with the understanding also I will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the understanding also 1 Cor. 14. 15. Now freinds your singing is not with the spirit nor with the understanding but you boast in other mens lines made ready to your hand and though that be granted that the Apostle said if any be merry let them sing Psalmes yet what is that to you that have no other Pâ—almes but them which Iohn Hopkins and Thomas Sternhold and others have made for you who were Poets like Bâ—llad-makers who long since Iameâ— spak those words have turned Davids condition into Songs the Apostle that said he would sing with the spirit and with the understanding he also said if any one have a Psalme or a doctrine or a Revelation or an Interpretation let all be done to edefying it was not their manner to sing all together in that confused manner as you sing having the condition oâ— another given you to sing which is not your state nor condition is Davids prayers his cryings his roarings his tears and his praises and his large experience in which he glorified God all which when you sing that which is not your condition you sing lyes before the Lord which is great wickedness and Hypocricy and beside there is much adding and diminishing in these Songs from Davids words and it is written cursed be every one that addeth or diminisheth from that which is written Consider a little with your selves and let us a little look into your singing and see whether it be by the spirit and in the truth and with the understanding as when you sing O Lord I am not puft in mind I have no scornful eye I do not exercise my self in things that are too high but as the weaned child oven from his mothers brest so have I behaved my self in silence and iâ— rest Now let Gods witness search you and let the light in you witness are you not puffed up in your mindes in Pride and Ambition and vainâ— glory and that you are not weaned from it yet and are you not excercising your selves in things that be to high for you when you sing palpable untruths as the Lord is your Sheepheard nothing therefore you need when as you are not subject to nor guided by him they unto whom thâ— Lord is a Sheephard they are led by by his Spirit and so are come to know his Crook by which he gathers his Lambs that thirst after him into his pleasant pastures therein to feed and to lye down in his fold of rest where none can make them afraid and till this be known you cannot say of a truth you want no good thing and farther consider can you say in truth as it is Psa 26. Lord be thou my judge and thou shalt see my paths be â—ight and plaine O People doth it not otherways appear unto the Lord that searcheth your hearts and trys your reins and knows your goings and do not your ways appear wrong crooked and rough to the Lord and can you sing and say the truth as it is in the 26. Psal 3 4. ver For of thy truth I tread the trace and will do all my days I do not lust to haunt or use 〈◊〉 men whose deeds be vaine to come in house I do refuse with the deceitful 〈◊〉 I much abhor the wicked sort their deeds I do despise I do not once to them resort that hurtful things devise Freinds what ever you may think of your selves yet this I know you cannot come to witness these things but 〈◊〉 you come to feel the light in your selves and are guided thereby till you are taught of the grace of God that hath appeared unto every man you cannot come to say and do as David did And farther look back upon that which you sung in my hearing in the fifth part of the 119. Psal mark it well In the right paths of thy precepts guid me Lord I require â—â—ther pleasure do I wish or greater thing desire and here you excercised yourselves in things that were to high for you for your hearts desire were not according to these words and therefore Dear people consider better of these things sink down to Gods witness the light in you and it will give you a better understanding sight into your ways and practices and it will lead you to do the thing that is righteous and to speak the truth for that was not speaking the truth when you said and Sung these words Confirme thy gratious promise Lord which thou hast made to me who am thy Servant and do love and fear nothing but thee Now freinds weigh it well can you look back upon these things and not be ashamed or were you able to say as David was when he wrot the Psalmes My hearts desire 〈…〉 thy Law to keep for aye O these were very high words and things which you were excercised in and very much to high for you and here is matter for you to blush at and to be ashamed of for your lyes for the Prophet David had many a weary step and sorrowful day and before became to witness that high pitch of experience which you so easily got to boast of but this your refuge of lyes the Lord is coming to sweep away with his Besom of destruction and you will be taken there with except you repent and turn to the Lord and learn of of his holy Spirit a measure of which is given to every one of you to profit withall and what ever you to without the leadings thereof is not to the praise and glory of God but to his dishonor and though you stand up and seem with your tongues and bodys to confess and give honour and glory to God yet in your dead works you do deny and dishonour him But some of you seem to be offended with me for keeping on my hat in the time of your worship what I did therein was in obedience to the Lord who sent me to stand there as a witness against your Idollatry and not in contempt to any man or to disturb any of you as the Lord is witness for me you that were offended with me or my hat being on which was but a covering to my head if your eyes had not been blinded with envy you might have seen others whose heads were covered as well as mine when they seemed to be â—ncoverd which was but hypocâ—icy in them for is not a Cap as close a covering to the head as a hatâ— only one hath a bâ—im and the other hath none and had not your preaching Preist and Reading Priests their Capâ— on and the Clarke and many other men if you have any reference to the Apostles words who said he that prays or pâ—ophecys with his headâ— covered dishonoureth his head he did not speak those words against the hat and tollerate the Cap to be on nay in some Countrys they wâ—aâ— no hats but only caps I beleive hats have not
always been of use in England and if the Apostle be so understood as that you are not to pray or prophecy with your head covered then were not many among you transgressors that pretended to pray and did not your Priest transgressâ—â— in both praying and preaching with his Cap on but I beleive the Apostle had a higher meaning then that well people be not deceived the Lord will not be mocked with your showes nor likeness of drawing neer him with your bodys when your hearts are far of from him after your coveteousness and the satisfing of your lust it is not Reading not hearing the Saints words read over nor the keeping part of a day once a week that will give you exceptation with the Lord while you are in the evil state and nature untranslated out of the Kingdome of darkness unchainged in your nature unconverted and unturned from your works of sin and Iniquity which seperates between the Creature and the Lord the wicked and the ungodly he beholds a far off how neere soever they pretend to draw unto him And what though the man you call your Minister do call you as he did in my hearing the children of the most High what are you the better for that so long as in works you shew your selves to be the children of another Father for mark what Christ said to the Pharisees that had as large a profession as any of you and could boast as much of their Law Ordinances and Temple outward as you can and yet he told them they were of their father the Divel whose lusts they will do see Iohn 8. 44. and the Apostle saith His Servants you are whom you obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience 〈◊〉 righteousness but try a little this flattery of your hierling what can you be the Children of the most High and yet have cause as he said to 〈◊〉 to for being more vilde in your conversations then they which are called heathens mark freinds can a child of God which is one that is lead by his Spirit or can a Christian that is one that believeth in and is a follower of Christ or is Christ like that is a partaker of his Divine nature which is oure and cleane and yet I say can the Heathens by name and nature â—â—tstrip you in an honester conversation and better life freinds it was meer deceit in him so to flatter and delude you and it was the Enemys policy in him to make you think better of your selves then you ought to do that so he may keep you always in his snare my spirit way greived and my very heart within me was troubled to stand to hear what manner of stuff your were sed with even meer chafe such as is good for nothing but for Swine â—o muzel â—pon it will never satifie the hungry â—oul that thirsts for Gods righteousness Wo is me for you this word is true upon you The Prophets prophecyfalsly and the â—riests bare rule by their means and the people love to have it so but â—hat will you do in the end thereof if the blind lead the blind and it continue so to be will not both fall into the ditch and pit of miserry out of which there will be no recovery therefore in time repent and though he told you you might look upon the good in the heathens and the bad in you'selves and bâ—â—sh thereat yet he said you had a Law to be your guide which would shew you at all times what you ought to do saying if you are in the Church you have a Law to shew you how you ought to carry your selves there if at your â—â—â—ses at home you have a Law shews you how you ought to carry your selves there if in your Shops you have a Law shews you how you ought to carry your selves there in your trading and if alone you have a Law shews you how you ought to carry your selves before the Lord and this he aplyed to the Letter of Scripture But is that Law such a guide unto you and doth it shew you and lead you as he said let the witness of God in you judge I know it doth not neither can it so it is but a dead Letter and the Letter killeth it is the Spiâ—it giveth life there was a time when I heard men preach out of Scripture and to that time it was not a guide to me so to shew teach and direct me as he said to you but I erred very much in many things and the true guide which was able to save me out of sin I knew not till I was turned to the â—ight of Christ in me which is a measure of the Spirit and gift of God the good word of his grace which I have found alone able to convince me of â—â—liver from and save me out of sin And freinds this is your guide and this is the Law of the Spirit of life â—hich is in and comes from Christ Jesus the light of the world who is 〈◊〉 true light that hath lighted every man that is come into the world which sets free from the Law of Sin and the Law of Death and what ever hâ— be that sets up any other thing for a rule and for a guide is a deceiver 〈◊〉 Anti-christ and no Minister of the true Christ And people such a one is he that perswads you to look for that in thâ— Scriptures which only is to be found in Jesus Christ the light of the world mark Christ's words to the Pharisees he said search the Scriptures in them you think to have Eternal life they are they which testifie oâ— me you will not come to me that you may have life and doth he noâ— bid you hearken to be taught of the letter to keep you in that state to teâ—â— in the letter of Scripture without you from looking into Christ Jesus thâ— wisdome and power of God who is the life of men and is to be felt within in man let none mistake me I do not deny or slight the holy Scripture buâ— I say they are a true declaration of the rule of life but they are not thâ— rule of life Christ Jesus is the rule of life the Scripture is a declaratioâ— of the way to life and peace but Christ Jesus is the way which leads out 〈◊〉 sin into well doing and so to peace the Scripture is a declaration of thâ— truth but Christ Jesus he that is the way he is the truth and be leads hiâ— people that follow him into the truth by which they are made free thâ— Scripture is a declaration of the everlasting word but Christ Jesus is thâ— word that lives and abides for ever And thus people in the fear of God having received the knowledge anâ— understanding of that which was the Saints rule and guide of old I cannoâ— but in tender love to your souls shew you what it is and reprove that spirit that would set up any thing else in the roome of it
and that it may the more clearely appear that he is so Mark what was said by Moses the servant of the Lord conâ—erning the Law in the heart or the word of faith Deut. 30. 11 12. The Commandment which I command thee this day is not hidden from thee neither is it far off It is not in heaven that thou shouldest say who shall go up for us to bring it down to us that we may hear it and do it neither is it beyond the Seas that you should say who shall go over the Sea for us to bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it but the word is very â—igh thee in thy mouth in thy heart that thou maiâ—st hâ—ar it and do it And the Apostle Paul said to the Romans Ro. 10. is 7 8. The Righteousnâ—ss of saith soeaketh on this wise say not in your hearts who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Chirst down from above or who shall descend into the deep that is to bring up Christ again from the dead But what saith it the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart and that is the werd of faith which we Preach Faith comes by hearing this word and faith is the gift of God the word is nigh which was in the begining with God by it he made all things it came forth from him and 〈◊〉 among men even Christ Jesus whose name is called the word of God and they that know not Christ or the light a measure of his spirit which comes from him in them they are in the reprobate state so saith the Apostle And so friends and people tâ—rne in your minds to the light in your Conscience and that will bring you to feel and taste the word which is as a fire hamer and sword it will deâ—ide between the pretious and the vile in you it will devide your good thoughts from 〈◊〉 bad for the Lord thereby sheweth unto man his thoughts and it will shew your 〈◊〉 words and actions from your bad judging the evil in you and giving you peace in well doing so that freinds it is very clear by the Scripture of truth the writings of the holy men of old as by experience of many in this day that the word which is to be a gâ—ide and a rule of life to men and women is neerer to them at all times then the Scriptaâ—e or letter outward can be even in the mouth and heart that it may be felt and heard â—â— all times and the voice of the Lord may be heard thereby and obeyed and his counsel received therein for the Saints of old heard handled and tastâ—d of the word of life and then thereof declared unto others as you may read John 1. 1 2 3. and the Apostles said when they were forbiden to preach in that name we cannot but 〈◊〉 of the things we have seen and heard So dear people hear beleive and receive the word of life for it is not a dead form that will serve to present you to the Lord so as to be excepted by him unlâ—ss you turn into the light in you and thereby to be lead to live in the life of righteousness and so to worship him in the spirit truth all you do will be in vaine for he is a spirit such as worship him must worship in the spirit and the truth and such he hath sought and is seekiâ—g to worship him and therefore be not any longer deceived by him that daubs you with â—â—tempered morter and flatters you with fained words and faire speeches by which the impel hearted are deceived He told you he had led you in a rough and tedious path but for the time to come he pâ—omised to lead you in a smother way and prophecy smother things by which it seems â—e will please you in putting more pillows under your arme holes as calling you Saints Christians and Children of God when indeed you cannot witness the new birth or work â—â— regeneration without which it is imposible to enter into the Kingdome of Heaven and then what are you the better for the name of Christian Saint or Child of God as long as you are in the heathenish and unchristian-like nature when the witness of God in your Consciences will shew you your lives is uncleane and unsanctified and that you are not the servants of Righteousness but slaves and subjects unto sin to fulfil the lusts and motâ—â—ns thereof I cannot but pitty you oveer whome a Cloude of darkness and Vale of ignorance is spread by reason of the God of this World that blinds your eyes so that you do not see the empty chaf and vanity which you lay out your money and labour for even that which will never satisfie your souls et him prophecy never so smoothly but freinds mark â—hat the Lord by the Propet saith concerning such as desired smooth things Isa 30. 9. 10. This is a rebelliouus people lying Children that will not hear the Law of the Lord which is 〈◊〉 which say to the seers see not and to the Prophets Prophecy not unto us right things speak unto us smooth things prophecy unto us deceit and so is it thisday among you like 〈◊〉 like people and the horrible silthy thing is committed in the Land the Prophets prophecy falsly the Priests beare rule by their means and the people love to have it so 〈◊〉 see what is farther wâ—itten from the Lord by the prophet ver 12. and so on wherefore 〈◊〉 saith the Lord the holy one because you despise this word which is iâ— you trust in 〈◊〉 and perversness and stay thereon therefore this iniquity shall be unto you as a breach ready â—f all And further thus saith the Lord the holy one in turning shall you be saved in quietness 〈…〉 shall â—e your strength and you would not mark that So freinds prise this day of your visitation and slight not the Love of the Lord who is seeking to be gratious unto you in making known this his way to life which is his gift in you his word and measure of his spirit given unto you to profit withal and as you turne into it thereby to be guided in it salvation you will feel and confidence and assurance you will have therein and strength thereby to be preserved but if you will not that Christ Jesus the light of the world shall come to raigne in you nor if you wâ—ll not be subject unto his power in your hearts nor let his light nor Spirit be your rule and guide then you are the enemies that he will slay with his Iron rod and he will dash you in peices like Potters Vessels Cease therefore from man by which you are deceived and hearken to the true Prophet dilligently that your souls mâ—y come to live and may partake of the sure meâ—â—iâ—s of David then you will not any longer lay out your mony for that which is not bread noâ— your