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A46888 The strong man armed cast out and his goods spoiled, or, The poor man sitting at Jesus's feet clothed and in his right mind being a true convert's testimony of the power of the Lord in turning the soul from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God ... / formerly given forth in writing unto my relations and acquaintance the professors called Independents in Nottinghamshire, declaring the cause of my leaving their assemblies ... by James Jackson, formerly a parish priest and a teacher amongst the Independents and now ... made willing to take up the daily cross and walk with the despised followers of the Lamb in scorn called Quakers. Jackson, James, fl. 1674-1708. 1674 (1674) Wing J75; ESTC R34953 24,289 34

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Good-will of God to the Poor and preached Peace to the Broken-hearted testifying the Love of God to Mankind in sending his Son to them to open their Blind Eyes and recover them out of the Snare of the Devil exhorting Men to believe in the Light lest Eternal Darkness come upon them And all that was done in his Ministry was not from any outward Encouragement or Reward but moved only hereunto from the Tenderness of his Pitty and Compassion to poor Sinners So it is at this Day all that are born of the Spirit are true Ministers of the same Gospel and publish it freely in the Constrainings of the Love of God which layes a Necessity upon them to minister freely without Expectation of Gifts and Rewards But do they deserve the Name of Gospel-Ministers who preach another Doctrine then what Christ or his Apostles ever did confidently affirming That the Doctrine of the Light within or to say the Light in every Man's Conscience is the Light of Christ this is Blasphemy but tell Men that Light which doth convince them of Sin is not the Light of Christ but Natural Conscience and therefore not able to sanctifie and save such as believe in it and obey it and yet they say There be some whom they call Saints and Believers in whom there is true Saving Light but as for the greatest Part of the VVorld they are altogether destitute hereof and yet though they make a seeming Distinction between Saints and Sinners yet they themselves confess they are Sinners yea and believe that they must be so while they breath upon Earth And thus are People held in Ignorance Unbelief and Confusion their blind Guides having caused them to err from the Truth for verely this hath been and is the Doctrine of these eminent Men. Qualif 5. That Gospel which Jesus Christ had preached and witnessed to in his holy Life he confirmed and seal'd by his Death in his Blood Now this Last is that which crowned and compleated his Ministry and the same Spirit is in all the Faithful at this day whereby Christ's Ministers are enabled to declare the Truth in the Life and Power of the Eternal Word without the Help and Assistance of acquired Parts Arts and Studies for to such saith Christ It is not you that speak but the Spirit which speaketh in you and thus declaring what they have seen tasted and handled of the Word of Life they are not ashamed of their Work nor afraid of Men neither will they conceal their Meetings in Time of greatest Danger nor slip out at Back-Doors to avoid Sufferings but are in a continual Readiness and Preparedness to forsake all that is dear to them rather then to turn their Backs upon the Work of God or in the least to prove Unfaithful by Denying or Betraying the Truths of Christ Wherefore now consider these things all ye Admirers of Men and give place to the Witness of God in your own Consciences and see if one of your Gifted Brethren Pastors and Teachers be thus qualified Object 4. But the Scriptures are very plain that Vnbelievers and Reprobates are without Christ as in Ephes 2.12 and 2 Cor. 13 5. wherefore though we do believe that Christ is in every Believer yet we cannot understand that the Light in every Man is the Light of Christ. Answ 1. Indeed one of these Scriptures at first Appearance seems to contradict all that hath been said before it will be therefore necessary to speak to them severally That in Ephes 2.12 plainly affirms That before Conversion they were without God and without Christ in the World And truly I can witness this Scripture fulfilled in my own Particular for I know the Time when I was without Christ and without God in the World when I lived in Sinful Pleasures and Delights fulfilling the Lusts of the Flesh with Greediness I lived then as if there was no God in the World yea without any awful Respect to the Eye of God and Christ And yet I can as truly affirm that at that Time the Light of Christ was in me testifying against my Iniquity And this may seem a Mystery that a Measure of his Light should be within a Man when that Man is without Christ yet I have experienced the Truth hereof and therefore testifie that its one Thing for the Light of Christ to be in a Man and another Thing for a Man to be in the Light of Christ and thus it is the Light of Christ may be in a Man and yet that Man out of the Light of Christ whereupon I affirm and declare that the Light of Christ is in every Man but no Man is in Christ till he be a new Creature And as to that other Scripture 2 Cor. 13.5 Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates This Place doth not at all oppose what before hath been written if it be seriously considered but doth greatly confirm the Truth of this Doctrine If therefore by Reprobates be intended such as have sinned out the Day of Grace and done Despight to the Strivings of the Spirit of God as the old World did yea and as those eminent Professors whom Stephen reproveth saying Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in Heart and Ears ye do alwayes resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers did so do ye Acts 7.51 And as Jerusalem which remained Impenitent in the Day of Visitation till the Things of her Peace were hid from her Eyes Luke 19.42 And as those Guests which had been often invited and yet refused to come making light of those many renew'd and reiterated Tenders of Grace entreating the Messengers spightfully and slew them wherefore the King was wroth and protested against them that none of those Murtherers should taste of his Supper Mat. 22. Or like that Fig-Tree which the Master of the Vineyard when he had come three Years expecting Fruit and found none required the Dresser to cut it down and cast it into the Fire Luke 13.7 And like those who had tasted of the Heavenly Gift and of the Good Word of God and of the Powers of the World to come but after to fall away and crucifie to themselves the Son of God afresh put him to open Shame these bringing forth Thorns Bryars are rejected and are nigh unto Cursing whose End is to be burned Heb. 6.7 8. And such as the Lord complaineth of by the Prophet Jeremiah saying They are all grievous Revolters walking with Slanders they are Brass and Iron they are all Corrupters the Bellows are burnt the Lead is consumed of the Fire the Founder melteth in Vain for the Wicked are not pluck●d away Reprobate Silver shall Men call them because the Lord hath rejected them Jer. 6.29 And the Spirit speaketh expresly that some shall depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils speaking Lyes in Hypocrisie having their Conscience seared with an Hot Iron and so are past feling 1 Tim 4.2 Now
not ashamed to deny that Christ is come in the Flesh indeed both they and their Grandmother the Church of Rome are willing to confess that Christ was come but the Scripture is plain That every Soul that confesseth not that Christ is come in the Flesh the same is Antichrist 3. They fear not daily to Blaspheme the Holy Spirit of God but call it A Spirit of Delusion and A Spirit of Error and most presumptuously say of them that are sanctified guided taught and anointed by the Holy Ghost That they are led by the Spirit of the Devil 4. They trample under Foot the Blood of the Covenant counting it a Weak and Unholy Thing while they impudently affirm That the best of God's Saints yea if he had no purer Saints then they are cannot be free from sin whilst they breath upon Earth when the Scriptures witness that the Blood of Christ cleanseth from all sin 5. They preach another Gospel Now the Scripture is plain That if any man or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto us then what we have already received let him be accursed Gal. 1.9 Now how can ye believe that they are Ministers of the Gospel when they know not what the true Gospel is For saith Paul I certifie unto you Brethren that the Gospel which I preach is not after man for I neither received it neither was I taught it of man but by the Revelation of Jesus Christ But your Teachers deny any such Revelation in these dayes wherefore it is hereby evident that they are Thieves crept in some other wayes and bring another Gospel then that whereof Paul was a Minister as he witnessed to the Collossians Chap. 1.23 saying Be not moved from the Hope of the Gospel which ye have heard and which was preached IN EVERY CREATURE under Heaven 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In universa creatura whereof I Paul am a Minister And this is the Word of Faith which we preach even Christ the Word who is in thy Heart and in thy Mouth saith Paul Rom. 10. which all have heard and the Sound thereof is gone through the whole World But these men labour to pervert the Gospel and turn men from it saying That the Light of Christ in every man's Conscience is not the Substance of the Gospel nor the Power of God to Salvation 6. They have indeed a Form of Godliness but want the Power and well for them if that was the worst But they magnifie and cry up a Form and utterly reject despise and deny the Power which is the immortal Seed Christ Jesus the Light within and from such we are commanded to turn away Their Prayers and Sermons are made contrived studied and composed in their own Time Wills and Wisdom but are Strangers to the Life Power and Spirit of Prayer and deny that Christ speaks in any which is evident that he doth not speak in them They cry up and plead earnestly for Water-Baptism which Christ never Administred Instituted or Commanded to be Administred and yet they call it Christ's Ordinance Some saying Without this no Salvation and the rest say With such as wilfully neglect this have no Communion But if they had ever undergone and felt the Powerful Lively Purifying and throughly cleansing Efficacy of the Spirit 's Baptism they would know it sufficient without the Help of their Dead Cold Idolized Water-Works They are greatly affected with that Bread and Wine which after breathing upon by the Pastor is not Common but Be-sainted and so comes to be called the Lord's Supper It is evident hereby that they never did eat of that Flesh which is Bread indeed nor drink of that Blood which is Drink indeed Now it is certain that all Pictures Images Shadows Resemblances Figures and Representations which any people live in and plead for do clearly argue That they are destitute of the Power Life and Substance yea who●ely ignorant of his Living Presence in whom is hid all the Treasures of Wisdom and Knowledge And as they believe in one at a great Distance from them out of their View and Knowledge so is it very convenient they think to necessitate these Carnal Ordinances to reduce their unmindful and forgetful Thoughts into more serious Remembrance till he come And yet these men will condemn the Papists though they be far short of their Devotion in this very Thing And so are they seen in the Light to be Wolves in Sheep's Cloathing ravened from the Life and Power of those Saints whom they are imitating upon the Stage of their Formal Profession Wherefore my dear Frieds Come out from amongst them and be ye separate lest ye be drunk with the Wine of their Fornication For verily the Lord is risen to plead his own Cause and be a swift Witness against these Sorcerers who are sporting themselves in the day time And as those Souldiers regarded not a Crucified Jesus so near them but their Minds were taken up in parting casting Lots for his Raiment so these men are so exercised in the Out-sides of Religion Ordinances so called and Worship that they are not at all concerned with the In-side which is the Life and Power of Godliness even Christ within the Hope of Glory Answ 5. And Lastly As I have plainly declared the Reasons of my departing from your Assemblies so shall I witness faithfully to the Truth as it is known and practised by the Holy People of God called Quakers with whom I now walk and of whom I declare and testifie First That they are built and rooted in upon the Right Foundation even Christ Jesus the Lord who is their Wisdom Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption in whom alone they are justified by Faith and saved That Root from whence they receive Life Nourishment Power and Growth is the only Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles the Rock of Ages the Stone which your Builders and thei● Brethren the Priests ever rejected disallowed and set at nought which is Christ in us the Hope of Glory Whereupon it is evident that we differ in the Root from all the People in the World though of several Forms and Perswasions For plainly the Papists Prelates Presbyters Baptists and Independents though they all differ in their Forms Appearances and Circumstantial Opinions yet do they all agree and meet in one and the same Faith Foundation and Root The Words Writings Declarations and Testimonies of the Saints recorded in Scripture are the Foundation and Ground of all the Professing People in the World and all of them being Strangers to that one Spirit that gave forth the Scriptures are run into several Sects and Opinions as they do carnally understand and conceive they have Rule and Teaching in the Bible But however they will own no other Light Law Gospel Rule Revelation and Word of God but their Bibles But now this peculiar People whom the Lord hath gathered from amongst all the Babylonish Confusions and Divisions under Heaven are built upon the Foundation