defile and pollute the Mind and Soul and corrupt the Heart of man hence it is that nothing but the clean and pure Spirit of the Lord God that can in any wise cleanse and sanctifie the Soul and Mind or purge or purifie the Heart again and it seems to be a very vain thing for any man or woman to think otherwise Now let every one that is called a Minister of Jesus Christ see that he be so indeed and in truth for they must come a great way before they can administer Christ Wherefore it is safe to consider that Death reigned or reigneth from Adam to Moses and from Moses till the Prophet John and John was a burning a shining Light the greatest that was born among women but the least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he and John cried in the Wilderness saying Prepare ye the Way of the Lord make his Paths streight for he whose shooe he was not worthy to unloose was coming after him whose fan is in his hand and he will throughly purge his Floor and gather the Wheat into the Garner but the Chaff he will burn with Fire unquenchable And John denied not and said He was not that Light but he came to bear witness of the Light saying This is the true Light that lighteth every one that cometh into the world Now it behoveth all that are called Ministers of Christ to call themselves to mind how they travelled through all these Administrations spiritually from Adam till Moses ye are all in death and when you have received the just and holy Law of Moses upon Mount Sinai then you must journey through all the Prophesies till you come to Mount Sion the heavenly Jerusalem the City of the living God before you can be a noble Minister of Jesus Christ And this I am bold to declare in the Name of the Lord Jesus whose Servant I am through mercy Be ye not deceived the Lord God will not be mocked any longer there is a great Mystery in Godliness insomuch that all the earthly Wisdom and Learning and Languages Studies or Prudency is never able to fathom or comprehend the least Motion of the Life of it but as the Mind is joyned to the Light the Word of Life the Word that was before the World was the Word by which the World was made the Word that is quick and powerful sharper than a two-edged Sword even to the piercing and dividing between soul and spirit joynts and marrow and is a searcher and discerner of the Thoughts and Intents of every ones heart and this is he whose Vesture is dipt in Blood his Name is called the Word of God and he is come according to the determinate Counsel of the Father to make a separation between the Pretious and the Vile and to divide the Sheep from the Goats and to gather in the Flock of his Inheritance the People of his own Pasture the Sheep of his hands to fill up his own Fold out of every Kindred Tongue and Nation Jew and Gentile Bond or Free of his Israelites indeed in whose mouths there is no guile and he will place his Name amongst them again and work his Fear in their hearts and write his Laws in their inward-parts that they may never depart from it and they shall be his People for ever and he will be their God eternally and he will be merciful to their Transgressions their Sins and Iniquities he will remember no more for our God cannot deny himself nor forget his holy Promises who hath said I have given Him for a Covenant of Light to enlighten the Gentiles and a Leader and Commander to the people and the day is come that all the Children of the Lord shall be taught of the Lord and be established in Righteousness And as for those Ministers that say Men and women can never be freed from Sin while they are here nor made perfect while they are in the body I say such Ministers do not know Christ Jesus the Light nor his Ministry which saith When he ascended up on High he led Captivity captive gave gifts unto men some Prophets some Apostles some Ministers for the perfecting of the Saints and for the Work of the Ministry and for the edifying of the whole body of the Church And again it is said All Scripture given by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost is wholsome for Doctrine for Instruction for Reproof and Correction in Righteousness that the man of God may be made perfect and thorowly furnished to every good Work Now let all sober-minded men consider where men and women should be made perfect if not here while they are in this body If not in this Body where then Solomon saith As the tree falleth so it lieth the Spirit of the Lord doth not once mention any other place to be purged in in all the Scriptures of truth And the Prophet spake to the Church and said The Lord would purely purge away the dross and take away the tin and rebrobate silver and gold And this I know when Souls come to be quickned by the powerful Word of Life and Truth they come to know the Purgings of the Father and the Washing in the Fountain of Eternal Cleansings in the sweet Streams of Light and living Refreshment the everlasting Refining in the Sanctifying-Furnace of the Spirit of the Lord God and so they do come to be cleansed purified and sanctified throughout souls bodies and Spirits and are made Vessels of Honour and fitted for Glory without the help of any Man or any outward Observation whatsoever What is to be known of God is manifested within and He that giveth power over any ones sin is sufficient to give power over all sins and will and doth to all that be obedient The willing and obedient shall eat the Good of the Land but they that refuse and rebel the Sword shall devour them the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it and his zeal will perform it There is none can forgive Sins but God only against whom all sin is committed for whatsoever just offence is given to any he that giveth the offence sinneth against the Commandment of God which saith Do by all men as you would have them do unto you and love thy neighbour as thy self He never commanded any to do contrary to his own nature which is Love Mercy and Long suffering waiting to be gracious not willing the death of any but that all should return and forsake the Evil of their Wayes and deny the Evil of their Doings and then he would have mercy upon them and abundantly pardon all such as come to him in the Name of the Lord Jesus bringing nothing with them but a penitent heart and an humble spirit confessing their sins being weary of the burthen and weight of them and he will forgive and take away the Guilt from the Conscience while there is guilt within the sin is not pardoned when the Sin and the Guilt of Sin
many of his equals but he did not know him and so he persecuted him in his Saints as thousands do at this day and yet they will be called Christians When Paul had received Christ Jesus the Spirit of Truth he denyed himself and became a true Christian through the Sanctification of the Spirit of Christ and belief of the Truth and took up the Cross to his own will daily and followed Christ the Light through great tribulations in newness of life for as he did partake of the fellowship of his Death and Sufferings so likewise he did partake of the fellowship of his powerful Resurrection and his Glory I am the Resurrection and the Life saith Christ. And not only Paul but every one also in whom Christ is risen do partake of the same Sufferings and the same Joy according to the measure and proportion of Faith of God's free Grace dispensed to each one by his own Eternal Spirit And this is the way and the alone way which God hath ordained and appointed to make Christians or as I may safely say to recover lost men out of the fall and to redeem their souls and minds from all inward pollution and defilement and wholly to ransom them out of the inward invisible transgression and corruption and so to raise up the blessed Seed of his own tender bowels and restore his pure Image that hath been so long defaced through the subtilty of the Serpent and regain his Glory Honour and Renown among the sons and daughters of men and will have the preheminency over all people upon the face of the Earth in the measure of himself in the Consciences of all either in their eternal Salvation or their just and everlasting Condemnation for God hath not left himself without a Witness in every ones Conscience and a measure of the free Grace of him who is the Fulness For the natural man cannot receive the gift of the Spirit but as the Apostle said And we saw his Glory as the Glory of the only begotten of the Father full of Grace and Might And of his Fulness have we all received and Grace for Grace Hence it is that the True and Living God who respecteth no mans person hath given to every one a Talent to improve and a measure of Light and also hath commanded that this Everlasting Gospel of Peace and Reconciliation should be preached to every Creature that they may receive grace for grace that do believe in his Name And they that do not beleive nor receive him who doth tender salvation to them the Light of God which God gave them coming into the world will eternally condemn them and leave them without any excuse in the presence of the Lord God because of their disobedience and resisting the gift of the holy Ghost There is something of God in every one that would receive Gods truth if it should but all that is not of God in every one doth strive and fight against it and doth persecute and imprison till death Gods Messengers which he hath endued with power from on high and hath given them gifts and graces and spiritual mercies of divine vertue to preach to the Poor and to the captives to the exiled and banished and to sow the seed of Righteousness that God might receive the fruits of holiness among his People They that sow to the flesh do of the flesh reap corruption but they that sow to the Spirit do of the Spirit reap Life everlasting They that have not received the Spirit they cannot sow to the Spirit but they that have rceived they sow to the Spirit and do profit the people where they come to be received and they do bring forth fruits of God-like lives and righteous conversations and heavenly behaviour and their fruits do manifest what ministry they are under as St. Paul said You are our Epistles written in our hearts seen and read of all men A pure life and a holy conversation is a sure evidence of a true Christian and a perfect witness that they have received the Spirit of Christ which maketh a Christian and generateth into his body Christ the Head and Christians the Members and he will not have any deformed member in his body but they must be all compleat in Christ Pure as he is Pure Holy as he is Holy Undefiled as he is Undefiled even so as he is so must his be in this present world He that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all one as saith the Scriptures But I say in the Name and Power of the pure and perfect Lord God That whosoever or whatsoever he is in this world that taketh upon himself or goeth about to make Christians or convert Souls any other way than by preaching the immediate Word of God as he doth receive it by the Inspiration of the eternal Spirit of Life and Power he is in the highest degree of Presumption and guilty of the great Transgression and shall assuredly receive the greatest Condemnation from the Lord God of Power if they or he do not speedily repent and forsake those great Abominations Me thinks that every rational and sober-minded Man must needs rightly understand that God Almighty who created all them at the beginning in Heaven Earth and Sea without the help or advice of any and doth uphold the Works of his own Creation by the Word of his Power and as he created the Souls and Minds of men in a pure State of Innocency from whence man fell through Disobedience So he it is alone that can and will and doth quicken the Souls of men and women again and create them anew in Christ Jesus the Lord from heaven the second Adam a quickening Spirit the Immanuel of Eternal Life of the Word of his Power and need not the Assistance or Counsel of any besides himself to raise up Souls to life and immortality for our God is an invisible eternal and immortal Spirit perfect holy wise and powerful and every reasonable man must needs know and believe That there is not any thing but only a Spirit that can so much as touch a Soul as to cleanse it or to defile it so it is the unrighteous spirit of Darkness the Prince of the Power of the Air that doth rule in the Children of Disobedience and polluteth the Souls and defileth the whole Minds and causeth them to yield up the fleshly Members to commit sins of all kinds in Thought Word and Action and so the Springs of Life and Salvation are dammed up and the pure Spirit of the Lord is covered and the Eye of Innocency blinded so that man cannot behold his Maker because Sin hath made a separation as saith the Prophet Behold the Lord's hand is not shortned that it cannot save neither is his eare heavy that he cannot hear but it is your iniquities that have separated between you and your God and your sins have caused his face to be hid from you And as it is the unclean Spirit that doth
A BRIEF DISCOVERY OF God's Eternal Truth AND A Way opened to the simple hearted whereby they may come to know CHRIST and his Ministers from ANTICHRIST and his Ministers With a WARNING from the Lord to all people that do name the Name of Christ to depart from Iniquity Written in the Inquisition of Malta by a Servant of the Most High called KATHERINE EVANS London Printed for R. Wilson 1663. A brief DISCOVERY of Gods Eternal Truth THus saith the Lord Let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from Iniquity for the day cometh and now is that the Name of Christ will be dreadful and terrible to all workers of iniquity and God the Father hath committed all Power in Heaven and in Earth and Seas also to his Son Jesus Christ and hath raised him in Power and great Glory in thousands of his Saints to convince the world of Sin of Righteousness and of Judgment that the Prince of this World may be judged and cast out for he shall never have any part or portion with the Heir of Eternal Life and Salvation who hath Power to judge and to justifie and to condemn or to save to scatter and to gather to break to pieces and to bind up that which is broken to pieces and he will establish his own Spiritual Government Righteous Rule and Pure Holy Worship to the ends of the Earth and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it for whatsoever he hath purposed shall surely come to pass and his Decree shal stand and Wo wo wo to every one that doth lift up a hand against any of those that the Lord God doth send forth in his Name in this the Day of his Power to preach Glad-tydings to the meek or do form any carnal weapon against him in his Anointed thinking to disinherite him who is possessed Heir of all But the time doth hasten that the Lord God of Power will exalt his Princely Scepter over all Scepters Thrones and Dominions Kingdoms and Countries and none shall be able to prevent him or resist his mighty Power Hear ye this O all ye People upon the face of the Earth who are called Christians or do call your selves by Christ's Name both Kings and Princes Emperors Nobles and mighty men of the Earth by what name or title soever ye are called high or low rich or poor for our God is no respecter of persons but every one that feareth his Name and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him Wherefore it chiefly behoveth every one of you to turn your minds within to the Light in your Consciences that convinceth of all Sin and makes manifest every evil deed be it done never so secret the Light will discover it It is a measure of God's free Grace given to every one to profit themselves withal and search examine and duely consider how you come to have right or title to Christ's Name or what it is that maketh a Christian for every true Christian is an Heir of God and Joynt-heir with Christ For as in Adam all die so in Christ shall all be made alive Now you know that God created Adam at the first in a pure perfect state of Innocency his mind and soul in his own Image and likeness which was Light and Life and placed him in the Garden of Paradise a place of eternal blessedness to all that do obey the Light and God gave Adam dominion over all the creatures that God created for the use of man and blessed them unto him in that state of Innocency and bid him eat of the fruit of every tree of the Garden but the tree of knowledge of good and evil that was good too but not for food And the Lord said unto Adam Thou shalt not eat of the fruit of that tree for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Adam did not stand in the Counsel of the Lord but turned from the Light and hearkened to the Woman whom the Serpent beguiled and did eat of the forbidden Fruit and so disobeyed the Commandment of the Lord God and fell from that state of Blessedness into that state wherein all things are an utter curse unto him and unto all in that state of disobedience eternally but the just and wise and holy Lord God whose mercies are above all his works did promise that the Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpents head There are but two seeds the Seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent Now this was the way which the pure and wise and perfect Lord God did find out in himself to recover Man out of the Fall again through the everlasting Covenant of the promised Seed of all blessedness The Promise of God was not unto seeds as to many but unto the Seed as unto one In Isaac shall all the Kindreds of the Earth be blessed The Promise of God which cannot fail was only to the Seed of faithful Abraham And Paul saith If ye are Christs then are ye Abrahams seed and heirs to the Promise Wherefore every one of you in Christendom may do well to turn in your minds to the Light of God in your own Consciences and try your selves and see whether you have received the true righteous Seed or are born of the pure and perfect Spirit of Christ Iesus yea or nay the Light will not deceive you but deal plainly with you and make manifest unto you all that ever was or is within you And he that is in Christ hath the witness in himself so that he need not go forth to seek after him or to ask the way to Sion for I am the Way the Truth and the Light saith Christ and he that followeth me shall not abide in darkness but have the Light of Life and He that hath not the Witness in himself is in darkness and hath not received the Light of Life the Spirit of Christ and He that hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his Then what profit hath anyone to have the Name of Christ and out of his Nature The Nature of Christ is altogether pure perfect holy and upright meek humble sober loving merciful tender-hearted liberal in all good long-suffering and ready to forgive and willing to bear the contradictions of sinners and the rebukes of the vile sons of men and did lay down his Life for to save them that hated him and were and are Enemies to his Cross And all that are in Christ ought themselves to walk as he walked or else how should they be known to be born of the true Seed of God for where the Seed of the Kingdom is sown and received into good ground in an honest heart it taketh deep root and bringeth forth fruit answerable to the Seed in some thirty in some sixty and in some an hundred fold that God may be glorified for herein is my Father glorified that ye bring forth much fruit saith Christ speaking to them that were called by his Name and were his
Disciples indeed and did hearken to his Teaching did hear his Voice and follow him and a stranger they would not hear but Christ alone was their Head Guide Teacher Leader and they did believe in his Name and obeyed his Will For it is not every one that saith Lord Lord shall be saved but he that doth the Will of the Father is accepted And this is the Will of God that ye should believe in Him whom he hath sent and be sanctified for Christ is the same that ever he was to all that believe in his Name He is their King to rule and Prophet to teach and Priest to offer up the spiritual Sacrifices that are accepted with the Father who saith Let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity for I have given him a Name above every name that at the Name of IESUS every knee shall bow He that doth depart from iniquity doth bow at the Name of Jesus but those that do bow their knees when they hear Jesus named and do not depart from iniquity do not bow at the Name of Jesus but are Hypocrites and do bow to the Beast and do not believe in Christ Jesus neither doth their faith stand in the power of God but their faith is vain Paul the Apostle of Jesus Christ saith He that believes in the Lord Iesus in his heart and confesseth with his mouth that God hath raised him from the dead shall be saved for with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness and with the mouth Confession is made unto Salvation but Paul did not say that every one that confesseth that Christ was crucified at Jerusalem and God raised him up again should be saved No that would contradict the Scriptures for as I live saith the Lord if Israel were as the sands upon the Sea-shoar for multitude but a remnant shall be saved For they are not all Israel that are of Israel but he is an Israelite indeed in whose mouth there is no guile but every one that confesseth the same Christ near them which was crucified at Jerusalem For know ye not that Christ is in you unless you are Rebrobates And let them know that do not witness the Life of Christ raised within them that sin and wickedness is alive in them and where sin and wickedness liveth there Christ lieth crucified in the streets that are spiritually called Sodom and Egypt and it is the faith of the Drunkard Swearer Lyar Murderer Adulterer and covetous persons and them that work all manner of Abominations which shall never enter into the Kingdom of God as saith the Scriptures yet those will confess that Christ dyed at Jerusalem to their own condemnation because they do not walk in obedience to him John saith Try the spirits whether they be of God yea or nay Every one that confesseth that Christ is come in the flesh is born of God but he that denieth Christ to be come in the flesh is not born of God but is of Antichrist and denieth the Lord that bought him He that professeth Christ and doth not possess Christ neither is possest of Christ it is he that is Antichrist and is not of Christ but where Christ is manifested in the flesh he destroyes the work of the Devil and giveth power over Sin Death Hell and the Grave and over Antichrist and all the dark powers that do corrupt the Earth Where sin is destroyed death hath no power The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal Life And he that hath the Son hath Life and he that hath not the Son hath not Life but is in Death and the Wrath of God abideth upon him He is the best Christian that is most like Christ. In him was no nature of cruelty at all but full of love mercy and tender compassion ready to forgive and willing to receive all that come unto him having nothing of their own he will in no wise cast out and he doth exhort all men to do to others as they would have others do unto them and commanded his Disciples to love one another and to love enemies and to do good to them that hate them and despitefully use them God is Love and he that is born of God doth love every one and cannot use cruelty to any but he that is not born of God committeth sin and he that committeth is of the Devil and dwelleth in the dark where all sin is committed but he that dwelleth in the Light dwelleth in the habitation of God where no sin is committed nor transgression found and he that doth not know the Light in the Conscience that convinceth of all sin doth not know God for God is Light and Jesus Christ is the express Image of his Fathers Brightness and eternal Glory in the Light Life and Power who is immortal invisible incomprehensible altogether pure and perfectly holy and wise and is throughly glorious beyond all that ever can be thought or spoken of him by all mankind and he is risen with healing in his wings and is not vailed as in times past but is clearly seen heard and understood of all them that have received him and lovingly imbraced him in the Truth they in whom the eye of Innocency is opened by the mighty Power of God they do see him and enjoy him and can and do bear witness of him as Paul did Christ the same yesterday and to day and no otherwise for ever Paul did not know him till he was risen from the dead and ascended to the Father as the Scriptures bear witness Paul was a Persecutor after Christ was crucified and he held the clothes of the witnesses that stoned Stephen a man full of the holy Ghost because he said The Most High dwelleth not in Temples made with hands neither was he worshipped with mens hands No Stephen did know that his body was the Temple of the living God and God is a Spirit he is worshipped no otherwise acceptably 〈◊〉 Spirit and in Truth and Paul was consenting to his death and after he was journeying from Jerusalem to Damascus with Letters from the high Priests and Scribes to hale men and women out of the Synagogues that did speak in the Name of Jesus and to bring them bound to Jerusalem But in the mid way there was a Light met Paul and smote him so that he fell to the ground and Paul saw a Light shine round about him but he saw no man and he heard a Voice saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Who art thou Lord said Saul I am Iesus whom thou persecutest said Christ the Light it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks and then Paul cryed out saying Lord what wilt thou have me to do And as soon as the Lord revealed his Son Christ Jesus in him by his own immediate Spirit he did not confer with flesh and blood but went and preach'd him Paul did profess Christ before and did profit more in the Jewish Religion than
of the Indignation of the Lords Judgment If Iudgment first begin at the house of God what will become of them that obey not the Gospel of God for if the Righteous scarcely be saved where shall the Wicked and Ungodly appear Now for some help and light for the understanding of them that do not know the Mystery of Iniquity and that spirit that doth generate it here as aforesaid the spirit of Antichrist is that spirit in every one that doth profess Christ Jesus in words but doth not possess him in life and power and such are they that are making Images and forms and likenesses without and call it by Christ's Name and say it doth represent Christ when none can make his Likeness nor bear his Image but those that are created anew in Christ Jesus and born of the same Spirit The righteous Image or Form of Christ is the perfect Life of Innocency and the pure Spirit of Meekness and an upright heart of true Humility as it is written Upon whomsoever you shall see the Spirit of the Lord descend like a Dove and abide upon him this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased You all know a Dove is an innocent harmless creature and so are all God's Children which are sanctified in the undefiled womb of God's second creation where the first Heaven and the first Earth is passed away and new Heavens and a new Earth are witnessed wherein dwelleth Righteousness for evermore and he that is called the Son of Perdition is the Man of Sin in every particular that steals away the heart and draws out the mind from the true invisible God and sets it upon earthly objects and visible appearances The glory of the world that doth fade and vanish away as the smoak in the eye and the painted harlot is the fallen wisdom that is comprehended in the earthly mind carnal understanding and airy spirit inventing and devising how to deck and beautifie her self with the glory of this world and outside shews to get her self a name over all the Earth and calls her self holy pure and spiritual that all people may fall down and worship her painted image and so the wind of her spirit goeth forth and overchargeth the hearts of the people and corrupts them and when the heart is corrupted it conceiveth lust and when lust is conceived it bringeth forth sin and when sin is finished it bringeth forth death The wages of sin is death and the Scarlet-coloured Beast that doth uphold the adulterous woman with all her allurements upon whom she sits is that beast-like will of or in man that is not subject to the Will of God but hath received power to exalt his horn even to the Host of Heaven for the cleansing of the Sanctuary and purifying of the Temple and for the tryal of the Faith of God's Elect that the power of God may rest upon them and so they come to be approved in the sight of all and herein our God is glorified honoured and renowned over all in purchasing to himself a holy Kingdom through the blood of the everlasting Covenant in the faithful-hearted that do follow the Lamb through great tribulations according to the Scriptures Every man out of the Covenant of God is bruitish and that spirit which doth exalt it self over the consciences of any people to compel them by a tymnnous Law to worship according to his will and in his way without any Commandment or Precept from the Lord that is Lucifer which the Lord God will cast down to the bottom of Infamy and will do unto him as he did to proud and lofty Haman as the Spirit of the Lord hath manifested for God and his Word are one and his way to the Kingdom is but one and he never compelled any with camal weapons or any visible thing to worship him And whereas it is said he sent forth his servants to compel them that were in the streets and in the high-wayes to come in by the powerful preaching of his Word of Life and Truth that did limit and bind that in them that did rebel against him and so he drawed them after him in love and so he doth at this day Praises praises to his holy and blessed Name for evermore Amen And the false Prophet is he that cryeth Lo here is Christ and Lo there but Christ foretold of them saying Many false Christs would come saying Lo here and Lo there but believe them not go not forth by their fruits you shall know them And these are they that for advantage will cry Peace peace while ye are unsaved from your sins and so with good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple and smoothly draws them after him in the broad way that leads to the chambers of death and destruction and in their high places they will tell you you must not be drunk nor lust nor envy nor covet nor live in pride nor any such evil things when they themselves are wholly guided and led by that same spirit which is the very rise author yea as I may safely say the father of all manner of uncleanness and evil concupiscence and so though they do speak good words it is but in imitation because it was the practice of the Servants of the living God so to do yet being out of their Life they can never convert any into the Truth but their spirit doth beget the same form in the Hearers as is in the Teachers for such Seed as they sow such Fruits they do reap of all manner of unrighteousness and these be they that will go about to limit the Spirit of God and make the people believe none ought to speak in the Name of Christ but the Wise and the Learned and them that have received Gifts of Men to Preach but Christ doth ordain his Ministers and gives them Gifts both Male and Female yet they say Paul would not permit of a Woman to speak in the Church it is true Paul would not permit of a woman to speak in the Church no more do not the Quakers neither do they permit a Woman to speak in the Church nor a Man that is born of a woman but he that is born of God whether in Male or in Female let him speak freely as his Father giveth him Utterance Let him that doth not understand come into Christ's School and learn Paul said That if a Woman did pray or prophesie with her Head uncovered she did dishonour her Head if a woman might pray or prophesie with her head covered it 's very like she might do it in the Church assoon as in another place But Paul nor John neither would not permit that Jezabel that painted Harlot should speak in the Church who hath painted her self with the Saints Words but out of their life she must keep silence in the Church yea verily the Power is made manifest in this the Lord 's present day that will shortly stop her mouth and all her
Lovers for evermore world without end Amen The Glory is the Lord God's who is risen in his mighty Power to raise up Sion and to build up the walls of Jerusalem and to raze down Babel to the ground and to destroy the Kingdom of Antichrist and to bring down all the Powers of Darkness under his feet This was written in the Inquisition of Malta by the Lord's Servant Katherine Evans who am a Sufferer for God's eternal Truth which is my Ioy my Glory and my Crown Magnified be the Name of the Lord God of Life and Power who hath counted me worthy not only to believe unto Salvation but also to suffer for the Sake of my blessed Saviour and perfect Redeemer the Lord Iesus Christ to whom be Glory for ever world without end Amen Amen Oh Friends and People in all places who are called Christians fear the Lord God that gave you Life and obey his holy Gospel the Light in the Conscience that convinceth of all Sin and judgeth the Secrets of every ones Heart O hearken to the heavenly Voice of the true invisible God he is near to every one to save or to condemn Yea of a truth he is risen in great Power to correct the Wayes of men throughout all Nations whose Wayes have been their own Wayes for many Generations past but this is the Day in which the Lord God will restore Judges as at the first and Counsellors as at the beginning Wherefore let every one that hath received Power and Authority from the Lord to rule and regulate amongst the People take heed that they do not abuse the Power the Lord hath committed into their hands as a Stewardship whereof they must give an account before the High and Mighty Judge of Heaven and Earth that sits upon the Throne to Judge the Nations in Righteousness and the People with Equity and he will smite the Earth with the Rod of his mouth and consume the Wicked with the Breath of his lips and the Lord God will remove and overturn and cut down till he hath exalted men like to faithful Moses and righteous Samuel to do the work of Justice Mercy and Equity to every one without respect to Persons in the Fear and Dread of the Lord not seeking their own honour and glory but the Honour and Glory of the Lord God And thus he will make you honourable in the sight of all men for of a truth they that exalt themselves shall be brought low but they which the Lord doth exalt none can cast down and likewise see that you do nor judge others for that which your selves stand guilty of or the like sin in the self-same nature if so wherein ye judge others you condemn your selves and your own Condemnation will stand over your own heads for ever Wherefore take heed how you do mount in the Seat of Tribunal and let every Thought Word and Action in your Sentences of Judgment of others be according to the Light of God in your own Consciences which otherwise will be your eternal Condemnation without any excuse in the Presence of the Lord God Almighty whose Voice doth shake terribly the Earth and makes the Hearts of the Heathen to tremble and doth and will remove Mountains and over-turn Hills and take all that lets and stands in opposition against his pure Truth and the little Hill of Sion shall trample over all the Mountains to the Ends of the Earth And who shall be able to resist it no no not one the Lord will rip up every false Covering strip off every deceitful Garment and make manifest every seducing Spirit and blind Guide and false Teacher that doth work by signs and lying wonders with all manner of Deceivableness and doth deceive the hearts of the Simple and stealeth away their hearts and draweth out their minds from the true invisible Lord God that made them and doth set them upon earthly Objects and visible Appearances and the Glory of this life that will perish for ever and vanish away like the smoak in the aire and the invisible God they have no more knowledge of than the beast that perisheth and these be them that run and the Lord never sent them and saith Thus saith the Lord and the Lord hath not spoken unto them neither did they ever see his face nor hear his voice at any time neither do they profit the people at all but build them up in the Mystery of Iniquity and teach them to wonder after the monstrous Beast which hath many Heads and many Horns and Mouths full of Blasphemy and Eyes full of Adultery walking in the broad way that leads to the chambers of death and destruction and to the Pit of everlasting Perdition and shuts up the Kingdom from the Simple-hearted and hides the Key of Knowledge from the innocent Ones and will not enter in themselves nor suffer them to enter that would and these are them that feed of the Fat and go on their Bellies all their life long the Serpents of the earth that suck the sweet up the spirit of the earth and they make the poor people believe it doth belong to them in Christ because they must pray for them to the saving of their Souls O these be Hypocrites and they do not know the Price of the redemption of a Soul out of death neither have they the Knowledge of God nor his Way to Salvation for if they did know the Lord they would fear and dread his holy Name and teach the People the Way to Life eternal which is the Light in the Conscience in every one and he that comes not to the Light comes not into the Way of God which leads to the Kingdom of God The Kingdom of God is one his Way is one his Light is one his Life is one and his Spirit of Truth is one and his Word is one and what he speaks once he speaks still and what he once condemns he never justifies and what he once justifies he never condemns He is God and changeth not but the same yesterday and to day and so likewise for ever Now they that are in the changeable and in the many wayes are out of the Way of God which is Light and are in the dark and do not see the way they walk in neither do they know the Lord nor his Word that is quick and powerful sharper than a two-edged Sword for did they know that Word they would not dare to mock and scorn at them that tremble at the Word and meet together to wait upon the Lord in silence and do hearken diligently to know the Mind of God that they may not sin against him nor act contrary to him but those men or women cannot disscern the Mind of God that are not crucified with Christ Jesus and the Body of sin death destroyed which is a mystery to all the Wisdom Learning in the world that do not own the Light in the Conscience to be their alone Teacher but live
in the disobedient nature out from God and his Truth in the earthly mind and carnal will comprehending this thing and that in the fallen wisdom inventing devising and imagining things that never were nor is nor never will be So your Prophets they prophesie lies and the Priests bear rule by their means and the People love to have it so but what will they do in the end thereof in the day when the Lord shall require the Talent that he gave to every one to profit withal Now where is the Talent with the Improvement is it not lost is it not hid in the barren wilderness and in the desolate places of the earth Oh try and examine search and consider where is that good and faithful Servant and just Steward that hath improved his Talent for his Masters use and is ready to give up his Accounts with joy before the Tribunal of the Majesty of the Most High having his Garment washed in the Blood of the Lamb and his heart sprinkled from an evil Conscience and the Body washed with pure water I do not say nor mean external water to wash the out-side of the body but I do mean the spiritual Water that streams from the Fountain or Rock Christ Jesus to wash the inside and to cleanse the Soul and Spirit from all Pollution and Defilement Ye wash the outside while the inside is not cleansed the inside will defile the outside again but if the inside be cleansed and purged from all dross and tin and reprobate silver and gold then it would cleanse the outside also and keep it clean it is the corrupted Beast that is full of Lust and all manner of Deceivableness that defileth the whole body within and without So the man or woman whose heart is without Deceit whose mouth is without guile and whose tongue doth not utter falshood nor hath no flattering lips nor polluted hands nor feet swift to shed blood such are known to be cleansed every whit and they see God The pure in heart do see God but they whose hearts are daubed and slimy through deceit and hypocrisie hard-heartedness and cruelty and the like such cannot see God nor they that take honour and seek honour of one another do not believe How can you believe saith the Apostle while you take Honour one of another And all that Honour or take Honour of earthly men do rob God to whom all Honour Worship Praise and Glory doth belong and all that do honour God and obey his Voice in the Truth the Lord will make them honourable in the sight of all men but all that live in Pride and Covetousness Lust and Drunkenness are out of the Truth and all who live in Swearing Lying Deceit or Hypocrisie or Envy Hatred Malice Bloodshed Hardheartedness or Cruelty are out of the Truth or they which live in Thieving or Cozening Cheating Dissembling Flattering Whispering Backbiting Bragging or Boasting speaking great swelling Words having mens Persons in admiration because of advantage these are all out of the Truth and are Hereticks and are carried out of the Way of God with Nimrod and Judas King Herod and Pharoah and the rest of that untoward Generation not knowing the Scriptures neither the Power of God and because they do not believe them nor understand them therefore they hide them from others and do corrupt them and add to them and diminish from them not fearing the Lord God that gave them forth by his own free Spirit and for the edification of every one But I am bold to declare in the Name of the true and living God that all the Plagues which are written in them will soon come upon the back of such a People or Souls that have wrought this Wickedness in the sight of the Lord God of Power who is risen and will render Vengeance in Flames of Fire upon them that know him not and do not obey his Gospel but live in the earthly Mind and carnal Will fallen from God and compelling the People to follow their devised Wayes building of them up in Sin and Wickedness yet making them believe they may go to Heaven at the last though they live in Sin till they die Oh! that ever any People or Souls should ever be so blind and ignorant to think that though they spend all their appointed Time in Sin and Iniquity and run out the whole course of natures race in pleasure negligence and carelesness and when they cannot retain it any longer then do they offer up their sinful Souls as a Sacrifice acceptable to God who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity though it be in his beloved Jacob it shall not go unpunished Oh! methinks that no rational or sober-minded Man or Woman should once credit or believe that do know the Scriptures that there is any place appointed of God for any Creatures to be purged or cleansed after they are dead seeing the Holy Men of God as they were moved of the holy Ghost have so evidently and clearly set forth in the Scriptures of Truth That those which are Heirs of Eternal Salvation must come to be converted and to live the Life of Christ while they are here in the body Though God delighted in Mercy and that the Thief was saved upon the Cross because it was given him of the Lord to believe at last because that none should despaire yet Woe Woe from the Lord God to every one that puts off the Day of Repentance saying in their hearts The evil day is afar off In the day of ignorance the Lord winked but now he calleth every one to repent And as for such as do talk of a Purgatory it doth manifest their Ignorance of the Knowledge of God for I witness in the Life of God's Spirit such know not Heaven nor Hell God nor Devil and so they call Light Darkness and Darkness Light Good Evil and Evil Good and teach the People so to do but God is not well pleased with any of those nor with them that do boast themselves saying How great the Kingdom is and how many Countries and innumerable sight of People belongeth to their Church in all places but them that trust in the Arm of Flesh yea in the strength of Pharoah and in the Shadow of Egypt but the strength of Pharoah will be her shame and their trusting in the shadow of Egypt their confusion God's Kingdom is the least as to the visible strength but the greatest in the invisible power Fear not little Flock saith Christ it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the Kingdom The Kingdom of God consists not in the arm of Flesh but it stands in his own Power and Almightiness That is Antichrists Kingdom whose power stands in outward weapons which is carnal as Locks and Bolts and Iron-bars Chains and Whips and Racks and the like Our Weapons are not carnal but spiritual saith the Apostle â—o the pulling down Strong-holds Principalities and Powers and high and lofty Looks with
spiritual Wickedness in High Places So one of them that stands in the Power of God out of the Power of the Prince of the Air is able to chase ten and ten a thousand according to the righteous Prophesie of the Holy Man of God Those that dwell in the Fear of the Lord and truly dread his pure Name at all times every word that proceedeth out of their mouths is as the Words of God's own mouth which cannot be altered nor changed to all eternity for such are the Vessels that hold the heavenly Treasures Gods free Gifts and eternal Graces and everlasting Mercies and divine Vertues spiritual Blessings which God doth not reveale in any earthly-minded Man whose mind is wandring after earthly Glory Honour Riches and Treasures but he reveals his eternal Riches in the Earthen-vessel whose mind and soul is quickned raised and changed by the Power of the Almighty God and joyned to the Light the measure of his own Spirit to convert them and bear them up into the same state and image wherein God created the soul and mind of man at the first In the beginning of his Creation God did not create the outward Form of mankind in his own Similitude and Likeness No for then all men would bear the similitude and likeness of God throughout all Generations which thing could never be for wicked and ungodly men whose thoughts and imaginations are evil continually and are of their father the Devil and his works they do and his image and likeness they bear God is a perfect Spirit of divine Light and immortal Glory and his Son Jesus Christ is the express Image of his everlasting Fathers eternal Brightness and none can ever liken nor fashion any thing like him And them that bear the image of the Devil they live in spiritual pride and are haughty minded and will not be reformed nor hearken to the Counsel of God nor imbrace his gracious Invitations nor receive his tender Mercies nor be warned by his favourable Judgements nor gentle Corrections but in obstinacy and perverse rashness alwayes resist it and cast it behind their backs and trample it under their feet till the Lord is even forced to be a swift Witness against them and to sweep them away with the beesom of destruction and so here their end is woful and their torment is eternal and the Lord is clear of their blood and they must confess their destruction is of themselves They that are of the Image and Likeness of Christ are created anew in Christ Jesus to every good work and have received and do live in and are guided by the pure Spirit of perfect Peace and Patience perfect Love and bowels of tenderness mercy and pitty towards every one without respect of persons and they have alwayes a holy fear true humility and a heart of uprightness and such persons do bear the true image and similitude of God the Father and the form and likeness of his Son Jesus Christ after the inward man and they are patterns of good works and good examples to all whereever they come and it is their meat and drink to do the will of God wheresoever he shall call them or command them to follow the Lamb from Sea to Sea and from Island to Island and from Country to Country to bear his holy Name and to witness forth his eternal Truth to all people that live in darkness and blindness according to the righteous examples of his Saints and Servants that were guided by the same Spirit and walked in the perfect way of God in the antient dayes and are as willing and do suffer for our honourable Testimony that our pure holy and just God whose right it is may have the Glory Praise and Renown to the ends of the Earth throughout all Generations Amen Amen saith the Spirit 19th of the 8th month 1662. Written at Malta by me the Lord's Servant Katherine Evans ALthough that they my Bible keep from me That I the holy Scriptnres cannot see The Precepts pure which are upon record That were giv'n forth by 'th Spirit of the Lord Yet a small Book hid in a secret place Have I where I can reade the words of grace And in the same I can discern The bastard from the perfect born For unto us a Child is born who 'l break to pieces that great Horn Which hath lift up himself on hie Upon the Throne of Majestie He shall be brought down under all Where he shall lie and cry and call To 's Idol-gods which alwayes he Hath worshipped with heart and knee But no Salvation he shall find Among his gods that are so blind Both dumb and deaf like unto he They cannot speak nor hear nor see His Pictures and his painted walls His Altars and his Temple-Vails His golden Images every one Shall soon be brought to destruction All Praises to the God of might Which hath preserv'd us day and night Mongst Lions Wolves that are so strong Although they make us suffer long Yet the Diviners do run mad And lying Prophets they are sad Th' exalted Beast in his renown Triumphs that he shall gain the Crown Because that Pharoah's on his side And lofty Haman in his pride And bloody Herod with his Sword All fighters are against the Lord. But th'God of Pow'r which is so strong Will soon reward them every one According unto Heavens decree For their Rebellion Blasphemy Then some shall howl and some shall mourn The rest shall wish they 'd ne're been born For pain and torment day and night Because they have despis'd the Light WHen dear Daniel Baker was at Malta I had a very small Token to present him in a Paper with these lines The thing is little receive my love It cometh from a harmless dove Within whose breast doth still remain God's perfect praises to maintain I have not time nor place to show The love that from my soul doth flow The Cristal streams so pure and bright That do arise both day and night My love to Truth doth me constrain In Prison ever to remain If it be so I cannot be In Truth and Righteousness set free My dear Redeemers face so bright Doth shine upon me day and night His Countenance doth exceed all Captivity and bondage thrall Though my mortal body be bolted fast yet my immortal soul hath room to pass by Sea and Land and cannot be prevented by an Enemy Lord teach me in thy Wayes that I may walk therein And lead me in thy Paths and cleanse me from all sin Before I knew the Lord my God to be so near to me I walked in the way so broad thinking he did not see But when my wayes directed were and paths the Lord did guide I walked alwayes in his fear and did not go aside HEavens Glory is appearing And his Brightness shineth forth O're all Nations for the clearing Of the Lord's Eternal Truth Now ev'ry one that sits in darkness Under the shade of Death doth lye May come forth unto the Brightness Out of gross obscurity For now a Fountain is set open He that will may freely come in Unto the everlasting Ocean And be cleansed from his sin And ev'ry one that is in bondage And in deep Captivity Under Pharoah and his Army Shall be set at liberty If that they will seek their Freedom At the hand of God alone They shall be Heirs of his Kingdom And wear the victorious Crown It is not all the pain and labour That ever mortal men can take Which can bring them into favour With the Lord that did them make But they that stand in self-denial Taking up their Cross daily Thorow many a fiery tryal For God's Truth most valiantly 'T is them alone shall be preserved By the Pow'r of God most hie And none but them shall be received Into glorious Liberty The Candles of the Lord are lighted For to search Jerusalem And all Nations are invited To the Marr'age of the Lamb. Blessed are they that keep their Armour And in their Wedding-Garments drest Ready to enter the Brides Chamber They are counted with the Guests Now the Lord will purge all Nations Out of gross obscurity Destroying all the deeds of Darkness Deceit and Hypocrisy Th'Trumpets are struck up in Sion And do give a dreadful sound For the razing down of Babel With her glory to the ground And Antichrist with all his Fashions And Delusions which are strong Shall suddenly be dash'd to pieces Christ alone shall wear the Crown Katherine Evans THE END