned Worships and feigned Beliefs having denyed the sufficiency of the Arm and Power of God now adays and the Sanctification Wisdom Righteousness and Redemption of Christ Jesus now adays contenting themselves
hath all this while reserved a Seed as it is written And as Esaias said before Rom. 9.29 except the Lord of Sabbath had left us a Seed we had been as Sodoma and been made like unto Gomorrha And in this is the Lord replenishing the Earth and making of it fruitful in vertue in life in praises to his holy name even by the same spirit of Truth that moved in the holy men of God that gave forth those holy Prophesies and blessed Testimonies in the Scriptures of Truth And this is the time and season wherein the Lord is pouring out his spirit even the same spirit as he did pour out upon his Sons and Daughters in the Primitive time And it s by the Operation Revelation and Divine Inspiration of the same spirit of Christ Jesus in and by which the Holy Prophesies and Testimonies in the Scripture comes to be understood And in this spirit the Lord hath and is ordaining Ministers that they may go and bring forth fruit and that their fruit may remain And by the power and efficasie thereof are thousands of living witnesses raised now in these dayes unto whom the goodness mercy and loving kindness of the Lord is revealed even by the Operation Divine Inspiration and blessed effects of the same spirit of Christ Jesus which the holy men of God were witnesses of in the Primitive dayes And in and by this spirit of power and wisdom is the Lord made Righteousness Wisdom Sanctification and Redemption unto his people who are believers this day as he was in the Primitive days unto his people who did believe in him And by the power and effectual works of this spirit of Christ Jesus in these days time and season The Blind receive their Sight Mat. 11.5 6. and the Lame Walk the Lepers are Cleansed and the Deaf Hear the Dead are raised up and the Poor have the Gospel Preached to them And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me This spirit of Christ Jesus was the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles on which the true Believers which were the Church of Christ was built and it s on this Foundation that the true Believers which is the Body of Christ which is his Church is built this day time and season where Christ is Head Leader Law-giver and Commander and by his spirit is the blessed Worship set up now in the Church of Christ the which Christ set up in opposition to all false Worships in the Primitive time as you may read But the hour cometh when the true Worshipers shall Worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth John 4.23 24. for the Father seeketh such to Worship him God is a Spirit and they that Worship him must Worship him in Spirit and in Truth Therefore yours is the false Worship now where the Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration of this blessed spirit of Truth is denyed now adays Your Worship is false imaginary and conceited for none can truly call Jesus Lord but by the leading and guiding of the same holy spirit of Truth and all that makes mention of his holy Name let them depart from Iniquity And all you who do not but do continue in the Mistery thereof in subjection to the man of sin your Prayers are the Prayers of the wicked the which is abomination to the Lord And your patcht up Sermons the which you Study and Frame up in your Brain from the works of others They are all alike abomination and how costly these works of abomination are let the Wise in Heart judge And in all where this blessed spirit of Truth is rejected and stoped in its motions and so grieved and quenched and another spirit leads all their labour and travel is vain and your Consultations are vain and whatsoever you form up be it an Instrument never so cunningly and wisely wrought in the deepest of your Skill and Councel in the highest degree of the Worlds Wisdom to oppose the out-goings of this blessed Spirit of Christ Jesus it shall never prosper neither shall the Contrivers ever prosper in their works Look back 20 or 30 years past where great undertakings have been even if it had been possible to have ruined and spoiled all those who gave Testimony to this Spirit of Truth And see what sad effects those works of Opposition have produced what hath your turning of things upside down availed you Alas for you your worth is the product of ruine and misery that which you intend to your peaceable Neighbours will come upon your selves your own works in your singular exalted spirits is the purchaser thereof Oh you Ignorant Fools who are blinded by the God of this Wold and are so high flown that you go about to limit the holy God in the goings out of his holy Spirit you may as well undertake to alter the course of the Sun and stop up the course of the Ebbing and Flowing of the Sea Your sins of Presumption would be much alike and your Folly will end in as great shame Indeed your presumption arises from an Arm of Flesh and long continuance in vain Customs Traditions and Inventions And because you can clap up in Prisons and make Havock and Ruine and Spoile of People and their Goods your spirit that leads you in these works being an envious Malicious Cruel Abominable Wicked spirit therefore proceeds this wrong Judgment from you even that Gods holy Spirit in Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration as moving through holy Men in the Primitive time is now ceased But if it were so as you vainly Imagine then shew where the difference lyes between you who call your selves Christians and the Heathens if the Spirit of Christ Jesus the Spirit which people were brought under in the Primitive time and thereby to be Baptized into one Body the which was to be ruled and governed by that Spirit of Christ Now if the Revelation Operation and Divine Inspiration thereof be ceased then tell me by what spirit Christians so called are Baptized into so many Bodyes and Fellowships and what Spirit rules and governs And what difference there is between them called Heathen in their Fellowships and them called Christians in their Fellowships where the Authority Rule and Government of Christs Spirit is denyed Come to plain dealing and don't Shuffl you have been long enough in that work already and the more you persist therein the more you will be confounded and the deeper plunged into the horrible pit and your Feet will be faster stuck in the Mire Therefore be admonished to deal plainly least you be your own Executioners through your high presumptuous mindedness in bringing swift destruction upon you for of a Truth thousands have been bowed before the Lord under a sense of their own insufficiency to perform that which is good and acceptable of themselves and have truly waited upon the Lord in a deep silence of the flesh And indeed Christ hath appeared the second time in his blessed Spirit and
to lead into Christianity wherein the Author of the Book hath sufficiently manifested his folly in undertaking to detect that for Error which is a fundamental Truth Indeed he hath made a bold attempt in his dark comprehension in going about to limit the leading of the Light of Christ Jesus which shews plainly that he is not acquainted with the way thereof and in adventuring to speak and to affirm things so confidently that he hath no knowledge of this bespeaks him to be a rash inconsiderate man But least we should know him like a Coward he hath concealed his Name And in our reasonable and faithful confidence in Christ the Way Truth and Life we cannot give such dark ignorant works better entertainment then they deserve and by giving of them their due entertainment according to Truth we have cause to believe the endeavors of such dark immaginary Spirits will grow weaker and weaker and the turning of things upside down as the Author of that Book and his Generation hath done will prove a miserable hard travel and labour that will end in great sorrow and trouble But to come to the business in as brief manner as may be that I may not be tedious to the unprejudiced Reader This short answer is recommended shewing the drift of that dark Spirit by answering only some particulars Such manner of work as this having been often answered by many worthy Servants of the Lord the which are faithful witnesses against all such dark works By the way let it be remembred 1. That we truly own the holy Scriptures and all true and effectual outward Teaching in their place as proceeding from the holy Spirit 2. That by the assistance of the same Spirit only the Scriptures c. are truly to be understood and be made profitable 3. This Spirit works immediatly in the understanding where ever outward means becomes effectul 4. Divine Light and Inspiration being all sufficient to teach immediatly it is not to be limited to outward means First to prove the sufficiency of the Light of Christ Jesus to lead into true Christianity either without outward teaching or by it The Lord God of Heaven and Earth be his glorious and powerful outgoings in the Light being not to be limited take two or three instances out of the Prophets concerning this blessed leader the Light of Christ within Psal 97.11 Light is sown for the righteous and gladness for the upright in heart and said David rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness The which many thousands do this day by the springing up of this ever blessed Light within even where outward Teaching is not and by the effectual working in its powerful operation in springing up out of darkness many who had the name of that they were not were both convinced and converted and led into true Christianity And Isaiah prophesying the coming of Christs kingdom saith Isa 2.5 O house of Jacob come ye and let us walk in the light of the Lord and in the 55 chap. 4 v. Behold I have given him for a witness to the people a leader and commander to the people And of this Covenant this light promised to inlighten the Gentiles John the greatest Prophet that was born of a woman God sent to be a witness that all through him might believe and this Testimony of the true light that lighteneth every man that comes into the World he had from God who sent him and not man's Teaching And Paul saith Gal. 1.12 speaking of the Gospel For I neither received it of man neither was I taught it but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ So here men were made Christians by Christ the Light of the World without outward Teaching and this overthrows the affirmation of the Author of that Book who saith That men do not become Christians by following the Light within without outward Teaching But the Author may know that these men true Christians and men But I do affirm that there was never a true Christian made by mens Teaching without the leading and guiding of the Light of Christs Spirit within and that is by the leading of Christ within that people are made true Christians and the gainsaying of the Truth is the cause there are so many false Christians now adays by reason of such natural men as the Author of that Book manifests himself to be being ignorant of the Light not knowing the way thereof neither doth he know the fundamental principle of the people called Quakers the which is a manifest token of the gross darkness that he is under in that he presumes to call that error which he is a stranger to But neither he nor any else hath yet proved our opposing the leading and guiding of the Light of Christ within to its leadings and guidings in Teaching without But we do oppose its blessed Leading within and Teaching without to such dark unchristian-like Spirits that doth not know the way thereof who in such like dark works in a high degree of pride and arrogancy are going about to limit and set bounds to the works of the Lord God Almighty So that which he calls a fundamental Error is a fundamental Truth that it is possible with God this day and time as well as in days past to lead by the Son of his love into true Christianity with or without outward Teaching of which Truth the Lord God hath raised abundance of living witnesses this day and by his arm and power he is raising up more dayly who are built upon the same foundation that the Prophets Apostles and the Primitive Christians were built upon against which work and foundation the gates of Hell cannot prevail This Covenant this Light this Witness this blessed Leader Gods love Gods gift to the people all mind that it did not only inspire immediatly the Apostles but also the people by which Inspiration people come to understand when they have done evil even when none without can accuse them by this love wicked people are made sensible of their wickedness though indeed as it is written the Candle of the wicked is often put out yet many times they are overcome with the Light and Love of God therein that thereby they forsake their evil and turn from their wickedness and by yielding their members servants unto this righteous appearance of the grace of God and by obeying the infallible teaching thereof many have been converted into the true Christians faith and by the Truth sanctified and then justified through their obedience to the Heavenly gift of God are made true and living Christians abiding the Baptism of Christ who Baptizeth with Fire and the Holy Ghost and therein are confirmed and settled under the shadow of his wing whose fruit is very precious and pleasant And it is by this Light that the voice of the true Shepherd comes to be known from the false Shepherd thus by grubbing up the root of the tree the branches must needs
fall with it Page 4. He proceeds thus viz. You know it was said by our blessed Saviour that strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life and few there be that find it And I little doubt but that an appearance at first of a greater strictness and narrowness in your way then in theirs that differs from you was a temptation to some injudicious persons c. Answer If we were not in the same strait and narrow way that Christ did speak of where we are partakers of Gods great love in that rest and peace which he hath prepared for them that believe fear and love him it were an easie matter to go back again into the broad way there be opportunities enough given besides this great one given by this Author of that Book in his gross abominable Insinuations But such is the manner of such dark Spirits to pretend great love to the Souls of others and are not in a capacity to pity and love their own But he saith That might have been escaped had we considered that the strictness and narrowness consisting in outward austerities and incivilities c. Answer whither may a rambler go when he is turned into the way of mischief and pursues his journey without care of what will be the end of it But I perceive this is his great trouble as it was Hamans Mordicai would not bow to him we not going out of the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ into the respect of persons but faithfully keeping his commands and abiding in his Doctrine the which is true whatsoever he wickedly suggests to the contrary This he accounts Incivilities and a piece of Superstition of our own devising and that several orders among the Papists have been built upon the same bottom but mind all this while his name is concealed shewing that he is not willing others should know what bottom he is built upon but who that are wise can expect any better fruit of such a corrupt tree that grows upon the root of Imaginations he hath nothing else for his bottom of all that he hath said And he goes on in page 6 7. in these words Ye have taken liberty to walk loosly and cast off this yoak and that is in not governing your spirits passions and tongues according to the Laws of his Kingdom c. And this he infers from some words he hath taken out of Edward Burroughs's Book as thou cursed thou beast to whom the Plagues of God are due a reprobate a Child of darkness thou art thou disobedient one c. Answer By this it is manifest that if that Author had been in the false Prophets dayes he would have been as much offended with the true Prophets for calling the false Prophets greedy dogs and dumb dogs and many such like words and as David said Psal 49.12 Man being in honour abideth not he is like the beasts that perish or if he had been in that day of Christ who indeed was very humble and meek but in his reproofs of Hypocrisie he was very sharp as appears in these words Wo to you Hypocrites likening them to whited Walls painted Sepulchres and he said to them who supposed themselves to be the Children of Abraham and that they had one Father even God But Christ said unto them ye are of your Father the Devil And he said unto the Scribes and Pharisees ye Serpents ye generation of Vipers how can ye escape the damnation of Hell And the Apostle Paul saith whatsoever he be that preacheth any other Gospel then that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed Here is but a hint of much that might be said what the Language of the Spirit of Truth was in those days against those dark opposite Spirits to the way of Truth and there is no question but Edward Borroughs knew what Spirit of opposition he had to encounter with that by the Light of Christ Jesus he knew what was the portion of that Spirit But let the Author of that Book or any for him prove if they can that ever Edward Borroughs did do any wrong either to Man Woman or Child And he saith speaking of Christ he hath strictly injoyned his followers to be humble and lowly in heart to esteem others better then themselves to speak evil of no man c. and not to judge c. Answer But all this while this man that doth thus prescribe from what is written what others should do he himself doth not so it appears by concealing of his name he is not willing to be known But sure when he bethinks himself he cannot suppose that the spirit of Truth doth lead its followers to esteem Hypocrites and those that oppose the way thereof above them that are led and guided by it And sure the Author by disesteeming of the Light of Christ that lighteneth every man that comes into the World rendering it a natural Light as he hath done in many places is become very blind indeed if he thinks the Spirit of Truth did forbid the judgment of Truth by these words of Christ Mat. 7. Judge not that ye be not judged this he spoke to Hypocrites that went about to pull out a mote out of others eyes and the beam remained in their own saying Thou Hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thine own eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy Brothers eye But such gross darkness hath happened to many that do not believe in the Light and not knowing the way of the Spirit of Truth yet for sinister ends in great presumption undertakes to correct them who are born of the same and are in measure acquainted with the way thereof as that dear and faithful Servant of the Lord Edward Burroughs was as may be seen by his works which stand a witness against deceitful flattering Tongues But this is the old way of the enemy and adversary of the peace and happiness of Souls to cover his hatred and malice with smooth flattery in words As saith David in another case Psal 55.21 The words of his mouth were smoother then Butter but war was in his heart his words were softer then Oyl yet were they as drawn Swords But to speak the Truth by the leading and guiding of the Spirit of Truth as the Prophets Christ and his Apostles did though in very sharp reproofs to gainsayers is not against true humility nor a speaking evil of any man In Page 11. The Author saith Neither you are not guilty of rejecting Gods way and method of converting men to and keeping them in the way of saving Faith Repentance and Evangelical obedience and of inventing and chusing one of your own c. Which method he instances out of two Authors Edward Burroughs's Book and one of William Pens The which is as followeth word for word In the works of Edward Burrough who you are pleased to stile that true Prophet in the Title page which are published
the everlasting and unchangeable Truth the Lord hath raised up William Pen with a Testimony And in his continuance therein unto the end of his days he will receive the same Crown of Immortal Life and their Testimonies which the Author calls their method taken out of their Books is faithful and true and doth and will appear so to all that are in the least learned by the Spirit of Truth But in contradiction of those faithful and true Testimonies of Edward Burrough's and William Pen's the Author of that Book undertakes to prescribe a method and way the which he calls Gods method and way this being a long ramble too tedious to transcribe I shall draw up the scope and tendency thereof That Page 15. after Christs ascension into Heaven he sent the holy Spirit upon his Apostles and immediatly inspired them with a clear knowledge and understanding of it And again page 24. Although the first promulgator of the Gospel were enabled by immediate Revelation from Christ to teach it unto others yet afterward Gods ordinary way and method of transmitting the knowledge and faith of the Gospel downwards to others successively was by such mens teaching it to others as had themselves learned it of the Apostles or others that taught the same Doctrine as they did Again page 28. And there is great reason why the same regard should be given to what the Apostles and Evangelists wrote as to what they spoke as long as they either wrote the same Doctrine or History upon the same evidence for the Doctrine is the same after it is written as it was before for its being written doth not alter the nature of it And therefore men must needs be as much concerned in their belief or disbelief obedience or disobedience to it when it is communicated to them by writing as when it is so by preaching yea I had almost said or by immediate Revelation And again page 33. I shall conclude what I have said in this proposition to shew that the same regard is due to the Doctrine of the Apostles when written as now it is as when it was preached by them by remembring you of this great Truth that every man shall be tryed or judged at the last day by the Law he hath been under The Gentiles that are or have been without a written Law shall be judged without any such Law and the Jews which are under a written Law they shall be judged by it Rom. 2.12 Even so those that are under the Gospel written will be judged by that c. Thus then I take the substance of his method to be that the Apostles were immediatly Inspired and from immediate Revelation the New Testament was written and since that immemediate Revelation and Inspiration of the Spirit hath ceased and those writings now are become the rule of faith and practice And that this Gospel written as he calls it hath been successively transmitted to others as they have learnt it and that this written Gospel as he calls it must be the rule and judge in all matters of faith and practice without immediate Teaching or Inspiration This then being the method of the Author of that Book to exclude immediate Revelation and set up Tradition in the room But this he hath manifested by his writing that he is not in the line of succession in the holy Spirit of Truth and righteousness if he had been there he would never have opposed the Truth of what was spoken by William Pen and Edward Burroughs But who can expect any better fruit from a Plant that hath so little sap and life from the root and spring of Light Truth and Holiness to nourish it Page 41. he saith That Christ doth inlighten all whom he doth inlighten in one or more of these three wayes 1. Either by Natural Light Or 2. by Supernatural Revelation Or 3. by outward speech or writing or example c. Would not all that are in their wits judge that this Author of the Book had better to have been quiet then so presumptuously in his high flown proud arrogant Spirit So positively to condemn the sufficiency of the Lights leading within into Christianity without outward Teaching Since he is at such a loss not knowing what Light it is that Christ doth inlighten people with But in page 43. there he saith That though Christ do inlighten all men with natural light a little before it is them whom he doth inlighten it is some way even what he imagines wherein he contradicts himself but what way he knows not The Vulture's eye hath not seen the way thereof neither can the natural man receive the things of the Spirit of God To be sure the Author of that Book hath not attained to A.B.C. in the way of Christianity as is manifest by his dark conclusion that Christ the Light within men is a natural Light Let all the wise in heart judge how unlikely the Author of that Book is to shew the way of God who is so far out of it not knowing the out-goings of the Lord God who is Light whose outgoings were from everlasting to everlasting nor so much as the first principle of the Oracle of God which is Light and therefore he hath not spoken as the Oracle of God And therefore in saying he would shew the method and way of God he hath manifestly declared his Ignorance and presumption But such unlearned men as he is undertake to judge the Quakers foundation for error and after they have done they are to seek what it is But let him or any who are of his mind prove if they can that ever any Quakers in their Writings have said That it was by the leading of a natural Light without or with outward Teaching by which ever any one true Christian was made No no we do know that Christ the true Light that Lighteneth man that comes into the World doth it with a supernatural and Divine Light wherein they that believe and wait upon God receive Spirit Life and Power to become Sons of God And that he both hath and can by the powerful drawings thereof bring them who wait in the manifestation thereof in themselves into the true Christianity And that the outward Testimony or declaration that was or is given forth unto the Sons and Daughters of men from the immediate motion and flowings forth of the Spirit of Truth had and hath this effect even to bring into this name the Light of Christ within and from Satans power unto God that the teaching of God within as well as without by them who speak as his Oracle might be effectual to guide into Christianity And that the powerful drawings of the blessed Light of Christ within hath been the only motive to move many to consider their ways and to turn at the reproofs thereof into the straight and narrow way that leads into the life of Christianity But I do ask a question concerning the Gentiles that both were and are without an
outward written Law since they must be judged without any such Law for transgressing of what Law must they be judged it cannot be denyed but that God hath given them a Law to walk by and that it is for the transgression thereof that they come under condemnation and must be judged Before this question be answered in Truth that Gospel must be known that is preached in every creature which is under Heaven Page 37. The Author saith we that have the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles brought down to us in the Scriptures may according to Scripture Dialect be said to have Christ and his Apostles as truly as it was said of the Jews in our Saviours days on Earth that they had Moses and the Prophets for it was by having in the Scriptures what they said and did that they were said to have them and by hearing and believing the Scriptures of the New Testament we may as well be said to hear and believe Christ and his Apostles c. Answer That ever such a stranger to Christianity should be so impudent as to say I will shew you the method and way of God that doth not know himself one step therein as appears by his dark arguing The Jews had the writing of Moses and the Prophets and no question but they did believe them to be so but what did they profit by them when out of that Faith and Spirit through which they are profitable they did testifie of Christ and were a witness to the righteousness of God as saith the Apostle when by them they judged Christ ought to die Christ did send the hard-hearted Jews who went about to kill him to Moses and the Prophets saying Joh. 5.39 40. Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal Life and they are they which testifie of me and ye will not come to me that ye may have life And mind what the Apostle saith Rom. 3.12 But now the righteousness of God without the Law is manifested being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets which righteousness the said Jews did not know though they had heard what Moses and the Prophets said of it But mind the cause of their not hearing so as to understand Neh. 9.20 Thougavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them but the cause of their blindness was even their rebellion against Gods Spirit And Stephen said to the Jews Acts 7.51 Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do always resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers did so do ye So it 's very clear though the Jews had Moses and the Prophets writings yet by not taking heed to the Instruction of Gods Spirit in them they were without the knowledge of them and thus it is with the generality of those called Christians they have some of the writhings which gives a relation of Gods great love to the World in his heavenly and powerful gift of his holy Spirit manifest in the flesh to bruise the Serpents head and to destroy the Devils works But by disesteeming the blessed appearance of the Light of the Spirit of Christ in man as the Author of that Book doth in calling it a natural Light being thus in unblief their foolish hearts are darkned So though they have the New Testament as it is called by many that do not know the Law and the Testimony though they have some part of what was writ concerning Christ the Way Truth and Life of Christianity Yet by their quenching and grieving the immediate motions of Gods holy Spirit in them they are as clearly void of the knowledge of the end and tendency of Gods great love in and by the motion of his holy Spirit that gave forth those writings with the several blessed Testimonies therein even as the hard-hearted Jews were of the Law and the Prophets when they were in the gainsaying and rebellion against Gods holy Spirit But such kind of smooth teaching as the Author of that Book who is unlearned in the blessed Teaching of the Spirit of Truth is very pleasant to unlearned people in the things of God but the Scripture is fulfilled in many of them Acts 13.41 Behold ye despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your days a work which you shall in no wise believe though a man declare it unto you So it 's very clear and that in a true sense that people may have the writings and not have Christ nor his Apostles neither be in their Doctrine but in lieu thereof they may have the Spirit of Antichrist and Doctrine of Antichrist and the ravening Woolves nature though they may have the Sheeps clothing First The Scriptures we must needs highly own in that they refer us to and exalt Christ and his immediate teaching of his Divine Light and Spirit within as being subservient thereto where they are received therein But since a great part of the work of the Author of that Book is to maintain the Scriptures being a rule of Faith and Practice and to gainsay the sufficiency of the Spirits teaching without the Scriptures or its immediate teaching now adays without some outward teaching I do ask whether the Authority be in the Spirit that spoke the words or in the words when spoken or written if none can deny but the Authority both was and is in the Spirit And Isaiah by the same Authority of Gods blessed Spirit he can work a saving change in people either with or without what is written therefore it is a high degree of presumption in going about to limit the blessed holy Spirit of God as the Author of that Book doth But what Authority or effect had the true Prophets words in the false Prophets mouths this sad effect they stole away the hearts of people from the living fountain and put them upon a vain labour in making broken Cisterns that could hold no water And what Authority profit or advantage have the true Ministers and Apostles of Christs words now in the false Teachers mouths with their meaning upon them Even this sad and lamentable effect they thereby steal away the hearts of people from the sense of the immediate motion of Gods holy Spirit in them and to gainsay its powerful teachings and the universal love of God in the moving of his universal holy Spirit through all the World in its convincing and reproving the World of sin c. And then to set them upon vain and unprofitable service First having turned their hearts and minds out of the way that the holy Spirit of Truth leads in and then set them upon a vain labour and travail in seeking but never finding till at length they conclude with the Devils Doctrine that there is no way out of a body of sin and death on this side the grave And such flattering and deceitful Teachers are in a high esteem and account among a flattering deceitful people So all may mind that we do not oppose the in ward Teaching of the Spirit of Truth