all them to envy wrath pride whoredom drunkenness theft and murther and all the works of darkness sin and death he is the fountain and root of all these and the leader and ruler in the exercise of them and of every evill word and work whatsoever which are contrary to God he abode not in the truth and he hath led all mankind out of truth into all deceit and unrighteousnesse and into every evill way and he dwells in darkness and inhabits in thick darkness and is out of the light and is separate from the presence of God for ever bound in chains of darkness and ignorance and unbelief and he hath power in the earthly part of man and a law in the members and he possesses him that is born of the flesh his covenant is with him who is not born of the seed of God who cannot sin such are in covenant with God and renewed into his image but such as are not hath the Devill power in to captivate and lead their minds into vanity and their affections and desires into all that which is evill by which the Spirit of God the Creator of all things is grieved and his soul vexed and all murther and deceitfull works of the world and all whatsoever is contrary to God in words thoughts or actions is of the Devill that wicked one and from him and all that follow his movings and worketh evill thereby they serve him and obey him he is their God and their King and they are his people and his subjects he is their Father and they are his children he is their root and they are his off-sprign and brings forth fruit unto him and serves and worships him and not the true God that made all things and all such must be cast into utter darknesse with him and shall have their portion with him in the bottemlesse pit of darknesse for ever and ever where there is no end of woe and sorrow and misery for in the anger of God there the worm dies nor nor the fire is not quenched and out of that there is no redemption for the unclean and all such who are led of him who is out of the truth and in evill are judged and condemned and damned by him who is the truth who judgeth righteously and as he hath not ceased to work evill and to draw the children of men into evill for he continually tempteth to lead from God into rebellion against him And they that are led by him are destroyed and he shall not cease to sorrow woe and misery for ever as he hath not ceased to work evill he liveth and moveth in the anger of God his beginning was in it and all his works are in it and it shall be the reward of him and all that obey him in the separation from Gods everlasting presence for ever and ever CHAP. XV Concerning all creatures that God made this testimony I give unto all the World ALL creatures that God made in their creation and beginning was very good in his sight that made them and unto man that was to use them and no creature was evill or defiled in its creation but mankind transgressing against his Maker he became evill and did evill in the sight of the Lord and he being possessed with evill and corrupted he makes all creatures evill in his exercise of them and he corrupts them and perverts them to another end than wherefore they were created and by the creatures dishonours the Creator who should have honoured him by them and they are become a curse unto man and not a blessing though in themselves are neither cursed nor evill nor defiled but is become so unto man because of his transgression and disobedience for he being in the curse and defiled all things are so unto him and in his exercise of them he is wicked abusing them upon the lust to satisfie his devillish mind and ruling over them in oppression and cruelty and hard heartedness and not in the wisdom of God as he ought and he subverts them out from their pure vertue feeding his lust in pride and voluptuousness with that which should keep him from hunger and nakednesse and so pleasing the lust in all things more than satisfying pure nature and this ought not to be for it is out of the covenant of God in which all creatures was made and in which they stand except the creature man who is degenerated out of Gods covenant and subverts all things to his own end and not unto the glory of God while he continues in that state unreconciled to God but man being restored and redeemed and renewed again into covenant with God through the condemning of the evill then all creatures to him are restored and made blessed the curse being removed out of his own heart the creatures are no longer cursed to him but good and decent and enjoyed and received in the covenant of God in the life and vertue by which they were created and by the wisdom which they were made man comes to order them and exercise himself in them and no more are they spent upon the lust nor on the vain mind nor ruled over in oppression but all that is condemned and all creatures are seen to be the Lords and the whole earth is his and the fulnesse thereof and the abuse of all creatures is ceased and they are enjoyed in their pure vertue to feed and to cloth the creature and not to be destroyed upon the lust but for the healths-sake are they used to the glory of the Creator and unto the end wherefore he created them and are pure as they were in the beginning and the blessing is felt which is more than all creatures CHAP. XVI Concerning the new Covenant and how man comes to the knowledge of God this testimony I give THe Covenant of God is unity betwixt God and man and a binding each to other to serve each other the one is bound to obey and submit and worship and the other to blesse and keep and lead and preserve this Covenant is established with his own seed for ever and there is no teacher but God all is taught of him from the least to the greatest who are in this Covenant his just Law is written in their heart to condemn all transgression and his pure Spirit is put into the inward parts to be the rule and guide of life in all things and none need to say know the Lord but all knows him in the Spirit and worships him and obeys him and follows him in spirit and in truth and such are come into peace and reconciliation and God and the Covenant with Hell and death is broken and in this Covenant there is no Priest nor offering but Christ Jesus the high Priest of God the one offering for sinne he takes away sin and makes intercession and in it is no temple but our bodies are the temple of God and he dwells in us and walks in us and there is
rewards from any man which is given freely into the world and it ever was and is persecuted by the generation of the unjust and by the powers of the earth he that comes in the Fathers name cannot be received of the world but the world is at enmity against it in this generation as ever was it converts people unto the knowledge of God and many did and many doth receive the knowledge of God thereby though some thereby be hardened against God unto destruction and the word of the Lord and the Ministry returns not in vain unto God but all by it are left without excuse the witnesse of Christ in every creature being reached to which gives testimony to the power and to the truth of the Ministry of Christ but the false Ministers and Ministry are not such for their Ministry is received by naturall learning and arts and is not the gift of the Holy Ghost but stands in the wisdom of mans words and not in the power and life of God it profits not the people at all neither doth any come to the knowledge of God thereby neither is turned from darknesse to light but Teachers and people continues in the power of Satan and in the unconverted estate the witnesse of God not reached to to bring to the understanding of things which are eternall but people are ever learning by it and never coming to the knowledge of the truth but the blind leads the blind and like Teachers like People all out of the way given to iniquity and unrighteousness and such are they who preaches for hire and divines for money and seeks for their gain from their quarter and through covetousnesse by feigned words makes merchandize of souls going for gifts and rewards and reaching for filthy lucre having setled places and so much a year these are not the true Ministers of Christ but false Ministers of Antichrist and deceivers and was never sent of God and do never bring any to the knowledge of God and such we bear witnesse against to be of the Devil and that for many generations the world hath been deceived by them who hath had the form of godlinesse but not the power and Christs words and the Apostles words without the life and they have served themselves and not the Lord Jesus but now they are made manifest with the true Light which approveth the Ministry of God and disapprove such who are Ministers of Antichrist and all that are in the light and walks in the light can receive this testimony which is given by the Spirit of God to that Ministry which is sent of him which doth fulfill his will and against the false Ministry which is not of God which runs and was never sent of him CHAP. XII Concerning the Gospel of Christ this is my testimony unto all the world THe Gospell is the power of God and it is sent of him into the world to reconcile people unto him that have been in the enmity against him it is peace to the poor in spirit and judgement to the fat and to the high minded and it is to be preached to every creature male and female under Heaven without respect of Peoples Nations or generations it is the manifestation of the love of God to the whole world togather people out of all unrighteousnesse into the living way of life peace and truth to walk with God in purity and holinesse and to deny the world and all its waies and works and worships which are evill and by it some are brought to God and to salvation and life eternal and some through it are hardened against God that they may be destroyed and condemned who are reprobates and believes not in him from whom the Gospell comes and it cannot be received by any other way or means than by the revelation of Jesus Christ in the hearts of his people and many have the letter which knows not the Gospell nor hath received it and this Gospell which is everlasting have we received from God and this is the sound of it which we give in the world unto the world fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgements is come and this is the everlasting Gospell of salvation he that can receive it let him CHAP. XIII Concerning the word of God and concerning the Scriptures this testimony I give unto all the World THe word of God was in the beginning before any creatures were made and by it all things stand and remain unto this day and the world endures for ever and by it all things in Heaven and in Earth are brought to pass which God doth and it is from everlasting to everlasting without beginning and without end and the word is powerfull dividing and discerning all things even the secret thoughts of every mans heart it is a two-edged sword and as a fire and like a hammer to cut up to burn and to beat down the word of the Lord reconciles man again to him and this word is in the mouth in the heart and the servants of the Lord handled tasted saw and felt the word of life and from it spoke sorth the Scriptures as they were moved by the Holy Ghost through the eternall Spirit and it is a declaration of the word of life which was in the beginning and endures for ever and it declares what the Saints received believed and enjoyed and none can understand it without the same Spirit that gave it forth and to such who have the same Spirit the Scripture is profitable the Word of God which was in the beginning and which endures for ever is not the Scripture which was not in the beginning neither can it endure for ever but the Scripture testifies of that word and that word witnesseth to the Scripture and they are not contrary one to the other but gives witnesse each of other but many hath the Scripture that hath not the Word neither knows it but they that have the Word cannot but own the Scriptures and this the truth as it is in Jesus testified to all the world by us who doth deny them that hereof gives any other testimony CHAP. XIV Concerning the Devill and Damnation this testimony I give to all people THere is a Devill which is out of the truth who abode not in the truth but is a lyar from the beginning and the Father of all evill and evill doing and the author of all unrighteousness and whatsoever is contrary to God in thought word and action he is the enmity against God and against all good and by his power subverts creatures and things to another end than wherefore they were created even to the dishonour of the Creator he is the god of this world the Prince of darknesse and he rules King in all the children of the first Adam who are in evill he was the cause of the first transgression and is the cause of disobedience to God to this day in all people who are led by him moving
sake and because of being guided or not of being guided with the measure of Gods pure Spirit Therefore is man and his works good and accepted or evill and not regarded but condemned of God CHAP. XIX Concerning mans state in the first Adam before conversion and his state after conversion and what conversion is MAns state in the first Adam in transgression is a state of perfect enmity against God and death reigns in every man and he is possessed with blindnesse and ignorance and unbelief and is wholly imperfect to receive the things of Gods Kingdom or to act any thing for God acceptable to him man in that state is wholly dead to God and insensible of the presence and power and life of his Creator for he is drove from God and is not led by him he hath no power to perform any good in the sight of God but is possessed with evill and led into all evill continually hee is free from righteousnesse and free to all evill being the servant of the Devil and subject to him and overcome of him every moment and is led by him to transgresse against the Lord his heart is unclean and out of it proceeds continually uncleannesse in all manner of words thoughts and actions which floweth out of the corrupt fountain which grieveth and vexeth the Lord and his Spirit who is dishonoured daily by man through his abuse of Gods creatures who is a devourer and destroyer of them and not a preserver as he ought to be who abuseth them upon his lust and not to the glory of the Lord he loves the creature and worships the creature and is gone a whoring after the creatures and hath forgotten God that made him and all things and hath lost his own dominion wherein hee was set in his Creation and his state in his transgression is cursed of God and without the peace of God it being in the enmity against him and in all things he is wholly unprofitable to his Maker and onely profitable to himself and to the Devill and this in short is the state of every man in transgression before conversion but his state after conversion is a state more blessed for man is changed and renewed and translated by the power of the Lord through the working of the eternall Spirit through conversion his mind is changed and his heart is renewed the old is done away and a new heart is given and all things are become new even every word and work and every intent and purpose of his mind is converted into another end and guided by another spirit than before his conversion and man is again returned to God into the sense and feeling of his Maker and into covenant with him where he is blessed and all things to him for the reconciliation is made with God and the evill is judged and condemned and sin is taken away and blotted out and not remembred for man is become servant unto God and onely serves him in all things and not himself or any other creature in any thing for he hath received power to become Sonne to God and hath received power over the Devill and his temptations and death is destroyed and the effects of it are ceased and the sting of it is taken away and life and immortality is brought to light and man is made capable to act in all things for the glory of his Maker and God hath made Christ wisdome to him to rule him and guide him in all things and righteousnesse to cover him and justification to him to clear him in his sight and the new man is brought forth and the creating in Christ Jesus unto good works is known and the birth which is heir of Gods Kingdome is witnessed and unto this man is the Lord become an everlasting light and a sure hiding place for he is not the servant of sin but of righteousnesse nor an offence to God in any of his works but for his names sake is well pleased with him he is his teacher in all the waies of peace he is his helmet and his shield and his hope of salvation and his shepheard to feed him and preserve him at all times though he may be tempted yet he is not overcome for God is his strength though he may be tryed ye the 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 all creatures he enjoyes in the Covenant with God and peace is in all his waies 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 tast 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 witnesse 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 eternall Spirit and as that same Spirit doth and shall move us do we and shall wee bear witnesse 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 Kingdome set up in the world and in comparison of this that we may serve God in our generation by bearing witnesse of these things which we have heard and seen nothing of this world our liberty our life nor any other thing whatsoever is not 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 passe through many
rather than their destruction Yet this we give all to know that the Lord will be avenged on all them who hates the way of righteousnesse and all that opposeth the Lord and his way and despiseth his truth which he hath revealed they shall be confounded and broken to pieces and shall confesse to the Lord and his way and his truth in the day of their destruction Again let all the earth know that against all unrighteousnesse injustice oppression whoredom murder and drunkennesse and all sin whatsoever we do declare and acknowledge our selves to be enemies against all sin and they that commit it and we cannot hide sin and iniquity in any but gives our testimony against it and against all that live in it whatsoever without respect to men or places and cannot flatter any man in his transgressions but saith that lying swearing drunkenness covetousness injustice dissimulation hypocrisie murder and envy lust of the flesh pride and wantonnesse and all the works of the flesh whatsoever are contrary to God and of the devill and they that lives in them and brings them forth are the servants of the devill and must not inherit that kingdome of God who brings forth those works which grieves the Spirit of God and vexes his righteous soul and this is that Government onely which is the Government of sin and death which we declare our selves enemies to which is of the devill and not of God and this is that Government which we testifie against and warrs against by the sword of the Spirit of God and by his power and not by the carnall weapons or subtill conspiracies or violent insurrections for this way and by this means shall not the Government of Satan be overthrown or the kingdom of Christ ever exalted Again let all the world know that we are not such as disanuls or makes voyd the Covenant and bond of Relations or teach any so to do or give any example by our practice to any subjects to be rebellious to their Governors or children to be disobedient to their Parents or that servants be undutifull to their Masters But on the contrary doth say and affirm it that it is the duty of Subjects to be obedient and subject in the Lord to their Rulers and Governours whether Kings Dukes or others who have rule over them and also that Children should be obedient to their Parents and Servants to be dutifull and subject to their Masters in the Lord in all things and that Husbands and Wives live in all unity and peace in the Lord Provided onely where Rulers Parents or Masters or Husbands requireth of their Subjects Children or Servants or any other whatsoever requiring of their relations that which is unjust and contrary to God and his righteous law in such a case we say that Subjects Children Servants and all other whatsoever are free and we say where man requires any thing contrary to God and God requires another thing contrary to man the obedience to God is rather to be chosen and the obedience to all men is to be denyed and this is our judgement which is according to truth and is the mind of God concerning subjection and obedience and the duty of Relations one to another And lastly know ye assuredly that we do not hold and maintain any thing by conversation or doctrine but the very same truth in word and practice as all our fore-Fathers did but bears witnesse of the same salvation by the same Christ as they did and are not setters forth of strange gods for no other God is worshipped by us than he which Abraham Isaac and Iacob and all the rest of the servants of the Lord in every generation worshipped served and obeyed neither are we such as doth maintain Heresie Errour or Idolatry or the worship of any strange god though hereof we are accused falsely yet against us cannot it be proved truly and this we give the whole world to know that no other end or purpose or design is in our hearts but only to fulfil the will of God in all things as it is to us made manifest Even this is the resolution of our hearts and the full purpose of our minds to give testimony through the world as we are moved both by writing and declaring of these Truths which to us is known from the Lord that truth and righteousnesse may come to reign and this may we do as the Lord provideth way for us nor fearing the face of any man nor being afraid of the threatning of high looks and that we may finish the testimony given us of God our life nor any other thing is dear unto us and all ye people every where for your sake is this written to come abroad amongst you to give you warning and true information of the work of the Lord and what he is about to do that you may hear and understand and may receive the knowledge of those things which belong to your peace and may be saved with an eternall salvation or otherwise through this are you wholly left without excuse if you perish And unto this was I pressed in spirit for many daies that all the world may be satisfied what we are and what we hold and what the purpose of the Lord is and I whom God hath warned do warn all people upon the face of the earth that you prepare prepare to meet the Lord for his coming and his day is nigh at hand and his judgements shall be revealed in the Earth and all flesh shall tremble before him and all the inhabitants of the world shall be confounded at his presence The proud shall be abased and the poor shall be exalted the high and lofty shall be brought down and the meek and upright shall be set up Truth shall reign as King and deceit shall utterly be confounded they that now suffer all manner of evill for the Name of Jesus shall possesse everlasting freedome and the dominion shall be in their hands and they that now cause the just to suffer shall go into endless captivity the seed of God shall spring forth and flourish but the seed of evill-doers shall never be renowned And betwixt these two seeds is an enmity put and they can never be reconciled each seed hath his fruit the one is cursed and the other is blessed and each seed is known by its fruit and must receive from the Lord accordingly And this is the testimony of the servants of the Lord and the witnesse which they give unto all the world of those things which we have handled tasted heard seen and felt blessed are all they thar can receive it We are known to God in the Spirit and one to another in his life and are known in the world by the name of Quakers cast upon us through the derision of the heathen But Quaking and trembling at the World of the Lord by the servants of the Lord we do own when the power of God reacheth to the witnesse of God in the creature which brings condemnation upon all high looks and upon the lofty nature which causeth the earthly part to tremble we do own and many of us do witness the Quaking and Trembling which is by the operation of the Spirit of God and the severall operations by the one Spirit we own which brings down proud flesh whose honour God will lay in the dust and bring it to everlasting contempt and when this comes to pass quaking shall not be a strange thing nor the Name reproached as it is at this day by the proud spirits of men who knows not the work of the Lord nor the operation of his Spirit Moreover and besides all this let all the world know that our conversation life and practice is one and the same with what we hold forth in words and that we give as large a testimony of God amongst us by pure conversation as doctrine and doth deny them who gives testimony in words onely and answers not in their conversation for that is hypocrisie and our souls loath it and it is abomination in the fight of the Lord where he is profest in words and not walked to in purity and righteousnesse of life for righteousnesse being brought forth in the heart works of righteousnesse will spring forth in the world and where righteousnesse springs not forth in the world and the fruits of the knowledge of God it shews that righteousnesse is not in the heart and that God is not known Also concerning our Government it is according to Christ whom we own to be head amongst us and no other head we have or do bow unto and we are but members of his body joyned to him through the Spirit as head over us all and the greatest of us is but a member of Christ who is the head alone and we have not another neither can we be subject to any other Government but his or to obey any Government but what is justly according to his whose Government must be set up in the earth and for it we wait and labours and travels and counts nothing hard but all things are easie to us for this prise which is before us even the Government of Christ to be set up and all Governments of men establisht according to it and this is our testimony which we give forth in words and practice and if it be required can seal it with our blood And this is written for no other end but that you may be certainly informed what we are and what we hold and what the Lord hath done and what he is about to do in all the earth who is arisen and hath said Ah! I will ease me of my Adversaries FINIS ERRATA Pag. 3. l. 21. for word r. world p. 3. l. 33. for same r. son p. 25. l. 10. for world r. word p. 25. l. 18. r. and in the heart