and divers practises thereunto pertaining it is not the true Worship of the True and Living God though never so zealously practised because it cannot be believed that the Authors and Composers of it were moved led and guided by the Holy Spirit of God in their very Institution and forming of it and whatsoever is brought forth whether in Faith or any practise in any kind of Profession and practises in any way of Religion and not onely by the Spirit of God is not the true Worship of God which is only in Spirit and Truth and consists onely of such practises moved unto and guided in by the Spirit and the true Worship of God is not otherwise neither for matter nor manner but in what things and after what manner as the Spirit of God leadeth unto and guideth in for the Father seeketh such to Worship him as Worship in Spirit and Truth 4. As for the Method and Form of the matter it is not according to the example of the Holy Scriptures nor agreeing to the practise of Worship held forth by the Apostles but different from and partly contrary to the Spirit that was in the Saints and their example of Worship as in many circumstances pertaining to the orders of Common-Prayer-Book might be instanced but even some of the Practises themselves and the manner of performing them are for the most part Invention and Tradition traduced into the World long since the Apostles days and they are not according to the Scriptures nor example of the Saints Worship in the Church of Christ in their days and therefore the Matter in it self partly and the Method of it are not the true Worship of the Living God which is not after the traditions of men as the manner of performance of Common Prayer-Book is when as the Worship of God is in and by the Spirit of God as before witnessed 5. And as for the Practice of it in this Nation as by Imposition and force upon pains penalties as it was practised for many years together as so held forth it was not the Worship of God but Abomination to him as I have shewed and that Worship which is practised by any people being forced upon them is but Hypocrisie and deceit and outward conformity in such Worshippers and God requires it not of them and such was the Worship in the Common-Prayer so called for there were many who did bow and conform thereunto even because of the terror of men even many in the Ignorance of their Consciences and some against their Consciences and contrary to the Light thereof and some were persecuted because they could not conform all which was Abomination in the sight of the Lord even the consequence of the thing was as evil as any part of either matter or manner also even while many conceited themselves in their Ignorance that they had Worshipped God and done well while they had onely performed such Worship forced upon them and which the Lord never required at their hands and that cannot be the true Worship of the true and Living God which can be performed by a People without the Spirit of God by which alone and without it God cannot be Worshipped and the practise of Worship after the order of Common-Prayer did many thousands if not most perform without the Spirit of God whereby it fully appears that in the practise of the Book of Common-Prayer the Worshippers did not Worship the true and Living God but walked only in a part of the Form of Godliness but had not the Power 6. But as for the Practise of it as now in England without Imposition upon all by force and penalty but by some out of supposition that it is the best way of worship and that willingly and neither forced upon them nor they forcing it upon others as thus practis'd is not so great Idolatry nor of so bad effects as if it were violently forced upon all but if any suppose it to be the best way of worship and be so perswaded such may more equally have their Liberty in the exercise thereof while they allow Liberty to others to follow what worship as they are preswaded and as it is unjust to impose by violence that or any other Form of worship upon people so it is unjust to impose penalty or punishments on the Bodies or Estates of any for their conformity to the Book of Common-Prayer or any other kind of Worship for as it is contrary to God to compel by force to that Practise of Worship so it is unjust to stop by force from that Way of Worship or to inflict Penalties upon the Persons or Estates of any because thereof for though many exceptions may be justly made by sound Arguments against that way of Worship in matter manner and effects as I have said yet none ought to be afflicted in Person or Estate for the error of their minds while their error extends not to destroy the Person and Estate of another for all force by violence that hath been put on the Bodies and Estates of men about Church-Worship Ministry and Religion of any kind hath been Antichristian and not of God even for many Generations 7. And therefore them that read the Book of Common-Prayer and all other sort of Worshippers that are either perswaded by the Spirit of God or suppose in their hearts of the Verity and Truth of their Way let them all have their Liberty in their way of Worship without force or restraint by outward Laws while they impose not one upon another violently for the true Worshippers ought not to be persecuted for their Worship but if they are it will confirm them in the truth of their Way the false Worshippers ought not to suffer affliction of Persecution nor loss of Estate though they do err in their Minds and Judgments about Worship in spiritual things but if they are afflicted because thereof it will harden them in their evil wayes and not convert them nor turn them from the evil of their wayes for men are converted to the right way and out of that which is evil by the Spirit of God and through perswading of the Conscience inwardly and not by force or violence put upon their Bodies or estates outwardly never any were converted to God by such means And this is my Answer to the Objection and my judgment of the case inquired into The Book of Common Prayer so called partly the Matter it self and the Method of it and the Manner of its performance is not the true Worship of the True and Living God no not the free Practise there of without Imposition much less the Practise of it by Imposition and force for that is altogether Abomination and hath with it woful effects upon whatsoever People it hath been or shall hereafter be forced and violently Imposed This is given forth for the Satisfaction of all that desires in this Matter The 5th Moneth 1660. E. B. A Postscript AND some set up the Institution
calls them deceitfull Principles she hath chosen the way of Death rather then the way of Life and hath taken her self to follow shaddows and likenesses and neglected the Substance which is Christ within the hope of glory her latter end is worse then her beginning and the Parable is fulfilled upon her And she speaks in the 126. pag. of Satan being discovered under his vail and in particular as to that of being saved by a Christ within and not by a Christ without and the Lord was pleased to shew her it was quite another thing differing from the Gospel and that it was attended with this evil consequence to overthrow the whole Gospel and to deny the Lord that bought them I answer I charge her here as in the presence of God with belying the Lord and with horrible Basphemy who saith That that which the Saints and servants of God witnessed who Preached the Gospel and established it Christ within manifested is quite another thing differing from the Gospel and that it is attended to overthrow the whole Gospel O horrible Blasphemy and belying the Lord who saith that the Lord was pleased to shew her it did ever he shew any Lyes all take notice of this wicked and horrible Blasphemer the Lord rebuke that unclean spirit of Antichrist in her She goes on and saith then secondly as to that of waiting for a power to Pray and that here was no command but from within concerning both these the Lord was pleased to shew that it was not according to his minde but a meer invention of Satan and that it was attended with this evill consequence to slight Scriptures and Commands of God and to expose the soul to Satans deceivings to walk by the imaginations of their own heart instead of the motions of the Spirit I answer The Saints waited for the moving of the Spirit which was power in them to help them to pray they knew not to Pray as they ought without it and this command and help they had not without them but within them And I again here charge her with belying the Lord and with notorious Blasphemy who saith that that which the Saints witnessed waiting for the power of the Spirit to Pray is not according to the minde of the Lord but an invention of Satan and she is not ashamed to say the Lord shewed her and the same which they witnessed who spoke forth the Scripture and which walked in the Commands of God tends to slight Scriptures and commands of God and to expose the soul to Satans deceivings this is Blasphemy and Error and corrupt Principles and she which hath denyed waiting to be led by the motions of the Spirit is led by the imaginations of her own heart is under the power of Satans deceiving and speaks contrary to what the Scripture speaks and so slights it and the Commands of God she hath Blasphemed the God of Heaven and accordingly will the Lord requite her And thus have I for the simple ones sake declared the truth and every single eye may see who it is is led by corrupt principles and what I have written shall she eternally witness to be true and all her co-partners And I pass by the rest of her Book as not worth answering for it is nothing but airy imagination and confusion and death yet raigns in her and in her Book is spoken out by her and she knowes not the Baptism of Saints nor Communion nor the true Church of Christ to that witness in her conscience do I declare and when it shall arise it will eternally witness me Whose Name in the Flesh is EDWARD BURROUGH The Copy of a Letter c. FRiends for so I call you I was moved of the Lord to come into your Assembly to declare the truth from him concerning you as by the eternal Spirit was revealed to me and I do acknowledge it it was a mercy from the Lord that I had that small liberty which I had to clear my Conscience amongst you and to discharge my duty in obedience to the Lord and to every ones Conscience am I made manifest whether you will hear or you will forbear truely Friends there is somthing among you which I own and which is owned of my Father but yet many things hath he against you and as I said I now again say from the mouth of the Lord that your Covering is too narrow to hide your shame and your bed too short to stretch your selves upon Now friends the Ordinances of Iesus Christ which you act in you say in obedience to him I do not speak against but do witness them in life and power neither do I judge such amongst you who have entered in at the door by the Principle of God to the Ordinances if any such but you I do declare against and do judge by the infallible Spirit who have in your own wills thrust in your selves and acted by imagination and immitation from the Letter without and not having received the Command from Christ into your selves such I judge to be in deceit deceived by the Serpent which deceives the simple by the likeness of a thing and you that limit the Lord to any outward visible thing that without such can be no Salvation you I judge again to be in deceit and my judgement shall stand for nothing is available that which God once commanded nor that which was not commanded but the new Creature which is born of the immortall Seed contrary to the will of man Truely Friends you are acting in darkness and there is no seperation in you betwixt the precious and the vile betwixt the clean and the unclean for that which did convince you of false Hirelings and of their deceitful worship which is owned of my Father in you hath not been obeyed by you but your minds have been drawn forth from within to obey a thing without and herein have you been bewitched from the obedience of the truth within to obey the letter without as they were which the Scripture speaks of and you are acted in another form and likeness then you were before and which some are acted in yet but by the same spirit and you have a zeale I beare you record but it is not according to knowledge I declare against that spirit by which you are now acted as knowing it to be the spirit of Antichrist and that which is owned by my Father in you is oppressed by you by your wisdom and reason which stands above and is head and rules amongst you which is for destruction and for the Lord to accomplish his wrath upon and happy were you if you knew the day of vengeance which is the acceptable year of the Lord but you are yet full and rich and think you have need of nothing and have a name that you live but you are dead and empty and miserable your form is corrupted and you seek the living among the dead and you act in the form but walks at liberty
who have done evil against the Lords People as a gift unto them from a Friend OF a truth the Lord is arisen and he hath caused the Light of his countenance to shine forth upon his people his day is dawned and the brightness of his glory is shining forth as the Sun at noon day hâ—… everlasting Arm is stretched forth to lead out of Captivity his oâ—… chosen the days of perfect freedom is approaching he that brings Health Peace and Liberty to all Nations is come and coming who will restore the breaches and subdue all things under himself that he may raign for ever and ever who alone is worthy for he hath all Power in his hand and he bringâ— to pass whatsoever he will that all Men and Nations may fear before him and tremble at his dreadfull Presence who hath power in his hand to change Timâ—… and Laws Orders Decrees and Governments the hearts of all men he câ—… turn what way he listeth and he pulleth down one and setteth up another and whatsoever is in his heart to do his power can bring it to pass who would not fear before him and reverence his Name Who would not be afraid to offend him who giveth unto man Breath and takes it away in a moment all Nations are as the drop of a bucket before his eternal Eye he dwells in the high and holy place and his habitation is high above the World be inhabits eternity forevermore and yet abideth and walketh and dwelleth with the children of men that fear his Name and tremble at his Word he hath been as a stranger as one not known for men have been seperated from him by transgression and have been ignorant of his ways he hath been as one hidden for many ages and hath been worshipped ignorantly and hath winked in the time of ignorance but now he calleth all to repentance every where Blessed are they that wait upon him that they may know him and their souls may live and now the purpose of his heart is to bring in his scattered people into the fold of peace where Christ Jesus is the shepherd and his people shall dwell in safety and shall be a free people to worship him in the Spirit and in the Truth and every yoke of bondage shall be broken and the oppressed shall be set free and Christ shall feign and his Government above shall be established over all the World mans honour shall be laid in the dust the pride of all flesh shall be stained and the Glory thereof shall wither as a flower the loftiness of all flesh shall be laid low and the Lord alone shall be exalted and his people which now are oppressed shall replenish and fill the Earth All corrupt men and Rulers their strength and might shall utterly fail them and men that fear God and love righteousness shall take their place and all things shall be changed and the World shall be turned up-side down But because of this is all the World troubled and the Heathen is on a rage and the people do imagine vain things and men of high degree and low degree and of all sorts have set themselves against the Lord that they might stop the purpose of the most high and their hearts within them burn because of envy and the Devil hath stirred up all sorts of people to work for him and to uphold his kingdom and his power he is come down in great rage knowing that his time is but short and hath filled the hearts of all his servants with despite and ravening envy against the Seed of God The heads of the people they have conspired together against the Lord and against his Truth and have decreed unrighteous decrees that they might pervent the purpose of the most High Many of the Rulers and Judges as members of the beastly power rather than of Jesus Christ have unjustly judged and falsly imprisoned and trodden under foot the meek and upright who fear the Lord and walk in his way even such who have come from under the subjection of the worship and power of the Beast which all the World had wondered after â—ath the Beast raised his force against How many hundreds in this Nation have been imprisoned falsly and suffered grievous abuses unjustly for righteousness sake and not for evil doing as a testimony against this Generation of Judges and people and for a testimony that they are of God who have in paâ—ience born the sufferings and the cruelties of the wicked many have suffered â—he loss of Liberty and riches and some the loss of life for the exercise of a â—ure conscience towards God and for the Kingdom of Jesus many have â—uffered under the power of wicked men for declaring against sin and iniquity 〈◊〉 Townes Steeple-houses or high wayes and for crying against pride and â—anity and idolatry and coveteousness and the wickedness of Rulers Priests â—nd People whose deceits and transgressions hath abounded in this Generation â—nd others have deeply suffered grievous cruelties because they could not swear â—nd respect persons with hat or knee and so were witnesses for the Lord and his Kingdom which stands in righteousness and against the power and kingdom â—f the Beast which stands in iniquity in fainedness and flattering titles and â—isobedience to the Son of God and many hundreds are woful unjust and opâ—ressed sufferers at this day by false imprisonment and spoiling of goods because they cannot pay Tythes that abominable and crying oppression by which the Beast chiefly maintains his false Prophets and because the unchangable Priesthood is witnessed and the changable denied and Christ the Light of the World followed therefore is this suffering laid upon the just and many are sufferers under hard tasks because they cannot maintain the Idol temples and Idol worships and Idol Priests which the power of Antichrist upholds against the Power of the Son of God and against the new Covenant of life where God in Spirit and in Truth is worshipped without respect of places days or men or things and the True Worshippers they Worship God in the Spirit and in the Truth and cannot be subject to days places or things appointed and ordained by the power of men and false prophets and how many unjust fines and false indictments have been most illegally charged upon the Innocent in many Courts and Judicatories through this Nation and all in the defence of the kingdom of the man of sin lest his authority should be abated and the Authority of Christ Jesus exalted many cruelties have been done and injustice acted both by Rulers and People against such which no evil could justly be charged against nor yet the transgression of any just law by any one of them O! horrid grievances and cruel oppressions hath been brought forth in this Nation by such who should have eased the oppressed and set at liberty the captives such who should have judged justly the cause of the Poor and heard the call oâ— the oppressed have turned
Heart and tries the Reins who is a God Great and Mâ—…ty and giveth unto all Creatures Life and Breath and he will change at 〈◊〉 〈…〉 all the Children of Men and bring them to an Account before his 〈…〉 Seat wherefore let all Flesh tremble before him and let all the earth 〈…〉 〈…〉 his Presence who changeth and subdueth and over-turneth at his Pâ—… and brings men to destruction who have rebell'd against him â—…fore thou Pope chief Bishop at Rome this is unto thee from the Mouth of â—… Come down come down lay down thy Crown subject thy self 〈…〉 before the Lord God of Vengeance lest 〈…〉 come upon thee and crush â—… and thou shalt know that this hath the Lord spoken in the day â—…ry flaming Sword which is already drawn enters into thy Bosom 〈…〉 thy Honour and Renown Behold I have heard the Voice of Houlâ—…er Lamentation I have heard the Voice of War and not of Peace I 〈…〉 I have seen the Strong become Weak and the Mighty become Miserabâ—â—â—…ud and Honourable brought into Contempt yea I have seen her thâ—… a Queen and has said She never shall see Sorrow I have seen the losâ—â—…n and Widdowhood come upon her even in one day I have seen her Bâ—…â—…ed into Bitterness I have seen her Honour brought into Contempt I 〈…〉 Whore that has made all Nations drunk with her Fornications tâ—… the Golden Cup in her hand I have seen the Cup of Indignation pâ—… her to drink I have seen her cast upon the Bed of never-ceasing â—… I have seen the City that was full of people that was the Glory of I â—… that made all Nation rich with her Traffick and Merchandize I 〈…〉 that City laid desolate and dis-inhabited and made the Sorrow of the 〈…〉 Earth and I have seen the smoak of her burning ascend forever and this is 〈◊〉 must shortly come to pass and if thou hast an Ear to hear thou mayst 〈…〉 and these things are true and faithful and they shall not fail but the Wâ—… shall know the Majesty Dread and Terror the Vengeance and Indigâ—… of the Almighty This is assented unto by many and written and subscribed by one that hath a Nâ—… not seen nor known of the World but known among Men by the name of Edward Burroughs Return your Answer to me or any of the People called Quakers for me in London from whence this is sent being written the 24th of the 8th Mon. 1658. A FAITHFUL TESTIMONY Concerning the True Worship OF GOD VVhat it is in it self and who are the True WORSHIPPERS In Opposition to all the False Worship in this Nation which is Idolatry which is discover'd in its Foundation and in its Manifestation not to be ever commanded of God or practized by his Apostles and Saints but it is declar'd to consist chiefly of such things and practices as had their first Beginning and Ordination in the Church of Rome whereby the Hypocrisie of this Generation doth appear in denying and crying against the Papists Idolatries and yet are found in the practice of the same thing in their Church Ministry and Worship which were first instituted by the Pope's Authority FOrasmuch as there is in the World a great Controversie among people concerning the Worship of God one crying This is the right Worship another That is the right Worship And people in these Nations are divided about the Worship of God and divers one from another in their Performances and Practices of Worship one sort worshipping after this manner another after that and there is great strife through the whole Nation about this matter and a great dis-satisfaction among people which is the right Worship and who are the right Worshippers and Thousands are desiring after the right Worship of God and to become Worshippers of him as he requires Therefore now it is upon me to shew unto all the World what the true Worship of God is in it self and who are his true Worshippers First The Worship of God in it self is this It is a walking with God and a living with him in Converse and Fellowship in Spirit and Truth for he is only worshipped therein and to do the Truth and speak the Truth This is the True Worship of God where the Mind is guided with the Spirit of Truth and the Presence of the Lord felt at all times and his Fear in the Hearts of people and his Councel stood in and his Covenant felt which unites to the Lord in Spirit this is the True Worship of God and it is without respect of times or things And now none upon Earth can thus worship God but who are changed and renewed in heart and mind and born of the Spirit and led thereby where the Body of Sin and Death is put off such as are redeemed out of the World and out of all its wayes and nature such only can worship God in the Spirit and in the Truth and such is the Father seeking to worship him now in this present Age And there is never a one upon Earth that can worship God as he requireth who remain unchanged and are in the Transgression unrenewed and unconverted such cannot worship the True and Living God but that which they perform and practice as the Pretence of his Worship is Idolatry and Abomination and the Lord hath not required it at their hands for none can walk with God nor have unity with him but who are renewed and changed nor none can do the Truth and speak the Truth in all things but such who are led by the Spirit of Truth and such are in the Covenant of God and true Worshippers of him and all that is contrary is not the Worship of God but Idolatry as I have said And now as concerning this Worship practiced in England in these Steeple-Houses Churches so called it is not the Worship of the Living God but Superstition and Idolatry for people have not learned it by the Teachings of the Spirit neither doth the Spirit lead them therein but it standeth in Form without Power and in the Inventions and Traditions of the Fathers and there is not in it the manifest Presence of God neither do you Worshippers meet with the Lord nor enjoy his pure Life and Presence in your Practices and the substance of your Worship as it is now practized is made up of Inventions some part of your own and some part brought along from the church of Rome And is it not great Hypocrisie in you to profess a denyal of the Church of Rome and yet be found practizing some of the same things as your Worship which the Church of Rome first instituted and practized as her Worship Shall we instance unto you some particular things Was it not by the Authority of the Church of Rome that these Houses in which you worship which you call Churches were first set up and made Worshipping-places for them And is it not a little while since that the Mass and old Popish stuff was therein
but it was not according to True Knowledge And thus the Iews were zealously performing that as their Duty and as out of a Good Conscience which the Lord required not at their hands and so they made Conscience to do that which the Lord required not and their Consciences were mis-led and not righly informed and as it was amongst the Iews in this case in the dayes of old so now is it amongst the Christians in the Apostacy their Consciences being mis-guided by a false spirit they are doing and performing the things in great Zeal and for the exercise of their Consciences which the Lord doth not require of them Thus do the Papists they do and practise the things in great Zeal and through a false Fear in their blind Consciences which things are in themselves Idolatry and not commanded nor required of the Lord as in many particulars I might shew even in many parts of their Worship and Religion which out of a Fear and blind Zeal and mis-guided Conscience they practise which is in it self but Idolatry and not required nor accepted of the Lord. And many things in relation to the Protestants Worship and amongst all the several false Sects upon Earth which are done and practised in great Zeal and out of a false Fear and as in pretence of a good Conscience and yet are things in themselves Idolatrous as done and practised by them And this comes to passe as I have said because the Conscience is mis-informed and a false spirit guides and rules in the exercise of Conscience and the understanding of the People is blinded and they know not but they do well though their minds are captivated and their minds and judgments in error and though there be a sincerity to God-wards and a desire of Him in the bottom among some People of all Forms and Sects and some of all are zealous towards God in their practices in their Religion and Worship yet among all People and the Churches that have been for many Generations there hath been great Error in Judgment and much blindness in mind and the Conscience falsly exercised towards God and the Superscription hath been To the Unknown God and He hath been ignorantly worshipped and the Spirit of the Lord hath not truly exercised Peoples Consciences nor guided their Zeal nor been Ruler in the Judgment And by this means the sincerity and humility towards God hath been eaten out and always quenched and the bare practice of things and profession of Religion in the outward appearance hath been more lookt at than the presence of God felt in the Practices and the Zeal hath been more for the performance of such things than for God purely enjoyed through them And thus it hath been through Christendom in the Apostacy since the dayes of the Apostles and true Churches Many have erred in their Judgments and the Zeal for God hath proceeded out of the error of Iudgments and out of mis-information of Conscience some other things than only the Spirit of God hath ruled in the Iudgment and been the exercise of Peoples Consciences And this is a hint of things about true Liberty of Conscience and about the Error in Iudgment and the blind Zeal in captivated sincerity Now it may be objected What is the only absolute Rule of the right Exercise of Conscience and when are Mens Consciences truly guided To this I answer The only chief and perfect Rule of the right Exercise of Conscience both to God and all men is The Spirit of Christ for it is only that which can truly guide the Conscience in Faith Doctrine and Worship and in all things towards God even the Spirit of Christ which is the gift of the Father it only leadeth into all Truth as it is written and all whose Consciences are guided and exercised by it are in unity and Peace in their Worship Doctrine and Religion for the Spirit of Christ is but one in it self and guideth the Conscience into the exercise of one Truth and Faith and in this same Spirit is true â—nion and Communion of SAINTS in Religion and Worship and this is manifest through the Scriptures for the Apostle exhorted To walk in the Spirit and by it and as many as walked by the Rule of the Spirit Peace be upon them and it is the Spirit of Christ the Everlasting Comforter that teacheth all Truth and the Holy Anointing of the Spirit that dwelt in the Saints taught them all things and they need no man to teach them but as the Anointing that dwelt in them And then are mens Consciences truly guided in all the Ways of Righteousness when the Spirit of God guides the Conscience and is the Rule of all Faith Doctrine and Practices So that Traditions of Men Prescriptions of Councils Antiquity of Time Commandments of Men nor Example of others without the Spirit of Christ cannot be the only true Rule of the Exercise of Conscience for all these things are changeable alterable and subject to variations and therefore cannot infallibly guide the Conscience in the Duty towards God nor rightly exercise the Conscience in Unity and Peace but while a Nation or Kingdom or People walk by the Rule of Traditions Prescriptions Commandments of Men Example of others or the like they err in Judgment in Faith Doctrine and Worship and are all divided in Contention about these matters because their Rule of Conscience and Judgment is doubtful and alterable and not infallible and therefore they have no perfect assurance of Gods acceptation to them in their Faith and Religion nor perfect Peace and Unity in their Faith and Worship But as the Rule of their Consciences in their Duty towards God is divers some make one thing and some another their Rule so are they divers and divided in what they hold profess and practice and are but of great Babylon in their Religion And because that something besides the Spirit of God exercises the Conscience therefore it is that here are so many Wayes and Sects of Religigion and kinds of Worship in Christendom and amongst Christians while the Spirit of Christ only is not the Rule of Iudgement and Exercise of Conscience to God and Man for the only perfect Rule of Conscience in the Exercise to God is the Spirit of Christ and not any other thing And now Whosoever shall persecute the Exercise of Conscience when guided by the Spirit of Christ such persecute Christ Jesus And this is Persecution for the Name of Christ when Sufferings are inflicted as Reproaches Imprisonment or whatsoever for the Exercise of Conscience towards God by his Spirit but and if any are persecuted for Religion-sake only so if that in such their Exercise of Religion they are not guided by the Spirit of Christ yet that suffering is a kind of Persecution also if I say the Suffering be only for and because of their Religions-sake and they walk Justly and Righteously as men so that as is signified about the middle of this Chapter
Scriptures and this is true Christianity and the other is the way of all Apostate Christians all Imitations from the Letter without the Spirit as gave it forth for there is a great deal of difference between making a Conformity in the Imitation of a Worship and Church-Government from the Scriptures without the Spirit and between the Spirits teaching and leading into the same Truth and same Worship and Church-Government which the Scriptures speak of the one is of Christ and is in unity peace and everlasting fellowship the other is of Antichrist and is in division strife and contention so you must all wait for the Spirit of Truth that you may receive it to work in your hearts to teach you and lead you or else you will never come to true Union and everlasting Fellowship with God and one with another neither can you be of one true Faith in one true way of Worship nor in one way of Church-Government except you receive the Spirit and walk in the Spirit And these be the words of the Lord God unto you all Now as concerning the Way of Uniformity in Faith and Church-Government imposed upon Nations and Countries and Cities by cruel Laws of Kings and Rulers as hath been the practice through Christendom to cause a whole Nation and Kingdom to bow and conform to such Principles of Faith and Worship and Church-Government according to the Will and Pleasure of a King or a Ruler such Uniformity and Union and Fellowship among Christians hath not been of Christ where people have walked by Imitation and conformed to the Commands of Men in such a Faith or to such a Worship or Church-Government this hath not been of God neither could this Unity stand or remain forever but it hath perished and will perish where-ever it is and that Faith and Worship and Church-Government which is so set up and so held will never save the Soul nor comfort it but it is blasted of God Whilst a Nation or a Kingdom or a People have Uniformity or hold Faith Worship or Religion either in the ignorance of their Consciences or contrary to their Consciences by the force of mens commandments and not by the perswasion of the Spirit of God in their own Consciences such Conformity I say is of Antichrist not of the Father neither can it stand in the Day of the Lord but the Fire of his Wrath will consume it All the apostate Christians in their uniformity of Faith Worship and Church-Government which is some other way or by some other means than only by the Spirit of God is of Antichrist and will be confounded for there is no true Unity and Fellowship in the ways of God and his Truth and Worship but what is in the spirit and that Unity will stand forever for it is in God not feigned neither because of the Love and Fear of this World as the other is That Uniformity in Faith and Worship which is forced upon people is all but Hypocrisie and Deceit both to God and man and God will judge it in the Imposers and Imposed Therefore no true Unity in Faith nor Worship nor in Religion but what is in and by the Spirit of God for as Christians come to divide themselves into many Ways and into divers Sects when they went from the Spirit of God and lost it and whilst they have been without the Spirit they have remained in Division Strife and Contention about Religion so now the means and way to come into Union and Fellowship and Faith is by receiving the Spirit of God again and not any otherwise and as Christians are brought again to receive this Spirit and walk therein all Division and Strife about Religion will cease and the cursed Fruits Effects thereof will also wither and be no more but then Unity Peace Blessedness Everlasting Fellowship and Comfort with the Lord and one with another in all his Wayes will be witnessed amongst all People By a Servant of Truth E. B. The FIFTH GENERAL EPISTLE Being A Tender Salutation OF PERFECT LOVE Unto the Elect of God the Royal Seed the Saints of the Most High who have Believed the Testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ and Walk in the Light that hath enlightened every man that comes into the World IN the Name and Power of our Lord Jesus Christ blessed forever the Tender Salutation of my Immortal Life is daily abounding towards you who are the true Flock of the Father's Love and Care who hath begotten you to himself by his Word that lives forever in us and with us that ye should be a People Chosen and Elected of him unto Eternal Blessings and to be a Praise and an Honour to him throughout the World by and through the vertue of his Life and Power and in the Fruits of his Spirit brought forth by you all who are the only Children of that Birth which is only the Lord's Well Dearly Beloved My Heart at this time is filled in the Father's Love with the dear Remembrance of you whom the Lord hath gathered with his Arm of Power and in his Spirit do I desire the encrease of all Mercies and Peace and Blessings unto you that you may be Rich and Strong and Wise and Mighty through the Lord Jesus Christ and receiving daily of his Grace may ever be preserved constant and faithful in the Heavenly Calling unto the End And forasmuch as the Lord hath began his Glorious Work in the midst of you and gathered you out of the Darkness and Ignorance and Unbelief of this World where some time your Converse hath been while ye knew not the Lord and raised you up into the Light and Power and Wisdom of the Lord Jesus Christ having largely tasted of the same in the Experience of his Leadings through divers Operations and Manifestations of his Spirit so that many of you have attained to a good measure of Peace and Rest with the Lord in your inward Man Dearly Beloved seeing it is thus these things the Spirit of the Father in me travelleth to bring forth unto you for the End to Comfort you and to Confirm you and to Edifie you in the saving Truths of the Gospel of Peace 1. Consider what your former Estate hath been an Estate scattered like Sheep without a Shepherd some of you dispersed into one false kind of Profession of Religion and some into another walking in such Wayes as the Lord led you not in but ye were Driven from God into the pathes of Death and Darkness and were led by blind Watch-men in the Hypocrisie and false pretences towards God Honouring Him with the Lips while the Heart was far away this was the Condition of some of you and others of you were wallowing in the open Prophaneness of the Sinful World and such was your Estate wherein you were all Strangers to God and were without him in the World and served the spirit which leadeth Captive to Destruction and in that Way you were strayed even in the
Iacob is coming out of Egypt that will replenish the whole Earth and the seed of Esau shall become bondmen and wherefore are you gathered together and to what purpose have the wicked spent their strength to oppose what the Lord is bringing to pass shall not all our Enemies be broken to pieces and will not the Lord grind them to Powder will he not marr their Beauty and stain their pride will he not bring down their crowns and corrupt their glory and stain it with his Fire of Wrath and make them ashamed of their Wayes and Doctrines Hear this ye Priests and howl and lament for the misery that is coming upon you the Lord hath laid you naked and made you bare and you are seen as you are and the Elect is risen amongst us which ye cannot deceive but alas wo is me how have you caused the people to err and how have you led the blind out or the way and how is truth fallen in your Streets and you have daubed falsly with untempered Morter and have cried peace to the wicked and condemned the righteous and all this hath vexed the righteous soul and the Lord will now arise and is risen and you shall not resist and escape the stroak of his hand which will come upon you and bruise you as a Milstone for you have caused the wicked to rejoyce and the righteous to mourn and you have made sad his heart whom God hath not made sad have not you fed your selves with the fat and clothed with the Wooll and have not the peoples souls been starved and leanness been upon them all your plants are dry and barren trees that bring forth no good fruit and your people are like a Wilderness that is untilled and unploughed and undressed and your flocks are like wild Asses upon the Mountains that are untamed as rude as the Horse Mule that know no Bridle and now it is seen what the end of your Ministry is and what fruit it hath brought forth the Lord hath taken notice and he hath beheld how you have loytered and lain idle and the Nations lie yet like fallow ground that bears no fruit and mens hearts are untouched with absence of Gods Word and there is no sound true and perfect sence amongst your people of the dealings of the Lord nor of the operation of his Spirit but they remain in great Blindness and Ignorance void of the Knowledge of God for ye have not caused them to hear his Word but you have told your Dreams and your false Visions and you have spoken Imaginations of your hearts and not from the Mouth of the Lord neither have you stood in his Counsel nor hearkened to his Voyce and therefore people remain unprofited but what they and you know it s naturally and not by the Spirit of the Father but as dry Trees you are not taught of the Father and as rough Goats in the nature of Swine that is polluted in the silth of the World and in the nature of Dogs and Lyons devouring one another and biting one another and killing one another which things were not in the Churches of Christ and we have a great controversie with you and that from the Lord we have tried you searched you and discovered your Foundation and it s not sound nor will not stand in the trial we have fetcht your Line from the first original and we have found out your beginning and we find yours of that Race which Christ prophesied of that should come which should deceive many having the sheeps cloathing but inwardly revening and which Iohn saw was come and went out from the Apostles and true Churches which went from the truth and went into the World and had the Form of Godliness without the Power here began the Race in the Apostacy of the Churches and when they Apostatized from the true Faith then came your original up and the World went after them and all that dwelt upon the Earth worshipped the Beast that hath reigned through all this time of Apostacy which hath been since the dayes of the Apostles and we find your original goes no further then to the false Brethren and false Apostles which went out from the true Apostles and run for Gifts and Rewards and preached for filthy Lucre and through covetousness made merchandize of souls seeking mony and gain to themselves I say we find your original begins there and your Line goes no further and never came your first rise so far as the true Apostles you were not in your beginning of their life nor birth nor cannot be reckoned from their original for you succeed not them but you truely succeed the false Apostles and false brethren which Christ prophesied should come after his days and Iohn saw was come and coming in his days and we find you of this stock and Generation and now you are discovered to be contrary to the true Apostles and agreeing with the false Apostles in Call in Practice in Maintenance and in all things and the Line of true judgement is laid upon you all and you are measured and found too short and weighed and sound too light and we will deal truely with you in judgement first we do hold controversie with you as concerning your Call your Ministry it agreeth not with but is contrary to what the Apostles Call was they were called by power from on high and were made Ministers by the Gift of the holy Spirit received from God and their Ministry was an absolute Gift from God and not to be bought and sold for mony and they were anointed of the Father by his Spirit of promise and to Preach the Gospel but your Call is at Schools and Colledges in such and such Orders which are attained through natural industry such and such Arts and Sciences and Degrees having been so many years brought up in studying natural Arts natural Languages this is your Ordination and your Call having no respect to receive or to wait for the Gift of the holy Spirit to be made Ministers thereby and this is different from the Apostles and true Ministers and equal and according to the false Prophets and Deceivers Secondly Again you are not according but contrary to the true Ministry and Ministers of Christ in Practise for they were led by the Spirit of the Father which dwelt in them and they preached the Gospel by the Spirit and spake as the Spirit gave them utterance and went up and down the World through Nations converting People to the Knowledge of the Truth and what they had handled tasted seen and felt of the Word of Life in them that they declared to others and preached the Gospel which they had not received from man nor by man but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ in them but your Practices are not such but contrary for the spirit of this World leads you and it you follow in all your Works in your Preaching Praying and in your whole Worship in Form
their Quarter and so did Ieremiah Ezekiel Micha and Malachy cry against Hirelings and against those that said the Lord saith it and he never spoke to them and against them that preached for hire and that diviâ—ed for money and that taught for the Fleece and yet leaned upon the Lord as your Pharisee doth saying Is not the Lord among us And from this same Light do we declare against all such and seeth them to be abomination to the Lord now as they did then praised praised be the Lord for ever for now the abominations of the Whore is made manifest that sitteth upon many waters that hath made all Nations drunk with the Wine of her fornication and now is the Judgment of the Whore come and the day wherein she must reckon to drink the wine of the Wrath of God and he who was and is this Light cryed Wo against them that said and did not and against them that had the chiefest places in the Assemblies and that were called of men Masters This same Light do I witness to be made manifest from God the Father of Light and am not ashamed to declare it before men for he that denies Christ before men he must be denyed by Christ before the Father and this Light lived the Saints in and spoke from who were called Mad-men and deceivers of them that professed Truth in Word but persecuted them in whom the Son was born and made manifest in which Generation you and your Priest daily makes manifest your selves to be therefore repent and come down ye high minds and lifted up spirits for the Lord is against you and hearken to the Light of God in you and wait in it according to measure and cease from all your formal customary traditional worshipping and from all your dumb Teachers who are Antichrists and denies the Light as having enlightened every one this Light is the only Way to the Father which all must who comes to God follow and walk in for he that walks not in this Light walks in darkness and stumbles and knows not whither he goes and there are all Priests and People in darkness and ignorance who walks not in this Light therefore love the Light and obey it it will separate you from all filthiness and corruption and lead you into purity and holiness without which none shall see God and here is your Teacher alwayes present with you which teaches to deny ungodliness and the wicked wayes of this World he who walked in this Light by this Light saw all the World to lie in wickedness but said they were of God and all that were of God heard them who dwelt in the Light but he who disobeyes this Light follows the blind Guides of the World as you do and sets up Teachers to themselves having iching ears and that ministry is of man and by man called to the ministry by the earthly Powers by earthly Magistrates or at Oxford Cambridge or Newcastle all this ministry who is here called is by man and their gospel is of man which the true Gospel is not and he that hath the Word of God to declare from God his call is not by man neither doth he go to man to be approved for he that preacheth the true Gospel consulted not with flesh and blood and so it is now the same thing do we witness and to be Ministers of the everlasting Gospel called not by man but by God praised be the Lord for ever from Generation to Generation who hath revealed himself unto babes and hath hid himself from the Wise and Prudent of this World stop your mouthes ye Ministers which is by man which Gospel is according to man for now the Lord is arising whose Angel is gone forth preaching the everlasting Gospel Sing praises to the Lord for ever ye Redeemed ones who are brought from under the empty dead deceitful Ministry which is by man to be true witnesses of the true Ministry which is of God Therefore be ashamed ye upholders of the deceitful Ministry which is but the Ministry of witchcraft by which your eyes are darkned and under which your souls doth lie in blindness and ignorance under the power of witchcraft and sorceries Be confounded ye Back-sliders who once heard the Word with joy and received it who were once among us yet not of us who hath chosen the glory of this World rather then the everlasting Truth and hath fold your birth-right of the Everlasting Inheritance for the satisfying of your earthly minds with the earthly treasures Hear the Word of the Lord ye sloathful servants who not abiding to wait upon God eats and drinks with the Drunkards and beats your fellow-servants and are now become Haters Mockers and Revilers suddenly will the Lord come and cut you all assunder and give you your Portion in the Lake that burns with fire except you repent Repent you Back-sliders and consider ye that forget God now while you have time before the Lord â—wear in his wrath that ye shall not enter hearken to that which convinceth you of your filthiness the Light of God within you which shall eternally witness us to be true which Light shall be your Condemnation because you love darkness rather than Light ye are returned with the Dog to his vomit and with the Sow to the wallowing in the mire your latter end is worse then your beginning and the Parable is fulfilled upon you for lying against the Truth will the Lord plead with you and wo will be your Portion for ever for the Lyars shall not enter into the Kingdom of God therefore all people fear the living God and prize your time and see where you are his servants you are unto whom you do obey all must give an account to the living God and must receive according to what is done in the body in such an hour will the Master come which you are not aware of and will take account of your stewardship for God hath given unto every one a Talent therefore spend not away your time in wickedness and in a deceitful Profession of God feeding your dark minds with the dead formal Preaching of your dead carnal blind Pharisee but hearken to the Light of God within you and improve every one his Talent the good and faithful servant improves his to the honor and riches of his Master but the sloathful servant hides his in the earth living in the filthiness saying he hath no power now see which servant you are and read your selves within how you stood covered in the presence of the living God for wo unto him that is covered but not with the Spirit of the Lord the servants of God brings forth fruit unto God bears the image of their Father and the servants of the Devil brings forth fruits of darkness and bears the image of the Devil which is glorious to the carnal eye and feeds the carnal mind
deny both the written Word which is your Rule and Reason too for we appeal from both Answ. Art thou not ashamed to say The Scripture is thy Rule who art found a Lyar and a false Accuser thy Rule shall try thee and shall bear witness against thee when God judgeth thee by Jesus Christ for neither by the Scripture nor thy corrupt reason canst thou know the things of God who art a natural man in the fall in the World without God But again I say let any try us in our lives and in our practices and if we speak or act contrary to the Scripture judge us by it but thy eye is blinded and when thou feest the Scripture fulfilled even crying out as a Woman in travel thou calls it uncouth howling and a spirit contrary to the Scripture and how art thou able to try who art blind and deaf in the mystery of the Kingdom of God for thy reason must never enter unto God but is shut out and in seeing thou seest not and in hearing thou dost not understanst and upon thee herein is the Scripture fulfilled And whereas thou sayest We will not have Christ to rule over us for we deny both his Person and Word which is the Rule of Life and Love I answer O thou Lyar God shall judge thee let shame cover thee and let thy own Conscience convince thee of thy Lyes and Slanders against the Innocent Christ Jesus is our Head and we are of his Body and his Word is sweet unto us even our life and rule of life and by him we see thee to be an Enemy to him and from him I judge thee not his Word but the spirit of the Devil is thy rule for he is the Ruler and Father of Lyes and Lyars and thy Portion thou must have with him in the Lake and what thou sayest of us it shall stand for thy own Condition thou wilt not have Christ to rule over thee who lives in thy lust and carnal mind without the fear of God which Christ comes to destroy in all that witness him And whereas thou sayest In the Name of God thou proclaimest That those men that disown the written Word are not Spiritual men they may have the Spirit of Antichrist Answ. Thou hast nothing to proclaim from God but as the false Prophets had other mens words and also I say if thou find any that disown the Scripture we also disown such and do say they are not spiritual men but have the spirit of Antichrist and of this number thou art guided by the spirit of Antichrist who art a Lyar and a false Accuser which is contrary to the Spirit of Christ and art without Faith and so art unreasonable in the corrupt reason without pure and undefiled Reason And whereas thou sayest Who but the spirit of Antichrist durst countermand the Commands of our Law-giver the Lord Iesus Christ I answ The Commands of Christ are Spiritual and in and by the Spirit and not traditional from the Letter without and Antichrist may conform to the Command without as the Pharisees did and yet be an Enemy to the Life and Substance of his Commands and this is thy own condition as it was the Pharisees who said He destroyed the Law who came to fulfil it as thou sayest We make void and deny the Commands of Christ when as we are Witnesses of them and directs all unto the fulfilling of them and thy spirit here is tryed to be the spirit of Antichrist the same which was in them which persecuted Christ and thou raylst and slanderest his Members And whereas thou sayest There were never any men appeared in the World so like those that Peter speaketh of in his second Epistle and these desire to overthrow the Writings of the Spirit of God I answ Peter spoke of such as thou art for as a Cloud carryed about with a Tempest thou art and a Well without water and defilest the flesh and dispisest the Saints dignity and speakest great swelling words of Vanity whilst thou thy self art a Servant of corruption serving the Devil by lying and falsly accusing and that we desire to overthrow the Writings of the Spirit of God thou art a Lyar for we go about to establish them and declares of him who is the Substance of them and God will reward thee according to thy deeds Who also accuseth us of unseemly Kissing in Glasiers-hall thou sayest if Mr Pope do not belye us I answer This is another Lye which proceeds from thee let all the honest hearted which ever have frequented our Assembly at that Place testifie against thee and Pope and your father the Devill whom by lying you serve and that no unseemly Actions have proceeded from us but Sobriety and Civility and unseemly Actions shall stand for thy own condition they are such as thy self who commits unseemly brawling and folly and vain contending against the Truth in Glasiers-hall as many Honest-hearted will witness against you and for us who have seen your base actions as Scorning and Flouting in that Place and so here you your selves are guilty of the Wontonness which Peter speaks of and of aluring through the lust of the flesh which thou slanderously wouldst cast it upon us And thou further sayest None ever promised to themselves so much liberty as these and the Ranters in being freed from the power and tryal of the Word I answer Both the Ranters and thee we do absolutely deny and testifie against you both to be in the enmity against God and against us who are his Servants Thou before didst rank us with the Papists and now among the Ranters but herein the Scripture is fulfilled upon us as they have done unto Christ so they do unto us he was numbred among Transgressors by the Generation of painted Sepulchers and whited Walls as we are by thee and all liberty which is of the flesh and to the flesh we do deny as many can witness who are Witnesses of our Ministery and again I say he that is able let him try us by the Scripture but thou art blind and hath hardened thy heart against God and hath neither salt nor savory and so are good for nothing but to be trodden under foot And whereas thou sayest The Lord bless every one of his from the condition of Chandler who formerly was the head of a Company of Shakers I answer The day is coming when thou canst not flee the wrath of God though thou pray God will not hear thee and if ever thou hast seen Chandler in this condition thou mightst have read thy figure in him weeping and howling and gnashing of teeth will be thy portion for ever and I say unto thee this condition of Chandlers is not come upon him because he was once a Shaker by the dread of the Lord upon him but because he went out from that condition out of the fear of God into the liberty of the flesh out of his shaking and fearing state which once he
is neither hast cleaved to it and so art raâ—ed out from the Life and from the Foundation and the Apostle who had his Commission not from man nor by man he exhorted those he preached and wrote to to take heed to the sure Word of Prophesie as unto a Light that shined in a dark place and to wait in it till the Day did dawn and the Day Star did arise and for distinguishing of that in the Conscience what it is he that is not separate from the darkness knows not how to do it But this I say unto thee as we declare unto all the Light which shines into the Conscience is the Light of Christ which he hath enlightned every one withal and it is spiritual like himself and eternal and it leads out of sin and declares against all iniquity and he that comes to own it and to be guided by it it leads out of sin to know the Cross of Christ which is a Mystery to thee and it leads to the eternal Word which was in the beginning before sin was and it will judge all thy imaginations and vain conceivings and it leads to the Inheritance incorruptible out of corruptible if thou hast an ear to hear thou mayst hear it is that which will let thee see thy vain frothy imaginations which thou hast of God and will condemn all thy vain imaginations and hating it it will be thy condemnation and there is the issue of it and all such as steals other mens words and the true Prophets words and never knew the life that was in them all such we deny and shut them up within utter darkness where they and thou art and for the glorious things that thou and thy Partner speaks of which call your selves the two last Witnesses it is manifest that your mysteries are as in thy Book and thy queries where thou putst Elect and Reprobate together and as for tryall of spirits we give liberty and exhort all that may to try and we direct them to that to try by which is infallible and eternall whereby they may see and comprehend thee and all who have not the Spirit But that they should try who have nothing to try with let all such be silent for ever for none understands the Spirit but the Spirit with which we see thee and all who stands in their imaginations are ignorant of it therefore stop thy mouth in the dust and be silent 9 Quer. Do not they that speak to a people that declares against all appearances which are contrary to his way discover himself unto a true discerning Spirit not to be of the Lord unless they can demonstrate a spiritual Commission that he hath received from Heaven by voyce of words through the glorious mouth of the Lord so that no mortal man can disprove him though few for want of understanding receive him Ans. The Way that leads to the Father is but one which is Christ and he that declares from him made manifest in him declares against all Sects and Opinions that which thou calls appearances and the Way is one and the Truth one where there is no rent nor division and he that dwels in the life hath discerning and he that witnesses the annointing discerns he is able to judge and discern and in that thou art seen who wouldst sit on the throne but thou must come down and lick the dust dust is the Serpents meat and they who had their Commission from God and have their Commission from God now they were made manifest to every mans Conscience in the sight of God and this we witness this the Scripture witnesseth and he that believes hath the witness in himself and the father bears witness and they witness the voice of the Lord which is spiritual speaking to them and they declare from that which is spiritual to the Consciences of Gainsayers and this is witnessed but thy voice of words is carnal and is denyed and who art thou made manifest unto that which is mortal cannot discern and disprove thee but that which is immortal can and they who are guided by the immortal denies thee and will receive none of thy Testimony because it is not the same which the holy men of God witnessed and doth now witness which voice shakes the Wilderness and rents the Rocks and makes the Earth to reel to and fro but to thee this is a mystery and sealed 10. Again he that speaketh of an invisible spiritual God or Christ living in the Consciences or Spirits of men thou sayst He questions the truth of all the Scripture records concerning the Life Death and Resurrection and Ascension of the blessed Body of Christ into the Throne of his Immortal Glory And doth he not question Whether the Consciences of the Saints being sprinkled with the Blood of Iesus which dyed without the Gates of Jerusalem are purified from the pollutions of the Flesh and Spirit doth he not question the Resurrection of the Souls and Bodies out of the Earth at the last Day Answ. Here again thou hast made thy shame and ignorance manifest and knows not so much as the Letter of the Scripture Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ not by the will of man and a Minister of the Everlasting God he witnessed the Son of God revealed in him and he said Know ye not that Christ is in you or else you are Reprobates And Christ is not divided And he that is joyned to the Lord is onâ— Spirit And I and my Father are one And where Christ dwells the Father dwells And if thou hast an ear to hear thou mayst â—ear and if the same Spirit be not in you that raised Christ from the dead you are none of his and he that declared these things spake of a spiritual Christ and an invisible God and who shall ascend up to Heaven the word is nigh in thy mouth and in thy heart and this is the same Christ that suffered without the Gate at Ierusalem and no other which Paul travelled till he was born in them if thou hast an ear thou mayst hear and the Apostle did not question the Scripture records for they spoke it and recorded it and they witnessed the Life of Christ and his Death and Resurrection and Ascension and they witnessed him ascended above Thrones and Dominions and to sit at the right-hand of the Father and we witness the same Christ made manifest in us and his Resurrection not because Paul said so but we have seen it and are Witnesses of it the same that ever was the same that did Ascend the same did ascend this is a riddle unto thee and seven seals is upon it and thou that queriest shall never see them opened and they who had Christ in them and the Father and the Son supping with them they had their Consciences sprinkled and none else for his blood thou knowst not and so I say unto thee thou art not sprinkled nor thy Conscience purified from dead works and they who know
in your own wills despising the daily cross of Christ which if you walked in would bring down the high minde and high nature in you and through the Cross that which is low in you would be exalted and the witness of your Ordinances would you have within which you are seeking in the letter without And now Friend to the◠who wert the Speaker when I was present among you thy Name I know not but by thy nature and spirit thy spirit is the same which they speak from which thou seems to deny as false spirits and by that spirit hast thou been deceived and now it workes by thee to deceive others and that spirit infallibly by the eternal Spirit do I judge for the time is come that by the Saints the great Whore must be judged which hath made all the men of the Earth drunk with the Wine of her Fornication and which hath deceived the simple And whereas thou didst Quaery what one thing I will deny as untruth which you had spoken I answered then as now I do I do deny thy voyce and spirit for 〈◊〉 is the voyce of the stranger and not of Christ and though you sweare by that spirit The Lord lives I say surely thou swearest falsely and the false Prophets which used their tongues and said The Lord saith it when the Lord had not spoken unto them spoke the same words of the true Prophet but he that had the true spirit judged the false spirit and so it is now And therefore Friend out of love to thy soul I do advise thee to be silent before the Lord and wait upon him till he manifest himself to speak in thee and by thee for Friend thy Ministry is in the will of man and thou ministers death unto dead minds and the Ministery which is to the Seed thou art ignorant of to that in thy conscience I speak which shall witness for me before the Lord who is appearing in his power to utter his thunders and all Flesh shall tremble at his presence and all Forms of Worship will he dash to pieces at his appearance And yours which is the purest Form shall be broken to pieces that he may rule who is without form and comeliness Now Friends for the Seeds sake have I spoken and written to you and to that in your consciences have I cleared my conscience in the presence of the Lord which you shall Eternally witness whether you will hear or forbear By a Servant of the Lord who is named of the World Edward Burrough An Answer to a Book called A Voice from the word of the LORD by one Iohn Griffith against us whom the World calls Quakers wherein his false Accusations is denied and he proved to be a Slanderer and the Truth cleared from his Scandals A Certain Book being come forth into the world full of Lies and Slanders against the Innocent called A voice from the word of the Lord to those grand Impostors called Quakers to the Author of which Book who calls himself Iohn Criffith a Servant of Christ and to all to whomsoever it may come I am moved to write something in Answer that his lies and slanders and false reproaches may be made manifest and that he may proceed no further for as Iannes and Iambres withstood Moses so doth he resist the truth being a man of a corrupt mind and reprobate concerning faith and is not a Servant of Christ nor a witness for his Name but a child of disobedience in whom the Prince of the aire rules And first to the title of thy Book I Answer the Word of the Lord is powerful and will cut thee down thou sensual minded man it thou knowest not but takes the words of others declared from the word which was in them and thou useth thy tongue and saith the Lord saith it but I say unto thee the Lord hath not spoken unto thee neither commanded thee to speak of his Name and I charge it upon thee in the presence of the Lord God of Life that thou art of that Generation which Ieremiah was sent to cry against Ier. 23. 31. for thou speaks thy imaginations upon their words which dwelt in the life of God but the life thou knowest not and thy whole Book is no more but an empty sound and voice and is as the untimely fruit of the womb which will wither and perish away and one of them I am whom thou calls Quakers to whom thou sayst thou directs thy speech but that we are grand Impostors I do deny for we are gathered up into the life which the holy men of God lived in and are fallen from the world and from its wayes and nature and I charge thee here to be a slanderer and from the mouth of the Lord I do declare unto thee that thou must have a slanderers reward And whereas thou sayst thou hast discovered their fleshly and filthy mindedness together with the judgments of God attending them I Answer Fleshly and filthy mindedness we have denied by the Power of the Son of God made manifest in us thou hast laid it to our charge but thou hast not proved it nor discovered it and here again thou are a false Accuser fleshly and filthy mindedness shall stand for thy own condition for there thou art in the flesh filth living to thy will in the lust of uncleanness for thou mayst remember thou camest out of the Bowling-Alley to our Meeting though Pharisee-like thy out-side is painted and made clean but thy heart is full of enmity and lies and slanders and false reproaches to that in thy conscience I do speak which shall forever witness me and as for the judgments of the Lord upon thy own head will they fall and with what measure thou metes it shall be measured to thee again we are passed from judgment and from the condemnation and who art thou thou enemy of righteousness that shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect. And whereas thou sayest thou art one that bears witness against those wandring starres I answer this shall stand for thy own condition a wandring star thou art and hath no habitation in the Heaven but speaks swelling words of vanity thou thy self being a servant of corruption we have an abiding place and an habitation in the Lord and are not wandring and here again I charge thee to be a false Accuser and a false witness who bears Witness of thy self for the Father bears no witness of thee but against thee Whereas thou sayst the most high God that made the heavens and the Earth hath moved thee and stirred thee up to bear witness to the Truth and to witness against the abominable fleshly mindedness and yet spiritual pride of those grand Impostors called Quakers by whose sorceries many are bewitched and drawn from the simplicity of the Gospell to another Gospel which is not another Gospel but the vanity of their own minds and their own fleshly and corrupt thoughts which they
charge you all That you speak nothing but that which is given in and in the sence and in the cross and do not add your own words for then you will burthen others who dwell in the Life and take heed of whispering and back-biting one another or uncovering one anothers nakedness but if any see any to be overtaken or walking disorderly reprove such a one privately and exhort private and bear and forbear one another and so love will encrease and your joy and your wisdom and your strength will grow and so the Lord God of Life preserve you all in his Wisdom and take heed of imaginations or running out and do nothing hasâ—ily but wait at Wisdom's Gate that so you may do all things in wisdom and all be faithful in your measures and give up all freely unto the Lord that he may take away your Enemies and bring you into everlasting Righteousness All Friends in your places Masters Parents Servants and Children in your places be diligent in that which is just unto the Lord that so the Name of the Lord by whom you are called be not dishonoured but that you may all dwell in the Counsel of the Lord in the Light of Christ single which keeps you out of all pollutions and out of that nature that starves you and darkens you and so the living God of Life preserve you for you are dear to us even all of you without respect of Persons who walk with the Lord and we cease not to make mention of you to the Lord and he hears us that you may grow up in the Life of Christ Jesus to follow the Lamb wheresoever he leads you or moves you for truly our hearts are bound to you in the Lord by one everlasting Cord and if you make us sorry who shall make as glad for you are our Crown of rejoycing in the Lord. Christ's sake E. B. F. H. To all the beloved Friends and Brethren and Sisters who are made Partakers of his eternal Word of Life by which you are gathered into one Light and Power in which is Life eternal abiding in it DEar Friends of God who have received and heard the Word the immortal Word with gladness and readiness who are accounted worthy to receive the Testimony of our Lord Christ our love in the eternal Life of God which endures for ever which is not limitted to Nations Kindreds Tongues and People is shed abroad in all and to all that wait upon Christ Jesus who is the Light the Love and the Gift of the Father which we are made Partakers of by which Gift Eternal Life and Peace for evermore is witnessed unto all them that continue and dwell in him who is Love Beloved in the Lord our thirsting is great after you that the Truth you have received from him whom we declared unto you contrary to our own wills in much weakness and much fear and often tears and much trembling and walking before you in Uprightness without fraud and dissimulation as Patterns and Examples and the Lord by his eternal working of his mighty Power made his own Ministry powerful unto you unto whom be glory for evermore So dear hearts in the Grace of God which hath appeared unto you which did convince you of sin and condemned sin in the flesh by which Power ye are saved from sin and brings Salvation unto you who walk in it in it dwell and wait for the day star of Iacob to arise and the Babe of Glory to be brought in you and made manifest and the Government may be upon his shoulders who rules in righteousness for ever There is a Crown before you and therefore our dearly beloved ones all wait and press on to the work before you in the Cross and on the Cross give up all to be slain and keep nothing back for if you do the Canaanite will vex you and trouble you and be a thorn in your eyes to blind the eye and so turn you into darkness but all keep low in the fear and wait that the head may be exalted and uncovered that so the man may bear rule who is not in the transgression and so in the living hope which is come to you from him who is the Life of men you may purifie your selves all the old Leaven may be purged out and so wait for the Faith of the Son of God which is born of God by which the Just lives and so the Everlasting you will come to see and so the Everlasting God of Life and Power preserve you all in one out of all jar and strife pure to himself in one that you may bear witness to his Name by your holy conversation in that great Place for I see there is more yet to come into the Fold in that City And so be diligent in your meeting together and his eternal Power and Presence you will see as you have done continually so grow up in the Life of God and here you are unknown to the World salute us to all the Church of Christ in the City without respect of persons whom we love and own in the Life that never dies and as many as are free write to us for a Friend here were precious indeed but none knows us here nor we are known to none but well known to the Elect and precious in whom we wait to hear from you to be refreâ—â—ed to heaâ— of you of the work of the Lord every where the Grace of God by which you are saved from 〈◊〉 be with you and in you to give you dominion over all in it we lie down with you and are your Brethren and Servants for Christs sake to whom be glory for evermore E. B. F. H. DEar Friends in the Truth of God without respect of persons grace mercy and peace from the Everlasting Father be multiplied among you thâ—t in the Faith and Love and every good work you may abound towards God and man 〈◊〉 may shew forth the praise of the Lord and walk as a People redeemed by him in all holiness and pureness that your good works may be seen and your light may shine before men Dearly beloved in the Lord my love doth salute you all who are â—â—pt in faithfulness to the gift of Grace received in which you walking Salvation it doth bring and redemption it doth manifest out of the World and out of its nature into the Image and likeness of the Son of God therefore dear Friends and Babes of God by the immortal Word of Life begotten and nourished who waiteth upon the Lord blessed are ye that wait to the end till he who is the Light of the World hath put all things under him and he to be exalted your Head if in that you dwell which from the beginning hath been heard you need no man to teach you but the Way you know and the Word of Life is your victory So keep to the measure that self-will and self-love may be judged and your Neighbour loved as
those things by way of sober Questions which we have to propound to you not for any end to our selves nor to set up a Kingdom of our own God is our Witness but that the Way of our God may be made manifest and all deceit and error discovered and all People may be informed the Way to Salvation and as you are true to your God and will answer for him and are willing to be made manifest in your way of Worship and Doctrine and Ministry you are not to neglect but herein to answer our desire and the desires of many hundreds that you and we may be made manifest in the sight of God to all mens Consciences who are in Truth and who are in Error that Shame and Condemnation may come upon the guilty and Truth may be exalted over all Deceit Given under my hand who am a Prisoner for the Testimony of Iesus whose name in the flesh is Edward Burrough Sent forth the 23d of the 12th moneth from the Sergeant at Arms his house in Dublin You are desired to send your Answer of these Propositions to us and if you consent to meet us let sufficient notice be given abroad that the Inhabitants of the City and Country may know five or six dayes time before This was sent to the Priests of Dublin but no answer to this day have we received from them whereby it is manifest that they are not true to their God nor willing to be tryed and made manifest but love Darkness and hate the Light and back-bite in secret and cannot give a Witness openly but fall before the tryal and Truth reigns over them and is exalted over their Deceit A Discovery of the Idol dumb Shepherds in that Nation and a Lamentation over their Starved and Strayed Flocks THe Day of the Lord is approaching and the Day of account draws near upon you the Inhabitants of the Earth the time of your Covenant is expired made with Death and Hell and the Lord God will plead with you and reckon with you and give unto you a just reward every one according to your deeds even the condition of your Bond. Ye Shepherds and Pastors of the flock and Teachers of the people what account will ye render to the Lord in the Day of his appearing Should you not have gathered the Flock and fed them and taught them in the Way of Righteousness and preserved them from straying abroad but instead thereof you have scattered them upon the barren Mountains and have starved them and have strayed them and led them into by-paths of Idolatry and made a Prey upon them and have fed your selves of them and the Heritage of the Lord hath been wasted by you and the Pastures of the Fold eaten up by Wolves and Devouters and Lyons Whelps which made the Flock affraid driving them into secret corners of Darkness Leanness and Poverty where they are dead for want of Food O ye Shepherds your account will be woful and miserable in the dreadful day which is hastening upon you not one Lamb have you brought forth to Perfection to lie down in Peace in the Fold but have nourisht it into the nature of a Doge and a Wolf and you have fed them with Swines-flesh and with the Husk and Milk they have not received from you thereby to grow up unto God in his Image and not one Fleece hath the Lord gathered from all your Flock You Teachers Shepherds and Pastors your debt of wickedness is a gross sum of great abomination in the Record of account you have taught innocent Children into subtle hypocrisie out of Uprightness into Guile you have taught Lyes instead of Truth and thereby have the People been instructed into Error Sects and false Opinions and not one Child have you taught perfect in the Way of the Lord neither one of your Hearers have you presented perfect in Christ Jesus unto the Father but for Gifts and Rewards have you taken the charge of the Hearers and not one hath come to the Knowledge of the Truth by you under your teaching for you have been a cursed Example in Pride in Coveteousness in Oppression and in Hypocrisie And how could you teach Children in the Way of Purity when your selves have walked in the way of Idolatry The langâ—â—ge of Babylon have you instructed the People and not one verse have you learned in Sions Record you have nurtured them in the nature of whoredom and their Virginity have they lost What will ye do ye Shepherds and Teachers the Arrest of Judgment from the Court of Equity is come forth against you and sealed never to be changed Whether will you flee to hide you Gods Judgments will pursue you and your Reward will be Indignation and Vengeance and your charge will be the devouring and murdering of souls and the Flock will be required of you and every Lamb which carelesly you have starved the blood thereof will be put upon your account and every Child you have taught in the way of iniquity the iniquity thereof will be laid to your charge O Doleful reckoning when the Lord appears a grievous sum are you guilty which you are never able to pay and just he is that calleth you to an account and the truth of his Bill will be sealed with the Light in your own Consciences which is the Lords Witness which hath been privy to all your abominations one year after another have you been spared and interest upon interest will be put upon your score not one day of faithful service and true watching over the Flock can you give testimony of but idle Shepherds have you been and slumbring Watch-men have you proved and the whole Flock have been devoured and scattered and not one Lamb is found in the Fold nor one strayed sheep brought home from wandring but the Fences of the Fold are laid waste and the door is shut up and bolted against him that would enter and you have removed the Pastures out of the pleasant Valleys into the desolate and wilde and untilled Mountains where every wilde Beast playeth and every desolate Bird inhabiteth What will you plead for your selves Oh ye deceitfull Hirelings who have run and were not sent by whom the People are not profited at all But you Leaders of the People have caused them to err in unknown Paths and you have taken the charge of that you were not able to perform you have wasted the the Masters goods and his Children have not been taught the Way of Holiness you have spent his Portion among Harlots and have given your Lord's Money to abominable uses nothing is gathered of your Vines but wilde Grapes and sower Grapes which the Lords Soul loatheth no Figs of your Thorns have been reaped but your best fruit have been of a loathsom taste the most Innocent among you have been found guilty of Innocent Blood of Souls Wo is me for you ye Flocks of these Shepherds Folds alas alas your souls are starved and your feet are
things unto your Idol-god hath been your defilement and pollution in the sight of the true God to Images and Pictures have you bowed and have worshipped the Saints Dayes and Names and bowed to their likeness of mans inventions but have slain their life and trodden under foot their nature and glory and buried their righteousness and knowledge in the grave of your wickedness and ignorance and in imaginations have you rested and in vain superstitions have you hoped honouring the Name of Christ and killing his Life the Womb of Darkness are you shut up in upon Earth and it will be your bed for ever in Hell and Death and your Purgatory will deceive you and your cleansing will never come Defiled defiled and loathsome are you in the pure Eye of Light which the secret of your deceit searcheth and your darkness feeleth and shall judge you for ever Rome Italy France and Spain and your Dominions to all your Kings Princes Bishops Priests Jesuits Prelates and Friers and Nuns and whole train of Idolators The Cup of my Vengeance is towards you and the Dreggs thereof you shall drink and my overflowing Whirlwind of Wrath as an inresistable Flood is against your Banks and my Fire of eternal Fury shall burn through your Stubble and my everlasting Light shall make search and inquisition for the blood of my Elect which is found in thy skirts Thou abominable Harlot of loathsome adultery Tremble tremble at my dreadfull living presence ye Worshippers of dead Images the day of repentance is well nigh past your long Idolatry will my long patience turn into everlasting Misery and Judgment and Nations shall see your shame and in the sight of your Lovers shall you be tormented And this from Authority by my Spirit of Glory is sent you a Warning and is the voice of a Trumpet which gives a certain sound against the mighty dreadfull Day of the Lord which upon you is coming to make you a Desolation for ever and ever and the Eternal Decree is sealing against you never to be altered To all you called Protestants of the Eldest sort THus saith the Lord my controversie is against you and my hand will be upon you you have a strong taste of the Bottle wherein the Wine of Fornication is and your scent is leavened with the first vessel of abomination you are seated in darkness pitched upon six of the first Mountains under another Branch of the first Tree Ignorance and are thildren of the first womb begotten in another appearance of the Whores Beauty and are more comly in stature then your eldest Brethren and little is your difference to be discerned from the first Beast in your appearance and nothing at all in the ground you say you believe for Eternal Life but your unbelief will bring upon you everlasting death your talking of Christ and his righteousness imputed which you profess will not cover your infidelity and filthiness for you are in the enmity against his Life the working of the first for life and your believing for life springs both out of one ground and while you say you eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ in the figure you kill and cruifie him in the Substance and art partakers of thy Sisters sins in Whoredom and Idolatry and must partake of her plagues Wo wo will be your Inheritance in the Pit of Earth for ever instead of a heavenly glory which you dream oâ— above the Sky I have armed my Armies to do my work herein which hath in part and will fulfil it to break you to pieces the intents of your heart have been known to be always against my people neither could you bear any appearance oâ— me but blasphemes my Name and Truth in every discovery you have loved darkness upon Earth and in its Chains shall you be bound in the Lake for evermore To all you that are called Presbyterians and Independents THe Lords controversie is against you for you are a higher branch of the first tree deeper rooted in the cursed ground of fleshly and sensual wisdom and the Womb of your conception is the first Whores daughter more comely decked and your Cistern holds the Wine of Fornication at which you drink in a measure her abomination and where you say you believe for Justification and applies the Promises for Savation your works of Wickedness and Hypocrisie will bring Damnation and gains the promise of Condemnation who are in pride and high-mindedness and double-heartedness which is the condition of that promise and you are found wanting every whit the conditions of the Promise of Eternal Liâ—e you have reformed the outward man into the obedience unto another likeness of the Truth without the Life and are as vile in the inward in hypocrisie and self-exalting and hath covered your selves with the Saints words and laid up more in store of the report of their riches then your fore-fathers and now you are become Worshippers of the form and words of the Saints and are grown in the knowledge more then some of your Fathers Children but in extolling the Saints words you limit their Spirit and keeps in Death their Life which was not of the World neither in appearance nor ground and while you say you eat and drink the Flesh and Blood of Christ in secret and separate you put him to death openly and among the multitudes your hearts are full of bitterness against my Remnant whom I have called and aloud you cry Heresie and Error and Blasphemes my Name and loaths the Honey-comb in your full stomachs you worship the same God as your fore-fathers did only in another appearance more refined through stronger wisdom and appears in the reformed old man thinking him to be the new man and deceives your Souls hereby and are zealous in your blindness in your will-worships and feigned humility which is without the knowledge of God and you depend upon your imaginations thinking to have life in the Scripture as they did which put Christ to death and will not come to Christ that you may have liâ—e you are in the knowledge gathered from without you which is natural and in it you are corrupted and some of you are bruitish in your knowledge and are thereby pufft up into pride and vain-glory your separation from the World is sensual and self-separation and differs but a little in your appearance and nothing in the ground for the cursed ground stands within untilled and unbroken and you worship God ignorantly at a distance and feeds upon the report of a thing done many hundred of years ago and your Faith doth not give you victory over the World for it is set in your hearts and the vanities of it without is followed pride and oppression and fulness Some of you are hot and furious in your blind zeal and cannot endure sound Doctrine your fruits will wither and all your knowledge will perish and all your hopes and expectations will fail and all your praises and prayers and all
faith whereby they may continue boldly witnessing to the end And this is a true Testimony of the Father and of the Son witnessed by us who are called of God in whom his Power is made manifest TO all the Children of Light every where who fear and love the Lord who are begotten of God and unto whom he is known in the Spirit and in the Truth this is a Testimony of the Fathers love unto you Grace Mercy and Peace from him that lives for ever the God of Light and Life be multiplied in you all that you may daily be renewed in strength and girded with Truth and armed with the whole Armour of God and may be kept by his Power until the day of Salvation to walk in the Government and subjection to Jesus Christ witnessing the Power and Presence of God in you and amongst you giving you power to fulfil his Will in all things and that in all righteousness and out of all evil you may be led and preserved unto the end and in the end to shew forth the praises of God in this Generation as a people called of him and redeemed by him for his great glories sake even so Amen and Amen Dearly beloved be not ignorant but this know This is the Message which came unto you which is true and faithfull and everlasting That the true God is Light and in him is no darkness at all and this is the Message of Peace and Reconciliation and of glad Tidings unto all that have sought the Lord which we received of him and you have heard and there is not another to be declared and all that have received it are gathered up to God and are in Covenant with him and one with another and are in that which reconcileth and joyneth unto Christ Jesus the Husband and second Adam who is the Lord from Heaven the Prince of Peace the Saviour and the Deliverer who is made manifest in power and condemneth the Transgressor and slayeth the Enmity and raiseth the Life out of death and this is he who kills and makes alive even the God who is Light who brings down one and sets up another who makes war against the mighty and gives peace to the pooâ— and besides him there is none he searcheth mans heart and trieth the reins and â—noâ— the thoughts and every Creature is manifest in his sight who gives to every one according to his doings and this is he who standeth in the Congregation of the Righteous even in the midst of us and sitteth Judge among the gods unto him must all the gods of the Earth bow and the Inhabitants of the Earth must tremble before him and unto him every Tongue shall confess and the Light in every man shall answer when he ariseth to Judgment who is a swift Witness to condemn or justifie all the children of men upon the face of the Earth This is the God of Truth whom we worship and who will be worshipped in Spirit and in Truth who is the God of Abraham and his Seed for ever and with him there is no change nor shadow of turning and he hath made known his Name and his Power and his wonderful Works in this his Day and hath caused his Voice to be heard in the Earth and the Dead hath heard and now liveth And his Name is exalted on high amongst all that fear him and obey his Voice and he hath given his Son a Covenant of Light who lighteth every man that cometh into the World with the true Light of Life or Condemnation that all who receive him may come to the knowledge of the Father whom to know is Life eternal And this is the Christ the Saviour in whom we have believed and whom we preach who is the Way the Truth and the Life the Foundation of God which cannot be moved the Word of God is his Name and there is no other Name given for Salvation This is he who was dead and is alive and lives for evermore and there is no other to be looked for if any preach any other let them be accursed and if any bring any other Message let them not be received And all you who have believed in this Christ Jesus who is the Light of the World and who have received the knowledge of this God who is Light himself and that searcheth your hearts I exhort you and warn you all in his Presence that lives forever to wait upon him and to fear before him and to walk with him for ever in uprightness of heart which is of great price in his Sight and forget not his righteous Judgments which he hath made known least you wax fat through Mercies and rebel against him and become disobedient and gainsaying and so be destroyed from being a People but be stayed upon the Lord and let your hearts be established with Grace and be not tossed nor shaken with any wind of Doctrines of men which is not from the Life of God nor reacheth to the Life in you but begets into Idolatry to worship other gods then he who is Light and be not troubled at Temptations nor at Sufferings nor at Reproaches nor any other thing but stand in the Counsel of God and in his Long-suffering and wait patiently upon him in your own measure of the Grace of God received which is sufficient for you to preserve you that Victory over Death and over him that hath the power over it you may receive to trample upon all that which is contrary to the Life of God within you and without you neither be you troubled nor offended in Christ if any among you deny the Lord and backslide from his pure Way through an evil heart of unbelief and so become disobedient Children and vex the righteous Soul such shall bear their own burthen and condemnation in the day of the Lord and shall know that Truth changes not but is the same for ever though the Deceitful-hearted through unbelief depart from it and choose their own wayes and despise the Counsel of the Lord to their own destruction but be ye more watchful and faithful and valiant for the Truth upon Earth unto the end that you may be found faithful Witnesses unto the Name of the Lord in this crooked Generation and may receive the fulfilling of the Promise of God and may witness God within you the Emanuel the Saviour God with us and this is the whole Salvation and there is no other to be expected or witnessed then this That God dwells in us and walks in us according to his Promise and all that know this need nor go forth to the right hand or to the left but Salvation is come unto us he that taks away sin and saves from it and from condemnation and who witnesseth this are begotten by the Word of God and born of the immortal Seed and are new creatures but now there is no condemnation but the reward of righteousness and peace to us who are not in the Flesh but in
the Spirit and here we witness the Lord is our God and we are his People and he seeth no sin in us who are born of him nor remembers iniquity but his Covenant is with us and the Kingdom is become the Lords and his Dominion is set up where God is all in all where the Prince of Darkness is cast out and this is the End and Substance of all Ministrations which we bear witness of and I do exhort all you that are called of God every where patiently to wait in the way of the Lord and in his Judgements to receive this and to possess it within you that you may be Worshippers of God and Doers of his Will and may have the Witness that you are accepted of him and may know your Calling and Election sure where nothing that defileth can enter but that may be taken away and removed and him you may feel and witness whom Satan hath nothing in who is the Second Adam and cannot be overcome but is greater then the first Adam who was overcome though innocent and is lost from the Presence of God but he in whom there is no sin and who cannot transgress comes to seek and to save that which was lost in sin and to bring back that which was driven away by sin and he is greater then Innocency and overcometh the Devil and is called the Son of God and to him that overcometh who is the Light of the World is all Power given of the Father And know him in you all to be greatest who is not of the World nor cannot bow to the Devil to give you dominion and authority over all the World and the Powers of Hell and Death even he who sealeth up the old Dragon in Perdition never more to deceive And who witnesseth this knoweth the Election which it is not possible to deceive or be deceived and as every one of you have received him who is the Lord from Heaven so let your Faith stand in him and walk in him and let all your Conversations be ordered by him in all pure and blameless walking iâ— the sight of your Enemies that it may be manifest that you are Branches in him and that you have received power to become the Sons of God and that you are Heirs of the Inheritance which shall not fade away And all you that witness this your eye is open to see God and you are clensed from sin by the Word of God and you have received the peace with God and glad tidings from him in your own Souls and this is Salvation by the second Adâ—… herein be established and setled and look not for another for there is not any besides this Saviour and this Salvation but if any preach another believe hiâ— not and if any cry Lo here and lo there is Christ without you go not after them nor follow them but know him within you which is greater then all yea If we our selves or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Jesus then he that lighteth every man that cometh into the World or any other Salvation theâ— God with us let us be accursed for this is the Gospel of our Salvation Christ Jesâ—â— within us the hope of Glory the Power and Wisdom of God to rule and reign iâ— us by which we are changed from death to life and translated from the power of Darkness into the Kingdom of his dear Son And now all Friends and Elect of God who are called and faithfull you that have received this Testimony which God hath given of the Son and which thâ— Son hath given of the Father which in faithfulness hath been testified in this Generation I exhort you all in the fear and Counsel of the Lord take heed to thâ—â— which you have believed and heard and learned of the Father which is tâ—â— Truth as it is in Jesus and shall abide for ever and be not removed from yoâ—… hope nor given to change but mind the Life of God in you all which is immortal and is but one and it answereth to the Lord in Judgments and in Mercies and one to another in that which is righteous and just and witnesseth against all the works of the World which are evil and not wrought in God Ye that know this which is of the Father in you dwell in it and walk in it and be not shaken out of it nor removed from it for it is the Way of Peace unto everlasting Rest where there is no sorrow but Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost and every one in particular have Salt in your selves to savour withal that you may resist the Wicked One in all his Temptations and may not joyn to any thing which is out of union and contrary to the Life of God and to the Truth which you have received that you may never be betrayed of your Hope nor of the Simplicity which is in Christ Jesus in which the Father is well pleased and let the Light of the World guide you in all things that your works may be wrought in God never to be condemned nor you to suffer loss knowing this first That none are justified by him but them that are led and guided by him and to whom he is a Saviour he is also a Teacher and he is given to Teach in all the Wayes of Truth And now let your fellowship be in the Life and Power of God and know not one another in words only and in shews and in outward appearance but witness one another in the Spirit and in the Truth and have communion there in breaking the Bread of Life that Christ Jesus may be seen to be the Head in you and you Members to serve him and one another all receiving Wisdom from the Head and Vertue from the Vine Christ Jesus that you may abound in Love Mercy and Peace and all the fruits of Righteousness unto the Father and dwell in the Fear and Counsel of God and be subject to his Will not despising the Cross which is the Power of God which slayeth the Birth that is born of the flesh which is not Heir of the Promise but walk in the Cross daily that your Understandings may be kept open to try and discern all spirits whether they be of God and believe not every spirit for lying spirits may arise among your selves and go forth from the Light who are not in the Truth but in the Feignedness and Hypocrisie with false Visions and lying Imaginations handling the Word of God deceitfully and corrupting and perverting the pure Way of God having the Form but not the Power having left the Power and gone from the Light and such utter the Words of Truth without the Life and are but as the Chaff to the Wheat and they are to be denied and resisted and not joyned to lest innocency and simplicity be betrayed and your Faith made void and so you destroyed from the Life of God and Death surprise you and Darkness enter into your
Dwellings and so Unbelief and Doubting and Murmurring and Lustings after evil arise in you and you be perverted from the Worship of the true God and grieve his Righteous Spirit by bowing to Idols and following of other Lovers and so the true God who hath brought you out of Aegypt and made manifest his Power in you be forgotten and the Faith of his Son made Ship-rack of and your latter end be worse then the beginning and the Name of the Lord be dishonoured by you and then wo unto you his Wrath shall suddenly break out against you Wherefore hear and fear and hearken unto the Word of the Lord He hath caused his Light to shine forth and his voice to be heard he hath proclaimed his Name amongst you and hath caused his marvellous Light to approach when you sate in Darkness in the Land of the shadow of death when you were lost he sought you and when you were driven away and scatterred he found you and brought you home when you were in your blood and no eye pittied you he had Mercy upon you and bound you up and healed you when you were dead he said unto you Live and it was so when you were led captive by the Devil under the power of death he broke the Chains and set you free and when there was none to help nor to save his own Arm brought deliverance and salvation and the Way of Life and Peace he set before you And now all this hath his own Arm accomplished that you should be a Praise unto him for evermore now if you walk in the Way which he hath set before you and keep his Covenant which he hath made with you and fulfil his Will and walk in Righteousness in Love and Unity in Meekness Lowliness Humbleness and in Soberness and Watchfulness and in Fear of his Name then shall his Presence never forsake you nor his outstretched Arm cease to defend and preserve you but he shall go before you and be your Reward and he shall be your God and you shall be his People and shall dwell in him and he shall be your Hiding-place and he will be to you a Father and you shall be his Children and his Blessing and Peace shall remain in your Habitations for ever and ever but if any of you turn aside for a thing of naught after vanity and deny the Way of Righteousness and forget the Lord and kick against him and follow the way and counsel of your own hearts and worship other gods and joyn your selves to Strangers and commit Adultery with other Lovers and make the Cross of Christ of none effect and turn from the Light of Christ within you and fulfil your own wills and the desire of your own minds and go out of the fear of the Lord into the liberty of the flesh which is not the Liberty in Christ Jesus and so seek your selves and strive for mastery to be one above another and so surmise evil one against another and the bond of peace be broken and vain contention and strife appear then shall the Rod of God smite you and his Wrath be suddenly kindled against you and you shall not prosper but his Countenance shall be hid and the terrors of the Lord and Lamentations shall possess you and Peace shall flee far from you and such shall be cast out of the Camp of the Lord and shall have no part in the Inheritance but the Blessing shall depart and the Curse shall enter till utter destruction yea and if any of you deny the Lord unto whom his Way is made manifest he will deny you and you shall have no part in him but Vengeance in Flames of Fire will he render upon the Disobedient manifold more then if his Love and Way of Peace had not been made manifest to you and the Light of the World is your condemnation for evermore if you turn from it And in the Presence of the living God I warn you all Believe not that spirit neither follow it which brings any other Message then what hath been declared from the beginning Believe not him which crieth Lo here or Lo there is Christ without you or that draweth from the measure of Christ within you to hearken to or to be taught by any other thing for that spâ—â—â—t is not of the Father which preacheth any other Christ then he that is the Light of the World and lighteâ—â— every man that cometh into the World or bringâ—â—â— any other Message then that God is Light in himself and hath given his Son a Light into the World and this is the true Testimony of the Father and of the Son and he that testifieth any other Message is to be judged and denied he is not a Worshipper of the true God bâ—â— out of the Truth and in the Error and a Deceiver being deceived Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which ministreth to others that which it hath not learned oâ— the Father but hath the words without the Power and liveth not in the Power of what it ministreth forth in words nor is it what it declareth but is in the outward Shews in the Hypocrisâ—â— and Feignedness and reacheth not the Life of God but vaileth and covereth it and that spirit is not of the Father but is to be denyed and judged and not received nor believed Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which is at liberty in the flesh and maketh the offence of the Cross to cease which is exalted out of the Fear of the Lord in the liberty of the earthly which crucifieth the Life and darkeneth the Eye and that spirit will boast of Joy and Peace and Experience and Knowledge and speak high words in the airy Wind and that would lead yoâ— out of your conditions to glory above the Cross till you be past feeling of the Life and that spirit begetteth into Feignedness and Hypocrisie and into the Loâ—e of the World which passeth away and beware of that spirit for it is not of the Father but to be condemned Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which is hasty and forward and rash for that goeth out of God's Counsel and betrayeth the Just and striveth to be greatest and to be above the Weak and despiseth him and would be Master and not a Servant and would rule and not be ruled in the meek and lowly Government of Christ and that spâ—â—it will judge out of thoughts rashly and unsavourly and condemn another in secret in what it self is guilty of beware of that spirit for it is not of God but to be judged with the Life of God Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which seeks it self to have praise of men and to be accounted and would beget into divisions and would have Parties to it self and respects persons and glories in gifts and knowledge and parts more then in the Giver and admires men more then he that gives the encrease and feeds of the knowledg
in that nature which is to be famished and glories in what hath been done by it as though it had not received power from the Lord and is exalted as though it bare the Root not knowing that it is born of the Root and that spirit spends its Treasure which it received in the Fathers house amongst Harlots and despises the poor and seeks occasion to glory over the weak that it may be renowned beware of that spirit I charge you all for it is not of the Father nor to be followed but to be condemned and resisted unto death Again believe not that spirit neither follow it which preacheth not from the measure of God received and to be manifest to it in you and approved by it only but speaks above the measure and reaches not to the measure of the Grace of God that spirit leads after words and outward shews and cries peace to the Rich and judgment to the Poor and the Word of God is not divided aright but heals up falsly and daubs with untempered morter and cries peace where God speaks war and cries war where God speaks peace and that Spirit is a Deceiver and a Betrayer and feeds but the Ear and not the Life and darkens the Counsel of God by words without knowledge and is not of the Father but of the World and to be denied and condemned Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which is not subject to rule and order and is not meck and diligent and long suffering but heady and high and untoward seeking occasions against the Just and Watcheth for evil that spirit will not bear reproof but is idle sloathfull and careless and surmising evil and backbiting and conforms in appearance making a fair shew but is not unto God as appearing unto man and that would go and is not called and will not go when it is called and seeks for the praise of men more then God and that is fruitless ground and brings forth Bryars and Thorns in secret which choaks the Seed of God beware of that spirit it is a Lover of this World have no fellowship with it for it is not of the Father but a Deceiver and is to be a denied Again Believe not that spirit neither follow it which is tossed and unsetled and is given to change and is not established with Grace that is an Adulterer and hunâ—s for the precious Life and seeks by flattery to beguile the Innocent that spirit is zealous for a moment but is soon overcome and is stony ground and brings not forth fruit to perfection but withers and its latter end is worse then the beginning That spirit is exalted into presumption in peace and cast into desperation in trouble and the double minde lodgeth in it and it is unstable in all its wayes and is a ground for the Seed of Satan and to it there is no peace from God and beware of that spirit for it is not of the Father but to be condemned Again Believe not that Spirit neither follow it which is more zealous then knowing whose zeal is without true knowledge and stands in that which is corrupted that flourisheth for a moment but cannot endure for ever it hath no root in it self but is furious and passionate and not long-suffering that spirit knows not its self but would devour its Adversaries with bitterness and not gain by long-suffering that is not the spirit of the Father but must be denied in all Again Believe not that spirit which draws back into the World into its lusts and liberty and fashions which passe away that spirit forgets God and draws back for his Soul hath no pleasure in it but is vexed with it where the Cross is made of none effect and the false liberty is walked in which murders the Life that spirit is of the Devil and is to be condemned And now all Friends of God every where who knows him and are known of him whom he hath gathered out of this untoward Generation be diligent in your Callings and keep your Meetings in faithfulness waiting upon the Lord that you all may receive of his fulness to be filled with it and may be nourished up unto himself as trees of righteousness the planting of his own right hand to spread forth his Name and Glory as a people saved by him and to whoâ— there is none like besides And this know and understand that spirit is not of the Father which confesseth not the Son to be come in the Flesh who destroys the works of the Devil and takes away sin and that Spirit believe and follow whiâ—â— condemns sin and destroys it and takes it away and so gives peace with God iâ— your own Consciences and leads you into all Truth and keeps you from all evil and you that witness this the Son you know and the Father you know to dwell with you and in you and this is the first and the last believe in him and follow him and look not for any other and in this the Father of Life and Glory whose Dominion is without beginning and end establish you and preserve you Amen and Amen I a beloved Brother and a Companion unto all the Saints in suffering and in rejoyciâ—â— who have received this Testimony from the Father do with it in this Epistle salute tâ—â— whole Church in the Love of the Father as moved of him by his Eternal Spirit whiâ—â— beareth witness to me that we are of God and the whole World lieth in wickedness 〈◊〉 that all that are of God heareth us And this Testimony I give of the Father 〈◊〉 of the Son and of the Truth and of the Salvation of which I am made a Witness and against all that ever shall deny it or turn from it And this is thus far the 〈◊〉 of my Testimony by the Spirit of the Father not knowing when the time comes it 〈◊〉 be finished and the night may come when no man can work E. B. To all that suffer for the Testimony of Iesus and foâ— his Name sake THe glorious God of Truth hath appeared and made known his Way aâ—â— Truth perfectly in this our day and hath chosen unto himself faithfâ—… Witnesses to testifie of his Name and of his Truth before Rulers and People and hath brought forth a Seed which is not of this World which cannot boâ— to the Devil but is Heir of Gods Inheritance though a Sufferrer in this World under the Powers thereof and many in this Generation who are called and faithfull and chosen bear witness unto the Name of the Lord in Sufferings and Tribulations whom he will honour because they honour him who is exalting his Truth and his People through Sufferings And now all Friends who are called to suffer for the Testimony of Jesus and foâ— the exercise of a pure Conscience which you hold be valiant for the Truth upon Earth and faint not but finish your Testimony with joy for the Lord aâ—â— against all your Enemies and look
not forth at Afflictions and Sufferings bâ—â— look beyond them to the recompence of reward neither be offended in Christ though ye are called to suffer for him and for his Name sake but dwell in the peace with God which is a sufficient reward and take heed to your Life which is immortal that it you may feel and enjoy and account that the present Sufferings are not worthy to be reckoned with the glory that is to be revealed and of which you have the earnest even present peace with God and look beyond your Sufferings and before the rage of man was and feel the Life of God in yoâ— fresh and lively which is more then all things to carry you above all the World and all its Envy which is against the Seed of God And take heed of Temptations for the power of Satan will work and is neâ—â— to tempt you in Sufferings to gain dominion over you and to touch your life and to cast you down Therefore mind the Life of God in you to have dominion which Satan hath nothing in which is not given him to touch and that is more then all yea all that a man hath will he give for his Life to enjoy when he is tryed this I witness and you are tryed by sufferings and tribulations and your Faith and Patience is proved therefore approve your selves faithful unto the Lord by Long-sufferings and Patience that Satan overcome you not though he may touch you and have power to cast some of you into Prison and otherwayes to winnow you and to try you for your Life but be faithful unto death and you shall receive the Crown of Life Eternal and keep the Word of his Patience that you may be delivered and Satan may bow under your foot And all you who suffer for Well-doing who hold fast the Testimony which you have received of God now when your hearts are searched blessed from the Lord you are your Reward you shall possess which no man can take away even the Life and Liberty and Treasure which Satan cannot touch nor spoile you of Ye that suffer because you cannot fulfil wickedness nor the will of man but are of the Seed which cannot please man nor bow to the Devil ye suffer for Christ and for Righteousness sake who cannot walk contrary to the Light of Christ within you but rather choose to suffer under corrupt men and Laws then to transgress God's righteous Law written in your hearts you are chosen to fulfil the Will of God by sufferings and are not of the World and therefore the World hates you And all you that suffer imprisonment of Body or spoiling of Goods or Travels or any other thing because you cannot pay Tythes this is the Word of the Lord God unto you You suffer for Righteousness sake and for the Name of Christ and unjustly by the oppression of men for Well-doing and not for evil and the Lord will be your exceeding great Reward Look beyond your outward Liberty and know the liberty in Spirit in the Father and in the Son where is everlasting Peace and Freedom which none can bring into Bondage and look beyond all outward Treasure and Riches and see God's Treasure and possess it which never waxes old which none can spoile you of as Witnesses for the Lord and for his Truth and Covenant you suffer and it is for a Testimony against all your Enemies and against Oppression and Oppressors for the Cry of that Oppression the Land groans under and for Ages hath done but the Lord is now risen against it for its cry reacheth to Heaven against the unrighteous Exactors whose cruel hands have heavily oppressed the Just and the Poor in this particular and herein your suffering is for a Testimony against your cruel Adversaries whether Priests or others and against the unjust Judges and Lawyers and their whole Train of Oppressors for this end are you called to suffer and to you it shall be made easie if you abide in the Counsel of God till Vengeance overcome your Adversaries therefore lift up your heads and fulfil the Will of your Father in Patience and in Faithfulness till the Lord appear for you who hearkeneth to the Cry of the Poor and regardeth him that Suffereth unjustly and will recompence the Oppressors into their bosomes and will break every Yoak and be a Terror to all the Cruel-hearted And all you that suffer who are moved by the Power of the Lord to bear witness against the false Worships and against the false Teachers and Idol-Temples of which the Land is full and who are moved to testifie against sin in Rulers Priests or People whether your suffering be Imprisonment or Beating and Stoning or other Abuses or Cruelties whatsoever which the Devil hath power to lay upon you you suffer for Righteousness sake and for the Name of Christ and for Well-doing if in the Wisdom of God you be guided and the Lord will be your Reward and Peace forever Lift up your heads and rejoyce in him and abide in his Counsel ye that suffer herein for him and for his Names sake for your suffering is for a Testimony against all this Generation against the Idol Worships and Wayes which God's Soul loathes and which he will confound and against the Idol Teachers and false Prophets and Priests who preach for Hire and make Merchandise of souls against whom Gods Wrath is kindled and upon whom his Indignation will be poured and it is a Testimony against the sins of Rulers and People which abound in this Generation till the measure of it be fulfilled through persecuting of you who warn them of the evil and bear witness against their evil deeds that God may be justified when he condemneth them and he is risen against the Worships and Wayes and Teachers and People whose abominable iniquities have overgrown the World and prophaneness hath gone forth from them through Nations Rulers and Teachers and People are all out of the Way and given to Vanity to Covetousness and Idolatry and the Breath of the Lord shall consume you together all who do oppress the Just. Therefore Friends be patient and content under all Tribulations and suffering and feel Gods living Presence near you to overshaddow you and to be your Hiding-place and know the Life which the wickedness and cruelty of man cannot touch nor reach unto and dwell in the Power of the Lord which moves to bear witness for him and against all those abominations and that will keep you above all the afflictions which can be cast upon you and you will be on the top of your Enemies and the Seed of the Serpent shall hardly bruise your Heel Wo unto the Idol Worships and Temples and Teachers to all the Hirelings and Deceivers who feed themselves and not the Flock which abound in the World and in this Nation they must down into perdition the Lord is risen against them all to pluck up by the root that the branches may wither
and his Arm shall watch over them to overthrow them all and to make them desolate that the Just may be delivered And all you who suffer any where Imprisonment or Finings or reproaches or any other thing because ye cannot Swear for Conscience sake nor respect Persons according to the vain Customs of the Heathen but are redeemed out of the Customs and Superstitions of men which are of the World and are evil and not of God nor justified by him you suffer for Righteousness sake and for Christs sake and are Witnesses for God herein against the Superstitions and Wickedness and Pride and High-mindedness of men and the Lord is with you if you be ruled in his Wisdom and are faithful to him and he will lift up your heads till his and your Adversaries be confounded And I charge you all in the Presence of the Lord who suffer for Righteousness sake in these things or in any other who are moved of the Lord to bear witness of the Truth and against the deceits of the World be not exalted in the flesh in your sufferings lest you forget God Nor be not cast down into sorrow lest ye be overcome of the Devil but dwell in the measure of the Power and Life of God which is above all and more then all and feel Gods living Arm to stay your hearts to watch to his own in you to refresh you continually And resist the Devil on every hand with the Armour of Light and Truth that your Life may be preserved in Dominion over all things even the Life which is not of this World in you may not be vailed nor overcome for to enjoy the Life of God with you is enough if you pass through the Fire and through the Water it keeps you and carries you above all this I witness and it is more then all outward Freedom or Liberty or Riches or Treasure of this World and walk herein in Boldness and Faithfulness and Patience as you have us for an Example in Christ Jesus who are in Jepardy every hour often in Tryals Sufferings and Dangers and love not our lives unto death for the Testimony of Jesus which we hold and that his Name and Truth may be exalted in the Earth but as the Lord moves are carried through Nations among Lyons and Devourers such as seeks our life for their Prey and yet the Lord is with us our Defence and Arm and Preserver above all Therefore look you at the Lord in all Affliction and Distress and know his Reward with you that your Burden and Yoak may be easie and not hard for his Presence makes all things joyful And know that it is for the Name of the Lord and for his Honour and for his Kingdom which God will set up through suffering for this cause are ye called to suffer and your Life nor liberty nor any other thing is not to be measured nor compared herewith So uâ—to every one of you I am moved to write and to warn you all in the fear of God be content and long-suffering and patient and finish you Testimony with rejoycing if ye seal it with your Blood and dwell with the Lord in his holy Habitation of Peace out of respect to time or places or things and give up your selves that his will in you may be fulfilled And think it not strange though you have fiery trials neither be moved at any Suffering without you or troubled in spirit neither let it break your peace nor fellowship with God by any impatiency or murmurings or temptations for then will your sufferings be grievous to you and the Enemy within and without will have ground against you to overthrow you and know it is that which ever was in all Ages and no new thing for the Seed of God to suffer by the Seed of Evil-doers for the wicked alwayes strengthened their hands in cruelty against the Righteous and laid heavy burthens upon the Just and caused the Innocent to groan under them for a time till iniquity was fulfilled that they might be broken and the Oppressed delivered and alwayes the Lord exalted his Name by the sufferings of his people as we have a Cloud of Witnesses of our Fore-fathers that went before who did bear witness to the Name of the Lord through faithfull suffering so it is no strange thing hath happened unto you but that which is common to all the Saints who enter the Kingdom through tribulation blessed are you if you be faithfull unto the end that you may reap the reward of your works of your sufferings and patience even the Crown of Life that never fades away so the Lord God of Life preserve you And all Frieds every where I am moved to warn you Dwell in love and unity and fellowship one with another in the Light and in the Spirit of the Father and fulfil the Law of Christ and bear one anothers burden and suffer with one another that none be oppressed among you in any thing whilst others are free but that the burden of all things and the care of all things in relation to the Truth be equal among you according to every ones freedom and as every one is moved of the Lord so to administer to one anothers necessities as Members of one Body to the honouring of the Head and spreading of the Truth that there be no complaining but equallity and justness and the Government of Christ ruling among you and his Wisdom in all things Feed no excess nor the lustfull devouring mind in any neither suffer the Distressed to perish for want but reach one to another in love and like mindedness suffering for one another and all caring for the Truth above all things that God may dwell among you and be known that he is in you of a truth And in this the Wisdom of God guide you all Amen By a Companion in Tribulation to all the Saints every where EDWARD BURROUGH THE Testimony of the Lord CONCERNING LONDON Witnessed in Truth and Faithfulness to the Consciences of all People in it that they may return to the Lord and Repent Also the Great Abominations discovered of this People who draws near God with their Mouthes and professeth Self-Separation when as their Hearts be far from the Lord. VVith a VVarning to all sorts of People in it what the Lord requires of them O LONDON thou art weighed in an even Ballance and found tâ—… light thou are measured by an equal Line and found to short and tâ—… narrow and thy People cannot stand in Judgment for abundance of iniquity lodgeth within thee and thou aboundst in all unrighteousness thy sins are grown over thy head and with transgression thou art covered as wiâ—… a Garment from the Head to the Foot thou art corrupted and there is muâ— unsoundness in thee O how doth Pride abound Lightness and Wantonness and the lust of the Eye and all the works of the Flesh are encreased to a large suâ— aboundance of Idolatry and Vanity springs out of
the true God that made Heaven â—nd Earth in the Spirit and in the Truth he hath placed his Name amongst us â—nd made his everlasting Covenant with us and established it that it cannot be â—oved he hath given us his Spirit and poured it upon us and we are taught of him according to his promise and are established in his holy Mountain where â—one can make us afraid for he hath armed us with his power and strength to defend us from all our enemies that we should bear witness of his Name in all the world and declare unto all Nations of his power and Dominion of his Salvation and Redemption that is in Him and in his Son of which we are made â—artakers and witnesses and by him have we received the heirship of the everlasting inheritance and we are of God and he that is of God heareth us whom the Father hath chosen and redeemed out of kindreds tongues and peoples to stand before the Throne of God and the Lamb and we have sought and do finde a City whose builder and maker is God and we are known to the Lord God Almighty and approved in his sight Our light is the light of the Lamb and our government the government of Jesus and our Law the Law of the most high and our Way is the way of peace and truth he that can receive it let him This is the Testimony which the Spirit of the everlasting Father witnesseth in us and witnesseth of us unto the whole world CHAP. I. Concerning the true God this Testimony I give to all People upon the Earth THe true God he is a Spirit and is infinite eternall and everlasting the Creator of all things and the life and being of all things and the power by which all things stand all Creatures have a being in him and by him and without him no creature is or doth move upon the face of the earth this is he whom we worship and fear and doth obey and he brings to pass by his counsel whatsoever he will and nothing can prevent the purpose of his mind but his counfel stands for ever and he is the righteous Judge of all things and before him must all mankinde come to Judgement and the living and the dead by him must be judged he is a rewarder of every one according to their deeds whether they be good or whether they be evil His Greatness Power Majesty and Dominion is over all and beyond all ruling above all in the power of his own will and who may say what doth he his eye seeth all and his presence filleth all and no creature can be hid from his sight he is near at hand and afar off he searcheth mans heart and and tryeth the reins and shews unto man his own thoughts he justifieth the righteous and condemneth the wicked he is light it self and in him is no darkness at all This is the true God whom we worship and this Testimony I give of him unto all people upon the face of the whole Earth CHAP. II. Concerning the Son of God this Testimony I give unto all the World THE Son of God who is called Christ the Prince of Peace and Righteousness he is one with the Father in power and dominion and was with him before the world was and by him the Father created all things and without hiâ— was not any thing made that was made he is Heir of all things and is the Priâ—â—â— of the Kingdom of Righteousness of Peace and Truth and he is the Word aâ—â— Power by which all things doth consist and is the Salvation of mankind and thâ— very life of the World he inherits life and immortality and is the Redeemer Saviour Deliverer and Restorer of the Children of men he is the very Wisdom and Poâ—er of the Creator and the Father doth nothing without the Son and by him anâ— through him the Father brings all things to pass by him the Father will judge the whole Earth and all the Children of Adam therein and this Christ Jesus the Son of God is the Life and Light of the world and hath enlightened all mankind every 〈◊〉 that cometh into the world is lighted by him with the true light of life or condâ—â—nation and what the Son doth the Father doth also and he is at his right 〈◊〉 exalted and is the very express Image of the Father and is the Fathers gift iâ—â—â— the world and is given to all mankind that they may have life by him and all 〈◊〉 receives him hath life and salvation but many receives him not and they 〈◊〉 receive him not perish even because they do not receive him whom the Father 〈◊〉 given into the world for he is the arm alone of Gods salvation and he is the â—â—â—der of his people CHAP. III. Concerning the Spirit of God this Testimony I give unto the whole World THe SPIRIT is with the Father and with the Son and its present eveâ—â— where and filleth all places and is for ever and ever and trieth all thinâ—â— and revealeth the things of the Father and of the Son unto all that doth belieâ—â— in the Son and makes manifest and searcheth into the deep things of God 〈◊〉 it witnesseth the Salvation of the Just and the condemnation of the Unjust it is not absent from any place nor contained in any one place the Father and the Son works all things through it and brings all things in Heaven and Earth to pass by it and it works in the Hearts of the Children of men and in every one it witnesseth of the Father and of the Son to the Justness Greatness Righteousness and to the power of the Eternal Creator that made all things by the Son through his Eternal Spirit which is one with the Father and with the Son and is the Worker of their will and mind in all things it worketh in the Wicked to reprove them and to witness against them and that God is angry with them 〈◊〉 sheweth and it worketh in the Righteous and witnesseth the Love and Mercy and Peace of the Father unto them He that can receive it let him this is the Testimony of the Spirit of God and it leadeth into all Truth and out of all Evil all that are guided by it and it is given to be the Guide and Rule of Life to the Children of God CHAP. IV. Concerning Man and all Mankind this Testimony I give unto all Nations and People MAN was created and brought forth in the Image of God and was without sin or evil brought forth to do the will of him that created him and was Lord over all Creatures to use them to the glory of the Creator and all Creatures were to serve him but man transgresseth against his Maker and offended him and dishonoured him and became degenerate and grieved his Maker continually and was drove out from the Presence of the Lord and he is now a Child of Disobedience and of Wrath and an Enemy in his mind
that believe and through the word of Life are they handled tasted seen and felt near at hand in power and not in words onely Many professes them in words and what others enjoyed of these things but have not felt in themselves the working of the eternall Spirit neither have the witness in themselves of being restored to God again and of being redeemed by him from under the Devils power neither are saved by Christ from sin and transgression and so are not nor cannot be saved from condemnation and wrath for who abide in their sins and in the state unreconciled to God hath not any part or portion in these things which belongs to their peace and without the knowledge of which by the working of the eternal Spirit all mankind is everlastingly miserable CHAP. VII Concering true Religion and the true Worship of the true God this Testimony I give unto the whole World THis is true Religion to be kept pure and clean from all evil and from all that which would defile in the sight of the Lord and to walk in his fear in all things this is Religion to do good and to do no evil and to speak the truth and to do the truth in all things and to do unto all men as a man would be done unto and to love God withall the heart and the neighbour as self and not to love the world and ways and pleasures of it nor to use deceit in words or actions this is true Religion and the true Worship of God to be led with his Spirit in all things and to be guided in the truth at all times on all occasions this is acceptable and well pleasing unto God above all words and outward conformity and set times and days and observances for the Worship of God is not in these things but is without respect of days places or things this Religion and Worship stands in Christ Jesus the second Adam who hath lighted every man that comes into the World that all men through him might believe and by him have their consciences purely exercised towards God and towards man in all things whatsoever and this is our Religion and Worship of the True God he that can receive it let him CHAP. VIII Concerning Justification and Sanctification this testimony 〈◊〉 give unto all People JUstification is freely by Jesus Christ in the sight of the Father and not by the works of mans own righteousness and such as are taught by Christ and guided by him in all the ways of truth and righteousness are justified by him and none else not in any word or work whatsoever but in what they are led to fulfil by him and it is the new man that is justified and not the old he that is born of God and none that are born of the flesh such cannot please God neither can such be justified by him for they are not taught of him nor saved nor restored nor redeemed and therefore are not justified nor cleared from condemnation in the sight of the Lord but who lives in iniquity and sin and the wayes and works of the World which are evil by Christ Jesus are condemned and not justified though in words they profess him yet of justification by him they have no part and sanctification is by the working of the eternal Spiri◠in the heart of the Creature which purgeth out and taketh away all unrighteousness and all the works and fruits of darkness it witnesseth against and witnesseth unto Jesus who takes away all sin and destroyes the works of the Devil that man may be holy and pure in the sight of his Maker and every one that hath the witness of his justification hath the operation by the eternal Spirit of sanctification and all that receives Christ Jesus who hath lighted every man that cometh into the World receiveth sanctification and justification by him and he unto us is made so of the Father he that can receive it le◠him CHAP. IX Concerning the Kingdom of Christ and how it is to be set up this testimony I give unto all the World THE Kingdom of God and of his Son is not of this World but is fro◠above and stands in righteousness and in truth in mercy and in peace i◠true judgement and justice and this Dominion is from everlasting to everlasting and it reacheth beyond all the World and its Government is love and unity and everlasting peace and is perfect liberty to the Just and bindeth and chaineth the Unjust in it there is on oppression but perfect freedom from all unrighteousness and it consists not in word but in power to the bringing down of the Kingdom of the Devil and to the breaking off the bonds of all injustice and all ungodliness which is the Kingdom of Satan which hath long ruled i◠the World that Kingdom whereof Christ is King which stands in Righteousness no unclean thing can have any part therein and this we believe it shall be set up and advanced in the earth but not by might of man or arm of flesh nor the multitude of an host neither by policy nor craft nor by revenge but by the arm of the Lord alone through the suffering and patience of his people and by faithful witness bearing unto Jesus Christ by doing and by suffering by doing his Will in all things in a pure Life and Conversation and upright walkking in the sight of the Lord and by patient suffering under the injustice and oppression of men and of their unjust Government and Laws till they be overturned and confounded and further we give testimony that suffring in patience under the cruelty and oppression of the Devils government and kingdom more reaches to overthrow them than the rising to rebel in any way of outward offence toward them or defence from them and the Kingdom of Christ is near to come and the Kingdoms of this World shall be changed and none shall have any part therein but they that are redeemed out of kindreds tongues and people this we believe he that can receive it let him CHAP. X. Concerning Governours and Governments and Subjection to them this testimony I give to the World GOvernours Rulers and Magistrates we own and do respect in the Lord and yet cannot respect any mans person whatsoever such as be a terrour to all evil in their Government and that fears God and hates covetousness and delights in Equity in Justice and true Judgement and gives diligent heed to try the cause of the poor and will judge justly without respect of men who justifies the good and gives praise to the Well-doer such Government and Governours we reverence where Sin and Iniquity is kept under Drunkenness Swearing Murther Quarrelling and all the ways and works of the flesh are terrified and a Wel-doer praised and justified this Goverment of men reaches to the witness of God in every man and that answers to the justice and righteousness of all such Governours and Government and these witness that
hope of Salvation and his Shepheard to feed him and perserve him at all times though he may be tempted yet he is not overcome for God is his strength though he may be tryed yet he is not forsaken of the Lord though he may be cast into the Fire it is not to consume him for the Lord is with him all things he receives as from the Hand of God and all Creatures he enjoyes in the Covenant with God and Peace is in all his ways for it is the Lord that works in him both to will and to do of his own Good Pleasure and this is the state of the new man brought forth in Conversion which is a turning of the Creature from the power of Satan which rules in every man before Conversion to the Power of God which is the Ruler of every man that is truly converted and this is the Truth as it is in Jesus which I have received from God he that can receive it let him and if any have an Ear let him Hear what the Spirit saith this Conversion of the Creature is wrought by the Spirit of God through the Ministry sent of him and even for this cause have we received the Ministry of God through the Holy Ghost that we might publish these things abroad that all people may come to the knowledge of them and may taste and handle and feel of the same Word of Life in themselves which will reveal the Knowledge of these things to them that they may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son And now be it known to all the World and to all people in it that the Lord hath raised up a People and brought forth a Seed to bear witness of his Name and of his Dominion and Power in all the Earth and of these Truths with many more which are but one in Christ Jesus hath God given us the perfect Knowledge of even wrought them in us and revealed them to us by the eternal Spirit and as that same Spirit doth and shall move in us do we and shall we bear witness of these Truths unto all People upon Earth whatsoever both by Doctrine and Conversation holding forth the Testimony unto others which we have received of God that Christ may be exalted and his Kingdom set up in the World And in comparison of this that we may serve God in our Generation by bearing witness of these things which we have heard and seen nothing of this World our Liberty our Life not any other thing whatsoever is dear unto us yea even for this cause that the Name of the Lord may be testified of do we give up our selves continually to suffer all manner of evil in words or works and we love not our lives unto death that Truth and Righteousness may be exalted and this is the cause wherefore we pass through many Dangers on every hand and are in perils often and we are not nor cannot be afraid of the face of any man even that the Lord alone may be exalted whose name and Honour and Truth is more dear unto us than any other thing and for it have we forsaken all and counted it as nothing in comparison of the Knowledge of Christ and his Truth herein declared and witnessed to the whole World to whom it shall come and the Light of Christ in every one shall give testimony to it unto which I do onely commend my self and these truths to be witnessed And know ye assuredly that God who is just and righteous in all his Ways it is he that setteth the Way of Life and the way of Death before every man and he hath appeared in this Generation and he hath caused his voyce to be heard in the Earth and he hath set the way of Death and the Way of Life before you and all that perish it is through unbelief and because they do despise the Way which God hath prepared who hath prepared a Way for life and Salvation unto 〈◊〉 People that all may come to Life and Salvation and may not perish and he hath not shut out any Creature before he was brought forth into the World but giveth to every one that cometh into the World a Day of Visitation and a time 〈◊〉 Repentance and Returning that healing may be received from the Lord wâ—â— is the Restorer of lost man and there is not another so that if man perish 〈◊〉 is of himself and not of God who hath so loved Mankind that he hath giveâ— his Son his own Wisdom and his Power into the World that all that doth receive him Christ Jesus may have everlasting Life and they that receive him not they perish because of unbelief whereby they are hardened for destruction and unto such our Gospel the Gospel of God is hid whose Eye iâ— blinded by the God of this World that they cannot see the things which be eternal nor believe in him from whence Life comes and such are stumbling at Chriâ—â— the Foundation and therefore shall be broken and must not inherit the Kingdom of God and unto such though they be wise in the Kingdom 〈◊〉 this World are we become Fools for Christs sake and our Testimony cannot be received by them nor approved of them even them that seek after a Sigâ— and them that seek after Wisdom to such we are not known nor can our Testimony be acceptable to them which is not with enticing words of mans wisdom 〈◊〉 in the demonstration of Gods Spirit and in simplicity of Truth which is of grâ—â—â— Price with the Lord even above knowledg and all wisdom which is of this Worâ—â— which comes to nothing but the Lord will confound that and bring it to nothing for the World by its wisdom doth not know God neither can it receiâ—â— the things of God but is Foolishness in the Sight of God and the wisdom of tâ—â— World Must be offended in him and in the Testimony which is given of him 〈◊〉 the Princes of this World and the Wise men must stumble and fall the poweâ— of the Earth must be offended at him that they may be confounded and brougâ—â— to nought all the Heathen shall rage and the People shall imagine a vain thing But what of all this the Testimony of the Lord is true which he hath given us 〈◊〉 bear of his Name of it we are not ashamed before the face of the whole World and we are armed to suffer for it and not onely to subscribe to the truth of 〈◊〉 with our hand or to declare of it with our Tongue and Pen but also if we 〈◊〉 called to it may seal it with our blood Wherefore this is sent among you all Rulers Teachers and People in all the World this is sent among you as to giâ—â— you the certain knowledge of what we hold and bear witness to which is received of us from God and born witness of to you by his Spirit even those thingâ— with many
have I not spoken the truth and have I not said well herein for you are joyned with all the wicked in the Nation and as Lyars and Swearers and Drunkards persecutes with violence and as the proud and wanton are filled with scorning and singing wicked rimes in the streets even so also are you come in Print and all of you against them called Quakers the Drunkards and Swearers they beat them and abuse them and cast them as for dead into Ditches with stoning in the high wayes and in the streets beating down with Staves and the wanton they sing there rimes in scorn in Ale-houses and Taverns against them and thou and thy Fellowes and Generation appears in open Print slandering and reviling them yet in pretence of zeal for God and all this you do against us who have the witness that we are of God and that the whole World Lyes in wickedness and now are not you all joyned as an Army and do you not shew your selves in the defence of the Draggon what wrong I have done you let the upright in heart judge whether I have given false testimony against you or no and though you have noted it for a Lye in the Margent yet the Lye is thy own who hath gain-said the Truth herein and called it a Lye and I have dealt justly with thee in the sight of God and all that know him and when the Book of thy Conscience is opened thou shalt also confess to this thing when thou standest condemned with them with whom thou art now joyned against us who have the testimony that we are of God and worshippers of the Father in the Spirit and Truth and my words were spoken by the Spirit of the Lord and that in thy Conscience shall witness them in the day of the Lord though now thou opprobriously sayst they are flung into the wind And whereas thou seemest to be greatly offended that I should say part of the first Book is a Corrupted grain of Babylons treasure c. But have not I spoken the Truth herein also when I say I have numbered 〈◊〉 part of your work and this is the sum thereof that part which I have numbered viz. your Lyes and false Reproaches against the Quakers is a corrupted grain yea and of Babylons treasure too I am not ashamed of my words though thou wouldst defend your work by saying Your discourse was of the Birth Righteousness Death Blood c. And of the second coming of the Son of Mary c. To which I say these things and the knowledge of them by the Spirit of God is not counted by me Corrupted nor of Babylon though now I answer as in my last the words I own but thy voice I deny and knows it to be the voice of the stranger and for this saying have I not nor never shall have any burthen upon my Conscience though thou wouldst say it but 't is cleared in the sight of God even though I say all that thou speakest I deny or thy speaking of any thing of the Kingdom of God with thy lying spirit And whereas thou art offended that I should say you are described to be the Flock of Ishmael and of the seed of Cain whose line reacheth to the murdering Priests c. And thou sayst I am very sensorious and utterest many word without knowledge c. Reply Yea your words doth describe your nature for by your voice I know you to be none of Christs sheep and accordingly I judge in just judgement and in true knowledge and doth not falsly sensure nor utter words voi◠of knowledge and my words shall be witnessed by you in the day of the Lord Envy is of Cains nature and seed and in that you are and Lyars are of Ishmaels stock and you are guilty of that let the sober Reader try and you are among the murdering Priests party and close joyned to them in Doctrine and practise especially in writing against us Now no wrong have I done you that thou needest to be troubled and seek to cover your selves by thy fair words in thy answer as if you were righteous but all will not hide you your works make you manifest to be no less then what I have said of you Then farther thou art hot against me in that I say you are found Enemies to Christ revealed in his Saints and this thou hast noted it in the Margent for false but thou dost not well to be angry it is true what I have spoken thy own words do prove it in saying there was nothing in thee to be taken notice of this was a denying of Christ within and such as deny him are found Enemies to him within So the Lye is thy own who hast denyed Truth let the wise Reader judge and thy many words in a pretending Answer will not cover you from the guilt of what I have charged upon you and not falsly and what I have said hitherto is true and not false though thou feigningly say Thou marvels I should be so overseen as to utter so many false things in so little a space nay my understanding was open when I wrot forth that Book at which thou art so tormented that it hath caused thee some Moneths travel in anguish to clear thy self and yet cannot be at rest and thou art over-seen who resists the reproof of thy Wickedness Then thou goest about to justifie thy Brother Burtons words who wickedly laid it down as thou impudently goest to justifie it who joyned in his Accusation and slanders Quakers with Ranters and this wouldst thou justifie we are one against my just Answer which denied them in the fourth page of my first where I said Between Quakers and Ranters there is no more union c. then betwixt Light and Darkness Good and Evil and that Answer stands untouched by thee and is true and in justifying Iohn Burtons wicked Slander thou art more wicked in comparing the Principles and sayst it will appear they agree in one c. Viz. That the Quakers deny Christ to be a real Man Secondly that they fancy him to be God manifest in their flesh Thirdly that they make his humane nature with the fulness of the Godhead to be but a type of God these thing were charged upon us But what a wicked course hast thou taken to clear him by adding thy own wickedness let all consider that reads for doe not I desire in plainness in my first in these words if thou darest lay the Charge only upon the Quakers write in plainness and bring testimony of thy Accusation and thou mayst receive a farther answer but not a word in plain answer to this is returned though soberly desired neither time nor place nor witnesses evidenced to clear your selves of your first Slanders which had been more honest then to have slandered afresh passing over your first but it seems you cannot clear your selves in honesty and so fulfill your wickedness by adding to your Lyes and Slanders as
thereof and in this same Spirit is the Father alone worshipped and by it God is known and his Promise is fulfilled it witnessing in all things unto the Father and is the Earnest of the Inheritance which fadeth not away and by it know we the deep things of God which the World by wisdom knoweth not and thereby are we seal'd and bound up in Covenant with the Father This is known to you that are Children of the Light and hereof you have the Witness in your selves and of God you are approved and not of men And all ye my Brethren who are call'd into the Work and Ministry of the Gospel unto whom the Word of the Lord is come and the Gospel of Christ to you committed Dwell in the Life of God and feel his Power and Authority and live in the same Life of which you minister to others that you may bring People to God and may effectually turn them from the dominion of sin unto the Dominion of Christ Jesus People may be guided out of Darkness in the marvellous Light Cry aloud spare not proclaim the Mighty Day of the Lord in all the Earth and fear ye not neither be ye dismay'd at the Face of any man but be bold and valiant for the Truth upon Earth and give your Testimony as you have receiv'd from God and preach Christ Jesus the Light of the World unto all People that they may receive him and be converted and live For Blindness and Darkness hath cover'd the whole Earth and all have gone astray from the Lord as Sheep without a Shepherd Therefore awake ye them that sleep and cause the Deaf to hear and the Dead to rise that such as have been stray'd may be gather'd for this is the fulness of time he is now seeking his Sheep that have been lost and bringing them Home that have been stray'd and you as Instruments in the Lord's Hand hath he chosen into this Work Therefore get on the Strength of the Lord and preach the Gospel of Peace even the Power of God that Sinners may be converted and the Wounded healed and the Weak may be strengthned and they that are ready to dye may be restored to Life and Salvation This is the Work of the Lord whereunto you are called therefore all who unto it are called be faithful unto the end and not only by word but by Life and Conversation also hold forth the Way of Life For you must feel that in your selves of which you minister to others and you must hold forth the Life the same which you minister in words and thereby shall you be made manifest to that of God in all People and God's Testimony shall answer for you And see that in all things you divide God's Word aright not crying Peace to the Wicked nor healing up the Wound falsly but that true Judgment in all things may be brought forth by you to all people Judgment to the Fat and Bread to the Hungry they that are Naked must be clothed and they that are falsly covered must be made bare Improve the Gift which God hath given you to him only and not unto your selves Be not hasty to utter words before the Lord but wait for Power from on High that the Way of God unto Salvation may be faithfully and truly held forth by you unto all people And faint not though your Burdens and Tryals be many but bare all things patiently love not your lives unto death that the good Work of the Lord may be accomplished which he hath begun by us and made prosperous and powerful in our hands unto this very day you have the Witness of this Our Cause is good we seek Truth and Righteousness that it may be established in the Earth and people may be brought unto God unto this God hath called us and hath owned us in it and will never forsake us for the Work is his and the Power is his and whatsoever he will he bringeth to pass and therefore why should we doubt or be weary For we shall see the Travel of our Souls the Scattered shall be gathered and a Remnant of the Seed shall be brought in which is scatter'd in every Nation as dry Bones unable to live How shall we hide that Treasure which God hath given us from them that perish for want thereof Or How shall we rest satisfied till the scatter'd Sheep be brought Home to the Fold Our Hearts are troubled to see so many Thousands walking in thick Darkness and to see the Seed of Israel devoured by the Destroyer Therefore my Brethren let us put on strength the Lord is with us let us make War in Righteousness for the Lord against all the Powers of Darkness let us continually be armed to do and to suffer all things for the Name of the Lord that People may be instructed in the right Way we know no man can have power over us but what is given them from above and all that which comes to pass against us is not worthy to be compared with the Crown of Glory and that Inheritance of which we have already received the earnest and sealed with the spirit of Promise and the Fathers Name is written upon us therefore in all things unto which he hath called you be faithful and obedient that his Work may be accomplished And all ye Children and Babes in Christ that are begotten of God and are thirsting and seeking after him in Truth and Righteousness he whom ye seek is coming to raign amongst you and his Dominion shall be set up and enlarged and the desire of your Hearts shall be fulfilled Righteousness and Truth shall meet in one and Judgment and Mercy shall be exalted Wait upon the Lord and feel his Power and his Presence continually that you may grow as Plants of Righteousness and may partake of the Heir-ship with Christ being crucified to the World and become dead to all its Wayes and no more you to live but Christ to live in you through the Light which he hath lightned you withall hath he given you an entrance into the Inheritance of the Father And as you walk in the Light you grow into Fellowship with the Father and with the Son Abiding in the Son you cannot sin for he keeps you from the wicked One and he hath no power over you that abide in Christ who is the Power of God which is the Salvation of all that believe and a Condemnation of all that believe not therefore all you that are convinced everywhere hearken to the Voice of the Lord that your Souls may live and mind the Power of God and the workings thereof in your Hearts which conquereth Hell and Death and subdueth all the Powers and Wayes thereof and every one be obedient to the Lord as Children of one Father that of his fulness you may receive and be filled therewith and meet together in every Place and as the Day approacheth exhort one another that you may grow up in Unity as
Members of one Head and mind always the Testimony of Truth its self and walk therein and you cannot stumble Have not respect to Persons but to the Truth only for Persons may change but the Truth abides for ever So let not an evil Eye look at Evil when it comes to pass to take occasion thereby against the Truth for then you stumble and fall but I say again have respect only to the pure Testimony of Truth which is sure and cannot err nor alter though man may change and err and that is the Testimony which is held forth for Salvation evon the Testimony of God with whom there is no shaddow of turning Therefore all take heed unto your selves that you give not nor receive any offence against the Lord and against your own souls but know the Seed of God in which stands the Election where the Covenant of God is sure and unalterable and a Birth you must all know to be brought forth in you which must inherit and that is it which is born of the Spirit which doth obtain the Promise it is not that birth which is of the Flesh which works by willing and running and thinking that obtains not the Promise of God neither is Salvation shewed unto it but in Patience and in Long-suffering is the Victory received over all the Powers of Darkness which make war against the Kingdom of God So all Friends dwell in that which lets you see before the World was and that stops and limits all Strife in the mind and gives you victory over it and none must glory in the Flesh for that glory must be confounded but let him that glories glory in the Lord in the Spirit and not in the Flesh And take heed that none of you abuse your liberty which is in Christ Jesus neither turn it into fleshly Bondage and thereby the Just comes to suffer and the fleshly part comes to rule above the Seed of God but dwell in the Cross which suppresseth every high Thought and whatsoever is against God in the first motion and thereby you will be preserved from the Enemy which watcheth for Evil against you and seeks occasion against the Way of the Lord but mind that which keeps you pure for it is the pure in Heart that sees God and it is him that is of clean Hands and of a pure Heart that inherits God's holy Mountain And as concerning all your Afflictions and Sufferings and Tryals and Persecutions and whatsoever is laid upon you by the Lord or by Men I say bear all things patiently and endure all things in Long-suffering these things are but for a moment and they are not worthy to be compared with the Price of God's Inheritance and if you dwell in the Counsel of the Lord all these things will be turned unto your good in all Tryals and Sufferings the Lord's Arm will be revealed and these things must come to pass that Truth may appear in its beauty in Victory over all that which doth oppose it and vengance is the Lord's and he will repay for he doth enquire after our Blood though no man lay it to heart or consider the cause or unjust Sufferings of the Innocent who are become a Prey to the Ungodly and unjust Men till God arise to plead our Cause And all Afflictions and Sufferings are but for to try and prove they are not to confound or destroy the Lord's People and therefore in patience they must be born and the Life of God felt which gives Dominion over all these things And receiving all things as from the Hand of the Lord then in all things your Peace will remain and God's Testimony will witness Peace and acceptance with God And of all Injustice and Abuses and Cruelty acted upon you by any at any time keep account of it and draw it up in short and plain words the occasion and manner of it and at every Quarter Sessions let a true Declaration of all unjust Sufferings be presented in prudency and singleness of heart to the Justices or Grand-Jury by such as are wise and faithful and appeal to the Witness of God in them in such Causes that that of God in all Men may witness for us Let this be done as cause is seen at every Sessions in the Wisdom and Authority of God that in all things Justice and true Judgment may be sought after and in Patience waited for till the Lord alone our King and Judge and Law-giver comes to reign over all his Enemies when all that now suffer for him shall reign with him A Servant to the Churches of Christ E. B. To the Elect and Chosen Seed of God in London TO the Elect and Chosen Seed of God most dear and precious who are redeemed to God and joyned in Covenant with him and have tasted and felt and heard of the Love and Peace of the Father and to all the Faithfull and Called of God who are Partakers of the Power and Presence of an Endless Life in particular unto you the Flock of God in and about London who fear the Lord and wait upon him and over whom he is the chief Shepherd The Salutation in the Father's Love by me a Brother and Companion unto all the Children of Sion and chiefly unto you a Friend in Heart and nothing more desiring for you then your encrease in God and that Grace Peace Love and Fellowship from the infinite Father of Heaven and Earth may be largely encreased and aboundantly multiplied amongst you and in all your hearts that you may shine forth in the Beauty of the Lord and the Garment of Righteousness and Truth may be spread over you all and that the Spirit of Holiness may rest upon you that the fruit thereof may greatly abound in you and spring forth from you whereby the Father who hath begotten you may be glorified through the Nation and among his Saints through the World and my Soul wisheth that the Fear of the Lord be amongst you and his terror upon all your Enemies Amen DEarly Beloved and much desired after in the Lord the Spirit of the Father in upon me to put you in remembrance of these things of the greatest price which belong unto your Peace which have been hid from you in the time of Darkness but now are reveal'd unto you whereof your Eyes have seen your Ears have heard your Hands have handled and your Hearts have perceived and now be not unmindful thereof but take heed unto the precious Treasure of Life Eternal which the Father hath given unto you I mean the Knowledge of himself who is manifest to dwell in you and to walk in you and to lead you and to guide in all his Wayes of Peace and Truth and this is that Treasure more desirable and of greater price then the Glory of the whole Earth yea it is Peace to the soul and Gladness to the heart and Refreshment to the life to feel and witness the Teaching of the Spirit of the Father
Truth and turned from it and were unfaithfull to the Lord. FOrasmuch as in these our dayes the God of Truth hath made manifest his Name and Truth in the hearts of his people and hath gathered the minds of thousands into it to worship him in the Spirit and in the Truth in which he is accepted and of this Truth which is but one and there is not another are we made Witnesses and Ministers of and hath the Testimony in our selves that we are of God and are a good savour unto him in them that believe and in them that perish and we have the Testimony that he that is of God heareth us and we know the whole World lies in wickedness and who are in the Truth in the Light and in the Life have followship one with another in Holiness and Righteousness in that which comprehends the World and condemns all the works thereof which are evil and this Truth and Worship and Fellowship stands in Christ Jesus the second Adam whose Kingdom and Rule is not of this World but from Heaven who according to his Promise in his Counsel hath made known his Power to the raising up a righteous Branch a royal Priesthood a peculiar People zealous of his Name to shew forth his Praise and Glory in Justness and Righteousness in Love Mercy and Peace and works of Purity having our Conversation in Heaven and since that Day of the Manifestation of this Truth of the Gospel of Peace and Salvation which is the same now as was in the beginning which is in Christ Jesus the Light of the World who is the same to day yesterday and forever and changeth not I say since that very day hath the Lord prospered his Truth to the renewing of many into his Image and Likeness and to the turning of many from Darkness to Light and from Satans power to God by the Mouthes of his Ministers and through great Sufferings and Tribulations and Afflictions and Labours hath the Lord honoured his Name and his Truth in Nations and given it a praise among all that fear him and hath honoured it and exalted it in the sight of the Heathen to the confounding of the Wise and Mighty and to the bringing out of the Captivity of Darkness Sin and Death wherein in times past all have walked while Strangers from the Life of God so that thousands who have received the Truth are established in it and cannot be moved nor shaken but are built upon the sure Foundation their Faith standing in the Power of God with whom the Arm and Presence of the Lord God is defending and preserving continually and unto such the Truth is precious and the Way of the Lord and his Name and Honour is dear yea more then life or liberty or any other thing which passeth away who for the Truth 's sake as is it in Christ Jesus do daily give up themselves to suffering and to reproach for well-doing and not for evil and loves not life unto death that the Lord God and his Name and Truth may be honoured so that in the Truth which is received and learned of the Father daily do we walk in all Purity and Holiness of Life answering the Mercy and Love of the Lord in the exercise of a good Conscience both towards God and man in Patience and Long suffering and Wisdom towards all to the putting to silence of Gainsayers rendring love and mercy toward our Persecutors and are set in our hearts to fulfil the will of God in all things And now whereas that the Scriptures may be fulfilled some may and have denied the Truth which once was received and loved to the making shipwrack of Faith and of a good Conscience abusing the Mercy and Grace of God which to them appeared and follow the counsel of their own hearts and not the Lord having lost the feeling of the Spirit of the Father and are and may be separated from us in the self-separation through an evil heart of unbelief that it may be made manifest they are not of us though they arise from among us and may by disorderly walking contrary to the Truth cause the Truth to be evil spoken of giving occasion thereby to the Enemies of God to blaspheme his Name and Truth in the Earth and may be a stumbling to the weak and an offence to the Way of the Lord before the Simple through their Disorders and Confusions raising the rage of the wicked against the Lambs of Christ being not led in the Wisdom of God but in the Confusions taking liberty to their own hearts desire ful filling the will thereof without the Fear of God above the Cross of Christ in the nature uncrucified and speaking high Words in the presumption and not in the Light and Power of God and acting in the vanity of the Mind in the pretence of Truth and moving of the Spirit such things as Truth and the Children of it who are guided with the Spirit cannot justifie but is judged and denied and cast out from among the Children of Light who walk in the Truth and do try the Spirits whether they be of God Therefore in the Fear of the Lord God this is written to go abroad among Friends and others to inform and shew unto all that the Truth and we that are in it and Ministers of it do stand clear from all such who act and speak out of the Truth and contrary to it in the Disorder and Confusion and not in the Fear and Counsel of God and with the Truth such are judged and denied and fellowship with them we have not nor of their works do approve though such once owned us and were convinced of the Truth and received the Seed of the Kingdom into the unprofitable Ground yet being separated from us and gone out from the Truth and are not subject to it and its Government but are unruly and disorderly we and the Truth do such deny and the spirit that rules them being not the Spirit of Christ Jesus and such have done evil against their own Souls and against God and are Troublers of the Righteous Seed and have and do dishonour the Lord and his Truth in the sight of the Heathen causing the right way to be reviled and reproached and evil spoken of through the offence by them to the making sad the hearts of some whom God hath not made sad and even more especially in that they pretend to the Truth in their words but in works deny it and profess to be in it yet secretly condemning and openly reviling the Ministers of Righteousness which God hath blessed and doth daily bless with his eternal Power to the turning many unto God and to the strengthning of the weak and feeble which we with many others do witness to be the Ministers of Life and Reconciliation and there is no other and are established in it and cannot be moved by the temptations of the Devil though the wicked one may revile for a moment to
winnow some and to try them and to draw the hearts and minds of others into a Snare out from the obedience to Christ Jesus which do become Mockers and Despisers and Subverters of the simplicity of the Gospel of Peace and of the Ministers and Ministry thereof which is the Power of God unto Salvation and there is no other though some harden their hearts through unbelief and blind the Eye till they be past feeling through rebellion against the Truth which they hold in unrighteousness and not in the Power of God having made the offence of the Cross to cease yet boasting in the Liberty of Christ while they are unmortified having run from the Judgment and not truly came thorow it in the finishing of Condemnation and that spirit that goes out of the Cross is subverted and seeks to subvert others from the Truth as it is in Jesus and that spirit is denyed fellowship with though it have the conformity in the Hypocrisie Wherefore this is the Word of the Lord God unto you that err after that spirit Be awakened be awakened and remember and repent and come to your first work to that which condemneth you lest the Lord by his hand of Wrath and Judgment upon you make you an Example and of Misery and Destruction to all that shall hereafter deny the Lord and his Truth Hear and consider to the Light in you all I speak have you another Truth then that which hath been known and declared from the beginning is there any other way to Life then which we have been Witnesses of who have not handled the Word of God deceitfully amongst you nor sought yours but you nor preached our selves but Christ Jesus and hereof we have the witness in our Consciences in the Holy Ghost and is there any other Salvation then that which God hath manifested which is Christ Jesus the Light of the World Be awaked and consider Wherefore then do you separate your selves disoderly and resist the Word of Life which once begat you towards the Lord Consider what you are doing and whither you are walking the End of your way is Perdition and that is accursed which preacheth another Gospel How do you dishonour the Lord in the sight of the Heathen before whom you discover your Nakedness and your Shame doth appear having put off and cast aside the Armour and Weapon of Truth whereby you might have been defended But Scorners and Fools take occasion through your disorders and confusions to blaspheme the Name of the Lord and it is through you Be stirred up and consider and search your hearts and come to the tryal ye that vex the Lord's Soul and grieve his Spirit lest it cease to strive with you and you be wholly given up to fulfil wickedness till there be no place nor time of repentance found and this is a warning to you all in the Presence of the Living God that you may return to your first love to fear before the Lord and to walk in his Truth if there may be mercy and to fulfil his Will which is the Light which you are lighted withal by Christ Jesus who is the Lamb of God the Way the Truth and the Life the Author and Finisher of Faith and there is not another And know this ye that deny him that is given yea unto you all he will deny you before his Father and of all your Blood I am clear thus far whether you resist or receive who am the Lover of your Souls sometimes loved of you while you were Lovers of the Truth and am now a Witness for the Lord and his Truth and against that spirit which leads you in the Rebellion against the Government of Christ which is Order and Peace out of which you have erred to the piercing of your own Souls and though you now exalt your selves against me and the Truth and boast your selves as though you reigned yet in the day of the Lord shall the Light in you all which is now darkned bear witness to me and of my faithfulness in reproving you and the Truth is for ever dear to me and my soul delights no less in it though you rebel against it in the heady exalted presumptuous high wilful spirit which is not subject to the Government nor Authority of the Ministry of Christ but Truth is over you all and the Mountain of the Lord is established above you all and all your words and works and boastings and feignedness and disorders are denied and in them we have not fellowship but the contrary and do in the Authority of the Lord even by the same Authority which hath begotten us unto God and called us and carried us in his Work unto this day deny you all in the ground and state wherein you stand till repentance and turning from whence you are fallen to the Light which Christ hath lighted you withal And all faithfull Friends this is the Word of the Lord God to you hear and fear walk in the Truth which you have heard and learned and received of the Father in it dwell and live and know there is no other then that which is made manifest which is sure to you all and cannot deceive nor be deceived and be not shaken in mind nor troubled though some deny the Lord but let their fall be a Warning to you to be more watchfull to be kept to the Lord lest you be tempted and dwell in the Mountain of Holiness which no Beast can touch where is a hiding place to preserve you in the time of tryal And I charge you all in the Presence of the Living God of Life let your minds be setled and hearts staid in the Truth which is the Foundation of God and know the Armor of God to gird you up to God where no offence is taken against Christ nor against the Way of Truth but the Power of God doth remove that which would be offended and tramples upon that which gives the offence and in this you will be preserved until the day of Salvation and beware of that spirit that boasts above the measure and of that which makes the offence of the Cross to cease for there hardness of heart and unbelief enters and so another is followed then the Light and another joyned to then Christ Jesus and there is the way to perdition who goes from the Light within them they deny God and his Truth and follow the imaginations of the soolish heart and runs in rashness and in the forwardness and that ground receives the unclean spirit in again with seven worse and the latter end is worse then the beginning and this Truth doth not change which is the begotten of the Father but is the same for ever So in it all be faithfull and fruitfull to the Father in your Places and Callings shewing forth in all wisdom and pure conversation among yoâ—… Enemies to the putting them to silencâ— when they speak evil of you and be Examples of Holiness one to another that
the Lord God may dwell amongst you and may never have cause to with-hold his presence from you which is Life and Peace and Rest for ever And believe not every spirit but dwell in that which discerns spirits and if any say Lo here or lo there is Christ go not after them without you for you have not been so taught but know the Christ of God the Lamb of God within you and follow him and obey his voice and be established all of you on this sure Foundation whom God hath laid and no man can lay any other and if you build thereupon and thereby you sâ—…ll never suffer loss but your Work shall abide the Fire and in the Fathers House your Bread you shall receive and never shall hunger noâ— Thirst but the Life will be refreshed and increased daily and you Lamps will alwayes shine and you shall never be darkned not stâ—…ble for that which stumbles is out of the Truth and the ground stands to receive the seed of Satan who is a Devourer of the Simplicity and the Betrayer from the Truth Therefore I charge you all in the Presence of the Living God that you hold fast the Faith and Hope which you have received through the Gospel that you may never be moved 〈◊〉 the Grace of God and from the Love that hath abounded in you â—…t may be found watching in the Door with your Light shining when the Bridegroom cometh and behold he cometh quickly and his Rewâ—…d is with him blessed are they that tarry for him This is the Testimony of my Love unto all the Seed of God who am as a Deceiver and yet true and as not known yet well known unto the â—…d E. 〈◊〉 To such as have Backslided from the Truth WHEN the Life in you all doth arise it shall witness me and answer the Word of the Lord unto Life or unto Death Friends all you to whom the Word of the Lord came and â—…n whom the Way of Truth was made manifest hear and consider How â—…t hath the Love of the Father been unto you How many and infinite have been his Mercies from day to day often visiting you with his Power and with his Presence yea when you sate in Darkness and in the shadow of Death his marvellous Light appear'd unto you and when you were held captive in the covenant of Sin and Death he stretched forth his Hand to redeem â—… he loved you while you knew him not and he brought Deliverance out of a â—…nge Land where you were strayed among Devourers and scatter'd and gâ—â—e aâ—â—ray as Sheep without a Shepherd yea when you were dead in Transgression he said unto you Live and he also bound you up when no eye pitty'd you even then when you were Enemies to him walking in the Vaâ—â—tâ—en of your own hearts and knew not him who lives forever who had been sougâ—â— by you but not found in that very day he sent to visit you with his Eâ—… Gospel of Peace and Truth to gather you unto himself I am a 〈◊〉 and he caus'd his powerful Voice to be heard and his Name to be 〈◊〉 among you and his Truth was declared in the Demonstration of the â—…rit and the Power of the Lord was made manifest in you to the bringing of you from Darkness to Light and from Death which had reign'd over you 〈◊〉 know a Measure of the Life of God Yea the Way of Life Eternal was set 〈◊〉 you that you might not perish but live and his Witness in you all 〈◊〉 iâ— but one the Word of the Lord reacheth unto you by the Mouthes of 〈◊〉 â—…ts to the revealing of Sin and judging it by his Righteous Law 〈◊〉 in your hearts causing his Terror to be known among you and his â—udgments reached your hearts and in that day beautiful was his Presence 〈◊〉 you and precious was his Truth among you in your first Love and his Liâ—â—t and Power and the Knowledge of his Ways were pleasant to you and the Sâ—…l of the Kingdom of God which you receiv'd with Joy grew up in you and â—…per'd at that day and the Lord loved you his Presence was with you â—…g his own Children whom he begat by his Everlasting Word that you 〈◊〉 be a Praise unto him forever And when the fear of the Lord and his Jâ—â—gâ—â—nts were placed among you and your Hearts were broken and while you were of a hungering Soul and thirsty after the Lord then was it well with you and the Day of Peace dawn'd unto you and the Word of the Lord was â—weâ—t unto you and he was gladly receiv'd that came in the Name of the Lord. Bâ—t O how have some of you lost your first Love and are again darkened and ready to faint and to turn aside for a thing of nought And how do such grieve the Spirit of the Lord and vex his Righteous Soul and are become a Sâ—â—deâ— to him in dishonouring his Name the envious man having entered â—nd sown his Seed in some of you and brought forth Strife and Divisions and Disorders among you which are not of the Father nor of the Truth and Prejudice and Evil-Surmisings and secret Jealousies one against another is risen in you all which is to be condemned with the Light for the Fire I judge it all under my Feet in the Power of the Lord God and am in that which reigns over it all and through these things Unity is decay'd and Love is waxed cold and there is fainting in the way and the Zeal for the Name of the Lord perisheth which ought to be among you and Rendings and Tearings Biting and Devouring one another and striving for Mastery there is which ought not to be which the Wrath of God is against all this is out of the Light out of the Wisdom and Counsel of God My Spirit is vexed and my Heart is troubled within me because of these things not for my self but for you and for the Glory of the Lord over whom I am jealous with a Godly Jealousie that you may not perish nor his Glory be dispised among the Heathen What mean you thus to deal against the Lord in dishonouring his Name in the sight of the Enemy even to the wounding of your own souls and to the piercing of the hearts of the Faithful who have watched over you and been Messengers of Glad-tidings unto you from the Lord Every one of you in particular be awakened and stirr'd up and fear before the Lord and come to the Light which the Son of God has lighted you withal and search your own hearts and try your selves that the ground of these things may be seen and condemn'd and remov'd and Love may yet spring amongst you to the Lord and one to another O Friends Consider It was one Father that begat you into the Truth which is but one by one Word of Life which is not divided and you were begotten unto him and not unto your selves And Christ Jesus which is
Truth so well agreed that it is possible to wrong us both 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. pag. 4. Rep. That he wronged me it appears in his not relating all that I said 〈◊〉 the Dispute the Ground of this Quarrel not by half and more I kâ—… and in relating more then himself spoke by far And let sober men judge â—…ther he did not here wrong me in relating a thing that passed between us 〈◊〉 relating much more then ever he spoke and much less then I spoke if the truth of that Matter were it wrong or right Matter and my self also be not by this kind of Doctrine wronged I appeal to all honest People whilst both he and I 〈◊〉 silent so the False-Dealing and Wrong in his first Book is upon him still according to my Charge unremoved And the Lye in this his last Book in that he saith I say Falsly when I have spoken the Truth which is a Lye in the highest degree in saying when I spokâ— the truth That I spoke Falsly and his Proof in that the Truth and I do not agree is because I said in my first The Saints have no need of Scriptures to teach them but the Spirit of the Father leadeth and teacheth into all Truth Rep. My words are justifiable for It is the Spirit that leadeth into all Truth John 16. and the Saints need no man to teach them but they have the Aâ—â—inting within them and they know all things by the Unction 1 John and the Spirit of the Father is given them by which the Scriptures were given forth And the Lord is the Teacher of his People and they need not any to say to them Know the Lord Ier. 31. Ye they that witness this do not make the Scripture of none effect but own it in its place yet not as their Teacher for then they should deny the new Covenant Ier. 31. and then something besides the Spirit leads into Truth and they have something to teach them besides the Anointing but if this be all the Proof that can be given against me That I and the Truth do not agree I doubt not but â—ll Spiritual men will see the Emptiness and Weakness of the Witness against me and will be more confirmed rather then shaken that I and the Truth do fully agree though P. T. speaks otherwise falsly against me and as if I had contradicted the Apostles words which he quotes against me who saith Whatsoever things were written afore time were written for our learning which Scripture I do own and no way contradict it s the Error of his Judgment which so judgeth for even they for whom the things that were written were for their learning yet they were led into all Truth by the Teachings of the Spirit and they were taught of the Father and what was written to them was not written because they knew not Truth or to teach them Truth 1 Iohn 2. 21. let him learn what this means The next thing he notes is whereas I said I then proved meaning at the Dispute bâ—… Scriptures That some were perfect in this life 1 Cor. 2. 5. even perfect without sin John 1. 47. 1 John 3. 7. And to gainsay this he hath brought 2 John 1. 8. If 〈◊〉 say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us and saith he Who speaks truth in this E. B. or the Apostle as if I had spoken contrary to the Apostle Solomon also saith he tell us There is not a Iust Man upon Earth that doth good and sinneth not which also he brings as a Witness against what I have affirmed Rep. It s true I held forth a state of Perfection to be waited for and attained â—â—to upon Earth and I am not ashamed of my Principle neither is it found too light For that Scripture 1 Cor. 2. 5. doth testifie that some were perfect upon Earth in the dayes of the Apostles and if they were so the same is to be waited for and witnessed in this Age for the Hand of the Lord is not shortened And that Scripture 1 Iohn 3. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not and 〈◊〉 is born of God doth not commit sin vers 6 9. doth clearly manifest there is a â—â—â—te upon Earth free from sin wherein Power is received and felt over all Temptations and over the Devil even such an estate That the Wicked One canâ—…â—â—ch such that are born of God and this was the thing I held forth and do vindiâ—…e against all Opposers That the Saints may wait for and witness upon Earth to have power over sin and over its Temptations and free from the committing of sin by the Power of the second Adam living and dwelling in thâ—â— And thus must thou believe P. T. or else thou believest not Scripture â—â—â— that any are born of God or abide in Christ if thou believest not that tâ—… confess thou errest in Judgment who art unbelieving of what the Scriptâ—… bears witness of Therefore tell me plainly if thou believest That there â—…y that are born of God and abide in Christ then must thou believe 〈◊〉 do not commit sin elâ—e thou deniest the Scripture And what I held forth herein I do not contradict the Apostle nor Solomon's words for its true the Apostle said If we say we have no Sin we deceive our selves but art thou so blind that thou dost not see he speaks there of a state before Confession of Sins and the words saith the Apostle If we confess our Sins he is faithful and just to forgive us 〈◊〉 Sins and to cleanse us from all Unrighteousness so I do agree with the Apostle's words and do not contradict them For I do say If any say they have no sin before they do confess their sin and forsake their sin and be cleansed from it I do say they are Lyars and the Truth not in them and I also say If that after a maâ— hath confest his sin and be cleansed from it and hath his sin forgiven him and witnesseth that he is born of God and does not commit sin I say he 〈◊〉 the Truth also and the Truth is in him And though Solomon did say There is not a just man upon Earth that doth good and sins not yet is my affirmation true notwithstanding for Solomon forgat the Lord and his Heart went after many strange Women and became a Transgressor and in that state did not know the Birth born of God which doth not commit Sin for he was but under the Administration of the Law which doth not make perfect as pertâ—… to the Conscience and peradventure in that state he being erred from God he did not see any that did not sin These things will be plain to some though perhaps thou mayst shut thine eye against them and Solomen was not our Example in Conversation I am sure nor hardly in Doctrine And thus I 〈◊〉 weighed thy Text which thou seemest to say before I have not weighed and my Principles are proved sound and
single Eye be watchful that all things in good Order may be kept amongst you that the Name of the Lord may be a Renown and his Truth kept without Blemish and your Authority in the Truth may be known a Terror upon the Wicked My dear Friends whom I judge to be Honest and Faithful this was I moved to write to you as the dear Remembrance of my dear Love and I do from the Lord commit it to you to fulfil the will of God in these things and the Lord bless you all with Wisdom and Counsel and with Power and Strength and the Lord give you Authority that you may reign with all them that come amongst you in the Name of the Lord and over all them that come in their own name The Lord bless you with a perfect Understanding in these things and my Spirit even the Spirit of the Father be upon you all to teach you perfectly in all things My Love and Life is amongst you who desires nothing more then the Prosperity of the Lord's Truth amongst you The Grace of God be with you all Amen This is to be read amongst you when you are met together whom the Lord hath set to order things in his Wisdom and this is to all the Faithful amongst you Kingstone 1659. E. B. To the Churches in New-England Barbadoes and other Islands TO the Seed of God and to all that are called of him and unto all you that are hungering and thirsting after the Lord in Truth and Righteousness in New-England Barbadoes Mevis and the rest of the Islands where the Lord hath a People to gather the Father's Love through me doth slaute you all whose Faces are set towards Sion abundantly desiring for you in the Spirit of the Father that Grace Mercy and Truth from God may richly abound amongst you and in all your Hearts that at his coming who hath given to every one of you a Measure of his Treasure he may receive his own from you with encrease that you also may enter into the Reward which is Eternal Life unto all that are called and are found faithful Wherefore arise and awake all ye that have been scattered and strayed from the Lord and come forth thou oppressed Seed of Israel out of the Darkness and Bondage and Oppression with which thou hast been loaded for many Ages whilst a long Night of Darkness and Blindness hath been over thee I say Awake and come forth for now thy Light is risen and the Glory of the Father shall rest upon thee and thy Bonds shall be broken and thy Oppression shall cease for thy King shall Reign in Righteousness over all his Enemies and they shall become his Foot-stool and his Dominion shall be enlarged to the utmost parts of the Earth Dearly Beloved be assured of this That the Lord God of Heaven and Earth is doing great things his Day-spring from on High hath visited us and his Light hath shined into our Tabernacle and his Arm hath taken hold of Strength to Redeem the Oppressed People and he hath reached forth to us from his holy Habitation out of his Everlasting Loving-kindness and hath caused us to reach forth to others from his own Life revealed in us that they may know what God hath done for his People and may also receive of the same Salvation and may taste handle and feel of the Life which is manifest of which we are Witnesses and the Lord hath spoken who can but declare and he hath lifted up his Standard to gather the Nations that he may search and seek out his Sheep and this I declare unto you and withal am willing to discover and make manifest the Way and Means whereby the Lord doth bring â—â—â—vation to his People and love constrains me knowing the Lord hath a Seed amongst you unto which my Testimony will be acceptable wherefore all people turn ye turn ye for the Lord calleth unto you harken unto his Testimony which speaketh in you even the Light of Chriâ—â— Jesus with which every one of 〈◊〉 are enlightened and search your Hearts and feel what the Lord witnesseth unto you and what his Testimony in you giveth evidence of for who walks in Pride in Wickedness in Vanity and in the Pleasures of the World and acteth against God's Witness in their Consciences such are in a State to be condemned of the Lord because they act that and speak that which is reproved with the Light shewing that they are in a State unreconciled to God their Works shewing them to be evil Trees that cumber the Ground who are to be hewen down and cast into the Fire and therefore be not deceived in your selves neither let any man deceive you with a Profession or Conceit of a Justification by Christ while yet Iniquity and Transgression and the Evil of the World are lived in and not wholly denyed for to the Wicked there is no Peace from God but the Wicked are condemned by him and the Light in their own Consciences is witness against them Therefore all come to the Light which Christ hath lightened you withal which will manifest unto you your own Condition and whether it be justified or condemned of God and believe not against the Light nor hope not against God's Witness for they that do so their Faith and Hope is vain but what the Light testifies in you that believe And all you that may find your selves sinners loaden with Iniquity and that are the Servants of Sin and have no power over Temptations believe in that Light which gives you to see this and wait till the Power of God be made manifest in you to cleanse your Hearts and to judge out all Unrighteousness for Christ hath not taken away your Sins while you daily bring them forth into the World by Action but whose sins he hath taken away them he hath washed and cleansed from their sins and given them power to resist and overcome all Temptations wherefore wait upon the Lord all ye that are afflicted because of your sins the Day of a great Deliverance is approaching and mind the Light which lets you see Sin that is the Gift of God's Love unto you which will draw you from the love of the World and crucifie your Affections and Desires which go after it and if you mind the Light of Christ in you it will judge and condemn every Motion that ariseth in the Heart towards Evil and the Temptation being judged you will not fall into Sin but will be preserved from Sin and that which doth preserve you from the committing of that Sin unto which you are tempted doth blot out and forgive all the Sins that ever you have acted and that will witnes Reconciliation and Peace with God unto you as you come to be changed and renewed in your Hearts and Minds to be created in the second Adam his Image to bear and to follow his Spirit And Friends search your Hearts and let the Lord search you and judge you for him must
Laws and Decrees which have been set up in the days of Ignorance and yet stand whereby the Lord 's dear Children are afflicted and oppressed at this day and establishest such a Government which is justly according to God in which Righteousness and Truth Justice and true Judgment may run down and all the contrary may be stopped and chained and limited and confounded and then that which thy Father leâ—t undone the Lord will fulfil through thee And doing these things the Lord would make thee truly Honourable and Happy and Blessed in this life and in the Life to come but in doing the contrary the Lord will make thee a Curse and take thee away in his Judgments and thy Name shall be left a Reproach to Ages forever And if thou Rulest in Oppression and Cruelty and sufferest the Innocent to be Destroyed for want of True Judgment then shall thy Dayes be Fewer then thy Father's if thou be Disobedient to him the Lord shall cut thee off and thy Memorial shall Roâ— and this is the Word of the Lord God to thee And as for this Afflicted and Sojourning People They desire nothing to thee but Truth and Peace and Righteousness and no more of thee but Justice and true Judgment and that they and their little Ones which to them are brought forth may sojourn in Peace and quietly pass through the Nations till they come to the Land of Promise and they may not carry of the Glory nor Riches of this World with them nor seek great Places of Honour from thee nor be hurtful to thee nor the People nor to Mankind in their sojourning only what the Lord Commands them that they must do and what he forbids that they must not do For they have chosen the Lord to be their Leader and to give him their Obedience in all things and thy Government so far as it is according to God they will not destroy nor rebel against but are true Friends thereunto and subject in all things And if thou walkest with the Lord and chusest him for thy Councellor and abasest thy self and altogether exalt him and preserve his People that fear him then shalt thou prosper and thy Name shall be greater then was thy Father's and the Numberless Number of this now distressed People will be unto thee a Strength and stand by thee in thy Day of Trouble and defend thee and thy just Government and their hearts shall cleave to thee and thou shalt prosper for their sakes and none of thy Enemies shall have power over thâ—e to Destroy thee though many may seek for thy life Wherefore my Friend Awake awake and now consider The Day of thy Visitation is present and thy Father's is past and now thou hast a time to gain unto thy self Everlasting Honour and Renown or otherwise to leave thy Name a Curse and a Reproach for evermore Do thou hearken to the Voice of the Lord and fear his Dreadful Name and bow before our God that made Heaven and Earth who rules in the Kingdoms of Men and pulleth down one and setteth up another at his Pleasure and as he will and he will make thee know that he lives and reigns over all and doth whatsoever he will and if he smites thee none shall heal thee and if he wounds thee none shall comfort thee Therefore take him for thy Councellor and beware of the wicked Counsels of men for thou hast may Enemies and they would rejoyce to see thy Fall and if the Lord be not on thy side thou canst not long stand but if thou be obedient to him and preservest his People and breakest down all Oppression then thy Enemies shall fall and thy Foot shall tread them down and the Terror of the Lord shall be upon all that hate thee but thus shall it be done unto thee if thou be disobedient to him and rejectest his Counsel by his Servant I am thy Friend and a Lover of thy Soul and seek thy Happiness in this World and in the World to come known to many by the name of Edward Burroughs The Original of this was delivered to him a few dayes after he was proclaimed Protector To thee Richard Cromwel chosen to be Protector and chief Magistrate Governour of these Nations of England Scotland and Ireland a faithful Presentation and Salutation by a Servant of the Church WE are rightly and truly sensible in all things of the Mighty Hand of the Lord God who brings all things to pass by his own Power and according to his Will and in Heaven and Earth and over the Kingdoms of men he ruleth and reigneth he buildeth up and breaketh down he planteth and plucketh up and he pulleth down one and setteth up another and who may say What dost thou or Why dost thou it for he is a Great God and Mighty and his Majesty is terrible and all things in Heaven and Earth and all the Sons of Men are at his disposure whose Dominion is from Everlasting to Everlasting and he may be feared and had in Reverence by all Creatures that have Life and Breath And in particular we are sensible of his Great and Mighty Power who hath of late Years in these Nations once and again overturned and overthrowed and changed at his Pleasure Times and Powers and Authorities and Dominions and he hath brought down the Mighty from their Seats and stained the Crowns and Glories of the Honourable and broken the Stout-hearted and the Oppressors of their Governments as Potsherd one against another and made the Highest of Men of no respect before him for he hath pulled down and set up whom he would according to his Will and in all these things hath his Hand been the very Doer and Accomplisher thereof that he might be known and feared amongst all people through the whole Earth who is the Dread and Terror of Men and Nations And as for thy Father the late Protector Great things and Honourable did the Lord do for him in raising him up and casting out his Enemies before him and giving him Victory and Power and Renown through Nations and we know the Lord shewed Favour to him and gave him Strength Wisdom and Valour and a right Spirit and he was called of God into that great Work to subdue the grievous Cruelty once ruling over tender Consciences and to break down the great Oppressions which for Ages had caused the Just to groan and the Lord was with him in Victory and went before him and was his Defence and preserved him from great Dangers and from the Wills of all his Enemies and made him prosperous against them all but yet we know to say no more of him He did not wholy fulfil the Will of the Lord nor the Work which he begun but became Disobedient and abused his great Deliverances and Authority and did not set free the Oppressed altogether but left Mountains of Oppression and grievous Yoaks of Bondage unbroken down and unsubdued and the Lord smote him and took him away
Worship and Ministry thereby and this being done we do engage to suffer the like tryal in any part and every part of our Religion Thirdly Whether there be any other Foundation of Faith c. for the people of God at this day then Jesus Christ onely and alone and whether he was not the Foundation to the Fathers before the Scriptures were written and whether he that layes or preaches any other Foundation doth not dishonor Christ and speak contrary to the Scriptures These things with some others which we may have occasion to speak of are we willing to discourse with thee for the further clearing of the truth and laying open deceâ—… for yesterday I had much more to have spoken to thee hadst thou not goâ—…â—…o hastily away so if thou art willing to joyn in discourse wâ—â—h me again â—…int place and hour either this day or to morow for my occasions wâ—ll admit of either of these two days always provided that we may have all modeâ—â—tion and may proceed in meekness like men and not like Raylers as thou appearedst yesterday to thy own shame An answer hereof we do expect with speed and we are Friends to all that love Righteousness E. B. Thomas Câ—… THe original of this was delivered to the hands of C. Fowler in Reading the next morning after the dispute at East-Hamsted and being given to him at his Steeple-house-door when he was comming out from his worship he would have given them again to the Messenger after he had it in his hand and opened it but not being taken he said he would burn it and thus people may see that though he cryed against us as Deceivers behind our backs yet he is one of them dumb Dogs that cannot bark nor fright us away if we were such as he saith of us And here all sober people may understand the temper of this my Adversary and I shall leave them to judge of the proceedings between him and me but yet though he denies to meet me yet when I was passed out of the Country becaused the following paper to be fixed upon the Steeple-house-door at East-Hâ—â—sted where the dispute was drawn up by him and set there as a hidious vapour to enchant the minds of people it may be not supposing that ever it should have come to publique view as now it is like to do to his shame A true Charge in ten particulars against the people called QUAKERS 1. THey that pernitiously deny the Scriptures to be the Word of God are Hereticks and Blasphemers But those called Quakers do thus deny the Scriptures to be the Word of God therefore they are Hereticks and Blasphemers 2. They that deny the Scriptures to be the Foundation of Faith and Rule of Life they are Hereticks and Blasphemers But the Quakers do this therefore they are Hereticks and Blasphemers 3. They that do not own the Lord Iesus Christ to be God by Nature are horrible Blasphemers But those called Quakers do not own the Lord Iesus Christ to be God by Naâ—â—re therefore they are Blasphemers 4. They that say the good works of the Saints are meritorious of Eternal Life are Hereticks and Papists of the worst sort But the Quakers say so therefore they are Hereticks and Papists 5. They that deny the Ordinance of Water-Baptism and the Administration of the Lord's-Supper they are Antichristian Hereticks But the Quakers do this therefore the Quakers are Antichristian Heretick 6. They that deny the sin of Infants are Pelagian Hereticks But the Quakers deny the Sin of Infants therefore they are Pelagian Hereticks 7. They that deny the Resurrection of this Body are Hereticks But the Quakers deny this therefore they are Hereticks 8. They that deny the Christian Sabbath are very erroneous But the Quakers do this therefore they are very erroneous 9. They that quarrel at and deride the singing of David's Psalms theâ—…de â—…de of Hopkins and Sternhold the Kings Fidlers they are fooâ—… ignorant and Pâ—…ne in that But the Quakers do this therefore they are fooliâ—â— ignorant and Prâ—phane in this 10. They that publikely charge the Office and Call of Ministers with Lyes and Calumâ—… they are Railers and Slanderers But the people called Quakers do this therefore the people called Quakers are Railers and Slanderers These things through the Lord I am able to justifie and if I do not I shall be contented to be called a Deceiver Let them chuse their own time as soon as they please in witness whereof I have set to my hand this twenty sixth of November 1659. Christopher Fowler And according to providence this paper coming to my hands though it s believed without any purpose in him to which I did return my Answer as to answer his Challenge and neither time nor place being mentioned by him but both left to us to appoint I did appoint Reading for the plate and nominated a certain day â—â—r the time and he had â—â—gh a week notice from me and the time appointed I went to Râ—â—ding to attend the Service but when I came there I understood that be would not meet me according to his own Proposals and Agreement but nominated another place and another time which was supposed by me and others â—o â—e but a present evacting of the â—…er whereupon his denial to meet me at the time and placâ— appointed by me this following Letter I sent unto him C Foâ—… WHereas a Challenge of â—hine to us called Quakers for a Dispute upon ten Particulars was set upon the Steeple-house door at East Hamsted and leaving it to us to appoint time and place I did appoint Reading for the place and the fourth day of this week called Wednesday the 21th of this moneth for the time and in order to proceed upon the Particulars in dispute with thee the place and â—â—me aboveâ—â—id I ordered my occasions so as to attend upon the Service the said time but I being come into the Town this night do perceive that thou art not content with the place and time though they were left to our appointing in thy Challenge but hast appointed another place and time upon some feeble Reasons which thou givest which I might shew the weakness of and might upon many better reasons say that Reading is the only place seasonable to dispute at â—or if thou be indeed a true Minister of Christ the people of this Town best deserve to know it by hearing it to be so and if thou art a Deceiver the people of this Town had the most need of any others to know it by hearing thee disproved So upon this place I have pitched and cannot now change my resolution nor alter neither time nor place by me before-mentioned my occasion will not admit me to it Therefore I thought good to write to thee to know for certain under thy hand whether you will give a meeting or not in this Town the fourth day next as aforesaid if not this matter must yet remain as it stands between us till a
and outward Laws neither would we have you force your Religion Ministry and Church upon us by such means but we will leave the effect of all thing to the Spirit of God and come out when you will in such a way as this and this would satisfie thousands and let Meekness and the Fear of God be amongst you and this is the way to exalt Religion and we would think it a happiness more then otherwise to be joyned in sober debate and dispute against you that you and we in your Religion Church and Ministry and in ours also might be tried according to the Scriptures that all may be satisfied who are doubtful and may hear you Principles and our Principles discussed in the presence of the People who may judge by the Light and Witness in their own Consciences for to that in all we do appeal and in such a proceeding come forth when you will lay down your Carnal Weapons and take the Weapons of of the Spirit and come to the trial for the Day of the Lord is approaching upon all the World E. B. The FOURTH General Epistle To all the SAINTS Being a Visitation of the Fathers Love unto the whole Flock of Cod who are called and gathered into the spiritual Kingdom of Righteousness and Peace To be read in all the Assemblies of them that meet together to worship the Father in the Spirit and Truth in the silence of all Flesh. Dearly Beloved WHom the Father hath called and chosen into the Election of Eternal Salvation and who have handled and tasted and felt of the Judgments and Mercies of the Lord and amongst whom the God of Heaven and Earth hath appeared in his Spirit and in his Power which 〈◊〉 gotten you into the Heirship of the heavenly Kingdom Oh Friends our Kingdom and Victory is not of this World nor earthly but from above and spiritual wherein we have Peace and Comfort endless and everlasting which the World knows not of I say unto you all that know these things Live in the Peace and Victory and Kingdom which is invisible and mind the things as your greatest Treasure that pertain to that Kingdom even the weighty matters of it which aâ— eternal and infinite and that every one of you may feel and enjoy a Portion in that Kingdom Oh! it is precious for a people to be Subjects of the heavenly Kingdom and for a man to have an assurance of Life and Peace in God and to be an Heir of that Kingdom that fadeth not away and to have his name written in the Record of Life and blessed is every one whose Hope and Confidence and Peace and Assurance is in the living God and whose Soul resteth under the Government of the Almighty and who knows him to be Judge King and Lawgiver in all things and this is the Kingdom that is heavenly and is altogether blessed for Peace and Truth and Righteousness and all Vertue is enjoyed in it for evermore Now Friends you must all be subjected in all things under the Power of the Lord God and unto his will and he must work in you to will and to do for in this is true Rest and Peace unto the Soul where the Will of the Father is done and suffered in all things and not the Will of man which worketh sorrow to the Creature and not peace in the obedience to it and where it rules and that must be subjected in you even in every Word Work and Motion unto the eternal Power that you may die and Christ may live and in this you will have union and fellowship in spirit with the Lord God and he alone will be your trust and confidence and your glory if he live in you and walk in you and then you are his People and he is your God And Friends are to mind this even Peace and Union and Fellowship with the Lord and the comfort of his Presence which is the onely happiness of the Creature even the enjoyment of him that is invisible who is God infinite over all to whom mortal eye cannot approach neither can the mortal mind him apprehend but in his own Life manifested in mortal Flesh and by the measure of his own Spirit that dwells in us is he seen felt preceived and enjoyed of us so mind the Immortal Life begotten of the Father in you that that may live in you even the Heir of God which is his Image and likeness for in that alone is Covenant with God made and kept and in it is the Fathers presence enjoyed and he Worshipped without respect of time place or visible thing and if that live in you then yoâ— in that will live unto God in all that which is answerable unto him and your words and works will be accepted of him and well-pleasing to him even because it is him that worketh in you to will and to do all good things and he alone exalted in you and you subjected and the Maker is become the Husband and you married unto him and he lives in Power and Rule and Command and you livâ— In subjectiâ—â— unto him and in fulfilling his Will in what he guideth in by his Holy Spiriâ— And this life is very precious Oh Friends live in it and dwell in it always and then your Joy and Peace will be with you over all this World and you will be Comforted wheâ— Fear and Terrour comes upon all men for the Lord God whom we serve â—nd worship in the Spirit will cause his Enemies to know his Power and that he doth and can do whatsoever he will and will smite his Enemies and wound them in their Consciences for all Power Dominion and Authority is with him he is mighty to save and mighty to destroy and his Reward is to every one according to their deeds and this is the God whom we fear and worship and all Flesh must bow before him when he shews his presence though men 〈◊〉 high and lifted up and go on in Rebellion against him without fear yet thâ— hand of the Lord will be upon theâ— and he shall smite them with the â—od of his mouth Wherefore all Friends have respect unto the Lord in your 〈◊〉 in all things that you do and in all things that cometh to pass for that is â—â—â—â—â—ed in a people and they shall prosper their Souls shall be nourished and their lives refreshed with the Mercies of the Lord even all they that do waiâ— upon the Lord and have respect unto him and his Eternal Power which doth and suffereth all things that be In which Power you must dwell and walk and feel it in your hearts and it will be your Armour and Defence in all things and it will carry you through all that which worketh contrary And it is very pretious to be Armed with the Armour of God in the Day of Temptations and Tryals that you may not be overcome of the wicked nor spoiled of the Heavenly Inheritance Oh Frinds put on strength that you
offended in Christ who cannot be offended in him nor separated from him by Principalities nor Powers of Darkness nor Death nor Life of any thing And in this growth was the Apostle which the same is to be waited for blessed is he that obtaines it for that which takes offence against Christ is of the same with that which gives it for all offences against him ariseth from the corrupted nature which knows him not and that which receiveth any offence against him is the same which knows him not Yea though an offence may be justly given yet that in which the offence takes place knows not the Father not the Son And Christ said offences should come but woe unto him by whom they come and woe unto that which stumbles and fâ—lls through offences Therefore every one is to minde the certain evidence of the Spirit of God and of the Truth and Way of Salvation in his own heart and being perswaded concerning the Way of Salvation by the Spirit of God â—â—at Spirit will judge every offence that is given and not embrace it and that Spirit which judges and casts out that which gave offence against God in that Spirit may a man be preserved above all offences so as nothing can separate him from the love of God but though this offence or the other whatsoever may arise yet such a one feels and possesses the Mercy Love and Peace from God in his own spirit and such a one lives in the heavenly Life and cannot make the evil example of another an occasion of iniquity to himself but he rather hears and fears and keeps in more diligence and respect to the fear and presence of God in his own heart yet he covers not the offence that is given in it self but with a Spirit of judgment treads it down and walks over it and this is the right Way for a man of God to walk in and that Spirit is not right before the Lord nor that heart which takes unto it self an occasion to stumble at or deny the Power and Mercy of the Lord because another may abuse them But if one be from the Spirit of God in their own hearts their mind unsetled upon that and unseasoned with that then the offences enter and works darkness and prejudice in the mind and the wrong part being up it receives all things to a wrong end and it abuses Gods Mercies and also wants the Authority to pass Judgment upon offences and because hereof is a man undone for prejudice will eat out the good and destroy Simplicity and wound the Soul and bring men into Death and bitterness of spirit Therefore this is to all Friends that you may be kept in the Spirit of Judgment which will not receive an offence into the wrong part but will Judge all offences in themselves and hereby all will be preserved and Truth must travel through all his enemies and blessed is he that is kept faithful to the end in the Power of the Lord God that Reigns over and Judgeth the Power of Darkness in every appearance of it Inwardly and Outwardly And as concerning the times and seasons and the present Confusions and Distractions that is amongst men much might be spoken but certainly the end of all these things shall be turned for good unto us and unto all that do abide in Faith and Patience unto the end and though the present times be of an heavy countenance towards us like as if we should be swallowed up through the roaring of the Sea and because wickedness doth abound by the spirit that now is exalted yet in this let us respect the Lord for certain it is that Times and Seasons are in his Hand to change them at his pleasure and to take them from one and give them to another when he will the day is his and the Victory is in his Hand Oh! let not mortal men glory against him mans time is but for a moment and it is our Blessedness and Peace to be still to be still And to have a Respect to the Lord through all these overturnings And though the spirit that now is be wicked and abounding in iniquity yet the Lord will limit its way And as for the men that now are in Power it is very Just with the Lord to let them have their Day even to try them what they will do many others before those have had also their Day that have promised great things as to Liberty and Freedom of the Nation even much more than these but they abused times and seasons and opportunities and were deceitful towards God and Man and sought themselves more than the good of others and therefore are they justly under reproach and sufferings even for their disobedience sake who would not give ear to the Cry of our oppressions though they were called unto but made our Yoaks more heavy and our Tasks more great though the Lord looked for better things from them yet they were rebellious till they were sunk into Confusion and we yet stand and they are fallen that thought to destroy us And this spirit and these men who now are which once the other had power over is now justly set in Power over them And all this is accomplished in the Justice of the Lord's Hand and therefore Why should we murmur against God or say Why hast thou done it But let us travel in Patience through all the Oppressions and in the Power of the Lord we shall work through them as through others heretofore even till the Lord deliver us For this Spirit that now is must Rule until the pleasure of the Lord be fulfilled concerning it May not the Lord do something through it unworthy of a better spirit to be imployed in God hath vessels of dishonour And the King of Assyria and Nebuchadnezzar must serve his pleasure when he will use them And therefore no man at present is found able to divert the Authority of it for it seems right unto the Lord that it have its season if not in love to it yet in his wrath that its measure of wickedness may be filled up in this occasion given unto it that the Lord may destroy it for though it have all Power to Rule and to subdue that which riseth against it yet this is not because the Lord is on its side but thus he suffers it for a Rod to correct others that have been unfaithful even till the Lord correct it also with his Judgements And the purpose of the Lord is to prove the men if so be some of them may learn Righteousness and be saved though some of them want the shew of Religion which others have had yet God hath not left himself without witness in them And the Lord may be nigh to some of them if he smite they must be wounded let us walk in Wisdom and Innocency towards them and be faithful towards the Lord concerning them and leave them to him And as for all the confusions and distractions
of Calvin or Form of Prayer as these have now the Common-Prayer and both the one and the other have cast off the POPES Form and brought in their own get into a Form of words a Forâ— of worship without either Life or Power The PAPISTS in some things that they begin to do will say In the Name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost And the Protestants or them who call themselves of the reformed Church that are come off from the Papists some of them when they go about to do a thing will say Our help is in the Name of the Lord which made Heaven and Earth Here both the one and the other have a Form of words but out of the Name the one as well as the other out of the Life out of the Power and Authority of our Lord Iesus Christ. Therefore what they do how can it be done in his Name which themselves are out of Though they may be in the words and do a thing in the words But that is not a doing it in the Name for to do things in so many words in their own Time and Will that which themselves have brought in is one thing But to do it in the Name Power and Authority of the Lord Iesus Christ is another for words is not the Name nor the Power and the Kingdom stands in the Power not in words Therefore all people see what you do that it be done in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ the true Light of the World who lighteth every man that cometh into the World in his Light in his Power then that will bring you to cease from your own words and following your own ways doing it in his Power in his Strength out of your own words your own ways and your own wills in his Name For what hath form or words either one or the other hitherto produced or brought forth without Life or Power Hath your long Profession and Forms of the words brought any of you yet into the possession of the things Or will it ever do If not What serves it to Who hath required it to have it done And is it not his right alone who is to be worshipped to direct himself how he will be worshipped Or is not all other service and worship in the will And so Will-worship that is not of his own direction or appointment And the Scripture saith John chapter 4. as you may read God is a Spirit and he will be worshipped in the Spirit and in the Truth Mark that He who is a Spirit will be worshipped in the Spirit and in the Truth that which the Devil abode not in for into a Form of words Drunkards Swearers Lyars Prophane Persons unrighteous which are shut out of the Kingdom may get into words in such a worship out of the Spirit but that is not the worship which God requires And is it not equal that he alone direct how he will be worshipped that is to be worshipped And thou art so to perform thy service towards him that of him it may be accepted and so it is rightly done when done as he hath appointed it as he hath directed And Obedience is more than Sacrifice whom thou art to obey if thou wilt do him service who is worshipped or served in the Spirit and in the Truth whose Will then comes to be done and not thine who will be so worshipped and so served But otherwise is it not thine own will and not his that is done Therefore whosoever will come to worship the KING the LORD of HOSTS must come to worship him in his own way not in their ways to bow down to his Light to bow down to the measure of his Spirit in them for the Manifestation of the Spirit is given to every one to profit withal Otherwise will not People Teachers and Professors be always in the profitless condition Ever learning and never come to the knowledge of the Truth E. B. TO THE BELOVED and CHOSEN of GOD in the Seed Elected Particularly in LONDON And elsewhere who have seen the day of Christ and received the Message of Peace and Reconciliation in these last Dayes of his Glorious Appearance THe dear salutation of my life salutes you all in the most pure and dearest love with which I am beloved of the Father and with which also at this present my Heart is filled and issueth forth towards you and the whole Body of the elected Ones and the remembrance of you in the Lord is very precious unto me as I see and behold and have fellowship with you in the Immortal Life which the Father hath begotten in you and in me and in which my knowledge is of you and my unity with you and therein only is the remembrance of my dearest love unto you and in which I hope I am also known and remembred of you even in the spiritual Relation and Heirship of Immortality being fellow Citizens of the heavenly Ierusalem and Children of her conception and bringing forth Now my dearest Friends seeing you have believed in the Light and Life of men even in him that was and is and is to come and have also tasted of that all Fulness that is in him you have a Witness in your selves even of the Spirit of the Father which is greater then all and you need no other Testimony but that of the Spirit That the Lord is good and full of Grace Truth Mercy Peace and Joy even the Fountain and Treasure of all Vertue and Blessedness in this present time and hereafter I say If you have tasted and felt of Immortal Life and if the Fountain hath been opened in you and you have seen his Glory and received of his Treasure then the Evidence dwells in you of eternal blessedness and no man needs to teach you of these things nor to say unto you know the Lord if you dwell in him and go no more forth yet bear with me a little that I may speak and be refreshed not to diminish from what Testimony you have in you but the rather to add towards it for my witness is not another but the same which ye enjoy which is faithful and true and this I say Oh how great how mighty and powerful is the Lord our God everlasting and infinite he is that eternal Spirit that filleth all the Creator and beeing of all things that are the life and vertue in all and the invisible Substance greater then all he is in himself the immeâ—â—rable and infinite Fulness the Fountain of Life of Mercy and Righteousness and Peace and of all Vertue and of every good Thing who can declare his beginning or end he is without Time Place or thing yet gives beeing to all and is present in all yet not known saving of himself and by his own Spirit yet he effecteth all things and worketh whatsoever he will who can utter his wonderous Works Who can number his Mercies Who can account his Infiniteness who can
but that over all you will be preserved in faith and victory I am now according to the Will of the Father in Ireland it is some weeks since I arived at Cork City in much peace and safety with my dear Companions it having been long upon my spirit to visit the Seed of God in this Nation even of love have I felt it in me and not of constraint but of a willing mind and free spirit and not of force and after the time of patience and waiting for many dayes to see my way clear for it the Lord hath ordered it and brought it to pass acceptable unto me and many here and this is the time which this visitation must be effected for till now my way was not clear and but that this Journey hath laid upon me I should have rejoyced to have been present among you either in testimony by suffering or otherwise but this is the will of God and it is in my heart to pass through this Nation and to visit the Seed of God by the Love and Word of the Father as he gives of his Life and Strength and opens the way before me I perceive in this Land Friends are generally well and truth grows in victory and dominion and the Lord is adding to the numberless number of them that must stand on Mount Zion and through the rage of men and above it all the little Flock is preserved in its beauty and the Seed sown in weakness and afflictions is received and quickned in much power which is my joy About Bristol I continued about two moneths in much precious service for the Lord and truth had good authority over all great acceptation in the hearts of many and some convinced and others edified and confirmed as many can witness in the spirit and until after the time of the Fâ—ir I was not clear of that City but imediately after I was free and my way made very convenient and clear to this place and the hand of providence ordered all things very well on that behalf as I do hope in the continuance of the power and presence of the Lord with me through this work and in his power I am committed even to do or suffer all things for his Name sake and that by vertue of his own life that dwells in me And the Lord preserve all the Brethren like-minded that the work of the Lord may be fulfilled and finished by us Amen County of Cork the 21th of the 6th Moneth 1660. E. B. A PRESENTATION of Wholsome Informations unto the King of England c. Being a Defence Pleaded and also appealed unto Him even to the Testimony of the Spirit of God in His own Conscience In Answer to a certain Accusation charged before Him in a Printed Book called The thrice happy Welcome of King Charles the Second by one George Willington of Bristol City against Us whom in derision the Accuser calls Quakers And also herein are laid down divers Considerations in Answer to a Petition directed to the King by the same Author in the Book aforesaid concerning Church-Government and concerning the making and sending forth Ministers and concerning the True Prophets and True Ministers and the False and how they are distinguished in their Call Maintenance and Fractises and that none ought to suffer death of Body or be killed or spoiled in Person or Estate though they may err in their mindes in the knowledge and Judgment of spiritual things All which is soberly presented to the King and His Council for Them to consider The Epistle to the King and his Council KNow ye That it is Righteousness Iustice Mercy and Truth and the fear of the Lord God it is the doing hereof and the walking herein in which you onely may be truly honourable I say if you do these things if you fear the God of Heaven and depart from all Iniquity and if you be doers of Iustice and Mercy and if ye break the yoke of cruel Oppressions and let the oppressed go free then are you worthy to be honoured both in the sight of God and men if so be that you are possessed with the nature I mean with Righteousness Iustice Mercy and Truth then you deserve the name but not otherwise for if Unrighteousness Injustice and Falshood dwell with you and be brought forth by you then are you not honourable to God neither can his servant in feignedness and flattery give the name unto you but and if I should give flattering titles unto you I should provoke the Lord to wrath against me though yet I gained your favour but I have rather chosen to speak the truth from my heart in Righteousness and to be well-pleasing unto the God of Heaven then with flattering Lips and a deceitfull Tongue be a man-pleaser while I grieve the Spirit of the Lord and the chief desire of my heart is to keep my conscience clear in all things though I should gain the displeasure of you and the most eminent accounted of men And if you shall say who art thou I must answer That I am a Servant of the great God of Heaven and Earth him I fear and before his presence I tremble I fear not him that can but kill the Body I flatter not any by feigned words for I regard not the love or hatred of this World I have not learned to practise a flattering tongue nor can I use it towards you or any upon the Earth but words of truth and righteousness are my delight and the dialect of my native Countrey and the characters thereof are not in the eloquency of words of mans wisdom but to demonstrate by the Spirit of the Lord in plainness and soberness with more respect to please the Lord then to please men Thus am I known among my Familiars and thus I desire only to be known unto you not in words only but in substance not in flattery but in an upright heart And this my present occasion thus to write unto you is even in as much as we have been accused even to the King by one George Willington of the City of Bristoll in a Book of his directed to the King even therefore is it that I have taken in hand to answer and publish a defence against his Charge with some sober Considerations chiefly laid down and directed even to the King that he may consider them and my hopes are that he and you of his Council will read and consider the Defence as well as the Charge against us assuredly knowing that it is good reason and equity for you so to do and may prove also of good consequence to you so to do for if the King should receive mis-informations and thereupon proceed in Iudgement Oh what pits and snares of danger did he run himself into even to destroy himself Now to the intent that he and you may be better informed in some particulars concerning us about which we are charged and accused and that you might know the truth and
may escape the way of Destruction and Confusion therefore is it that the Lord hath put it into my heart thus to write unto you and not for another end nor of my self have I done it but as I found the drawings of that Spirit of the Father which leadeth into all truth to which I was made willing to be obedient without respect to any thing saving the Lord and that you might be advised in some things in present controversie occasioned as aforesaid and there are a few things towards you upon my spirit which well deserves your consideration as followeth First That there is an Eternal God who is great and mighty above all and â—e alone ought to be the fear of you and all man-kind for whatsoever he will it cometh to pass whether in Heaven or Earth he planteth and plucketh up he buildeth and throweth down he exalteth and abaseth whether Kingdoms Governments or Men Kings or Princes as he will and what time soever as he pleaseth he is onely wise in Council and mighty in Power if he purpose who shall prevent him he is the Being of all things that are and before him are all mankinde upon Earth even ye your selves as Dust and Ashes and Vessel of Clay and your Breath is in your Nostrils and he that gave it can sâ—â—n take it away from you and in a moment dissolve your seeming glorious substance into its first being And this eternal God hath overturned and changed Powers and Authorities Rulers and Governments in these Nations of late years even to the amazement of the Inhabitants who must confess that the God of Heaven hath pulled down and set up whom he would and taken the Government from and given it unto whom soever he hath pleased and he hath given unto many a day and a time to try them whether they would rule for him and he tried one sort of men after another to prove them if they would exercise Righteousness and Truth Iustice and Mercy and right Iudgement in the Land but when the Lord tryed them they have all proved deceitful and unfit men for the Lord to exalt his name by but they have neglected Iustice and true Iudgment and the cause of the Fatherless and the Widdow have they not regarded as they ought to have done but great oppressions and persecutions have abounded in their dayes and they have forgotten the Lord and his Iudgements and sought themselves and not the Lord and been ambitious and self-ended and they have exalted themselves in their Pride and Covetousness and this hath been the path of many that have sitten in the Throne even till the God of Heaven hath been provoked against them to confound them and overturn them even when their measure of oppression and unrighteousness of Injustice and Persecution was fulfilled and when the measure of one was finished the Lord brought that down with shame and another was set up to raign till it had fulfilled its measure of that which went before it that it might be brought down even as the other and all this the God of Heaven hath effected by his power that all the Earth might take knowledge that he can do whatsoever he will and that he hateth and abhorreth Injustice and Oppression Cruelty and Persecution and that his Vengeance and Iudgements are extended forth against such Rulers and Governments by whom and in which Persecution Cruelty and Injustice are brought forth and because hereof hath he overturned and confounded Rulers and Governments and these things have been visible in our eye 2. Consider that you are now set in the Throne and are raised up out of your suffering condition and you are become the Rulers and Potentates in our Nation divers having been cast out before you and unto you a day and time is given to try you and prove you what you will do and whether you will rule and govern alone for the Lord and answer the end wherefore the Lord hath restored you which if you do and walk in the Fear of the Lord and forsake your Iniquities and do Iustice and Righteousness in the Earth then the Lord make you happy and a blessing in the Kingdoms But if so be ye walk in the wayes of Oppression and just Iudgement Mercy and Truth be wanted in the Land through you and you run on as others before you in Pride Ambition vain-glory and Covetousness and have no respect to the God of Heaven and his Heritage then the God of Heaven shall reprove you and deep confusion shall come upon you and as with a whirle-wind shall you be overthrown and you shall know that there is a God that can do whatsoever he will even he shall deface your glory and turn your Sun into Darkness and your Day shall become a Night of Misery Oh therefore say not in your Hearts that our Mountain is strong and we can never be moved neither think in your selves that your force is great and your number many and none shall be able to prevail against us but rather consider that there is a secret and an eternal Hand that can remove your Mountain and overcome all your might and power and subdue your Number and turn all your Wisdom and Policy into Folly and Madness These can his Hand do even the God of Heaven who is greater then all if he smite none can heal you and if he kill none can make alive if he beâ—… your enemy to fight against you there is none that can deliver you out of his 〈◊〉 all flesh is as grass that is soon cut down and withered and the strength of 〈◊〉 sons of men are as a Reed that is soon shaken and bruised 3. Consider how that you are placed in your present state between good and 〈◊〉 between doing the will of God and the will of the Devil that ye should do the one and forsake the other and in the doing of the one or the other dependeth the Blessing or the Curse the Love or the Hatred of the Almighty and you are in your day that is given you to prove you time is taken from others and given to you even by the Lord that gives and takes time and power according to his own pleasure and no man hath assurance of time unto himself but it cometh and goeth at the pleasure of the Almighty and time â—nd power is now given unto you for a moment Consider what the God of Heaven reâ—…ires of you in this your day and if you fulfill the will of the Lord then you may be happy but if otherwise then other effects shall follow upon 〈◊〉 and let not the King say in himself that because I am the true 〈◊〉 and to me onely it belongs to govern these Kingdoms and I may goverâ—â— as I will without correction as though therefore he might rule according to his own pleasure and the Lord take no notice I say let not this enter into any of your hearts but let the King know assuredly that these
and Over-reaching your Neighbours your Riches so gotten shall never prosper noâ— be blessed to you but shall be a Curse to you and your Children And your Covetousness will God plague Ye that have gotten Goodt and not by Right shall leave them in the midst of your dayes Wo unto you Carnal Minds all the Treasures of them are corruptible your Lands Gold and Silver are fading Treasures The Day of the Lord's Judgments are at hand upon you and the Rod of his Wrath will smite you and ye shall have Poverty and want instead of Fulness and Excess and ye shall have Leanness and Barrenness and God will plead with you in the way you have sinned against him The Time of your Visitation draws near Wo unto you Merchants Traders Buyers and Sellers that have been Double-Dealers and Double-Tongued and dealt deceitfully in your Commodities with your Neighbours Wo unto ye that have got Gain by Double-dealing and by feigned and flattering Speeches have beguiled one another and sought to out-reach in your Bargaining every man his Brother these things have ye done O ye Covetous Men ye have even robbed the Poor by your Craft and Guileful-dealing by your smooth and flattering Tongues and if any amongst you could not use Fraud and Dissemble such have been your Prey and Scorn and it s your Use to discommend a Commodity when you buy it and to praise it when you sell it and ye make a fair out-side to please the Eye and ye use multitude of words and fair speeches and decâ—ive the Simplâ— and get Gain by Oppression Craft and Deceit Wo unto you Repent of this your sin Cleause your Hearts you Sinners and purifie your Hearts you Double-minded I charge you by the Lord Give over your Double-dealing and deceitful Merchandize cease to Lye and Defraud cease your Flattery and Feigned words and speak the Truth every one to his Neighbour and come out of your Iniquities use not a bad Conscience any longer for its a fearful Abomination against the Lord But mind the Light of Christ in you which will convince you in your Consciences of your noughty and sinful wayes and that Light will exercise your Consciences to do the Truth and speak the Truth to your Neighbours in all things and this is Blessed and the Gain that is thereby gotten is not a Curse for ye ought in all your wayes to reverence the Lord and respect him that he should lead you and guide you in your exercise of all Earthly things For the Earth is the Lord's and the Fulness thereof and it ought to be exercised to his Glory and there is suffient in this Creation for all People and therefore covet not Earthly things one from another neither oppress nor over-reach one another about them neither treasure up Earthly things while the Poor want for if ye do you hide your selves from your own Flesh laying Field to Field till there is no Place for the Poor and Wo unto such the Day of the Lord will be upon you But learn the Wisdom of God how to be ordered and how to order all things of this Creation and be in Unity and good Agreement amongst your selves and do not fall out nor strive nor contend nor envy one another about Earthly things but if ye have much or if ye have little be contented with what you have and do not grind the Hearts and Consciences one of another to get Earthly things for they will fade and perish away and seek not after that which perisheth but after that which is unto Eternal Life For the Day of the Lord is at hand and his Judgments upon all Oppressors Double-dealers and False-hearted Flatterers that are Covetous of Earthly things Wo unto all ye Drunkards and Swearers Whoremongers and Prophane Persons the Judgments of the Lord are upon you unawares ye that destroy the Creation upon your Lusts that are rnn into the Excess of Wine and Beer and that covet it excessively and that drink till ye inflame your selves and spend your time in it ye are like the Beasts of the Field and like the Swine that wallow in Filthinefs ye pervert the right use and End of the good Creatures of God and spend them upon your Lusts and have not regard unto the Living God and one sin even begets another Drunkenness begets Swearing and prophane Words and Whoredom and beastly Affections and thus ye add sin to sin and heap up one sin upon another conâ—â—ary to the Light in your own Consciences and thus ye serve 〈◊〉 â—…il and Satan committing Iniquity with both hands as it were by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and swearing and taking the Name of the Lord in Vain and 〈◊〉 Spâ—â—â—â—es and falling out one with another and your Minds are eâ—â—ed 〈◊〉 the Lord and 〈◊〉 abuse your selves and your 〈◊〉 Bodies which were made fâ—â— the service of God and not 〈◊〉 whorâ—… 〈◊〉 and ye slay your own soulâ— by your own Iniquities and mames provoke the Lord to destroy both Soul and Body Wo unto you 〈◊〉 â—lagues of God are your Portion and Misery your â—nd here and hereafter 〈◊〉 of your Iniquities and turn from them left the Lord find you in 〈◊〉 Iniquities when he comes to Judgâ—ment 〈◊〉 if you continue in them 〈◊〉 can never be pardoned but you siâ— unto death and the Lord will come â—pon you suddenly for ye that followed Drunkenness and Propâ—â—â—ess you live contrary to the Light in your own Consciences and you sin against your knowledge against that Knowledge that God hath given you and this is your greatest sin even because ye do the things which ye know ye shoulâ— not do 〈◊〉 the Light in your Consciences doth sheâ— you that these things are evil before you do them but ye doing the things contrary to the Light in your 〈◊〉 Consciences this makes your Crime 〈◊〉 and your sin uâ—pardonable 〈◊〉 â—e continue in sin and prophaness contrary to the Reproof of God's Spiâ—â—◠〈◊〉 your own â—nsciences Wherefore ye prophane Persons cease to do evil â—est the Lord's Judgements come upon yâ—â— suddenly to your Dâ—struction and the Lord smite you and you never be healed Wo unto all ye â—â—ypoâ—riâ—iâ—â—l and deceitful Profâ—ssors of Religion that hold the Truth in Unrighteousness thâ—â— have a talk and a shew of Religion and that have the Name of Church-members and of Worshippers of God but are 〈◊〉 in Sins and Trespasses ye that are Christians by Name but want the Nâ—â—ure who are Wolves in Sheep's cloathing that have Christ's words the Prophets and Apostâ—â—s words but want their Spirit and Life Wo unto you the Dâ—â— of the Lord is at hand upon you ye Hypocrites ye that serve God with your Liâ—â— and with your â—outhes profess much love whenas your Hearts are full of â—â—â—y Covetousâ—â—â—â— and Earthly-mindedness ye are the Apostate Christians thâ—â— have taken the Form of Godliness upon you but want the Power ye preach and pray and hear sermons and keep Sabbath Dayes and perform Duties 〈◊〉 ye
in your own Consciences you are in a condemned condition and you cannot be justified of the Lord while you are accused by the Light within you of such and such sins and that you are guilty of them and sorsake them not for the God of Heaven condemneth and justifieth men according to the Witness of the Light in their own Consciences for it is Gods Evidence to bear witness for God and to accuse or excuse every man in his sight and according to its evidence God justifieth or condemneth all the Children of men III. Again Whosoever will be saved must be born again of the seed of God and must be changed and renewed in Mind and Heart and Spirit and old things must pass away and all things must be made new and a new Nature must live in you and the Image of God must be brought forth which is in Righteousness and true Holiness which is like unto God and this is the new Creation which every one must witness to be wrought in them that ever â—â—â—â—ers into Gods Kingdom For saith Christ Except a man be born again he canâ—â—â— enter into the Kingdom of God for it is not a profession of Religion made with the Lips nor the practises of Duties and Ordinances taken on and performed in the old nature and a holding of truth in unrighteousness this is not the way of Salvation but it is the regenerating and making like unto God being his Image of Justice Truth and Righteousness it is this in which men may be saved everlastingly IV. Again Whosoever will be saved must receive the Spirit of God and it must dwell in them even the Spirit of the Father and they must be taught by it and led into all Truth to do the Truth and speak the Truth in all things even the spirit of Truth must be received to teach and to lead in all the wayes of God it alone must teach and all the Hireling-Teachers of the World must be turned away from by whom peoples souls have been deceived all such as have run and God never sent them that have cryed up Tâ—â—ching and Ministry and through whom people have not received the Spirit of thâ— Father all such Teachers must be denyed their Church and Ministry and the Spirit of the Father must only teach and lead and you must walk in the Spirit and not after the Flesh for if you walk after the Flesh in the wayes and works of it you are in the state of Condemnation and not of Salvation and the Spirit of God doth not teach you but you are out of the New Covenant of God in which Covenant all are taught of the Lord and in Righteousness are they established the Spirit of God is put within them and the Law of God is written in their hearts and they need no man to teach them but as the Spirit teacheth and this is the New Covenant of Peace with God into which all must come to witness this or else they cannot be saved V. Again all that will be saved must be sanctified cleansed and purified from all Unrighteousness by the Spirit and Word of God whereby every Heart must be made clean and every Conscience sprinkled with the Blood of the Lamb and the body of sin and death must be put off and the bondage of Corruption must be broken and Iniquity must be forsaken and turned from and siâ— must be judged in the Flesh and Purity Holiness and Righteousness must live and reign in all that will be saved and Sin and Transgression and the guilt of it must be removed and you must shew forth the Image of God in Holiness and Righteousness and must be pure as he is pure in kind and quality and you must walk in Holiness and Righteousness being freed from Corruption and from the Wayes of Sin and Death being sanctified in Body Mind and Spirit by the Word of the Lord and Sin must be blotted out and Transgression must be covered and Iniquity must be remembred no more and in all things you must cease to do evil and learn to do well if ever you will be saved VI. Again whosoever will be saved must witness Christ revealed in yoâ— â—â—d â—e must live in you and you must be Followers of him wheresoever he goâ—s â—â—d your Bodies must be the Temples of the Living God and God must walk 〈◊〉 you and dwell in you according to his Promise and he must be your King your Judge and Law-giver your Teacher Father and Master and he must be 〈◊〉 in all unto you even God the Father who is blessed for ever you must â—â—ow him near you and feel his Presence in you to be your Joy Life and â—eace and you must have fellowship with him in spirit and must worship him 〈◊〉 Spirit and by the Spirit without respect of Dayes Times or Places every one that will be saved must come into this and witness it for this is the way of the Salvation of God VII Again whosoever will be saved must live in the Power of Godlinâ—ss and must deny all Forms of Religion without the Power all Profession of Scriptures Ordinances Church-member-ship Praying and Preaching which is not in the Power of God and by his Spirit must be denyed and that part that holds it that holds the Form of Godliness without the Power must be crucified and every one must come into the Power of the Spirit of God and must witness that to work in them to will and to do and no more professing the Things of God but as they are witnessed by the work of his Spirit in their hearts you must not hold Truth any longer in unrighteousness nor make a profession of it in your your unrighteous minds no more talking of Justification and Redemption nor of any of the matters of Gods Kingdom but according as they are witnessed by the working of the Spirit of God in the heart and every one must feel in himself the evidence and Testimony of the Spirit of God to witness the Truth in his heart or Conscience of what he professeth with his mouth VIII Again Whosoever will be saved must witness the Scriptures of Truth fulfilled in themselves the things that they have read of without them must be wrought within them wrought in their hearts by the same Spirit as gâ—ve forth the Scriptures they must pass through the same conditions as the holy men of God did and the same truth that the Scriptures declare of must be revealed in the heart by the same Spiâ—it that gave forth the Scriptures and none must profess more than they do enjoy from God and all flesh must be silent from speaking of the things of Gods Kingdom which they have not seen handled rasted and felt by the working of the Spirit of God in their Consciences and this is to witness the Scriptures fulfilled when you have experience of the same conditions and of the same operations and manifestations which the Servants of the Lord passed through
am confident That the King hath better Experience of us than to believe these our Malicious Accusars And I do appeal to him from the knowledge which he hath already of us that he believes we are Innocent and not guilty of those things thus unjustly charged upon us and I question not but he will rightly understand that these Accusations are more out of Hatred and Envy against us than out of desire to benefit the King by such Presentation 2. I do testifie unto the King and before the whole World That we do profess and believe concerning the Father Son and Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Blessed Gospel and the Holy Scriptures I say we do believe and make prefession in Truth and Righteousness concerning all these things and by our Doctrines and Instructions do perswade all people to believe and not seduce any from these Truths of the Gospel and this is known through these Kingdoms concerning us though we stand now accused falsly concerning these Matters before the King But as for the Scriptures being the Rule of Life we say The Spirit of God that gave forth the Scriptures is the Rule of Life Faith unto the Saints and leads not contrary but according unto the Scriptures in the Belief and Practice of whatsoever the Scripture saith And if these Petitioners did make the Scriptures the Rule of their Lives and Practices for the denyal of which they here accuse us they would not have cut off Ears Banished and put to Death for the Cause of Conscience which is contrary to the Scriptures and proceeded from another spirit than that which gave forth the Scriptures 3. Concerning Government our Principles and Practices are well known to many and partly to the King We are not Enemies unto Government it self as these our Accusers do charge us but it is our Principle and hath ever been and is our Practice to be subject to whatsoever Government is set up over us either by doing or suffering and neither to vilifie nor rebel against any Government or Governours by any Malicious Plots or Contrivances but to walk in Meekness and Humility towards all being subject for Conscience sake as I have said either by doing or suffering and I doubt not but the KING is sufficiently informed hereof and believeth this Testimony 4. As for our Doctrines tending to subvert both Church and State this is also a false Accusation and Slander for our Doctrines are to convert and not to subvert even to convert to God and Truth and Righteousness that men should live in these things and forsake all that which is contrary and this Effect our Doctrines have wrought in the World as the Testimony of many Consciences shall bear witness Oh let the King consider of our Defence as well as of our Enemy's Charge who have thought it not enough to Whip most cruelly Banish cut Ears and put to Death the Innocent but must still accuse them â—alsly and seek to cover themselves by fawning and flattering Addresses unto the King like as if they had done no Evil whenas the God or Heaven is Witness to whom we can appeal That our Brethren suffered the Tortures of shameful Death in New-England through their unjust Laws and Sentences as Saints and Servants of the Living God for the Name of Christ Jesus and for his Truth which they held until Death and not for Evil-doing And the Executioners of these inhumane Cruelties seem so far from Repentance for their Evil doing that they rather justifie themselves in what they have done and cease not to smite and wound and reproach the Innocent and that before the King and that after they have Martyred them Again These Petitioners say After all other means for a long time used in vain we were at last constrained for our own safety say they to pass a Sentence of Banishment against them upon Pain of Death such was their Dangerous Impetuous and Desperate Turbulency to Religion and to the State Civil and Ecclesiâ—stical as that 〈◊〉 unwilling soever could it have been avoided the Magistrate at least in Conscience both to God and man judged himself called for the Defence of all to keep the Passage with the Point of the Sword held towards them this could do no harm say they to them that would be warned thereby their willing rushing themselves thereupon was their own act and we with all humility conceive a Crime bringing their Blood upon their own Heads By way of Answer to this let it be considered 1. What Means was for a long time used before they put them to Death is shameful to mention Was it not by the means of Cruel Whippings Banishment Imprisonment Cutting off Ears and taking their Goods by Violence It s true by this Means the Petitioners dealt with the Quakers and never by any Christian like Means for the very first of our Friends that ever came among them they made them Prisoners ere they came on shore and inhumanely dealt with them and Banished them and this was the first and fairest Means that ever was used by them which are not Gospel-Means nor the Way by which the Church of New-England ought to have proceeded Had our Friends been in Error and such as they say of them it had been their Duty to have gained them by Love by Mercy and by Long-suffering these are the Weapons of the Spirit of God which ought to be us'd towards them that are in Error in order to the converting of them from the Error but contrary to this the Magistrates and Church-Members of New-England took Cain's Weapons and dealt Cruelly and not like Christians nor like sober Men towards the Innocent but their thus proceeding was in vain as themselves acknowledge for notwithstanding the Gospel of Christ grew and encreased and many were converted to the Faith of Christ Jesus throughout New-England 2. Let it be considered what their dangerous and desperate Turbulency was to States Civil and Ecclesiastical Did ever these poor People whom they condemned and put to shameful death lift up a Hand against them or appear in any Turbulent Gesture towards them Were they ever found with any Carnal Weapon about them or What was their Crime saving that they warned Sinners to Repent and the Ungodly to turn from his way We appeal to the God of Heaven on their behalf whom they have Martyred for the Name of Christ That they had no other Offence to charge upon them saving their Conversations Doctrines and Practices as Saints of the Most High God and this is witness'd by many of their Neighbours though themselves have hardened their Hearts against the Reproof of God's Witness And we certainly believe it was their Malice and Envy that constrained them to pass Sentence of Death upon them and not the Equity of either just Law of God or man for they deserved not the merit of Death such was the Innocency of their Cause And they are no more safe by the taking away the Lives of our
blessed us unto this day and hath he preserved us hitherto through many Tribulations and Dangers hath he shewed infinite Love and Favour unto us to this hour And will he now suffer us to be destroyed from being a People surely no Will he give our Enemies their hearts desire to cut us all off that they may blaspheme his Name surely no and if it be the Pleasure of the Lord that some of us should seal our Testimony with our Blood good is the Will of the Lord not ours but his Will be done for the Testimony that we have born for these divers years hath been so excellent in it self and in its Fruits and Effects that the finishing of it deserves the best Seal that possibly we can signe it with which is indeed our hearts Blood and this dwells upon my spirit and yet though it should be thus my confidence is sure that the Work of the Lord shall prosper and our Testimony shall be glorious forever and this People shall never be extinguished from being a People And I know not any thing that remains upon our part at this day but that we commit our selves into the Hand of the Lord living in the Seed of God wherein our Election is sure before the World was and forever and let us remember one another and pray one for another and let us stir up all the Children of our Father to Faithfulness and Patience while we have time I say let us walk to the Glory of the Lord keeping Faith and a good Conscience to our last end our Testimony shall never dye nor our Memories never perish when we are ceased to be and though we suffer now the loss of Life and all we have yet the Effects thereof will be glorious in Ages to come and our present Sufferings will hasten the Glory of God's Work throughout the World Receive this as my Salutation to you all It is now eight dayes since I left Ireland where my Service hath been precious for the Lord for full six Moneths all which time the Lord carried me in much Faithfulness and Diligence in his Service to the confirming of many in the Truth of God and to the converting of others and through and because of the Presence of the Lord which was with me I had a very precious time and was wonderfully preserved through many Dangers and Tryals and I travelled near two thousand Miles to and fro in that Land and had very free passage in the principal Cities and Towns till my work for present was fully ended there having more time then could be expected to clear my Conscience to all People and it would be too large to mention every particular Trans-action wherein I perceived the Eminent Hand of God with me and also many things I observed concerning the present state of things which I shall not now mention for what have we to do with the Affairs of worldly Kingdoms but as for Friends it was well with them they grow and increase in the Blessings and Fulness of the Father and when I came thence all was quiet and very few in Prison though I suppose the Tydings of things as they are here will produce the same Sufferings upon them But I hope they will be bold and valiant for the Truth in giving their Testimony by faithful Sufferings till these things be finished Thus I remain in Life and Death and when I am no more in everlasting remembrance your dear Brother and Companion by doing and suffering for the Name of the Lord and his Truth I am well and at liberty as yet E. B. 11th of the 12th Moneth 1160. A JUST and RIGHTEOUS PLEA Presented unto the King of England And his COUNCIL c. Being the true State of the present Case of the People called Quakers Truly Demonstrated and Justly Pleaded on their Behalf for the true Information of the King and his Council that they may well understand the Truth and Verity of doubtful Cases and may shew Just Judgment and Mercy And this is laid down in Six Particulars viz. 1. Concerning Swearing at all and particularly of the Oath of Allegiance 2. Concerning Meeting together to Worship God 3. Concerning Tythes among the Jews and among the Christians and why we Refuse to pay them at this day 4. Concerning giving Security by Bond to live Peaceably or to answer Accusations then and there c. 5. Concerning Government it self and particularly of this present Government 6. Concerning Persecution what it is in it self and how great an Enemy it is to the King and his Government laid down in ten Particulars All which Cases are truly Stated and pleaded and the Cause of the Innocent Vindicated And this for the King and his Government that they may be Just and Righteous and perfectly according to God The Epistle to the King and his Council OH Friends this is your Day that God hath given you to try you and to prove you what you will do and whether you will Rule and Iudge and Exercise your Power for God or against him and this is the Hour of your tryal and the living God that made Heaven and Earth beholds you and his Eye is upon you and he waites for Iustice true Iudgment Mercy Righteousness and Truth to be brought forth by you in the Land that he might bless you and prosper you but and if the contrary be abounding and brought forth and exercised thorough you Blessings shall be turned into a Curse and the Iust God will deal with you after your deserts for the Reward of the Almighty is Iust and Equal unto all the Sons of men even according to their ways and works and the judgment of you nor of any is determined by him but according as He is served obeyed and feared or the contrary And seeing you have a day to do good and to forsake all evil to do Iustice Mercy and Truth in the Earth and to subdue the contrary if that you do the things you ought not and leave undone what God requires of you to do and trifle away your time in matters of less value and spend your days in Pleasures and Vanities and neglect Mercy and Iudgment in the Earth and have no regard to the Cry of the Poor and the Oppressed to deliver them from their cruel Persecutions if it be thus with you in this your day Who shall stand in the Gap to prevent the Anger of the Lord from breaking out or who shall plead for you in the day of your Reward when God himself ariseth unto just Iudgment to judge all Flesh and to deliver the Innocent Oh Friends is this nothing to you Is there no cause unto you of consideration in this matter Ought you not to lay these things to heart Why surely you are but men and your Breath is in your Nostrils and your Substance but dissolvable clay and the God of Heaven and Earth can do what he will with you and concerning you if ye please him it
into Bondage in Conscience to God-wards by Laws or Men but enjoyeth Freedom and Liberty therein as much in Sufferings and in Persecutions under all the Cruelty of Men as in doing and practices when they are not persecuted for in Sufferings the Conscience is exercised and hath its Liberty in Patience and Forbearance and at Liberty of Persons in practice it is exercised and hath its Liberty in doing and performing whatsoever the Spirit of the Father moveth and leadeth unto And thus where God hath freed the Conscience and it is Free and at Liberty in him and to him nothing without can bring it into Bondage or Captivity but in all Conditions and in all Exercises whether doing or suffering the pure Conscience is in Liberty in it self and in perfect Freedom in God through all over all and beyond all But now there hath been a great Cry among many that have professed Righteousness and Religion For Freedom of Conscience and begging and craving from the Powers of the Earth to Tolerate Liberty of Conscience and that they might have the Liberty of their Conscience in Religion And thus some have been looking too much without for Liberty of Conscience from Men and from Powers without them before their Consciences were set free by the Lord within the Bond of Iniquity broken and that Burden of Iniquity and Guilt done away which hath been a Burden Bondage upon the Conscience For as I have said No Man nor Powers of the Earth can truly Free or give Liberty to the Conscience which is bound by the Cord of Iniquity within But 't is evident The Cry for Liberty hath not been so much for the Exercise of Conscience truly so as for the freedom each one of their Sect and for their Liberty in the practice of their own Worship and Conformity and thereupon have divers men of divers Sects sought to the Powers of Men and of the Earth to grant them Liberty of their Consciences whenas it hath been rather for the Freedom to and Defence of their Sect and of their Practices in their Worship than for Liberty of Conscience truly so for while they have cryed for Liberty from without yet Sin and Iniquity and Transgression have lain upon their Conscience within and they have sought from Men for the Liberty of their Sect to practice their own Worship which they have called Liberty of Conscience And to this Intent by some hath been the Cry for Liberty of Conscience that their Sect and their own Wayes of Worship might be defended from the Violence of others who have opposed their Practices and Worships for People of divers Wayes of Worship and of divers Sects have all been at Strife one with another and divided one against another and yet all professed good Conscience and cryed for Liberty thereof from the Powers of the Earth not but that the Powers of the Earth ought to grant free Liberty of Conscience in the Exercise of every Sect of Religion and to suffer all to profess and practice their Religion while they walk justly and Peaceably in a Land But here hath lodged the Deceit and Deceivableness of the spirit of Satan in the Hearts of men from the least to the greatest of all those divers false Sects and Worshippers they have therein zealously gone on and pleaded for their Sects and Worship though never so gross or dark and contrary to Truth under the denomination of Freedom and Liberty of good Conscience and the very Title and Name hath been the Colour and deceived many while a false Worship and false Sects have gone under the Name of Liberty of good Conscience and Thousands have been deceived and blindly led into such a false Sect and into such a Profession to act and perform with great Zeal false Practices in a false Worship falsly supposing it to be out of a good Conscience and that they have acted in the Liberty thereof yea and many may suffer great and grievous things and some the loss of their Lives for the very Practice of false things and false worships in a false Sect and yet under the name of good Conscience and for Liberty of Conscience as they may profess and believe But this may seem strange to be spoken to some who may enquire how it comes to pass and how this may be That many may suffer great and grievous Cruelties and some the loss of their Lives for the Practice of false Things and the Exercise of false Worships which they may suppose to be out of good Conscience and for good Conscience sake whereas it is not truly so nor rightly so But how happeneth this may some say I Answer This cometh to pass after this manner Because Conscience is made of that and of the Things and Performances which God requires not and so there is a great Zeal in the doing and performing of such a Practice and such a Worship whenas the Lord doth not require these things at their Hands and this is because the Mind and Heart and Conscience is dark and not truly informed nor guided with the Spirit of Truth and of the Father but a false spirit ruleth and leadeth the Conscience and it is not exercised with the Spirit of the Father that leadeth into all Truth So I do acknowledge that Conscience may be mis-led and mis-guided and mis-informed and Conscience may be made of doing such and such things which the Lord doth not require and there may be a Fear not taught of the Lord nor received by the sence of his Presence but only received into the Heart by the Precepts of men Example of others Custom of Times or the like and here the Conscience being not truly informed nor guided by the Spirit of the Lord there is a false Fear and Zealousness in the performing of such things which the Lord doth not require nor his Spirit lead into the practice of but only the Traditions and Precepts of men hath placed a false Law and Commandment which requires a false Obedience which many whose Understandings are blinded and being without true Knowledge they zealously perform and practice as the Worship of God thinking themselves bound in Conscience to practice such things and not to leave them undone whenas the Lord and his Righteous Spirit leadeth not to them nor yet his Just Law doth require the doing thereof but only a false Law and Commandment is received by Precepts and Traditions of men or from looking upon the Practice of others By such means as this there is a false Fear in a blind mis-guided Conscience and a Zeal without true Knowledge And thus it was amongst the Iews in the Prophets dayes They Sacrificed their Children and cut themselves and caused their Children to pass through the Fire and did many things zealously whenas saith the Lord Who hath required these things at your hands for they come not into my heart And Paul witnesseth the same of the Iews in his dayes and bore them record that they had a Zeal
of his truth so in conversion and regeneration that many can say the Way of the Lord is so made manifest that we look not for another nor are doubtful of the Way of Eternal Life therefore be established stedfast and constant in that way not easily moved nor tossed too and frô with men nor new Doctrines nor changeable things but approve your hearts in uprightness before the Lord by being faithful to the end faithful I say to be and do according to the measure of Light and Grace and Knowledge that God hath already committed to you that ye may not offend against the Grace of God but may glorifie the Lord in your Souls and Spirits being joyned in your hearts and married to the Living God and the Lord becomes Your Husband according to the Promise but if any be of a changeable Spirit such will receive Temptations and go out of the Covenant of God and abuse the gift of God if their heart be not meek and lowly and humble and perfect in the sight of God though there may be a taste of the Love of God yet there can be no assurance of it if the heart be not aright before the Lord and faithful and constant in his Truth and therefore all must wait to receive the assurance of Eternal Life in themselves even such an assurance of Life and Peace and Joy and Comfort that there can be no departing away being established in the Heir-ship never to loose the Crown Heirs of the power of God of his Wisdom of his Righteousness inheriters and Possessors of the Eternal Life that ye may dwell in the house forever not onely as Servants but as Sons not onely as such that have tasted of the Love of God but as such as are born Heirs thereof and must inherit the same forever Now dear Friends if this were my last unto You more then this the Lord hath not to say by me and last of all in the Spirit of the Lord Jesus I charge all the Saints to be faithfull to the Principles and Doctrines which Ye have heard and received and been taught of Christ through his Gospel Oh be not inconstant and unfaithful in those Principles and Doctrines which the Spirit of God hath perswaded your Consciences of the truth of for if any are unfaithful they deny the Lord of Life before men and must be denyed of him before the Father therefore let us put on strength and courage to be faithful and constant in life or death to follow the Lamb wheresoever he goes and if we must suffer for our profession and practice of those truths which God hath perswaded our Consciences of the verity of we shall never be ashamed nor confounded before the Adversary though we gaom Tribulations Persecutions yea death it self for the Name of the Lord and his Truth yet we shall obtain the Crown of Glory which never fades away and verily all the Suffering and afflictions of this Present time are not worthy to be compared to that weight of Peace and comfort which is and shall be revealed amongst us And as concerning our Obedience to Government ever since we were a People Ye know what our Principle and Practise in that case hath been even to obey all men in all things either by doing or suffering if at any time ye are required to do any thing by any in Authority which is not agreeing but contrary to the Scriptures example of the Saints and the Spirit of Christ in your own consciences then ye are to suffer whatsoever if it be death it self rather then to obey and submit to the doing of that which is contrary to a good conscience this hath ever been our Principle and Practise since we were a People agreeing with the practise of the holy Prophets Apostles and Martyrs in all ages who rather did suffer grievous oppressions and persecutions then to obey any command of men in power by doing any thing contrary to the testimony of the Spirit of God in their own particulars let us all be like-minded this day not to do nor bend nor be in any wise contrary to the Spirit of Christ that dwels in us but rather suffer whatsoever may be imposed then to sin against that Light and knowledge of the Spirit of Christ which he hath given us but let us keep a clean heart and a pure Conscience to God-wards and therein we shall triumph over all in our inward Man though our outward man be afflicted and in this we shall have peace and comfort in God over all our Adversaries And as concerning your meetings the Lord hath given you the testimony of his Spirit in you for the verity and righteousness thereof though ye should suffer persecution for the same yet ye have the Spirit of Christ testifying in your hearts that this Way and Practise of meeting together as our practise hath been is of God and he Justifies us in the same and we have sufficient of assurance by the holy Spirit to stand faithful in that practise of assembling together to Worship God First we have the testimony of Scriptures and example of Saints in the Apostles daies to prove this practice of Meeting together The first Christians they met together in this manner and way as we do now they met in private houses and from house to house separate and apart from the Publique Synagogues and all other Sects and it is clear that we have the example of Saints and Scripture Proof for this our practise of meeting together 2. We have our own experience for these divers years how that the Spirit of the Lord hath moved our hearts to assemble together and the presence and power of the Lord Jesus Christ hath been amongst us and we have tasted of the goodness and love of the Lord being so met together how often hath the Lord met with us and his countenance shined upon us and our souls have been refreshed strengthened and comforted in this practise of meeting together these things are true and may confirm us in this practise of meeting together and to be faithful to the end 3. We have the full perswasions of the Spirit of God lively and fervent in our hearts at this moment that we ought not to neglect the Assembling of our selves together but that God requires it of us and it is his will that his People meet together to worship him in Spirit and Truth separate from all the world even in one Spirit and in the Name and power of Jesus I hope ye are all like-minded herein and that the Spirit of Christ perswades your Consciences in the Truth of that practise therefore be faithful unto God herein and sin not against the testimony of Scriptures and example of the first Christians nor against your own experience nor against the admonitions of the Servants of the Lord who are the first fruits unto God since the Apostacy and have again and again in the Name and Spirit of Christ exhorted you to meet
the Prophets and Apostles who did zealously give their testimony against such as went for gifts and rewards as the Teachers of England do but this is that which he is offended at and calls it a persecuting spirit which is not so but in love to peoples souls that they may deny the evil and follow the good And that our Ancesters have persecuted to death as he saith This is also a lye and of the Devil for our Ancestors were the Saints who were called of God and were not of the World even as we are not of the World and we are persecuted but seeks not to persecute any and gives our witness faithfully against this Generation and against the sins both of Teachers and people and this I suppose is it even our zeal for the Name of the Lord against unrighteousness which he falsly calls a persecuting spirit 16. His sixteenth Reason is Some Interrogatories saith he What reasonable man should turn Quaker that sees the common fruit of their Doctrine whâ—â— good do they do where-ever they come but saith he hate both godly Teacher and people c. Ans. To this I answer The fruit of our Doctrine is begetting people to the Knowledge of God and a converting them from sin and death and from the wayes and works of unrighteousness to be the Servants of the Lord and every spiritual man doth see this to be the fruit of our doctrine It doth condemn unrighteousness and bring war and a sword upon Earth as Christs Doctrine did And this is the good where we come many are changed from wickedness rudeness and ungodliness to live soberly righteously and purely in this present World without offence towards God and men For to say We make people both to hate godly Teachers and people this is utterly false for we endeavour to bring people to the true Teacher Christ Jesus and to have fellowship with the Saints It 's true in the World our Doctrine doth make division and doth set a man at variance and doth set Father against Son and Son against Father even as Christ did and his Doctrine so he saith we do But again he belyes us in saying We bring people into confusion and abominable error or that we cast people into a malicious mood or tincture of bitterness this is also false and this is my Answer He that doth the will of our Father knows of our Doctrine whether we weâ—â— of God or of our selves and to all the World besides we are unknown and desires to be manifest to every mans conscience in the Sight of God and not to that wisdom which is of this World And though he scorn at such who are made to cast off their Points and Lace yet is not this more then any fruit that his Doctrine hath brought forth for as 〈◊〉 do so did the Apostle exhort against all superfluiâ—â— of naughtiness as Points and Lâ—… are and it seems that such as depart from iniquity become a prey to such wicked menâ— slandering and scornful Tongues and a matter to makes Books of to send into the World 17. His seventeenth Reason Saith he It is no great encouragement to us to turn Quakers when we consider who are their followers very few experienced sober Christians turn to them saith he but such who are ignorant and ungrounded and raw professors c. Answ. To this I answer Let no man take encourgement from without to turn Quakers or to own the Way of Gods Salvation But let every one feel a Measure of God in his own heart converting him from sin unto righteousness and drawing his mind from the vanity and hypocrisie of this World to the truth and singleness of heart And he appears to be of the spirit of the Pharisees who said None but a company of poor people which were accursed followed Christ and so saith he in effect None but such as are ignorant and such like But what if there were not any other but such who owned the Way of the Lord this is a confirmation of it rather then a cause of objecting against it when such who are ignorant are brought to the Knowledge of God But yet his words are false for it is known that very many honest humble sober 〈◊〉 and people who have all their dayes been sincere towards God in what they have known of him have and do own us and indeed all that ever owâ—â— God and Salvation shall own us for we are of God and he that is of God heaâ—… us and the whole World Lyes in wickedness And such as are self-conceited and in pride and wise in their own eyes and in the wickedness of the World such are his followers and not ours though be falsely say it for such as follow Christ have we fellowship with and not with such as walk in darkness 18. His eighteenth Reason Saith he It is an evident Iudgment of God upon these people that turn Quakers and a punishment for their former sins c. Ans. To this I answer The Lord God his Angels and all his Saints and Servants I call to record against thee and they all shall witness that it is Mercy and not Judgement upon them that owns the way of the Lord And them that owned the Quakers in truth and sincerity have and do witness a remission of their former sins and forgiveness of them by Jesus Christ and not a punishment for them And Rich. Baxter may please himself and some others with his reasonless Reasons as these are yet they are not worthy of the name of Reason they be so senceless and utterly false And though he rails against the Anabaptists as well as against us yet any man whose eye is open sees his folly and turns it upon his own head and he may conceit himself in these things for a moment but the day of the Lord will declare it otherwise and that upon us Mercy and Peace shall be and not Judgement nor Wrath. 19. His ninteenth Reason Saith he They are already in division among themselves as the contention between Nayler and Fox and their followers do shew To this I answer Though an occasion may come and be taken against the truth yet wo unto him by whom it comes and to them who do receive it for the Testimony of Truth abids for ever But as about that division he speaks of it hath been answered by writings several times and now I say It happened but as a Tryal to the Lords People and not to destroy them though the Enemy boasts himself because of it yet the Lord knows how to preserve his in the midst of Temptation But these things are now at an end though a Temptation presented it self yet it overcame not and truth is the same and the Testimony thereof doth never change and all these Refuges which the Wicked flyes unto shall not cover them when the Lord appears 20. His twentieth Reason And saith he To make all their delusions more odious wickednesse they father it upon
the Holy Ghost Ans. His words are utterly false yet we say we have received the Holy Ghost which teacheth us and leadeth us into all truth and by it are we lead out of all Wickedness and Delusion and all wicked speeches which he brands us withall and these things are his own for he is seen to be in delusion and odious wickedness and wicked speeches And saith he They speak against the DOCTRINE of the SPIRIT and cryes down the love of the Saints and against the Ordinances of the Ministers of Christ. To this I have answered In the love and union with all the Saints we are and Ministers of Christ but against Hypocrisie we declare such who profess what they are not and use their tougues and saith the Lord saith when the Lord hath not spoken to them and sprinkle Infants and saith it is an Ordinance of Christ and singing Davids experiences in Rime and Meeter with many other things which the Priests hath in their practice such things we deny to be Ordinances of Christ and them to be Ministers of Christ which do practice them and this we do say by the Spirit of Truth But that we pronounce damnation against Gods Church and holy Servants this is false again and is but the fulfilling the number of his lyes and though he charge us secretly with preaching another Gospel then that which Paul preached is false and if we duely examine it will be he that will be found preaching another Gospel whose practice is found in many things contrary to them who were Ministers of the true Gospel and so the curse pronounced by the Apostle will fall upon him and not upon us in the day of Judgement 21. His one and twentieth Reason Saith he The Quakers themselves renounce 〈◊〉 words the Ranters and Papists as a deluded sort Answer To which I answer and say Yea not only in words but in lives lives also we utterly abhor the Ranters and Papists both in profession and practice and do know that Rich. Baxter is of the same spirit though differing in words But saith he The Ranters and Drunkards cryes out against the same Ministers same exercise and godly people as the Quakers do To which I answer What the Ranters and Drunkards may do in their wickedness and unclean spirits is one thing and what we do in the fear of God and tender love to peoples Souls is another thing but how uncharitable is this man in his judgment Let us try him as if I should say The Ranters and Drunkards and Prophane and all ungodly People they are our Enemies and do oppose and gainsay the Way of God and the people called Quakers and they Beat them and Reproach them and Slander them and doth much cruelty unto them and thus doth Richard Baxter of Kidderminster he reviles them and reproaches them and belyes them and therefore he is one with the Ranters and Drunkards and prophane people and he holds part of the Papists Ranters and Drunkards doctrine and practice And thus he is judged with his own Rule according as 〈◊〉 hath judged us by the same Rule and now say I as well as he of us Let any man judge that hath not forsworn all wit and reasons whether it is likely the Holy Ghost will inspire Richard Baxter and a company of Priests of Englâ—… to acquaint them with the same Points Doctrines and Practices which the Papists Ranters Drunkards and all prophane people exercise themselves in for as all they are Enemies to the Quakers so is he and his company Aâ—… farther I ask him Whether the same things be heavenly in Rich. Baâ—… and his company which be hellish in the Ranters and Drunkards And whether Richard Baxter hath not condemned himself and the Priests of England in condemning the Papists and Ranters and Drunkards and prophane people in acting the very same things to wit speaking against reproaching reviling and slandering and backbiting an innocent people of God called Quakers 22. His two and twentieth Reason And saith he If I have any Reason to 〈◊〉 weary of the Christian Catholick Reformed Religion what reason have I to turn Quaâ—… more then to any other Sect Why saith he how do they prove they are more in the riâ—… then any other c. Ans. To all this I answer this is according to his knowledge who sees 〈◊〉 difference between good and evil between such as serveth God and such as serves him not and how can this man be a Teacher of others that is so blind himself The true Christian Religion he is out of and in a Sect whose fruiâ—… are as bad as the Papists or Familists or any others for I believe not the worâ—â— of Sects could have brought forth more lyes and slanders and scoffing worâ—â— in one sheet of paper then he hath done in this which now I deal withal And as for our proof that we are in the right way to every man that hath an eye to see and an ear to hear and an heart to conceive it 's easie to be proved and such are satisfied but as for Unbelievers and Persecutors such as himself they must hear and see and not perceive and understand 23. His three and twentieth Reason Saith he The way by which they prâ—… is not producing any evidence for they renounce that and offers all from the Autâ—… of the spirit within them c. Ans. The way by which we prevail is by the the Spirit of the Lord which 〈◊〉 within us and that was the way whereby all the Ministers of Christ evâ—… prevailed by the authority of that But yet this is false we do not deny 〈◊〉 produce Evidence but is sufficiently able and hath done it to produce Eviâ—… out of the Scriptures to prove all things which we profess or practice for Religion But saith he They must prove their Commission by Divine miracles before 〈◊〉 reasonable man can believe it c. many that fear God and are in the 〈◊〉 Reason hath Believed us already and do see the Mighty Wonders of Goâ—… brought to passe and it cannot be believed by Richard Baxter no more 〈◊〉 Christ was believed of the Pharisees in whom the mighty Power of God 〈◊〉 made manifest for though he did miracles yet this Generation could not believe them And he tells of some that said he was 〈◊〉 so might they well do and not lye his blindness is made manifest at largâ—… And saith he But can I see the Witness in them that saith they have the Witness in themselves Nay because thou art an Unbeliever thou canst not but it thou wert a Believer in Christ thou wouldst feel the same Testimony in the Brethren but by thee we are not known and therefore by thee are falsly Judged for no other Testimony do we give or hold forth but the same which the Apostles did which we have received from Christ as the Apostles did and not by any authority of our own though he falsly says it but by the Authority
leading into all Truth and preserving out of all Transgression Wherefore I beseech you all let this be your whole desire and the full practice in your life and then shall the Countenance of the Lord shine upon you and his Face shall make you glad if in all things you look unto him for Counsel and wait upon the teaching of his Spirit which dwelleth in you which the Father hath given unto you because you are his Children and this he requireth from you that his own Spirit in you which hath begotten you may be the root and moving cause of all your works and words and herein will you receive acceptance with him and Peace from him and righteousness in him and everlasting joy by him continually and and this is the Inheritance unto which you were begotten Heirs to possess for ever wherefore let your love unity and felloship be in the Spirit and let your Knowledge Judgment Meeting and Waiting be in the Spirit and let your ministring and receiving be in the Power of God and in the Spirit and so shall you never suffer loss nor condemnation but all your works shall abide the Fire and shall not be consumed when the tryal of all things come and the Foundation of every work is discovered And I say again if the Spirit of Life even the Spirit which quickens to God the second Adam who is the quicking Spirit be your Guide your Leader and Teacher in all things then you shall have perfect Peace with God and your Fellowship will be encreased and his Presence shall go before you and his Righteousness shall be your Justification and Desence and his Covenant of Life and Peace shall be confirm'd unto you and there shall be no more going forth but the Tabernacle of God shall remain with you alwayes and his Habitation shall be in you forever and the Promise of the Father shall be sealed unto you and his Mark and express Image written in your Fore-heads and that quickning shall live in you and not you unto your selves and hereby shall all know that he is your God who liveth in you in Power and Dominion and that you are his People who liveth unto him in Truth and Righteousness and this is the Covenant and the Promise to be waited for by you all that you may be married to the Lord in Righteousness and Loving-kindness and your Maker may be your Husband and you subjected under his Power to rule over you and to govern you in the Way of Peace And now dearly Beloved mind that Word of God which hath begotten you from Death to Life and to be Heirs of his Inheritance of Life and feel the Word which is quick and powerfull dwell in your hearts alwayes dividing in you betwixt the precious and the vile and as a Hammer and a Fire alwayes beating down and burning up that ground and fruit which is in the disobedience from which the cause of Condemnation doth spring and so shall you be saved from every appearance of evil shall not be overcome thereby nor led captive at the will of the Enemy but shall be saved from Sin and the Wages thereof and no condemnation shall be unto you if your hearts be kept clean and undefiled by the Word of God which is pure and sanctifieth and is but one in all his Children and it begetteth unto one Life and to be of one Mind and Soul and by it only dwelling in the Heart is the encrease of God received though by the ministring of it one may Plant and another may Water yet it is my Father that gives the encrease who is greater then all unto whom the Ends of the Earth must look for Salvation and unto him must you all look for to pertake of encrease of his hidden Treasure daily that you may be refreshed as the Heritage which he hath chosen and may grow therein as Plants planted by his own right Hand growing from strength to strength in him and renewing your strength in him and may not fain nor be weary And forasmuch as mighty hath been the Power and Presence of the Lord amongst you and his Love great unto you and caused his voice to be heard when you were Dead to raise you unto Life and many of you have had the taste and feeling thereof who have seen the Way of Life before your face that you should walk therein and live I do warn you all in the Name and by the Spirit of the Lord therein to continue unto the end having your Faith established in the Power of God and your building standing on that true Foundation which can never be moved nor shaken but that perfect victory over Death and the Grave and the powers of Darkness may be trodden down through the obedience of the Cross whereby victory is obtained over all the World and the Affections and Lusts thereof condemned but such as goeth from the Cross perceiveth not the Power of God neither can overcome but are overcome of the Enemy and shipwrack is made of Faith Truth and a good Conscience and the latter end of such is worse then their beginning for the Lord is dishonoured and their condemnation will be great Wherefore my Friends be watchfull and be armed with the strength of Christ Jesus and feel his strength in you to resist the wicked One that he may not touch you to betray you of your Life and Peace and bring you into condemnation for I am not ignorant of the many temptations which are near unto you in that place Wherefore I say again feel the Strength and Arm of God reaching to you by which you may do all things and dwell in his Life and Power and that ye may overcome by the Word of God and by the Testimony of Jesus and then will your Peace be encreased and your Fellowship with God and Angels shall minister unto you as you overcome the Enemy which would subvert your minds from the obedience to the Truth and then your rest in God will be sweet unto you as you dwell where nothing can make afraid Sin and Transgression being removed far from you not having a place in you but the Life reigning which Satan hath nothing in and this is the freedom of the Sons of God who are redeemed unto him to live in him who being dead to sin cannot live any longer therein but are washed and separated from all the works of Death Death having lost his sting it cannot hurt nor wound you and the Grave having lost its victory it cannot overcome you who do witness this for Transgression is hid and Iniquity is put under and Life it self reigns through Righteousness over all and here the Seed is brought forth in which there is no Iniquity seen nor Transgression charged against it for it sins not but rules over the Sinner and fulfils the righteous Law of God and doth his Will in all things and for this you must all wait to feel God's Promise perfectly fulfill'd in
matters of God's Worship forcing Conformity in Spiritual Exercisâ—â— by violent Commands upon Forfeitures and Punishments seems to be and really is an assuming and presuming upon God's Authority which belongs only to him and tends to rob him of the same and is an entrenching upon his Soveraignity and is wholy Unrighteous and inasmuch as it is a â—…g in the Seat of God and forcing the Exercise of Worship and intruding upon his Blessed Priviledge and a presuming into his Authority which he commits to no man a robbing him of his Honour and Spiritual Dominion therefore to Impose in Matters Religious is Unrighteous on their parts that do practice it And. 2. It is Unrighteous because it is contrary to the Command of God D◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 others 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would be done unto but this Imposing in matters of Worship is a Practice done by others which others would not be done unto by any and therefore 't is Unrighteous For no one Sect or sort of Christians would be impâ—…sed upon in that case by any others not forced and compelled by outward Violence against their judgments and Consciences unto such a Conformity of â—…th and Worship to do thus is not to love a manâ— Neighbour as himself nor to do to all men as men would be done unto For if at any time and place the Papists so called impose upon the Protestants so called in this case of â—orcing them unto Conformity or Persecuting them about Religion 't is cryed out against by such as are so imposed upon to be Tyranny Oppression and Exacting Unrighteously and thus every Sect of Christians cry out against others that do impose upon them by Force in things Religious contrary to their Judgments and Consciences each sort when they suffer saith of others They are Unrighteous in such Impositions though many cannot see it to be Unrighteous in themselves when they have the Oportunity to do it and do impose upon other but this is where Self-advantage killeth and choaketh the Witness of 〈◊〉 though however in it self imposing as aforesaid in Religious Maâ—…rs is contrary to the Holy Law of God and a doing to others as men would not be done unto by others And therefore 't is Unrighteous both before God and all just Men. 3. It is Unrighteous to impose Worship by Force because it is an exercising Dominion over men's Faith by Force of outward Power which the Apoâ—â—le renounces and seems to forbid saying They had not dominion over mens Faith â—â—d if the Apostles themselves had not power and dominion over men's Faith that is to say To Command mens Faith to believe or do this or the other but 〈◊〉 the holy Spirit of Christ perswaded their Consciences inwardly then no outward Power of Kings or Rulers whatsoever can Justly or Righteously chalenge â—…h priviledge as to have dominion over mens faith by imposing upon them through force which is to take dominion over men's faith which is unrighâ—… because it is contrary to the Scripture and to the example of the Apostâ—… 〈◊〉 inasmuch as it is exercising dominion and Lordâ—â—ip over the stock of Christ and not leaving them to Christ the true Shepherd who onely ought to teach his people by his Spirit into all truth both of Doctrine Faith and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath not given power or authority to any Rulers of this World to impose by force upon the consciences of his tender stock nor to rule them in â—…y 〈◊〉 exercising outward force upon them but whosoever doth this it is unrighteous 4. It is Unrighteous in respect of the Fruits and Effects which alwayes have and ever will be produced by such Imposition upon Conscience in Religious Matters as aforesaid to wit Persecution and Cruelty of Men exercised in that Case which ever hath been and will be brought forth in Nations and Kingdoms where such Impositions are For if we look into Ages past what Strife and Contention what Enmity and Bitterness what Wars and Bloodsheds what Dangers and Mischiefs what Persecutions and Cruelties have been brought forth among men between Kingdom and Kingdom between City and City between Kings and their Subjects between Neighbours and Neighbours between Brother and Brother upon this very Unrighteous Account of Imposing upon Conscience by Force in respect of Worship and every Nation and City at this day is in the same Danger of the same Mischiefs where such impositions are in Force and therefore needs must the Occasion of these so unjust and unrighteous Effects which doth administer the Reason of such Contentions Wars Persecutions and Cruelties be Unrighteous and such is imposing in Matters Religious as aforesaid and this is partly manifest and will be morâ— and more through the World That that Kingdom City and Country will not be free from these Dangers and Mischiefs but will alwayes be liable unto them while this kind of Imposition by Force on the Conscience is unremoved and that which is the Occasion of such continual present Dangers to destroy Kingdoms Cities and Peoples is Unrighteous and such is Imposition in the Matters of Worship and Religion 5. It is unrighteous in any King Prince or Authority of this World to Impose as aforesaid because it diverteth confoundeth and destroyeth the End of Just Rule and Government amongst men one over another which is only to Rule well in outward Affair and over the outward Man to keep that in Peace and Good Order and to be a Praise to them that do Well and a Terror to all that do Evil in the Outward Man this is the only End of Government and Rule amongst men in this World To Rule well over the Outward Man in things between man and man but not to Rule over men's Consciences and to exercise Lordship over men in the Spiritual Matters of Christ's Kingdom this pertains not to the outward Worldly Government of Men and therefore whosoever do take it upon them and thereby do oppress the Conscience of any by forcing in Spiritual Mattters doth Unrighteously inasmuch as they do diverâ— the End of their Authority and use their Power to another End then God hath appointed them and while they should only preserve and defend the outward man by good and wholesome Laws made for that purpose they vex and oppress the Inward Man even the Conscience by forcing upon it and Imposing through Violence in the Matters Religious which is contrary to the End of Just Rule and Government in the World and therefore is wholy Unrighteous 6. It is Unrighteous because it effects no Good End nor begets people into the true Faith and Worship of God but on the contrary makes many Hypocrites even through fear and terror such Laws forcing Conformity do make many hypocritically conform to such or such way of worship which the Spirit of Christ doth not perswade their Consciences of the truth of nay it may be against their Conscience and that Imposition as aforesaid which is the cause of this is surely Unrighteous unrighteous because the End propounded by the
Imposers which is to make people true Worshippers of God is utterly frustrate and void and none are made true Worshippers of God by such Imposition and Force but many are made Hypocrites thereby and sinners against God for what any performs to God-wards by Force and not of Faith given into the heart by God it is sin For whatsoever is not of Faith is sin as saith the Scriptures and that which is the occasion of hypocrisie and sin is unrighteous and temptation but such is imposing on Conscience by force in religious Matters 7. It is Unrighteous and Unreasonable to Impose by Force upon Conscience because it is the Occasion of absolute Eâ—…remity put upon many that are Dear and Precious to the Lord even such aâ— Extremity as may force unavoidably the ruin of either Soul or Body or both in this World and hereafter For suppose such Laws be made for the forcing of Conforâ—ity to commâ—… men to Worship upon the Forfeiture of whole Estate Banishment oâ— Death which is contrary to the Spirit of Christ and good Conscience And if such Laws be not obeyed and such Conformity made but the Conscience kept clear to God then the outward Man in his Person Estate and Family is ruined in this World and if such Laws be obeyed and such Conformity yielded contrary to good Conscience then the Inward Man is ruined and the Soul and Conscience wounded and grieved because God is Offended and Christ is Denyed and the Law of Men obeyed rather then the Law of God and this is by an Extremity occasion'd through imposed force in the Cases of Conscience by Authority and Laws of Men. And that which is the Occasion of such Ruin and Destruction to the Souls and Bodies of such as fear the Lord is an Unrighteous Thing which administers that woful Extremity To deny God and so to be liable to his Wrath and Judgments or to deny the Authority of Men and so to be liable to Destruction of Person and Estate in this World and such is Imposing of Worship 8. It is Unrighteous and Unreasonable because it may destroy the Faith of some even of such upon whom Imposition is laid against their pure Consciences For Suppose a Person or People being truly perswaded by the Spirit of Christ in the true Way of Religion and Worship of God having therein true Peace with God in a clean Conscience and by force of Law and through cruel Imposition should be forced from that Way of Worship which they have had Peace with God in and which the Spirit of Christ perswaded them of the truth of unto such a Way of Worship which they could not have Peace with God in nor the Comfort of his Presence in such Conformity forced upon them this were certainly Unrighteous and Unreasonable that a People or a Person should be forced by Laws from that way wherein they have Peace and Blessings with God to that Way wherein their Souls are famished for want of the Presence of the Lord Like as if a Person of such a Calling following the same in a certain City or Town whereby he maintained himself in all good things and wanted nothing and yet the chief Magistrate of the said City or Town should forcibly compel by Violence the said Person of so good a Calling from that his Calling whereby he so well maintained himself in the World and should force upon him to follow another Calling of which he could not live in the World but by it he might Perish and Starve Would not all reasonable men conclude the same Imposition of the said Magistrate upon the said poor Man were Oppression Cruelty Unrighteous and Unreasonable And the case of imposing Religion as aforesaid is the greater Oppression and Cruelty inasmuch as it respects the Immortal Soul which is more worth then the Body and the other respects but the Body which is of less worth with all that concerns it then is the Soul which is Immortal Lastly 'T is Unrighteous inasmuch as it is contrary to the Scriptures of the New Testament in the Dispensation of the Gospel which are before cited and contrary to Christ and his Apostles Example in the Primitive Churches of Christians And thus it is manifest That Imposing by Force upon Conscience in Religious Matters is Unrighteous and Unreasonable and is not of Christ but of Antichrist as is by plain Reasons demonstrated And now I shall in a few words shew The Danger of Imposing Worship 〈◊〉 aforesaid and how Dangerous it is to any King Prince or outward Authority that are or may be the Imposers on the Consciences of Men by Force in the Case of Worship and Religion 1. It is Dangerous to cause the People to sin to cause them to conform in Appearance when the Heart is not devout to God and this makes them Hypocrites Dangerous to cause People to perform Duty to God-wards without Faith in God and this makes them Sinners against him For whatsoever is not of Faith is Sin Dangerous to cause some to deny Christ before men for the Fear of this World and Terrors of Violent Men and to forsake that Way which they know is of the Lord and to follow that Way which they know is not of him and this denying the Lord of Life and a great Abomination against him And the Cause of that cause is Imposing by Force upon Conscience in Matters Religious and the Reason of all this is The Imposers such as make and Execute such Force and this Danger all such are involved in even the Danger of causing People to sin against God of Denying Christ of making Hypocrites and so even in the Danger of Destroying Souls which is a desperate Danger Oh! that all the Imposers of Religion by Force would consider it and look upon the Danger which they are deeply fallen into and involved in by reason of such their Imposing upon Conscience Alas they are in the Danger of destroying Souls of causing a Nation and People to sin against God and to deny the Lord of Life And how great is such a Danger even to be avoided of all if they love their own Souls and not to be the Occasions and Cause of destroying Souls by causing People to sin and this Danger all the Imposers upon Conscience are captivated in And 2. It is Dangerous to be a Means to destroy that Kingdom City or Country and the Rulers thereof by begetting and nourishing Discontents Heart-burnings and Envying among the People one against another and against their Rulers because of such Unrighteous Force and Violence exercised by Imposition upon their Consciences Dangerous I say to raise into Contentions Strifes Broyles and Blood-shed it self in a Kingdom amongst People And this is a Danger violently impending upon such Rulers or do impose as aforesaid even a Danger to ruin their own Power and Authority and to ruin the People under their Dominion by raising the People into Discontents and Broyles through the Cruelty of the Oppression of